First bauble for Christmas

I used to star I made earlier to make a bauble decoration. I tried to sew the star on top to the round in the bottom, but I'm not 100% satisfied. Still loads of balls to cover if I want to....

Tatted star

I know it's Spring turning to Summer out there, but I am tatting for Christmas. I plan on covering Christmas balls with tatting. It's quite a challenge for me as I have difficulties adapting patterns (or create my own !) so that they fit the ball.

Here is the initial star that will go on top of a ball :

Tatted edging finished and sewn on the tshirt

Yesterday morning I was full of creative energy. Not only did I finished tatting the edging, but I also sewed it on the tshirt. I was pinning it into place to see if it was long enough, and one thing leading to another.... It was all done. But I ended up with very sore fingers.

Now I don't really know what to make. Things for Christmas? Another edging? Both?

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 15 Avril 2018 à 4 :50 PDT

Feeling nostalgic....

Recently I made quite a few tatted items. Now that I'm working full time as a web developer, I need some creative outlet during my free time. Something away from the screens. Somethign that doesn't require using my brain too much.

But then, looking at all the new tatters on the Just-Tatting Facebook group, I started to wonder when I started tatting.

And that's where this blog becomes very handy. July 2008. It's also fun to see the old posts.... I started blogging in 2005, but I lost about a year of data because I was on my own website that disapeared with time. The pictures are still there, in Google Photos Albums.

Now I feel like reading my old posts.... Have you ever had this feeling?

Tatting on the edge

After a very long time not crafting at all, I felt the urge to do some tatting. Why tatting? It's portable, I have all the patterns, materials, etc....

We were approaching  Easter at the time, and I thought it would be fun to make motifs to stick on the mini paper eggs I still have from ages ago.

So I tatted motifs. I will photograph them and post them here when I have the courage to do so. Then I came across a pattern for those mini baskets from the previous post. And I ended up making one for each in my family as Easter present.

In the meantime, I felt like I needed more edgings for my plain tshirts. I decided to start simple, with one shuttle, size 50 DMC thread, and Mary Konior's Curds and Whey pattern.

I posted this on the Just-Tatting facebook group and got a massive response. Several people even started tatting it as well ! It felt good to be back in the sharing crafting community....

Easter baskets

Winter fairy progress

#winter #fairy progress. Still in the three whites section of the skirt. #crossstitch #stitching #pointdecroix #broderie #joanelliott

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 23 Août 2017 à 22h34 PDT

Smartphone pouch with Tinkerbell stitch

#crochet #smartphone #pouch with à #crossstitch #tinkerbell #fairy glued on it

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 21 Août 2017 à 9h15 PDT

Winter Fairy Update

This is my very long project. Started in 2010, worked on in 2015, it's back in progress.

#joanelliott #winterfairy a big project back from the wip pile. I'm in the middle of the white, that is actually 3 whites. Not so fun... The Chicory #fairy will the easier"on the go" project. #stitching #crossstitch #broderie #pointdecroix

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 19 Août 2017 à 23h49 PDT

New fairy

New project, the #chicory #fairy, an old #DMC #flowerfairies #crossstitch kit. #pointdecroix #broderie #stitching

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 14 Août 2017 à 20h21 PDT

Tansy Fairy finished

#tansy #fairy finished ! I still need to mount it in the card thingy. 20years after starting it ! 😱 #flowerfairies #stitching #crossstitch #broderie

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 9 Août 2017 à 22h21 PDT

zentangle bird

Back to #drawing Juste took a #pencil and let it slide on the paper... And a#bird appears ! #zentangle #coloredpencils #dessin #crayon

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 6 Août 2017 à 1h14 PDT

All stitches done

All #stitches done ! Now for the long and meticulous work of#backstitching #crossstitch #crossstitching #embroidery #pointdecroix#flowerfairies

Une publication partagée par Sandrine Ociepka (@angelsan59) le 4 Août 2017 à 21h18 PDT

Back to stitching

I felt a sudden urge to stitch after all that crochet I've been doing. So the tansy fairy is back...

I suppose I've been working on it for nearly 15 years now !

But it's close to the end now...

Rice milk

Rice milk is the kind of food your mom certainly made when you were a child. I read this week it was good for your health, the milk fixing the rice zinc or something... So I decided to give it a try, it seemed so easy to make...

This first batch was a bit of a deception. It burned over in a minute of innattention,and the caster sugar makes it taste a bit funny.

But it's still good...

Nearly one year....

Since I came this way ! I had started a loooooong message 6 mois or so ago. But I will spare you too much text.

So what changed?

- I lost my grandma after a long stay in hospital, and that really got to me.
- I started playing Bass Guitar to join DBF's band (a way to compensate the loss above)
- I started a computer coding course. Back to school for 9 month, and hope for a change of career.

So as going to class every day and try to stick loads of data in my brain is a bit tiring (and time consuming), crafting was completely abandonned. I don't think doing a bit of origami with a classmate counts much.

But now I'm doing an internship before getting my degree, and I'm back to cross stitching. DBF thinks that there is a link between having a job and stitching somehow. It sure feels like "before".

For the moment I' working on old projects, but the ultimate question will rise soon : what to do with all those finished pieces? Especially when you are a techno geek like me?

And what kind of app could I develop for stitchers?

An idea.... you know where to find me...

Stormtrooper stitch

I made this Star Wars Stormtrooper keyring for DBF. Stitched on 16 count aida and using pva white glue to prevent fraying and stick the felt at the back.

 This method is a good alternative to plastic canvas that I can't find over here. And it offers more flexibility for backstitching and fractionals...

Animal Crossing Stitch

As I have a whole folder of medium and big stitched pieces, I want to stitch something more portable. Like charms or keyfobs.

So here is Marie from the Animal Crossing game (3DS). I used 16 count aida. I found the pattern in the numerous Hama beads patterns on Pinterest.

Originally I wanted to make a mini cushion, but I'm not really satisfied of the little Totoro I made a year ago, the character gets all out of shape.

So I cut the fabric around very close to the stitches like plastic canvas, and put some glue all around so it doesn't fray.

Now I need to add a back. I think I will put some felt, but will I stitch or glue it on?

Mouse in a salad

We were waiting at the cashier at the supermarket and I was browsing this cooking magazine for kids, full of good ideas.

Including the mouse made with an half egg, radishes and pepper.

And I put it on top of my usual mixed salad.

The guests liked it a lot !

Forever Friends Nightmare

Second freebie stitched this month. But different story. This is an Anchor kit, instead of DMC. And two (ok, three) problems occured.

First, just looking at the pattern, I could only brace myself for an arduous backstitching, out of the holes with a pointy needle. It reminded me of the old days when that lady from Anchor got mad at me for warning people of this difficulty in Anchor kits I reviewed. At least I knew what I was getting into.

Second, error in the colour chart calling for a brown backstitching on the flowers instead of pink, but never mind.

Then this is where we uncounter the real big problem : not enough threads. This NEVER EVER happened with a freebie, from any UK magazine. They usually provide more than enough. Here, at first I was stitching the teddy, and I was having just enough. Just enough is already rare. But it became desperate when I had to make the pink background. I ran out. And I had to use DMC threads to finish the project. And we stitchers know that the colours equivalence is never exact.

 So what happened ? Was it yet another mistake int he colour chart? Should have it been "stitch in one strand" instead of two?

It didn't discourage me, I started another Forever Friends freebie...