Recent projects...

I just finished a set of wedding handkerchiefs for a bride in Florida, featuring the popular vintage birds in a nest design. This design is actually from a set of vintage patterns that belonged to my cousin's grandmother, a professional draper and all-around talented needlewoman.

Her wedding colors are mango and clover, so we incorporated those colors into the design in the edging, beaks, and text color. I created the hankies themselves from scratch, using a white linen and hand-cutting all of the scalloped edges.

I'm off work today, so I'm going to be busy stitching letters for a large order of groomsmen's hankies. I feel blessed to be so busy!

Stitching on an airplane... Part Two

Here I am, ladies and gents, stitching on an airplane (3-13-2011). I had my sister take this photo, blurry and silly as it is, to prove that the TSA does really let you have scissors and needles on an airplane. I can't say that it was very comfortable or that I had a lot of arm room to stitch in, but I did actually manage to finish a few hankies for custom orders.

I wouldn't recommend having your stitching out during take-off or landing since you don't want to drop your scissors or needle. The first leg of our flight was only 30 minutes, so I didn't bother to get everything out then, but the 2 1/2 hour part of the flight was much more entertaining with something constructive to do.

Stitching on an airplane...

I am traveling to Houston tomorrow for a wedding, and I am very excited! However, because of the necessity of changing flights and dealing with layovers, the trip will take almost five hours (on the way there and back). I hate flying (who doesn't?). Actually, I kinda hate traveling in general. I like BEING in a different place and SEEING the place but not GETTING to the place. I'm actually not scared of an airplane crash, but I just hate being uncomfortable and breathing all that dry, stuffy air. On top of all that, I was sure that I wouldn't be allowed to bring my embroidery supplies because they include scissors and needles.

I was wrong!

Check out the list of "prohibited items" from the TSA-- metal scissors with smaller than a 4" blade are permitted in my carry on! It doesn't say anything about needles.

YAY!

Blog Redesign!

You may have noticed a few changes to the look of my blog. I changed the font, background template, background colors, layout, width, arrangement of add-ons, and more. I'm definitely not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel pretty good about the current look!

The lovely banner at the top features my work, but was not created by me. I recently purchased a new banner for my Etsy shop from WinchesterLambourne, and decided to buy a blog banner that coordinates. Her banners are a steal right now, only sale for only $10, so I definitely recommend getting one (or two).

I decided to go with a blue theme because blue doesn't strain the eyes and it coordinate well with the blue in the banner images. Also, blue supposedly is an archetype for calm and peace, which I definitely feel when I embroider!

Saturday Night Specials on Etsy!

One of my favorite things about Etsy is the ability to meet other creative people, both buyers and sellers. One fun way to do that is by participating in the Saturday Night Specials thread. The thread started back on the forums in 2006, and we've recently moved it over to the new teams set-up.

Visit the Saturday Night Specials here.

Different sellers post specials each Saturday, starting at 5 pm. Most last all night, but check each seller's post to see how long their specials run. We also chat for the first hour or two of the specials time frame.

Collaboration with NudeeDudee

Last August I blogged a simple tutorial about embroidery on black fabric, including some photos of the project I was working on at the time. The project was a collaboration with Kim of NudeeDudee, who creates the MOST amazing reproduction vintage clothing. Check out the super-amazing overalls and matching top in this photo (modeled by one of her repeat clients):

I embroidered several fabric panels for Kim using a vintage "Mexicana" embroidery pattern which was full of big, bold flowers and leaves. Kim used these panels to create an absolutely stunning vintage style dress:

Isn't her model (a friend of hers) the perfect model for this dress? She's just stunning and I can totally see her stealing the hearts of all the cowboys and vaqueros at the cantina! See the rest of the pictures (or buy the dress) by visiting Kim's shop.