New Things...

So...I have (therapeutically?) been stitching on a Very Interesting Project recently. That is to say, I think it will be quite lovely when it's finished but as I'm embroidering it I'm already thinking of a thousand different ways I could have approached this project. The stitches aren't perfect but overall the effect that I'm after is definitely reached. A bit cryptic I know but it in this case it will be so much nicer if you see the finished piece first and perhaps in progress photos afterwards (although I don't have too many). The red rectangle isn't part of the project. I wanted to add an appropriate text there but in the end I couldn't think of anything.... it contrasts nicely with the rest though. :)

Also new is this Wave Goodbye... pattern. As you probably know this pattern was published in Australian Homespun magazine a few months ago and I'm now releasing it for all to enjoy.

As always the pattern has a Stitch and Colour key and valuable tips from yours truly. :) There's still enough time to stitch this in time for Christmas for the VW van or cute animal fan in your life!

On the Cover of a Magazine

I'm so excited that my 'Wave Goodbye' embroidery (as it's now called) has made it to the cover of this month's Australian Homespun magazine!

I had this idea to make an embroidery with a Volkswagen Van for quite a while. I even had a fairly detailed drawing of it on my 'must make a pattern of this one day' pile. As it turns out production of these VW vans ended last December but at least you can now still make your own with needle and thread! Anyway, I'm glad Homespun liked the idea as well so I went on and adjusted the original sketch quite a bit to give it a bit of a Surf and Beach theme. That maybe an odd theme in September for us in the Northern Hemisphere but in Australia it's nearly Spring! Maybe it would be fun if I'd made a wintery version as well...

P.S.
Tomorrow I am finally posting a review of the IKEA 'Sy' Sewing machine I bought for my daughter earlier this year!

Furry Nice Class Reminder

This is my second version of my Polar Bear pattern (see my first version here) because after stitching him on regular fabric  I wanted to try to and embroider him on patterned fabric as well. I chose a rather busy Liberty print. Obviously this Polar Bear is far from finished but I will stitch along with the students of my second Furry Nice Class that starts late September so he definitely will be finished in the next two months.

If you are interested in joining the class too you might want to do that today or tomorrow as the Early Bird discount ($40 instead of $45) expires after tomorrow! Find more info about the class here.

Sign up for the new Furry Nice Embroidery Class!

I'm very excited to announce my second Furry Nice Online Embroidery Class! It's basically a repeat of the class I hosted earlier this year but with a few tweaks and improvements, based on my experience with the first Furry Nice Class and the feedback I received from the students. 

Together we'll be stitching the Polar Bear you see pictured above. My aim is not simply to let you replicate the original but to show you what's 'behind' my furry stitching. It's about shades and colours and creating depth in embroidery. To me one of the most striking things of the first Furry Nice course was how well the students were able to absorb and use the information and techniques I provided them with.  As a result some very lovely Polar Bears were stitched during class! 

In addition to the Polar Bear the class includes several exclusive patterns including a Sailor Fox, A wistful looking Bunny and smaller patterns to practice your newly learned shading skills. 

The Online Furry Nice Class starts on the 25th of September 2014 and will run for five weeks. The information and downloads will be available for much longer than that (at least until the end of 2014) so you can follow the lessons in your own pace. You can go directly to my store to secure a place in the class and you will also find more information about the class there. The price is $40 if you sign up before the 9th of August and $45 if you sign up at a later date. Hope to 'see' you in my class!

Polar Bear & Scarf

I'm a bit under the weather at the moment which is kind of inconvenient with just a few days to go until the Furry Nice class starts! I did manage to take a quick photo yesterday of the Polar Bear that is the star of the class. I think he turned out rather sweet but I am tempted to add a whole lot more flowers to the border. Maybe later though because I already have another furry character in the hoop at the moment, at the request of a fellow embroidery designer! 

Order of things

This must be the Most Photographed Polar Bear ever. For my class I'm taking lots of photos to document each (small) step in the stitching process. I think I made about 50 photos today. 

Usually my stitching process is quite random: a bit of fur stitching here, a bit of the scarf shading there etc etc. But this time I really have to create some order in the process to show what I'm doing exactly. :) 

New pattern and a special offer!

Phew, it was hard work but I managed to finish my Fly me to the moon embroidery pattern! It not only includes a charming tap dancing Polar Bear called Fred (more about Fred later) but also the rather neat lettering I designed to go with the 'main' pattern.

As usual the pattern has a stitch and colour guide and in addition some useful tips on how to stitch a lively looking Polar Bear fur!

Be sure to buy the pattern within the next seven days for the special introduction price of just $3.50! After the 12th of May the price will be $4.50. 

When I wrote about the dancing Polar Bear last week Lucy @ Charm about you  left me a comment mentioning that she named her son Fred (after Fred Astaire). After that there was no way I could give the Polar Bear another name but Fred. So Lucy if you read this, please sent me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy of the pattern. :)

Tap dancing Polar Bear in Stitches

You already met this talented bear the other day, starring on my very first fabric design and this is the embroidered version. PDF pattern will be available some time in the next couple of weeks as a set together with a smaller design!

This was one of the first sketches of the Dancing Bear. It is somewhat related to this tiny Bear portrait embroidery I did earlier this year. For some reason the brown bear turned into a  Polar Bear along the way. It is so hard to get motivated tap dancing, multi-coloured scarf waving Polar Bears to model for you though... ;) 

polar bear in my local zoo

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! 

P.S. the fabric I used for the embroidery is Pretty Little Things Jada by Dena Designs for Free Spirit Fabrics.

Fly me to the moon...

...and let me dance among the stars! Fly me to the moon is the name of the fabric I designed and got printed at Spoonflower and today I received the test swatch. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Here is a closer look at the tap dancing, multi-colour scarf waving polar bear...

I think it would be a really sweet (yet cool) design to use in kid's quilts! I know it's not that big a deal for a lot of people to see their design on fabric but I'm really excited about it. It was something that was on my 'must do' list for a long time. The hardest part was choosing which colours to use but I think the this slightly retro/fifties palette works really well. I can't wait to add some more fabric designs in the same style and theme.

If you feel you need a tap dancing polar bear in your life you can purchase the fabric here. I have an embroidery pattern with the same theme coming out really soon which will be available via my own shops. I will post some photos of my embroidered version in the next couple days.

Cool Colours

While I was browsing through the photos I made this year and stumbled upon this Polar Bear & floss pic. The cool palette suits the current weather conditions perfectly as we had our first snow of the season today. Much to the amusement of my kids (snowball fights) and the cat (watching snowflakes from her comfy and warm spot on the kitchen radiator).

I made the Polar Bear photo for the Scandinavian Issue of &Stitches (available here!) for our 'Colour by Numbers' feature, but we chose to use the other picture (the Danish Teacup you see in my header) I made. Anyway, the top one of the six-stranded flosses in this photo is a favourite of mine. No. 747 is one of the most wonderful icy blue colours DMC has to offer: a cool blue with a hint of mint... The floss in the middle is a subtle silvery grey colour (DMC 762) and the mid shade of blue is DMC 598.  

And if you are looking for a project to use these shades, check out this wonderful free 'woven' star pattern Carina posted on the &Stitches blog.

I have a winter-y freebie pattern on the &Stitches blog early next week.

Wishing you all a fun and crafty weekend! 

Pretty in Patchwork Holidays

I'm very excited that a few of my patterns are now available in this fabulous new book called Pretty in Patchwork Holidays. First it was only available as e-book but since a week or two you can get the printed version of the book in online stores as well as in 'real' book stores. Of course I'm totally biased but I honestly think this book is a great addition to your crafty bookshelf.

There are so many original and beautiful modern patchwork patterns in this book, ranging from  small projects like my Polar bear ornament (this bear is quite popular I believe!)....

....to beautiful quilt throws like this one, it's called Christmas in the City, by John Adams (aka Quiltdad) who is also the author of the book. And while some patterns are definitely Christmas patterns there are also patterns in this book for items you can use for the whole winter season (see examples above) or adjust to other occasions like Halloween. A lot of the patterns also are great for gifts like this cute apron by Cathy Gaubert.

And here's my other contribution to the book: a Hedgehog softie with festive pillowcase.

The book has beautiful photography throughout and it sure is a fantastic source of holiday sewing inspiration. I'm so chuffed that I'm part of it!