A Little Needlework

A week & a day late, but I have my second Sketchbook page completed & ready to show off.

The prompt for this page was "A Little Needlework" & needed to contain an element that moves. Needle arts have been a part of my creative endeavors for most of my life, so I decided to focus on my first favorite (clicking on the photos will make them slightly larger)

I've been sitting at the table, working on a small project

One of the things I love about cross stitch is that you don't need a lot of supplies;

your pattern graft, a piece of even-weave canvas, floss, scissors, & a needle

I included some personal reflections (hope you can read it)

I keep my needles in a little case

They don't fall out & you can keep several sizes on hand

Of course, as the eyesight ages, a little needle threader really comes in handy

 

These are my favorite scissors for needlework~ they are small, sturdy, & the little hook on the end allows you to pick up & clip one stitch at a time

I best get everything back into my work basket, so I can find it again when I'm ready to work

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Remember to drop by "A Happy Miscellany" to see what Mrs. Staggs & the other have created this week; it is never too late to join in~ there are no rules or deadlines, just start where you are, with what interests you.

Meet Me at the Fair

 

I completed the first page of my Sketchbook project, inspired by a prompt from Mrs. Stagg:

 

This made me think of the classic film "Meet Me in St. Louis", one of my favorites; I can trace my love of the period from first seeing this in my teens. I decided to go with the theme of the 1904 World's Fair, & searched out vintage images of the period; here is what I came up with (click the photos to see a slightly larger version):

All that's left is to cover the page with a protector sheet & add it to the Sketchbook. I have another Fair-inspired page that I'm working on, using a different era & some journaling elements, but now I need to move on to the next prompt, "A Little Needlework", which should include an element that moves.

Stop by "A Happy Miscellany" to see the links to other pages that have been created; it's fascinating to see the different visions of the same idea- who knows, you might find a little inspiration yourself.

Sketchbook

In my last post, I mentioned the sketchbook project I’m working on, thanks to the prompting of Mrs. Staggs at A Happy Miscellany. The intent behind this venture is to create a personal book, with elements of a journal, an art pad, & a scrapbook- something akin to the Fairyopolis books, with interactive elements & pleasing images. Each person chooses her own theme, & Mrs. Staggs will help spark ideas by showcasing her own work, as well as offering weekly prompts.

I have decided to blend the real & the fanciful elements of meg’s garden, my personal corner of the world & in many ways, my alter ego (or maybe my authentic self); I am a city girl, spending my days in an office in front of a computer, squeezing in time for old fashioned pursuits & ideals- a modern woman with vintage yearnings.

So, here is my first entry~ creating my own book & decorating the cover; I started with an inexpensive binder

 

covering it with paper

 

and fabric

 

I added some trim to blend & cover the seams

 

and then built a “garden” from a variety of elements

 

pre-made papercuts & trimmings from a autumn floral stem

 

This fence just called to me

 

and every garden needs butterflies

 

In the nameplate area, I was going to hand write “meg’s garden”, practicing it several times, with different pens, but the final execution wasn’t too successful;

 

so now, we punt~ I pulled out another papercut to put over the handwriting. This is one of my favorite terms~ I have a little sign hanging on the wall of my cubicle at work that says “La Dolce Vita”, to remind myself that I’m working for a purpose.

 

The cover is finally done,

 

except for a bit of sealing and the brain-storm I had this morning;

I want to hang a tiny “meg’s garden” sign somewhere~ maybe hanging on the fence, or on a post in the field~ what do you think?

 

Now, I need to finish up my first pages~ I know what I want to do, have most of the elements, but need quiet time to put it all together; make sure you drop by next week to see what’s next!