Smalls SAL - April 2014 Update



April's Smalls SAL

Today is my very first check-in with the Smalls SAL hosted by Stitching Lotus.  I joined earlier this month and had to work quickly to have a finished piece completed by check-in today.  I chose to do a small bargello design that I will use in a greeting card.  As you may or may not know, I have a small shop on Etsy.com called Calico Craft Designs.  I'm trying to decide whether or not to add a few handmade greeting cards to the shop.  If I do, I think I'm going to add this bargello design as either a thank you card or a birthday card.  Not sure just yet.  Any suggestions?

Bargello Example 1

Bargello Example 2

Oh, and just in case you're not familiar with bargello designs, I've added a brief description of this type of embroidery from good ol' Wikipedia.  I've also added three photos of bargello work I located through Google.  I do not own the right to these three photos and are only using them to represent this beautiful art form.  Per the Wikipedia website, "Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs.  The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello Palace in Florence, which have a 'flame stitch' pattern.  Traditionally, Bargello was stitched in wool on canvas.  Embroidery done this way is remarkably durable... Traditional designs are very colourful, and use many hues of one colour, which produces intricate shading effects.  The patterns are naturally geometric but can also resemble very stylized flowers or fruits." 

Bargello Example 3

Now, what I have completed as my Smalls SAL for April is not needlepoint embroidery but is bargello in cross-stitch.  I found this particular pattern sample through a web search in Google.  I really like it as it reminds me of a pattern you see in Moroccan design and Morocco is definitely a place that I would love to visit one day.  I adapted the design just slightly and chose my own colors.  It repeats the same pattern every three rows and could be used with 3, 6, or 9 colors.  I chose to use six colors in my finished piece.  I really enjoyed working on this piece and am looking forward to completing a few more in the future. 


My Bargello Design in Cross-Stitch

Has anyone else ever finished a bargello design in cross-stitch?  If so, I'd love to see some photos.

New Threads on the Calico Craft Designs Blog

I ordered a few beautiful threads from Lorraine at the Colour Complements Etsy Shop.  Check out my blog post on the Calico Craft Designs blog via the link below.  I'm planning on using these for a few Hardanger designs and I'll post photos as I go along.

http://calicocraftdesigns.blogspot.com/2014/04/beautiful-beautiful-threads.html

A Long Absence

It's been about six months since my last post on "The Girl's Gone Crafty!" blog.  Due to personal and family medical issues, the holidays were a blur and the beginning of 2014 has flown by as well.  I simply have not had the time to really focus on my personal craft projects, gifts, or items for the Calico Craft Designs Etsy Shop.  The dust is beginning to settle, so to speak, and I hope to begin again.  I'll be rearranging a few items on the blog and hope to join in with the TUSAL Challenge and ongoing WIP challenges very soon.

Here's to a new beginning!

WIPocalypse 2013 - September Update

I cannot believe that it's already time for the September update!  This year is going by waaaay too fast!  It's going to be 2014 before we know it.  I'm actually a little late with this month's WIPocalypse post as it was actually due on September 19th. 

I did make a little progress this month on a couple of cross-stitch projects as well as in completing several rag wreaths and candle-rings and working on my first latch hook rug.  It's been a busy month for crafts!  Here's what I worked on this  month.

Progress from the end of May 2013



Progress as of September 28, 2013

A fabric Candle-Ring for a good friend who loves the GA Bulldogs (UGA)

A small "girlie" wreath for a friend's 4-year old daughter who loves zebras

Three Halloween wreaths for sale at the Calico Craft Designs Etsy Shop

Almost finished with a Winter Cardinal piece I'm doing for my Mom for Christmas

And last, but not least, I did work on the "Summer Fairy" by Joan Elliott.  Below is the photo taken shortly after I started on it in May 2012.  I haven't taken a new progress photo yet and will probably wait and add it for the October update.

 

 

Happy stitching until the October update on the 18th!

WIPocalypse 2013 - August Update

As promised last month, I made quite a bit of progress on my cross-stitching.  No empty TUSAL glass for me next month on September 5th!  The catch is that the progress was made on other projects and not those on my current WIP list!  LOL!  Oh well.  I did start and finish a couple of small items that I have turned into cards for my Calico Craft Designs Etsy shop.  I don't have a lot of experience making cards and I thought these for Halloween came out pretty well.  What do you think?

Happy stitching until the September update on the 19th!

Who Loves Candy Corn?

That sugary sweet candy that you typically only see during Halloween. The distinctive white, orange, and yellow striped, corn kernel shaped candy that reminds you of trick or treating, costumes, and Halloween parties. Who doesn’t love candy corn?!?! I love the cooler weather and beautiful colors of autumn. I love the Halloween decorations, the costume parties, and of course, candy corn. I wanted to create a fabric wreath that reminded me of this beautiful time of year.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on a large rag candy corn wreath and a candy corn fabric candle ring. Both ended up using eleven types of fabric! These will be going into my Calico Craft Designs Etsy shop but I am definitely going to have to make another one just for me. As always, let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Rag Time!!!

I've been working on a spring/summer fabric "rag" wreath for my Calico Craft Designs Etsy shop and thought I would share a pic of my progress thus far.  Then I realized that my camera is still not linking to my computer and I'm having trouble downloading my photos.  [sigh]  I suppose this will be another post that I have to revisit in the future when I have a photo to add.  :-)  Oh well!


UPDATE AS OF 5/24/13:  I finally got the photos to download from my camera.  Yay!  Here are a couple of the wreath I have been working on.

The Weekend is Just Too Short!

This past weekend went by way too fast.  I mean, I blinked and it was practically gone.  Sometimes I really would like to go back in time and make the typical work week four days instead of five.  Three-day weekends every week would be so wonderful.  I could get so much more accomplished.  Or I could just be a bit lazier.  Either way works for me!

I spent this past Saturday at home, working on fabric wreaths for the Calico Craft Designs’ Etsy Shop.  I finished one for spring/summer that was already in progress and I started a second one that is more of a prototype.  I’m trying to combine another type of fabric into the typical “rag” wreath and it’s proving to be an interesting task.  If the prototype works out the way that I hope it will, I’ll post more about it.  If not, well…we’ll see.  I may post something anyway.  I could definitely use the feedback.

Oh, and I’ve got at least two new items for the Etsy Shop but for the first time in a very long time, I am without a camera at the moment.  I have the one that is built-in to my mobile phone but the quality is just not the same.  [sigh]  I may have to break down and borrow a friend’s camera for a few days so I can get these listed for sale.

I spent Sunday afternoon visiting with friends who have a 2-month old baby boy.  He is sooooo cute and is such a good baby.  It was a joy to spend some time with them.  I didn’t actually work on any crafts, believe it or not, but I did try to jot down a few ideas for future projects.  Maybe I’ll have to find something to do for the beautiful little boy’s room.

Yes, this weekend went by way too fast.  How did you spend your weekend?  Did you get to work on any UFOs (unfinished objects) or start something new?

Coping with Addiction

My name is Raquel and I'm a craftoholic.

They say the first step on the road to recovery is to admit you have a problem.  Well, I guess mine is crafts!  Although...I'm not so sure I'm ready to admit that I have a mild obsession with crafting.  Ok.  Maybe more than mild.  A little more anyway.

I've been crafting since I was a young child but I'm not going to tell you how long ago that was!  Let's just say...it's been a few years.  My mom is a very creative person and she passed along her love for cross-stitching, drawing, and general crafts to me.  I just wish I could draw.  LOL.  I began cross-stitching at age 4 and finished my first sizable piece in the 1st grade as a class show-and-tell project.  It was a small puppy and I still think I have that piece somewhere in the house.  Hmmm...may have to look for it.

As I got older, I still cross-stitched, but I started looking for other projects to work on.  I began working with photography, taking photos of everything.  I became our family's unofficial photographer because I always had a camera in my hand during special occasions, vacations, and events.  Now that I think about it...I still do that even today.  LOL!

In high school, I started making my own scrapbooks using those old photo albums with the "sticky" pages and plastic film that held the photos and items in place.  As the art of scrapbooking caught on to the public and became much, much wider spread, I developed a love for all of the wonderful new products and began capturing all of life's moments into album after album.  My bookshelves are full.

During my college years and into the adult working life of my early 20s, I fell away from cross-stitching and crafting in general.  I did, however, continue to work with my photography.  I fell in love, married a wonderful man, and settled into a routine.  It was at this time that I started exploring crafting once more.

Over the years, I taught myself to crochet, at least the basic scarf, and to complete beautiful embroidery work called Hardanger.  I am by no means an expert in either craft but I enjoy keeping up with basic stitches.  I've taken classes in quilting and I've finished a few pieces in stained glasswork.  I even created fused glass necklaces for Christmas gifts a couple of years ago.  My latest projects have been working with fabric and deco mesh to create beautiful holiday and seasonal wreaths.

Today, I am the owner and designer of Calico Craft Designs, a small Etsy-based storefront that currently focuses on fabric "rag" wreaths and candle-rings.  I am also exploring the possibility of adding deco mesh wreaths to the shop as well as many other small craft items.

So, I am Raquel and I am a craftoholic.  And, I'm truly ok with that and wouldn't have it any other way!