Chihuahuas in Whipped Running Stitches

Last weekend i went to the Church of Craft meeting at the Etsy labs. It was fun chatting with my friend, she's such a craftaholic! It was a rainy day, so what better to do then sit down with some Starbucks, creative people and doing some needlepoint embroidery? (oh we did get splashed by some cars driving by when we went out for coffee!)
I almost got this piece done that afternoon, i had to finish the face of the right pup at home.
The design i took from the illustrations i did for the upcoming ismoyo igoogle theme (more on that later).
Not sure what i will incorporate this in, but probably it will be part of a new patchwork blanket. Like the green and the pink one i made awhile ago for myself and my husband. I now want to be even more brave and work on a huge two person patchwork blanket.
Don't hold your breath, this can take a while... lol.

Writing in Embroidery Stitches

Blue embroidery floss on pink wool felt with added flower embellishments.
Just for fun.

Jars and Le Bun

Made these embroidered storage jars for a some sort of personal project i'm working on. Could get quite interesting.

And Monsieur Le Bun invited me over to supercutekawaii for a croissant and some cute conversation. C'est tres jolie!

Embroidery in progress

So i'm working on a few small projects involving a bit of embroidery work, this was supposed to be one of the pieces involved. But now that it's almost done i'm not satisfied with it. Not for this project. The stitches are not 100% perfect and i think i should have made some other decisions with the floss colors. I won't throw it out, it will go in 'storage' and will be used one day for another project.

And what do you think? In 'storage' was another little embroidery project patiently waiting to be used; little cherries on a polkadot fabric! Cute and the perfect size to use now. Problem solved!

This is a very special project i'm working on. For my best friend. Yes, there is a change the surprise will be spoiled, she visits my blog from time to time, but tomorrow she will get on a plane to Bali, so i'm guessing she has other things on todo than to check in here. She will move to Bali, is building a home there and you can guess by the project, she is getting married there too. I will miss her, but then again, i already do, we had to say goodbye already when i moved away to NY.

I used a smaller sized gingham fabric here, but i'm thinking it would have been a bit better if i chose a different background fabric, seeing that the white from the weddingdress doesn't come out too good. But it's also definitely not bad enough for me to start over. It'I will finish it and make it perfect for my friend!

Presentation Sneak Preview

I've recently been working on making a presentation for my publisher to go with my second book proposal and synopsis. Here are some sneak peaks to what i've been creating. I really hope i actually get to make the book. I will love it even more, work even harder, make it even more 'ismoyo' and will do an even better job on it than my first book. I really love my first craft book, don't get me wrong, but if i get the change a second time, i will take everything i learned while doing the first book and take it to a whole other level with the second. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Who's calling?

Quick project. Mini embroidery hoop. Only 3 inch. Adding some beads and a button for extra effect.
I couldn't find my cellphone yesterday. Glad we still have a landline too.

Lady Wall art

My plan always is to first show finished crafts here before i potentially list them on Etsy. But i guess most of the times it's the other way around.
It can be because of the excitement to get it out there as soon as something is finished, or maybe because after finishing it takes me a little bit to gather my thoughts about it and be able to show and tell on my blog.

Like this piece. Maybe you recognize the illustration from when i entered it in the Tigerprint Fashion Illustration Competition.
You know, i really love it, but i do think that if i would enter a similar competition right at this moment, it would look totally different. Reminds me to make more time and spend it making illustrations. There are so many ideas floating in my mind, i just don't know where to start i guess.
But back to this new piece, so i transferred the illustration onto white wool felt. And then i embellished it. Added the bead necklace and the fabric flower, embroidered a backstitch line around the woman's hair.
I took the glass out of the pink frame. I like the way the contrast stands out between the soft felt and the smoothness on the illustration. And you couldn't have the flower and the beads with the glass in it.
Hope you like!

A swan and bear in stitches

So you might have noticed i've been doing a lot of embroidery lately. I am really enjoying it. Especially mixing stitches with other embellishments. These designs are based on my own illustrations and transformed into embroidery patterns. They might be part of a bigger (possibly upcoming) project. Or not if i come up with some even cuter ideas. Do we like?

Embroidered Illustrations and 2nd Etsy shop!

Finally i'm starting to add items to my second Etsy Shop. My idea is to use that shop for my illustration services (baby announcement cards/baby portraits) and other items that include my illustrations in one way or another.
Like these little framed pieces.

I transferred some of my illustrations on to wool felt and embellished them with a bit of embroidery. I was very happy when i found the pink frames, they match so well!
I will be listing these pieces in the shop later today. In the shop now!

Oh, i'm also looking for sites/blogs to promote my design services for baby announcement cards and baby illustration portraits. Pls let me know if you know of any good baby/mommie sites i should check out!

My Creative Space - Cherry Embroidery

The lovely Kirsty over at Kootoyoo started the Creative Spaces Thursdays. This Thursday i'm doing some embroidery on the livingroom table.

Making a stitch sampler and working on some cherries. Purple? I'm thinking why not.
I love using Fishbone stitches to fill up leafs. I think i should do some sort of fill stitch on the cherries too. What do you think?

Coo Coo

Another embroidery project: Cuckoo clock embroidery framed in pretty pink frame.
Cute enough? I really like how the background fabric goes with the pink frame.

Big Apple Embroidery

I have a renewed found focus for embroidery. Working on a couple of embroidery projects which might lead to, grow into one larger creative project. I will tell more when the time is there, for now, please enjoy my latest embroidery project.

Taking a bite out of the big apple.

Cute little embroidery project

I love the dark evenings just stitching away. I used two small illustrations of mine and transformed them into patterns. This little project could be the start of a huge creative project in the new year. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping you will help me and do the same.

Embroidered soft sculpture

I did another embroidered soft sculpture. I liked the way the ismoyo layout girl translated to embroidery on the brooch i did, but the detail got a bit lost because of the small size. This 5" high felt sculpture fits better i feel.

You think she's cute?

Starting a new project?

This could be the start of a new project full of creative adventures. Or not. Then it's just a piece of (pretty?) embroidery.

I based it on an image from the lovely lovely lovely book of illustrations "A Friend is Someone Who Likes You" by Joan Walsh Anglund. I have always adored that little book, but even more now that i recently read the story behind it, how Joan came up with the idea for the book. In short, she had just moved to New York (hey, i relate!) and was without her familiar surroundings and no longer among old and comfortable friends (hey, again, i relate!). She felt alone in the big city until she realized that she was not alone at all - that there were friends everywhere - but often we shut ourselves away from the friendships that surround us just waiting for us to 'notice' them. That's when she started jotting down the ideas that later got to be the book A Friend... Her husband found the notes and encouraged her to do a children's book. I'm happy he did!

Ok, so i'm gonna work out some ideas and if it does all come together and turn into my new big project, of course you all will be the first to know about it!

Embroidered Brooch

After the handcarved stamp with the new ismoyo girl, and making the two embroidered brooches, i transferred the girl into an embroidery pattern and did a 2,5" brooch of her!

How to call these?

As you can see, i'm really into this whole embroidery thing lately. I like how my designs come out as embroidered projects. So i made the squirrel last week and now i made some more. There are two different owls and the bird from my layout that i also used on the embroidered brooch, but here it's bigger. I think i like this bigger version a bit better.

And then there are two versions of the deer i used as appliques on mini art, originally from the design for a birth announcement card a while back. Wouldn't these work perfect in a nursery or as baby shower gifts? Or us grownups that still are kids at heart and love all things cute.

I firmly stuffed them all with fiberfill (i hate it when things are not stuffed enough. My mantra is stuff, stuff and stuff some more) and i gave them all flat bottoms so they can stand up straight with no problems.

All shapes and thus sizes, differ some, but they are approximately 5" wide and high. Some a bit wider, some less, some a bit higher, some a bit less. Oh, i'm so articulate in describing things. ha.

Ok, so help me out here. How to call these. They are embroideries on felt. Stuffed. Embroidery art? Plushies? Softies? i'm not sure, they are not real toy items, more for display, although you could cuddle them. Anyone with a good idea? Please share your (witty) brainwaves!

EDIT: So i posted the top two photos on the Craftster forum to get some more suggestions. What you think about Embroidered Soft Sculptures?

bird and owl

Two brooches, embroidered my own designs on felt (recognize the bird from my websites layout?). They measure 2,5" in diameter. There are parts with threaded backstitching and with double threaded backstitches. I have placed a cardboard circle in between the embroidered front and the white backing for additional stability. A brooch pin is handsewn secure on the back. These will probably go in my shop soon. Will take new pictures with another background so the outside white circle is somewhat more visible.

Squirrel in Embroidery

It's been awhile already since i last did some embroidery. I like it, it's soothing, feels like sort of a meditation to me. Stitch up, stitch down, needle up, needle down. I used a threaded backstitch in two colors on most of this sweet squirrel. I did the embroidery on a piece of felt which i later turned into a standing softie like project. Sewn on a back and bottom piece of felt and stuffed it with fiberfilling. I really wanted to make the bottom flat so the squirrel can stand up on it's own. I'm very glad with how it turned out. So now there are new images appearing in my mind. More embroidery to do! More stand up embroidered softies to make!

It's been a long time

Since i last did some decent embroidery work.
I did do some detail work in the projects for my upcoming book, but that was just some stitches and lines here and there.
I enjoyed taking out my pink embroidery hoop and spend a bit of time working on this embroidered kokeshi doll. It's based on an illustration i did for another project and it was well suited to use as a pattern for embroidery. Not sure what i will use it for or if i will use it for anything for that matter, but it did put me in the mood to draw up some more patterns and do some more embroidery work. Wonderful way to stay productive while lounging in front of the tv.

Fabric collage wall art

This project was a work in progress for a long reason. No particular reason, you know, sometimes you just have a project that's just there all the time waiting to be finished but never really gets the priority to finish up. Finally i have. I think the girl turned out cute. Since one project leads to another, i'm thinking of doing some more smaller pieces with only cute girls. With this project i didn't have a set idea of how i wanted it to end up when i started. I've put some fabric on a framed canvas and opened my fabric scrap box and let the fabric pieces lead the way. Next time i will draw a sketch first and start cutting and sewing next.

Would be nice as nursery art, but if your anything like me, always a kid at heart, you don't need a nursery to put it up on the wall! hehe