Lemon Tree Tales

On the cutting table

These are just a few projects that have my attention right now.

Another kumihimo bracelet on the disk in my favorite shades of green:

 

Some cut fabric strips for one of the Shir Hadash charity quilts:

 

Fabrics for the Doll Quilt Swap 10 (DQS10) that's being held over at flickr:

and the design (it's still just a thumbnail and needs to be drafted full-scale):

Beaded Kumihimo

The other day I finally pulled out my size 8 seed beads and the C-lon cord so that I could try my hand at a beaded kumihimo braid. After an initial rough start - when I pulled it all apart so that I could begin again - I found myself with almost 8" of beaded braid. I just need to get some endings in the correct size so that I can finish it off as a bracelet. Fun! This was such a great break from all other projects and it turned out to be fairly quick and easy.

 

It's subtle but there are two different spirals - one from a more matte purple bead and the second spiral from two alternating shiny beads, one more pinkish than the other. It gives some nice sparkle to it.

Another UFO finished!

Another doll UFO has been completed. Yes, the Christine Shively workshop doll from last October can now be checked off the to-do list - finally! It's those finishing touches that tend to take a long time but I can't imagine saying that a doll is complete without making sure she doesn't need any beads, trim or a stand.

 

She demanded a beaded fez as the crowning glory to her luscious sea foam green yarn hair with flecks of aqua which picked up all the greens in her garb.

 

Here she is from head to toe ... all decked out in my favorite colors of green, aqua, and purples. One of these days I really should branch out and work on the warm side of the color wheel. She's standing on a wood oval plaque that's been painted and covered with scrapbook paper. Nothing too fancy since I wanted it to blend in and not become another focal point.

 

I don't like when a doll only has details on the front so I made sure to include a tassel on the back side of her fez. Plus I think it dangles nicely against her hand-dyed wool coat. I didn't do the dye job. This is from a fat quarter that I found at the last Pacific International Quilt Festival just days before we had our workshop with Christine. The chartreuse fabric is a small piece of silk overlaid with some more beaded/tassel trim that I found years ago at another sewing show.

 

Her fez is made from the same fabric as her shoes ... muslin that's been hand-painted with lumiere paints that I found years ago from another Pacific International Quilt Festival. See, eventually all those fabulous goodies in my stash get used in projects. They just have to wait for the right one.

 

Here's a closeup of her front torso. My favorite piece of trim are those aqua ridged sequins that I found this past fall when I went to the bead show with my friends. It's amazing how much those three tiny sequins added so much punch to the front of her wool coat. The top of her stomacher and the hem of her coat are two different sheer ribbons that have been folded and manipulated. On a small doll ribbons can become another good fabric choice. Her shoulder epaulets are just her sheer pleated sleeves that have been pulled over the wool coat sleeves. Then they were pinched and beaded in place.

 

I'm pretty happy with how she turned out and can't wait to try another version of this doll. In the meantime there are plenty more UFOs that really need my attention.