An angel? Me? Oh, my. {The Homespun Life – Embroidery}

I’m a bit late in telling you fun folks about this, but I’ve been doing a bit of guest posting of late, over at The Split Stitch. Sweet Sara, who stitches up all manner of glorious things as well as designing some downright adorable patterns, sent out a call for help a while back. She was having trouble finding the time to stitch up samples of all her new pattern sets, and was offering the sets for free to any kind soul willing to help her out.

You better bet I volunteered! I love Sara’s pattern sets, to begin with. And lately (as you may have noticed from the dearth of posts here), I’ve had less and less time for my own creative pursuits. I’d love to be stitching, but drawing up designs is something I just don’t have the time for at the moment. Sara’s situation gave me the perfect chance to get that needle and floss back out with some ready-made patterns. Score!

Anywho, myself and several others are participating in this fun event. Sara’s calling it “Stitching Angels”, and the intro post went up on her blog a few weeks ago. The progress update will be going up in a few days, but I thought I’d give you guys a sneak peek. Check out The Split Stitch tomorrow afternoon to join the fun!

I’m Back! {The Homespun Life}

Well… sortof. My house looks like this:

My studio is in those boxes, somewhere. As you can see, it may take me a while to dig out. Luckily, I have a helper!

University of Notre Dame: A Springtime Photo Shoot: {The Homespun Life Fine Art Photography}

As many of you know, the hubby and I will be saying farewell to South Bend in just a few short weeks. There isn’t much about the town that we’re going to miss (besides good friends and the wonderful Red Purl!), but we are going to be sad to leave the beautiful campus at Notre Dame. We took advantage of gorgeous sunny weather today to wander about and enjoy the lovely spring blooms starting to appear, and I snapped a few shots. Boy, did it feel good to take the camera out again!

WIPs and a Fun Announcement

Well, I’ve certainly been MIA for a while, and I apologize! Lest you think I’ve been neglecting my various projects as well as my blog, let me show you a few of the things I’ve been working on:

Antique Singer: My new baby needs a name! {The Homespun Life Sewing}

That’s right, folks! Yesterday, a dream came true for me. I am now the proud owner of a fully functional antique singer sewing machine! I have wanted one of these for ages – each one was built like a tank. A gorgeous, gorgeous tank. A fully restored and refurbished one can cost anywhere from $200 to over $1000 depending on model and condition, but I’m not against the idea of getting my hands dirty. So when this one came across my radar, the fact that it needed a little TLC in no way deterred me from paying a measly $50 to take her home.

Featured Artist Interview – Jill of For Strange Women

If you follow Handmade Gazette, you’ve likely seen a few items from an Etsy shop called For Strange Women, which is owned and operated by Jill McKeever. I happen to be a huge fan of Jill’s artistry, and so I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the star of today’s Featured Artist interview is none other than Jill herself!

Embroidery: A pincushion only a mother could love, and boy do I love it!

As part of my recent forays into the art of embroidery (posted here and here), I decided to stitch myself a pincushion. After all, I needed one! And really, it was the plethora of adorable hand-stitched pincushions to be found in some of my favorite Etsy shops (From My Atelier, for one example) that motivated me to start down this path of addiction in the first place. So it was only natural that making one of my own would be one of my first projects.

It turned out to be a bit of a mess.

Knitting: Entrelac Pillow Class

I’m teaching a class tonight over at the Red Purl on the Entrelac technique. The project is really just a square swatch, but I always get discouraged knitting something that has no obvious purpose, so I turned it into a pillow to make myself feel better. It’s a quick and easy project, a good introduction to the technique, and I figured I’d post the photos and handout info up here in case those of you who are more adventurous with new things wanted to give it a try.

Embroidery: It’s Official – I’m addicted to yet another crafty activity.

You may recall my post from a few weeks ago mentioning that I may or may not have picked up a new hobby. Since then, I’ve stitched a fun little sampler, made my first embroidered linen pincushion, and finished off that bread cloth from the first post. I’ve got plans for a matching set of place mats and napkins next, and a fun little gift for my cousin’s kid’s first birthday. And after that, who knows? I’ve got piles of buttons and loads of designs floating around in my head.

The point is, it’s official. I’m addicted. I even gave it it’s own category in the Craft section.

Featured Artist Interview – Olga of French Market Stitch

EDIT: Giveaway now closed! Congratulations to Mehreen, who won this gorgeous feather fascinator!

Today’s interview is with the lovely Olga of French Market Stitch. If you’re looking for an absolutely stunning corset costume, look no further  – Olga’s gorgeous handmade outfits are both classy and sexy, and her attention to detail is unsurpassed. Her sexy, sultry costumes are at home everywhere from the Moulin Rouge to the French Quarter, and her dazzling mini top hats and feather fascinators make the perfect finishing touch.

Olga’s work can be found for sale on Etsy, and you can also visit her on Facebook. Be sure to swing by Handmade Gazette to see a feature of my favorite items from her store! You’re in for a treat.