Beaded Collar with batik yoyos and vintage buttons

This is a work in progress and another 6 hours, will see it completed. Love making it. I have 7 more collars laid out. The base is batik fabric I found in Hawaii. The buttons are Victorian brass buttons that were removed from bodices. Once I get several pieces created, they will be listed on our etsy site. The collar looks great with a black top.

Velvet ribbon embroidered Valentine Heart

 

It's that time of year, when our creations feature heart motifs. This little velvet heart is 6 inches in length. We sell velvet grab bags with  assortments of velvet pieces  and I used  cinnamon velvet for this little piece.  Baste the heart  pattern outline onto a piece of velvet. Iron a fusible interfacing to the back of the velvet. I used all 7mm silk ribbons using a variegated pink ribbon for the flowers using only 3 stitches for the entire bouquet ~ Japanese Ribbon Stitch, Bullion Lazy Daisy and French Knot. The bottom rose is made with Japanese ribbon stitches. The little buds are made with a bullion lazy daisy and Japanese ribbon stitches layered over the lazy daisy. Fill in with green loose French knots. I added some of our vintage Japanese  mother of pearl disks. Every project takes on a vintage feel when using  bias-cut silk ribbon. Once the little heart had been filled with polyfil,  I added a braid to the edge of the heart.  Take a long length of bias-cut silk ribbon, fold in half, twist the ribbon and tack around the edge of the heart using gold metallic thread. Instant braid, affordably created. I tied a bow out of the bias-cut silk ribbon and tacked among the silk ribbon bouquet. 

Church in Bucks County, PA

 

I took this photo while we were stopped at a stop light last week in Bucks County. The major reason I enjoy living in Northeast Pennsylvania, is due to the landscape, that reminds me of Europe. The past month simply vanished and all the things we had hoped to do before Christmas, to enjoy the season, seemed to be spent dealing with an emergency in our little family. This church reminded me of how gorgeous it is here, even in the dead of winter.