MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

My wish is for you all to have a Wonderful Christmas💚

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(from-my-fabric-journaling-euse)

AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

 

Remember the free form

stitchery I worked on?

Well, it has become the cover

for a Traveler's Notebook

Junk Journal for January.

I sewed in the signature this morning

It is sporting my new word

on the cover--

[a ceramic piece I've

had for a very long time...]

"B E L I E V E"

*********************

And here are two other Junk Journals

with their signatures

sewn in:

These have cardstock covers sewn with 

fabric to strengthen them...

↓↓↓↓

I used Tim Holtz cardstock 

and sewed fabric for the spine and

borders strips...

Here is the center spread 

where I used pages from

an old gardening book..

This will be the Spring-Summer

volume for 2023

and 

here is another one

made in the same way...

Again I used up Tim Holtz

scraps leftover from my

scrapbooking days...

These will be memory journals

using some old photos

that are now stored in a

shoebox--😕

now they will have a proper place...

***********************

I have also picked up my knitting needles 

to make a little gift for my DIL

A bright tangerine facecloth...

[aka a dishcloth]

I love using these in the shower--

they are softer than a loofah

but still help to smooth the skin..

I am working on this while watching tv

to help to stay calm during this

hectic and, for me, kind of

sad time...missing my

family who have gone on

before me....

*******************

B U T 

I am

so looking forward to our trip

[my first long one since the

back debacle!!]

up to my son's home on

Saturday to meet up with

my daughter and her family also.

All of us together on

Christmas Eve...

I just hope the weather holds...😔

fingers crossed...

I hope you are enjoying this pre-Holiday

few days and are able to find

some quiet time to enjoy 

your crafts...

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(crafting-euse)

" ORANGE YOU GLAD " et al

 

"Orange You Glad" is ready

to be sewn together 

in my favorite setting..

[sorry for the dark photo--

 another gray and cloudy day here]

AND

All my crumb blocks are ready

to be sewn into a 

"Chinese Coin"

Strippy.

If you click on the picture you may

be able to see the teeney tiny

pieces in some of the blocks...

I just love how those come out..

💕

These are all made with

the cut off bits from

"Orange You Glad" Ojos 

and 

"Criss Cross".

I must tell you that there are still

strips left...s i g h 

but no really small bits...

I have bundled the strips up for  

future strip work as I

do not need another

piece in progress right now...

************************

Early (really early!!) this

morning Tom and I went to

our Clinic as I had

my yearly mammo appointment 

and he was due for

blood work...

It is another gray 

gray 

day here;

we are supposed to get

rain/snow mix tonight.

Here on the shoreline we

often miss storms that

travel north of us...

Right now

our temp is 38 (F)--

so it looks like unless

the temp drops it will be rain.

If so, it will melt away any of the

snow that is left..about 1/2" 

here and there...

I am resting my back 

[after the contortions of

this morning's appointment!].

Hugs, 

Julierose, La Blageuse

(reading-today-euse)

WILD and FREE FORM STITCHING

 

Stage One of my free-form, improv,

meditational stitchery...

Since I've finished my Fabric Journals,

I've found that 

I need to have some hand

stitching to begin my day.

The background is my own dyed fabric

upon which I tacked down 

some sari silk as it fell

upon the page...

looping naturally...

Stage Two 

below:

First, I added some kantha stitching

around those  three loops, 

then

 

I added some 

French knots

 in deep blue 

on the

looped sari silk,

and finally,

I  feather stitched 

across the background

in a pale gray...

the color of our skies 

this morning...

I want to add more texture--

so

 I will be adding 

some bits and bobs 

here and there

as the spirit moves me.

I really have no plan--

the piece will

just go its own way and

carry me along into 

a serene state of mind...

I've found, in making my Fabric Journals,

that slow stitching calms me right down...

**************************

In this hustle-bustle season and

our world today 

I want to be able 

to reach for a 

"quiet space".

Without deadlines or pressure to

be perfect, or to be judged...

This is my answer for now..

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(in-the-quest-for serenity)

CRISS-CROSS , OJOS = into crumb work

Criss-Cross is a flimsy

[held up by my better half]

👄💘👄

And I DO see those pleated

places that happened...

they are going to quilt out--

or I will pleat them as I quilt..

[No un-sewing allowed here!!]

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

and

Ojos blocks are sewn...

but not together as yet and

I have yet to remove 

papers --

{good tv fare...}

So.....

N O W ...

Crumb Work begins...

↶↶↶

I will be just using up the

crumbs and cut-off from the

above two projects ...

I began the first stage

of my crumb work by

sewing  little pieces onto 

short cut off strips...

It'll be fun seeing how these

turn out--and then 

puzzling them together into

something...???

what thing...????

I have no idea;))))

Anything left after this, will

be incorporated in my 

handmade journals...

I want these scraps 

G  O  N  E!!

:)))

**********************

This noontime, we will be 

going out to our

favorite diner for lunch...

I will be having a 

hot lobstah roll and

fries--

and Tom says "Anything

with those fries".  They

really are the best we've ever had...

and a sometime treat...

Hugs, on this cold-ish day here...

Julierose, 

La Blageuse

(Crumbing-along)

 

THE SAME...ONLY DIFFERENT, et al

 

My design wall has the two projects

I am working on with the exact same fabrics...

I find it amazing how different 

they look ;)))

On the left is another Ojos group 

that will be 5 blocks by 4 blocks--

a small table topper...

and Almost completed is

Criss-Cross next to them

on the right...

Below are :

The fabrics I picked out

from my cut-offs and strip scraps..

which I am hoping to use 

up for both..

I know 

I will still have leftovers which will

be turned into 

crumb blocks and

hopefully 

G O N E!!!!

 ************************

AND

↧↧↧↧↧

Snow Globe for my next to last

page in my Fabric Journal is

finished...

**********************

Here is a sneak peek at what I will

be using for my January-June

Garden themed

slow stitching project.

 

It just came in the mail yesterday

from a Mill in Maine

More about this later.....

********************

I am happy to say that our tank set up for our new

propane generator has been approved today

by the Town building inspector...

Now to have it hooked up and 

the tanks filled...

:)))))

[Note: this has been in the works

since August...it seems to take

so long these days to get workers

on site to install anything!!]

****************************

Tonight's dinner will be my

meatloaf and boiled

potatoes with a side

salad...

A simple hearty meal 

for this cold

day...

Hugs, Julierose,

La blageuse

(fun-sewing-euse)

EARLY DECEMBER PROMPT, et al

 

"Snow Globe"

is our first Fabric Journal prompt

for December. 

I think today's gray gray skies 

had a lot to do with my background

choices...

All the basic pieces are pinned in

place and ready to be stitched 

down before any embellishing

is begun...

 We are getting both

of December's 

prompts earlier than usual so that

we will be able to assemble our books

before Christmas..

**********************

On my machine sewing front:

Since I have been sorting

 my string scraps  I 

decided to sew them

together...

I saw this on Cathy's 

sane and crazy blog 

and

fell in💞

with it:)))

I am naming mine:

"Criss-Cross"

AND...

I am also adding to my  stash

of Ojos blocks using the cut

offs from my Criss-Cross 

project above:

I am calling this one :

"Orange You Glad" 

(a little humor there--

actually, very little--hahaha)

😁😀😂

I am fortunate to have tons of scraps

so these two projects can

move ahead easily...

********************

We are having pretty steady 

25-35 mph winds and

rain this afternoon--

It gets so dark so early now, too.

Tea time for me before

our left over roast beef dinner

from yesterday...

No muss, no fuss...

👫💕

*******************

I plan to write out my 

Christmas cards tomorrow and

take a sewing rest day...

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(sipping-tea-euse)