Challenge accomplished.....not just one, but two :))

Thank you for appreciating my Temari work :) I am glad to share that I have completed two challenges and one you might guess is the Japanese Temari ball :))

Here is what I have done on the other side of the ball

I have deliberately chosen contrasting design patterns and colors because I wanted to try everything in one ball . To see the bottom part of embroidery , check my previous post here

In the centre design , I added golden border and golden beads

Click here to see how to work on shapes . I have done layered square shape with same herringbone stitch . The links that I am sharing are not the exact patterns but will give some ideas to start with . Apart from this , I also referred to the book 'Temari Techniques' by Barbara B. Suess

I have worked only the basic levels of Temari and even then it has created a beautiful effect . There are many wonderful and challenging designs if you search on the internet .

I had challenged myself to read 24 books in the year 2016 and I have completed that last week :)

Screenshot from my Goodreads

There were all kinds of books and the non-fiction ones took lot of time to read . I will continue with the same count next year .

On the cross stitch front , I am both excited and bored with the ladybird fairy, excited because it is nearing completion and bored because there so many ladybugs which means lot of work .

This is an incomplete lady bug . Each one will have 7 color shades and a bead :(
And with less amount of space for ending thread on the back side , it is becoming thicker like a real ladybug .

For most of my blogger friends who are celebrating ,

Happy Thanks Giving !!
Have a great day and weekend!
Preeti :)

Temari Challenge week 2...going great!!:)

Thank you for following my Temari challenge progress this November :)

My progress after the 2nd week 

This type of embroidery pattern is known as 'Kiku' in Japanese meaning Chrysanthemum . It is made with layered Herrigbone embroidery stitch called as Uwagake Chidori  . Click on the links to see the pattern and stitching tutorial .

 

The beginning : Pins marked at a calculated distance between North pole and equator of the ball 

Embroidery in progress

Layered pattern formed as the embroidery rounds increase

On the centre/equator , also known as 'Obi' , I stitched solid square shapes with the same stitch . These solid shaped patterns are also commonly used in Temari balls

I have started using Kreinik metallic threads on my Ladybird fairy and I am enjoying working with it.

My first ever chilli grown at home :) I always had failed attempts due to flower drop problem

My spinach keeps growing big and giving steady harvest twice a week .

Hope you enjoyed seeing my Temari progress pics .

When I wrote my post today , I found a google notice about cookies notification as per EU laws . I don't even remember whether I disabled it years back while designing my blog . When I checked with my country domain , I did not see any notifications . Anyways , I have no energy to analyse it right away and make any changes but if anyone has come across it or know about any tutorial on what needs to be checked/done , then do share it .

Have a great day!
Preeti :)

Temari challenge - Week1 and few more updates :)

As you all know I decided to take a challenge to learn a new craft and dedicate an entire month towards it, this is where I am at the end of first week of November with my new craft - the Japanese Temari ball .

I have a book 'Temari Techniques' by Barbara B. Suess and I am also learning from the website TemariKai . Below is the process I followed to make the ball , enlarge image to see the text . 

Looked a happy red ball of circumference 25 cms. until I started poking pins to mark the points . Many thread loops came out and then I understood that I should wind it more tightly . I did one more round of covering with a single sewing thread . I had to be careful and slow because fast and tight winding could have cut my finger . My ball then got reduced to a firm 24 cms in circumference . 

Some mathematics is involved in creating the guidelines on which the embroidery is done . I started with an intermediate level of S16 division . The ball is divided into Longitudinal lines and an equator which is called as 'obi' in this craft .  

When I was 90% done with my guidelines marking , the metallic thread frayed and broke :( So I used Anchor pearl cotton thread in golden shade . Since the ball is small so I am going to embroider it with Anchor pearl cotton threads .

As promised earlier , here are few images of my cushions together 

 

These are the cross stitch projects I worked on last month .

Height chart :- I managed a good amount of negative progress - truncated a large chunk of tree :((((

Dimensions Kitty Litter :- Almost completed the black cat on the extreme right and started a new grey one on the extreme left . I planned to complete this project on my last Birthday but seems it might even take another birth to complete :)

Ladybird fairy :- Worked on the skin part , it will look better after back stitching .

Thanks for seeing!

Happy crafting!

Preeti

Messy-to-Classy and embroidered name plate :)

Life has been very busy at my end both for good and bad . We had back-to-back two parties in December 1st weekend at our home - Raj's office get together and Anshita's B'day party. The very next week, she hurt her wrist and Doctor asked for X-Ray and MRI as he could not confirm whether it was fracture . Thankfully, it wasn't but the tissues are damaged so badly that her lower palm and wrist has turned blue and pains a lot :( She is going to school but since it is her right hand that got hurt , she cannot write :(

Here are my December Messy-to-Classy pics . I have been very irregular in blogging this year . Hopefully, 2016 will have more posts .

This is one of my lace/ribbon boxes . Whenever I open to get one , all of them jump out fighting with each other, getting tangled just to seek my attention ;) Naughty ribbons :)

I separated them and see how they look now, neatly arranged until..........well, you know ;)

I also did a simple free hand embroidery last month

which turned into this........

And this......

It is difficult to take pictures with frame, that is Anshita's bicycle getting reflected .

The nameplate did not turn as I had earlier planned but something is better than nothing. I will make one more nameplate after few years. I feel my apartment front door need some more decoration so there is scope for more creativity .

I am trying to design small crochet patterns these days and will open a new website. This blog will continue to be my personal blogging space. I will soon share the new website with you once I publish it. 

Hope you are done with Christmas preparations . I will share my Ravelry group crochet exchange in next post .

Thanks,

Preeti

Messy to Classy link party !!!!!

Thank you, my dear friends, for your wishes on my last post about my published piece in the magazine :)

Few days back, I mentioned here about my plans to start a link party on reorganizing/arranging your craft spaces. After getting your feedback and great tips from my blogger friends about link parties, here I am ready with my introductory post.

It took me some time to learn about linky widget and creating grab button etc. I have added a tab on the menu bar, extreme right, where I have given information and signing up details. 

Please click on the tab or click here to sign up for the party. If you want me to add any more details, please let me know.

Let the ideas pour in :)

Thank you for visiting !!

Preeti 

And POP! Comes out my heart !! : )

Better late than never!!
This Valentine post comes a bit late . I wanted to share a Valentine gift I earlier made for Raj : ) I cannot share about the one I am making for this year.

When he received this one , he thought that the cover is nothing but an envelope/case , a similar one which I made for his fabric Birthday card. I had to tell him that this is my satin top/gown with buttons ; ) Annndddd, when you open, POP! Comes out my heart for you!!! : )
No idea, whether he really was naïve to understand it or was he still thinking about office when I gave him . Anyways , I magnanimously forgave him that day for being unperceptive about my creativity : )

The heart is made of felt fabric and the cover, with a satin fabric ; sprinkled few embellishments : some stitched , some glued !! This is my first ever and so far the only one , felt project . The snow globe in the picture is a gift Raj got for me from one of his visits to San Francisco. It has a personalized message for me inscribed on it.

I usually end up in loss for the month of February . My B’day is on 13th Feb , 14th is Valentine day and on 17th Feb , is our wedding anniversary . While I get gift on my B’day , Raj expects other two gifts from me!! Sometimes we end up without any gift on Valentine day . On Wedding anniversary , we go together and buy a common gift . Not a bad deal I guess : )

Isn’t the gift romantic? Definition and expression of romance & love changes as we move ahead in life. Every stage of life has its own pleasures : )

Happy week ahead !!
Do write in !

Preeti : )
 

Blog Award & My earlier crafty indulgences - part 1

I am happy to share with you all that this week I received a Liebster award from Weaver birdie :)Thank you so much for the award ! She does lovely amigurumi . Do visit her blog .
I have tried my best to fulfil the blog rules at the end of this post  :)

I would like to post about my crafty indulgences few years back which were occasional and I kept a flickering hope to revive those once I leave my job . I used to work as an IT manager of a large team size of ninety in Hyderabad and worked almost 11 hrs per day from 9 to 8 in office and back again 2 hrs. of left over office work at home .  Add to these , cooking and other unavoidable household tasks at home . I grabbed whatever time I got on weekends and warmed up my eyes with needlework books and few kits :)

These are two Anchor quick stitch needlework kits that I completed while being in job .  Each took 3 months to complete . Yet to be framed , these will get more straightened at that time. Other craft indulgences in next post :)

 

 

Coming back to blog award, these are certain rules to follow when you get this award.

* Explain 11 things about you
* Answer the 11 questions about yourself
* Choose 11 blogs and name in the post
* Follow the blog of the person which awarded you
* Visit at least three blogs awarded by this blog

 

 

11 things about me:
*Being a needlework crazy, my cutlery in kitchen often clash with my needles to get my attention!
*My role says that I am supposed to cook and I was a good cook sometime back!
*Hate procrastination!
*Love spicy and junk food:)
*Work late at night but have to wake up at 5 am for my morning walk!!
*I have an Achilles foot:(
*My long term wish is to give something back to society. I do in bits but that's just donating funds.
*I spend my money more on crafts than on clothes!!
*Hardcore workaholic!
*Have a creative and wandering mind, cannot stick to one thing at a time.
*Yellow is my favourite colour and that dominates in my blog too:)

I hope you have not closed your window yet :)

Now, answers to the 11 questions:

* How do you define yourself? Disciplined
* What is your favourite dish? Aloo (potatoes) cooked by my Mom
* Would you rather cook or you cook? I cook excuses to cook full meals.
* What is your favourite dessert? Ice-cream
* If you had to stay with an ingredient, what would it be? Salt
* What is the best trip I've done?   A 15-day long trip to Shimla and other parts of Himachal Pradesh. My daughter was 2 years old at that time. The best stay was at the Maharani suite in Chail palace hotel.
* What is the best restaurant you've eaten in? So far, Sahib Sind Sultan in Hyderabad, don't remember any other. I have tried all the 5 or 7 star hotels in Hyderabad, but I would say food in such luxury hotels doesn't satiate my taste buds :)
* Do you prefer meat or fish? I am a veggie
* What is your favourite cheese? All types, no specific choice.
* Black or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate.
* What is the worst dish you've tried? Sprouts.

I am already following weaver birdie and at least three of those in the list. I pass on this award to all my blog readers :) I always love to link all of them irrespective of blog awards especially the new friends either fortnightly or monthly :)

Do write in . I love to read your nice words ! :)

Best wishes to all and good luck to all new bloggers (including me ;)) with their blogging adventures! :)

Enjoy!

Preeti :)

 

Embroidered fabric greeting card!

This is one of the experimenting projects of mine done some 8 years back .  A gift for my hubby, Raj, on his Birthday - An embroidered fabric greeting card with an envelope too!

Let’s open it :)

 

 

 

It is mostly done with closed herringbone stitch including the text . To give a glittery effect, I enhanced it with mirror work .  For base, I chose red coloured fabric which is symbolic to love .  Since lot of effort has gone into making, I am going to treasure this for lifetime .  But, I feel I can do much cleaner embroidery now than I did on this .

 

 

 

 



It took me 4 months to complete the card . It ideally should have taken not more than 3 weeks time . Why I took it so long was because I embroidered this when my daughter was 6 months old . She used to doze off for 30 min after every 2-3 hrs of energetic crawling and disarranging my kitchen cabinets which were at her reach .  It was a secretly done project and I was confident about it as my daughter dutifully kept it hush-hush from her Dad :). She tried to tell him something by showing him bits and pieces of leftover threads, but he could not trace the treasure as the sight of threads scattered around was not new to him .

I could not go out and purchase the much needed materials as there was no one to look after my daughter . I had to do with whatever available at home .  Some part of the card has now got an imprint of crayons on top, how and when, no idea . I cannot wash this card as there is a drawing sheet encased in the fabric to give it a minimal flexibility and support . But, in all, it looked attractive to him and he was happy to have this unique gift:))

Hope you liked it :)

Looking forward to a blog-full week ahead!

 

Enjoy!
Preeti