Tag Archives: embroidery

Studio and Early Summer Tidbits

In my studio today I spent the day finishing the embroidery on Gracie’s sweater, putting the finishing touches on her crocheted cap, and thinking about the little accessories that will accompany this ensemble.

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I’m not sure if I like this wig on Gracie.  She has always worn the darker blonde wig and looked cute in it.  Although I think she looks more carefree and summery with the light blonde curls, I’m still not sure.  What do you think?

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A few posts ago, I promised to take some photos to show you what is in my studio display cabinet.  I have this little collection (my daughter’s) of blown glass animals (and a lone heart) that I keep in here.  A couple pieces are ornaments and some pieces we found at a resale shop.  The little vintage poodle is one of the three items I have that belonged to my grandmother (my dad’s mother) who passed away before I was born.  I don’t have any memories of her, but I remember these types of things being around my grandpa’s house when I was young.  This poodle most likely was part of this set that I pinned on Pinterest.  I think I mentioned the potted tulips before; my husband brought them back from Holland.

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pink poodle 184

I found this needlework that I had made for my grandparents at my parent’s house.  At first, I didn’t remember it, but then the memories of  it started coming back to me.  I must have embroidered it in grade school as it is a bit . . . hmm, messy?  Look how my grandfather framed it; now scroll down and look at the back!  He was a very frugal man, and used what he had on hand.  I love that about him.

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needlework back 177

Outside things are looking very, very lush, and green.  When we returned from Florida we had some cute clover patches growing in our lawn.  I kiddingly mentioned to my husband that we should leave them for the bees.  Well, he did just that!  (I can only imagine how nutty our neighbors think we are.)  When I am out walking I see a couple of hives set up, so I am sure the bees appreciate us growing the clover for them; they need all the help they can get these days.  Not sure how long we should let it get though.

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Our easy peasy rosebushes are blooming, as are the violas.

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These teen tiny biennials were here when we moved into our house 8 years ago.  They keep reseeding, and will bloom during their second season.  I don’t know what kind of flower they are, but they smell like carnations or pinks.

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Our lavender blossomed hostas are getting ready to bloom.

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I’ve never noticed acorns at this early stage before.  Aren’t they tiny!

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And last, but not least, a few apples growing on our apple tree.  They are about the size of  small limes.

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We had a rare low humidity day today, just wonderful; I kept the windows open all day long.  Tomorrow, however, a change is coming—storms followed by a cold front.  The weather is never boring here in northern Illinois.

I hope you all had an equally beautiful day.  Thanks for visiting.  Bye for now.

Alice is “Flower Picking”

My new Little Darling, Alice, is proving to be quite a dreamer and a lover of flowers.  I brought her outside for her first photo shoot and all she really wanted to do was meander through the garden and pick pretty pink flowers to match her dress.  Since this is her first time out in the garden I let her take her time, then it was down to the business of modeling her new ensemble.

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I must say that Alice is a natural at modeling with her sweet expression and sincere brown eyes.  What do you think?

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Alice’s “Flower Picking” ensemble will be available tonight (June 20, 2016) at 7:00 pm, CST, at cindyricedesigns.com.  Look for the details on the “Shop What’s New” page.

“Sunshine Darling”

My Little Darling, Gina, is here to show you what I completed for her this past week.  This color palette was totally outside my comfort zone—no pink, blue, or anything in the purple family.  If you look back at my past photos most of what I make contains one or more of these colors.

This ensemble started out with the yarn.  I pulled a skein of melon colored heathered wool out of my stash (probably on a cloudy day) and HAD to knit a sweater with it ASAP.  It is not orange, but a wonderful shade of melon with flecks of very subtle pale lemon-y yellow throughout.  I happened to have this lovely fabric by Sandy Gervais (Moda Fabrics) in my “recently acquired favorites” stash.  PERFECT!

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(Please pardon my horribly wrinkled backdrop.  It’s on my “to do” list for ironing.)

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Aren’t the colors in this fabric fresh, bright, and summery?  I love this fabric (even though it contains no pink, blue, or anything purple)!

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I wanted to mimic the open feeling of these roses as depicted by the fabric’s designer.  I used tiny seed and Delica beads sewn onto the sweater first, and then made bullion stitches around the bead clusters.

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Gina requested a flower cutting basket (just like Lucy’s) out of natural hemp.   You can see the ensemble with my first flower cutting basket here.  These crocheted baskets are perfect for  a bouquet of long stemmed flowers.

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The bouquet isn’t attached to the basket, so the Little Darlings can also hold the bouquet separately.

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Gina’s wide brimmed hat is crocheted with three different fibers and edged with a matching melon colored cotton.  A hand made wool felt bow decorates the under side of the brim.  She is sunny day, spring/summer ready!

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Gina enjoyed our sunny day outside during her photo shoot.  We found a shady spot underneath the apple tree for some great shots.

“Sunshine Darling” will be available Sunday, May 22 (2016), at 7:00 pm, CST.  Go to the “Shop What’s New” page at cindyricedesigns.com at 7:00 for more information on this one-of-a-kind ensemble made for Dianna Effner’s Little Darling dolls.

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