Ta-Dah!

It feels so good to have them all lined up and ready to go! Yesterday, however, was a much different story. . . . . it began while I was finishing up the eighth and final pin cushion (did you notice there are only seven in the picture?) Little Bo Peep was featured in the center square with some of her lost sheep placed in the patchwork pieces around her. It was really cute if I don't say so myself. My mind must have drifted while making the final cuts and. . . . . . poor little Bo met with a very unfortunate accident with the rotary cutter. I felt like a murderess! I tried to put the whole incident behind me but remained shaken while taking photos of the survivors. I could not get a picture in focus for the life of me. Finally, I decided to make do with what I had. The miserable shots were downloaded onto my computer. . . . or so I thought. When I went to post the blog last night the image file was empty! What else could I do but go to bed? So I did.

Tiny Pillows

I had quite a productive day up in my sewing nook. I finished some piecing and embroidery and now have five pin pillows almost complete. So far I've got a coffee pot, a Scottie dog, "Alice in Wonderland," a cardinal, and a little girl's face. As of yet I haven't been able to pick a favorite although the little girl's face is really cute. I crocheted the small strip of pink edging as an experiment...I want something to tack around the side seams of the pillows and I'm not real happy with the store bought stuff as it tends to fray on the cut ends. By crocheting my own I can custom size it to fit perfectly. It will take a little bit longer to do, but well worth it in my opinion!

Pincushion Pieces

I have some new projects in the works....and am having so much fun with them. I sold a tiny kitty pin cushion on Etsy a while back and the customer requested three more (thanks Jukester!!!) In our conversation we also decided to multipurpose them by adding a hanging loop so that they may be hung as Christmas ornaments. I wanted to give her an assortment from which to chose, but seem to have gone a bit overboard on putting different combos together. Now I've got pin cushion pieces everywhere! This could go on indefinitely, so I've decided to wrap it up. I"ll post my daily progress through the rest of this week and then list them on Friday. Wish me luck...

Lost and Found

If nothing else, joining etsy has certainly motivated me to establish some order amongst my sewing projects and paraphernalia. And believe me it needed it! I pieced this little patchwork over a year ago with great plans to make a crazy quilt pincushion out of it. Somehow it got mislaid with a collection of fabrics for some other creation. I looked high and low for it last spring as I wanted a small handwork project to take with me while out and about. Then several days ago, I decided to clear out a drawer in my sewing hutch to use as storage for the items I'd listed for sale. There it was! On the very bottom of a pile of fabric leftovers from a wedding quilt I made last August. When I cleared those remnants off my cutting table I must have scooped this piece up along with it and then shoved them all in the drawer together.

What an exciting moment it was to rediscover it. Unfortunately I still had a very busy weekend filled with errands and much overdo yard work ahead of me. It wasn't until this afternoon that I finally sat down with a cup of tea and my needle to begin playing with some embroidery stitches. What fun!

Piccalilli Patchwork

Welcome...to both you and me!

I'm creating this blog as a companion to my etsy store which I have decided to name Piccalilli Patchwork, much to the exasperation of many around me. Most of the arguments concern the word "piccalilli." They feel it is too awkward to spell, has too many i's in it, and refers to a food they not only dislike but feel has nothing to do with my sewing. I, however, love the taste of piccalilli, enjoy putting the dots on every single "i" in it, and just plain think it's a fun word to say. As far as pairing it up with "patchwork" and using it as a representation of my work. . . I could not think of a better match! Piccalilli itself is a mixture of the odds and ends of the garden's produce. Mustard, vinegar, and hot spices are added to these chopped vegetables to create a relish that often has enough of a bite to it to warm your innards. Similarly, patchwork is a form of quilting which makes use of the bits and pieces of fabric left over from larger sewing projects. Tiny pieces are stitched together in any number of patterns and color combinations to create a quilt as a means of warming the body. It is in this habit of not letting things go to waste that I hope to pursue my creative work. To gather small materials and spare moments of time, combine them with a bit of inspiration, and create something of greater value in the end. . . what a great way to warm the soul!