umbrella prints trimmings competition

After the rush of getting ready for this month's craft fair was over, I finally had a chance to sit down and work on my entry for the Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition. [Umbrella Prints is an Australian textile house, specializing in hand-printed fabrics.] After staring at the neutral scraps I was sent (pictured above), and rejecting a number of ideas, I finally decided to try out Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Mosaic tutorial, a technique that I'd been interested in, and one that my swap partner Valerie used when she made me a pillow last summer.

I laid out all of the scraps and sewed and sewed until I had a mini quilt, approximately 9 x 12 inches. To add a bit more interest, and in keeping with the improvisational feel of the piece, I did free-motion echo quilting, creating curves all over the surface. I love how the quilting turned out and can't wait to try it on a larger quilt.

Starting May 31, all of the Trimmings Competition entries will be posted to this Pinterest board. Be sure to re-pin your favorite!

rainbow of stitches contest

On Sunday, it was announced that my embroidered doily was the winner of the white category in Feeling Stitchy's Rainbow of Stitches Contest--wow! Being new to embroidery, I'm so honored and flattered to be in the company of so many talented stitchers.

My doily is now in the running for the grand prize, and if you have a moment, I recommend checking out all of the finalists and voting for your favorite one. Voting closes at 12:00 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, June 16, so be sure to get your vote in before then. And thank you, everyone, for all of your lovely comments here and over on Feeling Stitchy and Flickr!

embroidery project: not for all the tea in china

For those of you lucky enough to be in the Seattle area on Friday, you should stop by Assemble Gallery and Studio's May Artwalk Extravaganza. In addition to the opening of their show of Emily Katz's embroidery work, Assemble is also hosting an embroidery contest with the theme, "Not for All the Tea in China.

I visited and fell in love with Assemble during our trip to Seattle, and I'm so excited to have the chance to participate in their contest. My piece, which is currently untitled, will be on display alongside the other entries starting on Friday. 

The eleven-by-eleven-inch piece of fabric features cross-stitch text in the center (the first time I've ever done cross-stitch on a surface other than aida cloth), French knots (of course!), large isolated chain stitches, and buttonhole stitches (which I learned how to do during an embroidery class with Rachel Hobson at The Stitch Lab).

I chose the design after a lot (a lot!) of deliberation. I ultimately decided to stitch a phrase that was a variation on my husband's response to the question, "What wouldn't you trade for all the tea in China?" The flower frame was inspired by the Liberty of London line of products that recently hit Target shelves--and the floral storage box I picked up from the clearance shelf during a shopping trip last weekend in particular.

For those of you that can, I do hope you'll stop by the event, check out the entries and vote for your favorite one, and support a great crafty and creative space.

UPDATE: Though my piece didn't win the contest (you can see the winning entry here), it did sell. Thank you for all of your lovely comments, both here and on Flickr!