GOOD MORNING

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    There is something very special in the first few hours of the morning. Time seems to slow down and a feeling of freshness fills the air. Getting up early is a gift you give to yourself. Enjoy the fresh air. Look around yourself and see how the day unfolds wonderfully.

                                       I am a morning person. In the morning when I first open my eyes, daylight gives me immense pleasure and a deep sense of peace. My heart and my body rejuvenates with energy. Every morning I emerge out as a new person. A person who is in a positive frame of mind in the morning  is definitely going to have a creative and productive day.

                                       Normally I make a plan at bedtime how to utilize the next day with my work and at the end of the day I just make a note of how much I was able to execute. An idea, no matter how small it is,  only assumes value when it is acted upon and brought to life. I make only what I love.

                     

  

                                     

                                       This sunny embroidered picture is one of a cluster of pictures I made some days ago. That was the time I was doodling a lot. So it is a doodle recreated. Though I have used only black on yellow, but it is full of life and joy. I have used four strands of floss which defined the work. It is done in simple chain stitches. Like it?

                                             

                                         Nowadays I am in a mood to make pouches of all kinds of uses. I have converted some of the airline bags into colorful useful pouches as you see. I have covered the bags with bright printed fabric and have done very little embroidery to go with it. You can drop the pouch in your handbag to accommodate your cosmetics and this way you can avoid mess in your handbag.

                                       

                                       How do you like these quilted purses? Colourful, isn't it? These were made to gift my friends. I use my scraps this way. I size the scraps and machine join them. It is very easy to use the patched fabric later. Only thing you have to do is match the colors. These purses are very roomy. They are capable of housing all the clutter in your handbag. A little kantha work has made them very special. This way you can make tea bags, small pouches, make up roll and many more.

                                      This time I have taken a lot of time to post the write-up. The festive season shifts my focus to somewhere else. But this lovely snap I took some days ago is the right one to conclude my post.                                                  

                                                

                            

                                                 

                                                  'I may not

                                             have gone where

                                                 I intended

                                                    to go

                                                but I think

                                             I've ended up

                                                  where I

                                               needed to be'................

          

                         

Afternoon Tea....

My copper kettle

whistles merrily
and signals that
it is time for tea.
The fine china cups
are filled with the brew.
There's lemon and sugar
and sweet cream, too.
But, best of all
there's friendship,between you and me.
As we lovingly share
our afternoon tea.

                   - Marianna Arolin

To eulogize this beverage I made this fabric tea-bag for all the tea-lovers around. As I am a hard-core tea-addict, I carry some tea pouches in my bag and thus always felt the need to make a bag exclusively to be used for this purpose. You can carry at least four tea pouches along with a sweetener and creamer. Just drop the tea bag in your purse. The kantha embroidery and the binding give it a neat look. A plaid fabric is used for inside sections. One large snap button is enough to secure it tight. Now carry your earl-grey/chamomile or jasmine anywhere and enjoy the sip.

A pen-stand made from corn-chips tin...

The tin was loitering around the kitchen for a long time. I made a pen- stand out of it. A bit of sashiko on the indigo fabric and a little bit of glue did the wonder.

My daughter's iPhone needed some clothing. So this lightly embroidered cell-phone cover emerged from nothing at all. The bright yellow fabric complements very well with the sunny printed one. Added a floral applique and some simple embroidery…did it all. It is cushioned and secured with a snap button.

Finally finishing the post with a glimpse of my tea-pot collection and again with a eulogy...

 

And may I never be too busy

To help another bear his load.
I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed!

                             -Jimmy Dean

Quilty- Delights

It is time to bid adieu to Bhopal at last. A nice place to stay..have enjoyed the change of seasons with its natural environment. Sensing the short time left here, I have accumulated some baag-print fabrics to use later. See the colours and the prints...

Quilt making has always inspired me to do something useful using scraps. Here, I have tried to make a runner without using any batting. A printed backing has been used to strengthen it a little. No pattern was followed during piecing. It has turned out into a bright addition in the small kitchen.

 

Inspired by my favourite blog writer, I made this make-up pouch. Whenever I have been on the run, I have missed this organiser. It can be spread on a platform to use my cosmetics. Very Convenient!! I have used the same quilt-technique here with embroidery.

A sewing machine cover is so useful. I have used a light batting with printed backing. Even a home for the scissor has been made at the side. Isn't it a nice one!                

                       

Its my daughter's draw-string bag. I love sashiko and so does she. Both sides of the bag are adorned with two different sashiko stitches. A red printed fabric is used at the inside of the bag and it has turned out quite trendy.

Once I was told by somebody to live for the small things in life because those things make one realise what it means to be alive. 

Small running lines

For some time I have been dabbling with Sashiko embroidery. Sashiko is a type of Japanese folk embroidery. It is a basic running stitch creating a patterned background like the kantha embroidery. The Japanese word 'Sashiko' means little stabs and refers to small running stitches used in this form of needlework. Similar to kantha embroidery, Sashiko was used as a form of darning to repair or add strength to worn areas of clothing or to insulate garments. Due to its beauty and durability, it has become a form of art. Generally, it is done on indigo cotton fabric. So I have tried it on a potli bag using this method.

I have combined it with another printed fabric to give it some body and colour. How do you like it?

The other day, I was in a mood to clear my fabric stash as it had turned into a huge unmanageable bulk. Bunting came to mind. It can be hung on the doorway to give a festive look or it can be arranged on the wall to stimulate the monotony of the decor. I have used different colours from my stash. See how it looks!!

See my latest birdie fluttering its wings happily in my daughter's car.

This is a make-up pouch made for my elder daughter. The minimum embroidery makes it very adorable.

Through these acts of creating things, I find solace and peace in the small moments of everyday life. So relish the small moments of life and celebrate it in your own way.

Till then......

Two inspiring guests.

A little bird, with plumage brown,

Beside my window flutters down,

A moment chirps its little strain,

Then taps upon my window-pane

--Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Yesterday I noticed these love birds sitting on my balcony railing, warming each other to shun the rain drops from their plumes. My daughter captured this moment and the idea of the birdie series came to me. I thought of making small gift items with chubby birds.

This red one can sit independently and can be hung as a car mobile.

The fat sparrow was grabbed immediately by my daughter and she fixed it to her key ring. Not a bad idea!

I have a plan to make a whole line of birdies with printed fabric to use as wind chime. See, those young sparrows gave me such an inspiration.

_______________________________________________________________

During my stay in the US, I had made a laptop cover for my elder daughter. I did a light embroidery on the pocket of the cover. I found the fabric in my fat-quarter stash. 

The second attempt at making a laptop cover for my younger daughter was a nice try. I did an elaborate embroidery of two dancing figures sketched by her.

The third mac-cover turned out to be perfect with bright color combination and vintage embroidery. I decided on using a single color thread to synchronize with the fabric.











I love making these kind of bags to serve all purposes. Hope to make many more for all needs.

The last is this remaining CD coaster. I have used quilt pieces on it. See, how bright it looks













I think monsoon brings lazy afternoons for everybody. So take out your magic-box and create some potion to change the dull time of the season.

A mixed bag

Each day provides us with an opportunity to create something. 'What can I make today?' is the question I love to hear from my inner self. Making things by hand is a way I share my love and a bit of myself. Each time I make something, I feel a satisfaction unlike any other feeling. I find such joy in gathering whats around me, dreaming and stitching it into something new and putting it to use in the hands of those I love...

I was using a hand made clutch as a cover for my tablet for a long time and it had turned shabby. So I wanted to make a new and colourful tab-cover. I found a green Baag-printed fabric and a plain green fabric in my stash, traced and embroidered a floral design on it. The idea was to embroider it with colourful threads. 

The Baag-printed portion is quilted which gives the cover a cushioning effect and is secured with a snap button. I think the colour combination is very attractive.

The end result is neat and impressive.

This colourful pin-cushion is an intermittent work. It can be hung as a wind catcher or stand independently with two supportive safety pins.

Another project I undertook was making coasters for my daughter. I used some old unused CDs as the base and lo and behold!! What a conversion!

No gum has been used. The embroidered part has been attached with the under-lining at the side of the disc.

Soon to bring more projects and creations with fabric and thread to colour our lives! Till then...

A stitch in time....

Last year in August I had gone to US to help my daughter with her new born. In the beginning motherly love and care was showered profusely on her. Once things settled down, the creative bug inside me started becoming restless and I searched every nook and corner for a piece of fabric, even an old rag would do. Soon I got a pink piece of cloth in her place of worship, smeared with diya oil. I started working on it. At that time I had no picture in my mind what the final product would be. 

Ultimately, I converted them into two cushion covers. 

In the first one I did shashiko embroidery

And in the other one, I did free hand floral embroidery using lazy-daisy and stem stitches.

Not bad...what do you think....

Meanwhile, its a tiny needle keeper made out of scraps.

I have put a bit of sponge to give some body to the fish. A few of these pieces together can be made into a dream catcher.

Happy stitching till then....

Embroidered ballerina

Started my first blog with this hand embroidered ballerina. My daughter came across this picture and encouraged me to embroider it. Hand embroidery has always been my passion. I fret and seek restlessly to sew and embroider.

Being a mother of two daughters, I spent my life making cute frocks and later tunics for them. And now, since both of them are busy with their lives, I have shifted to my first love, that is embroidery. I still do manage to stitch for them but embroidery fascinates me.

Staying in Bhopal with one of my daughters, I got the opportunity to explore the awesome fabric of this region.

I'm planning to make tunics out of them, add some embroidery. Lets see how these turn out!