"Something Blue" Bridal Heart Brooch...

I completed the "Something Blue" Bridal Heart Brooch on Wednesday and am so excited to debut it today. My nephew's fiance' will receive this at her bridal shower on Sunday.

I estimate approximately 20 hours of stitching went into creating the finished piece and love how it turned out. I didn't have (and so far can't locate a source for) baby blue brilliant check purls (the sparkling fiber I used on the red hearts, as well as the frogs and religious heart pieces) so I used beautiful seed beads instead. I just as happy with the end result.

I'm going to be offering these brooches as bridal gifts, and will work with my clients to choose the color blue they prefer (I do have an assortment of blue check purls - sadly not in baby blue; or they can select from an assortment of blue seed beads combined with silver check purls.) I think the silver coordinates better with the blues than gold. The client can also choose to keep or add the center cross, per their personal preference. Perhaps they're having a civil ceremony and would like to omit the cross?

Of course, the bride can then choose to wear it on the waist of her gown, under her gown on the petticoat or on her garter, or incorporate it into her bouquet. I'd just suggest she remove it before she tosses her flowers to the next bride. 

As with all my needlework pieces, it is my fond hope that they will become treasured family heirlooms, and this piece especially. I will include a card that the original bride, as well as future brides can add their name to in the event you would like to keep a family record.

Each brooch will be carefully packaged in a chiffon drawstring bag, which is then tucked into a presentation box to protect it. If you're interested in purchasing one of these brooches, please contact me for pricing information and/or to arrange a commission. Thanks!

Back Where She Belongs...

 When we prepared to return home from Wisconsin, we added about 

four hundred pounds to our load. It was only because of one single item.

 This item has been a focal piece in each of the homes that Handsome

and I have owned during our twenty nine years of marriage. It belonged

to my brother-in-law (Handsome's brother) before it belonged to us.

 It's our antique Persian rug from the 1920's. Our treasure is nearly one hundred 

years old! It's large, too, measuring 21 1/2 feet long, by 10 1/2 feet wide. 

When we originally moved to Florida, we brought it with us, but ended up moving

it back up north. Our son and his wife thought they might use it in a space they

were remodeling. Last fall, they told us they wouldn't be using it so we said we'd

bring it back to Florida with us when we traveled there this summer. It was ready

and waiting for us when we got to Wisconsin, and we loaded it into the back

of our truck before hooking the Flying Cloud up for our trip back home.

We hauled it back fifteen hundred miles and finally unloaded it yesterday.

First we cleared the living room and I vacuumed and scrubbed the tile.

Handsome and I then tackled the unloading of this hefty beauty. We were

a little apprehensive about the process, but we finessed it off the back of

our truck onto a sturdy trolley and wheeled it right into the living room.

The furniture was back in place by noon and we sat down to enjoy the view.

I was surprised by how happy I was to have it again.

Is it "Florida style"? Probably not.

Does that bother us? Definitely not.

Beautiful and useful, one of our family heirlooms...and part of our tradition.

Our beautiful, plush, magic carpet is back in our home where she belongs.

That's what matters to us.

What You'll Be Seeing Soon...

I have new two projects on my drawing board, and the excitement is building in my studio. This is the fabric assortment for the most immediate of the projects. I'm creating an original quilt for our local guild's November Challenge. The theme is "Paws and Whiskers" and I can hardly wait to begin.

You won't be seeing these fabrics again until my project is finished, but I'm not going to be dawdling until the week before like I did last year! This one is going to take some extra effort and I want it to be worthy of a First Place ribbon!

 

As soon as I finish my challenge quilt, I'll be starting an extra special, heirloom-quality piece that will be a true one-of-a-kind...and available for purchase! That's the only hint I'm giving right now, but you'll see this finished piece before the end of November, so I hope you'll be watching for it. 

I know this post is pretty cryptic, but I promise you'll be seeing more soon. 

I just checked and I'm only two posts away from 900! I'll look into my bag of tricks and see what kind of treat I can offer one lucky friend (follower). Coming this week...my 900th Post Giveaway! Woo hoo!

 Reminder: Next Monday is Memory Lane Monday (October 31st). If you have a blog, consider sharing a memory on your blog and then linking back here so others can read your story. Perhaps you have a Halloween memory to celebrate the spooky holiday?

Liam's Christening Bonnet...

Can't you almost see a baby wearing this?
I love making baby bonnets for just that reason.
Made to match Liam's christening gown and coat,
I also added the beaded duppioni and handmade
silk roses to the baby bonnet. All the handsewing
was done with vintage silk thread for an extra special touch.

Making baby clothes makes me smile, and
making heirloom baby clothes reminds me that what I'm
creating will be loved and worn again long after I'm gone.

Some great-great-great-great niece will look at this christening set
years from now, and wonder about the hands and heart of the woman
who created this for their baby to wear. Perhaps I should include a
current photograph of me, along with a short biography so
that she will know what I did in 2010 for the love of my family.
I think I will.

You can continue to leave comments on yesterday's post
if you'd like to be entered in my surprise drawing for the
Pin Converter.
I'll be drawing the name of one lucky winner at 10 pm tonight
and will post the winner's name in tomorrow's post.
Good luck everyone!