And Now It Begins...

I'm beginning to stitch on my Corgi brooch. First, I'll secured the felt base parts and next I'll proceed to add the actual goldwork components. 

I also framed the wedding monogram this morning. I use beautiful round frames that hold the hoops I use to do the needlework. I have one that's always a working frame, but once the pieces are done, I rehoop my work into a new one for my recipients.

I trimmed the excess fabric around the hoop and then take a running stitch around the edge of the fabric to gather around the back of the hoop and secure all the edges. Then, I cut a piece of felt into a circle and stitch that to the back of the piece. There is no glue involved at all. 

After I remounted the hoop into the frame, I added the backing plate. The final touch was to add a "Brynwood Bridal" label, and then I was finished! As promised before, I'll share photos on Saturday with you.

I also made a batch of cinnamon rolls (now that I've discovered just how simple they are to make). I put lots of cream cheese frosting on them, and add a container of frosting to go with the rolls I shared. They. Are. So. Good! I know I'll be sharing more with friends in the future.

I'll do more needlework today, so I'll make sure I take photos to show you how much I manage to accomplish. See you tomorrow!

Choosing Colors...

When I got home from work yesterday, I pulled a selection of colors that I think may work for my goldwork Corgi brooch. As with the wedding monogram, things are flexible until I declare it finished, so I'm sure I'll preview colors and ideas as I go. There will also be black for the eye, and red for the heart, of course!

I'm planning to prepare the calico and transfer my design today. Then, I'll begin with the padding before any stitching. We'll see how much needlework I actually accomplish though. The weather has been changing the past couple days, and it's cold again, which wreaks havoc on my hands. They're pretty sore right now. I'll take a couple Tylenol and see if that improves. If so, I'll do a lot more needle dancing than I feel like at this moment. I'll do my best, as I'm very anxious to begin this piece.

What are you working on right now? Are you doing something crafty? Reading a good book? (I must get some audio books for my stitching time!) I'd love to know what you're working on (and book recommendations would be fun, too!)

Time for a cuppa and then off to the studio! I hope you have a truly blessed day. See you tomorrow.

My Concept...

This is the template for my latest idea. I'm going to take the Corgi from my For The Love of a Corgi logo and label to create a coordinating goldwork brooch to offer for sale. As with all FTLOAC items, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to CorgiAid.

As I was contemplating the design for the brooch, I first went with the idea of a corgi profile. Then it hit me. Why not at least attempt to recreate the logo dog for my goldwork piece? So, this will be my next project. (Fingers crossed it works) I'm at work all day today, but will definitely be putting needle to fabric on Wednesday!

My day of baking was fun. In addition to bread and hamburger buns, I also made my first batch of cinnamon rolls, which was shared with Andy and Shelly. Feedback from Shelly and Handsome was that they were success. I'll be making those again, too!

Well, I'd better pull myself together. I'll be at work by 9:45 and put in a full (for me) day. I'll be back tomorrow to visit. I hope you have a great day!