WIP Wednesday

Welcome back to WIP Wednesday.

Recently I've been working on the quilting for my Diamond Jubilee jelly roll race quilt.  After having under estimated the amount of blue thread I would need to quilt the interior lines, it got pretty nail-biting when I realised I was nearly out of red thread for the border and I still had about half of the last border to quilt - eek!  Luckily, I found a bobbin of the same thread from my Elna that I used as top thread once the spool ran out, and then I got to play the ever so fun game of divide the itty-bitty bit of thread between two bobbins to make it stretch.  I just managed to squeak out that last border but this is literally what I had remaining for thread by the end:

Crisis adverted, all of the outer borders were done using tissue paper stencils I made myself.  Then on to tearing off the paper (it wasn't that bad - much less stressful than trying to make thread last).

Now I'm in the process of burying threads, which I normal loathe doing.  However, in an attempt to make the process less awful, I did a quick search on YouTube (have I mentioned how much I love YouTube?) and found this awesome method for burying threads:

I love this method so much, since you don't need to thread the needle every time you bury a set of threads - sooo much simplier and faster!  Won't be long now and I can add the binding.

Linking up to Freshly Pieced:

Wish Patchwork Birthday Card

Hi, there!

Last month I made up a set of patchwork thank you cards and decided as my mum has been a professional quilter, it would only be fitting to make a similar patchwork card for her birthday this year.  As I still had many tiny little triangles left over from the first batch of cards, it was a very quick and easy make.

Wish Patchwork Birthday

Like the original set, I used a small doily and a die-cut, this time scalloped, and a sprinkling of gold sequins.  I also added some of the pink thread I used for the stitching between the doily and the die-cut.  I had intended on layering up some other elements but I didn't want to detract from the patchwork background so I decided to just keep it simple.

And thankfully, while this card won't make it to her on or before her birthday, it won't be months late like her Mother's Day card was - whew!

Just Saying...Thanks

Hello and TGIF!  Not only is it Friday, but in my world, it's sports break!  Here in Sweden, sports break is our version of spring break, except everyone travels to go downhill skiing.  Except me.  I hole myself up in my flat and try to recuperate from having traveled over the Christmas break.  It's a truly wonderful time of the year.  :P

I've been slowly flexing my crafting muscles again after the winter holidays break and I've made up a few much-needed thank you cards.  Let's take a look, shall we?

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm totally and utterly smitten with Pebbles' From Me to You collection.  If you're a card-maker, this collection is absolutely a must-have!  I've found that I keep turning to it time and time again and it's wonderful for all sorts of cards from birthdays to thank-yous.

I drew a fair bit of colour inspiration from the February 2Peas mood board; specifically the pink and chalkboard elements, plus a bit of freehand doodling.

This first card is for a colleague from work whom is also my wonderful yoga instructor who will soon be moving to Switzerland.  I wanted to make sure she got a card before she left.

 Thanks Card

Despite having photographed it in natural daylight, the colour is a touch off and the chalkboard looks more brown than black but I can assure you it is very black in real life.  This was in fact the design that kept me up most of a night.  Everything is layered with some messy black thread on the bottom to give some added interested, texture and fill some of the white space.  The black enamel dots really helped make everything pop and the doodled line around the edge grounds the design.

I also needed a second thank you card for a friend who helped cat-sit Oskar during the bathroom renovation from Hell and over the winter holidays while I was away.  Rather than re-invent the wheel, I took the same design as above and made a second card.

Just a Note to Say...Thanks Card

Again, all layered with the chalkboard banner and a chipboard tag and some floral stickers.  I also added a chipboard bouquet and some embroidery floss for the fibre element.  Another doodled edge to ground the image.  On the inside of the card I've added a little glassine bag, in which I'll add a personal note and an extra surprise.

I've linked up available supplies for both cards to my 2Peas account - just click through the links below the pictures if you're interested in seeing what I used and the manufacturers.

Hello 50 Birthday Card

So last week a friend at work turned the big 5-0.  Naturally a special card was in order.  I was excited to break into my new supplies and itching to use my new Pebbles From Me to You collection.  And since this was a special milestone card, gold was a must!

Hello 50 Birthday Card

October Afternoon's Cakewalk papers mixed really well with the Pebbles collection so I dug out some scraps to use up.  I just love how cheerful these OA papers are (and to be honest, I've been hoarding that star paper for some time now).

I used the Pebbles sticker and chipboard accents to embellish.  I also wrapped some gold metallic sewing thread around the green banner - it's very thin and subtle but just the right weight to balance out the design.  And the chunky gold glitter Thickers are the Maggie Holmes variety by Crate Paper - I just love them!

Melanie absolutely loved the card, I'm pleased to say.  She gave me a huge hug and kiss and said it was the nicest card she's ever received.  Awww!  Isn't it wonderful to give someone the perfect gift?  Totally made my day.  Heck, it made my week.