small Projects

Last week didn't go as planned regarding blogging. Yet it was a delightful time to indulge in other creative pursuits. I did crochet, embroidery and some book reading. It was a good week. 

I delved into making scrunchies. I made three, yet I was able to save only one. 

The brown and green went well. Now, I stock up on elastics and determined to whip up a few more in different colours and patterns. 

Then, I took on a creative challenge on a new top bought last December. I carefully shortened its length. then added a line of Chevron stitches topped with a threaded running stitch. Now I am contemplating adding more stitch lines to make the top more interesting and unique. What do you all think?

The highlight of the week was a crocheted purse. It turned out to be my best creation. The excitement reached new rights as this was my first attempt at adding a zipper to a crocheted item. The fusion of crochet and functionality was a rewarding experience, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the result

Which one is your favourite ?

How do you express yourself?

 

Bindu

Happy spring!

It is half of May already!

There are flowers everywhere. 

The lavish pink blooms are really show-stopping. Is it a female thing to love pink?

I did a good-for-nothing embroidery yesterday. 

The book "Jorful Stitching" shows many wonderful stitched patterns. the photos were unique as well as inspiring.  It encourages the readers to fill out the motif with different stitches to create a textured surface. My experiment here is less pretty than the pictures in the book.  I should take it as a practice piece, right?

Enjoy the spring flowers!

 

Bindu

A tote bag story

There is this tote bag I bought from the craft store, Michaels. The size is perfect to carry on a commute. 

It was bought when Masha Amini was all over the media. I was so heartbroken about her death and the events leading to it. 

My former colleague, who was born in Iran, and now lives in Canada, shared some photos on social media. I made a pattern to embroider on the tote bag.

I stitched it on the tote bag. It was backstitched in black thread. 

This is my way of showing solidarity with women in Iran.  Remember the floral elephant?

It is added to the other side of the bag. 

Now, it feels complete.

It is stitched to the bag. Not glued or ironed on. 

Do you feel it is complete now?

Bindu

Finding Inspiration

Some days, I feel stuck. I can't find a project to do. The colours feel dull.

Those days, I like to turn pages of craft magazines. 

I found an advertisement on a magazine page, which caught my attention.

It was calling me to do something with it.

The image was traced to fabric and stitched:

I used an outline stitch in two strands of black thread. 

I might use it again to stitch with flowers or words.

Right now, she seems fine in her thinking mode. 

 

Bindu

Cat Heart, embroidery

I bought a book called "Colour your own Greeting Cards". 

I transferred this cat image to fabric to do embroidery. No idea what to do with the piece though.

Bindu

Love with wings!

March is ending. 

I am crocheting and embroidering. 

There is time now because I quit my job.

My main job now is to fight the phyllodes on my right side.

Hum...They are not that benign at the moment. 

But not yet dangerous either. 

I have to go through a mastectomy. 

Am I ever ready for that????

No. NEVER.

How am I thinking about it now?

There will be a recovery.

I will still be living to see the spring of 2023. 

I will keep loving the people around me. 

They will love me forever too.

The love will have wings and it will fly the world

Just like that!

Bindu

A little Heart

Embroidery is a slow process. that is really an activity to reduce stress.

That is a low-cost craft as well.

The tricky part for me is to draw patterns on cloth. I am not good at drawing. So, it is essential to get prints or trace them on the fabric.

The heart is an easy shape. It is lovely as well

So, I made a small template on paper to trace the fabric.  

This small project brought a lot of happiness. Now, I want to add something more to it. Will be posting soon.

I bought the fabric from the Amazon store  GravitationOnline. 

If you buy from the above link, I can get paid a few cents as well. :)

 

Bindu

Not so cute,yet

I was trying my hands on embroidery 

Hand embroidery on Instagram is very inspiring. 

I have more experience with crochet.

I have to try my hands at new things.

Another reason is the cost of yarn.

Embroidery is still less expensive.

I can use any type of fabric as my canvas.

This yellow shirt is one experiment.

Traced a star shape. then free-handed flowers!

 

Bindu

Mixed media card with embroidery and crochet

I was playing with cardstock and paint.

Got something not very happy about.
It was almost got abandoned, till the idea of stitching over it come.

 Now the plant and the flower pop up even though it is rainy and cloudy, right?
I added yellow ribbon to give it kind of more attention. 
The card needs a lining inside to cover the stitches though.

Bindu

Embroidery hoop project.

 I bought three 6 inch embroidery hoops. 
Used embroidery floss and stitched a grid like,

This is going to be on the wall of my little nest. 
I am going to have 3 of those as a group.
Still I have to do the back of the hoop. 

Bindu

Butterfly towels.

The wash towels are just plane janes. 
I love butterflies. It reminds me of my home country and the native place Kerala. 
So, purple butterflies on pink towels. 

What is the use of it?
You may want to know. 
I love to keep one in my bag instead of a handkerchief. It is pretty and it is very absorbent cotton. 

I can hang in my kitchen to dry my dishes. 

may be i can put it on the fridge handle to avoid the smudges.

I can use it to wrap two cookies to take to workplace as a snack. 

I can think of so many uses. What you do if you get them ?

Bindu

Quick Tuesday project: Not Mixed Media?

Remember, yesterdays butterfly?

I said, I might embroider on top of it. Yes, I did that.
Have you ever seen a green butterfly? 
Here we go:

Do you know, I was able to scan this one. Easy and pretty work.
The entire embroidery is stitched using back stitch. I used DMC embroidery floss.

Bindu

Mixed media Tag : Index card project

I love the index card idea. So, to keep things moving and to get some immediate gratification, I turned to the index cards again.

A bit of stamping a bit of stitching, bit of glueing..
I have only two stamp pads: one red and one green.
A butterfly foam stamp from dollar store becomes my favourite .

 I used a cut up portion from an egg carton to stamp the green squarish design.
Want to see that?

I used some buttonhole stitches with yellow embroidery floss around the card. 
Since the card is very flimsy, I decided to glue it on a piece of cardboard.
Me being me, a plain cardboard is not great. This is visible outside right?
So, I draw the trees with my black sharpie marker.

How you like my trees?
Then punched a hole, added a piece of pink ribbon That is enough right?

Will you be happy if you get this one along with a gift?

Bindu Designs