Teaser

So here is a teaser of what I am working on for the Australasian quilt challenge. Remember the theme is '10'. Of course I can't show you the entire design as that might breach the conditions of entry. But I can tell you this will be one beautiful quilt if my drawings are anything to go by ... now I just hope I can pull it off!!!!

What? Christmas already??

Well it is time to do Christmas projects if you want them to make it into the magazine later in the year. Projects need to be into the magazine around 6 months before publication, and then the magazine needs to get it out a little before Christmas.
So here is a pic of my messy WIP Christmas 2013 quilt.

Those of you who have known me a little while know that I have a small part time job at a day care centre to pay the bills until my designing work can support me ... well things aren't looking great at the centre. There are plans to bring in a trainee, who would cost half of what I do to pay per hour. That will mean my hours will be cut to virtually nothing (yeah so much for loyalty and the value of expertise!). What that means is, I have to find other work. I am looking around, but there isn't a lot of part time work in my area that I am qualified or experience enough to do.

I'm going to apply for an activity co-ordinator position which I think would suit me nicely. However, the fact that I think it will suit me, does not mean I'll get the job (sad but true LOL). It is more hours than I'm doing now which would mean I'd have to scale back the design work.

Well I'll keep you posted on what happens,
thanks for reading
comments are most welcome
jennidee

I Love This One

It probably doesn't get much girlier than this??? Oh well, I absolutely love this bag I made with the Rainbow Butterfly. I can't wait to get it back from the magazine so I can use it. It would look lovely teamed with a flowy summer dress.

 

I'm working on some gallery pages. So if you are relitavely new to this blog, you will be able to go to the gallery to see what projects I've made, rather than trawling through old entries. I'll le tyou knwo when they are published so you can have a look.

Jennidee

Getting There

Firstly, welcome to the two new followers, thanks for joining.

In the photo above is my progress to date on the Rainbow Butterfly. The back stitching really makes it pop.

I've had a lot of distractions ... my brother and his family were visitng from Queensland and we did a few things with them, including visiting Jenolan Caves just the other side of the Blue Mountains where I live.

 

I might have gotten to go on the bush walk they took too, if I hadn't stuck a knitting needle about a half an inch into the top of my leg when we were getting ready to go ... ouch! Who knew knitting could be so dangerous? But it's pretty much healed now and i'm walking normally again.

See you next time.

 

Jennidee

Satin Roses

Work has been busy, busy, busy again ... 2 more weeks until it slows down (I hope).
But I've managed to get time to do this

Satin Roses is a pillow with orange applique roses at the centre. The applique is sewn down with a machine satin stitch (hence the name Satin Roses).
The briefing was for mint green and pale orange ... I certainly hope I have fulfilled that description.

That's my lounge in the background ... I really like the striped back on it. I was surprised when hubby agreed to it. :)

See you next time
Jennidee

Works In Progress

I've had a very busy weekend with my son's 16th birthday party, but I did a get a chance to work on some designs for up coming magazines.

The rose design will be applique and done in the fabrics you can see behind the blackline designs. They are teh colours requested by Patchwork and Stitching magazine, but it won't be published until 2013. It's not dues until mid October, but I like to get ahead on these things.

The butterfly is for a cross stitch ... finally!!! Of course I still have to colour it, but I'm thinking the magical swirl behind the butterfly will be a rainbow.

There are four more weeks until the school holidays, and after that my work load at the child care center should slow down with the return of one of their regular staff members. I'll be able to get more design work done. But the money has been so welcome. It's almost as if the universe knew our finances would be stretched the past few months and sent us a boon. So thankyou very much divine workings of the powers that be!

Today I need to finish the green quilt for my son. I would have had it done yesterday, but I ran out of the black mateial I'm using for the binding. Today is his actual birthday, so I'll get it done and give it to him tonight. I"ll post a picture of course!

Thanks again for reading
Jennidee

Bad News and Good News

The circus Pony was passed up by the first magazine I offered it to. She said it was lovely bit it wasn't the right fit for the mag.
At least I didn't spend time stitching it (God bless computer simulations).

My husband broke his tooth last night (just to add to financial pressure). It's quite unfair. He takes really good care of his teeth and nags us all to floss. But this one tooth has been giving him trouble for years. I feel so sorry for him ... he just got over a really NASTY case of sinusitis (he's not even completely better).

BUT

I saw a wonderful quote on a cross stitch yesterday that I may design into something.

Make today count.

I have some errands to run today, but when I get home I'll knuckle down and design something else that will hopefully hit the mark.

AND

I've just gotten word that my ever faithful, wonderful Australian editor will take the Pony (stitched with a girl's name and an alphabet ... I'll give it to my friend's daughter as a present).

So, no UK breakthrough yet.

I'm not working at Macdonalds though!

Circus Pony

Just a little design I'm working on at the moment.

I was going to do a steam punk victorian lady after talking to Miamina. But I'm not sure the magazines would go for that. It might be a bit radical for them. And then I had a dream about horses and had an urge to draw one. So that's how the little circus pony came about.

Realisations

Today there wasn't much time to create, what with getting new school shoes for my youngest, taking both kiddies (hmmm, 12 and 15, not exctly kiddies anymore) to see Hugo at the movies and then getting home to clean the house for guests on Australia Day.

The guests are actually my husband's gaming friends so I will largely be ignored for the day and able to sit down to some serious creating.

A few days ago I pulled out a nice rose tray and I've been using is as a project caddy when I need to take bits and pieces from room to room. Tonight I got it ready with my 'pallete' for tomorrow. The mag theme coming up is 'pearls' so I'm doign an embroidered piece with some lovely mother of pearl beads I bought just after Christmas. I haven't drawn the desing yet - but something will happen tomorrow I'm sure.

I realised two things today
1. Blogs are so much nicer to read when they have pictures. So here is one of my challenge piece for the beading forum last week. The theme was Picasso. My bookmark is called Petit Picasso

It's available for sale at ETSY
http://www.etsy.com/listing/91198515/petit-picasso

And another realisation is about my passion.

Last year I would have sworn my passion was cross stitching. And now I can't get enough of beading. I realised that my passion is actually designing and the materials are less important, but are often my inspiration.

Often you hear the term 'Jack of all trades but master of none'. I used to think that applied to me until recently when I realised that you can be a master of just creating.

Deep and meaningful tonight peeps :)

Designing and Stitching today

I'm working on the swirly butterfly bookmark today (I went to the shops to pick up the colours of threads I ran out of). I should finish it this afternoon.
Also on today's menu is the design of little mermaid, cross stitch style for the magazines.

So I'd better get off this blog and get cracking!!!

Book Plans

At about 5am this morning I had a great idea for a book.
My plan is to make 3 smallish things a week for the next 20 weeks. Two will be for the book and one to send to magazines to keep myself visible as a designer. Then in just under 6 months the book should be ready. I plan to pitch it to publishers before it's finished to save some time. Publishers are notorious for taking time to decide on things, and then it could take 6 months to a year for the final publication to hit the bookstands. Yeah! It's a slow way to make money!

So the web site will wait until next Christmas. While I'm waiting for the book to be published (do you hear that optimisim?) I'll start making projects for the website.

Well, that's my year planned. I'm a little tired just looking at this post. :)

Fairy Cameo

Handmade magazine, Vol 29, No.9 (a gift giving special) has published my Fairy Cameo design.

I love the pretty sparkly, pink boxes the photographer used in the background. As you probably know by now, I'm a very girly girl.

The issue should be on newsagent's shelves next month.

I'm enjoying my chair. Thanks for the comments. I'm looking forward to spending at least 5 hours in it today working on the butterfly princess. I've nearly finished her wings and I'm about to move on to her face and bodice. Maybe I'll put up a progress pic tomorrow.

Angel Moon in Magazine

On friday I received my copy of Embroidery and Cross Stitch Vol 19 No.3, which has my design Angel Moon in it.

The phototpgrapher for the magazine presentation did a wonderful job. I'm sure it was hard to tilt the book to the right angel to make the shine of the metallic thread obvious.

I really like this design and the finished project. It has a blank notebook inside which I plan to write my prayers inside, or my wishes and dreams.

The magazine will be on sale soon.

On My Way

Welcome to my new follower, wow, 16!!! LOL

I finished the quilt today. it looks so lovely, I can't wait to do another one.

BUT!!!

I also did number two on my little list (that tiny bit of backstitch on Shhh) and got to work on 'Sun' again. I managed an hour before this darn cold dragged me down again. Three weeks now this bloomin thing has lingered. I went to the doctor today to get some antibiotics to knock it on the head. She was STILL rectant to give me any as I didn't have a fever.

Well, tomorrow is another day and now I have done those jobs I wanted to get out of the way first. And I enjoyed the hour I did today which will spur me on tomorrow. It'll be finished before I know it.

This week I received notification that nother of my designs (Angel Moon) will be in ECS issue 19.3 which is due out in November. The priece arrived home in the post on Thursday. It's nice to have it back. It's a book cover so I'll be putting the note book to good use.

Progress Report

Eight Hours into 'Sun' and I'm thinking 'what have I done to myself?'
It's not that this is a difficult project. And if it was another designers work, I wouldn't hesitate to spend a few months stitching up a lovely creation. I'm merely thinking that for the fee I will earn from this design, I'm making a pittance.

But it's not all about the fee is it?

My husband asked me recently if we came into a lot of money would I still design and stitch cross stitches? I didn't even have to think about the answer. Of course I would.

Unfortunately no large sum of moeny has come my way yet, so I have to think about the fee.

I also know that designing for magazines is good publicity. To get my designs to a larger audience, I need them to be in the magazines, and I want the customers to see my best work.

Also, I 'm enjoying the process, so it can't really be called 'work'.

So what am I worried about? I'll just keep enjoyign the stitching!

Ready to stitch

I've finished the design for 'sun' and tonight I dyed the fabric. So tomorrow I can start stitching as long as I have soem fo the colours I need. I guess I had better have a look in my thread boxes tonight to see which colours I already have.

I'm looking forward to stitching this. It's the largest design of my own I've ever stitched. I wonder how long it will take?

working, working

well, as much as designing is work for me, it's too much fin to be work.

I've completed sun's face, mask and hair, moving on to the cape and the sun he is holding. I'm really liking how it's turning out and I can't wait to stitch it (which I think says a lot about how much I'm loving it).

But tomorrow it's back to the paid employment (sob). So I'll have two days I won't want to design and then it's the weekend. So what am I complaining about hey???

What's Next?

I know I've been very quiet lately.
I was still working on my school planning. It took so much out of me. But it's finally all done.
So now I can relax and settle back into doign some designing work.

I've nearly finished stitching the peacock which is the first bird of my exotic birds series of cards. I'm considering having the others stitched by a local lady who sells who cross stitch work at the market.

But I've also embarked on a much larger project - the sun and the moon.
I have the models for the artwork picked out and 'the sun' pencilled onto watercolour paper ready for painting. I'll pencil in 'the moon' later today. I actually like 'the moon' better. So that's why I'm doing 'the sun' first. I'll hang 'the moon' infront of my face like a carrot to get 'the sun' done.

I'll post some pictures of the artworks when they are finished.