Whitework Button - Buttercup

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Jenny Adin-Christie  at Embroidery Now in Winchester. We were given a choice of 5 button designs. I chose to do one of the simpler designs to give myself the best chance of finishing it. The strategy worked because here is the completed button. The design is small (1 1/4" across) and for the majority of the stitching I found it helpful to use a magnifier. It was my first workshop with Jenny and the fact that I was the only first timer in the room demonstrates what a great teacher she is. Jenny's kits are beautifully put together and include very detailed instructions - well worth the money. It was also my first time at Embroidery Now. I have been thinking of attending one of their courses for some time but it took until this year for the stars to align enough that I was free at the right time and spotted the class before it booked up. Their venue in Winchester is lovely and Jane Bennett who organises the courses made me feel very welcome. I'm definitely hoping to mage a return visit - I just need those stars to align again!

Fishing Teddy Bear Cake

It was my brother's 50th birthday on Easter Sunday which gave us an excuse to make him a cake. As my parents live near a canal he has been an angler since his early teens and he has soft spot for bears. So it had to be a fishing teddy bear cake. My contribution was baking the cake - the rest was all Jen. She followed an online tutorial to model the bear but the hat and sandwiches were her idea. The bite out of the second sandwich was a particularly cute touch. The lake was flood filled royal icing and the waterfall was piped royal icing. The grass was done with a special purpose grass and fur piping nozzle, which worked really well.

Beaded Kumihimo Necklaces

 

 

After having some success with a beaded kumihimo bracelet, last year I decided to try a simple necklace with size 8 seed beds. This has proved to be a very useful necklace and encouraged me to try a few more designs. Around this time I found  the Kumihimo Beaded braids  Facebook page and was overwhelmed by the inspiration. 

 

 

The first design I tried was  the Kumihimo Twins Necklace by Yvonne Roseanna Reavis in Beadwork magazine October 2014 with topaz AB seed beads and amethyst AB superduos . Using the superduos proved to be a bit tricky but the result has a nice texture.

 

I've recently redone this design with silver lined crystal seed beads and indigo orchid superduos. The effect is more formal I think.

 

 

While I was at the Houston Quilt Festival last November, I made my usual visit to the Accent Bead stand and couldn't resist the Trellis necklace kit, which uses Czech spade beads and long magatanas. I love this necklace. Despite the spiky look, it's surprisingly comfortable to wear.



 



I like the magatana section of the Trellis necklace but it tends to be invisible because it is designed to be at the back of the necklace. So my final necklace is white and crystal AB long magatanas and aquamarine AB seed beads. My inspiration for this necklace was frosty mornings but it also makes me think of seafoam.  

Sweet Cherry Cake

 

 

The February half term holiday was good opportunity for Jen and I to co-operate on a cake. We picked the Sweet Cherry design by Linda Garnham from the Spring 2015 Cakes and Sugarcraft magazine. After the mad frenzy of her Art GCSE last year, Jen was missing painting and she made a fantastic job of the painting cherries. My contribution was baking the cakes and making the cherry decoration for the top. This was a simple design and fun to make.