The Embroidery Challenge: Submissions and a Giveaway!! (giveaway closed)

Once again, it's time to vote!  And this time, we have a giveaway, too!  Scroll down to read about that.

You can see more pictures and read more about the Retro Table Topper here.

You can see more pictures and read more about Audrey's Magic Pillow here.

Great giveaway from Colonial Patterns

The table topper was based on a Stitcher's Revolution pattern called "Kitch'n Stitch'n."  Thanks to Brooke at Colonial Patterns, we have a copy of this pattern along with a set of three Aunt Martha's red striped tea towels to giveaway.  If you haven't checked out Stitcher's Revolution patterns, you should.  They are retro chic and super cute.  Please take a minute to check them out at http://www.colonialpatterns.com/ or at a craft store near you.

To enter, be sure to vote for your favorite embroidery project, then leave a comment on this post letting us know you did so (no need to say who you voted for, just say you did).  Blogger has been having issues with the comment form, if you cannot comment, send us an email through the link on the right side of the blog. In either case, make sure that you leave an email address or that you comment using your google account so we can get in touch with you if you win.  The winner will be announced on June 22, 2011. One entry per person, open to US residents only.

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Challenge Submission: Retro Table Topper

 

 Just a few days before we came up with the idea of an embroidery challenge, I had bought this really cute Stitcher's Revolution pattern called Kitch'n Stitch'n (enter our giveaway for a copy here):

I knew without a doubt that I would be using it in this challenge.  I decided to limit myself to four motifs and make a mini-quilt for my dining room table.  It was hard to choose, but these are the four I picked:

The mixing bowls because they look so much like the Pyrex I love.

This reminded me of my Fiestaware so it made the cut.

This "Butter me up" simply because it's cute.

This one because I would love an old mixer, especially in aqua.  I think I was born in the wrong era.

I used perle cotton and a backstitch to give my stitching a solid look and to make the colors bright and shiny (and because I had it).  It was stitched on bright white kona cotton.  The quilt was made with Dream On by Urban Chiks for Moda with rick rack trim.

Be sure to vote for you favorite and enter our contest here to win a copy of this great pattern!

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The Cake Stand: A Furniture Makeover

BEFORE:  My ugly duckling cabinet in need of a makeover.

About two years ago, I found this ugly duckling of a cabinet at Goodwill.  It was a quality piece of furniture that had great potential for a makeover.  It was solid wood with a formica top that was in good condition.  But what to do with it?  Because of my lack of inspiration, it's been sitting in my dining room in its ugly state since I paid $20 and brought it home.

AFTER:  A cake-inspired kitsch masterpiece!

At about 1:37 pm on Friday, June 10th, inspiration struck at while I was at the Hidden Treasures Thrift Store looking at a 1973 Wilton Cake Decorating catalogue.  It was to get a cake inspired makeover!

Lucky for me, I buy things like old cookbooks:

My pile of Wilton cake decorating yearbooks and other assorted cake cookbooks.

and old cake decorations:

My box of vintage cake decorations, just in case I ever need them (which, I'd like to point out, I did need). 

just in case I'm ever inspired to make something where I might need such supplies.  Yes, my house looks like a landfill, but I'm prepared for most crafting emergencies.

After spray painting the cabinet two shades of pink, I paged through all the cookbooks and old Wilton cake decorating catalogues cutting out great images like these:

One of the sides in progress.

I fitted them together like a jigsaw puzzle, trimmed them up with a rotary cutter so they would align, then rounded the corners just because I liked the way it looked.  Once I got it all laid out, I decoupaged the pix onto the cabinet.  I'll level with you, I had a hell of a time with the decoupaging!  It's a hazard of living in the desert that things dry fast.  The decoupage medium was drying so fast that I could not work the bubbles out before it would dry.  We're talking less than a minute or two.  It was crazy.  The bottomline is that I ended up with a lot of wrinkles, but what do you do?

A view of the other side.  How much do you love the Barbie cake?

While I was working on the decoupage, it occurred to me that I had a box of vintage cake decorations and that it was only fitting that they be worked into this project.  The drawer seemed like the perfect home for them.

The drawer front.

I spent a good two hours with the box of decorations and my hot glue gun to come up with this collage.  I have to say, I'm a little unsure of it.  It's fun, but it's busy so I question if it goes with the clean edges of the decoupaged pictures.  Of course, this is all just me being hypercritical of my own work.

Extreme close-up; Santa looks mad.

All in all, I'd have to say I'm happy with the way this turned out. 

One last look.

My favorite picture:  geeky bowtie boy with girly pink cake.

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Fun Embroidery Freebie

Some of my newly organized thread

In the spirit of our current challenge, I thought I'd share something really cool, I found in this wonderful place called blogland! I came across these adorable printables (free!) via How About Orange and gasped out loud at how cute they were! These printable thread bobbins can be found at the Wild Olive blog / website. I think this is a most cute & brilliant idea. Way prettier than the blanks you can buy at the craft store, ... and I don't know about you, but an easier system to manage embroidery thread than throwing all the half used skeins into a box (picture big tangled mess).

So while working on our embroidery challenge project, I took the opportunity to help my threads out and put them on these adorable bobbins. We are both happy now!

Another helpful gadget in my embroidery secion of the craft room: the needle case I made at a local fabric store a while back. This envelope style needle holder is perfect for holding lots of needles. And, my tiny sewing scissors fit in there perfectly too :)

Happy embroider'ing (is that even a word)?

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