Needle Point Design

My sister had asked me to use some Polish Folk Art and come 

up with a needle point design for my Mom, for her Christmas gift.

Below is the finished art.

 This was the black and white drawing, before I colored it.

The inspirations

 So gloriously colorful!! These make me so happy.

 Love love.

 Chickens!!!!!

 I was sketching out on regular printer paper. I was planning on drawing half, and then flipping the mirror image in photoshop.

There you have it.

 It was hard to find the right colors to use. I didn't want to use the exact coloring that was on the original art. But I wanted it to look similar.

I like it. It's not QUITE what I was hoping for, but then again,

it never is.

In progress.

Inked the half sketch.

The finished paper with colors, and then the

inked needle point scrim underneath. I bought needle point scrim

from Joann's, then just sewed some binding on the the unfinished edges, and printed out the sketch at 14"x14".  She likes to turn her needle-point's into pillows, so I made it just a bit smaller than the pillow form. 

I didn't color in the scrim, I just colored the paper poster, and will let her pick her own colors. 

Now, my sister had mentioned that I hadn't made her a watercolor painting. I was doing some paintings last year but stopped because I wasn't happy with the way they turned out. 

So, I picked out my favorite piece of art that she gave me. And did a small watercolor painting of it. 

There you go.

Ruth

Pinwheel Pillow

I have been using the same old pillows for my couch for about seven years. The couch has changed but I haven't changed the pillows. You may think that it's absurd to only have two pillows on my two couches. (one per couch) but that's where my hubbie and I compromised on. I was one of those girls who had two or three throw pillows on her bed with two regular pillows and a Sham pillow. So 5 pillows, on a twin bed. And on my couch? Maybe 4 to 6 per couch. He's a minimalist, like he wishes he could live in a log cabin with a sleeping bag and a pot bellied stove. And I'm not so much a minimalist. I have tried to de-clutter our house due to his wishes, and he has tried very  hard not to mention the posters, pictures and knick knacks I have around the house. So, in our seven years of marriage we have evolved into a nice clean style, with important, useful and beautiful things only. Well, we try at least. He loves getting rid of stuff, and I am trying to do it more.  But I also insist on stuff that I like or find useful. So, now I have two pillows. If I ever try to put more out, I find that whenever I leave and come back one is missing. I have to search forever to find it and sometimes can't without getting his help. So, two pillows it is.

I made the one on the left, and the one on the right I think I got from World Market. I loved the design of those graphs you had to draw in 6th grade math and replicated it on my pillow. But it's very lumpy now, and quite a bit worn. It doesn't quite fit with what I'm trying to do. Note: What I'm trying to do is add some color to my very beige house.

I had really wanted to get these pillows for my couch from West Elm but they are made of silk charmeuse. And I have a two year old. It just doesn't make sense.

So, maybe....I will make some. Something that fits with the general beigy/blue-y color scheme of my living room.

Probably not this one tho.

My husbands retina's might explode.

I have made one pinwheel pillow before and plan on making the "arms" thinner and making the pillow large to simulate the one from west elm.

This is the first pinwheel I made. I don't think my husband likes it because I found it hidden under the bed.

Apparently, the one throw pillow a bed rule was breached when I added another one. I use them both when I sleep, one to hold between my arm and one between my knees. So when I couldn't find this one I had to pull out the old pregnancy comma pillow. Which is ugly to me and to my hubs. He calls it the "comma pillow" and the first time I showed it to him he laughed.....too much.

Ruth