June CQJP

This is my June block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (for more info, click the button on the left sidebar).  I am mostly happy with it.  It's just the tops on the left that are leaving something to be desired.  But since I'm not sure what, I'm going to just live with them for now.  They are stitched onto felt and then appliqued on.

I am very proud of the sewing vignette.  The petite spools are 1/4" tall.  The sewing machine I stamped onto silk and heat set.  I drew on all of the notions free hand and then embroidered them using silk mori (Kreinik) and floche and flower thread from DMC.  I just discovered those last two.  Why didn't someone clue me in long ago??

By the way, this is my grandfather.  My nephew looks exactly like him.  The picture is from the mid to late 20s. He is also the gentleman in the uniform in an earlier family block from this year.  I have some really cool pictures of him as a baby and toddler in the requisite boy dress.

The 3" windmill is from an Aunt Martha transfer that I shrank.  I added the tank and fence.  When I was growing up, the neighbors had a tank like this that we used to catch tadpoles from.  Life was so much simpler then.  

I have had a lot of trouble getting the red marks from the transfer pencil to go away, but I will keep trying.

One of the first things I put on the block was the trellis using hand dyed silk ribbon and Lizbeth thread as an experiment.  It looked lonely so I embellished it with hand dyed venice lace and more silk ribbon to resemble grapes. 

I used a different color green thread to attach the leaves with the intention of the change to look like veins, but it doesn't work very well.  I will probably rethink this.

Spool Tassel

What sparks your creativity?  Boredom?  Seeing someone else' creation?  A pile of pretties?  Necessity?  All of the above? 
I have a lot of Stuff.  And I come from a long line of people with a lot of Stuff.  Very creative people, so we have lots of cool Stuff.  Ribbon, fabric, notions, buttons, spools, bobbins, baskets, drawers, lace, silver, pewter, broken jewelry, furniture, pillows, needlepoint, the kitchen sink, etc. 

This bobbin is one of many from my parents and the trims on it are from a tag sale by a local lady who thought she had too much Stuff (gasp!)  The lace runner it sits on is from a friend.  It has spots and such, but will someday be part of something even more beautiful.

I also have very creative friends who have lots of cool Stuff.  Friends and family who like to share their Stuff.  Being the youngest in the family, I get a lot of hand-me-down Stuff.  I also get lots of "so-and-so was getting rid of this, so I brought it to you" Stuff.  

Two of the drawers are from my sewing machine and the other is, you guessed it, Stuff to be used.

So what does a creative person do with Stuff from other creative people?  She creates!  Some things end up on the proverbial cutting room floor, but some things are deemed Cool Creative Stuff.  The latest of the Cool Creative Stuff is this tassel made from a wooden spool (I have lots of those), vintage lace, fabric, and ribbons.  I will be using this one on my favorite embroidery scissors so they are easier to find when I drop them.  It's in my favorite color and has lots of feel-good stuff like velvet ribbon and vintage lace.  It reminds me of a crazy quilt or one of those fancy memory books a lot of people are making now with lace and such. 

I have put several of these tassels on Etsy and will be adding more soon.  They are a nice little indulgence for you or a sweet gift for a friend.  And since they are made from Stuff, you can call them recycled. 

Skulls Abound

The second of the four Dia De Los Muertos blocks that I am assembling:

I must admit, these have proved to be very difficult for me.  I really don't know much about the holiday, and I do not celebrate it, so I don't have the right mind set to be creative.  I am sure these blocks will need more stuff, but I am waiting until they are put together.  That's my excuse, anyway.  The fabrics are too busy for much embellishment.
This is my pinata.  It may still need a stick for hitting.  The silk ribbons at the top are supposed to look like streamers.

The tatted cross is the same one, in a different thread, that I made for my last CQJP block.  It goes together pretty quickly and is a nice little cross. 

This skull is made from an Embroidery Library download.  The velvet ribbon is hand dyed and the flowers are from Offray. 

I am very open to suggestions on these blocks.  Ideas?