Needlecraft thats just my cup of tea!

Having watched Kirstie's Homemade Home in the Autumn last year I fell in love with these gorgeous cushions by Emily Peacock. I guess like most people I'd never seen any kind of needlework thats so modern like these designs. I'd had a traditional image of landscape picture or samplers. As a child I'd made many a cross stitch in school holidays and bought my mum a couple of kits a few years back for a Christmas present. She's not quite finished them but is quicker than my sister who's still trying to finish one she started around 15yrs ago!!!

I've just bought myself a kit for 'HUG' and am hoping it doesn't take me as long to do as my sister's 'country companions' kit.

Designers like Emily Peacock and Granny Knits have become firm favourites for me. I'm following them with enthusiasm on Facebook and came across this link on Emily Peacock's page, which is all about contemporary needlepoint. Take a look if you are as keen on this style of work as me and you won't be disappointed. 



http://www.ukhandmade.com/content/make-craft-profile-contemporary-needlepoint

My kitchen door design

For a while now I've wanted to learn how to lead glass so that I can create a glass design for my kitchen/hallway door. In January I went on a leading day workshop and have now finished designing my 1st piece. I'm slightly worried it could be a challenge too far but maybe if I knew what was coming I'd not set myself such a challenge and therefore wouldn't get better so quickly. I remember doing the same when I started glass fusing and regretted cutting sharp curves in opaque glass as I couldn't see what I was doing but I persevered and Mum eventually got her bowl (but not quite on time for her birthday! oops)

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I've decided to combine fusing and leading in this piece (see what I mean about doing something challenging for a 1st piece!) and will fuse the 'eyes' and the head piece of the peacock. This way I should be able to get a bit more detail in the work and create some added interest. Before doing too much more cutting out I need to experiment with the fusing just incase the pieces need adjusting to fit the pattern. I don't want to have to recut lots of pieces because the fused elements 'grow' in the kiln as the glass melts.

Watch this space to see the trials and tribulations of making the peacock and share my surprises along the way too...