Fancy Work

Fancy Work Designs #3

2011-03-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

More commercial Christmas ornaments: Christus natus est nobis (bottom), A Trio of Carols (top)

Fancy Work Designs #2

2011-03-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

These ornaments were originally published individually and are now available in a chartpack entitled "The Botanical Series"

Fancy Work Designs #1

2011-03-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

These Christmas ornaments were originally published individually and are now in one chartpack entitled "The Carol Series"

Photos of Fancy Work Designs

2011-03-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try something new. I've let my website lapse, so I'm transferring photos of my commercial, magazine and teaching designs to the blog. If this doesn't work, I may try setting up a Fancy Work facebook page.

Additional Box Designs for Upcoming Finishing classes

2011-01-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

These images are additional choices to the "State Pride" artwork series previous posted to my blog. You may choose any of these general patriotic images for your box. If no selection is made, your box will have the United States of America with Washington & Lincoln which is pictured in the center of the bottom row.

Box artwork for Houston and Metropolitan Region

2011-01-10T14:10:00.001-08:00

I'm posting the state art designs that are available for the boxes to be lined in my upcoming classes in Houston TX in March and at the Metropolitan Region Seminar in April. Students should view the box designs and make their selections. Each class will notify me in a different way, so just follow instructions in the email. Let me know if you need additional information.

2010 - 2011 Teaching Schedule

2009-10-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I know it's been over a year since I posted on my blog. I have no excuses. Just returned from teaching the final Madeira class in Dallas, Texas. That project will be published for the retail market in February 2010.

I have the following dates on my teaching schedule so far:

March 6 & 7, 2010 "The Finer Points of Finishing Notebook: The Basics" for the Houston Embroiderer's Guild Satellite.

April 9 - 11, 2010 "More Finer Points of Finishing: Primitive Patriotic Sewing Set" for Salty Yarns in Ocean City, MD

March 8-9, 2011 "The Little Sewing Box" for Dallas Textile and Needlearts Guild in Dallas, TX

April 8-10, 2011 "More Finer Points of Finishing: Primitive Patriotic Sewing Set" for Metropolitan Region EGA Seminar in New Jersey

I am reworking the Finer Point of Finishing Notebook to offer the complete technique notebook (formerly Parts I and II) as the first class called "The Basics". The class will continue to feature the basic techniques and materials covered in the original Part I, but will include the text for Part II. All future Finishing Notebook classes will be "More Finer Points of Finishing: ?????" with whichever set project the group chooses (sets will be customized for the booking group).

Please contact me via email for full class descriptions, options and photos. Hope to update the blog with photos soon.

The Martha Sewing Basket Collection

2008-09-15T05:17:00.000-07:00

I'm still not sure how to get pictures arranged like I want in this blog, so we'll have to muddle through. The picture in this post is the inside of the huswif. The remaining pictures appear in the 1st post, which is below this one. Email me if you have questions. I do have a limited number of quilt fabric kits in the Old Virginia Calicos line to make the three pieces of the set. There are 3 colorways. Email me for a pdf file of the choices.

2008-09-15T05:08:00.001-07:00

Greetings from St. Charles, MO and the Fall Needlework Market. I'm posting pictures of the Martha basket liner and huswif, which coordinate with the Martha pocket that was designed earlier in the year. Your local needlework shops should easily be able to obtain the charts from Norden Crafts (they're going home with a box of them tomorrow). Each piece has a separate chartpack. The basket has two options for the liner, one with a patchwork band and one with a stitched alphabet band.

Shakespeare's Garden Sweet Bag

2008-05-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

I have a new teaching piece that will debut at A Stitcher's Gathering in Phoenix next week. Lots of stitches and simple finishing, but with lots of tassels. It's on Bittersweet linen by Lakeside, what a beautiful color! Quotes relating to flowers and gardens from the plays of Shakespeare on the back.

Madeira Tin Sewing Set Teaching Schedule

2008-05-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have posted photos of the Madeira Tin project previously as I prepared to teach it for the Magnolia Sampler Guild in metro Atlanta. I have had several emails asking if I am teaching this again. My schedule for this class follows:
June 2 at Attic Needlework in the Phoenix, AZ area
October 17 & 18, 2008 at the "Fall Fling" held at Sea Mist Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC (for more details and registration information, go to www.crossstitchpals.com/convention.html) Click on 2008 Class Info.
September 2009 for the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild in the Dallas/Ft Worth/TX area.

Martha's Sewing Basket clarification

2008-04-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've gotten lots of emails from you about my upcoming plans for Martha's Sewing Basket. Thanks for your interest. The Little Pocket pictured was a special design that I did for the Magnolia Sampler Guild program about Martha Washington (where we had a costumed speaker). I've decided to expand on this idea and release several pieces for the basket. These pieces will be released commercially (through shops) later this year, as a "club type" release. I haven't worked out the details yet. The actual basket is a Longaberger Oval Spring basket that was introduced in March and is on sale through today. The liner that I will be releasing the pattern for is this basket. However, you may design your own liner for any other type of basket or shaker box if you wish.
I will have more information next week about the pocket and how that will be available. Just stay tuned for more updates, but if you want to purchase a basket on sale, then contact your Longaberger representative, or if you don't have one, you can email me, but sale ends tonight. I will be checking my email until 11pm EST, or you may call me (check my website for phone number) www.fancywork.net

Pictures of the "Martha Sewing Basket and Pocket"

2008-04-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

A quick post before I leave for Paducah...Many of you asked for a picture of the "Martha" basket and liner, so here they are. I lined the basket with fabric from the Old Virginia Calicos collection by Quilting Treasures (one fabric for the main lining and several scrap for the pieced border). I ordered mine from an online quilt shop. I'll post that info next week when I return. I plan to use various prints from this collection as I make other items for the basket. I'll update the blog as I begin working on them. I will post later in May if the "Martha's Little Pocket" will be available. But don't worry, there will be plenty of items to fill your basket. The Longaberger basket is on sale April 19-30, after that regular price. The one in the picture is warm brown.

2008-04-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Cleveland, Ohio for my oldest son's senior recital (He a trombone performance major at Cleveland Institute of Music) and I just checked my email. I learned some information that I wanted to pass on. For those of you who are members of Magnolia Sampler Guild, you know we had a special program on Martha Washington this past Thursday, along with a costumed visit from Martha herself! I designed a special piece to commemorate this program (I'll post a picture when I return home) that was a gift to all who attended. I plan to design more pieces to accompany the "pocket". Anyway, I sized this pocket to hang on the new Longaberger Oval Spring basket (I also made a liner for the basket to match the pocket finishing fabric). The email I received informed me of a Longaberger sale on this basket from today until April 30. The basket is regularly priced at $50 and is on sale for $29 (plus shipping and handling). If you're interested please email me and I'll send you information about ordering the basket. I hope I post pictures on Tuesday before I leave again on Wednesday for Paducah, KY for the quilt festival.

The Madeira Tin Project

2008-03-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

I finished the Madeira Tin Project a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to post the finished pictures. I taught 2 classes for Magnolia Sampler Guild. The tote bag is made from the "jelly roll" strips that came with the tin.

2008-03-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Finally have photography done on the "Liberty" version of The Little Sewing Box.

Madeira Sampler Tin project

2008-01-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a set for the Sampler Tin featured in the Madeira fabric line from Blackbird Designs by Moda. I will be teaching this for Magnolia Sampler Guild in March. For those waiting for pictures, I apologize for taking so long to post anything. I was very busy over the holidays and got behind on this project. I hope to have the other items complete very soon. For those members registering for this class, the deadline is January 24 because hand-dyed linen must be ordered.

Updates of the Liberty Box

2007-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I last posted. I've been teaching most of October and then working on the Liberty version of the Little Sewing Box. I'm posting pictures of the finished box with insert. However the pinkeep and scissors case are not attached. The other pictures are of the pinkeep and scissors case. They will be finished in a few days and then the sampler bag will be done and I'll post a picture of the entire set.

Liberty (in progress)

2007-08-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

For those guilds considering "The Little Sewing Box" class, I'm including pictures in progress of the third design, "Liberty". Here's the first picture of the box bottom. It is not yet finished and there will be a pinkeep and scissors case, as well as a sampler on a bag to come.

New Fancy Work Blog

2007-08-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new! I will try to post work in progress because it takes me so long to finish a project sometimes. Also this will allow me to post "Tin Alerts" whenever I find something that we stitcher's can't live without. I've got to figure out how this works and then I'll start posting pictures.