Category Archives: red

Feb9

Valentine Earrings for Mama

Posted on February 9, 2013 by karlakrafts

I’ve posted this on facebook, but not here, I don’t think. My mother has lung cancer. She’s beat cancer twice before, both uterine and breast cancers. I like to think she can do it again, but she turned 80 in August, and that makes it harder this time.

She’s had radiation, and did well with that, but a recent bout of bronchitis had me pretty scared. An antibiotic and prednisone has her back on her feet AND behind the wheel, I’m happy to report.

There’ve been lots of other family illnesses to deal with lately, too. Needless to say, I’ve not done much crafting.

I AM trying to do special things for my mom, though. Yesterday, I took her a red velvet cake from Harris Teeter in Charlotte. When she was helping me keep PJ, my grandson, there, we scoured the city for red velvet cake and cupcakes. We decided we like the ones at the Harris Teeter the best of all! Their cream cheese frosting is not cloyingly sweet or fake tasting, and they’re topped with white chocolate curls instead of the usual red velvet crumbs.

In any event, I found these Swarovski crystal hearts at Fire Mountain Gems. They’re called “Wild Hearts,” and the color is light Siam. Other shades of pink and red were sold out, but that’s okay. I noticed not long ago that Mama doesn’t have any red earrings, and I wanted a pure red, anyway.

They are sold in pairs, and I bought two pairs. That was a good thing, because if you put too much pressure on them while you’re wrapping your head pin, they’ll split. I don’t want broken heart earrings! It’s also easy to take a chunk out of the top of the heart while you’re wrapping. These two survived, thankfully. My wire wrapping needs much practice, but I’m pretty pleased with the results. I hope Mama will be, too!

Feb4

Cardinal is Done!

Posted on February 4, 2012 by karlakrafts

Cardinal is Done!

I changed the reds in this pattern to DMC 312 and 814. I wanted the cardinal to be a vivid crayon red like he is in real life! The pattern is, “Four Birds,” from the Cross-stitcher’s Club.

Oct22

Diamond Cross-stitch Pattern

Posted on October 22, 2011 by karlakrafts

Diamond Cross-stitch Pattern

I chose to stitch the diamond pattern from the upper side of this “Mountain Landscape” design from the Cross-stitchers Club because it echoed the weave of the towel (from Charles Craft.)

While stitching the basic outline, I realized the potential of the pattern! I could stitch a tiny heart or flower in the center of each diamond, OR, I could fill in the diamonds to make a checkered, gingham or argyle design! Also, can you see the heart? This design contains lots of great elements. I think I’ll be using it alot!

May22

Red and Gold Paperback Cover

Posted on May 22, 2011 by karlakrafts

Red and Gold Paperback Cover

Finished at last! My sore throat doesn’t want to let me sleep, so I might as well sit up and stitch!

What I learned during this project:
1.) Dupioni takes a beating and pills under alot of hand work.
2.) I need something (like the Tiger Tape I bought) to keep my stitches even (though the perfectly spaced stitches I’ve been admiring online actually don’t look “done by hand.”)
3.) My beadwork is too tight, so the beads shift and become uneven. I also need to remember to stitch through them twice to reinforce them.
4.) Metallic printed quilting cotton looks good, but doesn’t have a lot of body, so it wrinkles easily. I don’t dare take a regular iron to it, maybe my Clover mini iron.
5.) This silkie was a good choice. The colors are fairly deep. I increased the saturation and chose “best” for the printing. (The girl is also holding a bird, and as crazy as it sounds, birds have come to me for help on several occasions, no joke.)
6.) Velvet was a good choice for the part covering the binding. It feels good in my hand while I’m reading.
7.) Take out basting stitches before stitching up the bottom opening.
8.) The pattern I drafted fit!