The Story of the Traveling Pages

The Sea book is complete!

2011-06-07T13:32:00.003-06:00

My book is now complete! This is a front view.

Here is the open book. My apologies for the photograph here. It looks a little odd sloping to one side, but that was my fault. The book was standing upright, you can just see the odd angle of the horizon. I have shown this photograph merely because it gives an indication of the wealth of textures there are amongst these lovely pages.

The inside of the front cover.

The inside of the back cover. Thanks everyone who sent me a page.

The book is designed to open right out, as you can see here, fanning the pages out and making them easier to display. The spine is woven and beaded. I used sticks as uprights and used blue, green, purple and grey-blue ribbon to weave in and out making the structure more solid.

My next challenge will be to get a shelf for my workroom so I can display all my three-dimensional pieces out of direct sunlight.

Thanks Ruth. I really loved taking part in this project.

The book of The Sea

2011-06-05T06:13:00.004-06:00

My book cover is belatedly taking shape. The front and back covers will be the same - background fabric sewn directly onto a thick pelmet vilene base, then a zigzag stitch to give emphasis to the different fabrics used; the letters are bondawebbed in place; after this the fish buttons are sewn in place; textured threads added and couched in position; last of all, an experiment - the sheer fabric has been cut using a soldering iron giving a rather nice almost hard edge to the shapes.

It was so funny. A short while ago, my husband came into my workroom and stated "you have a soldering iron?" "Oh yes," said I, "for fabric."

Hopefully, this will mean that it will not be "borrowed" for an urgent task in the house............ I have just managed to reinforce the idea that my scissors (kept in the workroom) are only to be used for fabric........ I have carefully not mentioned my paper-use only scissors...................... Scissors for everyday use are kept in the kitchen.

Do I sound as if I have had a problem? Oh yes. Past tense, you will notice. My first pair of dressmaking shears got used for cutting wallpaper............ Then another pair got used for cutting some fine wire................

My own scissors now bear labels - "Fabric scissors - misuse at your peril."

So sorry I have been so late in getting my book put together. I shall post photos of the completed book in a day or so.

Finishing etc.

2011-04-22T02:23:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone, did we ever get any comeback from the late senders? Cobi had promised me my page for this group and a second group we're both in, but haven't received. I've been away so want to check up as our post goes to the village kafeneo and I suppose could get lost. I've made my book so that pages can be attached.
Re the proposed magazine article, I did send in some pics of my book but wonder if more or better are needed?
Thanks to all for this wonderful group.

The Book of Leaves

2011-04-05T06:50:00.006-06:00

My Book of Leaves is finally done.
Its a treasure. More details and photographs on my blog.

Page from Cobi

2011-03-20T22:11:00.004-06:00

Cobi I'd almost given up on on your page but I'm happy to report it arrived on the weekend.

Now onto completing my book.

My Story of the Traveling Pages

2011-03-19T04:55:00.002-06:00

Today I finished my story of the traveling Pages. The cover is made with felted wool. Inside I used a night sky. I think that looks good for a fairy tail book.

I am not 100% happy how I made the book pages together. But for my first book it is okay.

Here it is:

I am very happy that I could sew and swap with you. Thank you for your pages and for the nice words when you received a page of me. Every time when I now look into my fairytale I will remember the last year. I think it was a quite good one.

Thank you Ruth for the organisation. For all the work you had all the mails you wrote and the lists you made and the organisation of this blog. I had a lot of fun making the pages and showing the photos.

Completed Tree Book

2011-03-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

I finished putting my book together! It turned out great and even though it was a bit fiddly putting it together, it worked out well.

You can see more photos and there's a bit of an explanation of how I put it together on my blog. How is everyone else coming along with book construction? I decided not to wait any longer for missing pages. I guess I can always add them later if I so choose.

Book Construction and Missing Pages

2011-03-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just wrote a post on my blog about how I am constructing my book, if you want to take a look. I also thought that I would let everyone know that I have not heard a word from either Carmen or Debi. I think that at this point, that you should not count on getting any missing pages from them. I have sent several e-mails, posted here and on Stitchin' Fingers. If they were going to respond, I think we would have heard from them by now. My suggestion is to go ahead with the pages you have and begin book construction. Please do post a photo of your process, I'm sure everyone would like to see how others are doing their books.

Book cover

2011-03-04T14:18:00.003-07:00

Hi, I have made covers for my book which will allow extra pages to be added. I made separate front and back covers, sewed loops on all the pages and holes in the covers then tied all together with machined cord.

Carmen and Debi???

2011-03-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Carmen and Debi - I have sent you e-mails about your missing pages and haven't heard back from either of you. Would you please let us know whether or not you have intentions of completing the missing pages? It is only fair that you let everyone know since they sent you pages in good faith. Please, I would appreciate a reply.

Missing Pages

2011-03-01T11:49:00.002-07:00

We are drawing to a close on our swap. I have had numerous e-mails about missing pages so I thought the most simple method would be to list which pages are missing. Some of these pages may have arrived but have not been noted on the blog, some may have been lost in the mail and some may not have been sent yet. I would appreciate it if everyone would review the list and let me know either in the comments or by e-mail the status of the pages.

Pages that were mailed but have either not arrived or were not acknowledged on the blog:

Johoanna's goddess page made by Elizabeth
Carmen's castle page made by Elizabeth
Johoanna's goddess page made by Debi
~~Cobi's art nouveau page made by Gayle~~ - Received
~~Elizabeth's window page made by Gayle~~ - Received
Debi's shabby chic page made by Gayle
Debi's shabby chic page made by Ann
~~Johoanna's goddess page made by Mandy~~ - Received
~~Ann's fairy tale page made by Maya~~ - Received

Pages that have not been completed, mailed or acknowledged on the blog:

Johoanna's goddess page made by Cobi - mailed - not received
Mandy's sea page made by Cobi - received
Kath's flower page made by Cobi - still needs writing on the back
Maya's leaf page made by Cobi - mailed
Juliette's seashore page made by Cobi - received
Carmen's castle page made by Cobi - not started yet
Cobi's art nouveau page made by Elizabeth
Ann's fairy tale page made by Debi
Mandy's sea page made by Debi
Kath's flower page made by Debi
Maya's leaf page made by Debi
Juliette's seashore page made by Debi
Carmen's castle page made by Debi
Cobi's art nouveau page made by Debi
Elizabeth's window page made by Debi
Liz's door page made by Debi
Debi's shabby chic page made by Johoanna (I know this is complete but hasn't been mailed.)
Ruth's tree page made by Johoanna (in the works according to a recent post)
Liz's door page made by Carmen
Debi's shabby chic page made by Carmen
Gayle's "All Creatures" page made by Carmen
Ruth's tree page made by Carmen
Johoanna's goddess page made by Carmen
Ann's fairy tale page made by Carmen
Mandy's sea page made by Carmen
Kath's flower page made by Carmen
Maya's leaf page made by Carmen
Juliette's seashore page made by Carmen

If I have missed any of your pages that you don't have, please let me know. I will update this list as I hear from people so hopefully, everyone will receive their pages. I have heard from several people that they have e-mailed directly about a missing page but are not getting a response. Please, it is only fair that you let people know when to expect their page. If you aren't going to complete the pages, we would appreciate knowing that as well.

Perhaps this post seems a little harsh and I'm sorry to have to post this list. Hopefully, everyone will follow through on their obligations. Thanks to everyone that completed their pages. I really appreciate it!

art nouveau from Gayle

2011-02-28T15:46:00.002-07:00

Some time ago I received this lovely page from Gayle. She found her inspiration in Louis Comfort Tiffany. I love everything Tiffany, great choice Gayle. I've never seen a red dragon fly in real life, lucky you. But I love any dragon fly anyway. Below the card that came with the page. Thank you Gayle.

The sea.

2011-02-28T06:34:00.005-07:00

This is the delightful page which arrived this morning from Cobi.

Cobi told me in her accompanying letter that she found the topic hard. The page she has produced is a lovely interpretation of the sea. Full of texture, she has used velvet and satin as well as dyed scrim to portray the foam caused by waves.

This is the back of the page. A rather beautiful piece of what might hand-dyed fabric.

Inside the envelope, I found this lovely postcard of Leiden. The buildings on the bank of the canal are really interesting.

Thanks so much for my new page, Cobi.

sea shore for Juliette

2011-02-27T04:33:00.002-07:00

This is the sea shore themed page I made for Juliette. The fabric for the beach was a gift from my friend Tonny. The big sea shell is padded with bright green felt, it shines through the cream color of the satin, giving it the color I was looking for.

Page Received

2011-02-26T04:37:00.005-07:00

Hi Cobi today I had a nice surprise, a lovely page from you, I had totally forgotten about it. It is lovely ,Thank you so much. I cannot show it as I have no facility for this at the moment. Maybe you can show it if you still have a scan of it.

Working on My Book

2011-02-22T09:54:00.001-07:00

I've been working on putting my book together and have made a cover/title page. . . sort of an introduction:

When you open that front door, you will see this:

I used Shiva Paintstiks to make the brown "wood" surface and the green inside is some of my "snow" fabric. On the back of this page, I printed a brief explanation of the project and a list of the participants:

Very simple - because it is the lead-in for all those wonderful pages!

I have them temporarily strung together while I wait for information on missing pages and inspiration for a permanent binding. How is everyone else coming?

A goddess for Johoanna

2011-02-21T05:10:00.004-07:00

My page for Johoanna shows the goddess Terpsichore.

As my letter explained, she was one of the muses of Greek mythology.

The base fabric was first painted and then the pieces for the figure added. These were attached using bondaweb, being simply ironed in place. I overstitched everything to add texture.

The back was kept very simple and uses a piece of my favourite Fossil Ferns fabric.

The letter also bore this apology. My page was rather late in being completed and then sent off. It had been intended as my December page.

Mail Received

2011-02-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all
Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been really unwell with my bipolar. I haven't done any art/sewing for nearly a month now. I just haven't been able to. It's a long story.

I received my page from Mandy just the other day. Mandy, it's beautiful. And so relevant to what I'm going through right now. Can you post a pic for me please? All my stuff is packed away, again... :(

I haven't received my page from Elizabeth yet.

I'm going to try and do some work on my last page over the next few days. I'm so sorry it's so late.
Blessings
Johoanna

Cobi's reply

2011-02-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hi all - I have heard from Cobi and she has still been completing pages. Please take a look at my prior post about missing pages to see the status of your pages. The only one I am uncertain about is Johoanna's page from Cobi. Johoanna, did you get a page from Cobi? I have not heard from either Debi or Carmen from the e-mail that I sent.

The binding

2011-02-18T14:18:00.001-07:00

Last year Ati wrote on her Blog how she finished her fabric book. I think this article is very good. Look at it at "Ati's little world"

The princess of the pea from Maya

2011-02-17T12:48:00.002-07:00

Over a week ago I received this lovely page but haven't shown it to you. Here it is.

Maya has sent me a page of the Princess and the Pea. I love the stitching on the pillows. The background of the room is painted on fabric and stitched. The carped is in a different material.

Thank you Maya for this nice page. My first exchanged fiber craft from India.

Full circle

2011-02-11T05:29:00.003-07:00

Breathe again, Maya!! Your page has arrived in Crete!! It's so Indian with block printed fabrics and sewn beads and sequins. Thank you so much, Maya, as you say we've come full circle now as your first leaf page was from me. I too look forward to making up my book and will make the binding un-fastenable (wish I could speak English!!) so as to include any late-comers. Thanks to all, I really look forward to seeing this next step from everyone. I wonder if there are any 'peeks' ready yet???

The Book of Leaves

2011-02-10T20:49:00.003-07:00

I've begun the covers for my book of Leaves and hope to have the book itself completed by next month so I can photograph it etc and send the necessary information to Ruth who plans to send out articles about the Story of the Traveling Pages to various publications.

I am waiting for three pages. Sorry to have to post this on the blog but I couldn't find email ids to contact Cobi, Chris and Carmen. Would really appreciate it if you could let me know if I can expect a page in the next couple of weeks so I can make provision for these pages to be included into the book in chronological order.

Last pages

2011-02-10T17:38:00.002-07:00

Hello ladies some lovely pages are coming up , and it will be great to get the books put together. However I am still waiting on 2 more pages so I can finish mine and i would be grateful if the ladies in question could mail me to let me know when I can expect these. Thank you
Juliette

A sea page!

2011-02-06T08:32:00.005-07:00

This is my January page from Kath. It is exquisite. The background is felt with some beading and stitching to add texture. It just speaks of the movement in the sea.

The signature on the back is simplicity itself.

A small detail for you to enjoy. I feel very privileged to have this gorgeous page in my collection. Thanks so much, Kath. Please could you respond and tell about the materials you have used in this piece?

Silver Saucer and Transparent apple by Mandy

2011-02-04T11:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I found a soft envelope in my mailbox. It came from Mandy. She has sent me an Russian fairy: "The tale of the silver saucer and the transparent apple". I didn't know the tale but read it today. Mandy had sent it with the fabric book page to me. It is a wonderful tale and she made a wonderful page for me.

Look at the photo. You can see the the apple made with light blue fabric and painted with some silver so that it is glittering. On top and on bottom of the apple there are two some words out of the fairy which the princes spoke when she span the apple around in the silver saucer. When she did it she could look through the apple to all places of the world. In front of the apple are photos printed on Jacquard Extrav Oganza semi transparent silk sheets. The background of the page is made with a experiment printing fabric.

This is the backside of the page:

There were a lot of goodies with in the envelope. I show them on the next photo:

Thank you very much for the fabric book page, the story and all the nice things.

A Rare Creature

2011-02-02T21:39:00.002-07:00

Johoanna's note tells it all. Opening the package with this page brought a smile to my face for sure. Thank you Johoanna! What a clever idea!

February Already!

2011-02-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but we are at the end of our swap. I have really enjoyed exchanging pages with everyone and it has been so much fun to see all the pages that have been made. Isn't it amazing what different ideas people come up with based on the same themes?

As I have written to you all, I would appreciate it if everyone gets all their pages completed and mailed by the end of February. I know that some of you are still behind but please make every effort to catch up in this extra month. I know that everyone wants to start putting their pages together into a book so please make sure that you get any late pages sent so that can happen.

If you have good ideas on book construction, it would be wonderful if you posted your ideas. Or if you have questions about how to put your book together, do post and ask everyone. Maybe someone can help out with an idea on book making that you wouldn't have thought about.

If you haven't received a page from someone, please e-mail them to ask about when your page is expected to be complete. If you don't hear back, please let me know which pages you are missing. I appreciate every one's cooperation and hope that all pages will be completed as promised.

Signing off,

Your Swap Mom

Page Received

2011-02-01T02:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I received my lovely page from Ann this morning. Sorry for the bad scan. I'm really not feeling like taking a photo. It's been hotter than hades here today (38 degrees celcius). And on top of that, my housemate had lifted up the door of the garage (it's a roller door) and didn't put it all the way up. I ducked my head going in but forgot to duck it going out. Subsequently I now have a headache and shall probably have a nice little bruise in the next few days.

Ann, it's a lovely page. And you are right, the Goddess within is such a big subject. At first I was worried that I had chosen something too difficult or too "weird" for some people. But I have been very happy with each page that I have received so far.

Ruth, I'm sorry but I haven't even started your page yet. I will get it done in the next couple of weeks and send it off to you.

Senior moment

2011-01-31T09:15:00.001-07:00

Mandy, The good news is that I posted your sea page today; the bad news is that I forgot to scan it first so please will you show a picture on the site when you receive it! Thank you, I hope you like it

Doorway to the Napa Valley

2011-01-30T11:12:00.001-07:00

Gayle's page arrived yesterday.

Isn't that the most scrumptious looking doorway?!! She was inspired by a door she saw while visiting the Napa Valley. I needed a reminder of what spring can bring, since it has started snowing here in Kansas. Again!!!

A new Sea page!

2011-01-29T03:43:00.003-07:00

My page has arrived from Maya. It is so lovely, with such a lot of detail not immediately apparent.

There is a lot of hand stitching, with lots of beads simulating the movement of the sea. The stitches holding the fabric in place remind me of Kantha stitching. There are many pieces of foil, and silk making up the background, all adding to the texture.
The piece is edged in handworked blanket stitch. I wish my stitches could be so neat.

Adding to the detail, there are sequins added in to the back of the blanket stitch edging. What a lovely idea!

Here is Maya's letter, giving some idea of the techniques she has used.

Thanks so much Maya, I love my new page.

Three Pages in the Mail

2011-01-24T04:11:00.005-07:00

Three pages are winging their way to Germany, the UK and Greece.

Here's a sneak peek for Ann. You have been so patient.
Kath here's a little peek for you. The page for Kath was the last one on my list.

Mandy here's a little peek for you.

This exchange has been wonderful. Thank you Ruth for putting it all together and for all the others in this exchange who did their bit to make pages for my book of Leaves which is going to be a real treasure. Thank you.

Mama Grizzley

2011-01-23T22:31:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much Ruth for the page that arrived yesterday. Mama Grizzley is quite impressive, as the rest of you will see when I get around to posting the pic. THANKS!

To Cobi, Elizabeth, Liz and Debi

2011-01-23T22:20:00.002-07:00

After falling woefully behind the past few months, I am all caught up. These four pages will go in the mail tomorrow. I won't tell you who gets which one, but I had great fun working on all of them.

This has been a delightful swap, and I thank Ruth big time for organizing it and for keeping all of us on task. LOUD APPLAUSE HERE!!!

I'll probably upload pictures to my Flickr site tomorrow so I can mentally wrap up this swap. If the four of you don't want to see, DON'T PEEK!

A fairy story and book plans.

2011-01-23T10:51:00.003-07:00

A quick teaser. My last page, a fairy story for Trillian, will be put into the post in the morning.

I must then set about organising a front cover for my book and start putting it all together. Do not worry if you are working on a page for me and it is a little late. I am planning a book where I will be able to add pages at a later date should I have need to do so.

This has been such a very enjoyable project. Thank you Ruth for organising us all so well.

Juliette's Shoreline Page

2011-01-22T18:42:00.004-07:00

Juliette has asked me to post pictures of the page that I made for her. She has finally recieved it after I got a bit behind. Sigh! Anyway I did this page on a background of needlefelting. I needled wool roving ,silk roving, angelina fibers and mohair curls down onto a periwinkle silk fabric. I added in some vintage crocheted lace and sparkling tuille to represent the sea foam at the edge of the wave. I added beads and some collected shells and then added dyed cheesecloth for sea weed and used real sandpaper for the sandy shore. It was not easy stitiching thru the snad paper till I got samrt and punched holes in it prior to stitching with thread!! I wrote out the quote with a Pitt pen on muslin. It says: Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to loose sight of the shore.
For the back of the page I used a piece of my own gelatin monoprinted muslin that I had made using a plastic doily as a mask. This page was great fun to create!
I am so very glad that you are happy with it Juliette!!!

Elizabeth

2011-01-21T12:34:00.001-07:00

Hi Elizabeth I recieved your delightful page today, it is lovely you have put so much work into it, which I so appreciate, and it is just what coastline means to me. Sorry I am not able to post pictures but I know you will show it to us all.

the Princess and the pea

2011-01-21T10:39:00.002-07:00

On Sunday Kath wrote, that she posted her page for me and today I already got it. Kath made a page with the princess on the pea. Doesn't the princess look unhappy? The page is great, it really brings a smile to my face too sea the princess on the top of the mattresses feeling the pea. Thank you Kath for this fairy tale. Thank you for the book page.

Leaves from Juliette

2011-01-21T03:49:00.004-07:00

Thank you for this page Juliette. Its going to be a great addition to the book of leaves which I intend to start putting together next week.

Thank you Juliette

2011-01-19T09:24:00.002-07:00

Here is the beautifully simple page from Juliette - and how appropriate she should send me such typically English flowers as bluebells which I can't grow here! Thank you for this wonderful finale to my book.

Window Page From Liz

2011-01-18T08:39:00.005-07:00

Today we awoke to a very Kansas sort of winter day. Liz, you know the kind I mean! Everything covered with a sheet of dripping ice, except it is not dripping, it is solid. We had many such days when I lived in central Oklahoma, the state directly below Kansas for those of you not in the states. We had such terrible ice storms that we would loose all power and all one could hear was trees snapping and cracking under the weight of the ice encasement.

SOOOOO I figured that I had better get around to posting a picture of the glorious page that you created for me before I forgot that I had recieved it!!!

I adore this page Liz!! It is amazing how our minds were working along such similar paths as we joined in on this swap. I have wanted to do a Doors page for years and someone has always gotten to declaring that theme before me. So this time I chose Windows, which has also been a favorite theme of mine. Liz told me that her second theme choice , if Doors had already been taken , would have been windows!!! Just a bit of Synchronicity there don't you think???
So this window page is a depiction fo Liz's Fantasy perfect woodland window. It is perfect for me asw I adore the woods and gardening. Come to think of it the door page that I made for Liz was my fantasy woodland door page, if I remember correctly!!
Thank you so very much for my marvelous page Liz!!! And I hope that the winter weather is treating you well!!! Warm Hugs!!

Sneak Peak for Gayle

2011-01-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Gayle, I finished up your page for January. Here's a little peak. I'll be sending it off to you in the next couple of days. I have to find an envelope. I had bought enough to send every one's pages but some seem to have disappeared. How does that happen? So it's a little sad to finish up the last page for our exchange. I will miss making a page each month. It has really been enjoyable and I've enjoyed getting to know all of you a bit better.

At last

2011-01-16T09:43:00.002-07:00

Trillian, at last yourDecember page is in its envelope and will be posted tomorrow. I'm sorry for the delay and also that I didn't do so much embroidery etc. for you but I hope it will bring a smile to your face and your book. Best wishes Kath

Goddess on the move

2011-01-15T09:11:00.003-07:00

Just a very quick peek at the page traveling to Johoanna. Hope you like it.

Liz

2011-01-14T14:42:00.001-07:00

hello Liz I am so sorry I did not let you know your page arrived just a senior moment I think , so thank you very much It is really lovely.
Juliette

Kath and Maya

2011-01-14T14:27:00.002-07:00

Hi Kath and Maya I posted both of your pages yesterday, they have been done a while but we had such trouble with the post with the bad weather for so long I dare not risk posting them. These are my last 2 pages now I am finished just waiting for my pages to arrive now.
It's been an enjoyable journey if sometimes challenging to be on time, but hopefully soon I will be able to put all my pages together and mae a cover. It will be nice to see all the finishd books.
Hugs to all and happy New Year.
Juliette

Carmen - Page is in the mail!!

2011-01-11T19:38:00.003-07:00

And here is a tiny hint for you Carmen!!! Let me know when it arrives and I can describe how I made it!!

Happy Winter to you in Minnesota!!!

Tree Page from Mandy

2011-01-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Look at this bounty I received in the mail yesterday. Mandy sent me a very lovely tree page plus brochures of hiking trails in her area and some really cute beads.

Here's the tree page. Mandy said that she got her inspiration from the walks she takes around her home. Thus the brochures. She painted the background and machine stitched the trees. I love the branches silhouetted in the sky.

Here's a closer view.

And here's the back. Thanks so much Mandy - I love it and it will make a wonderful addition to my book.

A Snippet for julliette

2011-01-07T11:41:00.003-07:00

Your page should be arriving very soon Julliette! Thanks for your patience!!!

Happy New Year!!

Goddess Within January

2011-01-05T11:58:00.004-07:00

I wish you all a very happy 2011. Hope you had some nice Holidays.

The page I made in January is for Johanna and is already done. The topic is 'Goddess Within'. Before I posted the page I made a preview.

Hope it will arrive save.

details for Kath

2010-12-29T17:03:00.002-07:00

Kath I'm working on your flowers. The front is done, have to add the backing.

I'm making all fronts first and add all backs at once. I've been working so hard with the embroidery that I now have blisters.

Tree Page from Ann

2010-12-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

I received this wonderful tree page from Ann yesterday. Isn't it gorgeous? Ann used machine stitching for the details and made a sandwich of water soluble fleece, green wool and small bits of fabric and then stitched it all together for the leaves. The background fabric is a deep blue velvety fabric.

I love the textures she achieved with this method.

Here's the back. Thanks so much Ann! It makes another wonderful addition to my book.

Check in

2010-12-27T08:15:00.003-07:00

Hello ladies I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.
I have been going through my pages and it seems I am still awaiting a few. Can I ask please Elizabeth and Cobi if you have sent any pages out up to Christmas. Also it seems I can not trace a page from debi, I have mailed her seperately as well. I tried trawling through the messages but there are just too many.
Hugs
Juliette

2010-12-25T08:41:00.002-07:00

leaves

2010-12-22T10:34:00.001-07:00

Here I've made my base for the leaves page. By now the front is finished and I have to sew it into a page.

Liz's page for Cobi

2010-12-22T10:29:00.003-07:00

This gorgeous page arrived at my place through lots of snow. I absolutely love this page. Thank you Liz, you've done a wonderful job. The top of the building is real metal and there's lots of stitching on the page. The back gives a view of the elevator doors. Beautiful.

December Page for Debi

2010-12-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

I got confirmation that Debi received her page so I thought I'd show you what I sent to her. I decided to make the shabby chic look white on white with the theme of snowflakes. We're having lots of snow here in Montana and I thought it would fit with the season. I nuno felted the background with several kinds of wool, lace, silk noil and ribbons. I then machine stitched rows of "snowflakes" along one edge.

I then hand stitched a snowflake with wool embroidery thread.

I added a few snowflake "buttons".

The back is a photo of icicles that I took on commercial fabric. I used a machined cord around the edges. I hope you like it Debi!

Sneak Peak for Debi

2010-12-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peak of Debi's page that I sent off earlier this week. Hope you like it, Debi!

I did hear from Debi that she had received all her pages through the one that Mandy sent so if any of you have sent your pages, Debi has received them and you can show us here on the blog. She had to pack them all away for the moment and can't take any photos.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Some trees due to depart soon.

2010-12-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry my page is rather late. I shall be posting my tree page to Ruth tomorrow.
There are no pictures this time, I'm afraid, but I hope it arrives quickly.

I love mail day!

2010-12-12T21:00:00.002-07:00

So, I go to my mail box this morning expecting it to be empty as per usual. It isn't. Not one, but two envelopes are inside. One from Crete and one from India. So thank you Maya and Kath.

This page is from Kath. Thank you so much Kath, it's lovely. I studied Crete in Ancient History in high school, and it is one place that I would love to visit in the future, so to learn more about it in your letter was wonderful. Leo is an interesting star sign. Mine is Taurus, the bull. The bull is also associated with Crete in the form of the Minotaur. It is interesting to note that the planet that is associated with Taurus is Venus, named after the Goddess of Love. So us Taureans have two opposing forces within us, the bull which is very masculine, and the Goddess Venus, which is very feminine. And people wonder why I'm confused! lol.

Maya's page is based on the goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth. She is represented by footsteps leading into the home. I love some of the festivals to the Gods and Goddesses of India. They are always so colourful. Just as I love Indian textiles, they are also so very colourful. (I also love Indian food!) Maya has done a traditional design of footsteps in traditional embroidery for me. I love it so much. Thank you very much.

I am really enjoying this project this year. It has been a real challenge to work to some of the themes. I think I have the hardest one left till last. But I already have ideas.

Here's hoping that everyone has a wonderful and safe Christmas.

Tree Preview

2010-12-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

Today I finished the main work on the tree page for Ruth. Hope I can post it tomorrow or latest on Monday.

A Door from Johoanna

2010-12-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

Today's post brought this lovely package from Australia. I just loooove getting packages from Australia - especially if they contain something as gorgeous as this:

Isn't that fabric wonderful? Thank you, Johoanna. It's great!

Indian Goddess

2010-11-30T23:38:00.003-07:00

Here's a sneak peek for Johoanna of the page I've created for her.

It will be in the mail in the next day or two. I hope you like it.

All the Way from India to Montana

2010-11-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Look at this wonderful page I received from India from Maya. She based it on the coconut palm that is used widely in her community. She says that each and every part of the coconut palm is used in daily life. She used pieces of "plastic foil from snack packs" for the blue and green and brown paper for the trunks of the trees. She then added embroidery to add detail.

Here's the back of the page that is all embroidered.

Here's a close up. Another wonderful page for my book. Thanks Maya!

Maya and Kath

2010-11-25T11:49:00.002-07:00

Hi Ladies just to let you both know I am working on these pages this weekend then I am done I hope to get them posted on Monday. I just wanted to let you know.It seems to have gone so quickly and has been a challenge but one i am so glad I took part in, now to consider the cover.
hugs
Juliette

Johoanna

2010-11-25T11:46:00.001-07:00

Hi Johanna, I am sorry but I did not take a picture of your page, I was so anxious to get it off to you as I was late I didn't take one. Glad you liked it though.

how I made the unicorn

2010-11-25T06:58:00.003-07:00

I found this drawing in a book by Eileen Campbell called "Creative Designs for Applique". I enlarged the unicorn to the size I needed. I used shiny off white synthetic satin. Because the background fabric is dark and I didn't want it to shine through I ironed a thick vlieseline to the back. Then I ironed vliesofix ( fusible webbing) to the back so that I can iron it onto the background. To prevent fraying I didn't cut the unicorn but melted the outline with a sharp pointed soldering iron.

After that I ironed the unicorn to the background. For the embroidery I used rayon floss only. For the figure lines I used a dark beige and stem stitch. For the hoofs buttonhole stitch in beige. For the manes 2 colors purple in chainstitch. The eye is a reddish purple lazy daisy. When you read Terry Pratchett, you know unicorns have red eyes.

I hope this answers your question? Otherwise send me an email.

Unicorn by Cobi

2010-11-24T04:29:00.002-07:00

This is the page Cobi made for me. Cobi didn't choose one fairy tale but a fairy creature. I love the page.

On the back of the page is a pocked in which she but goodies. Thank you Cobi for the page and the goodies.

Ruth, I Love It!

2010-11-21T17:38:00.001-07:00

My page from Ruth arrived yesterday and I can't get over the amazing job she did. Those saloon doors look so real. It's a wonderful representative of Montana. I have more pictures on my blog if you're interested.

Thank you Mandy and Ann!

2010-11-20T11:16:00.002-07:00

I was out of town for a week or so, and when I returned I had two beautiful pages awaiting me.
Mandy's lovely Lion and Mouse page with a retelling of the tale, and Ann's beautiful Owl at Night. I'm having a bit of scanner difficulty, but will post pictures as soon as I figure out what the problem is. Many thanks to both of you!!!!! They are just awesome.
Gayle

Sneak Peak for Liz

2010-11-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak for Liz. It's your November door page that is on it's way to you. I mailed it this morning. Hope you'll like it!

Mail Received from Juliette

2010-11-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long time between receiving pages in my mail box. I received my page from Juliette yesterday. It's lovely. There is a beautiful image of a classic styled lady. It's wonderful. I love it. Thanks so much. Could you please post a photo Juliette? My camera is almost dead and I still don't have my computer here. Thanks so much.

I haven't sent my October page off yet. Sorry, I can't remember who it's for, my notebook is at home and I'm at the library. I have almost finished my November page, which is for Debi. I'm very happy with how it is turning out.

Many blessings to you all.
Johoanna

Tree Page from Cobi

2010-11-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm always so excited when I get an envelope in the mail and look at the bounty when I opened the one from Cobi.

Here's a picture of the page itself. Cobi made the tree from puff paint through a stencil. Isn't it wonderful?

Here's a close up of the tree and it is such wonderful texture.

And here's the back with a pocket to keep the postcard and song that Cobi has written out on the sheets in the first photo. Thanks Cobi!

Ali Baba by Juliette

2010-11-10T13:07:00.003-07:00

Today I had a soft letter in my mailbox. It was the fabric book page made by Juliette. Juliette choose the fairy tale Ali Baba and the forty thieves. The pages shows the cave full of treasure after he said Open Sesame.

Juliette wrote how she made the page: She dyed the background, lace, ribbon, museline all in rich oranges. Then she added some gold and bronze bits, ribbons and beads.

Have a look at the photo - isn't it great. The real page is even better.

Thank you Juliette for this nice page.

Page for Ruth

2010-11-08T10:03:00.004-07:00

I should say page for Ruth is finally done! Extremely sorry Ruth for the delay but your page will be in the mail tomorrow morning.

This was meant to be made and sent out in September. I'm still grappling with tight schedules and travel but I think I'll have things under control by the end of this month so Johanna and Ann please don't despair I'll be working on your pages this month.

Sneek of November page

2010-11-07T04:04:00.001-07:00

Hi Gayle,
your November page will start it's travel tomorrow. Hope it will arrive soon.
Trillian

A new page - the Sea.

2010-11-05T04:13:00.005-06:00

My page from Juliette arrived yesterday. Sadly, I arrived home too late in the day for a decent photograph, hence the delay in posting.
It is a really subtle treatment of "Sea" with a delightful arrangement of dyed fabrics representing the movement of the waves. There are a number of different fabrics here with some lovely texture variations.

The back has a lovely piece of dyed fabric too.

I have never tried stippling or dry brushing fabrics - but must try this for myself.

One (perhaps I should alter this to read "several") of the nicest things I have been finding about the challenge of completing pages for other people, and, in turn receiving them, is the wealth of different techniques I have seen and have been able to try out for myself. Without this group, I think there are many techniques I really would not have considered trying for myself. There is a lot to be said for pushing boundaries and trying things outside what might be considered a "comfort zone".

Arrival of Debi's page.

2010-11-02T03:26:00.006-06:00

I am delighted to be able to say that my October page for Debi - Shabby Chic Vintage has finally arrived. Does anyone else feel nervous waiting for the arrival of their pages?

This is the back of my page. The two strips are vintage sari fabric. I got these years ago in an embroidery pack. The larger of the scraps can be seen as part of the front.

My letter details the items used to construct the page. For the first time, I made the whole page quite quickly. I had all the pieces I needed in my stash.

These are some of the beads from the bracelet I took to pieces. It was a really fussy thing which I would never have worn, but what a wonderful hoard, just right for this page.

Oh yes, the bouquet of flowers shown on the paper used for the letter is a photograph of flowers given to me some time ago. It was such an extraordinary collection of blooms......

The leaflets mentioned were these:

Yes, I am fortunate to have Knutsford just a few miles away from my home. Its an interesting place to visit too, with some fascinating architecture. Home for some years to the author Elizabeth Gaskell, and said to be the inspiration for "Cranford". Tatton is the large Hall and grounds alongside the small town of Knutsford.

Window Page From Johanna!!

2010-11-01T05:34:00.002-06:00

I must apologize to Johanna for being so late in posting this page!! It arrived several weeks ago and got put into the wrong pile!!! Well here it is! I do love it Johanna and I am thrilled that the window is cobalt blue- a favorite color!! The theme of the open window is set by a lovely OWL!!
Both my daughter and I are fascintaed by owlos at the moment , so we were both delighted to see Johanna's work! Above the owl is a stitched mirror, that does not show up as a mirror in this shot. There is also a darling little face charm peeking out from the branch on the left.
HEre is an even closer shot!!!! Thank you so much Johanna for this wonderful addition to my Windows book!!

Stained Glass Window By Ruth

2010-11-01T05:17:00.004-06:00

Last week I recieved this glorious page from Ruth!!! This photo was taken with the page taped to a window so you can see the glorious color that Ruth achieved by painting on Lutradur. Simply brilliant color idea and execution, Ruth!!! The perimeter of the page is black felt.>This shot was taken with the page placed over a white piece of paper. This is a shot of the back of the page. I am so excited about all of the pages in my book. Thank you Ruth for another beautiful addition!!!!

Castle for Halloween

2010-10-31T11:41:00.001-06:00

Carmen has let me know that the October page has arrived. So, while she is busily working on pages for the rest of us, I will let you see what I sent.

I just posted more photos and a "discussion" of how it came to be on my blog. From The Basement. Come visit me there!

2010-10-29T13:04:00.003-06:00

Hi to everyone from the frozen north. I will be working on all the remaining pages that I owe everyone for three days so hope that gets me caught up. Dreaming Quilts : ) Carmen

2010-10-29T13:03:00.001-06:00

Elizabeth the page you sent has arrived safely. Dreaming Quilts : )
Carmen

APOLOGIES ELIZABETH

2010-10-28T02:15:00.002-06:00

I've just sent Elizabeth an apologetic email. She was rightly worried that her page had not arrived but I think what happened was a senior moment and my trying to tidy things away before my trip to the UK so that the page arrived, I showed it to my friend together with my other pages and then put them all back in the box without publishing Elizabeth's page. Oh dear!! However, here it is safe and sound and so beautiful and unusual. Many thanks Elizabeth.

Tree of Life Page from Kath

2010-10-27T10:43:00.000-06:00

Look at this beautiful page I received from Kath. It's the Tree of Life ala Klimt. The photo doesn't do it justice as the background fabric is iridescent and doesn't photograph well.

Here's a slightly blurry closeup. Again hard to photograph (taken last night and all the shiny bits just reflect the light).

Here's the back side.

And I love the lovely card plus a finger woven bookmark made by a 94 year old Greek lady. I hope I can see that well when I'm 94! Thanks so much Kath. It will make a wonderful addition to my book.

All creatures great and small traveling.

2010-10-25T10:27:00.003-06:00

A sneak preview. I am stitching through some water-soluble fabric hence the muddle of stitched and drawn lines.
I posted my October page for Gayle this afternoon, so I do hope that it arrives soon, and that she likes it.

Beautiful leaves from Elizabeth

2010-10-25T06:03:00.005-06:00

Elizabeth thank you for this gorgeous page, so delightful for all the details, one discovers something new each time one looks at it.

Sorry its taken so long to acknowledge its arrival but I've been away from home.

Ruth your page will be completed and sent out by next week, I promise. Sorry folks but it looks like I've fallen behind but I'm working on catching up.

Shabby Chick Vintage for Debi

2010-10-23T01:41:00.002-06:00

Hi Debi,
your October page will be posted soon.
"Shabby Chick Vintage" was a quite an interesting task. I haven't done this topic before. Only once I made an ATC which could have been vintage. You wished white or bright fabrics. As you see on the preview I used some dark notes. I hope the page will suit with the other pages of your book. Hope you will like it.
...and now you have to wait for the postman.
Trillian

Elizabeth's October Page

2010-10-21T10:35:00.002-06:00

Elizabeth - I wanted you to know that your window page for October was mailed yesterday. I didn't include a sneak peak photo because it would give away the surprise. I guess you'll just have to wait until it arrives in your mailbox!

Another Door!

2010-10-20T16:51:00.001-06:00

I received a door page from Mandy a little while ago. It is sooo pretty!

The front has "door-ish" words and machine stitching. But the part I really love is that the door opens . . . . . .

. . . to this! Mandy said this is a photo of her own front door. And the inside of the door is really nice, complete with hand-drawn flowers.

In the pocket on the back was a note from Mandy and some other goodies.

Thank you so much, Mandy. This one is definitely a keeper!

Rooster from Kath

2010-10-20T00:00:00.003-06:00

This wonderful page arrived from Kath in Greece this week. In her words, "I found a lovely book with designs from old Greek embroideries, so you have a Greek cockerel from a bridal cushion from Ioannina, a town in Northern Greece, which has been converted to cross stitch." Isn't it just wonderful. You can't believe how tiny the stitches are. I would have been totally crazy trying to follow a chart on this one. Well done Kath. I am so pleased to have this as a part of my book.

A little taster for Ruth

2010-10-17T00:04:00.002-06:00

Hope this whets your appetite! I shall post on Monday as am off to the UK for a week on Tuesday. Heavy duty visit - checking up on 6mth. old grandson and open day at 4 1/2 yr.old's 'new,big school' !!! But also off to the craft shops in Manchester for all the goodies we can't get over here!

Art Nouveau from Johoanna

2010-10-14T05:29:00.002-06:00

This terrific Jugendstil page flew in from Johoanna. I love it! Thank you.

September's Page for Cobi

2010-10-10T13:53:00.000-06:00

I noticed that Cobi has posted on her blog that she received my page so I thought I'd post it here, too. I did a raw edge applique and then stitched the edges on the machine. I did some hand stitching for details.

Here's the back. I used commercial batiks for the piece.

Here's a close up. Hope you liked it, Cobi.

Gayle's page for September

2010-10-07T11:53:00.003-06:00

Gayle, at last your creature has been captured and secured into an envelope and will be posted tomorrow! Sorry for the delay, I'm having a problem catching up as my husband keeps getting admitted into hospital!! All OK with him but we live a distance away and it all takes from embroidery time. I tried to find a picture online of the inspiration but can't; I found a lovely book which has designs from old Greek embroideries so you have a Greek cockerel from a bridal cushion of Ioannina, a town in northern Greece, which has been converted into cross stitch by a very talented lady, The book was produced by the Benaki museum, Athens - if ever you get to Athens, don't miss this place!! Hope you enjoy my interpretation of her interpretation!

Like buses.....

2010-10-05T13:20:00.004-06:00

There is a joke in England, I'm not sure if it exists in other countries. It tells of waiting around for a very long time at a bus-stop only to find two buses coming along at the same time.......

As you can see, this is my second page in quick succession. There has been a plan at work to try and get back on track having got myself rather behind-hand with the sequence of pages I should have been completing.
The photograph shows a small section of my page for Debi. This is Shabby Chic. It is almost complete and should be ready to send in the next day or two.
The plan is to get started with Gayle's page in the next day or two. Hopefully, I should be able to post about that soon.

A door for Liz

2010-10-03T10:43:00.004-06:00

After the last post, I am really ashamed to say that this is my August page for Liz. Ooops! Where did those weeks go? I am hoping to get this into the post tomorrow. It is all packaged up and ready for a journey. Hope you will like it.

September Page for Maya!!

2010-10-01T06:01:00.003-06:00

Your Page is on it's way today Maya!!! I hope that you are pleased with it! Let me know when it arrives and I can post process photos!! Happy October!!!

Tree Page from Juliette

2010-09-28T11:35:00.000-06:00

Here's the page that Juliette sent me - isn't it lovely? Her stitching is exquisite and I love the simplicity of it.

Here's the back. Thanks so much Juliette! It will make a wonderful addition to my book.