Monday, June 12, 2017

Little by Little.....




Progress at Last....

Every day, Dear Readers, I discover another thing that I can do that was much too hard only the day before! I attribute it to the miraculous healing ability of a good night's sleep! Some of you may remember the petit point tea cozy kit I was stitching earlier this spring which was almost finished when I broke my arm. It has teased me for all these weeks.... only a small amount of the white background at the bottom left to stitch, but alas, I could not hold the frame in my left hand and so I could not finish the stitching! But last Sunday I decided to give it a try and see if I could do the stitching.... and I could! It was a little awkward to hold it in the right position, and even harder to hold it steady enough to place the stitches correctly.... but I managed to finish the stitching!

It only took a little over an hour to complete... 
and then I decided to try to stitch it together while I was at it....!

Here are both the sides completed before cutting them apart.

I did trim them a little neater before I started to sew them together....

The edges of the gauze have been turned under 
and now the sides are being sewn together..

And here it is Done!

And the Cloud side...!
You can understand that I had to show it to Blue right away!

And of course, she knew what to do with it right away!
Tea for two on top of the Tower!
I felt so empowered Dear Readers, I could not leave it at that! 
I had to try another unfinished project!
A short time after I broke my arm, 
when I had not realized how little I could do, 
I had tried to make a small plant using a punch and floral wire...

All I needed to do was cut apart the petals and glue them to the stem....

And I managed quite a few before I gave up.
I was not going to be able to finish them until I could paint again....
So they sat there still on Sunday and I pulled out my paints....

First I painted the undersides a pale green....
It was a little difficult to hold the wire at the right angle... 
but the painting did not need to be precise!

Then the other sides needed two coats of a darker green....

Then I painted a pale stripe on each leaf....
and cut the stems apart and glued them into a bunch...

And then I thought I would just use up the rest of the leaves....
making another whole batch!

Adding the stripe to the leaves....

And finally, testing them on The Folly ground by the steps....
This is supposed to be "Vinca" or "Periwinkle" 
a lovely evergreen ground cover.
(Sorry the picture is so dark... it had gotten late!)
I am sure it will look a little better once the stems are inserted into the ground, 
and the bunches overlap in a more natural manner. 
I will wait until I have more bunches before I do that step.
The stems are bendable and can be positioned appropriately as needed.
I have a long way to go... 
a lot of ground to cover!
But I think it is a good start!
And the morning sun made it all the way over to The Folly steps...

Putting the Vinca into clear focus.....
I think it will do....

And I Do feel so accomplished!
I completed Two whole plants!
Little by Little Dear Readers,
I am making progress!

19 comments:

  1. Glad you're feeling somewhat better.

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  2. Your needlepoint tea cosy looks absolutely PERFECT Betsy! I am so impressed with the neatness of your work and even with the limited use of your injured arm, you can still produce Top Quality work!
    And what a lovely way to begin your mini garden with the introduction of periwinkle. I use to have TONS of it in my RL garden and loved it, so it was such a pleasure to see it's new beginnings there at The Folly.
    Your off to a great start, Betsy! :D

    elizabeth

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  3. I'm sorry I managed to miss your original post letting us know you'd broken your arm but am so pleased to note that it's now clearly on the mend. The teacosy is just lovely and a big pat on the back for persevering with it's completion. As for the leaves, what can I say? I haven't even managed making any flowers and that's with two fully operational hands! Well done for sticking with it - baby steps!

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  4. Esto demuestra que vas mejor, mucho mejor con el brazo roto, la tapa para la tetera está preciosa y esas plantas una idea estupenda.
    Que sigas así de animada y mejores del todo muy pronto.
    Un abrazo
    Maite

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  5. Hello Betsy,
    It is wonderful to see that you are getting better. the tea cozy is phenomenal. the designs are gorgeous and so well executed. The plants are also lovely. what a great idea! I am so happy you are back, but make sure you don't hurt yourself. We want you back in 100% tip top shape.
    Big hug
    Giac

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  6. I love your cozy betsy, what a cute little tea set

    Hugs
    Marisa

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  7. Hooray! I'm so glad you are feeling better and up to making a few minis. :D

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  8. I love your tea cozy, it is absolutely gorgeous!

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  9. I can't believe you're back to stitching and painting teenytiny bits again... on the one hand I'm very glad because I always love to see new miracles made by you but on the other hand... well, let me remind you someone wrote about patience being a virtue... ;O) I really admire your finished teacozy, it's beautiful... and do I have to mention at all that I loved to see it in its place in the Cloud Palace? Blue is for sure a fairy beary of excellent taste... *smile* And your plant looks awesome - I'm so looking forward to see the finished garden. But remember... take your time! ;O)

    Hugs
    Birgit

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  10. It's quite depressing to admit that I couldn't stitch such a lovely cosy with two perfectly able arms and yet you manage with one. I'm glad you are getting back into mini making. I can imagine how frustrating it is, not being able to work on your projects :0)

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  11. Betsy, I'm so glad that you're better, making progress with holding things with your "injured" hand and up to making a few minis: hooray!!! The tea cozy looks lovely and I'm glad to see that are even making plants, with wonderful result!!
    Warm hugs, Ilona

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  12. Genial tu trabajo en hilo ,demuestras que tu mano va mejorando .Espero ver tus plantas terminadas pues tienen un comienzo prometedor.Besos:-)

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  13. Great to hear you are on the mend Betsy and able to mini again. Such a sense of acheivement to finally have your tea cosy finished! Your plants are going to look fabulous. Slow and steady wins the race!

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  14. It is really great to see that you're recovering and getting back to what you love to do! The tea cozy is incredible and I love the little scene! The Vinca turned out so well and adds the next layer to an entry landscape already filled with so much realism!

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  15. Hi, Betsy - You MUST be getting better; there you are doing that intricate work and doing it perfectly! The tea cozy is a beautiful piece, and looks so pretty with the tea set. Perfect companions. You've made a good start with your ground cover - it's going to be so interesting to watch you develop the landscaping. I'm looking forward to seeing more. (But don't rush into it!)
    Marjorie

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  16. Hi Daydreamer Team,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Daydreamer has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Miniature Blogs on the web.

    http://blog.feedspot.com/miniature_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Miniature Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.


    Best,
    Anuj

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  17. The cross stitch and the plants turned out great. Keep up the good work.

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  18. Isn't vinca the same as myrtle? Evergreen with purple daisy-like flowers?
    That tea cosy is adorable!
    Had SUCH a wonderful time - miss you greatly. Keep on mending -
    Love, Mom

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