A touch of Macrame

Hi !!!!

Tomorrow is Raksha Bandhan and Friendship Day is also coming. So to celebrate this occasion I decided to do something new. Last year I had made rakhi using parchment craft. This year I have tried my hands with macrame craft. Thanks to Youtube, learning has become so convenient and full of fun. 

Macrame is all about knots. Once you get familiar with the knots you can make anything say, potholder,bags etc.

These are just the samples which I tried to get a hang of it. I have also used beads in one of them to add some color.The purple-yellow bracelet that you can see in the pic. is the one that I am making for my brother for raksha bandhan as he likes them plain. Its still incomplete but I would be able to complete it by tomorrow.

To all my followers and all those who have been kind enough to visit my blog, I would like to wish them a Very Happy Raksha Bandhan   !!

Bye !!!!

Moushumi

Crochet Books

 Hi !!!!




Today I am going to share with you some of my book collections on crochet.

This is a very good book for the beginners. Written by Jane Davis this book is must have for all those who want to learn crochet. It showcases all forms of crochet and teaches you to crochet from the very basic chain stitch to advanced stitches. It also has some lovely patterns of bags, shawls  etc in it. 

This book is by Nicky Espten and it is very special to me. My son gifted this book to me last year on my B'day. If you are a flower lover then this book is for you as it contains various patterns of flowers. For me it is a beautiful book.

                                              

I picked up this book from Trade Fair on sale.Written by Carol Alexander, its again a beautiful book with colorful and easy patterns of afghans. You can use these patterns for other projects also like tablecloth, cushion covers etc. Good collection for Afghan lovers!!!!

This book is very old and the designs and the graphs therein are very clear. Unfortunately this is not mine. My friend's mother has been too kind to rent it to me for a while, so that I can copy few designs of my choice. I am putting up this photo for my Blogger friend Sangeetha of  crochetkari who wanted to see how the book looks.  

I hope these books might give you some ideas on starting a new project.

Thanks for visiting my space !!!!!

Moushumi

Crochet Bag

Hi !!!!

I have been on a cleaning spree lately and guess what ??????????? I found these yarns which I had bought few years back. I had totally ignored them since then.

I don't know what I was thinking when I got these, but I loved the colors so much that got a set of green, yellow and purple each. Since the size of the yarn is much thicker I have used 5no. crochet of Tulip 

As you can see I have used double crochet through out and for the edging I have used scallops. For the handle i have made a simple braid of yellow and green color  and attached it. Flowers & beads are my weakness and I cannot think of completing a project without using them. So.......... a yellow  & purple flower with black beads in the center. I thought of  attaching beads in the scallops but the bag would have become more heavier so I restrained myself from doing so.

For the linen I have again used yellow color cloth.

Well that's it for today. Have a nice day !!!!!

Do visit my space and leave your comments. It encourages me to try out new things and share them with you.

Thanks

Moushumi

Complete & Framed

Hi !!!!!

I have finally managed to get my clay painting of Bal Gopala framed. Just wanted to share few pics of the same with you guys.

Have a lovely day ahead .

Thanks for visiting my space !!


Moushumi

Good to be back !!!!!!!

Hi !!!!!


 I am back after a short break and it feels really great. I have been planning to get away from crafts, blogging etc as it was getting quite monotonous for me. So to recharge myself I had to switch off my creative mind for a while. I don't know about you but I have to follow this regime once a while.

I have spent these days lazying around, entertaining guests and cooking and cooking. Actually cooking is the best therapy to de-stress yourself. I got lot of new cook books, watched videos on youtube and cooked new dishes for my kids. Both of them are just loving it. But I can't say the same for my husband because  the grocery bills have just gone up this month!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's  see what I have got for you guys. I have been planning to give ribbon embroidery a try for a while now but didn't had the supplies for the same. A friend of mine had been kind enough to get me the supplies from Old Delhi and this is what I made.

For this project I have used white cotton matte fabric.I have tried to use as many colors as I possibly could. Ribbon size used are 12 mm and 1/4". Primary Stitches used are :-


1.   Spiderweb roses
2.   French Knot
3.   Leaf Stitch
4.   For the border I have used  Buttonhole stitch

Have used beads at the center of flowers.

 This is a gift for my friend Theresa and I hope she likes it.


Thanks for visiting !!!


Moushumi

Peepal Leaf Painting

Hi !!!!


Today I am going to share with you Peepal Leaf Painting which I tried recently. Actually my son has got this project for his holiday homework, which obviously I had to do. Peepal leaf painting is not a very common form of painting, consequently the info. on the same on net is quite limited. However, with the info. available and with the help of few crafter friends in IL, I have managed to complete my painting.

Since, this is originally a kid's project, I have painted a colorful butterfly (they are my weakness.....) and to cover the empty space above I have painted flowers. I won't say its great, but I will grade it good.

Materials required :

1. Peepal leaf/leaves

2. Oil colors

3. Brush to paint.

Process: 

Firstly, you need to soak the peepal leaves in water for about 15-20 days till its green color wears off, and you have a beautiful off white color leaf, with all its veins visible. You also need to change the water  once a while and try to clean the leaf. Be very careful as the leaf becomes very fragile after being soaked in water for so many days.

Once the leaf has dried properly, you can start your painting. Choose a design of you choice and use oil colors mixed with linseed oil to paint the leaf. Always keep a paper underneath you leaf. so that you don't have a dirty work area. 

The paint will take a day to dry. then you can attach this leaf, preferably on a dark colored sheet so that the colors on the leaf get enhanced. You can also make greeting cards out of it or you can just paint them and store them in your scrapfile  for the artist's satisfaction within you.

Hopefully the process is clear to you and in case you need more information/details you can find here.

Thanks for visiting my blog !!!!!!!!!

Moushumi

Doily

Hi friends !!!!!!


Good Morning !!!!!! Hope you  r enjoying the summer heat with a steaming cup of tea/coffee.


Well today I am going to share with you a very simple crochet doily. I picked up this design from a very old crochet design book, which my friend's mother very kindly gave to me from her library. I have used 7 no crochet steel hook and cotton thread in white and red colors.

This book called "GORGEOUS LACES for Interior Decoration" is a must have for your crochet book collection. It has beautiful patterns for doilies, center pieces, curtains, cushion covers etc.

Will try to share few more patterns from this book in my future blog posts.

Thanks for coming over !!!!!!

Bye !!!!!

Moushumi