Golden Rectangle Art
In art school, we explored the idea of the golden rectangle, a fascinating concept.
In this piece of art I created as a student, I incorporated several design principles we had studied including repetition, texture, triadic color scheme, and contrast.
The backgrounds and cutouts are all colorized photographs/scans.
Digital art that is a combination of photographs, scanned sketched designs, and Photshop’s various tools.
Tags: art
Embroidered Bag with Pink Flowers
One of my first embroidery projects, this small blue tote bag includes a design of vines and pink flowers that wraps around the top of the bag. I made this bag for my mother who loved the color blue and little flowers. The bag itself is from Joann’s dollar section. The design is freehand and includes a combination of stem stitch and lazy daisy stitches. After stitching, I added a lining in pale yellow cotton.
Tags: embroidery
Embroidered Bag "B"
In Summer 2008, I embroidered this small cosmetics bag for my preteen niece whose name starts with “B”.
It was one of my first embroidery projects and turned out to be a sampler of sorts as I learned new stitches. The design was completely freehand and I made it up as I went along, filling in the space. Some stitches I used: stem stitch, outline stitch, daisy stitch, french knots, satin stitch, and a sort of weaving stitch (in the heart) that I improvised. I created the “B” using negative space inside the heart.
As a finishing touch, I attached a small butterfly patch and several flower-shaped buttons. I purchased the bag at Joann’s…it’s purple felt with a black zipper across the top. Once the embroidery was complete, I lined the bag with a purple paisley print (handstitched).
Tags: embroidery
New Design: P is for Penguin
I’ve been thinking lately of new designs for my little penguin and here is the first of many: “P is for Penguin”.
In the sample, I appliqued the letter P and the little penguin in soft flannel in baby colors. Then embroidered some details with seed stitch and outline stitch. This will become part of the quilt I’m designing/making for my new nephew or niece.
I envision developing animals for each letter of the alphabet…it will be a fun challenge!
I’m also working on other animal friends including a cat, zebra, rabbit, cow, bear, panda, and others as the inspiration strikes. As always, my designs are available as PDF patterns in my etsy store.
Tags: Designs, embroidery, etsy store, penguins
Jewel-toned Crochet Afghan
This crochet afghan in beautiful blue and purple jewel tones was a gift for a friend last Christmas.
I thought the yarn I selected (Lion Brand Homespun…so soft and lovely) was too busy for a complicated pattern so I chose a simple block stitch pattern. I eyeballed the width and made the length a bit longer than a standard afghan as my friend is quite tall.
The result is a wonderfully cozy and warm afghan my friend just loves!
Tags: crochet
New Design: Peeking Penguin
I’m busy working on new patterns featuring my little penguin friend. In this design, the little penguin is peeking in to say “hello”!
The sample pictured is a burping cloth for a new baby. I stitched this design using outline stitch, seed stitch, and stem stitch in only two colors: black and gold. The fabric is a cloth diaper; this presented some challenges as the fabric’s fibers had a tendency to separate as I stitched.
The PDF pattern for this design is available in my etsy store.
Tags: Designs, etsy store, penguins
New embroidery pattern: Hug Me Penguin
I recently finished a new embroidery pattern design: “Hug Me Penguin”.
This design is part of a series of animal patterns I’m developing.
My niece, Allyson, stitched this cute purple version as a gift for a friend. She used outline stitch and satin stitch on the pink background. The overall design she used is approximately 4 inches tall.
The pattern is available for sale as a black and white downloadable printable pdf in my etsy store (darcyplace.etsy.com). It also includes a reversed version for iron-on transfers.
I think the pattern would be perfect for appliqué on a baby’s quilt or painted on a child’s tee.
Look for more penguin and other animal designs coming soon. I’m working on some holiday designs now.
Tags: Designs, embroidery, etsy store, penguins