"Cinderella"

It seems I have been so buried and busy getting The Ultimate Stencil launched to the world I have had no time for sewing.  I've desperately missed it. 

I took Christmas Eve and Christmas Day "off" and spent my time working on the two quilts that have been ever so patiently waiting for me to touch them again.  Our holiday time is spent in the evenings with our family so Kent and I have quiet time during the day to do whatever we wish. 

This past February, after returning from Dubai, I found this amazing linen on Ebay.  Some of you may remember my posts showing the before/after.  The picture of this piece was "WHITE" on Ebay.  When she arrived she was chocolate brown with a LOT of damage.  I was pretty upset but hopeful I would be able to save her.

I have never seen embroidery and lace work like this before and felt a responsibility to save as much of her as I could.  To make a very long story of my process much shorter, I soaked her for nearly two days...had to remove the outside border edge because of extreme damage...had to add a fusible stabilizer just so I could actually quilt this...added a heavy crocheted lace edging...and this is the result!

This piece was mounted on vintage linen.  I am ditching around all the embroidery and then very tightly filling in with microechoing around every single piece of embroidery.  There are so many chunks of the original fabric gone that I am adding some vintage organza scrounged from another linen piece...placing that on top of the missing chunks, and then tightly echoing down.  This helps to fill it in.

I know I am altering a beautiful historic piece BUT I have preserved it to a state where others may enjoy the absolutely exquisite work of the original maker.

I have an extensive trip planned in February to Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and have some obscene plane time coming up.  I am working on this backwards, i.e. I've done the edging, binding, hanging sleeve and signature linen now so I can do the handwork and beadwork on the plane.

I've named this piece "Cinderella".  I feel I've rescued her from the ashes and made a beautiful princess out of her!

Oh by the way...I wanted to introduce you to newest member of our family, "Ruby".  Last Christmas I had to put my Labrador Katie to sleep.  Everyone knows how hard that is to do.  I've been searching all year for just the right dog to replace her and found her at the SPCA on Saturday.  She's perfect and amazing.  Within moments of bringing her home she went to my sewing room and snugged up in the bed under the counter where I work (Miter usually sleeps there).    It's been a tight bond ever since.

Hugs, Cindy :)