With Fairy Grace

Hello Folksies!

Ok, Blogger finally seems to be cooperating, I think it was having a moment earlier this week. Did you guys have trouble with that too? So! Now that that's over, I can finally share about a little WIP that's been in my basket for a looong time.

My beautiful, littlest niece turned 2 years old recently, and here's one of the things I made for her birthday.

A pretty wall hanging for her room.

"Hand in hand with fairy grace, we will sing and bless this place"

~William Shakespeare

I've always been a Shakespeare fan, it kinda goes hand in hand with the whole Renaissance Faire thing...

Tiny, wool felt flowers and micro seed beads, ala Paulette.

I cut the fairy design from a little book of stencils that I found in the kids department at Beverly's Crafts. I appliqued her with a blanket stitch, and embellished her with some pretty, pink ballet shoes and some fancy stitches along the border of her skirt, as well as some tiny laces on the front of her bodice.

Here's the tag I made for the back. Not that I wanted to share my personal sentiments to my little one with the world, but I was really pleased with how this came out and I've often struggled with how to mark a piece of embroidery, so I thought I'd share this aspect too in case others struggle with the same kind of thing. I don't mark every piece of embroidery, mind you, but special, meaningful gifts that I've given to friends & family, I like to label with the when & the why of the piece. I used printable fabric for the message, which I machine stitched to the felt that I tucked inside the back, after I secured the fabric with a thin bead of hot glue, just inside of the inner hoop. 

Here's how the entire backing looks.

A pretty button flower for her to hold on to, adds just the right amount of sparkle without distracting from the overall soft feel of the piece... I think.

♥♥♥ 

And here's the birthday girl with her own little birthday fairy outfit.

Miss Ava-amazing!

Isn't she an absolute doll? Oh my, I love her so much!

Her mommy, my beautiful and talented sister-in-luv, Apryl, made her the gorgeous fairy wings and head piece. They're so perfect I could weep.

My mom fancied up the little skorts by stitching silk flower petals (the kind you sprinkle on tables for weddings) in layers over the entire skort. It's got a very soft, dreamy look and makes a cool wooshing, rustle when Ava walks or moves around.

Here she is running away from pictures. "No moh ant lees!" Translation = You've taken enough pictures of me today Auntie Lisa, knock it off! I'm like a paparazzi, swear. My poor family.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! We're getting a late spring storm passing through today, as I write these words thunder & lightening are booming outside and it's cold! So cold that I have a fire crackling in the fireplace, it'll be the last one of the year, I am sure. Today is a nice, cold lazy day, one of my very favorite kinds!

oxo,

Lisa