Seahorses, plastic dress and oriental postcards

I've been experimenting with by Babylock Embellisher by felting wool tops onto soluble fabric. When my mil was in hospital earlier this year they sent her soiled clothes home in a soluble washing bag. I persuaded them to let me have a spare one to see if it was strong enough to embroider on. You need at least two layers but it works fine. It's this soluble bag that I placed the tops on. I placed an extra piece of soluble over the tops to stop all the hairy bits from clogging up my felting presser foot. Not sure how other manage but I can guarantee to have at least one stop to untangle the tops from the presser foot. It worked fine and when I'd finished it felt sturdy enough to embroider on so I gave it a go. At the moment the piece is drying out over a bowl to shape it. If it comes out okay I'll embellish it with handstitching and beads and enter it for our local EG's 'The Elements' competition next week, it'' go as water. I'll post a photo if when I get it completed.

Now for the post cards, the knitted dress is one for a challenge on ArtsntheMail and is made from a Marks & Spencer carrier bag with a bit of a red and black from one that was hanging around the house. Some plastic carrier bags snap easier than others, a bit of stretch is good but too much and you end up with something that looks like pulled chewing gum. I also used the yarn to knit mini jumpers/jerseys for another swap.

Got these great cards from ladies in the ArtweMail group they are part of the Taste of the Orient swap. They look much better in the flesh than here though.

Been making a lap/table top quilt from black and cream fabrics this week. I was using up the fabrics I bought for the black and white swap and got carried away. Started with a 9 patch block in the middle (6" squares) and cut up sashes of different colours for the border in differing widths. Got the sandwich made and decided to try embroidering some sashiko designs into the 9 patch blocks using my embrodiery machine. I used a cream thread because I didnt want it to show on the front but as the back is black the patterns showed up well. I thought I'd enhance the back with lines of stitch-in-the-ditch round the borders using triple stitch, the same as the embroidery designs. All went well until I turned it over and yep it had gathered on the back. It took me all day to unpick the darned stitching. Obviously I hadn't got the sandwich basted enough. Ah well more haste less speed as they say. I want to try and get it finished this weekend but not sure I'm going to have time.

DH has now had two weeks back at work and all seems well. His back hurts by the time he gets home and he needs to rest but I think he's coping okay. No 2 son is staying with his girlfriend this week, they are house sitting and boy is it quiet here and the washing, where's all the washing gone!!!!