Archives

3 Hours of Flowers: class/tutorial

Jan14

3 Hours of Flowers: 1 lesson/ $25.00

This a great sampling of corsages, ones that will look great on any jacket form jean to velvet! These also make a great gift, for that special someone, and the bonus is that they are fast to make. The flowers include: Rose ‘N Bud Brooch, Rosette with Leaf, and the Lacey Flower.

Skill Level Beginning: hand-sewing and some ribbonwork skills a must

Class Information

This class can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.

Once the class is paid for, the supply list and handout/s will be sent out.

A high-speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it, and print out a copy.

You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.

Class fees will not be refunded.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Ribbon Embroidered Brooch: class/tutorial

Oct31

Ribbon Embroidered Brooch: 1 lesson/ $25.00

ribbon embroidered broochThis pretty little brooch is the perfect size, to be given as a gift or to keep for yourself. Four basic embroidery stitches will be covered: woven rose, chain stitch, lazy daisy, French knot.

ribbonembroideredbrooch

Skill Level Beginning: hand-sewing and embroidery skills a must

Class Information

This class can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.

Once the class is paid for, the supply list and handout/s will be sent out.

A high-speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it, and print out a copy.

You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.

Class fees will not be refunded.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Vintage at Heart: class/tutorial

Oct30

Vintage at Heart: 1 lesson/ $25.00

vintageatheartThese hearts are a great way to mix the old with the new, and they are a great project that can be completed in a few hours. Bring your stash of vintage and new buttons, a bit of fabric and voila you have made an heirloom that can be treasured for years to come

heart broochLace and bits of ribbon can also be added in for extra touches. Finishing options for a pin will be covered and suggestions for an ornament and wall hanging will be discussed.

Bonus Handout: What is in Your Button Box? and Dating Buttons by Materials and Styles. All of us have a stash, and it is fun to find out just what is in that stash!

Skill Level Beginning: hand-sewing and embroidery knowledge needed

Class Information

This class can be purchased at any time, there is no set schedule. The class can be ordered by contacting Christen: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com. She will send you an invoice through PayPal.

Once the class is paid for, the supply list and handout/s will be sent out.

A high-speed internet connection is recommended, and you must have basic computer and internet skills. You will need to be able know how to download and save a document to your computer’s hard drive, open it, and print out a copy.

You can contact Christen with any questions pertaining to the class/class information throughout the length of the class.

Class fees will not be refunded.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Autumn Jewels

Oct21
Mariposa Fall
Autumn Dragonfly

These are a few of the small wall hangings and wreaths that I have made. The first was featured in my book Ribbonwork Flowers, with the ribbonworked flowers attached to a wire base, embellished with vintage buttons and charms. The second was a class that I taught at my store, with the flowers and leaves made from French wire and woven ribbons, embellished with vintage buttons and charms. The third features a dragonfly that I taught at my store, embellished with silk and woven ribbonwork flowers and leaves.

Fairest of Fall
Antique Autumn Roses

Here are two neck-pieces that I have created. The first is entirely made from ribbonwork flowers and leaves from the Petals and Posies series that I taught at my store. The embellishments include vintage velvet ribbon leaves, and a sprinkling of vintage and new buttons. The second is a version of a class that I taught at my store, Entwined Treasures. The base begins with a silk cord base, and is embroidered and embellished with beads, ribbons, charms and buttons.

Enjoy this harvest of treasures! Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Spiders and Webs

Oct7

This time of year brings to mind spooky things, and to me the spookiest is running into a spiderweb and wondering if you are wearing the weaver of that web! We have quite a colony of orb weavers in our garden, and I am amazed by the intricacy of these woven wonders.

Ugly Bug Ball, by Christen Brown

The base of this piece is a cotton twill fabric. I pieced and stitched the web using a vintage embroidery ribbon, and rickrack trim. The web holds a host of ‘’ugly bugs’’ stitched mainly from old sewing notions and vintage glass and hand-blown glass beads. This can be seen in my book, Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New.

Spiders Hide in the Dusk, by Christen Brown

The base of this piece is a cotton batik, that I machine quilted, and then framed with a rayon cord. The embellishments include vintage glass and shell buttons, glass seed and larger beads. The webs, spiders, and button flowers are worked in bead embroidery stitches. This is a project in my book, Beaded Embroidery Stitching.

Primarily Crazy for Kevin
Lady Bird’s Bzzy Garden
50’s Flashback

If you know my work, you know that I sneak a spider and a web into many of my crazy-pieced creations. I am in awe of the beauty of those delicate structures, and I try to capture that beauty either with beads or threads.

Charlotes Webs, by Christen Brown

This project started with the reproduction cigarette silk print in the center, whom I named Charlotte. The center section was crazy-pieced with tiny and tinier pieces of precious silk scraps left over from a few other projects. Satin ribbon was machine stitched randomly to create sections for the vignette embroidery which was worked in silk embroidery ribbon, woven ribbon, perle cotton and beads. Additional embellishments include vintage buttons and glass charms.

Button Spider
Spookie Spider
Spider Stitch

As much as I love to look at the webs, I am deathly afraid of real-life spiders! When I embroider the spider, I try to create a more whimsical version to somehow confront my fear! It works, until I run into a web, and then wonder…

All Friday’s Favorites posts.

Thank you for looking, and Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

National Sewing Month

Sep8

Day 8

Question: Do you like to make and sew your own jewelry and adornments? I have a few suggestions including cuffs, bracelets and brooches, all use bits of this and that including fabric, lace, ribbons, and buttons.

Chantilly Lady’s Lace Cuff by Christen Brown

These are examples of what I call the wistful days gone by, reminiscent of tranquil days lounging on an overstuffed satin pouf, or demurely sashaying along a tree-lined avenue, parasol in hand. There are two styles to choose from that will be embellished with needle-tatted and crochet components, ribbonwork flowers, a few silk ribbon embroidery stitches, beads and buttons. The lace base and other components are dyed with Colorhue dyes.

silk ribbon, embroidery, bracelets

Tandleton Rose Bracelets by Christen Brown

You have two styles to choose from, both using a Tandleton base (pillow). The “Ring of Roses” is made up entirely of embroidered ribbon pillows, strung with beads and has a glass button for the closure. The “Band of Roses” is made from a ribbon base, layered with vintage lace and a few of the embroidered pillows; a dainty embroidered button and hand-stitched button loop are used for the closure.

ribbon work flowers and leaves

Scrumptious Hearts by Christen Brown

The base is created with bits of cherished lace and with silk fabric to form a beautiful heart shaped base for your floral design. Chose from a few different heart shapes and ribbon worked floral vignettes or create your own. This is an excellent way to use up small amounts of this and that to form an heirloom brooch to be treasured. The lace base and other components are dyed with Colorhue dyes.

Happy Stitching, ~Christen

National BUTTON WEEK Day 4!!!

Mar18

Here are a few images of more buttons!

These are a few items that I have made with shell buttons.

heart shapes covered in MOP buttons

This is a wreath that I made using a vintage embroidered openwork cotton collar and some vintage velvet milliner’s leaves for the base. There are 5 fabric covered heart shapes that I adorned with mother of pearl, MOP, buttons.

mother of pearl buttons

Here is a sprinkling of some of the buttons in my MOP collection.

This is another example of my class Vintage at Heart. The covered heart shape base also included vintage lace, satin ribbon and grosgrain ribbon. A few vintage buckles are mixed in with the vintage mother of pearl buttons.

bracelets made from vintage tahiti shells

Here you will find a selection of bracelets made from a variety of mollusk shells, including brown muscle, green muscle, and Tahiti shell.

tahiti shell buttons

Tahiti and green and brown muscle shell buttons and buckles from my collection.

solvy fabric heart

This is an example of my class Scrumptious Hearts. You will see a cascade of buttons on the left, and a vintage shisha mirror embroidered on the right.

pink shell buttons

Here a few more bracelets, the first using pink mother of pearl discs, the second using butterfly shaped abalone shell buttons.

vintage buttons and beads

Here is a mixture of all kinds of pink shell and glass buttons, with a few thread and glass beads added in.

Hope that you enjoyed looking! Happy stitching! ~Christen

Day 27 of FLOWERS GALORE!

May27

Day 27 of FLOWERS GALORE!

dyed ribbon corsages

dyed ribbon corsages

dyed ribbon corsages

Corsages to Dye For

This is a series of classes that I taught on-line for Joggles, Corsages to Dye For I, Corsages to Dye For II, and Corsages to Dye For III. The student learned how to mix colors and dye her own ribbons. The flowers and leaves were made with ribbonwork techniques, and a little bit of embroidery. Many of the techniques can be found in my two ribbonwork books by C&T Publishing.

Ribbonwork Gardens a book by Christen Brown

Happy Stitching, enjoy~ Christen!

Day 20 of FLOWERS GALORE!

May20

Day 20 of FLOWERS GALORE!

Lace in Bloom

This is a sampling of the flowers that I created for a class that I call Lace in Bloom. Several of the flowers are made with individual petals that are made from a “magic web” technique that I created using Solvy. The other flowers are made from a length of lace. All of the laces were dyed with ColorHue dyes. Fun, fun, fun!

Happy Stitching, enjoy~ Christen!

Day 18 of FLOWERS GALORE!

May18

Day 18 of FLOWERS GALORE!

Ribbon Embroidered Brooches

This project the Ribbon Embroidered Brooch, is a class that I just love to teach. The project is simple and elegant, and one the student can easily finish one in a few hours. There are just a few stitches, the woven rose, lazy daisy, French knot, and chain stitch, with a couched cord edge. These stitches can be found in my book The Embroidery Book by C&T Publishing.

Happy Stitching, enjoy~ Christen!