Checking in on my little babies...

Awwww. I am smitten with my little feathered babies. I check on them all day and they have captured my heart! Here is a picture taken on Friday. They sure are growing fast.

Dad was off the nest for just a minute so I grabbed a quick photo. I have to tell you, they are really so darn ugly they are cute. They remind me of little vultures! One is much larger than the other. I was worried that the law of the fittest would mean that the little one would be left out, but thankfully both eat well. One just more than the other.

We had a powerful storm come through Friday morning so I fashioned a goofy roof to protect them.
All of the greenery is now brownery so I left the roof up as the sun is burning quite hot this week. There are a few fake leaves up as well. I didn't want them to think their home was ugly!

They may fly off before the week is over, so I'm going to enjoy their last days with me. I hope if they come back next year, the new tenants will be kind and enjoy this experience as much as I have.

Don't stop reading... my next post is new and extra special.

Thank You Nita Kay!

The human spirit is really quite generous in so many ways. What makes a complete stranger reach out to someone just to give them a gift? Anita contacted me to say she had some wool scraps that she wanted to give to me. She liked my little wool brooches and thought I might be able to sue them.
A week later a huge box arrives! Oh my! I felt like I hit the mother lode of wool scraps.


Over dyed, felted, fair isle, thick, thin, soft, brilliant.....wow!

I threw all of my scraps in the box and now I am swimming in lovely wool bits and pieces. I was so thrilled, I sent Anita one of my little wool leaf brooches.


I was so incredibly touched by her generosity. I'd like you to visit her website and Like her on Facebook if you have the time. Here where to go-
NitaKay Facebook Page- www.facebook.com/NidaKayDesigns
Etsy Shop- NidaKayDesigns.Etsy.com
Website- www.NidaKayDesigns.com

Here are some of her lovely fingerless glove designs. You can find them Here
Wow,she is both talented and she has a lovely spirit.




She even spins and hand dyes her own yarn.

Thanks Again Anita!!!!

So, while I was working on kind of a Pay it Forward kind of post, which will include a tutorial on using bits and pieces of felted wool, I get hit with another lovely and amazing gift!
I was checking my feedback on my Etsy Shop and I found this recent bit of loveliness left by Joanne for the Linen Pincushion I recently created for her friend. I cried!

"It was lovely doing business with the delightful Etsy shop fiberluscious. This great shop is full of the most incredibly beautiful, hand-embroidered, hand-made pin cushions and pins I have ever seen! All the designs and hand-work are the genius of Jill O'Leary, the owner, and her eye for colour, design and detail is evident everywhere in her lovely shop. Jill is warm and very easy to talk to and made a great transaction even more pleasurable and fun. She also customizes any of her gorgeous designs and will work with you on original custom ideas too!

It is amazing and I am so glad I decided to purchase one of her pincushions and a selection of her incredible, colourful hand-made flower pins. I was looking for a special thank you gift to give a quilter who created a lovely, large quilt for me and once I saw this pin cushion, I knew I had found a gift I would be very proud to give her. Not only is it an incredible object of beauty, but also something she will use and keep out in the studio everyday and so I thought it might be perfect…and it is!!! The colours are amazing and the stitching is exquisite and I am so, so happy I found Jill's shop. I know I will be ordering one for my self in the near future as it was a little bit hard sending it on it's way to my friend, but the joy in her voice when she called to tell me she received it made it all worthwhile. She was as over the moon about it as I was and still am.

The style of pincushion I chose was 'Summer Garden' which looks like a fully blooming flower garden from above and with the 'flower pins' that were created in all the amazing colours - well it's just gorgeous. My purchase was well-packaged for the journey and arrived in excellent condition, safe & sound. I couldn't be happier with my purchase from fiberluscious and I know I will be back to order more embroidery delights soon."

Holy moses. Thank you Joanne!
How can one ever live up to such lovely compliments. I feel boastful sharing it for that reason but I am also incredibly touched by all the people who are creative. You make me feel so happy! That includes all of you who read my posts and visit my shop. You make this a wonderful way to do business.

I just do what I love and I hope that my love comes through in what I create. I don't think you can ever have a restless night if you go to bed every night knowing you did your best and worked hard doing it. I know that I may only get one chance to show someone that their faith in my ability was worth every penny they spend in my shop. I am lucky to have the most amazing customers in all of Etsy land. They get me and I love them for their kindness and generosity!

If you would like to purchase one of my pincushions, or work on something uniquely your own, stop on by my shop. www.Fiberluscious.Etsy.com

Well, now that I am completely full of myself..I am going to have to plop back down to earth and tell you that I didn't finish my tutorial. But, it is close! Its this darn move.
I just sold the table that held my sewing machine so not only am I busy, but I am unable to sew till we move in next month! Arrrgh, no fun for me for a while!

While you are waiting for my tut, here are a few things I made while I was going through my box of wool goodness...


The tutorial should be up tomorrow. I just have to finish the inside of the needle case up. Actually, its a new form of needle case inspired by an article I read in Sew Somerset. I love that magazine!
See you soon!

Baby Pictures

Daddy is in the nest today and he is showing the little one off for me. So I grabbed the camera and so I could share our new addition with you!


Mom was on the nest all day yesterday. I caught a glimpse of fluffy feathers and a little beak. Today, I got a much better peak. It moves around just a bit. I can't wait to see the nest change. Maybe I'll get to see her feed the baby. This is just so cool!

Of course, the rest of my balcony is suffering from a lack of attention. I don't even want to show you how sad my flowers look. Lets just say, the rest of the pots are fairing just a tad better than the nest planter. I usually am out on my balcony everday, dead heading, watering, trimming, etc. I love my little extra room with the extra high ceiling. Oooh so sad.


Well, my next post will be about fiber.. I have a new crazy quilt block in the works and I'm trying to get a tutorial done for you all.
Stay tuned!

Our little fuzzy baby is here!

The egg has finally hatched! Wouldn't you know that it would happen while I was at the farmer's market this morning. I've been watching the nest diligently since Thursday waiting patiently for our blessed event and I missed it!
Oh well...the best news is that it is here and so far, all I can tell you is that it is fuzzy and alive.

Mom is guarding her very closely. As soon as I come near, she gently covers her up with her body. All I can see is a bit of a beak and some fluffy feathers barely peeking out from her side Not much to photograph. I'll post pictures as soon as I can show the little one off.

I'm so proud!

Meet My Little Family

We have been blessed with a mourning dove nest on our balcony.


Three weeks ago I noticed doves on our balcony. I have so many plants up here, I guess they thought this was a tree house! They found their way into one of my planters and began to build a nest. It was not a great nest. It was thin and kind of prickly. In fact, I didn't see the birds more than a hour or so a day for the first week. Then suddenly there was just one perfect little egg. Since that moment, the parents have been sitting on the nest 24/7.



I love to peek out during the day and softly talk to them. Their nest is just a few feet from my patio door. I have a 7 foot tall Dutura plant and a gorgeous Sun Parasol vine on the other end of the porch so I am out there daily to water. I can't believe how well they tolerate my presence. What an honor!

The above picture was taken this past weekend. As you can see, the plants that surround the bird are not fairly well. Its been cool most days, but this week it was warm and sunny and I realized that if I don't water their specific planter, they may lose their shade. So, I decided to move right up to the next to water around them. I am within inches of them and it feels like such an honor to be trusted by them.

I love to come out to greet the parent as they come on duty.


One will stay for most of the day. They look so much alike that its hard to tell which one is here and which one is off feeding. The nesting parent will sing that beautiful song that mourning doves sing to let the other parent know they are ready for a snack. After 30 minutes or so, the other bird will arrive. They carefully change places, slowly climbing over each other to slide onto the egg. I don't think it is left uncovered more than a split second. They are so loving and diligent in there duties.

I read that the egg usually hatches in 2 weeks. That means that the new arrival should hatch this coming Friday! The babies need about 2 weeks to grow strong before they fly off. I can't wait to see it! I just hope they allow me out on the balcony once it arrives. However, we are in the midst of a move, so I guess, if my plants don't make it, there will be 10 less things to bring to the new balcony.

I'll keep you posted!

Gallery Page Update

I find it so hard to keep up with social media. I adore my blog and am so happy when I can find time to add to it. Its my chance to get some feedback from my readers and I love, love, love to hear from you. I often click on your pictures and visit your little on-line worlds. Its like taking a trip around the world. I have hundreds of visitors from every where on the planet. Its so great to know that we all have something beautiful in common.
Well, I noticed, while I checked my stats that I have many visitors to my Gallery page. I was horrified to see that I had not updated that page since I opened my Fiberluscious blog years ago. Oh my! Thats terrible.

Well, if you want to take a trip through many of my works, you can see my Gallery page here. I am not quite finished, but am quitting for tonight. I hope you enjoy seeing my many different fiber works. It always surprises me to revisit all that I have done. Where did I ever find all of this time!?

Here is an oldie by a goodie. Check the gallery to see many more!


Now if I could just get you a new tutorial!
It never ends....

Batiks on the Brain!

I love batik fabrics! They are just so bright and fun. I love how they can be very organic and abstract. They can also add a simple, subtle element to any project. I recently added some pretty colors and patterns to my Fabric Choices page. Take a look and see them here. Actually, I have a few more to add to that bunch. I'll list what is left over from an order I'm working on right now. There is a local quilt shop called Royce Quilting and they have nearly one hundred colors and patterns to choose from! If you are even in West Bend Wisconsin, you just have to stop in and see there amazing quilt fabrics.

Well, here are some of the new pincushions I created with my batiks. I added some pretty abstract and patterned fabrics as well. I'd love to know what you think!
Oh..you may notice that all of these have a heart motif! I am helping my sister out with a gift for a quilter she knows. I can't wait to see which one she picks out! P.S. The remaining designs will be available in my Etsy shop soon.

Pink Heart and Pretty Paisley

Pink Hearts on Green with and without beading, front and back. (I love them both!)

I created the same design using a fun paisley blue fabric. I just have to get some more of that blue!

Here is the first pincushion I made for this series. I showered this heart with embroidered flowers and a mattering of sparkling beads. The recipient is in her 70s. I've been told that she is a quilter with a beautiful, bright energy about her. I wasn't sure if this one was a bit too much....I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

I created this last pincushion on a whim. I purchased a number of pretty cotton duck fabrics in lots of colors and prints.
Using a printed pattern to create an embroidered design is a fun exercise I recommend to any new or even experienced stitchers. Just follow the pattern.

I used a simple backstitch to outline the flower shape. I added french knots to all the dots along the outside edge. I added an ombre effect in shades of orange and gold to accent the petal shapes. A few more french knots in the middle and its finished! Oh.. I almost forget those sweet, glittering beads added here and there. I used clear thread when I do my beading. It keeps the colors of the beads true and you can't see the thread as it goes in and out of the bead hole.

Here is a picture of the bottom of this pincushion. Aren't those little wool feet fun? Often, when I stuff my round pincushions, they seem to be a bit on the rolly polly side. Although, that may not affect the usefullness of the pincushion, it kind of bothers me. So I took felt balls and cut them in half with a scissors. I then stitched them onto the bottom of the cushion and it is rolly polly no more!

Here is an older pincushion made with cotton duck. I cut a large chevron pattern into wedges and created a smaller version. I then added some machine, free-motion stitching to create a cute banner design. Bits of cotton fabric are stitched down with more machine stitching. I just have to try to make this one again. They all are so much fun to make! There just isn't enough time.

Thats it for now. I hope to write a new post soon. I had a lovely surprise last week. A fellow fabric lover send me a box of wool scraps just because. it was the most wonderful surprise and I can't wait to share that box of goodies with you and perhaps combine a few of them with some pretty wool roving in a giveaway for wool lovers! Watch for that later this week.
Have a happy last week of July! (Where does the time go?)

Art Gifts have love stitched into them...

One of my favorite works of art are often custom ordered gifts from one sewer to another.
Pat ordered this beautiful water themed pincushion for Tina. Having worked with them both, I really enjoyed creating something extra special!

Tina loves anything ocean, water or with a nautical theme. In fact, she ordered a little strawberry for her self for her upcoming birthday. It was so hard not to tell her what Pat had ordered for her! I love surprises, but hate keep secrets, especially happy secrets!

She also ordered a little matching silk strawberry, which I just shipped to her. I forgot to take a photo. Oh dang. I sure hope she likes it!

I get a lot of ordered for gifts. Because I love giving presents so much, I really enjoy creating them for others to give. I try to put a little bit of "love" into them. I just get this lovely warm feeling while I am working, which makes the job a joy.
Here are a few gifts I've created this year...
Marianna ordered a linen pincushion for her daughter. She requested a different flower in each section of my lavender linen pincushion. I was thrilled as I had just imagined that design but hadn't the time to play with my ideas. Here is what Marianna and I came up with.

Now, I was thrilled to ship the "Glamorama" to Richelle's grandma. It was her 80th birthday!

This crown was given to Kristen's mother in Law for her 80th birthday! Oh how I would have loved to see her face when she donned this fanciful crown. I think everyone should feel like a queen.
I used to make a lot of crowns and tiaras. Alas, I just can't seem to find the time these days to explore that line of fiber goodness. I really enjoyed creating something wonderful for someone else.

This wooly sunflower pincushion was for Eileen's mom. Hope she loved it.

Here is the pincushion most likely to become a gift and that makes me happy because it is so much fun to create. I never tired of its soft feel and bright colors. I have a few versions of it in spring, summer and fall colors. Here is the spring and the original version.









Well, I hope to create many more gifts. I love giving them and making them!
Christmas comes early around here. My holiday rush begins in October. So, I decided to take a few weeks off in August to play with new ideas. Its so hard to create when you have things to do. I am looking forward to letting my imagination wander through all the pretty goodies, fabrics, trims and charms I've picked up this year. I also have all of that silk dye to play with! Oh my. I can't wait!

Here is one new items I managed to squeeze in this last week. I received an order for a batik needle book similar to this 1930's version I created last year.
While I was cutting, I decided to try a variety of half square and flying geese block configurations. It was so much fun! I even managed to piece a new pincushion which you can purchase here.
Well- here are the original and the batik versions.....















Take a look at my fabric choices page, (upper left hand corner of this blog) to see some of the new batiks and flower print fabrics I've picked up. So much fabric... so little time!
Thanks for stopping by!