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#141. Another Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbon in blue.I decided to keep #140 for myself...tee hee hee...so I thought I should replace it with another blue piece.
Cut from the same piece of handprinted Kirsten Doran fabric as #136.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#140. The last piece of The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons. For now.It's my personal favourite out of the nine I've made - there's just something so fresh and soothing about the combination of baby blue and loads of white.
"Gems" cut from these two pieces of 100% cotton Marimekko fabric.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ Not for sale. I've decided to keep it. Tee hee hee.
#139. The eighth piece from The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons.I was so eager to cut into this sunshiney-yellow fabric that I forgot to get a picture of it before. Haha!
Here's one of its sister in orange - the same leafy Marimekko design in yellow was used here.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ SOLD! ~
#138. Another Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbon for you!
Made from the same pieces of Marimekko textiles as #133.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#137. The sixth of The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons.
Made from another cute (bunnies!) piece of handprinted fabric by Australian designer Kirsten Doran.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ No longer available ~
#136. The fifth of The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons.
Finally, I get to use the some of the handprinted fabric I bought from the lovely Kristen Doran at last December's Finders Keepers.I've only used the dark green half on this piece. Look out for a blue Prize Ribbon made from the other half!Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#135. Another one of The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons.
Made from this happy 100% cotton Marimekko fabric.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#134. The third in The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons range.
Made from the same piece of Marimekko fabric as this necklace. Shiny silver print on a heavyweight cotton sateen.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#133. The second brooch by The Empress Dowager's New Jewels!Remember, they are all one-offs. Once one is gone, it's gone!
Made from these 100% cotton Marimekko textiles.Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.
~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com
#132. The first of The Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons!
Made from these pretty Marimekko textiles.
Product Information:
~ All pieces are 100% handstitched with love.
~ Each piece is a one-off -> no two pieces of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels are the same
~ The largest "gem" measures 7cm in diameter and the smaller one is 3cm.~ Height (from top of large "gem" to pointy end of "tail"): 9.5cm
~ Nickel brooch pin and blanket-stitched felt reinforcement on back (see here)
Price:
~ AU$40.00 (for currency converter, click here) - if you think it's too expensive, please read this
To purchase:
~ Please email me at likklegirl@gmail.com.
Over the last year, I've been asked by quite a few people on various occasions to add some brooches to The Empress Dowager's New Jewels' range but I've been hesitant because:1. If they are to be part of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels, they have to be made from the same fabric "gems" that I use to make the necklaces. It's a rule that I've set for myself right from the beginning.The "gems" are like my LEGO bricks - only pieces "built" using them are allowed to be included here. For example: sticking a few "gems" on a shirt to make an "embellished shirt" is not what we are about. The whole shirt has be made by joining "gems" together before it can be considered a piece of The Empress Dowager's New Jewels. Not unlike this.2. I try not to make New Jewels that are similar to what's already available on the market - rosette/prize ribbon-type of brooches. Many of which are mass-produced and badly handmade out of cheap material. Sold at low low prices that I cannot possibly compete with seeing how I love using quality material and hand-stitching all my pieces. However, after much thought (and due to "popular demand"...haha!), I have decided to add a few Empress Dowager's Prize Ribbons to the range and see how they do.
I've tried many ways to make them different from those that already exist but to show the "gems" off in their best light, no matter what size or configuration, I ultimately have to use the ruched side which makes the brooch look like...a rosette/prize ribbon!
So I'm hoping that my use of choice fabric from my beloved collection of Marimekko textiles and some by local designers will differentiate my brooches from the rest of the pack.
Also, like all Empress Dowager's New Jewels, these Prize Ribbons are 100% hand-stitched, with a lot of love, from start to finish.And they are all one-offs, of course!They might cost more than these but I truly hope that you will be able to see why.
#131. The Empress Dowager's New Jewels' first repurposing commission! Woo!In the very first post that I wrote on this blog, when I started making the New Jewels, I said, "If you'd like a commissioned piece made out of, say, a special piece of vintage fabric, or an old dress that holds fond memories but which you can't fit into anymore, I'd be happy to convert them into "jewellery" that you can wear." The very same idea as melting down old heirloom gold to create a new piece of jewellery.A year-and-a-half later, someone finally took me up on my offer! Thank you, Zoe! For coming to play!
Zoe was recently given some of her grandmother's vintage handmade aprons and wondered if I could convert one of them into a necklace for her because as much as she loves the apron, she knows that she's not going to get much wear out of it.Of course! I've been waiting for such an opportunity for so long!
I've made necklaces out of "found" fabric before - old cushion covers found in op shops, a pillowcase from a pal and remnants kindly donated by another - and had never hesitated cutting into them. It was different with this apron. Knowing the backstory of the apron and looking at the fine work that Zoe's grandma had done on it, it was hard taking it apart.
But I had to.
And here's the "conversion". All 190cm of it! From sparse "scribbles" at one end to denser ones at the other.
I was so happy to find that we had sufficient fabric for a complete length of Milky Way! The introduction of "foreign" material, if we didn't have enough from the apron, was discussed. Glad that we didn't have to put that plan into effect because I kind of like that the "conversion" has remained "pure".
Mustard was one of the colours we talked about (Zoe is "really into mustard at the moment"), if we had to use additional material. We didn't but we liked how good it looks with black so we incorporated it into the piece via the joining stitches.
I hope I've done the apron justice and that Zoe will have loads of fun wearing her Milky Way!
It's been so much fun for me so I really hope that I'll be getting more repurposing projects soon!
Go on! Go look into your closet! For something that can be given a new lease of life.
Image from the Finders Keepers blog
We were all in at Gaffa setting up yesterday and boy, there were already quite a few things by the other makers (you can view the list of participants here) that I've put on my wishlist!
I've made a Clump out of the medium purple instead of
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