In The Beginning................

I purchased a BabyLock embellisher on a whim. Now what! All the sites I checked out used wool roving. That didn't exactly float my boat, but when I saw Christopher Nejman's Pillows book, I was blown away! Needle punching with an embellisher is a totally new endeaver for me. Could I create something that beautiful? I bought the book, DVD, joined his beginner's group. Travel with me as I learn and improve my craft under the expert guidance of Christopher Nejman......the rest is history!

You can click on the pictures for a close-up view!

My First Pillow - Harem of Color

Imagine the colors you would see in a harem - the jewels and opulence all around. This pillow took me four trys to get it right. My girls kidded me, "Mom, I can't believe you failed 'pillow'!" After that, I was on a mission! Using the embellisher for the first time was scary, but then all the possibilities started sneaking into my thoughts and by the time I finished that fourth pillow, my husband told me I was possessed and, indeed, I think I was!

Tropical Winds

On to Pillow Number Two! Picture the eye of a hurricane - the massive swirls of wind surrounding it. How would you create that image in fabric? Tropical Winds is that venture, led by Christopher Nejman. In my journey, I learned how to transform fabric, beads and jewels into the vision of a hurricane using the colors that would emerge after the storm. What kind of vision would you like to create?

The Great RA

According to Egyptian scholars, Ra was the almost universally-worshipped king of the gods and all-father of creation. As the sun god, he was said to command the chariot that rode across the sky during the day. He is the most central god of the Egyptian pantheon. Maybe that is why this pillow was the most difficult yet to master - a 13" x 20" pillow weighing in at a whopping 4lbs. 2oz. If it sounds like a birth announcement - indeed, I "felt the pain" and am indeed proud! I learned to use a cording foot, to couch threads, to find decorative stitches and manage to sew them straight, to perfect my photography skills - list seems endless. This is the final pillow that will let me know if I am allowed to continue this journey I have embarked upon. Wish me well.

The Contest Winners are Announced!

The winners of the Punching Idol contest have been announced! Sadly, I was not one of them, but I am proud of my pillow nonetheless. We were given 36 hours to complete the pillow and were required to punch the entire base with pantyhose! Yes, you read correctly - pantyhose!! The theme for the pillow was "Magical Forest of Good and Evil". Our pillows had to show that theme. Can you see my evil trees? George won the Ellegante' embroidery machine, Trudy won the Sulky Metallic Thread collection and Kathy won the Amazing Designs embroidery CD's. A big congratulations to them. Their links are on this page, as well as the other contestants. Please go look at their creations!

My Favorite Gals at the B.Sew Inn!!

Me, Judy, JoAnn and Fyrne holding my pillows at the B.Sew Inn in Springfield, Missouri. That is my Baby Lock dealer - far from my home in Tennessee, but worth the trip! Dissatisfied with just wool roving, JoAnn introduced me to Christopher Nejman's book, the DVD and his website where he was using gorgeous fabrics with the embellisher to create beautiful pillows. Thank you, JoAnn! Judy, JoAnn and Fyrne have been following my progress and supporting me all the way.

Venturing Off on My Own

While waiting for our new assignment from Christopher after our first, Harem of Color, pillow, I decided to try a pillow on my own. It was October, and I thought a fall pillow would look good on the family room sofa. I drew a pattern on the cotton duck base and "jumped in". This is my pillow.

Desert Jewel

I'm continuing to practice Christopher's techniques using his Pillows book. This one is on page 112, entitled Desert Turquoise. Since I changed it by eliminating the mirror and crystals and keeping with only the turquoise stones, I named mine Desert Jewel. This was my first attempt at making fringe with the fringemaker and I must say, it turned out really pretty. Using the fringemaker enables you to get just the right colors in your fringe to frame your pillow.