Finishes!

I've been working on either some longer-term projects or guild projects I can't show yet. Last weekend I really felt the need to finish something, so I completed some smaller and quick projects for that instant gratification.  It felt so good!

This cross stitch was a holiday gift, a kit from DMC with scented floss. The off-white floss did smell nicely of vanilla as I stitched the flower. I had it about half-way done so it was pretty quick to finish up.  The backstitching wasn't as bad as I'd expected. There was a lot of it, though.

These buttons were a kit attached to a recent "Molly Makes" magazine (issue 7).  I didn't use their patterns, but made up some of my own. I wanted them to look like I'd cut them from old dresser scarves.  I used the fabric, threads and button forms from the kit and added the brown, ochre, and yellow flosses from my stash.

I found these sweet little hearts on the Purl Soho blog.  The center seam is actually an opening to a little pocket--a sweetie or two can be tucked inside.  Purl Soho used their beautiful wool felt; I stocked up on what is available--felt from Jo-Anns, with a skein of DMC variegated perle cotton.  They worked up quickly. I hope to make more before Valentine's Day. Every time I make a project with felt, I realize all over again how much I enjoy working with it. 

No matter how much I enjoy my "real" embroidery projects and feel I should devote what stitching time to them alone, I've realized I need the balance of quick, fun projects like this. I'll give them away, poof! they're gone, and I didn't learn anything new or improve my skills, but they add necessary sparks of color and fun to my days. The plain old joy of needle and thread.

Rayon Floss

I finished some more bracelets--these for the kids project--for the YMCA April project. They use mixed beads and memory wire.

On Friday I found a great new project from DMC on their Facebook page (DMCThreads). Both their Facebook page and Blog are well worth following for some great designs and tips. And just plain enthusiasm for stitching.I printed it out and printed the design outline onto Transfer-Eze so I'd be ready to go. It uses DMC's "new" Satin thread. So on Saturday I headed to Jo-Ann's to see if they had this new thread. They did but only in a boxed set. And it wasn't a "new" thread, it was rayon floss.

Now, I have a love/hate relationship with rayon floss. It can be very pretty. It is also a total unrelenting pain to stitch with. But the colors were pretty and I'm a sucker for color and I do like the DMC pattern so I bought the box of floss (six or seven skeins--and I had a coupon to use). And I thought perhaps this would be different.

Nope. First off, the tape sticking the skeins in the box was very sticky and had stuck onto some of the loops of thread at the ends of the skeins--meaning it was a mess even before I got it out of the box. DMC's new long central sleeve helps keep it in line, somewhat. It also makes it impossible to pull the threads out of the skein. sigh... But it still is pretty...Then I made a big mistake. I found a piece of fabric I really wanted to use for the ground, a dark gray almost black. I think it will make the colors pop. But I forgot that the design on the Transfer-Eze is also dark gray and the product is somewhat translucent. It makes the (rather casually drawn) design hard to see.

My choice and I'm sticking with it. Bright light and magnifying glasses help. Practice helps--each time I use rayon again there's a learning curve.

DMC includes a booklet with tips for stitching with rayon floss and, I think, a design or two. Some, like stitch with it damp (even wet) and use short lengths, are essential. Others, like always use three strands for satin stitch, are, well, plain wrong--I'm using one, perhaps two strands, and they fill the design shapes just fine. More would be too much. This stuff is springy and it's hard to control one strand in small areas.

I forgot I was using a water-soluble pattern for my design. Well, I know it will dissolve well when I'm done! So far, my design is intact and if one area dissolves as I stitch it, the remaining parts of the design stay well stuck to the ground fabric. And I can tell, from the dissolved areas and the back that the black does make the colors pop.

So, I'm plugging away and have actually completed a lot since I took this picture. And I'm actually starting to have fun.