WIPs

I think I may stitch more dishcloths for the holidays, but in the meantime, I'm back working on my pile of WIPs. I haven't made much progress, since I didn't work on this at all over the holiday weekend.This is the scarf that matches the cable hat, here. It definitely will need to be blocked but it's coming along. Each cable twist is just about one inch.I've also made some progress on my crewel piece. The green leaf at the top is coming out, though. It's too skinny. I was so concerned about keeping an open space in the middle that I went overboard. Hopefully, I can just pull out part of the middle section and not the whole thing.

Slow progress

I've made a little progress on the Camellia needlepoint since first posting it here. It's been slow going and the last time I worked, I ripped more than I stitched. I worked on the gold flowers on the left-hand side. The thread (the DMC gold on a spool) kept wearing and breaking. Then I realized the gold I had outlined the first camellia with was the wrong gold so I took it out and redid it, and the second camellia's outline, with the correct thread. I've also done a few of the many leaves. Next step--more leaves.
I'm also still slowly working on the Long and Short Stitch sampler from Needle&Thread. This isn't a matter of ripping, just a matter of time and energy.
So, of course, I began a new project. I've had the kit for these pears for a while now. Last week I needed a easy "sit in the doctor's office" project so I pulled this out. So far I've traced the pattern pieces and embroidery designs onto the fabric and I'm in the process of basting the pretty fabric to a muslin backing (the needed mindless project). The embroidery itself should be pretty mindless, too, and then I can put it together with the newly repaired sewing machine. I have absolutely no idea what I'll do with them when they're done, but they'll be fun to do and good to have out of my stash pile.

I am still stitching...

I've been neglecting this a bit in my scribbles here, but it's always ongoing.

In spite of saying I would stick to UFOs, I began a new project. Mary Corbett on Needle'nThread is teaching a long and short stitch sampler and I'm participating. Here's my start. I had the first bit, that red box, pretty much done but I didn't like it so I started over. My top edge still isn't straight and the first row is a little short, but I'm going to keep going now and not be so picky. The point is to learn this technique not make my first stitches perfect. Now, by the end, I expect they will be perfect! (yeah, right.)

This is the entrelac bag that will be felted. I showed the pattern when I started it a few weeks ago but it was a little tangle on the needles for the first couple of rows and would not pose for a photograph. Row 3 is nearly done and the blue will be row4. It's now at the stage where it can be waiting room knitting. I think I'd like to do this pattern in Noro.

This Hardanger project will fit into the boxes we used for Camp Quality. It is part of the Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana (EGA) Indiana State Day project for October. While the amulet bag is the actual State Day design, it is too much to stitch in a one-day class, so this is the companion teaching piece that we will be teaching on State Day. Both projects were designed by Jamee Jecmen.

It's nearly done, I just need to do the Hardanger bit in the middle. I used Watercolors and various perle cottons for it. I aimed for Autumn colors this time (the piece is called Web in an Autumn Garden). This worked up quickly and will be great for class. It would have gone much easier if I'd used Waterlilies rather than the thicker Watercolors. (both threads by the Caron collection) I may do a second one.

I also dug out my Japanese Embroidery piece and found two more UFOs in the same case. (it seems to never end!) In 2002, I think, I went to the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta and took a week's class in phase 1. I felt a total disaster, clumsy and awful, and I came home and put the piece away and haven't touched it since.

In the meantime, I found I was using various things I learned while in the class in my other stitching. Both UFOs that I put with the traditional piece use some Japanese techniques and designs. One is on canvas. They're all together because the materials are similar and I used some of the same tools.

I'm planning on picking up and working on the traditional piece next week at the classes I've posted about over the last few weeks. I'm a little anxious about it.

Three projects nearly done!

I've been busy this week and over the last, long weekend. I stitched this beaded stocking together and added the lining this week. I'm glad I wrote up this design plan when I began it, at least five years ago. I never would have remembered that beading pattern I came up with. The stocking has been beaded and sitting in a little box with all the beads, thread, needles, the lining fabric and the design card. I must have been at a very organized point in my life! Once I bead the fringe and a hanging loop it will be done.

The local American Needlepoint Guild chapter (Ridge Needlepointers) had issued a challenge to use a men's tie in a holiday design. By the time of the challenge I wasn't doing much counted work but I liked the concept. Most people were either adapting a design pattern from a tie to needlepoint or using the tie fabric as bands or trim on a needlepoint piece. My husband found this tie while taking a walk one Sunday afternoon. It was near a couple of churches, so we're guessing someone removed his tie after church and thought he stuffed it into his pocket. The fabric of the tie was gorgeous, but it was a narrow one.

I had loads of fun selecting beads (SJ Designs) and designing the beading on the stocking and the fringe.


This is the second of two crewel projects I inherited from my friend Rita. The first, here, had some stitching done on it by Rita. This one just had the design on (very nice) twill and the stitch and thread key. I'm sure this was a practice piece for the larger piece and I'm sure Rita just jumped in on the "real" piece, bypassing the practice. It's what I would have done. The colors are the same for both pieces. It only took me a few evenings and one morning to complete (I got up early today--I just couldn't leave it unfinished.) I plan to finish it as a flat ornament and use it as a doorhanger for my door at work.

The bag that contained these two projects also has the design for a third. The third design is larger and uses more colors (these two use only two color families, a pink and a green). I'm not sure if it appeals to me enough to do it. I think I'd like to try my hand at developing my own design for the next crewel project.

This project has been lurking in the bottom of the tote I bring to guild meetings for a few years now. It's a sewing tools "chatelaine" to go around your neck and keep things handy. Once in a while I'd pull it out at a meeting and stitch a flower.

I have one much like this, bought at an antique shop already made up. This one came from another antique shop as an original kit. 1975, designed by Erica Wilson for Columbia Minerva. The threads were bright Crayola green, olive (very 1970s!), yellow, pale orange and bright orange Persian threads and medium and hot pink perle cotton. The whole design is screened in blue on a nice white cotton fabric. I finally pulled it out after guild meeting this week and completed the embroidery. It's all cut out, ready to be put together. I need to decide whether I'd like to interface the ruler band (I think yes) and find a lining for the pocket (one of the squares is stuffed for a pincushion and the other lined for a small pocket. I'm also thinking about finding a way to sew or bond that strip with the pattern information (the date is printed at one end) onto the back of the long neck piece, to document it's history.

Hopefully there will be some DONE! posts coming up soon.

benefits of being ill?

Well, I've spent the last few days sitting on my duff, coughing, sneezing, and not doing too much else beyond contemplating why on earth I pulled out three over-one stitching projects to do now. (That's mainly because the other thing I have to be thinking about is how are we going to pay for the new transmission my car is getting right now and I just don't want to think about that.)

These were long days. I've learned you can't cough and sleep. And if you cough while trying to sleep not only are you kept awake but your very patient hubby is, too.

So I got some stitching done. I decided to first finish the plum pudding since it was closest to being done.

Then I got to work on the Ohio sampler from mom's stash. I realized quickly that I need to switch off between an over-one project and something else. The sampler went quickly and was completed in the wee hours one night. I still haven't gotten up the gumption to get it pressed, but here it is.

The pattern had an option to make it a picture or a needle roll. I don't know what mom's intention was, but I'm thinking a framed picture.

Once I finished the plum pudding, I got seriously to work on the plumeria scissors keep. It's coming along. I can't see how mom did what she managed on it. I find it tough going and finally had to add in some color to keep track of where I am with it. The white is nearly impossible to see and I don't last long when working on it. Thankfully, what mistakes I've made have been minor and the colors are so close that it doesn't show. I can see that it's going to be lovely when done. And I'm determined not to put it back in the pile.

As a balance for this, I got the silk sampler from Kreinik underway. It's going quickly (it's quite small, just over two inches across). It's just over halfway done now.

I didn't pick up the little friendship sampler over-one sampler again. For now I'm going to focus on the plumeria.

As I've been stitching these pieces, I've been contemplating what I'm doing and why. I'll be happy to have them done. And I'm pretty sure this isn't what I want to be doing (definitely not over one!). I pulled out a couple of larger projects to put on the "find-a-new-home-for" pile.

More Trees

Well, I wasn't going to post the trees again until I had it framed but when I ordered the frame from Jo-Ann's (just the frame and mat, mind you--I'll frame the embroidery myself), they said it would likely take two weeks.

I don't have that much patience. So, here it is again, this time with the background painting in place.

This is about how the mat will hit on it, just covering the edges of the drawn threads on the sides.

Posting it here has a couple of benefits for me. Seeing it here gives me a different perspective on the piece. The background comes out more in the image than I see in the actual piece. That's probably more real--when I'm looking at it, I'm focusing on the embroidery.

And, second, I hope to get from feedback on it.

Perhaps I need to add a bit more foreground to the right side. It looks a but lopsided to me but perhaps that's just me.

I'm not sure about that background. I tried to do a couple of things with it. First, I wanted an effect of some sun coming through the trees. But still making it clear that this is background and therefore more subtly colored than foreground.

Second, I, hmmm, well, painted seems an overrated word for what I did. But I did use paint. I painted in a couple of brown blobs that are supposed to be deer. I'm not sure they "work" at all.

Now adding more stitching now is possible (not simple, but possible). Adding a new or different background painting is a matter of painting one. This one is just held in place by Scotch tape right now.

So, whaddya think? Does it work? Or not?

New Projects

Now that Santa and the Trees are done, I needed to dive into the stash for more projects--especially one I could carry with me to meetings and appointments. I pulled out two that were my mother's. By the time she had begun them her vision was quite bad. I purchased the materials for the Ohio Sampler for her and I found a note with the pattern that the linen I had gotten was larger than what the pattern called for.

Mom had begun the piece but still had some trouble counting. I only took out a couple of things that would affect the rest of the sampler's motifs fitting. It's large enough to be a good carry-along project and I've already made some progress.

The second project is a scissors keep with a plumeria flower on it. It's stitched over one on a very fine linen and it was clear she couldn't see it at all. Especially where the center was nearly the color of the fabric. I got out a new piece of fabric (white lugana) to begin again. The kit has everything, including scissors.

I also keep reminding myself I need to pull out my EGA chapter's state day project. I set it aside before Christmas and don't see it now. I'm one of the people testing the pattern. Most of the others have finished already!

But I'm really inspired right now by a lovely big stash of felting materials given to me by a friend (THANK YOU!!)--some felt, felt bags to decorate, roving, needle-felting needles and patterns for inspiration. I want to get back to felt and, with it, finish up the TIF project. I feels nice to get my enthusiasm back--thanks!
I was really pleased to learn this week that a friend decided to follow my lead and has been finishing up projects that were nearly done. It certainly made me feel good.

This time of year I crave color. Here's a bit of spring-time.