Finished Off

I did the needlepoint on this a little while back, and now it's been put together for me! Hopefully the recipient will like it when she gets it in a couple of weeks. I think it came out pretty well.

Snail's Pace

I think I'm at the point in this part where I feel like I'm making no progress even though I am. There's just such a large chunk to do here. I got more silver and more of that pretty Oasis Waterlilies done on this. It's progressing and I can see the tendrils growing, just not very quickly. I'll get over it when I get everything above the point done and it looks like I'm getting things done for real.

Second Band Done

The second band of Tiramisus done. Next band is BIG, so it's going to take me a while to do it. I'm pleased by the progress. Still don't know why my husband's camera is showing this so yellow. I'm debating adding more than these two colors to the design right now. Maybe some green?

Edging Along

The strap's grown to 35 inches and I'm almost done with the first row of edging on the sides in this picture. Since then, I've started working on the second row. Once that's done, the purse is done!

Golden Curls

I ended up adding some more gold to the corner this week. Also did some blue. Considering how big the corners are, I'm somewhat surprised it's going as quickly as it is. I still really like it.

Pots Done

Yay! I am down to only doing the specialty stitches on part two! Real progress! It feels good to get all those cross stitches done.

Mercury Rising

To me, this looks like the moon rising on an autumn night. It's Mercury, though, and I'm still working on it. at least it's farther along than it was a week ago.

Huswif - Big Band

Still not waiting much for my kids, so not much done on this. The band I'm working on is rather big, and I did do some extra yesterday after this picture was taken. There's a big carnation in the middle in Hazelnut, and two on the sides in Burnished Gold. I'm still really enjoying the Vikki Clayton silks. They don't snag and they have a nice sheen.

Goldwork Part G Done

So, I was thinking. I don't believe I've ever told y'all how I manage to do goldwork without a frame stand. It works, it's really portable, and it's affordable. I stretch the silk on a frame as usual and leave it on the frame for the duration of the stitching. To have it accessible and both my hands free, I use clamps to attach it to the edge of my dining room table. These clamps are from the hardware store, yes, but they're special clamps. First off, no screws. They have a lever you depress to get them to tighten up. They also have nice cushy pads for the frame and you can make them tight. I've seen one of our cats get onto this (he was promptly shooed off) and the clamps held. I'm planning on taking the clamps with me on my trip.


As for the goldwork, I got another section done - the little blooms of the flower. They're not as round as they should be, but I think they came out all right. Next up - the big leaf in the middle.

Tiny Bargello Start

I started this piece to have something small that I could finish quickly. It's called "sugar Plum" and was designed by Patricia Hartman from Creative Reflections. It's going quickly. What you see here is less than half an hour's worth of work. I hope to finish it before I go to France three weeks from today.

Garden Rambling

Still filling in all these stitches on the garden. It's looking good and I got to use a color or two besides Honeydew this week. I like the feel of Waterlilies - it rarely snags or pills. Part five is already out and I'm still on Part two, but there's nothing new in me being behind. I'll get there.

Tiramisu Second Band Started

I don't know why, but this picture turned out really yellow compared to the original. As you see, the second band is almost half done, and is done in two threads - the soy silk, which I've found has a tendency to fuzz more than I like, and the Needle Necessities overdyed blue. The overdyed is much harder to do longer lengths of double running stitch over - the colors don't match up well. I'm learning something doing this, at least, and it's pretty.

Round and Round the Edge

I got almost the whole top part of the flap edged and the strap's grown to 34 inches. It's getting there! Looks like it's one I'm going to have to take to France to work on, though.

Needlework Round Robin Done

I finished the sewing bird for this round robin yesterday. Only one more piece to work on and I'll have done all six! This one came out good. One person still needs to stitch on it, and I will be mailing it to her tomorrow. This also makes number ten of my project challenge (yay!) and so it's two completions in one.

Planetary Orange

Still plodding along on this, since I spent a lot of time not stitching this week - including this weekend, when I only worked on the sewing bird for the needlework round robin. I'll get there. Mailing date is one month from today.

Round Robin Nears Done

I'm almost done with the sewing bird on the needlework round robin. This picture was taken Thursday night, and since then I've completed all the cross stitch and am working on the backstitching. My plan is to finish it tonight and send it out tomorrow.

Two Chatelaines

I decided to put these two into one blog entry since they're in the middle of the same stuff they have been. On the Medieval Mandala, I got another color on the top half of the corner done, meaning I have only one blue to go on that part. Will be doing the gold next. On the Midi, I got a plant and a half done and and another pot. I might get this part done before I get to France. Stitching time is going out the window with preparations, spring, and everything else going on.

Huswif

I didn't have much wait time last week. That's why there is so little progress on this. The band I just started is at least as big as the flower and square band, and my hope is to finish it this week. Time keeps getting more and more squished on me. Does it ever slow down and let you catch up on your stitching? I hope it will for me soon.

Goldwork Part F Done

This week, I managed to do Part F. It's the calyx of the other flower, and I think I did the box couching better on it. At least, it looks better to me. I'm liking the progress when I get to work on this, but it's looking like I'm going to have to take this to France to complete. I really want it done, so I might take a week or a day or two and just work on it to catch up.

Calendrier des Fleurs

This is Yveline's round robin - it arrived in the same package as my completed one. I need to add a calendula (marigold) to it for October. My daughter remarked on how appropriate that was because it's my birthday month. I have a picture of a calendula that I need to make a chart of. Will do that after I'm back home on Monday. I think her idea is lovely and it looks so pretty!

My Round Robin Flew Home!

I got a wonderful, beautiful surprise in the mail today. My round robin flew home! It's done! I love it, even if my husband says the contrast isn't great. I think he says that because it's hard to photograph. i'm just thrilled with how it turned out. There's a blank spot near the middle that I think I'm going to put everyone's initials in. Now I have to finish the other two that I have to go through. The needlework sampler one is almost done and the other I got in the mail with mine. I so recommend doing this!

Victorian Progress

I got to use a color other than Honeydew this week -and the edges of the swirls are beginning to be more defined. I still like the detail of the garden - but it takes so long to do!

Tiramisu Band One

This picture shows the first band almost done - another sailor needed to be added to the right side. It's done now and Band 2 is started and about halfway done - picture to be taken tonight, along with everything else. The backside doesn't look quite as nice as the front, mainly because of the starting and ending of threads, but it's still pretty reversible. My kids and husband think that's neat. I'm sure I won't get this all done in time for the review, but I'm going to turn in what I have done when it's time.

Round Robin - A Better Picture

My husband managed to take a better picture of the whole piece this week. As you can see, it's huge. My little sewing bird in the corner is dwarfed! It's coming along pretty well, though. Since taking this picture, I have the bird and the second cushion done. All I have to do now is the vise and the outlining and it's done. I was contacted by Muriel earlier this week and she's sending me, she says, the last two, very soon. Maybe I'll have mine back sooner than I thought.

Started Edging

This week, I started a new part of the purse - I'm beading the edges. Talk about tedious! I have two rounds of it to go, and in the picture, when you look at it full size, I've got most of one side done. The instructions said to do it all in black beads, but I decided the foundation beads would be silver with black connector beads across them. So far, it looks good. I didn't get to make the strap any longer this week, though.

Since taking the picture, I've both lengthened the strap some and edged the first round across most of the flap. I doubt I'll make more progress on it before the next picture, but at least it's coming along.

New Start - Celestial Spheres

I joined another round robin, and after I joined, I found out it had to be on Aida so ... I dug this kit out of my stash. It's a Mary Hickmott pattern and is of the nine planets, on 14 count black Aida. My husband will love it. I'm hoping people will each stitch one planet and I will do the other four. The first mailing date is June first, so I have quite a bit to do. This planet I'm starting is Mercury. Eventually, the stitching is nearly five feet across, but only eight inches from top to bottom.

Medieval Corner

Still working on this first corner, but at least it's coming along. I've got quiet a bit of the top half of it done and should get the rest of the tip of the corner this week. Not sure how much I'll get done this week, though. Pictures will be taken a bit earlier than usual (Thursday night) and I'll be gone over the weekend ... on top of the usual kid taking around and such and meetings. Will be trying to get as much as possible done, though.

Tut And Stitching

Yes, I'm posting later than usual for a Sunday - I went to the Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Was okay, but not worth the cost because of the huge crowds around every single item. Couldn't see anything properly. Another gripe I had was that they implied the sarcophagus was there and it wasn't. There were several nice items, though. Needless to say, I haven't put a stitch in anything all day.

To get back to stitching - you can see that I added some foliage this week and got another pot plus done. Will be doing more this week, of course. It's still progressing and I'm done with the green arches of doom.

Huswif Part One Done

The Huswif's done through Part 1 (which ends just above the second line of letters) and I'm well on my way into Part 2. Part 4 comes out the first week of May, though, so I'll probably end up staying behind despite this being the carry-with project. The colors are growing on me and I'll make use of this when it's done.

Goldwork Flower

Parts C, D and E of the goldwork project completed the flower that's in close up here. I think it looks pretty good, but I did a couple of things wrong - instead of ending the couching every round on the lower leaf, I just kept going round with it. That led to some bumpiness. When I did it properly on the upper leaf, I left some gaps in the leaf on the wider parts. I really need practice! Hopefully I'll get some and some in person instruction, which I feel necessary, at the ANG seminar in Baltimore in August. Now on to part F!

Me and Honeydew (Victorian Garden)

It seems the dominant color of Part 2 is "Honeydew" Waterlilies. I've been getting to see it a lot. It's the light greenish background in these pictures. From what I heard from others, this part takes about forty hours to stitch, so I'll be on it a long time, probably until I go to France (hard to sink in, but only five weeks now). At first I didn't like the color, but it's growing on me. Progress is very visible too, which is always good for me.

New Start - Tiramisu GCC

I'm so behind! I think this is due in two months and I'm just starting it. It's a relatively new correspondence course called Tiramisu and I'm taking it through the Cyberstitchers Chapter of the EGA. I've decided to try out the soy luster, since I was given some as a gift. The color shown in this picture is Egyptian Lapis. I'll be using a Needle Necessities overdyed, too. Fabric is 32 count Meditation from Picture This Plus. Hopefully, it'll all mesh together well. The floss toss looks good, and the stitching is turning out okay, even if I did have to rip out the beginning of the second sea monster - I put it two stitches too far from the first. That's done now and the first band is actually almost done! The piece is all reversible blackwork. I'm not having too much trouble with it yet, but I haven't used the overdyed yet.

Round Robin Sewing Bird

The sewing bird is beginning to look like a bird now. It's going according to schedule. I'm definitely mailing this out before I go to France, most likely in about three weeks. Hopefully I'll have the next one by then and be able to take it to France with me. This piece, by the way, is HUGE. It's about 25x30 inches. It'll look stunning when it's framed.

Strapped

The strap is now officially 32 inches ... only 11 inches to go. I started doing the beadwork this week around the edge of the bag, but that was after this picture was taken, so you have to wait until next week to see it. The beading along the edges is rather tedious, but I'm sure it'll look nice. The end is in sight. All I have to do after the strap is finish the edging, make another circle for the rose, and put the rose together.

The Little Helper

It seems Missy the cat wants to learn blackwork pretty badly. She does this kind of often ... gets on the needlework when it's being photographed. At least she doesn't get on it at other times. Tux, her brother, likes to knock over the goldwork and sit on it. I've discouraged both.

Medieval Town Mandala Close Up

The corner is getting there ... I really like the colors, though I've decided I don't like the feel of NPI as much as I do Vikki Clayton's. There's a small part on the outer corner in this picture that needed frogging ... which is done now. This part is going to take a loooong time because there are four corners with this much stitching on them! Perhaps I'll get some caught up on rainy days in France. The part of Normandy we're in is known for a lot of rain, and no drought there like southern England. I really like working on this project more than I do the Midi, and I'm convinced it's partially the color of the background fabric. This light blue looks very good with the silks so far. There are still several colors I haven't used yet. Perhaps they're for the houses around the outer edge.

More Midi

Well, I got two more pots nearly done. It's going and the progress is more visible than on those arches, but sometimes I feel like I'll never get this done. Nine and a half months after the beginning of the chart and I'm still only on the second of six parts! I can only hope the other parts have less stitching in them. I -think- they do. If I knew what the design looked like when I started it, I wouldn't have put it on such a dark fabric. It looks okay, but just doesn't grab me as a good background now. I must have the mid-project doldrums. The rain and snow through yesterday didn't help that, I'm sure.