Enjoying a sense of peace one stitch at a time
Another quick post for the week, as I’ve been out all day at work, followed by a work dinner … it’s now after midnight and I’ve just realised it’s Photo Hunt day … yikes!!This week’s theme is “Salty”, and I’ve chosen some lovely dried seafood from Hong Kong … chewing on these would definitely be salty!
At last I can show you the first sections of my Etui all finished … you have no idea how much time has been spent labouring over these few little panels! I was very happy with my thread choices until it came time for the stitching – I stitched as much as I could on the little triangles for the pincushion pyramid bargello sections, but couldn’t complete them as I was waiting for my main thread to come from Hand-Dyed Fibers.
After three of them I decided a change of scene was in order, so I started on the two boxes for the base. I’ve managed to stitch the oblong tied cross stitch on the first box a sum total of 4 times … not to mention other frogging due to colour changes and my own stupidity of not being able to count properly! I spent more time frogging than actually stitching the other night 
One of the main problems I had is that the pale blue I chose was very pale when just using two strands, and I needed something richer to ‘lift’ the piece … my first trip to the not-so-LNS (an hour’s drive away) saw me come home with a slightly lighter version of the Vikki Clayton silks I’d be using for my ‘main colour’ – and I have to say it looked so much better than the pale green or pale blue versions I’d previously stitched, so I was happy with attempt number 3 … that was, of course, until I started stitching the border in the variegated silk …!
The problem is that when stitched up the variegations show as a very different blue … without that purplish tinge I originally saw on the whole skein – meaning that new blue thread I’d just stitched up was now sticking out ever so slightly like a sore thumb (slight exaggeration, but it just didn’t look ‘right’, as much as I really adore the colour). I’d already been to this same not-so-LNS a few days earlier trying to track down some silk ribbon to finish off a couple of birthday gifts that are now WELL overdue, because I’d been unable to find anything locally that was suitable … hence the reason I’d returned the 2nd time for the silk thread, as I knew already they had what looked like the full range of AVAS and Madeira silks … Unfortunately, though, that also means the Vikki Clayton silks aren’t going to match either … oh what a quandary, and a severe dampening of spirits was in order!!
Yesterday we decided to hit the LNS’s (of which there are two) – the Embroidery Den in Brighton, and Broderie in Bentleigh … I bought one half skein of Kreinik at Broderie just in case I couldn’t find anything else, and a couple of Madeira silks at the Embroidery Den, but it was still niggling me that they weren’t ‘quite right’ … what’s a girl and her Mum to do? You guessed it … back across the city again to Bustle & Bows at Surrey Hills where I found a closer match in AVAS, plus a replacement for the main colour (to replace my Vikki Clayton silks). While they’re still not 100% perfect, they’re as good as it’s going to get at this late hour. I’m pretty unhappy how dark the darker blue is against the rest of the stitching, and it seems to be overpowering everything, but we just couldn’t find a lighter blue that was still within the tonings of the variegated thread 😦 It means when my VC silks arrive they’ll be used for either With My Needle’s My Stitching Treasures or Quaker Huswif … they certainly won’t be going to waste! Mind you, I’m still tempted to re-stitch this Etui again in the ‘Monet’ colours I have in my head … I just have to search for the perfect variegated thread to fit in with it (or attempt to dye my own!) – that won’t be for quite some considerable time, though, if ever, but you might find me stalking websites for such yummies as Gloriana over the next few months 😉
I’ve spent so much time on this project over the last two weeks, inbetween the dreadful heatwave we were having which made it ridiculous to even attempt picking up a needle (I managed to go through an entire packet of needles in one week!) … and I’m so far behind with my stitching goals for it, it’s just not funny! By this weekend I should have had three of my assignments done (I set myself stitching goals for each week which would see me getting everything stitched in time) … at this stage I will be lucky if I manage to complete two of the weeks assignments where I should have done three. I’m now starting to stress big time, as my shifts coming up aren’t fantastically conducive to stitching … and because of that I’ve had to put my other stitching commitments on hold until I can get a bit more comfortable with the stitching deadlines I’ve got. I’d be gutted to go all the way to Perth for this class not to have the stitching completed!
Anyway, enough moaning … with any luck things will work themselves out, and now I have my colours committed to I might get the stitching done more quickly. 
Without further ado, though, here’s the stitching of my two square bases (one inside, one outside) for the main ‘outside’ pyramid …
And here’s the stitching of one of the small bargello triangles for the inner pincushion pyramid (I still have one more triangle and the square base to complete) … this is probably where I find the darker blue a bit overpowering, but I’m sure it’ll all look fine when it’s stitched together and it won’t seem as bad.
Next up is to complete two of the large outer triangles (ie one full ‘diamond’ shape) before I switch over to the Peacock Needlecase to complete that over a couple of weeks) … then it’s back to completing whatever I can of the three remaining outer triangles of the Pyramid Etui – easy! 
Just a really really quick post to congratulate our great online pal Jenna on the opening of her online needlework store – when I announced to Mum this morning that today was the day that the store opened, Mum’s immediate reaction was “well, we’d better order something then!” I now have my Christmas gifts from Mum all sorted out 9 months in advance haha … and have ordered The Cat’s Whiskers charts that I’ve been drooling over the most since they were released at Nashville. I also ordered some 17″ Q-snaps at the same time to save on postage later, as I’m going to be needing the Q-snaps for Egyptian Garden soon as that whopping great project grows.
In the meantime if you get chance please do pop over to visit Jenna’s website and store – it looks wonderful, and I wish you every success in this exciting new phase of your life Jenna! You can visit it here:
The two charts I’ve got on order are the Alyssum Scissor Pocket, and the Peacock Stitching Chair – yippee!! They have to be wrapped up in Christmas wrapping paper as soon as they arrive and packed away with the Christmas tree decorations so I don’t forget where they are in December LOL.
As for my own stitching, I’ve spent so much time commuting between LNS’s over the last 7 days that we worked out it was the equivalent of an entire working day … and don’t ask how many times I’ve frogged parts of the Pyramid Etui haha. But finally I’ve found a combination of blues that kinda work – the variegated thread looked totally different when stitched, and the colours I had just didn’t blend well. I’ve just managed to finally finish one of the large square bases tonight, and I’ll take full piccies tomorrow in daylight so you can see what the final choice of colours looks like. It hasn’t worked out exactly how I pictured it in my head, but I do like it! 😀 I’m extremely behind with my stitching of it, though, and it’s stressing me out, but more on that tomorrow …
This month I cheated a wee bit – instead of stitching a new ornie from scratch, I pulled out a half-finished one and put the final stitches into it. I can now say I’ve set a new record for myself for the smallest piece stitched! The ornie used a Just Nan charm frame, which I didn’t have, so right from the start I thought about stitching the middle part on a separate piece of fabric but using a Nun’s stitch around the sides and attaching it at the end. Last night I stitched the wee over-one section and did the Nun’s stitch tonight before putting it all together. Now it’s headed for the finishing pile with the rest of the ornies 🙂
“A Little Joy” by Just Nan, Inc
from 2002 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue
stitched on 28ct Mushroom Meran, and 32ct Flax Belfast
using recommended threads and beads
Here’s a couple of photos using Mum’s hand as a model, and a packet of Piecemaker needles, to show just how tiny this little centre piece is. I was originally giving this one away to an online stitching buddy, but I have to say I don’t think I’ll face doing that over-one section again, so I think now I’m going to be keeping this one for myself! 😉
The other stitching news is that I FINALLY finished off my Peace needleroll ornament into a needleroll – but I forgot to take piccies, so I’ll have to do that later. It’s been pinned together for so long just waiting to have the seam stitched, I’m surprised the pins haven’t gone rusty! LOL.
Nothing else to report, really – I’m partly through my Etui stitching, but not entirely happy with my colour choices, as they seem a lot paler with just a couple of strands … I need to replace my Soie Cristale blue with something a tiny bit deeper, so tomorrow we’re hoping to drop into Bustle & Bows in Surrey Hills to check out their silk selection – ideally I’d like something similar in colour to Needle Necessities 101 floss (or just slightly darker), so fingers crossed we can find something. It means there’ll be a bit of frogging to do, though, as I’ve almost completed 3 of the little pyramid triangles (apart from the edges, as I’m still waiting for the threads to arrive from Hand Dyed Fibers). I won’t bother showing you a piccie until I’ve got all the colours to hand and I’ve got at least one piece totally stitched.
Rightio, off back to the TV where I’m pretty sure Mum has just fallen asleep … I think I’m going to have to start taping her favourite TV programmes for her – every night we’ve watched CSI ‘cos she loves it, she’s fallen asleep halfway through! She’s a worry!!
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the RAK (Random Act of Kindness) Registry for stitching bloggers – but seeing as I’ve had a couple of new enquiries recently I thought I’d give it another plug 😀
I thought it would be nice to have a ‘central register’ for my fellow stitching bloggers’ likes and dislikes for sending a small RAK, as it’s often I think I’d like to pop something small into the mail ‘just because’ or for a birthday, but don’t have all the recipients details to hand. Some people have wishlists and likes/dislikes held in different bulletin boards/groups, of which you need to have membership – this way no membership is required, just an active stitching blog.
If you would like to send any of the RAK Registry participants a small RAK, please send an email to me (shakatak at iinet dot net dot au) and I can arrange for address details of your intended recipient to be given to you. Due to privacy and security reasons I can only release this information to an existing stitching blogger (with an active blog), and preferably to one that is participating in this list (unless I can vouch for you personally).
If you’d like to join the list you just need to complete the short questionnaire below and email it to me, and I’ll add you to the website … it’s as easy as that! Here’s the questionnaire you need to complete:
Blog URL:
Preferred first name/screen name:
Fave colours:
Fave designers:
Fave styles of designs/stitching styles:
Fave thread types/brands:
Fave fabrics:
Any dislikes:
Pets/children:
Birthday:
Wishlist URL:
Any small RAK’s that would be enjoyed:
Fave holidays:
Holidays not celebrated or liked:
Full snail mail details:
I’d also love to make the birthday list more comprehensive, including those that aren’t actually participating in the RAK Registry, so if you’re a stitching blogger and you’d like your birthday to be included in the list please leave me a comment with your details (either here or the RAK Registry blog), and I’ll add you in straightaway 😀
Lastly, here are some quick links from the RAK blog itself for you:
Here’s the link directly to the birthday list (for stitching bloggers – in date order, but note not all these bloggers are taking part in the RAK Registry)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For full RAK blogger details (in alphabetical order by blog name) – click on the letter below to take you straight to the relevant post where you will find their complete information with likes and dislikes, and wishlists where supplied:
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – XYZ
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Below are links to the blogs of all RAK participants to date (in alphabetical order of blog name):
A Kiwi Stitching (Katrina – NZ)
A Tree Hugger’s Wife (Missy – USA)
Bible en Broderie (Renee – France)
Coffee Cup Thoughts (Christine – Canada)
Colourful Creations (Karen – Canada)
Contemplating My Needle and Thread (Su – UK)
Coonie and Plume (Sylvie – France)
Coral’s Blog (Coral – South Africa)
Craftee Cab (Michelle – USA)
Cross Stitch and Coffee (Tracy – NZ)
Fairy Tales & French Knots (Erin – USA)
Feather Stitching (Anne – Australia)
Garden of Stitches (Carol – USA)
It Will Be Funny Tomorrow (Cathy – USA)
Kitty Couture (Isabelle – France)
Ladybug’s Stitches (Nicole/Elanor – Switzerland)
Lavender Rose Ramblings (Deborah – USA)
Leslie’s Cross Stitch Heaven (Leslie – USA)
Mainely Stitching (Barbara – Netherlands)
Melissa’s Ramblings (Melissa – USA)
Mrs Sew and Sew (Clare – UK)
Mundane Musings By Me (Virginia/Vee – Canada)
My Favourite Things (KarenV – UK)
Mylene’s Blog (Mylene – Netherlands)
Now We Are Six (Carina – USA)
Once Upon A Stitch (Annemiek – Netherlands)
On the Dry Side (Von – USA)
Plush (Nicki – NZ/UK)
Random Stitching Ramblings (Cindy – USA)
Señorita Stitches ¡Ay Carumba! (Veronica – USA)
Smokey of the Netherlands (Judith – Netherlands)
Spirit Blooms (Carissa – Canada)
Stitchcats Thread Garden (Margaret – NZ)
Stitched With Love and Cat Hair (Renee – USA)
Stop The World! I Want To Get Off! (Faye – USA)
Tale of a Shooting Star… (Jenna – USA)
The Craft Room (Andrea – UK)
The Twisted Stitcher (Vonna – USA)
They Came From the LNS… (CathyMK – Australia)
Threads of Desire (Kathryn – USA)
Wendy – Home at Work (Wendy – Canada)
With Needle And Thread (Cathy – USA)
Virpin ristipistoja (Virpi – Finland)
No real explanation needed for this week’s theme – this is most of my collection of “Soft” Toys, in particular my ducks … yes, I’m definitely duck-mad, and a girl can never have enough of these fine feathered friends in whatever shape or form! 😀 The second photo is one of my all-time favourite ducks 😀 There have also been a couple more added since this photo was taken – and some have now spilled over from the bedroom into the lounge room 😉
I finally managed to get my stitching finished on part one today – I’m using 32ct Country French Linen in Chantilly, with DMC Variations 4030 … definitely a non-traditional Quaker colour 😉 I really enjoyed stitching this one, although it took longer to stitch than I expected, and I’m looking forward to receiving part two as part of this Round Robin 😀
This is my first ever Quaker piece, but I’ve got a few charts waiting in the wings to be stitched, so it definitely won’t be my last! It’s lovely stitching this one with some of my closest online buddies 😀 (This photo is a lot brighter than it is in real life, but I can’t get a decent one at the moment.)
It’s also Bordeaux SAL time for the week with Carol and Leslie – I actually did my stitching two days ago, as it was still sitting on my floor stand and it was easiest to pick up and stitch without too much effort haha. I’m still a couple of weeks away from finishing this band, but I could probably say I’m at the halfway mark now of the whole project, give or take a grape or two 😉 I’m really looking forward to the next band, as it looks like a nice easy one … although I hope it’s all Rhodes grapes not over-one ones, or I’ll be slitting my wrists LOL. This week’s progress sees one new boxer and basket, and a 4-letter “F” word 
Thanks for all the lovely words about my new Pyramid Etui thread choices – I’m about to start stitching this soon, so we’ll be able to see if my choices actually work together. In answer to Terri’s question … I signed up for the class pretty much sight unseen – I put my hand up before knowing which projects were going to be taught, as I was so keen to attend a CA Wells class – then on seeing a photo in someone’s online album the colours didn’t look as pale as the actual threads that turned up … they were still pastels in the photo, but not quite as ‘bland’. I absolutely ADORE the Etui design, though, and still very glad I signed up for the class … but I have to say I’m MUCH happier now I’ve changed the colours to be more “me”.
Thanks also to Nicki, who’s sending me some leftover Summer Shadows silk thread to save me having to buy an entire new skein for the Etui … you’re a real sweetheart! 
I’m also aware I’m now very overdue with the SBQ’s so here goes trying to catch up …
7 Feb – Today’s SBQ was suggested by Danielle and is:
“Have you ever been to a stitching retreat?”
My answer would be yes, but only a very small one. I attended a weekend retreat through the Counties Embroiderers Guild in Auckland when I was a relatively new member (and didn’t know anyone) – and we had the short class taught by Shelley Warner for her Cream button bag (which I only just completed recently). Other than that I attended a Heart of Cross Stitch festival in Sacramento, CA many years ago … although that probably doesn’t class as a “retreat” in the true sense of the word.
14 Feb – Today’s SBQ is:
“Do you like to buy “chartpacks” that include charms, buttons, and/or beads or do you prefer to gather all materials yourself?”
This is a good question – and my answer depends on the chart itself. On the whole I’d usually prefer to kit up my own threads, especially if there are pinks in it (yeah, I know, that’s an obsession of mine … for example, I adore the Au Fil de Reves Stitcher’s Bourse and accessories charts, but would replace the pink for a powder blue instead, so would prefer chart only for that). In saying that, though, sometimes you only need a tiny piece of each thread, in which case I prefer to have them as a partial kit. I don’t generally need Mill Hill beads, as I have loads in my stash, but if charms or bigger beads are needed I’d prefer to have those as part of the chartpack, as it’s sometimes a pain in the neck to find the right ones or a decent substitute, the same goes with any ribbons etc – the downside to chartpacks, though, is that they generally cost an arm and a leg compared to kitting it up yourself.
21 Feb – Today’s SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:
“What is the smallest count fabric you have ever used? Did you stitch over one? Conversely, what is the largest count fabric you have ever used?”
The smallest count I’ve stitched on so far is 36ct, which I’m using for the Bordeaux Sampler, and I’m really loving it. I wouldn’t mind trying 40ct as well some time in the future, but don’t own any as yet. On the 36ct for Bordeaux I’m stitching a fair amount over-one with the lettering and grapes … which is interesting. I don’t know how Carol manages it on 40ct!! As for the largest count I have to say it’s an 18ct fabric I used for Jenna’s hardanger lavender sachet, which was a big difference to other linens I’ve stitched on. My favourite is generally 32ct, but now I’ve tried the smaller counts I’m starting to convert 😉
After Nicki kindly offered me some blue silks to come up with a new colourway, I started thinking I’d love something in “Monet” colours … then a few minutes later I remembered I had a Silk ‘n’ Colors thread that was in that sort of colourway. No sooner had I found that thread, that I looked at my couple of RG Splendor threads I had, and found a dusky mauve that matched … there was no hope after that!
I’ve been dragging threads from all over the place, including pilfering one from the Stitching Leporello kit, and utilising the green from the original Pyramid kit. Anyway, I can’t believe it, but I think I’ve come up with a colour scheme that I’m really really happy with! It means I just have to buy a couple of skeins of silks, as some colours need extra lengths – plus I need to buy about 4 skeins of the Hand-Dyed Fibres premium silk (in Midnight) … anyway, without further ado I’ll show you my final choices (I just hope like hell I can get the remaining skeins from Karen at Dragonfly Dreams super-quick!). The threads are in the same order that I’d be stitching them on the bargello bands.
I hope CA Wells isn’t too upset I’ve totally changed her colour scheme – but I have to admit I really love this new one so much better. I wasn’t really looking forward to stitching it before, but now I can’t wait to get started, and that’s gotta be a good thing! 😀
The new threads are, from left to right: Silk ‘n’ Colours 982 Summer Shadows, Hand-Dyed Fibers Midnight, mystery green silk from the original kit, Soie Cristale 7063, NPI silk 352, RG Splendor S936, and AVAS Soie d’Alger 2212. Rightio, I’m off to start ordering (yes, you’d be right in thinking “aren’t you supposed to be stitching today?” … but there’s always tonight in front of the TV right? LOL).
Thanks everyone for your helpful comments – I think KarenV hit the nail on the head, the problem I have with the colours are that they really are “drab”! I’m usually quite a bright person where colours are concerned, so I was really disappointed when I opened up the kit to that not-so-wonderful array of colour 😦 And that pink just sticks out like a sore thumb – and of course just happens to be the one shade of pink I absolutely abhor! Anyway, I’ve scanned a small piece of the colour piccie that came with the kit so you can see the difference of the photo piece and the threads sent (and the scan is pretty accurate for the colours). I think even in the scan of the stitched panel the pink sticks out like a sore thumb – and the colours are sure as heck a lot different between the scan of the stitched panel and the threads!
The first instruction is to do the 4-sided stitch around the outlines in the blue thread … right … um, blue … I guess that’s the drab greeny-looking thread second from the right. I like the idea of perhaps finding a peach thread to soften it a bit, but I have to admit that if I’m truly honest with myself, I want the change the whole lot! The problem I have is I spent every spare cent I have, pretty much, on the kit costs for these two projects and still have to pay for the airfare etc, and I don’t think I have enough silk in my stash to rekit the whole thing from scratch – I may hunt through my variegated silks, though, to see if it gives me any ideas for rekitting (in the back of my mind, though, I’m thinking rich jewel tones – not blues for a change haha). I could always stitch up one band in the current colours, but replacing the pink with peach, and see how I feel about it stitched up, as the way I’ve gridded the fabric I’ve been very frugal and have enough left over for one more panel …
In the meantime, though, I may follow the good advice of a few of you and stitch up the peacock one first while I’m mulling over my options for the other one. I also may re-chart up the design in my XS program and play with the colours on there to see what would work, ie with the peach vs powder blue etc. I don’t have much time to play with, as I was supposed to have one panel stitched by the end of the weekend, so I’m behind the 8-ball already timewise oops. Luckily the fact I’m on leave at the moment gives me chance to catch up, though.
Edited to add: Actually Mum and I have been playing with the colours, and think if we just tone down the pink with a more muted and ‘dusky’ version I could live with it … barely … so we’ve decided DMC 778 is do-able, as long as I can find a silk in similar tonings. We tried a couple of different colours, and the muted blues/turquoises all mean we’d have to change the variegated silk, and I don’t have anything in my stash that would suit. I really liked the apricot on the screen, but IRL it was lost between the ‘ecru’ and gold … so, I guess the pink it is for now mutter mutter mutter LOL. If everything turns pear-shaped trying to find another pink silk, I’ll just use the original pink and stitch with my eyes closed
Edited again to add: My apologies for not posting this before, but here is a piccie of the actual project I’m harping on about … The photos are compliments of the Needle in a Haystack class they held – you can click on the link for further info and a description of the project itself. Here’s a photo of the Etui both open and closed (and in fact probably show the colours closer to what I actually have now … perhaps she’s changed the colours since the original photos and instructions were done?).
Right now, though I’m off to get my Quaker RR stitched up … fingers crossed my thread choice turns out OK for that one! 😉 (and it’s certainly not drab LOL)
Yesterday afternoon/evening I finally started laying out all the pieces for my CA Wells class for the Pyramid Etui – no mean feat in approx 36C heat, and I hate ‘gridding’ at the best of times. Anyway, my next challenge is to make a decision before I can start stitching. I keep thinking of the Sesame Street song “one of these is not like the others” … if you know me well, you’ll know where my dilemma is when you see the following piccie:
I just can’t bring myself to have that dreadful lolly pink in my stitched Etui … in fact, if I’m honest I’d personally change ALL the colours to richer yummy ones, and one day I may stitch it again and do just that. Anyway, the next piccie is what I’m thinking of doing, and wonder if it will look OK? I had in the back of my mind that I’d rather substitute the pink, which is a stark contrast to the other colours in a way anyway, to a muted duck egg blue or very light turquoise – I found this NPI silk in my stash and think it might work out OK, what do you think? It’s either that, or find a pastel blue from somewhere, but there’s definitely no way the pink is staying! 😉
On the other hand, the Peacock Needlecase colours are just totally scrummy, and I can’t wait to stitch with them! Check these out … it gets a resounding “mmmmmm, yummy” from me! 😉 I’m going to stitch the Etui first, mainly because I know I won’t enjoy stitching with those muted colours as much, and my treat at the end will be to stitch with these yummy ones!
Rightio, time to get motivated and put a few stitches into something – thankfully the heat is a lot lower today, so it should be a more productive day. We still have a couple of DVD’s left to watch (we got ones that we can keep for 2 days), so that sounds like another perfect day of stitching and movies … at least for part of the day anyway. Then we have to have a tidy-up session (there’s stitching stuff everywhere LOL) before we make a call to kick real estate agent butt! 😉
PhotoHunt
Feather Stitching 
