Finishes – Page 22 – Feather Stitching

Chatelaine, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Prairie Schooler, Stitching Leporello, Works in Progress

Lazy day stitching

15 June, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

It was a perfect Saturday – sitting up on my bed all day stitching my little heart out. I started stitching The Prairie Schooler’s “Duck” last night, and put the final stitches into it today – I just love this little fella!! It’s intended to turn him into a tin topper, but I think he’d look nice in so many different finishes I’m now undecided!

After my Duck finish, I also polished off part 3 of Chatelaine’s Stitching Leporello – this was just a small design, but it still took me a wee while to stitch. Thank goodness for Season 1 of Supernatural to keep me company all day (thanks to Katie at work for loaning it to me). I must say I think the colour choices for this one are quite “strange” … hmmm.

I also put a couple of stitches into part 8 of the Leporello, which will eventually be the pincushion – I might even get that one finished tomorrow, as it’s quite a small piece to stitch.

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Works in Progress

Part 2 of Stitching Leporello finished

9 June, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Mum and I spent the day out yesterday enjoying the sights of Mittagong, Bowral and Berrima, and had a great day out! Unfortunately it’s getting down to the last couple of days of Mum’s visit … it’ll be really quiet round here after she’s gone!! I haven’t had time to sort out our photos from yesterday yet, and seeing as it’s now just after midnight here I might leave those until a later time … I will, however, share the photos of my latest stitching finish …

Here is part 2 of Chatelaine’s Stitching Leporello … I had a sneak look at the finishing instructions today and nearly had a heart attack … luckily I don’t have to think about it too much for a while yet as there is still loads of stitching to be done, and I only intend to stitch these inbetween other stitching such as Winter Queen. I must say, though, that I really love this block, and in particular those little flower urns! 😀

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Works in Progress

Ornie finish … and WIP

6 June, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Here’s my latest ‘small finish’ that I put the final stitches into yesterday (this was my holiday stitching piece that had an attack of the frogs the first night):

Twisted Oaks-Christmas Tree
“Christmas Tree” by Twisted Oaks Designs
from 2005 JCS Christmas Ornie magazine
Stitched on 28ct opalescent white Cashel linen
Some substituted threads – instead of NN Lemon Delight I used
Carrie’s Creation Gold Glow, and instead of DMC 349 for
the hearts I used Carrie’s Creation Scarlet

Also my progress from yesterday after finishing the ornament … I chose something already kitted up and ready to be picked up at a moment’s notice … this is the stitching of part 2 of the Stitching Leporello by Chatelaine … perhaps I will finish it today? Or perhaps not … 🙂 (sorry for the bad photo but I took it after midnight last night and can’t be bothered taking another one)

Stitching Leporello WIP 05Jun08

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Finishing, Stitching Smalls

Biscornu finish

31 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Did you hear a lot of muttering and cursing down under last night? If you did, it was likely to have been me!! I was all set to finish-finish my beautiful red tuffet/biscornu … and had the pieces freshly ironed ready to go, with the perle cotton and threads ready to start making wee tassels … Remember my joy in finally finishing this project??

Well, as soon as I started to thread needle through the backstitching on the sides, I thought to myself “hey, those fabrics feel totally different in hand” … and lo and behold on finer inspection and measuring they have been stitched on two different thread counts so the sides don’t match up!!! Lesson to self … do not take thread count on labels as gospel, always check before stitching!!! To say I was less than thrilled was a HUGE understatement last night – I was absolutely gutted … that means I have to either stitch the big piece again on the new fabric, which I have plenty of, or I have to try to find other fabric to match … considering I had such a bad run on stitching the main piece previously I have absolutely NO desire to stitch that again. Anyway, it’s been thrown in the corner to sit in disgrace until I decide I have the motivation to look at it again and decide what the heck to do … ho-hum 😦

Luckily I had another design ‘in reserve’ to finish as a biscornu for the Monthly Finishing Challenge that Becky has been organising … this one seemed to go relatively hitch-free, although I wish I’d left a bigger margin of “clear” fabric at the edge of the design before starting the backstitching for the whipstitch join, as it looks a little ‘busy/crowded’. Never mind, I still like it, nonetheless … So, here’s my attempt for this month, just in the nick of time! 😀

“Mystery Sampler” design by Debbie Draper
from Gift of Stitching Magazine (issues 6 and 7, 2006)
stitched with Carrie’s Creations threads
finished with seed beads from U Bead It (Sacramento, CA)

Christmas Ornaments, Finishes

May’s Christmas Ornie

29 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Yesterday I started and finished my Christmas ornament for the monthly challenge on XSers Yahoo group. Unfortunately I chose to stitch on 32ct instead of 28ct, which means my teeny buttons look overpowering on it, so I’m not bothering to put them on … I may still add larger red ones to the corners when it’s eventually made up into an ornie though – in fact, I think I’m due to have a large ornie-finishing session soon! 🙂

“Spool Ornament” by Sue Hillis Design
from 2007 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine
Stitched on 32ct white Belfast linen with DMC

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Gifts TO BE FIXED, Home & Family TO BE FIXED

Fun and productive stitchy weekend

11 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I dropped Barnabee’s Bride over to Karen at The Stitching Post yesterday, and she’s now sitting on display in the smalls cabinet. Alison joined me for the trip, and I had a wonderful time catching up with her before we made the drive – we had time to have a cup of coffee while I wandered around her stitching gallery and admired her beautiful stitched pieces on the walls … that was a real treat before we hit the road! I was dying to see Alison’s latest stitched piece from her blog, and the photo doesn’t do it justice … that wallhanging is just divine in real life (as is everything else)!!! 😀

Alison is always great company and we had an enjoyable drive chatting away the whole time. We arrived at The Stitching Post early, where I had a panic attack that the shop was closed, not realising it doesn’t open until 12 noon!! Phew!!!

Catching up with Karen and Brendon is always a treat – although poor Karen got absolutely no work done while we were there ‘cos we spent the entire hours of opening chatting away. I apologise in advance if extra hours are needed this week to catch up!

I was given a thank you gift from them for the model stitching that was totally unnecessary, but it will be treasured always. I am now the proud owner of one of Brendon’s jewellery pieces … isn’t this amber just amazing?? It will always be a reminder of their friendship when I wear it – thanks so much once again, Karen and Bren, I love it! 😀

I had an extra treat of seeing the first three of my framed pieces up on the wall – I didn’t realise they were there, or I would have taken my camera with me and taken a photo … but I intend heading back again in a fortnight with Mum when she comes to visit, so I’ll remember to take a camera with me then 🙂

What I can show you a photo of, though, is my latest finish – I truly ADORE this piece! As usual, because the photo is taken late in the afternoon without a flash or tripod the photography isn’t the best, but here it is in all its glory … in real life the colours really pop 😀

“Beach Roses” by Just Nan
Stitched on 28ct natural Cashel linen
using recommended threads (DMC)
and embellishment pack of charm and pearls

And don’t you just love the little scallop shells and starfish charm?? I sure do!! 😀

This project will likely head on over to my Trade page at some stage in the future – Nan was really generous with the beads, so there are still just enough pearls to complete the design again … but a charm will have to be bought separately. I’ll make an announcement post here when I eventually get around to updating my list after I clean out a few folders in the future.

Right now I’m not entirely sure what to stitch next – I’m quite keen to get some of my older WIP’s (they’re probably better categorised as UFO’s now, but we’ll stick with WIP’s for now LOL) finished, as well as getting a few more models stitched for Karen – so I think I’ll bring out one of my BAP’s to concentrate on (that’s already started, eg Mirabilia’s Winter Queen), and do a 10-hour rotation with 1 or 2 of those, with an LHN/CCN design or Christmas design/ornament inbetween – with any luck that’ll see me get at least one BAP finished before too long! 🙂

Hmmm, perhaps that’s what I should work on tonight … Winter Queen … but an LHN is calling … oh decisions, decisions … 😛

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Needlerolls, Stitching Smalls

Barnabee’s Bride is complete

9 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I managed to get all the finishing done on Barnabee’s Bride in time to drive her over to The Stitching Post tomorrow morning. She looks very cute (although I have a bit of wrinkling of the green wool when she’s rolled up, if I had more fabric I might have unpicked it and cut it a bit smaller, but it’s OK I guess), and I couldn’t resist taking a quick photo in the sunlight to show off her wee sparklies 🙂

Barnabee’s Bride (kit) by Just Nan

I forgot to take a photo of the needleroll opened out – I’ll take one later … if I remember … but I’ve run out of time to take one this morning, as I’ve now got to race off to work (I’m on the late shift today ‘cos I’m “on call” for the next 7 days in case of emergencies, which gave me time to quickly take these photos this morning).

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Stitching Smalls, Twisted Oaks Designs

French Monogram tuffet

5 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

Yippee, the stitching is now all finished, both front and back, so the tuffet is ready to be put together (which won’t be happening this week … but next weekend is looking good).

“French Monogram III Tuffet” by Twisted Oaks Designs
stitched on 32ct cream Belfast linen
with DMC 115 floss

I’m soooo happy to finally get the stitching on this one finished – it’s been a WIP (or perhaps more like a UFO of late) for far too long. It used to be my evening stitching when I was on the overnight shifts at work – that is until I found out I was one stitch out somewhere in the outside border, and only found out when I’d completed the whole thing. Mum very kindly took it upon herself while I was at work to find out where I’d gone wrong and unpicked it all for me … bless her heart! It’s amazing how quickly it’s stitched up once I had the time to concentrate on it without having to take phone calls inbetween stitches! Now I just have to stitch up the needlebook and fob to match … not sure whether I’ll do that straightaway now or pick up an older WIP … ah decisions, decisions … 🙂

I have to admit after my stressful night last night I’ve been taking it pretty easy today, and didn’t attempt to put together Barnabee’s Bride – I hope to get this finished during the week, however, so I can still take it over to Katoomba next weekend.

I did manage to get the food processor out this morning and after donning a surgical rubber glove onto my injured hand I finished off the soup, as well as cooking a whole new batch of soup with pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato. Lisa had that for dinner tonight, and apparently enjoyed it, so that’s good 🙂

As for the finger/fingernail, I changed the dressing tonight and I’m quite pleased with how it looks after I cleaned the dried ‘gunk’ off it – as long as I don’t bend the nail at all you can only just see where I sliced it through … thank goodness (and no, I didn’t attempt to actually bend the nail, last night was enough trying that little trick out!!).

Rightio, time to get into bed … so much for my planned early night tonight, as I coudn’t pack up the stitching until I put those final stitches in … now I can sleep a restful and happy sleep … helped along by a glass of Omrah Shiraz that I chose as my nightcap – that’s a wine that was recommended to me while I was in Perth, and I have to say it was a good recommendation! 🙂

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Just Nan, Needlerolls

Attack of the Frogs

3 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to stitch up this little piece – mainly due to numerous attacks of the frogs! If it was my own piece I’d probably have left two of the errors in it, as the larger blue flowers were one stitch out in their placement (I was quite impressed I managed to do that same error in both of them!) … and the border was unpicked three times as I’d managed to get loops and knots in the pearl cotton and not realised … mutter mutter mutter.

Barnabee’s Bride by Just Nan (kit)
(once again apologies for the bad photo – I’ll take a better one
once it’s all finished into the needleroll)

Anyway the stitching is finally all done, and all I have to do now is the finishing, which I hope to attempt tomorrow. Then this will be driven back home to The Stitching Post where it will live happily with its owner (I’m stitching this as a model for Karen).

As for the rest of today, it will be spent making a beef stew in the crockpot, along with a big pan full of pumpkin soup ready for the freezer.

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Stitch-alongs

Bleary-eyed finish

1 May, 200825 February, 2012 Anne S

I’ve been stitching madly over the last two nights trying to meet the deadline for the monthly ornie challenge on XSers Yahoo Group – unfortunately I missed the deadline by 1 hour, but it still felt good to get another ornie finished. I’ve been stitching until 12.30pm and 1.00am respectively the last two nights – the amount of stitching in those one was quite deceiving, especially all the backstitching!

“Checking It Twice” by Dragon Dreams, Inc
from 2007 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine
stitched on 28ct hand-dyed Dried Thyme Jobelan
using DMC only (substituted RG Fuzzy Stuff with white DMC)
(sorry for the poor photo, but it was taken at 1.00am – the
colours look so much richer in real life!)

Next month I think I’ll start my ornie stitching much earlier to save the sleepless nights! My May ornie choice is Spool Ornament by Sue Hillis Designs.