Category: Finishes

Well, I’m off work at GP’s orders again today, trying to get rid of these cluster migraines once and for all (apparently that’s what they are) – so now I’m doped up with anti-inflammatories etc, and I’ve been ordered to do no housework etc, just rest and relaxation … so on Dr’s orders, I’ve been sat stitching, watching the rest of the Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital series on DVD … soon to be followed by Girl with a Pearl Earring (talk about going from one end of the spectrum to the other – but that’s me to a tee!!). Anyway, I managed to force myself to complete a UFO from last year – a GCC (Group Correspondence Course) through the Embroiderers Guild of America, called “Lace & Ribbons” by Dakota Rogers. It only took 1 1/2 hours to finish it off, as I just had to do the filling stitches on the bottom band – and finally I have another set of scroll rods to use for another project ... yippee!!! I’m going to add fabric to the sides, and turn this into a folder cover for my stitching album, I think. You got to choose your own design for the ‘centre’ piece – I chose an autumn leaf, and in fact picked one up from the ground that I liked the look of on the way home from work one day while I was stitching it – it thought it would remind me of my first autumn in Melbourne, as the leaves were all falling from the trees at that time, which always makes me feel soppy – I just love the autumn colours on the trees.Now, before I forget, Cathy I do use polyfill for my pincushion stuffing – only because I use them for decoration only. When I was in NZ I used clean wool fleece, but I haven’t found a stockist for it here yet … but then again, I haven’t tried that hard either. The polyfill is not good if you want to actually use it, as I believe the pins may eventually rust in there. Another option is to cut up wool skeins (taught that by Martha Beth Lewis in a class once), eg tapestry wool.

Rightio, off to finish off another two UFO’s – the next two only have about 1/2 hour’s stitching to go on each one … one just has a few fly stitches to pop in, and the other one was finished, but it got caught on something, and I lost one of the heart beads, so I need to frog it back a bit, and restitch the beads back on again. So, fingers crossed, I’ll have another couple of happy dances by the end of the day 🙂

Well, I managed to eat something today, which is a bonus after 3 days of not eating much at all – had a lazy day of stitching and listening to most of a talking book (The Poet by Michael Connelly – a serial killer novel … nope, no girlie books for me today!). Managed to almost finish another two ornaments – just have to buy a charm/treasure for each, then I’ll have to work out how to actually finish them off. I’ll post a piccie of the finished ones later – just don’t hold your breath haha. They’re both from the 1998 JCS Ornament issue – the first one is called “Christmas Memory Tree” by Ursula Michaels Designs, and the second one is “Woodland Noel” by Heart in Hand Needleart.

Yup, Dena has finally been promoted to the finished pile … it might be a long time before it turns into an actual cushion, but I’m happy to announce all the stitching is finished. One more off the UFO list for the year – yippee!!

Not sure what is going to take its place yet – I’ve given up on my previous rotation of having a week to stitch each piece … I think instead I’d prefer to do what a lot of other stitchers do, and have a daily rotation over the week. I already have two days set aside, so it’ll be easy to plan the other days as well … might have to look at it tomorrow, when I work out what I’m going to spend my time stitching.

What can I say, apart from “yippee!!” … I can’t believe I finally got my first ever needleroll put together and finished!!! This piece has been stitched for more years than I care to mention, but I didn’t know where to start with the completion of it. Finally a website, CameoRoze’s Stitcher’s Studio, steered me in the right direction, and I felt brave enough to give the finishing a try – and I’m pretty pleased the finished result … and surprised how at easy it was!

Apart from that, I can’t say I’ve completed much stitching over the last week at all … the last two days I’ve spent a few hours making a start on my Xmas SAL (finally). I’ve almost completed my “No Humbugs Allowed” ornie from the JCS 1998 issue … not sure whether I’m going to want to give this one up, though LOL. Just have the rest of the beard to complete, the french knot eyes (yuk), and the backstitching for the strand of lights – but then I have to wait for my bulb buttons to arrive before it can be finished off.

The other piece I managed to get a bit more stitching on today – it’s a Dimensions wired ornament kit, that a colleague at work asked me to stitch for her … I seriously hate stitching this damn thing!! I was a bit ‘set up’ for accepting this task – she told me her Mum couldn’t see to stitch anymore, and gave me a kit which is a map of Australia that she thought I might like from her Mum, then showed me the other two kits she had, and asked if I would mind stitching them for her … I half-heartedly accepted, knowing I’d much prefer to do my own stitching (and I have a million of my own projects to finish), but I felt sorry that her Mum couldn’t stitch anymore. Why do I feel a bit set up? Well, a couple of days afterwards I find that this girl can actually stitch herself … hmmm. Anyway, it is a bit of a chore I’ve bound myself to by accepting to do it in the first place, but I won’t be caught out again, that’s for sure! I have difficulty stitching ‘in hand’ any more, as I get cramp in my hand from holding onto fabric/hoops etc, so that’s one issue. Also with this plastic canvas it’s extremely difficult to carry the threads underneath on the back – well, today I decided to try something different, and it’s making a lot easier – I’m using a canvaswork stitch (can’t remember if you call it tent stitch, or continental) and it gives a longer stitch on the back for me the carry the thread under … yippee, what a difference!

So, that’s all to post stitching-wise for the week … I’m on late shifts later in the week, so don’t expect to get much stitching done this week either.

Here’s my current basketful of pincushions – sorry, meant to post this before … OK, running out the door now! 🙂

Well, today I stuck to my original plans, and finished a couple of objects. I’ve had a number of pincushions stitched and ready to be ‘stuffed’ – I even had their cords already made too – but I just hadn’t got around to stitching the backing fabric on a couple of them, and just basically pulling my finger out and finishing them. Well, today brought a few projects out of that forlorn raggle-taggle pile, and they’re about to proudly join the ‘pincushion basket’ … yay, I actually managed to stitch together 6 whole pincushions today – woohoo!

I still have another three yet to be done, but one just got its face washed today, and I have to wait for it to dry – and I can’t decide how to complete the other ones – whether to turn the other one into a Christmas ornament instead of a pincushion … oh decisions, decisions. After that I have one scissor fob to be done, along with two needlecases, and one needleroll (my first ever). I might attempt to get the needleroll done tonight, but even if I don’t I’m pretty pleased with my accomplishments today.

Anyway, I’ll try to upload a piccie, along with the one from yesterday (so you can see it Mum).

Yippee, I can finally post that I have finished my Mill Hill bead sampler – from the chart “Beading for Needlework – Basics and Beyond”. I started this back at the beginning of September, but ran out of cream MH petite beads … 8 whole beads short of finishing hmmm … well, I finally got more, and put the finishing touches to this piece. I was supposed to stitch on an old UFO tonight, as it’s Tuesday, and that’s my official UFO rotation night, so I might still drag one out and pop a few stitches into it. Seeing as I put a few stitches into the dolphins this week (which is an old UFO), I figure I can happily do something different tonight, especially in light of my happy dance haha. So I think I’ll have a change of scene, and put a few stitches into my canvaswork UFO called “Dena” by the designer Orna Willis. Hopefully I’ll get one band in tonight, if nothing more … once again, though, that’s one step closer to another finish!

What can I say, except what a lovely day it was today. I spent the entire day doing things I enjoy. It all started off with a phone call from a friend in Sydney, who I haven’t spoken to in person since Christmas – what a lovely surprise! I was supposed to be meeting my ex-flatmate, and best Aussie mate, for a coffee before he started work, but my Sydney phone call made me a bit late – I just had time to pick him up from home, and grab a takeaway coffee before walking him the 100m to his work building … oh well, it was still nice to see him, even if it was only briefly.

After that I got my hair cut – and that’s always a bit of personal pampering in itself … it’s like having a massage for me, very relaxing. And to top that all off I popped into the Embroiderers Guild exhibit where I spent 1 1/2 hours admiring the beautiful, and in some cases exceptional, stitches pieces by members of the Guild. I managed to have a quick chat to both members of the Gift Workshop and Patchwork guidance groups … I really MUST make more of an effort to get along to the Guild guidance groups, as it always inspires me to get stitching! Unfortunately, it’s difficult doing shift work, but even if I get to one group every two months, it’s gotta be worthwhile!

Anyway, yesterday was going to be my stitching day … hmmm, well it was ‘of sorts’ – ended up playing on the computer drooling over charts etc online, rather than getting much stitching done haha. Oh well, at least it was still stitching-related LOL. At 10pm I finally decided to pick up a very VERY old UFO and actually finished it at 1am this morning … I don’t think the neighbours would have been too impressed to hear my heavy thumping happy dance upstairs from them, but I didn’t care 🙂 I can’t believe I finally got this thing finished … it was from a beginners hardanger class from about 2001, and really had very little stitching to be done to it – mainly just finishing the 4-sided stitch around the edges and the eyelets. Unfortunately I started out by finding I’d miscounted a few stitches back when I’d originally started stitching it in the class, so I started off by frog-stitching, but then I managed to pick up the pace and get back into the swing of the stitches, and finished it off.

On top of finishing my old UFO, I also did the background stitching to what was supposed to be a ‘hardanger pincushion’ … well, you wouldn’t get too many pins in the thing, it’s pretty small – I figure I’m going to finish it into a scissor fob instead, and the colours I chose are similar to a needlecase I’ve stitched, but just have to put together. I just wanted something ‘small’ and quick to stitch during the day yesterday, and that was it – it also got me back into the hardanger ‘mood’, which is why I dragged the old UFO out again afterwards.

So, all-in-all, a very very good day today – and it’s still not over, so I intend picking some more stitching up again tonight, and finishing the book on tape I got 2/3 through yesterday (Clare’s War by Anita Burgh) … ah, could life get much better?

Well, I should have posted this last week during my days off, but I decided not to, as Mum checks this blog every now and then, and my finish was a gift for her. Since talking to her, I find I’d actually already shown her the chart I was going to make for her ages ago, so it’s not really a surprise anymore 🙂 That means I can post a wee piccie. This is the first time I’ve ever put together a needlebook, and I’m sorry to say I’m really disappointed with the finishing I did on it – the stitching is fine, but I didn’t manage to get the mitring of the corners done too well with the aida fabric. I decided to use a small bit of batting as well as template plastic inside the cover, and it was a bit awkward sliding around – in hindsight I’d leave the batting out next time, or glue it to the plastic somehow. Oh well, it was OK for a first attempt, I guess – I just need to make some more to get more practice in haha. This was a kit I bought in the UK as a souvenir a number of years ago – called “Rose Arbour Needlecase” by Textile Heritage Collection.

Didn’t get much sleep last night, so my day is being replanned today, as I don’t feel too crash hot. Am getting my hair cut at lunchtime tomorrow, then I’ll pop over to the Guild exhibit afterwards instead of today. That means today I’m having a lazy day playing with my blog, watching DVD’s and stitching! (ah, bliss…) With any luck I’ll have more to post later today – I think I may be able to finally finish my beaded sampler … well, that’s the goal anyway!

Bone Carving on Woven Flax – canvaswork design/kit by Strand NZ