Gift of Stitching – Feather Stitching

Wow, what a spectacular weekend I’ve had finishing-wise – I’ve really enjoyed sitting around in my PJ’s and scruffy clothes on my own all weekend and concentrating on my finishing efforts. As the hours went on, I felt more confident again in doing finishing – and I’m thinking perhaps I should assign one weekend a month to doing the same thing …

Here are the final efforts from today’s finishing session – there is still one pincushion left to show, but I still have to stitch on the cord edging before I can claim it as being finish-finished 🙂

1 more Christmas ornament
(excuse the greenish tinge, it’s actually white fabric!)

1 tie-on Easter pillow (certainly not my best ever finishing!)

My first Pay It Forward completed (with my tea-dyed lace)
(name removed so the recipient can be surprised)

1 Tin Topper – LOVE this one –
I’ve been meaning to turn this into a tin topper for EVER!
(now I just need to find some magnet strips for the lid –
I’m sure I have some hiding away somewhere)

And I also ‘forced’ myself to sit and watch a bit of vintage TV tonight while I sat and stitched for about 2 hours … I’ve been working my way through The Professionals on DVD – from waaaaay back in the 70’s, this used to be one of my absolute favourite shows in my youth. I had the biggest crush on Bodie (Lewis Collins) at the time … and now just giggle a bit at the outlandish clothes and tight pants 😛

At least that vintage TV session gave me chance to put a few more stitches into Just Nan’s Ghastly Ghostly Ghouls – I managed to complete one side of the garden fencing, and planted a tree (well, OK, maybe HALF a tree!) 😀

And do you remember I said I’d mislaid my teeny white buttons for Lizzie*Kate’s Boo Club? Hmmm, I guess I was a bit smarter than I thought – I found them hiding where they actually should be … in my embellishments box … hmmm. Anyway, I’ve now thrown in my little black buttons with them too, so during my next stitching session I’ll be tossing up between Sapphire Star, Ghastly Ghostly Ghouls and Boo Club – oh, decisions, decisions 😛

Tomorrow it’s time to back to work again – where I will be putting my hand up for another 12 month secondment (that is of course if I actually get offered it) … it’s basically doing the same job that I’m doing now, and working within the same team, but being paid for by another department and working purely on their projects for 12 months – which means additional exposure to a different side of the business and chance to become more focused (plus it’s a side of the business I’m the most knowledgeable about). It’s going to be a massive 12 months, going by what I’ve heard about so far, but at least it’ll be a subject I enjoy … I guess I can only stick my hand up and say I’m interested and then see what happens … 😀

I’ve been stitching all day but have very litte to show for it … first up is a wee freebie finish:

Freebie by www.romyeale.blogspot.com
Stitched on 28ct antique white Lugana
with Caron Collection Waterlilies in Pine Forest

Here is the wee beastie that has taken most of the day to stitch … I had to change almost all of the colours as I didn’t have the recommended threads in my stash, but I think it turned out OK – not perfect, but I still like it. It was quite fun doing some different stitches for a change, especially doing the whipped backstitch. The sand is a mix of cross stitch and Smyrna crosses, but you can’t see that in this photo. This will eventually be a tin topper … after trying to find another design in the Gift of Stitching magazines, I came across this one and remembered I fell in love with it when I first received the issue. Well I then made up my mind to stitch a new piece rather than turn my Prairie Schooler Duck into a tin just yet. Fingers crossed the finishing will go OK for my first tin attempt! Apologies for the poor photo, but my battery just died so I can’t take another clearer one just yet …

“Waves” by Melissa Dunajski
from Gift of Stitching Magazine, Issue 17 June 2007
Stitched on 32ct Ice Blue hand-dyed Belfast by Countrystitch
using the following substitution threads:
GAST Flax = used recommended thread GAST Flax
WDW Angel Hair = substituted DMC 677
WDW Aqua = substituted DMC Variations 4020
GAST Cornflower = substituted DMC Variations 4230
GAST Oatmeal = used GAST Oatmeal
NN Bali Hai = substituted Carrie’s Threads Dillon’s Sea

Not entirely sure what to stitch next … although I guess I “should” stitch my Christmas ornie for June as I’m nearly running out of time (just for a change!) – but I really want to start something new, something like Drawn Thread’s Autumn Arbor or Sunflower Sampler … oh decisions, decisions … Or perhaps I should just put the needles away for a day and concentrate on doing some finishing … hmmmm … 😉