Canvaswork, Laura J Perin, Sapphire Star, Works in Progress

Sapphire Star Update

Anne S

I didn’t have the energy and attention span to start a new project tonight, even though I’ve got a few kitted up and ready to go … so after rummaging through my WIP basket for a while, and finding nothing else that took my fancy, I pulled out Laura J Perin’s Sapphire Star. 

I managed to complete the filling stitches of most of the outside border, and will probably fill in the little squares next with the relevant metallic threads … then it will have to go to one side yet again, as I’m still awaiting my thread to arrive from the US.  This is from a ONS who is notoriously slow in posting, BUT they did have the thread in stock at the time (and not many places stock Rainbow Gallery threads), and of course they have regular 20-25% off sales, which is what I used at the time … alas, according to the order status online we’re still awaiting the arrival of back-ordered embellishment kits (teeny white buttons from Lizzie*Kate so I can finally finish my Boo Club piece from last year – as the charts were used, on loan from a friend, I’ve had to find my own embellishments and let’s just say it’s been an ongoing challenge, so I was excited to see them for sale on sale ONS site … of course now I’m playing the waiting game … still … ho-hum …).

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my latest update of Sapphire Star – I still drool over the colours in this one every time I pick it up and have started to fantasise about how I’ll get it framed … assuming my thread turns up while I’m young enough to do the framing! LOL.

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Rosewood Manor

Last finish for a while

Anne S

I think I may be at the end of my record-breaking run of wee finishes now … I stayed up late tonight to put the final beads onto my little ornie, making 4 finishes in as many days – woohoo! 😀

Rosewood Manor-Red Berries
“Red Berries” by Rosewood Manor
from Issue 11, December 2006, Gift of Stitching magazine
with DMC 221 and Hand Dyed Fibers premium silk “Jewel Weed”
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen

Rosewood Manor-Red Berries

I really should learn to take photos in daylight, instead of 11.30pm under bright light globes!  It really doesn’t do this piece justice, as the beads are a beautiful metallic red.  I have to admit, though, if I were to do this piece again, I would probably forget about the ‘star/snowflake’ things in the corners, as it seems a bit overcrowded and overpowering to me … but all in all I’m relatively happy with it 🙂

Now I have the quandary of what to work on next … I’m pretty keen to work on a number of projects, and the main ones that are calling me are probably the following:

  • Ghastly Ghostly Ghouls – Just Nan
  • Hocus Pocus – Lizzie*Kate
  • Winter Snapperland – Bent Creek
  • Ladybug, Ladybug – Little House Needleworks
  • 2008 Halloween Fairy – Mirabilia (magazine chart)
  • Halloween Needleroll – Shepherd’s Bush
  • Quaker Huswif – Sampler Cove

And the list goes on … and on … and on …

Ah, decisions, decisions … 😛

Cross Stitch, Finishes, The Drawn Thread, Works in Progress

Crikey!!!

Anne S

The needles have been flying tonight – although to be honest there really wasn’t much stitching left to do on this one.  Tonight I managed to put the final stitches into Boo!  My absolute favourite part of this piece is the wee scissor fob – I love, love, love it!!  I need to wait for my sewing machine before I can do the finishing on this one, but I’m taking an extra two days off work after Easter, so perhaps I can get my machine back before then and have a mini finishing frenzy 🙂

Drawn Thread-Boo Scissor Pocket and Fob
“Boo! Scissor Keeper and Fob” by The Drawn Thread
stitched on 36ct Sand Edinburgh linen
with recommended NPI Silk threads (with the exception of black,
which I substituted with a Hand Dyed Fibers silk)

Drawn Thread-Boo Scissor Pocket and Fob

Drawn Thread-Boo Scissor Pocket and Fob

Before I called it a night tonight, I also started a new ornie, only ‘cos it was sitting here all kitted up in my bedroom, laying on top of a pile of books … so I figure it was as good a time as any to finally get it stitched up and out of the way!  It’s supposed to be stitched with 1 strand of DMC 501, but to be honest I wasn’t thrilled with the coverage whatsoever, so I went back into my bedroom and rummaged through my silk piles … and ended up using a skein of Premium Hand Dyed Fibers silk called “Jewel Weed” which is almost identical to 501 but much, much thicker … personally I think it was a great choice, and I’m enjoying seeing this come together – I guess this will take me a couple of nights to complete this week, then I need to start thinking of what project to start next.

I have to admit I’ve really been enjoying having a bunch of small finishes – after having a bit of a ‘dry spell’, it’s been great seeing that finishing pile start to build up again over the last two months 🙂

Of course there’s still one more finish to show you, but it still hasn’t been received by my recipient yet, so I can’t share yet … geez I wish the postman would hurry up, though, ‘cos I want to share! 😛

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Periwinkle Promises

One more for the finishing pile

Anne S

I guess you can tell that I found the elusive little teeny packet of beads (they were hiding inside the chart in the stitching bag!) … which means all the stitching is now finished, and I just have to do put it all together … but that’s for another day …

Periwinkle Promises-January Accent Sampler
“January Accent Sampler” by Periwinkle Promises
stitched with kit materials (Au Ver a Soie silk)
on 28ct natural Cashel linen

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Finishes, JBW Designs

Prancer

Anne S

Here’s my latest wee finish – I was able to complete the stitching last night after picking up the elusive DMC 368, then I put the beads on this morning.  It was supposed to be stitched 1 over 1, but I wimped out and stitched it over-two on 28ct, then just increased the bead size from 40123 to 00123 instead.

JBW Designs-Prancer
“Prancer” by JBW Designs
from 2004 JCS Christmas Ornie issue
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen
with recommended DMC and Mill Hill beads

JBW Designs-Prancer

Now I’m off to find the ever-elusive bag of beads that I’ve already lost once, then I found them last weekend and put them somewhere safe … I should have known I was in trouble at that point, as “somewhere safe” usually means the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle … only I can lose something twice in as many weeks!!! … ho-hum :/

In fact, I might just hold off the search party and go and have some brunch across the road first, then I may even put together my bookcase … and then I’ll decide whether to start the search party again for my bead bag, or whether to sit in the lounge and finish off Boo! 🙂

Updated:  Hmmmm, I’ve just decided to check out my camera settings to work out why all my photos seem to be washed out just lately … sure enough at some stage I’ve managed to change my exposure settings permanently … now I’ve put it back to “0” adjustment, the photos are coming out more more crisply, so I’ve re-uploaded the Prancer photos – slightly darker fabric, but definitely a lot clearer on the beading detail!

Cross Stitch

So much stitching I’m exhausted! :P

Anne S

So much for the high hopes of completing my scissor fob stitching tonight … the sum total of my stitching entailed stitching the final 4 legs on my spider, and attaching the wee spider button body … um, and that’s it … kinda not worth taking a progress piccie really 😉

Tonight, though, was very productive from another perspective – I drove out straight from work to my old Chiropractor and FINALLY dropped off Boaz’s birth sampler gift, and as it turns out the girls are visiting Erin this weekend for Boaz’s … ahem … 1st birthday … ahem …  To be fair, the fabric took a number of months to arrive, but I was also then very slow to actually get it stitched and framed, and it’s been sitting gathering dust in my bedroom for the last few months while working out how the heck I was going to drop it off!  Oh well, it’s finally done and dusted, and one more ‘chore’ off the list 🙂

The 2nd stop was then to Officeworks where I picked up my little “slimline bookcase” – poor Katie had to resort to sitting in the back seat so I could fit the bookcase in my car, and I was clever enough to carry it into the apartment buiding, then took the box contents apart and brought them up in two trips up the stairs … a hernia is something I didn’t feel like tempting tonight!

Lucky last was a trip to Spotlight so Katie could pick up some cake decorating supplies, and I could pick up some ribbon and lining fabric for the With My Needle Quaker Friendship Book we did as a round robin last year.  I must say, I think the fabric is VERY pretty … and while the ribbon isn’t a perfect match, it’s still very VERY scrummy … and blue, of course … “Lapis” to be exact! 😛 

I also picked up one whole skein of DMC 368 that I couldn’t find at home for love nor money, which means I can now finish the latest ornie I got halfway through last weekend before having to throw in the towel.  Maybe I’ll even get that finished this weekend too … although going by tonight’s stitching efforts, perhaps I should just keep quiet about my stitching goals LOL.  I did manage to remember to pick up some plain white flannelette fabric that I use as lining on my metallic ornie forms, so that also means a couple more Christmas ornies can get finished soon …  And finally I was able to buy 3 of the reels of sewing machine cotton that Mum wanted me to buy for her – sorry Mum, but they don’t sell the Molnycke thread any more 😦

As for now, it’s time for an early night … and fingers crossed my pin pillow exchange turns up soon, ‘cos I’m champing at the bit to post a piccie! 😛