Feather Stitching

I’m soooooo behind on emails both at work and at home, I’ve decided it was high time I sat and cleaned my folders out – I have over 2500 unead emails at work (mainly because when I moved to Sydney all my old emails I’d received in Melbourne now showed as unread here ho-hum!), and 720 at home (the joys of having intermittent ‘net access since housesitting etc, I just haven’t managed to keep on top of anything!) … well, today’s folder of choice for clearing out is my SBQ folder … time to finally answer those outstanding Stitching Blogger Questions, and deleting those emails outta there!  (Getting ADSL broadband set up at home is just awesome!  Pages are loading up soooo much more quickly etc, I just might start to enjoy being online again soon!)

  14 June 2007 (!) – Today’s SBQ was suggested Jennifer and is:

“How do you store your WIPs and other projects that you have kitted up?”

I still don’t have my WIP’s sorted out properly like I did in my old flat – but my storage system is relatively similar here.  I keep all my charts and threads in ‘plastic envelopes’ or ziploc plastic baggies – my stitching is usually done on scrollbars, so they are generally stored in a plastic tub ready to be picked up again.  When I was working my rotation, I’d have all the plastic envelopes with the charts and threads in them lined up behind each other in another plastic tub, in order of the stitching rotation slots.  When I’d finished my 10 hours stitching on one project I’d place it at the back of the tub behind all the other projects, then take the next project from the front and start stitching my next 10 hours and so on.

At the moment I’m not working on a rotation (although I’m thinking of returning to one soon), and just have boxes full of projects that are kitted up (and there are many, many of them) – I’m tending to just work on one project until it’s finished, especially as I’ve been concentrating on smaller sized projects for a while.  I really do need to get back into stitching some more of my BAP’s, so perhaps my storage method will make a return again! 😀

  24 January 2008 – This week’s SBQ is:

“Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that mentions it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?”

There was a very slow start to the year as far as finishes was concerned, and my first official finish for 2008 was on 27 January, Fill With Love ornie by Designs by Cathie Jean (2007 JCS ornie magazine) – details can be found here.

  6 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

“Are there other crafts that you have tried and abandoned? Why do you like stitching better?”

I’ve tried numeous crafts over the years, much to my parents’ duress – their garage is still holding craft debris from the different classes I’ve done … among which you can include silk fabric painting, glass painting, basketwork (Mum would come home to find the bath full of soaking cane!), fabric painting, punchneedle (can’t remember what it used to be called years ago – but it was before the current trend!), fabric dyeing (including batik work with wax), knitting (which I’m sorry to say I detest), and beading just to name a few.  I was always trying something new just to challenge myself … and I still have a couple of things I’m dying to try, namely quilting/patchwork, mosaics (I really want to do a tabletop for a balcony/patio!) and crochet.  I can’t say why, but when I tried stitching I fell in love with it, and I’ve never stopped or got bored with it … it continues to give me as much delight today as when I first started trying it (in fact, probably even MORE joy today than it did in the early days!).  I have no idea why I stuck to stitching and nothing else … I just continue to love it and never get bored.

  13 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Loretta and is:

“Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What made you start over from scratch?”

I can honestly say no, I haven’t.  I have thrown things in a corner in a fit of frustration where it will stay quietly out of the way until I (hopefully) decide to rescue it and continue … normally this is due to a blaring great error which takes 10 minutes to fix and move on.  I have yet to actually start again from scratch, though.

  26 February – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Rachel and is:

“What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)”

Charts … charts … more charts … when I don’t have a restriction on my spending I don’t see anything I like … then as soon as I go on the Wagon Murphy’s Law kicks in and I want everything I lay my eyes on! 😉

  5 March – This week’s SBQ is recycled from January 4, 2005 and is:

“After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?”

I’ve always placed them in a separate folder so I know where to look if I ever want to stitch a project again.  I’ve recently been reconsidering this practice, though, as I hate stitching projects twice, and have so many ‘new’ projects to stitch there’s no real reason to continue hoarding old ‘used’ charts … you may see some appearing in my ‘for trade’ album one of these days in the future!  I must say that recently when I’ve stitched a newer design (eg LHN) and notice that someone has it in their wishlist, I’m more likely to offer it up as a RAK instead – or offer it as a prize draw on my blog … it’s nice to do a nice thing for someone every now and then 🙂

  26 March:

“When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?”

I go cross-eyed enough trying to follow a printed chart, never mind one on the computer screen!  I lose track of where I am really easily, so I find even for simple charts I need to have an enlarged working copy so I can cross off the squares as I go with a highlighter … the only time I’ve followed the computer screen is for the personalisation (initials) of my CA Wells projects because my printer isn’t loaded up to this laptop, or to see a clear closeup of a Chatelaine online design … otherwise printed it must be!  3 April:

“What items do you consider essential to your needlework that you keep in your stitching bag?”

In my every-day stitching bag it would contain Gingher scissors, spare needles (Piecemaker 26 and 28’s), highlighters, Dololly, Thread Heaven, contrasting (usually blue or green) sewing machine thread, and tapemeasure/ruler.  When I go to a stitching class I have a lot more in there – larger scissors, pen/pencils, water-erasable fabric marker, tweezers, eyebrow brush (for stumpwork), little plastic case with sponge and mini water bottle, notebook, and a few other bits and bobs.

  10 April – This week’s SBQ was suggested by Jennifer and is:

“What is the most complicated piece you’ve ever completed?”

This is a really hard question to answer – “complicated” can mean so many different things … to me complicated means “challenging” with different stitching techniques.  If that’s the case, I would perhaps say my stumpwork pieces that I’ve so far completed … or any of the CA Wells pieces.  It could also means more challenging in terms of blended needles etc – in which case I’d choose my Teresa Wentzler project English Garden Sampler, of which I’m still holding as a WIP/UFO.

The last two outstanding SBQ’s require a bit more thought, so I’ll leave those for later … now after all that I think it’s time to hit the hay for the night … at least my inbox is less a few unactioned emails tonight! 🙂

Thanks for the question, Monique – the feijoa is really really hard to describe as far as the flavour is concerned, as it is very unique.  It has a ‘perfumey’ smell and this picture shows you what the flesh looks like inside (that’s one very perfect looking feijoa!!):

I even have a bottle of Feijoa flavoured Vodka in the freezer – and the smell is so much like the true Feijoa smell, it’s just scrummy! (although perhaps a taste that grows on you if you’re not used to it haha)

The information from Wikipedia states the following:

The Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana, synonym Acca sellowiana), also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen, is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1-7 m in height, originating from the highlands of southern Brazil, parts of Colombia, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It has been spotted in Georgia and both flowering and fruiting in Lafayette, Louisiana and in Charleston, South Carolina. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree in New Zealand.

The fruit matures in autumn and is green, ellipsoid-shaped and the size of a chicken egg. It has a sweet, aromatic flavor. The flesh is juicy and is divided into a clear jelly-like seed pulp and a firmer, slightly gritty opaque flesh nearer the skin. The fruit drops when ripe, but can be picked from the tree prior to the drop to prevent bruising. This plant is monotypic in its genus. Like the closely-related guava, the fruit pulp has a gritty texture which is utilized in some natural cosmetic products as an exfoliant. Feijoa fruit have a distinctive smell. The ester methyl benzoate smells strongly of feijoas and the aroma of the fruit is caused mostly by this and other closely related esters.