WIP "By The Sea" #2

Detail:

Entire piece, work-in-progress:

This is about three weeks of stitching on this piece. It's definitely more abstract than a lot of things I stitch. I am really enjoying the gentle colors and my laying tool is getting a workout.

February Stitching Review

February Stitching Review

Finished in February:

Carlene Harwick - "Royal Wind" charted canvaswork design (Workshop-by-mail)

Melissa Shirley - Easter Egg painted canvas - bunny with boat
Melissa Shirley - Easter Egg painted canvas - bunny at house

Here are the ones I have in progress:

Amanda Lawford - Royal Santa (huge)

David McCaskill - By The Sea Line Drawn canvas +threads (Started Feb 2010)
La-D-Da - Eve cross-stitch

KS Designs - Washington Miniature Stocking Ornament (with whale doll) (Started Feb. 2010 as car project)
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Fruit Rug (Square 2 of 12) painted canvas with wool threads
Painted Canvas - unknown designer - Craftsman design (working on this as I buy the wool for the rug) (Started August 2009)
Summer Truswell own design - Sunshine & Shadow charted canvaswork
Summer Truswell own design - 1st house line-drawn canvas embroidery picture
Summer Truswell - purple gift box

Kitted and ready to go:

Mirabilia - Sleeping Beauty (needs fabric)
Red Owl Stash - Cupcake Ornament (charted canvas +threads, etc)
Shepherd's Bush - Winter Dreams Sampler
ST - Moss Circles - needs canvas (Only stitching if class proposal is accepted)
ST - Drunkards Path - (only stitching if class proposal is accepted)
Summer Truswell - Whitework Ornament
Teresa Wentzler - Noah's Ark
Santa with Bears Christmas picture (kit)

Painted Canvases to be stitched: (no threads)

A Collection of Designs - Snowmen decorating tree star ornament (6" tall)
Amanda Lawford - Nutcracker Santa (18")
Amanda Lawford - Floral with black pillow
Blue Dogwood Designs (Kay Fite) - Ferry Ornament
Blue Dogwood Designs (Kay Fite) - Pike Place Ornament
Chameleon Design - Round "Hunt" pillow - 16" across?
Chameleon Design - Heart with Key pillow - 12" across?
Elizabeth Turner - Christmas Photo Frame
Mary Engelbreit - Christmas Heart ornament
Madeline Lake - Snowman
Madeline Lake - Blackbird
Madeline Lake - Sailboat
Madeline Lake - Rooster
Needlepoint of Back Bay - City Frog frame weight (large)
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Monkey eating fruit
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Celtic Knot
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Iris Four-Way
Unknown designer - botanical fruits rectangle (for bolster?)
Unknown designer - Hanging ornaments
Unknown designer - Woman with boy and spyglass
Unknown designer - Paisley pillow
Unknown designer - sports cumberbund (to make into an ornament)
Unknown designer - stained glass egg #1
Unknown designer - Floral motif repeat
Unknown designer - stained glass egg #2
Unknown designer - phoenix egg

2010 Goals: Keep up with the MTP program. Finish Melissa Shirley egg works-in-progress. Make progress on all other works-in-progress. Finish Eve UFO.

February Goals: Finish Royal Wind.

March Goals: Finish both Melissa Shirley Easter egg work-in-progress canvases. Since I finished those in February, here are new goals

March Goals: Progress on canvases: David McCaskill "By the Sea", Washington Whale Stocking. Catch up on finishing. Progress on Eve.

2011 Goals: Finish MTP Program, receive Journeyman and Fellow levels. Finish large Royal Santa.

2012 Goals: Teach final class at MTP, receive Master level.

WIP "By The Sea"

I started this piece last week - it is a line drawn canvas and the stitch guide is pretty thorough - although it came out in 2000 so the stitch diagrams are hand-drawn old style!

It's coming along!

Detail- the purple ribbon has a couched edge added later and the purple diagonal is in-progress.

Hearts Gone Wild Detail

This picture is for Jan, who is having issues with the hearts on her border. I didn't stitch this piece; it was stitched by a client for whom I finished the design into a pillow. Hopefully a bigger picture helps!

Two Melissa Shirley Easter Eggs...

These two canvases have been in my stash as work-in-progresses for quite a while! I really love Melissa Shirley's designs and these are quite charming.

I stitched the bunny with the boat completely in tent stitch and basketweave. I wanted to use only hand-dyed six-strand cotton only from my stash, but I added in just a touch of Kreinik metallic on the boat for the metallic paint.

Threads Used:

Dragon Floss – 11 Sunlit Waters

The Dye is Cast – Moonlight, Lemonade

Seaside Treasures - Moondark

Weeks Dye Works – Onyx, Pebble, Deep Sea, Crimson, Oak, Saffron, Sophie’s Pink, Sage, Emerald, Tin Roof, White Lightening, Emerald, Butter Bean

For the Easter Bunny House (surrounded by Jelly Beans!) I used a variety of specialty threads and stitches and just had a bunch of fun. The bunny is Wisper fuzzy thread!

Threads Used:

Au Ver a Soie yellow

Brown Paper Packages Silk N Ivory - Lime

Caron Collection Impressions – 3017 Gold, Watercolors Dark Red Overdye

DMC Floche

Dragon Floss – 11 Sunlit Waters, 12 Misty Vapours

The Dye is Cast – Sunbaked, Apple Blossom, Bright Leaf, Fuschia, New Grass

Kreinik Silk Serica 4163 Moss

Needle Necessities – 1481 Lavender

Rainbow Gallery Wisper

Weeks Dye Works – Onyx, Camelia, Pebble, Cactus, Scuppernong

Both are finished with green silk dupioni and the color really matches on both of them - it looks odd in the boat picture but it really goes with the greens in the grass. Fun!

Royal Wind by Carlene Harwick

"Royal Wind"

"Royal Wind", designed by Carlene Harwick, is an ANG Workshop by Mail. I believe it is available until June 2010.

I stitched this piece in January and February 2010. Color changes, small design changes, and all the mistakes are mine alone. ;) Stitched on congress cloth with DMC floss and spools and spools and spools of Kreinik Metallics.

Do you know who designed these?

In my recent inventory of my stash (see this post) I came across a bunch of canvases with unknown designers. Some of them have numbers (which brought me nothing on google). Please leave a comment or send me an e-mail if you know who designed them!

January 2010 Stitching Update

I used to be really good about setting needlework goals... then I finished all of my projects and thought stuff was all under control. Well, now it seems I'm starting more projects then I'm finishing! So I am going to re-inventory my stitching drawers and see what has snuck in.

Stitching Review - Here are the ones I have in progress:

Amanda Lawford - Royal Santa (huge)
Carlene Harwick - "Royal Wind" charted canvaswork design (Workshop-by-mail)
La-D-Da - Eve cross-stitch
Melissa Shirley - Easter Egg painted canvas - bunny with boat
Melissa Shirley - Easter Egg painted canvas - bunny at house
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Fruit Rug (Square 2 of 12) painted canvas with wool threads
Painted Canvas - unknown designer - Craftsman design (working on this as I buy the wool for the rug)
Summer Truswell own design - Sunshine & Shadow charted canvaswork
Summer Truswell own design - 1st house line-drawn canvas embroidery picture
Summer Truswell - purple gift box


Kitted and ready to go:

David McCaskill - By The Sea Line Drawn canvas +threads
Mirabilia - Sleeping Beauty (needs fabric)
Red Owl Stash - Cupcake Ornament (charted canvas +threads, etc)
Shepherd's Bush - Winter Dreams Sampler
ST - Moss Circles - needs canvas (Only stitching if class proposal is accepted)
ST - Drunkards Path - (only stitching if class proposal is accepted)
Summer Truswell - Whitework Ornament
Teresa Wentzler - Noah's Ark
Santa with Bears Christmas picture (kit)

Painted Canvases to be stitched: (no threads)

A Collection of Designs - Snowmen decorating tree star ornament (6" tall)
Amanda Lawford - Nutcracker Santa (18")
Amanda Lawford - Floral with black pillow
Blue Dogwood Designs (Kay Fite) - Ferry Ornament
Blue Dogwood Designs (Kay Fite) - Pike Place Ornament
Chameleon Design - Round "Hunt" pillow - 16" across?
Chameleon Design - Heart with Key pillow - 12" across?
Elizabeth Turner - Christmas Photo Frame
Mary Engelbreit - Christmas Heart ornament
Madeline Lake - Snowman
Madeline Lake - Blackbird
Madeline Lake - Sailboat
Madeline Lake - Rooster
Needlepoint of Back Bay - City Frog frame weight (large)
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Monkey eating fruit
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Celtic Knot
Needlepoint of Back Bay - Iris Four-Way
KS Designs - Washington Miniature Stocking Ornament (with whale doll)
Unknown designer - botanical fruits rectangle (for bolster?)
Unknown designer - Hanging ornaments
Unknown designer - Woman with boy and spyglass
Unknown designer - Paisley pillow
Unknown designer - sports cumberbund (to make into an ornament)
Unknown designer - stained glass egg #1
Unknown designer - Floral motif repeat
Unknown designer - stained glass egg #2
Unknown designer - phoenix egg

Ok, I will note that most of these painted canvases were bought in two places. The first was the "yard sale" at the ANG Milwaukee 2009 seminar, where they were selling for between $2 and $10 a canvas. The next is that I bought two lots off ebay. One was the entire Needlepoint of Back Bay Rug, and the other was the other Needlepoint of Back Bay lot.

Now, to think about upcoming goals. Usually I think things through the year, and then break it down into month, then week. This time I don't have anything that is truly pressing, so I will go ahead and set yearly goals, and then weekly goals.

I am also going to add something called "First Friday Finishing". The first Friday of every month I will devote entirely to finishing, by which I mean actually sewing up the pillow or ornament or whatever. It can be for my customers (no, I'm not accepting new customers, sorry), or for myself. This is brought upon by the fact that I have several dozen pieces that are stitched and unfinished. (Shhhhhh)

I also want to get back to stitching an ornament a month - these can be painted canvases or charted, whatever. Just as long as I get that wee happy dance in!

2010 Goals: Keep up with the MTP program. Finish Melissa Shirley egg works-in-progress. Make progress on all other works-in-progress. Finish Eve UFO.

February Goals: Finish Royal Wind.

March Goals: Finish both Melissa Shirley Easter egg work-in-progress canvases.

2011 Goals: Finish MTP Program, receive Journeyman and Fellow levels. Finish large Royal Santa.
2012 Goals: Teach final class at MTP, receive Master level.

There! I feel more organized already!

Pat Van Cleve's Iris and Butterfly

This is a charted canvaswork design from Pat Van Cleve. It is called "Iris and Butterfly" and is from the 2005-2006 ANG Chapter Project Booklet. I will be teaching it at our guild meeting this week. Fun!

Royal Santa by Amanda Lawford #6

Just a quick update... it's coming along. Brad is trying to make a bet that I'll finish it by the end of March but I'm pretty sure that won't happen. There is lots done but LOTS of background. :)

The quiver is stitched in Diagonal Mosaic in Impressions with the scrolls stitched in tent stitch with floss and Kreinik metallic. The top border is Rainbow Gallery Soft Sheen Fyre Werks in a diagonal Gobelin. The arrow feathers are stitched in long straight stitches of Caron Watercolors. The bow is stitched in Caron Snow in a random stem stitch. The string is couched Snow.



The jester is finished - lots of fun stitches on this guy.



Want to see what four hours of french knots looks like? These are stitched in #12 Kreinik metallic.

Mirabilia's Poppy...

I wanted to start the year off with a quick finish. This is Poppy from the Pixie Couture Collection, designed by Nora Corbett of Mirabilia. It is stitched on 32 count linen in DMC floss, Kreinik metallic thread, and Mill Hill Seed Beads.

2008 Stitching Review

Let's recap 2008. Over the next day or so I'm going to be thinking about what I need / want to accomplish in 2009.

2008 Completed:

Suz Christmas Pillow

Tulips

Mirabilia’s Titania, Queen of the Fairies

Oriental Poppies

12 Beau Geste Vintage Ornaments

Cranberry Sampler

Twister

Dimension's Christmas Stocking

Victoria’s birthday present (no picture)

3 Catherine Coleman Ornaments

Heirloom Drawn Thread Sampler III

Pat Mazu Stocking

Sue Reed's Get to the Point ***Of note because I haven't had a framed picture up until now.***

I also completed several projects for my ANG Master Teacher Program, including designing and stitching two sizeable designs and designing some others. :-)

Goals to carry over to next year:

Finish the Lavender Gift Box.
Work on machine embroidery Christmas village.
Continue work on the MTP. There are two large designs that I have to finish designing and stitch, as well as all the continuing education.

I'm going to look through some of my patterns and see what else I have that I want to stitch. Very exciting!

Royal Santa by Amanda Lawford #4

Stitching update:

Yesterday I finished stitching the blue cloak. Whew! I've been working with this Appleton wool for what seems like weeks.

Last night I went ahead and stitched the gold on one cuff. It is a combination of tent and Blanket (buttonhole stitch) with three plies of gold Soie d'Alger silk thread. The gold is #16 Kreinik in 002. This has great texture on the curves.

Stitched *and* Finished...

This is my stocking that I finally stitched this year. It was a Dimensions Kit. I did add a bit of blending filament for fun. :-)






I worked on it through the year and finished it in December 2008.

Pat Mazu Miniature Stocking finished...

I just did the finishing on this little miniature stocking. It is backed in a textured velvet and lined in red silk dupioni. The twisted cording is made from white, two shades of red, and a gold metallic. Very fun! Design by Pat Mazu and is in the ANG Chapter Project Booklet.

Royal Santa by Amanda Lawford #2

The trunk is completed:

I've started on the cloak. It is stitched in one strand of Appleton Wool in a Diagonal Beaty Variation. One day progress:

Two day progress (canvas is dipping as I didn't remove from sidebars):

Royal Santa by Amanda Lawford #1

I can't remember if I've already discussed this needlepoint design. This piece is called "Royal Santa" and he is painted and designed by Amanda Lawford. The design is about 30" tall. He is so gorgeous and I love him!

Anyway, Royal Santa came to me in April of this year. Out of all the beautiful canvases I've sold for Denise the Wonder Organizer on eBay this is the only one I bought for myself. :-) The lady who owned him originally took him as a class so there were little itty bits of the piece started. There is a binder stitch guide and a huge bag of threads, all beautifully organized. I love it when it's ready to just jump in!

He is so large that I'm working on a lap stand. This is my first piece on a lap stand and it's working out well. The piece is so heavy there is no way I could hold it up.

The first thing I stitched was his skin on his face. This is Soie d'Alger silk floss.

Then back down to the bottom to work on the treasure chest. The gold scrolls and silver and completed with Kreinik metallic. The black is Trebizond Silk or Caron Impressions. The wood slats are Caron Watercolours. Right now I'm working on the wood of the chest. It is in four different colors of floss.

Last night's update of the wood treasure chest:



I have no idea when he'll be done. No goal setting for me on this one! Maybe next year? :)

Stitching Update...

Let's see where I am with my stitching goals...

Completed:
Start and Finish Mirabilia’s Titania, Queen of the Fairies, for my mom.
Start and finish Oriental Poppies with ANG SpaceNeedlers chapter.
Stitch all 12 of the Beau Geste Vintage Ornaments.
Make progress on Cranberry Sampler. (completed)
Keep up with the MTP program.
Stitch Twister with stitch-a-long group.
Start my Christmas Stocking.
Work on Victoria’s birthday present. (completed)

November Goals:
Finish the Lavender Gift Box.
Finish my Christmas stocking.
Work on Madeline’s birthday present.

December Goals:
Work on machine embroidery Christmas village.
Do the finishing into ornaments of all my yearly stitched ornaments.

When I look back, I've completed a lot this year. I've been stitching on the Christmas stocking the last couple of days and it's coming along. Right now I'm stitching the sky and then after that the snow. Last will be all the backstitching.

...

*Two* of the dozens of gladiolius bloomed. They're a deep purple but a very poor blooms - it was just too cold this summer for them. I'm going to be lazy and leave them in the ground and next spring I'll overplant with some more. The lawn needs one more mowing so the next sunny day I'll be out there. My hostas are still going (late, I know!) so I haven't been able to divide the front three yet.

Weekend Update...

I did get out in the garden yesterday and planted bulbs. It started with me putting away laundry in the bedroom. I happened to glance out the window at the girls and saw that my button jar was out on the playset ground. I called to Victoria to pick it up and bring it inside and that is when I realized that it was only 25% full. I asked where the buttons were and was told they were on the picnic table. How exciting! I told the girls to start picking them up.

Since it *was* a sunny day I went ahead and put on my gardening clothes (because I've learned I have to change before I go out and "just do one thing") and collected my shovel, wheelbarrow, and the bulbs. Thus, while the girls were picking buttons from the bark, grass, and playset and putting them back in the jar, I dug the back flower bed down 6", pulled the old bulbs out, divided those that needed to be divided and replanted them. I also planted 201 new bulbs in the back bed. I then planted 50 bulbs in my new-this-year full sun perennial garden, and 60 bulbs in the front yard's two beds. It should look nice in the spring! That's a total of 311 new bulbs.

In the back I'll have Negrita tulips, white double daffodils, purple and dark pink tulips, more purple crocus, some tall Alliums, and whatever I planted the year before. In the front I'll have 60 more stunning red tulips, added to the ones I had last year. :)

I also did a bit of piecing on my star quilt. The blocks and the sashing is done. Today I'll make the block strips and perhaps I'll get it pieced together. Whew! This has been, by far, the more time-consuming quilt I've ever made. Up next? Who knows! Either the silk folding quilt or the log cabin rainbow quilt.

Now, though, I have to go check the dishes and change the diapers in the wash and start dinner and read with the kids.... and and and. Someone asked me the other day how I get stuff done and I honestly don't know any more!

As a last note I received my Oriental Poppies back from Pat Van Cleve. She wrote me a great letter about things I could improve and things I did great on. Very positive! I'm glad I finished the piece in time for the critique. And now I have points for my MTP. :)

Whitework Sampler III

Last night I finished stitching Linda Driskell's "Whitework Sampler III".






This is a gorgeous piece! I stitched it on the recommended 19 count linen. A few years ago I'd stitched #1 and I stitched it on 28 count linen instead of 19. While it was more delicate, there just wasn't room for all the coral knot festoon trips. This time, since I did it on 19 count, there *was* room. I'm very pleased with it. It will smooth out after lacing and framing but for now it's just going in my finished project drawer to make friends.

Catherine Coleman Ornaments

I stitched these in September 2008. Each took approximately 2 days to stitch. They use Kreinik metallic threads and Mill Hill Sead or Bugle beads. Very fun! I love the way that Catherine layers her stitches.

Pat Mazu Miniature Stocking

This is the canvaswork piece that followed me home from my last guild meeting. It was designed by Pat Mazu. I've finished enough of these now that it was time to stitch one!

Twister Completed...

This beautiful piece was designed by Patricia Spencer. I pretty much tried to stitch it as charted and didn't switch out any stitches. Colors were picked by me and are DMC floss. Many, many, many hours went into this piece. Hurrah!

Some close up pictures:

Mukilteo Library Exhibit...

Because I love all.things.needlework I was able to pull the stuff for this exhibit purely out of the storage bins in my garage. Kind of worrisome when you think about it. I didn't have to take a thing off my walls!

This is at the Mukilteo Library. The three posters detail when appreciate viewers can *join a guild* by coming to ANG or EGA meetings. Truly exciting!

A New Project…

Followed me home from guild last night. It’s a Pat Mazu stocking from the Chapter Project Booklet. It’s very cute and a bit bigger than her other stockings. I finished the chevron top at the meeting and did the red stripes this morning. I’m going to take it to the beach with the kids this afternoon and we’ll see how far I get! I just need a quick break from Twister.

The grass is getting pretty long and I’m out of gasoline for the mower. Perhaps that will be something I do this afternoon.

General life-y-ness (mostly needlework)

First off, Happy Birthday, Luke! Hope you enjoyed the song.
If only my life could *entirely* revolve around needlework. Sigh!

The border on Twister is coming along SLOWLY. It’s already the 11th and I’m only half-way done. At this rate it will be the 20th before it’s complete and my other master plans of stitching everything in my stash goals will be shot. Although for this month the only other thing I haven’t done is work on my MTP and I guess I’ve been doing that. Well, I haven’t actually DONE anything, but I’ve been planning out next steps and that is the important part. I’ve been in contact with my proctor and am waiting for some clarification before I get moving. I also requested books from the library on things I need to research to move along… I’d rather be in the “waiting for information” zone than the “waking up at four in the morning and remembering something due that week” zone.

Tonight is my guild meeting. I have some little finished Pat Mazu stockings for one of the ladies (will post pictures some time although they look the the loads of others I’ve done for her) and we are also mailing off Oriental Poppies. We’re starting a new Pat Mazu mini stocking (ah the irony) and I still have to cut canvas and pull threads for that…. at some point I should feed the children dinner.

There is a contemporary quilt artist guild in Seattle. They meet monthly and their next meeting is Saturday. I have it on my calendar and would love to visit to see if it would be a fit, but I don’t know how Brad will feel about my joining another guild. I don’t intend to start more projects but would love to learn more. If I could bring Victoria I think it would be ok. :) She loves to sew but I haven’t been brave enough to let her run the machine yet. Visions of the emergency room and all that. I still have my old Kenmore so it’s not an issue of my worry that she’ll break the machine.

Speaking of getting things done, the above mentioned book is very interesting. I added greatly to my files and went through my master list and updated it with next actions. Exciting stuff.

Darleen O'Steen's Cranberry Sampler...

is completed! Isn’t it beautiful?


http://www.summerlouise.com/albums/stitching/designers/darleneosteen.html



Well, it is as completed as it’s going to get. In the pattern there is a second cutwork band at the bottom, but it wasn’t a design that I liked. So, the sampler is 2″ shorter. This will be framed eventually.