Finally...a New Finish!

I'm not going to bother apologizing or make excuses for not posting in almost three months...eeek! But I hope to be a little more consistent, at least for a while. I will say that the Etsy shop has been keeping me pretty busy and I haven't had as much time to stitch. However, I finally finished "Bagatelle" by Whispered by the Wind on Sunday. I can't believe how long it took me considering it is only about 6.5 inches square...of course, that's on 40 count linen. For those who want the gory details, it is stitched on Lakeside Linen 40 count Strawflower, with Caron Collection Waterlilies (silk) Olive and Geranium. (1 strand) It's a beautiful piece and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. It just called to me.

Now I'm moving on to the Thistle Celebration by Periwinkle Promises. I can always count on some fun stitches in Barbara Rakosnik's designs.

Tweet

It Pays to Read Ahead

Okay, I know, you look at this picture and think: "She hasn't blogged in a week and this is all she's manged to get done!" 

I stitched absolutely nothing while visiting my mom last weekend. And frankly, I'm happy to be this far! You know how I love to stitch on 36 and 40 count. So I changed the fabric on this piece to 40 count Pear from Lakeside Linens. (See, I finally remembered.) However, I should have studied the pattern a little before making this change.

You see that pink dividing band that looks like a zigzag? Well, that is French stitch. Not a particularly common stitch and not really difficult either. It's kinda like a Queen stitch in that each vertical leg over 4 threads is tacked down horizontally in the middle. But the stitches are done in pairs and are verically offset by 2 threads, hence the zigzag look. I love Queen stitches, even on 40 count, but somehow this little band took three nights for me to complete!!! And I had to use the magnifier for the whole thing. Very easy to misplace the couching stitches. Plus, since it's a hand dyed it's already been wet and dryed so shrinkage has already occurred. So the weave is tighter and harder to see. Again, not usually a problem for me, but this was a bugger! I love the effect and since Tuesday night, I've completed the alphabet and almost finished the next dividing band of Bosnia stitch (the dark green one). What a difference. Bosnia is so quick and easy that you're done almost before you start!

I'd love to be able to stitch more during the day, but I'm staying busy make fobs and counting pins and stitch markers, etc. for several new needlework shops. And here's my shameless plug, feel free to tell your LNS about my needlework bling and direct them to my Etsy shop or they can contact me about having some in their shops!

Tweet

Pulling from My Stash!

I'm claiming a finish since I decided to consider each band on Margret Gatis 1711 a distinct project. Sunday afternoon while watching the third horriblly played NFL playoff game of the weekend, I finally found all the little things I'd missed and filled them in. It's quite an eclectic band of stitches, motifs and colors. Quite interesting, as a matter of fact. Therefore, you'd think I would move on to another start with some reluctance. NOT.  Of course, if I continue this way, I won't be done for eons! This isn't even one third of the complete sampler!

 

 "The Lily Sampler" by Amaryllis Artworks, not to be confused with the equally lovely "Lily Sampler" by Pat Rogers Collection is next on my list.  I've had it for close to 20 years and have always loved it. And this is the year I decided to stitch it for reasons that will become clear later.



I'm using the Anchor floss colors that the model was stitched with, but I did change the fabric. I chose a 40 count hand dyed linen from my stash. I believe it is from Lakeside Linens, but I cannot remember the color name. If I figure it out later, I'll let you know. It's a pretty medium green that I think gives the piece a more vintage look and will enhance the floss colors. The finished size on 40 count is approximately 8" x 12.5".  I haven't made a lot of progress yet, but here's the start.

 

Tweet

Ta-Da!

"Pigalle" is done!  Woohoo! 

Now all I have to do is frame it.  I have two mouldings in stock that I like. What do you think?  I'm leaning towards the narrow one.  I'll have to cut down the frame, but that's not a problem.  I haven't done any framing in a quite a while.  I'd like to get this one done quickly so that I can loan it to Donna at Angelwing Needlearts for a shop model.  My version is so different from the cover model that hopefully it will encourage others to be brave and not worry about the cross-stitch police.

Speaking of my version...I stitched it on 40 count Tundra from Lakeside Linens, using 1 strand of floss over 2 fabric threads.  One skein of each was sufficient, except for the navy DMC.  I used two+ skeins!  So make sure you have enough of whatever you decide to use.  And remember that if you choose to stitch it on a larger count that you will probably want to use 2 strands and your stitches will be larger so you will need significantly more floss. These are the color changes that I made.

GAST Antique Rose --> GAST Hyacinth

GAST Briar Rose -->  GAST Red Plum

GAST Gold Leaf  --> GAST Avacado

GAST Wood Rose -->  WDW Dutch Iris

GAST Fragrant Cloves --> GAST Briar Rose

GAST Woodsmoke -->  GAST Walnut

GAST Raven --> DMC 939 Dark Navy **

Remember that most of these hand-dyed fibers can have significant dye lot differences, so play around with them and make changes if you aren't satisfied with the way they blend. That's what I had to do.

Tweet