Progress

I have been making good progress on the Rune Sampler. The end is in sight but I am really fighting to resist starting something new. I recently bought a kit called Travel Memories, and I'm finding it hard to resist picking it up. The lure of the blank canvas and all the fresh flosses is hard to ignore. It is relatively small and much of the stitching is done in half cross stitch so it should be quite quick to do. Will push however to get this finished first and can reward myself by doing my new one then.

I know all the instructions in kits and magazine say to finish all the cross stitch before strarting on the back stitch, but what I tend to do is backstitch as I complete a section. That way I have the satisfaction of completeing individulal bits as I go and am not left with a mass of outlining and highlighting to do when I have finished the cross stitching. There is always more to do than you expect.

I have managed to get a bit more done on Frederick too. I started stitching the book spines and some of the gold backstitching, but changed my mind in this case and decided to leave it to the end. I'm worried that moving the hoop round frequently over them will pull and damage the gold thread. So in this case I'll leave that to the end. I'm pleased with the way this is turning out too. Pity I have to go to work!

Finished

 

Delighted to have finished this wedding sampler in less than a week, I had less time than I anticipated to do it. Was able to pass the gift over before the couple went away. I was not entirely happy with the size of the frame used, but the colour complemented the sepia image nicely.

 

 

 

These two designs by Joan Elliott were 5"x7" so it was easy to find off the shelf frames for them. Thinking about it, as there are another two in the series I really should get another couple of the matching frames so that I have them in case i stitch the other two pieces. They have turned out rather nicely for using cheap frames I think.

 

 

 

Having plenty of floss left over from the first stitching I decided to try something different with the Unicorn design and have stitched it on black Aida. I used some metallic threads in the star bursts and rather than beads, used silver threads. I like it, but don't think it is quite as effective as the original. It is however getting used, I have made it up into a cover for my kindle. 

Recently completed

OK, I can poke fun at my eleven year old niece for her current gecko fixation, but it's not as though I haven't been there already. I saw this wee fellow in a magazine years ago and had an impulse one weekend to stitch him. The only problem was, knowing that I had the design, actually finding it! So many magazines to hunt through.  Quite a nice, Aztec style design and easy to do, I've stitched it on a natural Aida fabric and then attached to a lightweight jute bag. I don't often finish my stitched pieces as things other than pictures and cushions, so this is a nice change for me. And something that I should make a habit of doing more.

This snakes and ladders board was done following a complaint from my niece that all the games we had were grown up ones. Yes, I know the easy thing to do would be go and buy a cheap board game. I remembered seeing this in an issues of New Stitches and liking it at the time. I haven't yet decided how to finish it off. I'm thinking I'll back it with fabric and do it so it rolls up so it is easily portable. I'm pretty sure there was a ludo board as well so might look that out to do too.

Like many of the things I do, this was stitched simply because I wanted to do it. I guess there are a couple of young boys that I could give it to, but I don't know whether I want to part with it. There are some really nice bits of detail. The chef in the middle threatening a pair of mice that have pinched some cheese for example. But my favourite is the crocodile waiting with his knife and fork for the knight to fall into the water.

Bears

A lot of the things I sew are done simply because I like them, such as the Lickle Ted here, he was just so cute I couldn't resist. There are some nice little bits of detail, such as gold in his paw, blending filament in the stars to give a little bit of sparkle and satin threads are used in the jar lid to make it look shiny. I've really no idea what I'm going to do with him. I've got quite a few pieces the same, at the moment store in an acid free album, to keep them flat and clean until i decide what to do with them.





Lickle Ted

I like to make a stitched gift for friends to commemorate important events and this is a sampler I did for a friend a few years ago on the birth of their daughter. The familiar Forever friends bear, but they brought out a range in more pastel (not quite sepia) tones which i thought was rather nice for a baby.





Forever Friends

Given that I have stitched something for all my friends when they get married I wasn't going to let my wedding pass by without having a sampler done. Knowing that none of my friend would be planning to do anything I got on to the case myself. I have a love/hate relationship (no not with DH) with Tatty Teddy. He's so cute I can't resist, but every time I succumb I say never again, no more. The backstitch detail that give the fuzzy furry appearance is a nightmare to do, it is just so seemly random, yet intricate. I'm bound to do more though in spite of my protest.

Tatty Teddy

It's not all cross stitch - this is a chap I knitted for a friend at work, she was heading off on maternity leave and I wanted to add something in addition to the group gift. I still think this is one of the best knitted bear patterns I've done.



WIP Progress

The Rune Sampler is coming on. I'm glad I had doubts about the colour blend I was using for the background. The stone now looks like stone rather than an odd blue. There was nothing wrong with the conversion chart, just user error - I had written down the wrong thing. Doh! Much happier now that this has been recified (and a similar error averted with a couple of other blends) Lesson learned - double check things and get it right in the first place. Already thinking about how I can use these rune stones for things as individual motifs. I'm seeing gifts, but haven't quite worked out the details yet.

I've made it back to Frederick. Needed a break from the fine detail of the border in the rune sampler. There are a lot of half and quarter stitches in the border and it makes for rather a strain on the eyes. And a lot of concentration needed, so not the best if trying to multi task as I do and watch television at the same time.

The difficulty with Frederick is different, easy enough pattern, but the black canvas makes things tricky. I've now got (or rather pinched from DH) a small clip on day light lamp. It as a flexible neck so I can clip it on to my frame and angle to light where I need it. It really does make life a lot easier when working on the black background.

Both of these have been put aside for the moment though as I have moved on to a wedding picture for a friend at work. I thought I had plenty of time, but then she mentioned that her last day in the office is ten days before the wedding, so I thought I'd better get cracking on this. I started it four days ago, and should manage to get it completed this evening. I don't measure how long things have taken me, but at a guess I'd say maybe 12 hours to compete it in total. Seeing it in the picture I'm pleased with how it is looking. Working on it right up close you don't appreciate effective the shading is.

Had a great idea. The "Imagine" design that I so liked and stitched a couple of months ago would be the perfect size for a kindle cover. I'm sewing it again, but on black Aida, and rather than using beads as embellishments am using metallic thread. For the back I might just use some of the stars again and do some swirls in metallic again. Haven't yet decided how to finish it off, maybe a zip, or i might just do a pouch. See how I feel nearer the time.