What's new in my stitchcrafts world

I remember, several years ago, someone saying to me that when someone goes all out on something one month, they tend to drop to lower than average levels the following month.  My recent blogging history would seem to bear that out, wouldn't it??=)  Actually, I've had some rough spells during November, but seem to be pulling up somewhat now, so here we are again, getting our act together and posting.

The first thing I have to show is the recent sampler finish all laced around a board.  Sir and I spent some time together working on framing issues on Monday evening - that is, he cut six pieces of card and I mounted the sampler onto the largest one of them.  Here are the front and back views.

After he'd cut that first piece, he then did me five squares on which to mount my little DMC stumpwork kits, as shown completed here.  Only four are shown here although I did work five of them.  One was mounted in a card for Sir, so I'll need to re-work one so that it can complete the set nicely.  I have a wall mounting idea for this series that will look much better with five than four pieces, so it'll be delayed a short while whilst that gets going.

This is how far the Lizzie*Kate 'Autumn' piece has got.  I didn't touch it for a fortnight and still haven't got much done since re-picking it up!  However, as there's an extended free listing event over this coming weekend on e-bay UK, I must press on so that I can get it sold on.  One lady has bought all the other three, so I expect I know where it's going next...

Something I'd like to do is really master needle painting, so I've got my Trish Burr 'Beginners' book off the shelf and decided to pitch in on this one to start with.  I also decided to have a go with my Pipers silks on it, which may turn out not to have been the wisest of decisions...  They're really quite fine and two strands of Pipers floss silk is equal to just one of regular stranded cotton.  Could be ideal for very fine work, should I ever feel the urge!

Below is the 'floss toss'.  I've drawn the design out twice as I may have a go at doing it in another colour way as well.  The appallingly blurred shot at the bottom is how far I've got - not very!

Last Friday saw me heading up to Harrogate for the Knitting and Stitching Show.  It was quite a day and not for the expected reasons!  Three out of my five buses were late, causing me to lose an hour of my precious little time at the Show and then to get home an hour late.  If that weren't frustrating enough, my complimentary ticket was thoroughly non est when I got the desk!  I couldn't say what had happened to it and who, if anyone, messed up, but the clerk on the desk, despite it not being at all busy given that it was 12:30pm already, declared it 'wasn't his responsibility' and declined to help me get in touch with the exhibitor who'd promised the ticket.  (Yes, in his position, I indeed would have!)  Anyway, I was just thinking that I had to choose between £15 for the ticket and slinking off with my tail between my legs, when I remembered that I had the mobile number of the blogger who I'd arranged to meet for a cuppa and a chat.  So, Rachel Wright of Virtuosew Adventures was my good angel that day.  She hared off to the relevant stand, explained the problem and then came over to where I was waiting with one of the team's own exhibitor pass to get me in.  Whew!  Was I ever grateful!=)  Rachel, mwah!=)

Here's what I bought:

The silk fabrics on the left are fat quarters and they're to be used as backgrounds for the needle paintings I hope to work in the fullness of time.  The other packs are some organza pieces from the Rowandean stand.  I thought they might be fun to play with and they were only £1 per pack.  Two of the overdyed threads were for pieces planned/in progress and the other two were 'useful greens'.  Softly variegated greens, like some of those by Gentle Arts Sampler Threads, can work well in freestyle pieces.

I also got a couple of fabric paint things - a mixing grey, a transparent extender (to make pastel/more transparent shades etc) and a pearlescent paint, and some four seasons type buttons which I got in the hope they would do on my Lizzie*Kate pieces.  However, what didn't click at the time is that the original buttons have holes in them and so lay quite flat on the fabric.  All these that I got are the type with a lump behind and almost certainly won't do.  Drat!  I'll have to think of something else now!

Anyway, I think that's all I have to share for now.  This has been my 500th post!

What have you been doing??

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Work in Progress Wednesday - 13 Nov 2013

Has it really been almost two weeks already??  After a mammoth posting session throughout October, November has been a bit quiet blog-wise so far, but I have been working on my 'Autumn' cross stitch project, although I haven't got to the feather as yet.  I've been rather busy getting caught up with a few things and so on since viral nasties in October, so I haven't got to posting.  Anyway, here are a few WIP shots for you to (hopefully) enjoy.=)

Actually, the real trouble with the feather is that I can only really work at it seated at a table as I don't have a hands-free frame as yet.  I have it on my desk in my room, but it's not often very warm in there at times when I would be free to stitch.  Maybe this evening???

In the meantime, I've cracked well on with this piece and am a good half way through it now.  I hope to get it (AND the feather) finished this month.

I've made one or two changes to this design as I felt the overall look of the piece tended far too much towards Hallowe'en.  The house looked rather on the spooky side and the black cat of the original design fell in with that look.  So, the cat I did in grey instead (but I think I need to re-do the eyes as there isn't enough contrast and they don't show up well) and I'm 'normalising' the look of the birdhouse somewhat.  I won't be doing a light on in a creepily shaped window, for instance.  Since when do birdhouses have lights on anyway??  And the window will be the same as all the others - rectangular, rather than somewhat coffin shaped!  Honestly, there are enough things to portray a natural season with, must it be so tightly centred around holidays?  From which you may gather I'm not a fan of most of them, but especially not Hallowe'en!

Other than that, I've prepared my shopping list for the Knitting and Stitching Show next Friday afternoon and am working out bus times to fit everything in nicely.  I've also been enjoying looking though some of Trish Burr's books, two of which I own and the other, the Colour Confidence one, the library bought in at my request.  There seem to be about 24 designs in those three titles alone that I want to have a go at!!  Plus two new releases that she's recently added to her shop, although I can't really afford almost £10 just for a digital download, so I'm hoping that at least one of those will appear in a future book.=)  She has one in progress at the mo and I'm guessing it's either on miniature thread painting, or is the promised follow up to the 'Fresh Ideas for Beginners' one.  Pleasant anticipation there.  Anyway, I want to get at least one into commission this week and to try a similar design with stranded cottons, my new Pipers Silks and also gently variegated threads like the ones that I use in this current series of cross stitch pieces - Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and maybe some from Weeks Dye Works.

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013