Stitching review of 2013 and a look forward to 2014

2013 was a pretty good year for stitching finishes, I'm pleased to say.  I count a total of 15 separate finishes, of which three were carried over from 2012.

Here's a summary:

* Completed the big counted thread sampler

* Two Lizzie*Kate cross stitched pictures - the 'Summer' and 'Autumn' button-ups.

* Four cross stitched bookmarks to the same pattern, but in totally different colourways.

* Three stumpwork pieces - the rabbit from 'The A-Z of Stumpwork' which was a carry-over from the previous year and the final two DMC kits, 'Dragonfly' and 'Butterfly'.

* Two greetings cards - one in ribbon embroidery and one in freestyle with beading

* Three knitting projects - two baby
knits (one started right at the end of 2012 and one started new) and a knitted pencil case for Sir, which I don't seem to have blogged before.  In fact, I can't even find a photo of it now!  One to catch up on later...


On now to what *hasn't* been finished and is left over for next year:
* The eternal peacock feather.  I realise that my enthusiasm to finish this is going to continue to wax and wane, so I'll leave it in its 9" hoop, with the threads in a small bag, easily to hand for the next bout of finish-it-up-o-mania!!  It's more of a WISP, than a UFO, as it's still in progress from time to time and I do intend to complete it at some point.
* The re-work of the DMC 'Ladybird' stumpwork kit, which shouldn't take long and I want to get done so that I can concentrate on plans for January.  I still have one evening and one full day for this, so I may even get it done this year.....=)

So, what can we look forward to over the next year on Sew in Love?

First of all, I'm hoping to be able to keep up with my own Needlequest challenge and learn a lot of different things through that, including consolidating skills in needle painting, basic goldwork and stumpwork as well as learning blackwork and developing my design skills and confidence when working my own designs, which is something that always makes me feel a bit uneasy.  I'm planning on combining some kits and plenty of others' designs with this challenge too, so it won't be a shaky ride all the way.

I also want to have a project to work on over a longer period of time too, that I can do a weekly report on for Work in Progress Wednesdays and that I can enter into the Sheffield Fayre in August, so I've picked this cross stitch design.  Isn't she wonderful?  A bit like a paupers' Lavendar and Lace design!! There's lots of beading, some of the jewellery elements are satin stitch and the face and hands are done in petit point (over one thread, so four stitches to the usual one for evenweave fabric).

The linen I want to work it on is shown in the top left of the photo and I plan to change the light brown shades of the wrap and back of the headdress to something like rich reds/red purples, perhaps to match the reds in the pendants.  What do you think?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Stitching coming along s-l-o-w-l-y!

I'm anything BUT on a roll stitching just now!  Today I got a nice comment left on my last post by Rachel, who said she hoped I'd had a nice Christmas and that it had meant lots of time for stitching.  Well, even though we don't keep Christmas here Chez Braun (we're not so comfy with its non-/pre-Christian origins, so we've decided against it), I still didn't get much done with a needle and, when I did get to pick one up, I made little more than an unholy mess of most things!  Yesterday I was trying to get a few surface items done on the re-work of the DMC stumpwork ladybird design and ended up doing and re-doing almost everything I attempted!  Bit frustrating.

So, as you can see from the two WIP shots above, I haven't got very far and what I have done, especially the pale pink flower, looks like it needs pulling out and re-doing.  I may re-do that flower, or perhaps three of the petals (but nothing else!!), I haven't quite decided yet...

Since these photos I've done the ladybird's head including bead eyes and 'feelers' and started to put in some French knot black bits on the berries.  In the original design, there were no felt padded bits, but I thought I'd include them this time for a bit more dimension.  If I get this done over the next few days, (possible, but not highly probable), then this will be the fourth stumpwork finish to showcase this year.  That's a definite record for me.  Actually, the three I've done thus far make a record already.

Now onto the other piece I was trying to do and, frankly, I made such a mess of even such a small bit that I decided to put this piece away for the time being until I get more confidence and ability with needle painting and feel I can go on with this one in the silks I'd started with.  So, I've made a note of the colours I was planning to use and put them back in the silk threads box.  I'll try the same design in another colourway and in stranded cottons instead.  That one should be coming up soon and will be the first of the Needlequest pieces for January.=)

What have you been working on (supposing you've had time)?  Had more success than me?  I pity any poor soul who's had less!=)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Work in Progress Post - 12 Dec 2013

This months stitching goals are (complete with last week's status and then the current one):

* Finish the L*K 'Autumn' piece  - About 85% complete and must be done this week.  This one's done, but I'm not really sure about the colour of the lettering.  Up close it looks OK, but wishy washy from a distance.  Actually, I think the real problem is my short sight and that the letters don't stand out as much when I can't see them so clearly.  I'm interested in what you think and what other colours you think might work in this piece.  The outermost border shade is actually a nice green, but it's really hard getting the photos to be 'genuine' in this piece and, if I edit it to make the background look nice and blue, then I lose the greens, it appears!  Anyway, yes, genuine opinions wanted please.  I've kept a copy of the lettering part of the chart in case it's needed!!

* Finish the peacock feather - Hoping to complete the left hand side before next Wednesday's update.  I didn't get the whole of the left hand side done, but I worked on it for a total of about an hour and a half and have made some good progress amountwise, but qualitywise is another matter.  I think I'm making a complete hash of this....

 

* Finish the red alpine rose tiny needle painting - Just the stem done so far.  No change as yet, but this is the one I want to get on with and hope to put some work in on before my next update.
* Re-work the DMC ladybird stumpwork design - I tried to find both the fabric I'd planned to use for it and the tracing I'd kept, but I appear to have put them somewhere safe.  FATAL!  So, I'll have to use a photo of the previous one and Photoshop it to produce an outline of the correct size.  Probably will be a bit fiddly to do, but should work OK.  Of course, as soon as it's all stitched, you know what the first thing I'll find is, don't you? 
* Mount and display all five DMC stumpwork pieces. - Naturally, I can't do this until the pieces are all finished, so this will come after the ladybird is re-done.

Good to see a few sign up for the Needlequest challenge.  Hope to see a few more in the course of time and I've already drafted the monthly intro posts for January and February.=)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Announcing the 'Needlequest' challenge!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the idea of an open challenge which would see participants spending a month working on a different style or technique of embroidery, or on a certain area of design.  Here are the details:

2014 Needlequest Challenge 

Monthly Topics

January - Needlepainting
February - Japan
March - Goldwork
April - Spring
May - Blackwork
June - Line (as a design element)
July - Crockery and tableware
August - Fabric colouring techniques
September - Autumn
October - Greece
November - Stumpwork
December - Windows and doorways

I have enough ideas to keep us in challenge topics for the next few years, but these should see us well started!=)

The idea is simply that, during the stated month, each participant will try to spend at least some time working on that topic or style.  Hopefully, we'll all share our work on our blogs, on-line photo albums, communities such as Stitchin' Fingers or the Hand Embroidery Network etc.  There will be no set patterns to work and I won't be teaching anything as such, although I will try to post some ideas and inspirational material at the beginning of each month to help stimulate interest and creativity for the weeks ahead.

Q&A Section

Who can join in?

Anyone and everyone who loves needlework and wants to develop their skills a little further.  You don't even need a blog or on-line photo album to join in - although we'd like to see what you've been creating, so we hope you do have one or the other!  Just add your name in a comment on the dedicated blog page where you will also find all the details of the challenge (more or less as here).

Is there any obligation?

None whatsoever.  You join in when you have time and interest and you miss out any months where you're especially busy or you just don't want to work with that subject.  There are no set days to post or any deadlines to meet.  I believe in low pressure challenges that are a pleasure not a source of stress.  Signing up is really a sign of interest and not a commitment.  Real life comes first!

Will there be tutorials to follow?

I'm not planning anything like that, although the challenge may provide impetus and a timescale to work any of my (or anyone else's) tutorials that you've been meaning to do and not got to yet.  I'll be learning new things myself, and so am not qualified enough to guide the learning process of all these different techniques.  However, there is a wealth of on-line and printed material available for every technique you can think of (and dozens more!), so you won't be short of instructional material if you want it.  I'll try and provide some links, book suggestions and so on at the beginning of each month to help us all out.

What technique do I use when the theme is a design area, such as 'China'?

Absolutely any you like!  You can design your own piece(s) or sample(s), or you can use the monthly theme as a start date for a kit, chart or book/magazine design you've had in mind for a while.  Use whatever techniques you like and feel happy with.  You could think about including some of the new skills you've learned from previous months where the theme was a specific style of work, or you may want to use an old favourite.  It's entirely up to you.

I already have so many projects on the go already, I don't want to start anything new.

As a massive 'finish what you start' proponent, I totally respect this.  However, you may not have to start anything totally new.  For instance, suppose the monthly topic is 'stumpwork' and you have had an unfinished workshop piece lurking around in your UFO (UnFinished Object) bag for years.  Well, why not use that month as an opportunity to get that project out and complete it?  Perhaps you have a large scale cross stitch of a Geisha girl part stitched.  Why not work on that when the theme is 'Japan'?  There may well be several ways to join in without starting any fresh projects, but that can help you make real forward movement on some stalled ones.  Why not look through your part-worked pieces and see how they may fit in?

How do I share my work with others?

I hope to try to make a weekly posting showing what I've been doing with the month's theme and so you might want to leave a comment, including any links to where we can see your work, on that post.  I won't be running a blog or album to share others' work on like some challenges do.  This one is entirely self-managed in order to reduce the coordinator's workload (i.e. me!) so she can get on with working the challenge herself, and to eliminate the 'I must submit something' pressures.

How and where do I sign up?

Leave a comment at the bottom of the Needlequest page including a link to your blog, album etc and with a sentence or so detailing what you hope to get from the challenge.  You can wait a couple of months and see how others do before you join up if you like.  You can sign up any time you like, there's no deadline.

If you're not planning to take part, that's no problem whatsoever, but there's no need to leave a comment telling me.=)  Let's keep the challenge page comments just to sign ups, although you're welcome to leave 'regular' comments here as always.

Can I put forward ideas for future topics etc?

Please do!  I won't be using anything religious, patriotic, mystical or holiday related (i.e. Christmas etc), but any other general topics or styles are welcome and I'll add them to my list.

If there are any other questions, please feel free to ask and I'll add them to the page.  In the meantime, I hope to get a few sign ups and look forward to working and learning with you in the months ahead.

(Photos decorating this post are from my 2008/9 City & Guilds studies days.)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013

Work in Progress Wednesday - 4 Dec 2013

Helloooooo!

I'm in a good mood today.  After being able to collect Nectar points on e-bay for a while already, now one can finally spend them there too on a the same sort of voucher system they used to use for Amazon.  That means that I was able to get my own copy of the Trish Burr colour book as well as the Redouté flowers one for fewer points that it would cost me for the colour book alone on Nectar's own books affair.  Even if I'm getting something for free, I want to get the best value out of it!!  I get a fair few things via e-bay, as one can often get hard to find and discontinued products there.  So, consider me well pleased!

So does the fact that I'm on the home stretch of this L*K piece.  Just one more leaf, three leaf stalks and the 'Autumn' logo to go now...

Here's the cute kitty bit!

This is as far as I've got with the peacock feather, i.e. got it all laid out on my desk and getting in the way.  I haven't put in a stitch on it yet, but I have cleared it out of the way a few times...  I'm planning to do a little on it when I've finished this posting.  Wonder if I will....??!=)

My stitching goals for this month look like this (complete with status thus far):

* Finish the L*K 'Autumn' piece  - About 85% complete and must be done this week as it's listed on e-bay and has been bid on already!
* Finish the peacock feather - Hoping to complete the left hand side before next Wednesday's update.  I do actually believe in miracles (esp as Sir actually managed to get hold of his teaching certificate mentor on the phone the other day!!), so this may even happen!  PS - it did!  I put in two lengths...=)
* Finish the red alpine rose tiny needle painting - Just the stem done so far.
* Re-work the DMC ladybird stumpwork design
* Mount and display all five DMC stumpwork pieces.

I should be able to manage that lot, but whether or not I will depends on a combination of self discipline (laughs wildly) and successful avoidance of germs.  I can't really stitch when I'm horizontal in bed!!

That list should have answered your question, Wendy.  Yes, I'll be totally reworking the ladybird piece as, even if I was willing to break up the card, there wouldn't be enough fabric to mount it on its cardboard square.  It shouldn't take too long to do and I can turn the wired ladybird into a blog tutorial shortly afterwards.  Look out for that one some time within the next six weeks or so.

Juno asked if lacing the sampler was my first attempt at it.  No, it's my fifth one.  I got the instructions from the back of one of Helen M Stevens' books, probably one of the 'Masterclass' series and just followed those.  This piece here was my first and I've also done two cross stitch pictures that Sir then mounted in spare frames and which are now hanging in our home.  The other piece was the one I used as a tute for mounting finished pieces into a plastic flexi-hoop frame.  The technique is very similar although it's a rounded edge finish instead of a square or rectangle.  We got a quote for the final framing of the sampler yesterday and should get that sorted very soon indeed.  Looking forward to getting it to my mum as soon as practically possible.

Right, best crack on!

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2013