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