Needlequest - 24 March 2014

Yesterday I got a 'commission' from my French friend who is getting married in July and for whom the 'shampoo bottle' design will be the basis of the wedding card.  I'd asked her, as I usually do when friends get married, if she wanted something for the wedding (a ring cushion), a souvenir of the wedding (a sampler type of thing) or something for the home.  To my surprise and delight (as I usually end up doing cushion/pillow covers for the home), she and her fiancé requested a ring cushion when I saw them yesterday, so I've been thinking about designs and so on.  She tells me they've chosen yellow flowers as the nearest thing to a theme colour (they're keeping things simple), so I have that to go on.  I thought I'd do something along the lines of this cushion I worked 9 years ago.  This sort of thing isn't meant to be practical beyond that it needs room for the rings to sit, and can be as ornamental and fancy as one likes, so I'm going to have great fun designing this one!

So, how are you all getting on with your Needlequest projects?  I'll be honest and say that I haven't done a thing this week.  Oh, OK, I did select the colours for the butterflies, but haven't got to doing any as yet....  At least the above has some goldwork elements... Anyone else got anything to share this week?  I hope so, as Wendy has made the terrific suggestion that I post a selection of links to others' work.  There aren't anything like enough submitted to make that worthwhile each week, but why not towards the end of each month??  So, please do leave a link to your project, whether or not it's completed, and I'll do a list of them next Monday.=)

Something else I want to ask about it how participants feel about the subjects/themes for the Needlequest.  Whilst I know that many people who sign up for challenges don't actually take part and for many that do, they run out of enthusiasm fairly early on (I've done both myself - more than once!!), and we only have about 15 people who signed up anyway, but links have been very thin on the ground, especially this month and last.  This month has been really problematic for me for one reason or another, but I've usually been trying really hard to have something to post almost every week so that there's a post open here for folk to leave links on and, as I'm running the challenge, I need to get well and truly on with it - LOL!  It's often a little disappointing to not have anyone else's work to see though, so have you any thoughts?  Problems with the topics?  Suggestions?  I know some prefer not to showcase until they've finished a piece and so links are more plentiful later in the month, but I still thought I'd take this chance to survey the Needlequesters and see what they think.  I'm concerned there's something 'wrong' with the challenge, thus the low level of checking in, so I'd like to know what you who are taking part think.

I have got SO much stitched stuff to get done over the next few months that it's rather a nuisance to have already lost so much time to illness and exhaustion as well as my interest needle having swung very firmly over to 'Chinese' etc of late.  I find that it goes from one extreme on the scale to the other, either completely or to some degree.  Although I never entirely lose interest in either and the needle's been very much on the 'embroidery' side for several months past, it's been pulling me off towards my other big interest recently...  Well, it's better than being bored.=)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2014