Needlequest - May round up and June design theme - line

Here we are just after the end of the fifth month of the Needlequest and it's time for a brief round up of what participants have posted about recently.

* I did a couple of learning samples, then the heart you can see here mounted into a card for Sir next Thursday.=)

* Tingting finished quite early on in the month and has completed a stalled project of 12 panels and made it up into a bell pull.

* Wendy also pulled out a project that had got stopped and got it re-started.  She hasn't finished it as yet, but here's today's update.

* Pamela managed to get quite a bit done on her coloured blackwork alphabet sampler.

* Like I usually am, Dorte's a little bit behind at the mo, but here's what she created for the April theme, Spring.

Some good stuff there, no?  I felt I really learned something over the last month too, which was great.=)

Now, it's already June and time to think about 'line' as a theme.  What does that mean?  Well, it's more about what it means to you than what it means to me, but the general idea is to spend some time concentrating on the linear aspect of design.  That could be outlining - even the popular 'doodle stitch' style, or it could be something verging on geometric.  It's really up to you!

I've inserted a couple of the sample project pieces I did when I was doing some City & Guilds work back in 2008/9.  These were from the 'line' design element part of the course.  As you can see, especially from this shell, we had to work only with lines as far as possible.  This one lent itself very well.

This second 'stitch and slash' piece (shown here before being 'distressed' (read: 'spoiled and made a mess of'!!!)) was based on the stripes on a tiger's coat.  So, linear in another sense.

What will I be doing?  Hopefully, finishing off the sample that was the second piece in my C&G course and something that long-term readers will be familiar with - the peacock feather.

I'm longing to get this one done and OFF my 'to do' list, where it's been for over 3 years!  I don't need it for anything, but I hate UFOs and there's always a chance I may go back to C&G one day, so the more I have in my portfolio, the better.  Also, if I dump it now, I waste all that time and effort (many hours worth, I can assure you!), and waste is something I was brought up to loathe!

So, t'must be finished.=)  I also would like to take it to the Harrogate Show in November and show my old teacher as she's usually there now promoting her C&G micro centre, Castle Textile Group.

What about you?  What do you have in mind, Team NQ members?

I'd also be interested in hearing from those who signed up, but haven't made a start on the challenge yet.  It's not a problem, of course.  The whole thing is optional and I, like many others, have signed up for several challenges I never did a thing about!!!  I've made some changes to the participants list though so that the active ones appear first.

For more information or to sign up to join in, go to the Needlequest challenge page.

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2014