Welcome visitors from Pintangle!

Thank you very much for clicking over to see me. ☺

I was very flattered when Sharon asked to include me in her TAST interview series, especially as I haven't been able to join in as much as I'd have liked to.  Also, if you've read the interview you'll know I'm not very good at the exploratory process - I'm very different from many of the artists featured thus far!  However, I do like to learn new things and develop as much skill as I can, so TAST is one of the challenges that offer a constant opportunity to move forward.  I'm planning on looking more closely into the Embroiderer's Guild distance learning courses towards the end of this year, so they may provide the needed impetus.

If you'd like to know more about the wedding dress panel, you can see my series of seven posts on the project, or hop over to the Kreinik Threads Blog to read their interview with me about it. ☺♥☻

I'm having some technology problems at the moment - both my laptop and my digital camera urgently need replacing (the camera I can only use if I seal the battery door up with duct tape, and the laptop is exasperatingly slow, no matter how much I delete, disable or otherwise clean up), so blogging has been rather neglected of late.  It takes a lot of patience and planning to get anything done, so there are a few projects waiting to be published.  Assuming I get my tech up to speed in the next few weeks (as I very much hope to, and Sir has agreed the funds for it ☺) , here's a sneak peek at what's coming up soon:

Here you can see some previews of counted thread and freestyle embroideries, sewing and knitting projects, and preparation for entering some local summer shows.

I'll be blogging all of these projects and more in the near future, including my sewing workshop days and some overviews of all the handicrafts exhibits at the Bingley and Ryedale Shows held later this month and the Shadwell Flower Show in mid August.

You can subscribe using the e-mail service (just remember to complete the verification process, or you won't be signed up), or any of the usual reader services.  There are widgets for some of the most popular part way down in the side bar.  I'm also on Instagram.

If you'd like to know more about my work, please do feel free to have a look at the gallery pages which you can find links for just under the blog header image.

My apologies for a relatively short and dull intro post, but I seem to be in for a bout of tonsillitis (or a cold at least) and I'm feeling just that little bit ropey today. However, thanks very much again for calling in and I hope to host you in my web home often. ☺♥☻

If you haven't seen the interview I'm referring to in this post, click here for a look!


Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2017

Stitchmaynia 2017 - a stimulus to get going again!

Apart from finishing off this small violets needlepainting (which I still need to write up for you) and doing some motifs on new baby knits (which I have written about, just not yet published), I haven't done a lot of embroidery this year so far.  Yesterday, however, not only did I start on a small hardanger piece for a sympathy card, but I also discovered one of those on-line stitching community challenge kinda things called Stitchmaynia.

I immediately interpreted this as getting as much stitchery done as possible during May, but apparently, that's not quite the original aim.  The 'pure' version is to start 15 items during May, but, unsurprisingly, many are creating their own permutations and I'm certainly going to be putting my own spin on it.  I mean, can you really see me running 15+ WIPs in one go?  The original Queen of 'a limited number of projects on the go at any one time' and 'no UFOs'??  As if!  So, I decided that I would take it as a stimulus to get on and finish two of the three things I have on the go just now - the hardanger card (more on that one in a later post), the Paradise Island XS:

(untouched for at many weeks - I know I didn't work on it during April and probably not March either), and a black chunky/bulky cardigan I'm knitting for myself:

I will also be starting and, hopefully, completing a few new things.  Here's the list of needlecrafts stuff I'd already posted on my other blog complete with comments on progress etc:

* Get on with 'Paradise Island cross stitch    65-70% complete so far
* Do some other embroidery  goal already met thanks to my hardanger work yesterday, but more to come
* Make a t-shirt  mostly at a workshop on sewing with knit fabrics I'm going to on Weds 10th
* Finish black chunky cardy  very much in progress, back and both sleeves already knit
* Knit Veli baby hat  to match a jacket I'll be publishing a post on soon
* Knit Tang baby cardy  another new start, but a fairly quick job
* Start on bag making tasks  i.e. Sat-Nav bag for Sir, backpack, knitting bag, manicure pouch

More on the sewing, and even the knitting, soon, as that's part of a major new project that will last a good couple of years or more and I plan on writing about that separately.

Other than just that, I have these to stitch on:

Intrigued?  Well, more soon!

Are you joining in Stitchmaynia?  If so, what is your personal version?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2017

Time for a Paradise Island update

First of all, thanks so very much to all of you who left such nice comments on the last posting of the completion of my Rowandean sample card. =)  It was a fun piece to work and, yes, I feel a bit more confident about trying more of that sort of thing in the near future.  I certainly have enough sheer fabrics and special (i.e. not just plain dyed stranded cotton) threads to use!!

Over the last few nights, Sir and I have been watching 'The House of Eliott' on the BBC Worldwide YouTube channel.  He's loving the business development and general drama side of things and I always find this show inspiring and creative, but as I've watched it a time or six, I don't need to pay much attention to the screen, so have been getting on with the Paradise Island greenery.  The first photo shows progress made over the first four episodes and the second, the next two and a bit.

Still a fair amount of tree parts to do and, as it's such bitty work - a few stitches here and there, then change colours - it's taking a long time to get done.  Still, I'm aiming to have this part completed by the end of the year.  Will I?  Well, let's see...

Today I'm home with the start of a cold (probably), but as all the shopping is done, the ironing is up to date and I have good stocks of all the things I need to deal with a cold (Vitamin C, Echinacea, Kleenex Anti-viral tissues, which are incredibly soft, pills and potions if needed and dry skin treatment things for when my poor face dries up!!), it's a good day to slob out, catch up with my blog, mess about with my Pinterest boards and so forth.  I just can't fake feeling sorry for myself!!! =)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Harrogate Show and the current 'Paradise Island' status

So, the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show is over for another year and I am very proud to say that I came home with only the above - a part worked 'make and take' from the Rowandean stand and two packs of goldwork thread I needed for one of the Craftsy class projects I've bought recently, (on which more another time).  I ran out of time and needed to get off and catch the first of three buses home, so I wasn't able to complete my sample then and there, but that's the next thing I want to do.  As you can see, I didn't realise a stray bit of fabric thread got caught on the photo too...

I'd been at the Show long enough to visit the Ladies, tidy myself up, down a quick carton of orange juice (I realised that I suffered dehydration at the Show each year and that was spoiling it for me, so I took extra drinks this time) and make my way to the first stand I was interested in, the Golden Hinde one, when a text message came from Glenis, a Nottingham friend, to see if I was there.  Turns out that she was and that we were able to have a natter over lunch and a bit of a walk around together, so that was a lovely surprise.  Later on, whilst I was at work on the above sample, I looked up and realised that Rachel was standing next to me!  So, I had the unexpected pleasure of catching up with two stitchy chums as well as getting some stitching inspiration.  I missed Kathy, who was flying over for the weekend, but I hope she got the message I left for her at the Nicola Jarvis stand. =)  It was nice to see two of her pieces for real, (the other was in the RSN display.)

I need to give myself a bit more time there next time around, or maybe even do as Rachel has done and buy tickets for both Thursday teatime and the full day Friday. It'll be much easier if I'm just coming up from north Leeds (assuming we ever get moved back!) as I'll be able to leave home after 9 and get there for opening at 10, whereas I had to leave home in Sheffield before 8 and didn't get there until 11:30.

Something that made me smile happened when I was chatting with the lady on the Mulberry Silks stall about how I was enjoying using very bright greens in my current cross stitch, but that I really didn't need any more thread as I already owned over 1600.  The lady next to me promptly turned around and said in admiration, 'Oh, well done!'  Here's me wanting to use up and cut down too.=)

On the subject of the bright greens, here's how far I've got on the Paradise Island.  I think I've only had two sessions on it since I last posted an update, but the greenery is slowly filling in.  I'll be done with it one fine day.  Here are both the area I've been stitching on lately and the whole piece so far.

I hope to have the full Rowandean piece to show you soon and, as I  recently bought a pair of compasses (i.e. for drawing circles, usually just called 'a compass', but I had a maths teacher who was very particular about correct naming!) which I needed to get the beading charted up on those mini hardanger pieces I was talking about recently, I should be able to complete some of those too.

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Soooooo frustrating!

Ugh!  So many things going pear shaped these days.  Ready for a good bit of moaning (interspersed with some stitching progress) etc?  OK, here goes:

First of all, October was a wash-out for most things.  I was ill 28 of the 31 days in the month, which was a total waste of time.  Better now, thankfully.

I made a start on the simple Trish Burr piece that you see here, the violets in section one of her 'Fresh Ideas for Beginners' book.  I thought, 'I'm not too keen on spilt stitch stems, let's do it on stem stitch instead.'  So, I did and it ended up being really much too thick.  I then went on to make a real mess of the bud.  This is as far as I got that day and it's all coming out.....  Time to start again.

These photos show the counted work fabric inventory I completed recently.  As you can see, I wrote all the types, sizes and so on on these pieces of paper, then transferred the details to the correct bag.  No more wondering what's in each bag as I can see at a glance.  That went well, but the frustrating part for this (and other things) was that the photos I'd taken throughout some of the process all ended up corrupting.  A whole batch I'd moved into a new folder went wrong and so I lost the lot.  Thankfully, there was nothing really important in there, but it was a shame nonetheless and rather a nuisance having to re-take some of them to post today.

Something I noticed whilst doing this inventory was that I had a lot of scraps of Hardanger and Oslo fabrics, so I fished them all out and decided to make up some small pieces to mount in my small (and tiny) cards or even bookmarks.  I'll probably try and sell them as, with hardanger being so quick to work, I can possibly even charge a price that's fair to myself and the potential customer.  If they don't sell, I'll have a set of nice cards to use up for friends. =)  The designs I'm using have come from some old 'New Stitches' magazines and I'm adapting them with colour changes, introducing metallics and changing the shape of the outer beading trim to fit the circular mounts better.  Another good thing about this project, as well as using fabric and card blanks up, is that I'm getting some threads and beads that I either have never used or not touched for a long time into service.  I estimate that I've used a quarter or less of all the threads that I own and that's not very sensible.....

In the batch of photos that I lost was a midway shot between the last update photo and this one.  Of course, I couldn't go back and retake it, so here's the whole piece at the moment.

I haven't done a lot of needlework of late, esp. as I've just started another book reading and studying up drive, but I'm getting some things slowly done.

Other results of my counted thread fabric inventory were that I realised I no longer use Aida at all and listed all my scraps on e-bay to sell.  Also, I decided to get on with projects I'd long been planning to do and even collected the materials, but never yet got on with.  One is the lovely blackwork runner here some of you might remember that I included about about 18 months ago during the Needlequest blackwork month (photo and pattern is from 'New Stitches' #75).  I've got all I need for that, although I may swap the Kreinik Very Fine Braid for DMC stranded metallic as I have enough of the latter for the whole design, but would need to buy three more spools of the prescribed Kreinik.  I'm not sure yet as the single thread VFB will probably look nicer than two strands of DMC Light Effects.  I'll try a sample and see.  The idea is to use things up though, so I want to try and use what I have wherever possible and I'm unlikely to need almost two full skeins of the DMC long-term, esp. when I have so many gold metallics that I can't imagine ever running out.

I also have enough white 22ct Oslo fabric for a couple more cushion covers and/or a small table runner.  There are several skeins of #5 pearl cotton in white and another ball of matching #8, so it looks like the traditional white on white look will have it with at least one piece.

I'm not really expecting to start those hardanger and blackwork projects until the new year, (by which time I hope to have the above etc finished) but it will be nice to work on something with a view to using it in our new home - whenever we finally get to move!  The final frustrations are that Sir still hasn't been able to get a longer term job in the right area and homes of the right spec are not plentiful at this time of year.  We looked at one last week, but it would have taken more than a few pieces of pretty needlework to make that look less shabby.  You know how some places are old fashioned in a classic and charming way?  Well, this one was old fashioned in the badly needs modernising and redecorating way.  Looks like we'll have to wait a couple more months, by which time we hope to know how much we can spend on housing.  As little as possible, I hope as who wants to waste all their cash on rent when there are so many more interesting things to spend it on?? =)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

More trees on the Island

Time for a progress report on my only WIP at the moment - the Paradise Island cross stitch.

Here's where I'd got to for the last update almost a fortnight ago.

I haven't been able to do as much as I'd hoped since then as I've had two viral illnesses back to back - something that I hoped had stopped!  It was very disappointing to find that could still happen, but it is coming into the colds, 'flu and bugs time of year and I haven't been able to rest as much as I've needed to thanks to Sir's change in schedule, so I suppose that's where the problem came from.  Anyway, I've altered my own schedule to make the best of things now and hope that will help.  It had been several months since my last nondescript viral episode.  Let's hope it's even more months until the next one now and I can get on with my various projects.

I doubt it will surprise anyone greatly to know that I've been working on more trees:

And then yet more:

With plenty more to come!

It's a bit tricky getting decent photos at the moment as, although I've got my camera set for multiple points of focus, there are only so many it can do and so the right hand side has tended to get de-prioritised and left a little more blurred.  Photoshop Elements can only undo some of the mischief...

The last photo for today is one at the same stage as the one above, but of the whole piece including the 'blank canvas' sections.  It gives more of an idea how much is still left to be put in.

I'll get there in the end....

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Trees are growing on paradise island!

Here's the last photo I posted of my Paradise Island cross stitch pic.  As you can see here, I'd finished as much of the water as I'd planned to do at this point and moved on to putting in some of the tree section on the distant shore.

Not surprisingly, after that came some more trees:

And then some more:

I've managed to straighten up the warped bottom section a little, but I realise I'm probably going to face the same problem at the top and, as this will probably be a cushion cover to brighten up a new sofa in our new home (ONE day!  I wish I knew when we were moving and we could just get on with it!), it's all going to need to be wet stretched for a while on completion.  Given that not all of the squares will be 'filled in', I'm wondering how, or indeed if, that will work out.  Anyone got any tips or experience they can share?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Graduation card in cross stitch

Just a quickie today to share the cute owl card I made for my hubby who recently passed his PhD and, although he hasn't had his graduation ceremony as yet (January, we think), is now known as Dr Sir (aka Doc Martin!!)  He had his first piece of mail addressed to him as Dr the other day, which made us both chuckle.  It was from the Uni, of course.  He hasn't changed his title anywhere yet.  We're saving that for when we move and can take care of both changes in one go.

Anyway, hope you  like this wise owl (not that either of us is daft enough to believe that higher education gives wisdom!).  Sir took him to work and put him on his desk to show off.  Awww!  Even though his desk is in a corner and no-one really passes it, it was nice to do that anyway. =)

The fabric was stabilised by ironing Bondaweb to the back and then cutting the design out.  I've done that once before, but I think that either this type of fabric doesn't work too well with it - too soft, or I didn't remember how to do it properly.  I need to look at the book I got it from again next time I'm near the central library...

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Update on the Paradise Island piece

Recently, on my post about completing the butterflies piece, Glenis asked me, 'What next?'  Well, one of the first things I'd like to do is finish the Paradise Island cross stitched picture.  The first shot today is the last photo I posted a couple of months ago, then the second one is with all the water that I plan to do at this stage completed.

This third one shows how far I've got with putting in the trees on the distant shore.  There's just one colour here so far and I'm ready for the next one as I've done as much as I reasonably could of this shade for now.

Other than that, I'm also cross stitching a little card for my hubby as he's now had official notification that he's passed his PhD completely and is now entitled to call himself Doctor!  So, he's now Doc Martin, or Dr Sir!!!  He's trying not to make a big deal of it, but I can see that he's really rather chuffed just the same.=)  Anyway, I'll show the card when it's done as it's only a small design and not really worth doing a WIP series for.

I also went through the drawer which holds my kits and project ideas etc and found this little lot:

This is what's in stock at the mo, (i.e. what's left when I sold off most of the kits etc that I used to have in my stash, but realised I was never going to stitch).  I'm also interested in another Coleshill stumpwork kit and hope to get hold of that one soon.

Having posted those, there's nothing to say I have to do any of these next and I'm also really interested on some more thread painting sort of work, polishing up some skills there.

So, the bottom line is, other than the current WIPs, I really don't know what's next!  Any suggestions?  Ideas?  Requests?  What are you working on or hoping to work next?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

L*K 'Cherish All Living Things', another show piece

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have no trouble recognising what my second entry into this year's Sheffield Horticulture Show was as I posted quite a few WIP shots there last month as it progressed.  I've saved the 'main camera' photos up until I was ready to post them all in one go on blog.

Fans of Lizzie*Kate designs will probably know this one, although it's a few years old now.

As you can see from the first photo, I had my tray of over-dyed threads to hand much of the time as I was constantly changing the colours for shades I thought looked better!!

 Here we have all the cross stitching complete.  Just needed to add the charms before finishing up.  With all the other L*Ks I've worked, I didn't use the trims provided as I wasn't that keen on them, but this time I like the ones in the chart pack, so decided to include them.  What I had in my stash just didn't work out with this design, most of them being too big.

Rather than spending £30-40 on framing, I decided to make this one up into a bellpull.  That way, I could use up one of the bellpull ends I had in stock and also present something a little different in the Show.

When I was stitching this piece, Sir asked me if I really thought it stood any chance of winning something and I said I did as it was very different from the entries I saw last year, which were mostly detailed, picture type pieces (very British taste) and I'd noticed that the judges seemed to lean towards the less classic, more whimsical pieces.

When we went to the Show after judging, he saw what I meant and agreed that this was a departure from 'same old same old'!!

I'd wanted to enter something in the 'Cross Stitch - Own Design' category, but thanks to computer use problems (the headache saga continues.....ad infinitum), I wasn't able to even complete my design.  However, I plan on doing one, or even two, for next year's competition.

There were four entries in this category (embroidery, on the whole, was poorly supported this year), but winning second place out of four was a lot better than first of one as with the butterflies!!!  Don't you agree?

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Anniversary stitching

I haven't really been in any rush to share these photos as they're more a story of frustration and failure than anything else! =(

The meerkat bookmark was finished up as you can see here.  It looks OK and the tassel worked out - eventually, but I agree with Sir when he said that something is missing.  So, I plan to remove part of the backing sometime soon and add in some small 'landscape' features, such as a few tufts of grass etc.  Nothing much, just something to place our cute meerkat in context.

This is the second and larger catastrophe.  As you can see from the first picture, I had the nice tree design from the outline sticker all prepared to use as a pattern, complete with colours chosen etc.  Then I realised that there were three problems with this: 1) There would be a lot of work involved in getting it done on time and time wasn't something I had a lot of, 2) I didn't have a very clear idea of how to do certain parts of it, and 3) once the outlining was done (with couched Kreinik Cable abutted by this lovely multi-coloured Japanese couching thread in stem stitch), the colour scheme and whole look simply didn't work.  However, it was too much to take all the stem stitches out and doing so would probably have damaged the sheer fabric that I appliquéd to the main fabric into the bargain.

So, I had to change directions.  Thankfully, the 'Ultimate Cross Stitch - Oriental' that I'd ordered popped through the door at the right time and, in a section of small designs, I found something I could work into the card.  I erased the old pencil design OK and then used some Kreinik #8 fine braid in 027 (orange) and some Needle Necessities overdyed Kreinik #8 in a variegated light blue to do the water effects.

The whole thing doesn't 'go' terribly well and the koi carp design would have been better half an inch lower down, but it can't be helped now.  Anyway, it was done in time and that's more or less the only good thing I can say about it.  Oh well, it happens...

It's my tenth blogoversary tomorrow and  I'm just about to start work on a series of posts going over Sew in Love's 10 year history with highlights from each year.  Hope everyone'll enjoy that. =)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015

Projects in progress just now

Hi!  Time for a project progress update.  To be honest, I haven't been stitching much over the past fortnight, but whilst we were watching a film on the iPlayer the other day, I did some more on the water around the Paradise Island.  The whole things looks like this now:

It really is a beautifully colourful piece.

Well, it's that time of year again and our wedding anniversary is looming.  Sir had his main present a few months ago as it was something he needed then, but I've started on some stitched goodies as well.

Here's the work I did on a cross stitch bookmark last night.  Everyone like meerlats and Sir had a diary with them on a couple of years ago, so, when I saw this little chart in that 'Ultimate Cross Stitch' magazine that I got from Hobbycraft a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist making a simple cutey for him.

Here he is with most of the cross stitching done (all except a few stitches that I missed out!)

I thought he'd look better on a coloured background than a white/cream one, so this is the very last of my green Aida band.

Below is the little fellow in all his back-stitched glory.  He only took about 2 or 3 hours all in and is quite small, but he makes a sweet little keepsake, no?

Sorry about the inconstant colours in the photos - I was just taking the pictures with the piece on my knees as and when I needed to, so light was changing all the time!

I'll finish up the bookmark over the next week and may make a co-ordinating tassel this time too.

Next to consider is a card of some sort and, inspired by the last issue of 'Ultimate Cross Stitch', which was on oriental designs (and which I have ordered, but still hasn't come.... waaah!), I thought I'd do a sort of kimono card using these outline stickers as a rough design.

I've already taken an approximate tracing and have selected most of the materials, but it's quite hard to get on with it with Sir around and about, working from home and so on.  He'll be out later on this evening, so I can get things pressed ready and there may even be some appliqué parts to sort out.

More on that one next time! =)

Text and images © Elizabeth Braun 2015