If you were one of the many kind readers who enjoyed and commented nicely on the last TAST posting, then I'm afraid that today's may prove rather a disappointment as I've only done the doodle-pad this week. So, to answer your question, Cynthia, no, I won't be doing a picture every week. I'll just do them when I feel sufficiently inspired and I have the time and umph.=) I do plan to do the stitches themselves each week, but will be happy with doing about half in some sort of pictorial form (which I plan to make a sort of portfolio affair of, or may even mount some into cards etc). At the moment, I have a number of gifts I want to make and other things to do, so I decided against the blanket stitch based picture. To be honest, I wasn't really excited enough about it anyway, even though I found a good few variations, as you can see here.
So, here are samples of plain blanket stitch, double blanket stitch, knotted blanket stitch, what would have been a blanket stitch pinwheel had it not been worked on Aida and therefore turned into a blanket stitch diamond (which I liked a fair bit and felt had some potential in counted work), long and short blanket stitch and a raised blanket stitch bar, which was rather rushed off and so didn't really cover the threads it was stitched over very well. Why blanket and not buttonhole? Well, in the form buttonhole was introduced on Pintangle, it's exactly the same, but there is a traditional buttonhole stitch which is actually somewhat different, so I chose to be pedantic!!=)
One of the first of the other things I need to do stitch-wise is a 'thank you' card for friends who gave us a most unexpected gift the other day. So, I fished out this old magazine freebie kit that I'd part-worked to finish off and got on with that a bit yesterday. I also want to do a cross stitched bookmark for another friend and, after that, a nice cushion cover for the couple the card is for. I'd planned something like that anyway and now I feel I have good impetus to do it. I also want to get the dogrose made up into its final form and get that needlepoint giraffe sorted as well. So, there are many projects clamouring for my attention and that means that it's not likely that TAST will be a major priority as far as really taking it as far as it goes each week goes.
And what do you think of these fellows?
These are for a magazine - 'Crazy Quilt Gatherings' Issue 4 - and the tutorial that was requested will be just for the central, larger red ladybird, but with instructions at the end for the other variations. You can find out more about the mag and order a copy when I can find where the editor has hidden the info I got from her site before (LOL!!!), but I will be reserving rights to re-publish the tute on my blog, which I plan to do in the summer. So, that's something coming up later on.
In the meantime, I have stacks of photos to chose and edit ready for that tute, plus one on general wired needlelace elements for stumpwork (yes, using a poppy petal from my recent project), then the assembling of the poppy itself along with the finished piece. And that's before I even start on....
Yes, I'm feeling busy again!
© Elizabeth Braun 2012
Great practice piece! I totally understand that there are times when we can do so much and that is perfectly fine. That thank you card wip is looking great and those ladybugs (ladybirds there, i think) are so realistic... specially the dark one. Looking at the eyes was how I knew it was embroidered. Congrats on being published!
ReplyDeleteI do love the cross stitch, but sometimes I like to venture in unknown waters - it is always a rewarding challenge for me.
ReplyDeleteI do love your insects, as they look very realistic.
The ladybirds are lovely - well done. I think the point of TAST is not necessarily to do something magnificent each week, but to provide the opportunity to play and investigate each week.
ReplyDeleteYour little ladybugs are adorable. I will likely be ordering Pat's magazine (since I can't live without it) and will watch for the instructions. Your stitching is all so precise and lovely.
ReplyDeleteLove those bugs! Can't wait to find out how they are done, as that's the kind of thing I would definitely use.
ReplyDeleteyour ladybugs are so cute !!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite of those practice stitches is the blue square design - and I like the way it fades between different shades as you go around. Also, the ladybirds are cute!
ReplyDeleteOh My! the bugs are super!! Will need those for my garden CQ!
ReplyDeletegood work on buttonhole stitch, and I adore these bugs of yours.
ReplyDeleteNice sample piece and t.he ladybirds are adorable
ReplyDeleteYour beetles are adorable. Looking forward to the tutorial!
ReplyDeleteI love the ladybirds!
ReplyDelete