The Happy Dance of the Child of Spring!!

HURRAH! I've finally got COS sewn up into that cushion/pillow after hanging around for about 11 months! I did the stitching on it last June/July and then it was delay after re-take after re-start.... Anyway, I got it done last night and here it is:

I can honestly say that, from start to finish, this project has been a complete pain in the rear! The embroidery part was a great deal more tricky and fiddly than it looked like being and the instructions and chart were not as good as VS normally is. In fact, had this been the first VS design I'd ever done, it would also have been the last, but thankfully I'd already worked two others!! Then we got to the finishing up part. First I used too dark a red border and sewed it on skew-whiff, so that had to come off. Then I used the right red and made the borders too wide, (some of you will remember that!!). Then I got it right, but there was a long delay until I found some decent backing fabric (I finally settled on a matching red with white spots on). I pinned that on and started tacking only to find that I'd got it all square with the spots, but the front was cock-eyed again!! Start again.... Then I had to have two starts in inserting the zip as I started to sew through too many layers. What I have really loved (HEAVY sarcasm here) about this project is the sheer amount of times things have had to be re-done and/or have driven me potty! If it hadn't been for Baby Sis (not baby-sitter, Chiasmata, I have no kids and am too old to need childcare myself!!!! Tee-hee!) I probably would have given in to the frequent temptation to burn it! However, I'm pleased with it now.=)

Carole-Anne said she couldn't imagine how I found time to do embroidery in my busy life. Well, I thought I'd tell you all!! Apart from applying time management principles, the following help:

I have no kids.
We have no pets.
We live in a small, inexpensive home, which requires much less time and money to keep up to than a larger one would.
I don't work much secularly, probably about 150 hours a year as opposed to the about 1700 a full-time worker puts in.
We don't have TV. Well, we have a set, but it's only for playing videos and DVDs and isn't used much. A month can go by without it being set up and watched.
I don't play video, TV, on-line or hand-held electronic games.
I don't make long 'phone calls.
Most of our meals are ready within 30 minutes. Our social life is fairly modest. We're not out 4 or 5 nights a week.
My internet time is kept to a minimum. I read/scan some blogs 2 or 3 days a week, but I don't spend many hours reading dozens and dozens.

DH said that made it sound like we have a very boring life, but it works for me!! I'm never bored.=) BTW, I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with any of the above, I just feel that I could lose too much precious time on many of them, so choose not to.=) Anyway, you can see the time savings from the list, can't you? Not that mothers can just put their kids up for adoption, sell their family-sized homes, dump their kids' dogs and so on just to get more stitching time, but I don't have these responsibilities, so I can do other things, although I still feel I would like more me-time!!! I've only actually completed 3½ pieces this year, 2 of which were very small. COS is just finishing up something from last summer. I have 2 WIPs right now, but something else I find makes me quite productive in terms of stitching is that most things are done for other people's special events etc. Deadlines are hugely motivating, don't you think??=)

Sunday Updates

So, I've finally got something to show that looks like I've been doing something needlecrafts-wise!!!

Here's what the 'Child of Spring' cushion/pillow looks like just now. As you can see, I've moved the side fabric so that there's more white showing than there was on the original spacing. It looks better like this, doesn't it? It was only pinned at that stage, so I didn't have to do any un=picking for a change!!! It's rather badly put together, (although that doesn't show to much - whew!), as I didn't think it out properly first, that the first seams needed pressing open before putting on the next pieces etc. I'll probably still be putting some white trim around the central part and the red won;t be this wide anyway as a third to a half of the it will be taken up in the seams when the backing and zip are fixed. Just need to get some trim and some backing fabric now. Might even finish this one soon......

Did some more of the silverwork on the bluetits last night too, namely the silver veins on all 3 leaves (just one shown here though for detailed viewing), and some more of the distant seedheads next to the lower bird, which you can see here, I hope! Might get this one done soon too!!!

Mum has offered me her sewing machine, but I'm not sure I'll be taking her up on the offer as I've seen the Janome model that I want and I need a drop feed facility for free machine embroidery. I'll have a good look at her manual first though and see if I can make it do.

Finished the Goldwork, plus other updates

I can't believe it's really been over a week since the last posting, but it has! I've had the worst head cold I'd ever experienced this week. My throat was that bad when I woke up on Tuesday morning that I actually thought I had tonsillitis! Anyway, it's 'just' been a bad head cold, but not fun. I haven't done a lot of stitching, but here's the goldwork dragonfly completed and a photo 'across' the piece, which seems to show the glittery aspect of it up better. I quite understand why Pierrette felt her goldwork photos didn't do her lovely work credit recently, it is SO hard to get the shimmer to show. On this piece, I also have the coloured part done in very shiny rayons, so it really has lost a lot in translation, so to speak.


I've been working on getting the 'Child of Spring' piece sewn up into a cushion/pillow cover, but am not too happy with it. I've only actually sewn the top and bottom red pieces on. DH thinks the red is too near to the pattern and that there's not enough border, but having already unpicked it once, I'm not keen on having to do it all again, so I'm thinking about adding some small white motifs around the edge of the red near the pattern, or stitching on some other sort of white border. What say you, ladies?

This is the current status on the 'Bluetits and Seedheads' cross stitch. Haven't touched it for weeks, but there was more to show than the last picture.

Thanks to Chiasmata and Pierrette (links on left hand side to both their blogs) for my 3rd and 4th 'You Make My Day' awards, and today is the deadline for submissions for the Hobbycraft Big Arts and Crafts challenge that I entered 'Branches' for. When the Hobbycraft judges have picked the final 20 per age category, (kids, teenagers and adults), then the public voting will open on 2 March. If I've made it that far, I will post the link as promised and hope to get one of the 3 prizes!=) Not that I need any more art and craft supplies, but winning would be lovely.=)

Working HARD

Ugh, I'm pooped! I set myself 5 tasks, big ones, to accomplish within a week (last Weds-the coming Tues) and have done the 3 biggest already:

1) Mucking out the bedroom.

2) Getting all the typing up work done for my post-grad Chinese classes.

3)Finishing 'Child of Spring' in terms of the stitching. I'm not sure if I will make it up into a little cushion or just let her get it framed/made up herself. Depends on time, but I'm really ready to be totally through with this one as it was a deceptively fiddly and time-consuming design!

Left to do are:

4) The design for my young friend to stitch up. This needs fully and neatly charting as well as the fabric cutting and some contrasting thread guidelines putting in so that she can see where to put the various elements. I plan to get this done this afternoon/evening. And:

5) Mucking out the kitchen.

Have updated my Webshots 'Sale or Trade' album with recently finished kits and designs in case anyone's interested.=)

Some photos to share=)

<- Here's the latest on the VS piece:

Still don't feel like I'm getting much done on it. In fact, everything feels rather behind. Might have something to do with the fact that it is behind, huh??

Called in at Hobbycraft on Friday evening whilst DH was getting some more envelopes from Staples (next door). They seem to be discontinuing Kreiniks, so I got all these at 99p each as clearance price! There are 2 blending filaments, (the 2 'on top') and 5 cords. Some of the thicker guages are £2.99, but I managed to get a few here that I think will be useful, even though some look a bit bright. I've noticed that in Helen M Stevens' latest 2 books she uses multicoloured blending filament (or other fine thread of that type) to portray the iridescent look of insect wings, so I thought the vibrant looking varigated one in the middle might do the same trick. Might call back in there soon to see if there are any more of any interest as I was pushed for time as Sir was in a hurry.

A bit more done and a thread parcel

Got a little bit more on the COS done - just put in the missing beads on a row I thought I'd completed and did this ladder stitched row as well. I ended up having to make that longer than intended (8 rows instead of 6) as I accidentally cut threads 1-5, then 7!!! I couldn't hide it, so had to do 2 more whole rows. Looks OK though, I think.

Got my secret sister package through for June. I got a £10 SewandSo voucher and spent it on completing my Marlitt collection. Paid for the other 4 threads myself.

Latest Set of Photos etc

So, I took the dog in to be framed today - almost £60, if you please! Ouch! I didn't put the whiskers in in the end, as it would have been so great a contrast to the fabric that it would have looked tacky and I was in no mood to spoil 3½ years' of work!!! Will post a shot when the framed item is done. I've picked a light cream, circular mount with a light copper frame.

I've also made a start on the VS design. Haven't done much as yet, but here's the story so far, complete with the design and the rest of the colours etc that I'll be using. The recipient loves red, so I've redded it up for her.=)

<-This little load came in the post yesterday as part of my anniversary pressie from dh! Aren't they great? Can't wait to be able to start on some of the projects, but, as always, that'll be stuck in a line behind stitching for other people's events!!!

And finally, here's the picture of Bolton Castle as it really is, (see previous post for my sketch, ha-ha-ha!!)