Thread & Eye Mandala - February Update

I put a few days into this before the SAL at my LNS, but I don't feel like I really made much progress.

I really love how this design grows and changes as you add each element, and I love using HDF silks. I will eventually finish this project, but just not anytime soon.

A love affair with variegated silk floss

I admit it. I do. I love silk threads. I love beautiful silk threads. I love beautiful variegated silk threads. A lot.

I finally broke down and ordered a few gorgeous skeins from Carrie's Creations.

From left to right:

Pizzazz, Mostly Deadly Nightshade, Twister, Paradise, and Epiphany.

Do you like my pretties ... ?

My precious .... new fabric!!

I found an online supplier (Sassy's Fabbys) that hand-dyes 25 ct lugana, along with a host of other fabrics and counts. Finding 25 ct is a difficult thing, as most companies that do hand-dyed fabric only do 28 and 32 count evenweave. So of course I went a little overboard when I found such pretty things.

I picked up three 18" x 27" pieces of 25 ct lugana in (from left to right) Night Magic, Butterscotch Cookie, and Nightfall.

On the odd occasion I don't want to stitch so small, I picked up some awesome 18" x 13" pieces of 18 ct aida (Royal Purple and Amphibian).

I can't wait to find the perfect pattern for each piece of fabric!

QS Terra (HAED SAL) - Feb Update

My progress so far on the HAED Bulletin Board SAL:

I've almost stitched a 1/4 of the first page. The second page will be sent out at the beginning of March, but I won't be touching that anytime soon. I'll be happy if I finish the entire first page by December.

While the stitching is relatively easy right now because it's just big blocks of colour, I am really not liking the 28 ct fabric. My stitches are too small and they look uneven and funky. Bleck ... I don't like. But I refuse to restart (again) so will persevere in spite of my dislike. I'm glad I figured this out on a piece I'm not really attached to though. There is a distinct possibility that this may become a UFO (unfinished object) in the future.

Finally Finished!! The Blackwork is DONE!

I have finally finished the Blackwork Stitchalong project I started last October. Since I stitched it over 1 on 25 ct, I ended up having to adjust the pattern quite a bit in order to avoid having the fill patterns be too crowded. I decided not to do any beading on the central piece, and just kept the beading on the border. I also modified the border so it wouldn't be so heavy around such a small piece.

Words can't describe how glad I am that this project is finished. I won't say that I'll never do black work again, but it definitely won't be anytime soon. I certainly consider this a learning experience. I learned what I do and don't like about blackwork, and I will make very different fabric and pattern choices next time I try it.