Thread & Eye Stitching Retreat

Last weekend I went to my LNS' stitching retreat. The first day and a half was spent just chillin and stitchin, and then on Saturday I spent the day (and most of the evening) working on the counted canvas class project. After a little extra work once I got home, I managed to finish it.

The design is by Needle Delights. The class was wonderfully organized and everyone was able to pick a colourway they liked with an array of different floss types. As an added bonus, a finishing method was provided too. It isn't simply a frame for the stitching, but it's actually a trivet/mug coaster. How cool is that?

Life gets in the way

Seriously, I had such high hopes for blogging this month. I even took my camera and cords with me when I went travelling for two weeks. But nothing happened ... I stitched, that almost always happens, but the blogging thing got pushed to the side. Sorry about that.

I also missed posting for IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend), even though I did hermit quite a bit last weekend. I'm hoping the structure and schedules of September will help me keep on top of things. Again -- sorry!

There will be lots of update photos coming in the next week, but today I have a framed finished for you!

After much bitching, whining, and grumbling, I finished stitching the all-white hardanger piece Frozen Flower by Mabel Figworthy's Fancies.

This piece was stitched as a gift for a dear friend who defended her PhD dissertation earlier this week. I am happy to say she was successful and is now a doctor!! I chose this design for her because she writes a blog called White Cabana -- unsurprisingly it's about all things white, including interior design, decor, art, and architecture. Over the years I have sent her links to stitching and cardmaking sites featuring all-white projects. Every year I make her birthday and/or Christmas cards in all-white. (Not as easy as it sounds!) So I could do nothing less than an all-white piece of stitching to mark this great occasion.

I knew I had to choose a design with style, elegance, and texture. This piece had it all. (Though it was a much more challenging stitch then I had expected. Not that the stitching was particularly difficult, but the tedium of all those woven bars (approximately 280 of them) made my mind melt. It was a challenge to stick with this piece. However, the look on my friend's face when she unwrapped it made all of those hours so worthwhile.) I can't wait to visit her in her new house and see it in all its glory!

Updates on progress, finishes, framing, and a new start

I have a bad habit of not updating on projects when I only do a tiny bit of work on them. Over the course of a month or so I might work on a project several times, but only minor progress occurs each time. However, that progress adds up. :)

Today's post is full of updates -- most of the work took place over the last month and not just since my last post. I sadly can't spend that much concentrated time on my crafting.

Alright, let's get on to the good stuff! Pictures coming up ...

Birds of a Feather got some zig zag added:

Elizabeth has more of her poofy pink skirt:

Rules for Life came home from the framers:

My granny square lapghan is finished!! It is currently being blocked. (This is my first time ever blocking something, so it isn't perfect, but it's a huge improvement from before I blocked it.)

And I started something new ... Metamorphosis (by Ink Circles) in a "fire" colourway (think yellow-orange-red ... eventually):

It always feels like I never have much time to craft, but looking at this post makes me think I manage just fine. Yay! :)

A Gift About Change

A few weeks ago one of my good friends successfully defended her PhD dissertation. She is finally a doctor! :)

In celebration and recognition of her achievement, I stitched a gift for her -- Metamorphosis by Ink Circles.

As she unwrapped it, I told her the name of the design and explained that it was meant to mark the subtle but significant changes doctoral students go through as they make their way through the ups and downs of a PhD. Then I explained that I had stitched it in shades of blue because that colour embodies the calm, cool, and graceful manner with which she carries herself as a person and a scholar.

There were definitely lots of waterworks and hugs. Simply put, she loved it. Giving a gift like that and seeing how much it was appreciated made my heart sing.

Quick Love

I teased you at the end of my last post, saying that I was going to start something new at a stitchy night with friends. Well, I did, and now it's done!

This is Patriotic Heart - Scotland by Kincavel Krosses. I stitched this for one of my mom's best friends who just successfully finished fighting cancer. She's the sweetest Scottish lady I know!

I really like how the heart turned out, but I am not loving the framing job I did. It just feels like something is missing ... but I'm not sure what it might be.

Now - about my stitchy night! I've been participating in my LNS's monthly Sit & Stitch night for almost 2 years now and I've gotten to know quite a few of the women that attend. Last Friday night I was invited, for the first time, to a small stitchy gathering at one lady's house. It was 4 hours of glorious, chatty, stitchy fun!! It was one of the nicest evenings I've had in a long while. Stress-free with great company. I was in heaven!

I'm doubly excited because in 10 days I'm off for a 4-day stitching retreat (hosted by my LNS) for the very first time.

I. Can. Not. Wait!

I'll be driving up with two ladies close to my age (I'm 36 - quite young for a stitcher in my neck of the woods) and it almost  feels like I'm off to a slumber party in high school! Stitching, wine, and pyjamas - it sounds like a blast! I've also been informed that we are to bring 2 new starts and up to 5 WIPs for that weekend. Not a problem for me at all!

For new starts, I think I'm going to bring Ice Blossoms by Just Nan and Sunflower Bee by HAED. As for WIPS, I just have to bring Drama Queen and Cirque Des Carreaux.  I think I'll also bring Rules For Life, Elizabeth, and a new hardanger SAL that I'm hoping to put a few stitches into this week.

Music Framed & My Christmas Present

First off -- welcome to my new followers! Up to 111 now, holy smokes!

Today I picked up Music Montage (by Stoney Creek) from the framers. I had dropped it off in early September (but told them not to rush), so I had kind of forgotten what colours etc we'd picked out. I think it looks fabulous! I almost hate to give it away -- but I know the intended recipient will LOVE it and it'll blow him away. He has no idea I've been stitching anything for him.

And a close-up so you can really see the design and matting colours. Look at the awesome corners my framer added! What a lovely unexpected touch!

Just minutes after I got home from the framers, there was a knock at my door. The FedEx man!! Woohoo! My Christmas present from my mom finally arived from the UK.

My very own beautiful Millenium frame ... I'm in love! Drama Queen just barely fit on the 16" bars. I'm glad I ordered an extra set of 24" bars for my big HAED pieces.

It looks lovely, it was super easy to set up, and the tension seems too good to be true! I haven't stitched with it yet, but I will certainly be sitting down later tonight to have a go.

Progress, Framing, and Dyeing!!

For some reason, I just could not put Cirque des Carreaux down. I not only finished the first page, but managed to get almost 1/4 of page 2 done too! I had to literally take it off the q-snap and bundle it away so that I would work on other things. Since CdCx is a multi-page pattern, this counts as a finish for my UCJC! Yippee!

I think it looks great and this picture does a good job of showing off the true colours of the fabric and silk.

I got Jasmine Pixie (by Nora Corbett) back from the framers over a month ago, but I only just got around to hanging it up. I'm pretty proud of this piece, to be honest. It's my first piece that had both fractional stitches and a ton of beads. She's just lovely!

Two weekends ago I got the dyeing bug again, so I popped over to my LNS, picked up over a yard of 32 ct lugana plus a spare piece of jobelan, and went to work! I picked up a few more dye colours as well, so I got to try new things.

I learn a lot each time I try dyeing, and this time wasn't quite as succesful in my opinion. In order to have more pieces to dye, I cut up my yard of fabric into smaller pieces (15x18). As a result, less fabric in the dyeing containers means the patterns on the fabric look different. Important to learn, but dissapointing too. I did get a few decent pieces though.

This piece started as 32 ct ivory jobelan.

I washed it 4 or 5 times after dyeing and colour was still coming out. Red is so hard to dye. :( Definitely not a colourfast piece of fabric. LOL. I almost wish I hadn't washed it so much ... the red isn't as vibrant as I would like.

This piece was originally 32 ct antique white lugana.

This is my favourite piece from this dye session. I'm not quite sure how I managed such awesome mottling with the blue and the teal. It makes me think of mermaids ... hrmm ... might have to go searching for some Mirabilia patterns.

These two started as 32 ct white lugana.

They are pretty, but not overly exciting. Again, I washed out more of the colour than I would have liked. I have a thing for bold, vibrant fabrics I guess.

Frames, a finish, and some stash

As part of my UCJC, I'm trying to finish one small ornament-sized piece a month. It's halfway through the month and I only just realized I hadn't worked on an ornament-sized piece yet! So, I got to work. And here is my eighth finish for the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge:

This is Carolyn's Garden Sunflower by Serendipity Designs. I'm normally not a fan of anything yellow, but this design reminds me of my trip to Europe last summer, where I got to see field upon field full of big, beautiful sunflowers as I rode the train through the Italian countryside. It was stunning to see!

I also picked up a few of my finished projects from the framer.

Christmas Snow:

Tree of Stitches:

I think they both look divine!! I love the simple framing and the custom stain/paint that my framer does for me. He's wonderful!

And of course, the dear owners of my LNS actually listen to me when I wistfully say, "Oh I'd love to have that design. I should order it." A few of these patterns came in finally, and I picked them up. (Seriously though, do I really need more patterns?!?)

Plum Pudding by Glendon Place and Love - Quaker Style by AuryTM:

Warrior and Paladin by Firewing Designs:

Secret Finishes!!

Because certain people visit my blog on occasion, I have had to keep a few finishes secret until they received their gifts!

It's been the year of the baby it seems, and I have managed to finish two baby announcements for some of my closest friends.

This is a French Country Baby Sampler by JBW Designs that I adapted slightly. It is stitched on 25 ct antique white lugana 1 over 1 using variegated DMC 93. (The photo looks crappy - sorry!)

And this is Lickle Ted by DMC, stitched on 32 ct antique white lugana 2 over 2.

Spur of the Moment Stitching

I saw a few people on CrossStitchForum.com stitch up this freebie pattern called Brushstroke Butterfly, and I just couldn't resist! (I will admit that I altered the pattern just a smidge.) I'll be framing it myself (maybe tomorrow) and sending it off as a surprise for my mom. This was the first time I used a DMC varigated floss, and I really liked using it. I think it stitched up really well.

And now it's framed by me:

HSH - Page 1 Finished!

Over the holidays I managed to finish page 1 of my HAED Home Sweet Home. It took me about 3 weeks to stitch, though at the end I was stitching 5-6 hours a day since I was on holidays.

While at my parent's place, I remembered to take pictures of the framed AAN tree that I stitched for my brother.

Butterfly Forest - Framed

Here it is ... all framed and ready to go.

A Homemade Framing Finish

At long last I managed to frame the Lizzie*Kate - Welcome Baby that I stitched for a friend of mine ~ and I did it all on my own!!

I think it looks great, and I'm pretty darn proud of it considering how un-crafty and un-talented I am with projects like this.

I left the glass out, but I added some cotton batting behind it to make it soft and cushiony. I give it to her tomorrow ... I hope she likes it!!

I've been framed !!

Here it is ... my first real piece of cross stitch, finished in March 2010, finally framed and up on my wall. It looks amazing, and I am totally inspired to stitch some more. (Like I need more motivation ... I'm a stitching fiend at the moment.)