Still plugging away

So now it is February.  And my friend's wedding is just around the corner.  It's very clear that the sampler won't be ready by the wedding, but I think that is fine.  It would just get lost in the mayhem that is a wedding.  So it will be next on my agenda.  However, I'm really focused on getting the Queen of Hearts completed and into the framers.  I don't know why but I just feel that I must.  Who am I to argue with the Queen of Hearts?  LOL

This is where I'm at now, so I should have her completed today and then can take her to the framer this week.

New Start 1/29

The end of January became very busy with some family matters so I was out of town quite a bit.  In between trips to the neighboring village where my parents reside, I at least go proprietary stitches in this new project.

 I have had this kit in my stash for years and years and years.  I just had never gotten a Round Tuit.  Well, the 29th seemed pretty round and since everything was kitted up to my satisfaction, with silk no less, I went ahead and started it.  Which instead of much stitching meant that I needed to sort out all the fibers, put them in the holder, and label them so I could work with them.  Another reason why I have only proprietary stitches.

New Start 1/22

This is another piece that I've had in my stash for quite some time.  I've done another piece by this designer and really enjoyed it and this one looked like fun.

This is Miranda from Illusions.  Most of this is black work with some kreinik and dmc accents.  I'm going to do a bit more with her tail and the shell.  Probably do her tail in kreinik braids instead of the black.   In any case, I already had the fabric for this so I'm working it on Belfast Linen's Little Boy Blue in 32 ct.

I haven't gotten amazingly far, but it's a good start.

New Start for 1/15

I've had this kitted up in my stash for several years and just thought it was time to get it done.  I used the fibers that it calls for, overdyed cottons from Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts.  The fabric is Belfast Linen's Cobblestone in 32 ct.  .  It's a darker brown that I could get the picture to reflect.  And the piece went so smoothely and so quickly, even with my fumbling to remember how to work with two fibers over two that I got it finished in a week.  I've decided to put it into a tea tray and have ordered that through the Merchant Queen.  Just the right thing for carrying breakfast up to the bedroom. :)

New Start for 1/8

Another new start for January.  I fell in love with this design when I first saw it. It's from the second edition of Spool and I think everyone in the Village is reading it.  But its not just for cross stitchers it for everyone that crafts with fibers including quilters.  It's eclectic and fun and I need to get another copy for a knitting friend of mine.  I'm not giving up my copy.

It's a bit hard to tell from this picture, but the little inset to the right shows the piece on a lavender background.  I really love the way the colors look on it so I went to my stash and believe it or not (lol) I have some fabric in just that color.  I have no idea why other than I love it, but there you are.  I obviously bought it some years ago because it is 32 count.  I haven't worked 2 over 2 for a while but it's true what they say, "it's like riding a bike.  You never really forget".  So it is going well.  Since I pulled from my stash instead of kitting it up with the Merchant Queen I'm working in DMC as that is what I have available here in the full color palette.  I don't think it looks too shabby.

I've gotten a fair amount done, but that is definitely more than one weekend's worth of work. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.  It must be an antidote to all the black and grey I'm working with.  :)

New Start Saturday

The Merchant Queen has declared that in the month of January each Saturday shall be "New Start Saturday".  Those who feel inclined to start the year off with new projects should start a new one each Saturday, which means 5 new starts for 2011.  Many of the villagers have taken up this challenge in their own way.  Some are starting a traditional four starts, some are doing 5 to match the 5 Saturdays in this particular January, and of course the Bard has let the challenge fill her soul and come up with her own plan.  The Bard is exposed to many projects and wondrous ideas in her travels and quite a few touch her heart and make her wish to complete them in her own unique way.  But there just never seems to be time.  This challenge has inspired her to make the time and so she is combining all the projects in her heart and in her stash with the month of January and is starting a new project each day. 31 in all!  My heart skips a beat at the thought!

Meanwhile I had decided not to participate as my life is full of work and wedding sampler at the moment. But I too was inspired by the industry and the fervor of the Village hard at work starting amazing projects and sharing ideas.  So I have decided to start a new project each Saturday for the month of January.  Curse you, Merchant Queen, for being the purveyor of such amazing delights and all the supplies we need to create them!!!  LOL

So my start for January 1st is a new pattern from the Holiday issue of Just CrossStitch.  It's "Cedar Waxwin in Winter Hawthorne.

The background is tone on tone which I really like and this will go well with a needlepoint piece I inherited from my father's mother.  Due to the hastiness..ahem...suddenness of my choice to do this I decided to just work with DMC as the fiber because I knew I had it at home and it was easy to get to.  I did however work with the Merchant Queen to pick out the fabric which is Lakeside Linen's Maritime White in 40ct. 

Sorry the picture looks a bit dark, but you can kinda get the gist.  It's going to be stunning and way fun!  I'm glad I got sucked into this....I mean got inspired. :)

Hard at work as usual

It's been a while since I've had a moment to catch us up on the events in the Village.  Things have been very busy.  The holidays are always a time for gathering and family.  Everyone in the village stitched and ate and visited and enjoyed.  There was laughter and presents and joy for everyone.

And in the meantime work continued and projects moved along at their own pace.  For myself, I have somewhat of a timeline.  Two of my close friends from another village have announced their intention to wed. Which is lovely.  As they have lived together for more than 10 years it would seem this is not a hasty decision and I'm projecting that the marriage will last. :)

In the meantime as the stitcher in the group it falls on me to make the Wedding Sampler.  In looking for a pattern I had certain criteria in mind:

They are having a non-traditional wedding - no church, hand fasting, ceremony in the middle of the reception, everything in cream/grey/black with splashes of red, no flowers just curly willow and hundreds of candles.  Very Victoria ala Edward Gory.  So I needed a pattern which was Victorianesq and I needed the colors to be cream/grey/white.  The brides engagement ring is red gold with black diamonds and I wanted the color scheme to match that so I wanted the fabric to reflect the red gold.  I ended up special ordering this from ColorScapes.  It's Aurora and 40ct.  The fibers are silk and a mix of NPI, Gloriana and Bell Soie.  Once all the stitching is done there are a ton of beads that go with it and I had to find those in petites because of the stitch count.

And of course, this is nothing like the colors that is charted as you can kind of see from the chart picture.  But I'm really excited that it is turning out and it is less painful to do than I thought it would be.  See, I often have these grand ideas, get everything ready, then think "What am I thinking?!!  I can't do this!!!".  However, this time I can and hopefully I will get it done in time for the wedding.  Not that they will mind.  They will just be happy to have it.  They have seen it in progress and are delighted.  There's just something in me that wants to get it back from the framers, wrapped, and on the presents table on the fateful day. Which is March 4, 2011.

So I'm putting my head down and continuing to stitch.....