Friday, August 28, 2015

Lahaina Breezes

I have started a new project:  Laura Perin's Lahaina Breezes.  

I don't usually stitch Laura Perin's designs in the sequence that she suggests, and this one is no exception.  

Typically, it is fun to stitch and not too demanding.  I'm working the dividing lines as I go, instead of all at once.  Less counting!

I had most of the required threads in stash and only changed one or two.  It is still basically Perin's colors.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Marbled Circle Finished

Good, the Marbled Circle is finished.  It was kinda fun to stitch, although I got bored with it at the end.  Partly because I just find painted canvases tedious to stitch.  Anyway, I don't know what I'll do with it.  It needs to be blocked, but I'll just file it in the finished file for now.  

Friday, August 14, 2015

Bad Bargello, Bad Mad Miters

Sometimes a good idea just goes bad; everything does NOT always turn out the way you planned!  

I started this piece to have something "easy" to work on after cataract surgery & before I got my new Rx glasses.  I had already planned it out and chosen the colors.  Well, I can't blame this mess on anything but bad luck and bad choices.

Ok, so learning experience!  What's wrong with this piece?  Several things.  
1) The Bargello pattern I chose for the background is much too large.  2) The triangle is too small for the size of the rectangle in which it rests.  3) The overall color scheme of the background is much too dark.

1) This Mad Miters has 5 centers in the background and 3 in the triangle.  I have used this pattern many times, but in this case it doesn't work.  Because there are 5 centers, the spaces are too small to get enough of the pattern in except in 2 sections.  I had to use a different pattern in the triangle because those spaces were waaaaay too small to even consider that pattern.  
2) In order to work well in a Mad Miters, the triangle must be equilateral, that part is OK.  But it is much too small.  I think it should have been at least an inch taller and an inch wider, 2" would be better, but then it may be too much triangle.  Perhaps a square would work better.
3)  The Watercolours I used as the basis for the background was a lousy choice!  In the skein it appears to be navy and aqua, however, it turns out there is very little aqua, making it mostly navy.  Also, as often happens with very dark shades, it is too thin to cover well on 18.  I originally had planned for the triangle to be more of a chartreuse base, but that looked really terrible and I had to find another Watercolours to work in there.  It isn't too bad, but it is definitely NOT what I was looking for.

Back to the drawing board for a Mad Miters with a triangle in a square or rectangle!

Friday, August 7, 2015

Purrfect Spring, August

August's stitching for Purrfect Spring only took me 2 stitching sessions.  For the Slanted Gobelin window pane dividers.  Used #3 perle cotton.  
I really need a good clue next month to do gray kitty!