Friday, July 31, 2015

Marbled Circle, Progress Report

Here's a progress report on this odd little canvas.  This is an actual photo, better than the scan.  Now that I can work on harder stuff, this project has become "that which I work on when I'm tired of everything else!"

Friday, July 24, 2015

Diamond Delight III Finished

Finally - cataract surgery recovery is complete and I have new glasses.  It was a long haul.  It's so great to be able to see properly again!

Diamond Delight III is finished.  I changed one color and thread, I changed the center.  Otherwise it is as designed by Debbie Rowley.  Oh, I think I changed the bead color too.  There are a lot of beads, but they don't show up very well in the picture.  

Friday, July 17, 2015

Purrfect Spring, July

The Stitcherie challenge for July is finished.  Got a lot done this month as they used a new type of clue, which had an option of being 3 clues!  I took that option and completed the wall beneath the cats and the multicolored cat.  Cat is all Very Velvet and the wall is Sleepy Oblong Cross (I think, something like that) in Rennaisance Designs Plain & Fancy, which is a thread I will NOT use again - it is polyester, but it came with the canvas and there was lots of it.  Lesson learned.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Framed

I finally got some things framed:

Twister, finished 2012, this piece will hang in our entryway along with other black/white/red things.

Mystery Retreat, Las Vegas, 2009, this huge project has been finished for 5 years!.  I had it stuck on my wall with tacks in Vegas, but now it is finally properly framed.  I actually use this piece as a stitch sampler and refer to it often!

My version of Jean Hilton's Puzzle Purse, my "Puzzle Piece".  The Puzzle Purse was a Cyberpointers' SAL in 2013.  I did not want a purse, so reworked the design area into a square.  It was quite a challenge, which was Jean Hilton's intention!  I'm pleased to have it framed now.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Marbled Circle

About a month ago, I had cataract surgery and after a few days I decided I HAD to stitch even though my vision wasn't very good!  So I looked for something in my stash that would be "easy" as I didn't want to work on any of my "important" projects.  

This painted canvas marbled circle I bought in Australia, so it has to have been in my stash 4-5 years.  The label says it is "Individual Marbled Canvas by Alison Snepp and Karma Bains and I bought it at Mosman Needlecraft in Mosman, which is a suburb of Sydney.  I think it is painted, but it could be printed, I can't tell for sure.

First I realized it was on interlock canvas - which I hate!  Then I noticed that the circle wasn't really round, which is one of my pet peeves, so I counted it out and basted a more accurate circle.  There is no such thing as a perfect circle in needlepoint (or cross stitch), but it must at least be symmetrical for me to be able to stand it!  

Since it is interlock canvas (18-count), I decided I'd better stick with floss as just about anything else would be too heavy for the lightweight canvas.  So I'm using almost all overdyed cotton flosses from my stash.  I did have to use some regular DMC floss cause I ran out of the rust overdye and I refuse to buy anything for this canvas.  I am also putting in a little bit of Kreinik metallic to spark it up a bit,  also from stash.

Sorry about the quality of the photo.  It is just a scan and my scanner doesn't really like it when the canvas is on a frame - it just won't sit flat enough so it comes out a bit blurry around the edges.  I am fairly pleased with the piece though.  I only hope I don't find too many missing stitches once I can see again.  I get my new glasses in a week or so.  Hurray!

Friday, July 3, 2015

Pink Bargello, Finished

The pink bargello is finished!
DH cut the back off of the pin I had so it would sit flat on the canvas and I tacked it on with some Kreinik #4 braid.

I just happened to have a pretty little silver frame and it fit perfectly!  Threw away the glass, trimmed the canvas to fit (left about 5 blank threads all around) and stuck it in there.  DONE!

How easy is that?!