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The Stitching Fairy
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| Moving Along |
| 08.30.04 (11:11 am) [edit] |
I'm back with another update! Had a busy weekend running here and there... I got my sewing machine back from my mom and replaced the broken needle. I want to be able to do some different finishes on my projects other than framing and having a sewing machine will help. Didn't get to spend as much time stitching as I wanted but still got a bit done. I'm hoping it goes faster from here on out. :)
Greg's project is flying along and looking great! He's been spending loads of time on it and says he's getting sick of brown...gee I wonder why? ;p ;p It looks so much better in person the fabric looks like the sky, very pretty and as always he does good work!
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| Plugging Away |
| 08.25.04 (8:38 am) [edit] |
I got a bit more done on WW last nite. I was watching Hidalgo and trying to concentrate on stitching, not an easy task. Enjoyed Hidalgo immensely, love Vigo Mortenson and the horse was cute too. ;p I finally finished the tree and broom handle of WW and if not distracted might've gotten a bit more done. Oh well! Here is an update pic! I did change the colors on the tree a bit, the specialty threads I needed were out of stock so I had to improvise. I think that the colors I chose look great though and you'd never know that they were changed.
Also thanks for the nice comments on my hand dyeing experiment. It was definately an eye opener and now I have to figure what to stitch on my new colors. :)
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| Dyeing, A Slight Detour and an Update |
| 08.24.04 (7:23 am) [edit] |
I had quite a fun weekend! I decided to once again experiment with fabric dyeing. I had previously tried it w/ limited success, but this time I went at it w/ a different dye and a lot more fabric. ;D Overall I think the pieces came out great! The colors are not screaming loud, but nicely muted. I tried two different techniques. 1. brushing on the dye and 2. tye dyeing. I got totally different results and each technique has its merits. I can't say I prefer one method to another as both gave interesting effects. Below is one piece that I dyed w/ Mandarin and Bronze Rose. I cut two yards into four pieces, each w/ a different color and technique. I like big pieces for my projects so this seemed the best way to go about it. I have to say that dyeing fabric can be a tiring experience! There is a lot of work that goes into preparation and then into the actual dyeing process. Letting it sit and absorb dye is about the easiest part. ;p What amazed me is how the fabric comes out quite dark and then by the time you rinse, rinse and rinse some more you end up w/ a much lighter product. That was fine by me as darker fabrics can be challenging to find projects to stitch on. :) I don't know what I was expecting when I started the process but I was pleased w/ the outcome. Having just ordered a few pieces of hand dyed fabric I was curious to compare my pieces to the ones I purchased. The techniques seem similar but the purchased pieces are much darker and more dramatic. I think that I just didn't let mine sit long enough to take in a lot of dye and also I used softer colors. The ones I ordered are more autumnal reds/oranges. Overall it was a fun experience and now I need a rest. ;p ;p
Click the pic to see more pieces.
I also found a cute craft project that basically required hand stitching and stuffing and hot glueing to achieve some adorable little fall pumpkins. It was so adorable that I dropped my stitching for a couple of days so I could work on these. It was so easy and I got it done in record time. They are made out of a heavy felt that you just cut out and hand stitch together and then stuff and glue up the leaves. You can see more on the pumpkins by clicking the first pic.
Here's a finished pic:
While I was buzzing around dyeing fabric (and generally making a mess out of the kitchen) Greg was stitching away on his eagle. It's coming along very fast and looking so nice!
He does such good work! And in the batch of hand dyed fabric I ordered I got him some beautiful fabric that he's going to use for his next project! Can't wait to post those pics!! ;p
Greg's Progress:
If you want to see a larger pic of this in his gallery, just click on the smaller pic posted there.
Now I can get back to Witchy Washy! :D
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| The Latest |
| 08.20.04 (7:47 am) [edit] |
I'm glad it's Friday! It's been a hectic week! But even w/ everything going on I managed to get in some stitching. :) A lot of stitchers recommend NEVER stitching when tired or distracted, the problem is (at least for me) if I took that to heart I'd never stitch. ;p So for the most part I am able to muddle through, but last night was one of those nights when I should've quit while I was ahead. I had to rip out the end of the clothes line twice before I got it right. I guess I didn't realize I was as tired as I was, but I was determined to get it in and in right. :) So I did right before bed time. This is a FUN pattern to stitch, very easy and lots of great colors! I was wondering though if anyone else out there dislikes stitching w/ DMC 310 (black). I have always found their black to be an unstable thread. It frays and breaks and pills and just doesn't hold up well. I have always wondered if it's the dyeing process they use that degrades the thread or what??? I try not to use black if at all possible, but there's a ton on this project. Maybe I should try Anchor black...any comments on this out there?
Here is my latest update! You can see an up close pic in the gallery, just click the this photo over there. :)
Kim's Project
Greg's project seems to be going smooth, he hasn't made many comments about it, so I assume everything is going fine. He's making fast progress and it looks great! It looks much better in person as you can't see the subtle color of the fabric in the pics.
You can also go to the gallery and click his pic for a larger version.
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| Complete B.S. |
| 08.16.04 (11:03 am) [edit] |
(evil grin) I have completed my Blessed Samhain!! Don't you love double entendre?
Yes it is done! I am so happy! I can't believe how fast the backstitching went! I completed ALL the backstitching in 2 days! It went so fast I can hardly believe it is done! And it looks so good, that the pic below hardly does it justice. I changed a lot of the backstitching colors to suit my own tastes, some look great, some are so-so, but overall it all looks fantastic!
Blessed Samhain
If you would like to see a larger version, check out my gallery and click on the completed pic of BS to see it up close. :)
Now I'm onto Witchy Washy which I started yesterday and am loving it so far, I love the colors! They are so fun and the fabric I chose had gold threads shot through it which gives it a nice sparkly effect! Here's my first update:
Greg also got his Liberty project all framed up and it looked fantastic, not sure how much it brought for charity, but everyone who saw it loved it.
Now he's onto his second charity project and it's going well! You can't tell from the pics, but the fabric is a hand dyed sky blue color which adds so much to this project. It's a JIFFY kit and based on how fast he's stitching it I'd guess they are right. Greg did substitute the kit threads for DMC. He wanted to stitch it on 14 count and didn't want to run out of thread, as the kit was set up for 18 count. Also he's hoping to stitch it again for himself.
So we had a busy stitching weekend!
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| Mini Update |
| 08.12.04 (12:38 pm) [edit] |
I got to work a bit on BS last nite. Not as much as I had hoped, but I did manage to get the corn stalks done and half the ghost! Tonite I want to finish the ghost and hopefully start on the bats, then it's backstitching!!
I think it will be a while before I tackle something that has so many repeating items in one pattern, if anything was annoying about this, it was that I would finish one difficult item and realize I had to repeat it multiple times. While this is great practice it can be quite frustrating when the first time stitching the object was a pain. But the finished result is very nice and will be great for the fall! One thing I've noticed though is that I haven't seen a lot of Thanksgiving stitch patterns, maybe I'm not looking hard enough... hmmm... ;p
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| Sometimes it's the details... |
| 08.11.04 (7:29 am) [edit] |
that are the most enjoyable part of the project! Greg finished his liberty and now is in the framing stage. I have to say that I enjoy the framing stage, as it's one of the most creative parts of stitching. After transforming a blank canvas into our creation, based in part on someone else's design, we can take it to a whole new level with the simple act of framing. Framing adds our own stamp of originality to the project and I like that.
Here is a preview of what we have in mind for Liberty's matting:
I love the copper mat and the contrast of the teal mat that brings out the colors in the Liberty. I can't wait to see this one all put together, it's going to be very lovely and someone (it's going to a charity auction) will get many years of enjoyment out of it.
As for me I'm still plugging away at my BS, but it's getting closer to backstitching time. ;p I may have a new update pic tomorrow if I can get that other ghost added tonite!
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| Miss Liberty |
| 08.09.04 (8:47 am) [edit] |
Back again with another update! Greg spent all day stitching to complete his Liberty. He wants to submit it for a charity auction this coming weekend so he needed to stitch fast to finish it! It looks great!
Greg's Liberty
He added gold to give the flame that "authentic" look. :)
This second pic is a close up of his signature. I think it's very kewl as he did his initials and the year on the liberty tablet. He signed the year in Roman numerals to give it a different look. I think it's very fun!
My project hit some snags trying to do the corn stalks...they seemed to take forever and then I had to frog the left side out twice from miscounts. This is a common problem on this project as one miscount can cause major disruptions. Overall I am glad to be getting close to the backstitching. :wink:
Kim's Project:
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| Cruisin' Along |
| 08.05.04 (5:56 am) [edit] |
Back again w/ another update! I should write something more often, but it's hard what w/ work, etc. and it seems silly to post every little stitch completed. I'm one of those people that need inspiration in order to sit and just journal. So! Here are some updates! First mine! :wink:
I have had a lot of trouble w/ this project in the past few days, I had to rip out the cat several times along w/ the moons. For some reason I just couldn't count properly to get them lined up and the cat was the worst. I realized that I had made a small error in the border which is why the cat wouldn't line up at first but then it was just miscounting fractionals that caused endless frogging.
I can see that if I ever attempt a much more complicated w/ tons of fractionals (can we say TW?) that I will have to be mega careful at every turn or it will be a mess. That said, this project is turning out great! I love the colors, although I think I will do the backstitching in non-recommended colors as I don't like the starkness of black surrounding everything. Not sure how much longer I have on this as the backstitching could take a while. Looking forward to doing an easy project next. :wink:
Kim's Project
Greg's project is basically finished! He's working on the backstitching now and then it's onto framing. He's been feeling a bit guilty that he has neglected his other hobby (biking) in favor of stitching, so he may scale back a bit on stitching to pursue biking until the snow flies. He may also be getting a bit burnt out as every project he has done to date has had a deadline attached to it and we all know how those can wear us down. ;) I think this project looks great and can't wait to see it finished. I think he is going to add some gold on the flame to mimic the real Liberty.
Greg's Project
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| Feelin' Alright... |
| 08.02.04 (6:57 am) [edit] |
:D I feel pretty good today! My anniversary was on Saturday and I got a lovely gift (pics to follow) and I got quite a bit of stitching done and just had a nice weekend. Weather Pixie is still missing, and I am afraid she is gone for good. :( I just wish I knew what happened to her.
I got the best anniversary gift! It is so wonderful I just had to share a pic! I had seen this in a gift shop months ago and lusted after it fiercely....however the cost was such that I couldn't have it. My sweet hubby remembered it and sneakily got it for me for our anniversary. First off you should know that I collect hand shaped items, ring holders, statues, etc. so you will see why I had to have this. Secondly it is an actual piece of art! It was created by Robert Shields. He used to be a mime in the 70's when that sort of thing was mega popular, he belonged to the act Shields & Yarnell, for those of you w/ memories that far back. :wink: Well, now he creates art in Sedona, Arizona. And this is one of his pieces. Take a look:
The second piece shows his signature on the back, which I thought was kinda kewl. I've never owned a "real" piece of art before. :D
Now here are our updates:
Kim's:
Greg's:
Greg's project is coming along nicely. It looks great in person! We have a kewl idea for matting it that I hope works out and will post pics when ready. We got the mat cutter and I'm excited to see how Greg handles it. I think it will be a wonderful thing. :)
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What I'm Stitching
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