WIP myself into shape, Week 34

House guests this week so I didn't get much stitching done. And what little I did get done, I found, after four lengths of embroidery, was the wrong color so along came the "frog"!

So this is all you can see for "Sewing with Mama!", a Candamar kit, designed by Sandy Lynam Clough:

And the third... so I'm caught up with Bargello Club

"Bargello Surprise". It's supposed to be perfectly round but I lost my way about halfway through so it's more squished than I would like. Anyway, stitched with DMC FLoss (946, 972, 310 and 4124) as well as Kreinik gold cord (doubled but it still could have covered better).

Two of the "bonus" Bargello pieces complete

This one was called "Lightening Strike" and was stitched with three shades of wool: DMC 7768, DMC 7387 and Paragon 46. It looks a little "plain" but I think when it is finished and edged with cording, it will perk up a bit!


This one was called "Diagonal Wave" and I stitched it with Stranded by the Sea's Ocean Deep (#203) and DMC 964. Was afraid I'd run out of the Ocean Deep but it was one of the ONLY Stranded by the Sea threads I had two of! Luckily, i didn't have to resort to the second bobbin!.

The third, and last bonus, called Bargello Surprise, is in the works...and except for the metallic ribbon called for (I substituted Kreinik Cable instead), I had ALL the threads used in the model. Quelle surprise! LOL

WIP myself into shape, Week 33

...and catching up with Bargello! These are the August 2011 installments in Bargello club --- meant to be inserts in cards but again, probably won't happen.



As usual, I shopped my floss stash and neither of these uses the recommended threads: the green and red one is stitched with red (7666) Appleton wool, Stranded By the Sea overdyed called "Long Leaf Kelp" and Silk mori solids (4033, 4037 and 4034), while the gold one is made from three different DMC "metallics" (5284, E146 and 5282, a bobbinated "gold" cotton floss (identity unknown, possibky DMC 3046 if the number on the bobbin means anything - but I don't bobbinate and it's not my handwriting!), and a GAST overdyed "Cherry Wine".

Three "bonus patterns to go...

August BJP completed.

"On the Beach"...


Given the weather this summer, that is where I would have liked to be but...

It came out more like a British "shingle" beach than an Floridian white sand beach but that's OK. Any beach will do!

Not perfect but...

"Purrfect", design by Marilyn Robertson, kit by Design Works, completed August 13, 2011:

WIP myself into shape, Week 32

All the cross-stitch on "Purrfect" is complete. Only black backstitching and some French knots to do now... since I decided to leave off the border and the name/date wedding sampler bit!

Then I can move on to August BJP *AND* the five bargello pieces I have waiting for the Janet Perry 2011 Bargello CLub (HOW did I let them sneak up on me like that?)

WIP myself into shape, Week 31

"Purrfect" didn't get my full attention this week, thanks to GIrls' Night Out and volunteering at the fair but I did get in a couple of colors on the boy cat:

Reporting in on the fair... UPDATED

I entered 12 pieces in all into seven categories and won.........

six ribbons! And made back my fair entry fee with $4 to spare!








A third place for my Marilyn Robertson Art deco black cat set (four of the pieces)

a second place for my Michael Powell "Greek Window"


 and first places for "Witches Wheel"


"Harvest Sampler"


"Garden Stars"

and "Fountain Mandala"



The last three pieces --- a trio of Christmas ornaments --- well I couldn't find them anywhere so I'm assuming they didn't win anything (although I didn't see a blue for any cross-stitched ornaments so I really don't know. The blue I did see was for three cute little snowmen but they weren't embroidered, so should have been in a different category...

We went back this afternoon and found my ornaments. They hung them on a tree about ten feet away but they were there!


And another blue! So make that $7.50 profit! LOL

All but two were in glass cases, and so there is some glare... Apologies! My husband took more pictures so I replaced my really glarey "Fountain Mandala" photo  with his...