2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-Five

A week of attempting to catch up *and* get ready for the fair. It helped that this weekend also coincided with WIPocalypse and International Hermit and Stitch Weekend for June... so I got two things completed (TAST #71 and June Crazy Quilt Journal Project block). I also stitched on the block I hope to enter in the county fair next month in the "Pink" category... I also picked up the framed pieces for fair entry. All of these things are listed in other posts this week...

International Hermit and Stitch weekend, June 2013

I did stitch this weekend... I finished Stitch 71 for TAST on Friday and the June block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project on Saturday. Then I started on the 12 x 12 block I hope to enter in the county fair next month in the category called "Pink"... All the seam treatments are finished and now it's time to embellish.

WIPocalypse - June 23, 2013 (the Super Moon)

This month's themes were: Designer – Teresa Wentzler, Style – Summer, Colors – Black and Green ... and again, I don't have a single piece in progress that fits in with those themes.

Also, I still seem to be in recovery from that eye surgery as my eyes don't seem to have any stitching stamina  *and* I seem to have lost my stitching mojo as a result of the four weeks I had to lay off for recovery. Still, I did get SOME stitching in this month.

Completions included:

• The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013: The May block - a monochromatic red,  and the June block as well: 

• Take a Stitch Tuesday: Slipped Detached Chain, Buttonholed Double Chain, Crested Chain Stitch, and Bullion Buttonhole Stitch http://210920746822434353.weebly.com/1/post/2013/06/take-a-stitch-tuesday-2013-stitch-71.html
• The Bead Journal Project 2013 - my May butterfly
• Casey Buonaugurio design, "The Taco Sampler"

In addition, I took eight pieces into the framer to be framed because fair submittals have to be ready July 1 - 13. I decided to go with "Kimono - Revisited" for Needlepoint framed sampler, "Red Thai Mandala" for Counted Cross Stitch picture 28 ct (even though is it primarily blackwork, there doesn't seem to be a perfect category for it), the Michael Powell "Home is Where the Heart Is" for Counted cross stitch framed picture 16 or 18 ct, the "Charles" name badge for counted cross stitch framed sampler 28 ct, the blue Sumptuous Embroidery study for embroidered framed picture, "Birds of a Feather" for counted cross stitch 32 ct, the Encrusted Embroidery 8" block for Needlework Specialties, beading on fabric, and "The Taco Sampler" for the Special Contest framed picture with a kitchen theme. I picked them all up June 21... a first day of summer present to myself. 

Still in progress are:  "Midnight Garden", where the borders are now stitched out, a 12" block for entry into the fair with the theme "Pink" (doesn't need framing), and the wall hanging for the 2012 Color Palette/Crazy Quilt Journal/Bead Journal Project blocks (the final side sashings are cut and pinned but still not stitched). 

I pre-assembled basic crazy quilt journal blocks for the rest of 2013 but I have yet to design and kit out the June Bead Journal butterfly, the Tracy Horner "Roll Your Own Mandala" SAL (of which there are two now, still not with a color palette chosen) and he Janet Perry background stitch notebook (lesson one printed out but not kitted up, or even read!)

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2013 - Stitch #71

Stitch #71 was the Bullion Buttonhole Stitch and here is my take:

It LOOKS like a buttonhole stitch with bullion knots on the vertical spines but... not totally sure I did it right.  Oh well...

This week is a break week so there won't be a TAST for week of June 25. I can use that break!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-Four

Besides catching up with TAST, finishing the piece for the fair ("The Taco Sampler") and taking nine finished pieces to the framer on Saturday, I did squeeze in some stitching as well this past week. 

I managed to get the main part of the outer borders done for "Midnight Garden", as well as some of the black cross-stitched elements in the middle border:

Ready for blackwork! 

I also put together a 12.5" block (12" finished) for the "Pink" category for the fair. It needs embellishment but the basic block is done:

And the basic block for the June Crazy Quilt Journal Project is ready to embellish as well:

I still need to kit out the June Bead Journal Project butterfly, the needlepoint background stitch journal for Janet Perry,  and at least two "Roll Your Own" mandalas for that Tracy Horner SAL.  Of course, kitting out isn't the same as stitching but my eyes seem to be improving daily and if I can do better than my latest stitching times, I should be able to do some catching up this next week!

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2013 - Stitch #70

Crested Chain Stitch:

I had trouble keeping the stitch straight and of the same width down the chain but at least I figured out how to do it (after frogging it three times!).

I could see using this as a crazy quilt seam treatment if I can ever get it even...

A completion!

And in only two days! The Casey Buonaugurio design, "The Taco Sampler", on 32 ct pale yellow linen with DMC floss:

The major problem --- the white (Sour Cream and Onions) is too close in value to the linen to show up well. 

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-three

I finally got in some stitching this week. My eyes sort of lose focus after a couple of hours, though and so I couldn't do long stretches of stitching. But the flashing and aching eye muscles appear to be a thing of the past (knock on wood). 

Besides TAST and finishing my May butterfly (have to get cracking on kitting up the June one), I put in a few stitches on the borders of "Midnight Garden":

and started a piece for the fair's special category, "In the Kitchen". It's a Casey Buonaugurio Designs sampler called "Taco":

It's small, only 3 x 6, so it should be doable. The issue is the time to get it framed.

I  got the fair booklet on Thursday and tried to assign what few finishes I had this year to categories --- not easy since there is no crazy quilting category this year, and there are no categories that work for speciality stitching/blackwork, etc. So I'm winging it a little with seven pieces, a;; of which require framing:

- "Kimono - Revisited as a needlepoint sampler. I plan on having it backed with a pale blue cotton that will prevent "Show through" of the mounting board through the congress cloth.

- "Red Thai Mandala" as a framed picture, 28 ct

- Michael Powell's "Home Sweet Home" as a 25 ct framed picture (it's really 27 ct but there is no 27 ct category and I want Red Thai Mandala in the 28 ct space)

- The "Charles" name badge in framed sampler 28 ct

- My Sumptuous Embroidery blue piece in framed stamped or embroidered (No category for hand embroidery anywhere else) - I'm going to get my monochromatic beige piece framed too but I think the blue one is the better of the two.

- "Birds of a Feather" in the framed picture 32 ct category

- the 8" block I did for Encrusted Crazy Quilting in the beading on fabric category.

If I get the Buonaugurio done in time to get is framed, that's eight, and, because they don't require framing, I maybe could knock out a set of ornaments (trouble is, I need to do three to make a set and that will probably limit me to plastic or paper, but I have a set of patterns that could work) and a 12-inch "pink" quilt block for another special category. 

I figure of I load up the entries, I might get close to getting back the majority of my entrance fee. Registration starts July 1 and the pieces are to be handed in July 27... AAARGH!

Bead Journal Project 2013 - May

Better late than never, I suppose, and the colors didn't work out quite like I had hoped ( was aiming for daffodils but the oranges didn't quite mesh), but here is my May butterfly:

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2013 - Stitch 69

This week's stitch took me a while to decipher but once I experimented with the double chain, I worked out what to do and here is my attempt at a Buttonholed Double Chain:

What I discovered is that a) you have to watch to be certain you don't twist the chain part and b) you really have to be careful you don't stitch it to your bedsheet!* LOL

*Yes, I do stitch in bed!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-Two

I did get in a couple of days of beading but it's hard to get remotivated after having laid off the needle for so long... My May butterfly is progressing but clearly won't be done in May!

The June Crazy quilt block is "built" but not stitched on, "Midnight Garden" hasn't been touched in a month,  and that wall hanging I am trying to make is still untouched.

Registration for the fair is coming up soon and I don't have enough to make back my entry fee even if I won first prize on everything I enter! And what I do have done isn't framed yet...