End of Year Wrap-up --- and plans for 2011

Well, 2010 wasn't my most prolific stitching year with only 17 completions (3 of which were long-standing UFOs) but I did manage two of my goals: I completed the 2010 Bead Journal Project (although each 5 x 5 piece needs to be "finished" as a flat fold still) and joined a quilt guild (even though I never actually did any quilting, there are blocks made for part of a mystery quilt which may, someday, be assembled...)! And my two entries in the county fair won blue ribbons (just entering the fair was a goal; winning was icing on the cake! Whee!)! So I guess I didn't do so badly after all.

I end the year with 2 WIPs: "Fountain Mandala", designed by Elizabeth Almond and published in issues 53 and 54 of The Gift of Stitching, which I started last night, and "Palm Tree Elegance", a Dimensions needlepoint kit, which I worked on while on our cruise.

I have five UFOs still in the cupboard:
"Angel of Love" - started before we moved to England in 1992!
"Celestial Angel"  - started before we moved to England in 1992!
"Map of England and Wales" - started in Saudi
"Harvest Sampler" -- started in Saudi
"Nature's Song" (excerpted from a larger chart) - started in Saudi
to say nothing of that ancient crewel-work pillow and all the top work on six or seven needlepoint pieces that all predate 1992! And a slew of piece-worked tops from quilting classes in Saudi...

And then there is my Round Robin piece from 2006 --- I really need to finish that off.

So 2011: WIP Myself Into Shape will be the theme over at Cross Stitch Crazy, and while it applies primarily to stitchery, I intend to apply it to ME as well. First off will be back to the Gym, walking, every day if possible!

And another goal is already underway... entering again in the fair. Nine of my completions this year --- "Greek Window" for 14ct picture, the four Art deco cats for set of related pieces, "Witches Wheel" for 16 ct picture, and "Celestial Tree-O" for Christmas ornaments - were purpose made for the fair, assuming those categories still exist. Of course, just to make back my entrance fee, I'd have to win 9 firsts which is highly unlikely --- five more different pieces of blue ribbon caliber seems beyond me, especially since the sampler categories are off limits for me since I won last year,  but I can but try!

As for stitchery, I did a survey of the kitted up projects in my project bag and here is what I found. In addition to the two continuing WIPs ("Fountain Mandala" and "Palm Tree Elegance", the latter reserved for travel) there are 6 cross-stitch pieces:
"Purrfect" and "Cat Pack" by Marilyn Robertson (I did four of her black Art Deco cats this year)
"Sewing with Mama" by Sandy Lyman Clough
"Quaker Gone Spooky" and "Quaker Gone Tropical" by Michelle Ink
"Garden Stars" by Ink Circles
and one needlepoint kit - a freebie I picked up on board our cruise called "Paisley Jacobean". And there are two sets of ongoing San-Man Original freebie ornaments, one Christmas and one Valentine's Day, in my travel kit...

I wonder how far I can get with these before falling flat on my face! LOL

Especially since I am enrolled in Bead Journal Project 2011 (desperately searching about for a theme) and still in the quilt guild (I'm their webmaster now --- isn't THAT a joke --- and I have all those blocks to assemble...).

Ambitious? Yes, but if one doesn't set goals...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Fifty-two

Well, three ornaments in one week was pretty good.  Now to choose another project... or maybe head down to the basement and assemble all those ornaments and bead journal projects that are down there... That's the part I like the last: the FINISHING! All that hand stitching !

Happy New Year everyone --- I'll be back Saturday to wrap up this year and set the stage for next year. I have some planning to do...

The third ornament

in the Celestial Tree-O: Celestial Snowman. DMC floss on the same blue-grey Monaco (cross-stitch, back stitch, straight stitch, Algerian eye stitch and lazy daisy) along with Kreinik metallics (cross stitch, straight stitch and back stitch) and Mill Hill beads.

Another ornament...

"Celestial Angel" from that "Celestial Tree-O" I'm working on. She's on the same blue-gray fabric in DMC thread (cross-stitch, back-stitch, Algerian eye stitch, lazy daisy stitch and bullion knot roses), Kreinik metallics (cross stitch, back stitch and straight stitch) and a few Mill Hill Beads. Celestial Snowman is next up...

An ornament

Designed by Janelle Giese, it's called Celestial Santa (on of three in "Celestial Tree-O" in the January 2011issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework. Stitched on 28 ct Monaco (it's really a grey blue although it looks a little greenish here) in DMC floss (3 over 2!), Kreinik #8 braid and Mill Hill Petite Seed Beads. Some speciality stitches (satin stitch for the beard, Algerian eyes for stars and his cheeks). All in one day! It felt good to stitch again after so much beading!

So one down, two to go in the "tree-o"!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Fifty-one

Bead Journal Project 2010 is complete. I cheated a little --- used the design of a piece of Christmas fabric border and played with bead placement and color. Outlined in #4 Kreinik braid, which you can't rally see but to my eye, it smooths the edges, much like backstitch does in cross stitch! I call it "Traditional Christmas"!

Now to come up with an idea for 2011!

Meanwhile, I have three ornaments kitted out which I will start on this weekend, I think.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Fifty

Another week struggling with time and interest in stitchery (the missing beads and threads did arrive for that ornament set I want to stitch) conflicting with the need to finish December's Bead Journal Project piece. At least a week needed to finish the BJP --- and I really don't want to start anything new until I do finish it. But like Topsy, it seems to be growing (in number of beads to say nothing of time needed)!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-nine

All I accomplished this week was a few beads on the December BJP and eight gift card envelopes (paper). I seem to have lost my stitching mojo so I am trying to boost it by kitting up three ornaments (just what I need --- another project kitted up!). 

Wouldn't you know, in all my stash, I STILL don't have the exact Kreinik braids or Mill Hill beads called for in the cherts. I'm willing to fudge a little re color (I'm using a 28 ct linen in lieu of the specified 14 ct Aida), but I need petit seed beads (I don't have any even close to the color range in the petit size range) and Kreinik #8 braid (I seem to have spend all my $$$ on blending filaments!). So an order has been placed and I will start with the floss parts this weekend --- either that or unload a few boxes of cookbooks (still packed in boxes in the basement) for the new shelf in my pantry!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-eight

More beading: I finished November BJP and have started on December... Starting to miss embroidery and I have two projects in mind... but haven't decided which i will start when I finally finish up with BJP this year. Of course, I have re=enrolled in BJP for next year so...

November Bead Journal Page

When I selected this fabric, and the beads, it was because I LIKED it, not because it reminded my of November in any way. For some reason, when I am at a loss for a theme, I seem to be drawn to this ferny batik fabric. And after all, purple and gold and green are Mardi Gras colors, right?

But as I stitched away, I was thinking of a specific song from on of my favorite musicals --- and then yesterday I found out that it was St. Andrew's Day! Now I'm 25% Scottish and I love the Highlands and the only time I was ever able to visit them, it was in late October/early November, when a frost had turned the bracken brown-gold. There was still a touch of purple of heather on the hills... (the song with that title was from Brigadoon...)

So... introducing "The Heather on the Hill"!



Sorry for the glare. That large "bead" is a sort of lavendery gold, with a green "flower" motif in the center... and my flash insisted it was needed.

October BJP

It took me longer to do this than any of the nine previous pieces --- and it didn't quite work but I have learned from my mistakes.

I call it "Wine Dark Sea" and it represents our cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. The large blue stone was a key fob from Rhodes and was, I think, intended to ward off the evil eye. But it attracted me because of the blue-and-white colors of Greece. And the water around Rhodes was almost the color of the fabric!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-seven

Well, with Thanksgiving occupying most of my time yesterday and today, not a lot of report on this we. I have been working on my October BJP ... It's taking a lot longer than any other piece I've done, and it's not ready to show yet...

The Witches Wheel is complete!

Designer Glendon Place, stitched in DMC 2 strands over 2 on Solar 32 ct Belfast Linen, embellished with five colors of Mill Hill seed beads.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-six

A third witch done; one to go (and two cauldrons and a score of eyes)!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-five

Only one day of "stitching" this week - beading on Witches Wheel. This will be slow... five colors of beads and LOTS of places where beads form major free-hand motifs! And some will HAVE to be done "in hand" because I don't have q-snaps or a hoop large enough to allow the entire working area to be available.

Don't know if you can see the beading on this at all --- royal orchid and some citron so far, but they do catch the light.

I found the fabric and beads I want to use for my October bead Journal Project too --- when I finish Witches Wheel, I guess! And of course, there are taxes to work on *and* a web site for my cruise photos... Where will I find the time to catch up?

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Weeks Forty-three and Forty-four, late

Needlepoint on the cruise. Didn't get a lot done.

Here is what it looked like at the end of week forty-two:

and here is the end of week forty-three:

One of these days I will figure out why canvases are never printed STRAIGHT! Anyway, all I got done were the inner and outer "frames" which will limit how straight the picture will be. We won't talk about the two mistakes already committed, will we? (frogging needlepoint wool is NOT an option, especially with a kit!) This goes back into retirement because...

Witches Wheel and October's Bad journal await! LOTS of beading in my future!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-two, early

I don't hink I'm going to have time to post tomorrow so here is where I am today on Witches Wheel --- all the cross stitch complete and only beading to go. 

It's being put aside now until after our trip...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty-one

Slowly but surely...

Fudge found and implemented. Now to ensure that the single row of stitches in a circle around the entire thing hasn't been thrown off totally by the fudges...

Even with it being so close to completion, I'm going to be SOOO occupied with other things in the next few weeks, it'll never make it by Halloween. And with the cruise coming up in less than a week (OMG, OMG, I'm SOOO not ready), it'll have to be put away in favor of needlepoint, which I can do without magnification. Here is my chosen travel piece:

It sort of matches my bathroom decor of palms. Guess I need to sort the fibers before leaving as I would imagine I'll be having light issues otherwise.

Oh, and I won't b posting for a while. I REFUSE to pay their exorbitant charges for internet minutes! But I will come back with loads of pictures and I'll set up a place to view them SOMEWHERE! Not here though. This is stitchery only...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Forty

Again, not a lot of progress but I DID find the counting error so NOW I have a fudge approach! YAY!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-nine

Not a lot of progress. Lost my stitching mojo for a bit...

September Bead Journal Project

I'm calling it "September Song".  The month of September started out with the Black Swamp Art Festival (which we never made it to, by the way) and ends with my birthday. In between, the weather changed and the leaves started to change.

A salamander wrapped about a paint brush is the Black Swamp Art Festival logo. And it looked to me like a treble clef.  So...

My version of a logo/treble clef on a staff with four notes which just HAPPEN to be the notes for the word "September" in the song, "September Song". Use buttons for the notes and throw in a few leaves for color and you have my September journal page!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-eight

I really stalled out on Witches Wheel... I KNOW there is at least one, maybe two counting errors in this because spacing is off on both Witch's heads. But I can't find the error and ripping out on this fabric is disastrous --- it makes the fabric look "holey". SO... How to fudge around an error one can't find when the piece is supposed to be symmetrical and a mirror image?

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-seven

The Witches Wheel, a Glendon Place chart, design by Cheryl A. Granda. I'm stitching it in black DMC floss on Colorscapes hand-dyed 32ct Bellfast Linen ("Solar"). It will eventually be heavily beaded in five different colors of Mill Hill seed beads!

Already I have two counting errors and I can't FIND them. this fabric doesn't take well to frogging (you can see a little grid of enlarged holes where the stitches were) so I'm going to have to come up with a work-around... kind of hard when I can't find the error!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-six

and "Sebastian Cat with Roses" is now finished as well...

So should I do "Witches Wheel" or September Bead Journal Project or... 

As Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day.." I have quilt guild tonight so won't get any stitching done anyway!

Thomas joins "Jasper" and "Sebastion"

and he sits on a pillow, with a rose in his somewhat prehensile tail!!! Next Up, Sebastian again, this time with a whole bouquet of roses! 

Oh, and my fabric came for "Witches Wheel"! I'm dying to start that!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-five

"Thomas Cat on Pillow", designer Mariyn Robertson, kitted by Design Works Crafts, Inc:

August Bead Journal Project

"First Prize at the County Fair" - so named because I actually did win two first prizes for embroidery at the local county fair! Great way to start August off!

A ferris wheel, a blue ribbon and a little swirl of happiness!

"Jasper" joins "Sebastian" in the completed category...

On to "Thomas Cat on Pillow", also by Marilyn Robertson... *and* August BJP. Oh, and my craft area needs a scrub down after that window leak so I can work on my quilts...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-four

"Jasper" is sitting next to me on my bed but didn't get a stitch in it today --- I got sidetracked with a website building experiment.

Anyway, here he is, four shades of gray plus black!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-three

Here's "Jasper"! Not a lot done in about an hour of stitching so you can't really make him out...

He's another Marilyn Robertson Art deco black cat, published and kitted up by Design Works Crafts, Inc.

"Sebastian" is finished!

 Next up: "Jasper", by Marilyn Robertson, Design Works Crafts Inc.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty-two

The next project in progress is "Sebastian", a Design Works Crafts, Inc. kit based on a Marilyn Robertson painting. It's DMC floss on a natural-colored 14-ct Aida:

Not a lot of stitching on it so far as this has been a week with stitching time pre-empted by other things (two paper-crafting nights, a quilt guild meeting, etc.) but it is moving along quite quickly, nonetheless.

There are three more of her Art Deco black cats in my stash, as well as two grey tabbies of the same size and also a pair of kittens asleep in in stiletto heels! I may stitch them all as a "set"!

Two entries, two blue ribbons at the county fair! Oh, and Week Thirty-one!

WOO HOO!

"Floral Alphabet" won in 18 ct Sampler category (even though it was really 16 ct, they didn't have a 16 ct category and accepted it in the next higher count --- I THINK...)

Edited August 10 to say that I found, when my piece were collected from the fair, that Floral Alphabet was actually placed in the 25ct category! THAT really surprised me! 

"Garden Sampler" (sorry for the glare - it's in a case!) won in the 14ct Sampler category:

July Bead Journal Project page

"And the rockets' red glare, bombs bursting in air..."

A red Batik fabric with Czech glass beads and a few sequins. July 4 is my second favorite holiday so it SHOULD be part of my journal!

This year was memorable since the city, which usually does the fireworks display, cancelled their funding due to economic difficulties. So a local minister started a fund-raising effort and not only did he meet the goal, the city won Liberty Mutual's "Bring Back The Fourth" contest for medium sized cities, adding more $$$ to the celebration fund. So not only did we have fireworks this year, there is seed money for next year as well! Something for the community in which I live to be very proud of!

Greek Window is finished!

Now I can work on the July BJP and/or the quilt guild mystery quilt or even my Unstarted Quilt Project! That is, if I can fit it in around the County fair starting and my husband's 50th High School class reunion this weekend! 

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Thirty

Outlining in progress. two colors down and the third 9and last) in progress. It's all in long stitch and most uses Anchor coton a broder. AAACK! That skein makes untangling DMC knots look like a cakewalk! And some of the stitches are so long that I keep snagging them from the back! If asked, I prefer backstitch but I can see that this approach adds something different to the piece that backstitch could not.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-nine

Fudging solved. Two more colors (one for the flower centers and one blended in the frame). Then it's find all those missed stitches... I don't know why but I always seem to miss one or two (or more, lots more) here and there and have to go back before backstitching to fill them in...

Oh, and I entered two samplers into the county fair: Garden Sampler and Floral Alphabet. I have to take them to the fair office on August 1. AAARGH! I don't know if I can face "rejection"! But it was one of my goals for this stitching year so...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-eight

As I was stitching the gray shadow at the bottom, I found an error! GASP! 2 stitches off in the blue window on the right! AAACK! Somehow, I miscounted AWFULLY near the top right a one of those little gray shadows to the side turned up the first goof. Have no clue where the second is but by the time I reached the middle, I was off two...

This is a kit and there isn't any spare thread so ripping out THAT much of a design is unlikely… Fudge time. But it put me off stitching for three days --- finally started back up on Saturday with a plan. Luckily, the piece has a wonky feel so fudging shouldn't make it look too odd.

You'd think with something this small, I could do it error free. No, not even with a small piece. DRAT! I need to count better, double check more often --- and read the instructions! What fun is THAT? LOL

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-seven

I'm surprised at how muted the colors are looking on "Greek Window".

 I hope that the backstitching which follows will make it "pop" more...

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-six

I've picked out my fabric for my July BJP (it's a red batik) and decided on my theme (it HAS to be July 4 --- my favorite holiday besides Christmas!). And my new cross-stitch piece is Michael Powell's Greek Window, on 14 ct Aida using Anchor floss. My progress over the past three days of stitching:

 

June is Bustin' Out All Over - June BJP page

I've been cogitating on this for a month now and finally got the pieces together that more (or less) did what I wanted them to do.

June has been HOT this year, and there is a "HOT event this month too: our 46th anniversary. BUT, and this is a big "but", the symbol for the 46th anniversary is poetry and I have NO clue as to how to portray poetry in beads. So I went for a song lyric instead, in HOT colors on an equally HOT square of batik.

This is the first time I've worked with larger beads - and I played around with a red and gold cloisonne bead to attach a larger glass amber-colored pendant (the cloisonne isn't in focus though). Not a great photo --- the beads all have metallic finishes which ended to reflect my flash.

YAY! (Hands waving wildly in the air)

It's finished!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-five

Well, they weren't kidding about needing two skeins of DMC 520 to do that medallion in the bottom middle! But it won't be long before I can move on to the sea serpent at the bottom.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-four

Four  (and a bit more) pages of the chart finished. I'm dreading the bottom center as that is a motif in a color where the chart specifies two skeins! AAACK!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-three

Almost done with panel 3:

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-two

That octopus took a LOT of stitching!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty-one

Some progress on "Sea Stars"

Bead Journal Project - my May page

I'm calling it "Severe Storm Warning" because, in the first week of May, we had three separate official Weather Service Warnings, each of which involved suspected tornado touchdowns within one county of where I live. One of these was confirmed in my own county, a Force 1 which did in a barn roof!

I didn't have beads for everything so I couched Kreinik #16 braid for the spirals around the funnel cloud to infer rotation, and stem stitch in DMC floss (four strands) in tan to show dirt being stirred up by the cloud where it touched down.

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Twenty

I decided to do "Sea Stars", an Ink Circles chart, in DMC floss on 32-ct SIlkweaver overdyed Jobelin called Seaside Melody:

Another WIP Bites the Dust!

OK, it's not error free but by the time I found them, there was no way I was going to rip out and fix it so... fudge time!

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Nineteen

Another row of letters... basically just the letter "z" and the borders left:

Also finished April's Bead Journal Project last week *and* cut the fabric for the April installment of the Black Swamp Quilter's mystery row-of-the-month project (beginning to worry that I won't have enough of my dark red, dark green and yellow solids to finish this piece...)

April Bead Journal Project - a little late

I struggled with this one. trying to avoid the usual "April Showers" theme, especially since it practically didn't rain at all here in April and was the warmest April on record to boot. So we got April flowers with no showers!

The irony is, it's raining a LOT in May!

Anyway, here's is "April Flowers":

Back to Basics and Learn a New Technique, Week Eighteen

More letters on "Floral Sampler" but that's all this week...