En ma Fin gît mon Commencement...

Happy new year, everybody! Hope everyone has gotten off to a good start to the new year and has sufficiently recovered from the Eve of the New Year. DH and I skipped the festivities this year, as he had to be at work at 6 AM :(. Ah, well. It's no matter to me, as the Strip this year was MASSIVELY overcrowded and they were charging 35 bucks a HEAD to be Downtown on Fremont Street. No thanks!


At any rate, I've kept to my promise of only stitching WIPs this year (so far!), however, I did have a new start on New Year's Day. It's not my fault really. I have been obsessing over this piece for quite some time now and the only way to get it to STFU was to kit the bleedin' thing up and start it.


So, without further ado, here is what I've been working on:



WIP #1:



Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Mode


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Elegant Eggplant, Ivy League, Sweet Lavender, and Tumbleweed. Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru. KreinikVery Fine (#4) Braid in 001 Silver.


Accouterments: Jolee's Jewels - Crystallized Swarovski Elements in Purple Violet 4 mm bicone, Crystal Moonlight 4 mm bicone, 20 MM Crystal Aurora Borealis star and 16 mm - Crystal Aurora Borealis moon.

Not too much progress, but I am making some. I've decided to leave the large portions of the Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru for the end of the night when my eyes become fatigued. This way it still gets stitched on and I don't have to count anything out, really.



And here is WIP #2, AKA The Piece That Wouldn't STFU:


Design: Mary Queen of Scots



Designer: Papillon Creations



Fabric: Picture This Plus 32 count linen in Phoenix



Fibers: Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru.


Stitcher's notes: Fabric was chosen as Mary, Queen of Scots was a red head as was her cousin, Elizabeth I of England. The motto at the bottom of the sampler, "In my End is my Beginning...", is a reminder of her mother, Mary of Guise. The emblem, the Phoenix, which on the sampler, flank the motto. It was a motto that Mary, Queen of Scots loved so much, she had it embroidered on her Cloth of State. The Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss was chosen as Mary's favorite color was white, as she felt it showed off her red hair to its' best advantage.



Stitched one thread over two threads of fabric.

Here is the wee bit I have done up close:

Funny how the lighting changes the color of the fabric so drastically. The first picture is the best representation of the true color of the fabric. I have no clue how the second photograph wound up being closer to magenta. o.o. I am still not certain of the coverage of the one strand. I am seriously thinking about switching to two strands. I should probably get out some test fabric and try both one and two strands.


Well, I best be off. I have a ton of stuff to do today. Hope everyone is having a great first week of the New Year! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.