Time Spent With A Mermaid

I suppose I should be stitching other things, but I just don't feel like it. I had grand plans to make the Easter Fairy the sixth finish from the infamous Bin O'Shame, but I don't think it will be finished by Easter this year. However, in my defense, Easter is way early, being on the 27th of March this year. I suppose as long as I finish it before May 28th, I will be ok. The last time the Easter Fairy was touched was on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. That will make two years since it was touched, and it really does need finishing. I decided that she will not have the wings on her, as I hate the colors that were chosen. They really do not blend well with the soft purples and yellows in the design, and I would rather just leave them off as I did the Christmas Fairy. Honestly, I think I am going to finish the entire Holiday Fairy series as Holiday Ladies, instead of 'fairies'. For whatever reason, I cannot seem to get the wings to look right, so I'm just going to leave them off. Doing so also makes for a faster finish, and that cannot be discounted! :)

In the meantime, in between time, I am still visiting with Ocean Daughter. I love the color combination. It is so soothing. I am taking my time, just meandering along. It's nice to just sort of go with the flow, without the frantic pace that last year entailed. I also seem to have come down with an acute case of burnout on Motifs Abécédaire 30. The colors are pretty and I love the sampler, I'm just...well, over it, for lack of better terminology. The lower portion has a ton of the Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 663. I suppose I just do not want to stitch that color. I will finish it, never fear! :)

At any rate, here is my progress on Ocean Daughter by Who Knew?!: 

Design: Ocean Daughter (retired)

Designer: Who Knew?! (Retired as of 2012. Formerly distributed by Picture This Plus)

Fabric Used: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers Used: Au Ver À Soie  Soie d'Alger in #205 (Paon)

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, March 14, 2016. Chart picked up as part of birthday bash. Substituted the fabric ( Crystal Lagoon 32 count Belfast) and the Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk (Bejeweled).  Who Knew?! used Alison Tanner’s Mermaid and Garden Fairy stencils which were available at the time from Stensource International (which is now part of Quilting Creations). Stitched with one strand of silk over two fabric threads. 

As of Wednesday, March 16, 2016:

As of Friday, March 18, 2016:

Time to go. The day is a-wastin' and I need to go grab a cuppa. :)

Happy weekend to you all!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIPs Wednesday For Wednesday, March 16, 2016

This past weekend was my birthday weekend, which meant a three day weekend for me. I always thought that people should have the day off with pay on their birthday. Even if you don't do anything, it's better than being at work.

This meant that I had plenty of time to stitch. I worked on three projects this past weekend; Motifs Abécédaire 30 , Ocean Daughter, and Lady Of The Flag. I did not get too far with  Lady of the Flag, but I am hoping to get some time in on her again this upcoming weekend. There is not enough to show at this particular point in time, but hopefully soon. 

I did get quite a bit of time in on Motifs Abécédaire 30, but I think I am getting burned out on it. It's a bit larger than I had anticipated, but I am plugging through as I do not want this to end up in the infamous Bin O'Shame. 

WIP#1:

Design: Motifs Abécédaire 30

Designer: Boutique DMC France

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in White

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 303 and 663

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, March 4, 2016. 

As of Wednesday, March 9, 2016:

As of Wednesday, March 16, 2016:

I also picked up more than my fair share of birthday stash. This next new start is one of the ones that I managed to snag here recently. I have wanted to stitch this for a very long time. I was able to purchase the chart at a reasonable price and could not wait to get started. This one will be a nice break from other projects as it is a single color design. 

WIP#2:

Design: Ocean Daughter (retired)

Designer: Who Knew?! (Retired as of 2012. Formerly distributed by Picture This Plus)

Fabric Used: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers Used: Au Ver À Soie  Soie d'Alger in #205 (Paon)

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, March 14, 2016. Chart picked up as part of birthday bash. Substituted the fabric ( Crystal Lagoon 32 count Belfast) and the Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk (Bejeweled).  Who Knew?! used Alison Tanner’s Mermaid and Garden Fairy stencils which were available at the time from Stensource International (which is now part of Quilting Creations). Stitched with one strand of silk over two fabric threads. 

Time for me to go. I hope everyone is recovering from Daylight Savings Time and is having a great week. :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Crossroads And Borders

As I had this weekend off, I took the opportunity to get Sea Flora back out and work on her some more. I managed to get to a stopping point where I now have to decided if I am going to leave her as is, put in a border or do something else. 

Well, here she is after many hours of  Poirot  and Sherlock:

Design: Sea Flora #NC194

Designer: Nora Corbett for Wichelt Imports

Fabric: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117  in B5200, 154, 156, 211, 333, 747, 754, 838,  951, 959, 964, 3371, 3746, 3807 and 3847. 

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads 00216, 00252, 02008, 02085, 03044, 40020, and 18829


As of Thursday, June 11, 2015:

As of Monday, June 15, 2015:

Closeup of beading:

Top of Sea Flora:

Bottom of Sea Flora:

There is *maybe* two inches at the very top of the piece, so not much room for maneuvering. The bottom, however, has plenty, although, since I am leaving the tail off, I suppose I could place a shell there. I will have to give it some thought before I finally make up my mind. ;)

Well, I had best be off. Work is calling. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Sea Flora Update And A Zone Out Finish

Hope everyone is having a great week. This week has been a bit stressful at work, so last night I picked out a a quick to do project that I could just zone out on. I was not up for stitching anything that required a great deal of concentration and this fit the bill. And I just LOVE this color. I am going to have to purchase a great deal more of this vibrant shade of teal blue. 

At any rate, here is my finish:

Design: Teal Butterfly Tuck

Designer: Sandra Dering of SanMan Originals

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Floss Used: The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in Tutti Frutti 

Stitcher's Notes: This was a SanMan Originals Secret Shop exclusive. Bling that is used was included in the purchase of the chart. I will update notes if I ever manage to locate the manufacturer. The tuck was handmade by Sandra Dering of SanMan Originals and was included with the chart and buttons. 

Am I allowed to say that Sea Flora has been going swimmingly so far? After the initial hair pulling stages, stitching has been going a lot easier for some reason. I am still having to take my time with this one and I can't just rip through it, like I have been here lately. Perhaps she is telling me that I need to slow down and just enjoy the summer and the progress I am making. Food for thought at least :). 

Well, here she is:

Design: Sea Flora #NC194

Designer: Nora Corbett for Wichelt Imports

Fabric: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117  in B5200, 154, 156, 211, 333, 747, 754, 838,  951, 959, 964, 3371, 3746, 3807 and 3847. 

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads 00216, 00252, 02008, 02085, 03044, 40020, and 18829

                                            As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

As of Thursday, June 11, 2015:

Closeup of the beading:

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do today. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Takedown Twenty And A Compromise

I got Sea Flora back out and ran into another wee snag. Two of the purples are a shade and a half off of one another. And me being me, I have managed to lose my place. So, it's time to drop 20 and punt. I decided to start at the very top and then work my way down. I am also treating the project very much like Mermaid Azure  from last year, and I am beading as I go in order to stay on track. Sea Flora will be a weekend only project, methinks. This way, I can concentrate and not have to worry about being pulled away elsewhere. 

I have some grand plans for this one, as the stitch count is horribly off of the actual chart and the fabric is way short. In the end, I think it will be worth it as she will truly be one of a kind! :)

Well, here is where she is at the present moment:

Design: Sea Flora #NC194

Designer: Nora Corbett for Wichelt Imports

Fabric: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117  in B5200, 154, 156, 211, 333, 747, 754, 838,  951, 959, 964, 3371, 3746, 3807 and 3847. 

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads 00252, 02008, 03044, 40020, and 18829

As of Sunday, May 10, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

I have a second project picked out to work on during the week. It's another one from the Bin O'Shame. Once completed, that will mean I have finished 20 out of said Bin O'Shame for the year. That will surpass my previous record and get me within shouting distance of the official goal of 25 for the year. I will probably do another statistical post at that point, just to see where things are. I am so happy that these projects are getting worked up. I will be even happier when I get down to just the HAEDs! :) 

Well, here is the work week project, #20 from the Bin O'Shame:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

When picked back up on Friday, May 29, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

What it will eventually look like:

Sheila Hudson passed away in 2008 after a period of illness. I miss her and her designs so much. She has wonderful shading techniques and her work looks gorgeous on either aida or evenweaves, plain fabric or hand/over dyed fabric. She created pieces with depth and color, with nary a quarter stitch nor backstitch in sight. I have stitched others in her body of work and I have her Fairy Tale Castle from the February 2004 issue 101 of Cross Stitch Collection magazine that is in my 'Rare, OOP and HTF' pile to do:

A wonderful lady from the UK bought this for me and sent it to me years ago. I am hoping that next year's stitching theme will be the 'Rare, OOP and HTF' year and I can finally get to stitch this beauty. I think keeping up with the projects from the Bin O'Shame and interspersing the year with the Rare, OOP and HTF charts would be a good stitching year indeed. 

Well, I have rambled on long enough. It's time to get some things put away and the desk cleaned out. With all of these projects I have managed to finish up, it's gotten frightfully unorganized. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and I wish you all a happy and prosperous week ahead! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Completely At A Loss

As I had described in my last post concerning this project, the overall layout of this design is very small and I am having a hard time keeping track of where I am on the project. Turns out, this was the least of my worries. Tracy of Elegant Jewels of the Needle, was kind enough to point out that the the design is actually 212 stitches high and not what is listed on the chart:

The fabric that I had so carefully chosen in order to stitch this piece,  28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports, was not cut to the correct size. In fact, is it no where NEAR where it is supposed to be. I will skip over the pleasing stream of the old rancid that was issued forth when this particular bit of information was discovered and verified as correct in assessment.  Suffice it to say, I am the eldest daughter of a sailor and trust me when I say that I was swearing like one on a three day pass in Hong Kong when I decided to stitch to the top of the tail and then count down to where the bottom of the tail is located:

Design: Sea Flora #NC194

Designer: Nora Corbett for Wichelt Imports

Fabric: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117  in B5200, 154, 156, 211, 333, 747, 754, 838, 92, 951, 959, 964, 3371, 3746, 3807 and 3847. 

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads

Stitcher's Notes: Will be substituting Kreinik #4 braid in 027L for a different color. Will be changing colors in the frond.  

What it will look like eventually:

Began Sunday, May 3, 2015:

Where the bottom of the tail will wind up as marked by the needle:

I have emailed Wichelt Imports to voice my displeasure with this whole debacle. I doubt they will be bothered with a reply, but we shall see. Since I purchased the chart from 123 Stitch, I emailed Joanne to let her know. She has already changed the website to reflect the correct information. There isn't a place to put a review on the 123 Stitch website, so I let her know about the smallness of the chart as well. She has very good customer service and I don't want her or her staff getting yelled at for things beyond their control. 

Honestly, this whole thing has turned me off stitching any more Mirabilia/Nora Corbett charts. I think that after this one, I will not purchase any newer ones and just stitch up what I have. Unfortunately, for me, this mean about 6 kitted up, but oh, well. I will stitch what is in stash and then go on. I can't waste any more time on crying over spilt milk, however, I can't help feeling bummed out by this whole process. This project was to be my summer reward for stitching so much out of my  Bin O'Shame stash. I hit 17 on Saturday, May 2, 2015, which is 2 away from my record year, and 8 away from my goal. I decided to take a break from it and stitch this lovely instead. Seems like I should have just kept to the  Bin O'Shame stash and let it be. 

So, now I am faced with the unenviable task of choosing one of the following options:

1. Ripping out what has already been stitched. There is no way I am pitching a $10.00 piece of fabric. If I had chosen white aida, this would have been a different story, mind you. 

2. Attempt to finagle the design so it can be stitched in some form. In other words, work with what I have, and add elements from some other designs and/or create something myself. 

3. Return to the Bin O'Shame stash. Heaven only knows there is enough in there to stitch. And it's not like CCN's Ice Cream Shoppe doesn't need finishing up. 

4. Start something else. I am sorely tempted to do this, however, I suppose I would feel horribly guilty about leaving this mess behind in order to deal with it later. And quite honestly, this project would just have me doubly pissed off when I found it in the back of the closet at some unknown future date in time. 

Well, you all have heard enough of my complaining. I will be an adult and think on this a bit before I make my decision. I will now leave you all with the wishes for a happy Sunday and a good week next week. 

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Respectfully submitted,

C.