Faded Glory Framed And A New Finish

It took almost two years to finally get this one framed. I had wanted to get this professionally framed, however, after doing some pricing, I could not justify the cost. I decided instead to frame the piece using a nice frame purchased either secondhand or from a shop. I finally found the perfect frame and today was spent getting it centered just so. It reminds me of the Victorian Mourning Frames that were used long ago. 

As the piece was both a gift for my father on his last birthday and had become a mourning piece, I think it is fitting. 

At any rate, here is the finished product:

Design: Faded Glory from Portrait of the Civil War Book #119 (an OOP booklet)

Designer: Jeanette Crews Designs

Fabric: 26 count undyed natural dirty linen

Fibers: DMC 347, 415, 762, 930, 931, and 3328

Stitchers' Notes: Frame by Green Tree Galley, Oklahoma City, OK. Frame is 10 by 8 inches. Frame #829135; PO W0178685. 

I really do think that it sets off the piece nicely. The piece is now on one of my bookshelves where I can see it every day.  

I also have a finish for today. It is not a patriotic piece, however, I did have a lot of fun stitching this design. I purchased the kit at 40% off the price, so that was nice. I also substituted the 18 count aida for linen as I did not like the way the aida was preconfigured to make it into a potpourri bag. There are three designs in the kit, and I chose my favorite one to stitch:

Design: Flowers and Butterflies Tulips (Kit #PN-0154964)

Designer: Vera Verachtert for Vervaco

Fabric:  36 count Edinburgh linen in Antique White

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in 445, 742, 946, 963, 957, 601, 600, 747, 157, 3838, 791, 211, 340, 333, 550, 907, and 906. 

Accoutrements : Mill Hill beads in #40252 Iris, #40479 White, and #42101 Purple. 

Stitchers' Notes: Converted kit floss to DMC colors. Substituted 36 count Edinburgh linen for the 18 count aida that was included in the kit. Will stitch remaining designs at a later date. 

I must be off. It's time for dinner and I need to clean up my stitching area in order to start my next project. I hope every has a Happy 4th of July!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Muffins In Yerba

Me being me, I could not leave well enough alone. For any long time readers out there, this should come as no particular surprise. I had decided to remove the row of numbers that were stitched in the Motifs Abécédaire 30 that I was working on with a Latin inscription that I found on internet walkabout many, many moons ago. My husband and I have a firm and fast rule in our house where one may have any opinion that one chooses, however, one must be able to back up one's opinion with readily available facts, and not based on an emotional thinking. My husband and I prefer to learn and question what we have learned on a continual basis. Additionally, I have a personal dislike of becoming so entrenched in a way of thinking, it becomes virtual dogma. 


My husband is a funny man. When I showed him my latest finish, after he read the inscription he said to me in all seriousness, 'Muffins in Yerba?!'. I laughed at that and told him that no, it was not Muffins in Yerba, but in fact it was in fact 'Nullius In Verba', the motto of the Royal Society. I think it makes the piece more interesting than just a row of numbers. It also makes it different from most samplers in that the verse is not religious based, as was the custom for a great many samplers that our ancestors produced. 

Still in all, I am happy with the way that it turned out. I am even happier that I am through with all of the Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 663 is finally over! :)

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. Finished Saturday, April 9, 2016. Motto taken from the Royal Society. The verse in Latin means "On the word of no one'. Verse replaced row of numbers. 

As of Wednesday, April 6, 2016:

Finished as of Saturday, April 9, 2016:

Well, I need to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday For Wednesday, April 6, 2016

This seems to be another one of those projects I am going to have to post a lot of pictures in order to see if there is any progress. This particular design is a lot bigger than I gave it credit for. I am also getting burned out on all of the darker brown. There is a lot of it on the bottom three rows. The last two rows are exclusively the darker brown! This is one of those occasions that one must just knuckle under and just get on with the thing. I know it is going to be really, really pretty once completed, but all of that brown is a bit dispiriting. 

Well, at any rate, here is my progress on Motifs Abécédaire 30 so far:

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 16, 2016:

As of Wednesday, April 6, 2016:

I am toying with the idea of leaving the numbers off and stitching something else instead. I have a few ideas, but I want to finish more of the Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 663 first before I decide.

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do this morning. I hope everyone is having a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

1K Sunday

This weekend was a two project weekend. I wanted to 'touch base' with another project that has fallen by the wayside and attempt to get caught up with the challenge that Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs had issued on the official Heaven and Earth Designs Facebook group. Or at least put a dent into it :). 

The first WIP was picked up on Friday and continued on into Saturday. It is a monochrome that I had started back last year after my poor Ozzy had left me. I had set it aside as I wasn't 'into' it. I figured almost 6 months in the Bin O'Shame was probably long enough. I will probably have to get more Gloriana Threads  12 strand French silk floss in #079 Monet's Pond (Lot: T17/12148) for this project as I am rapidly running low. I have a great deal more to stitch and I do not think I will have enough. 


Sunday's project was the challenged thatMichelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs had issued on the official Heaven and Earth Designs Facebook group. This particular challenge was 1000 stitches in stair step stitching. 

I chose QS Maleficent/Evil Queen as my project as I wanted to get more stitching time put in on her. I love the colors that are used in this project and she really is a fun project. 

Yesterday, I managed to finally get around to the challenge. I also managed to get all 1000 stitches in during the afternoon. It helped that there were large blocks of one color. Had these sections been all confetti stitching, I probably would not have gotten so far :). 


Well, here they are. My two projects for the weekend:

WIP #1:

Design: Jardin Mythique

Designer: Danielle Chevallier of Danybrod

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in White

Fibers Used: Gloriana Threads  12 strand French silk floss in #079 Monet's Pond (Lot: T17/12148)

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, September 11, 2015. Will not be stitching the alphabet and outer border. 

As of Wednesday, September 16, 2015:

As of Monday, February 22, 2016:

WIP #2:

Design: QS Maleficent/Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 

As of Monday, November 23, 2015:

As of Monday, February 22, 2016:

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone had a great weekend. 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Vist From Maleficent

While I had started hd-30 February: a year in chalk by Cathy Habermann of Hands on Designs, I did not get too far into it from the last post as I did not sleep very well this past weekend. The darker fabric was not cooperating with lack of sleep, so the QS Evil Queen decided to pay me a visit instead. Which is good. Because I managed to get a LOT more stitching in. A guesstimate is another 800 stitches this past weekend. All in DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117  310, naturally. It's exciting to see it come together like this. 

Here is what I managed over the weekend:

Design: QS Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 


As of Monday, November 2, 2015:

As of Monday, November 23, 2015:

The rest of the week will be devoted to hd-30 February: a year in chalk by Cathy Habermann of Hands on Designs in order to get that one wrapped up soonest. I will probably go back to Evil Queen until the Thanksgiving Day. The day after Thanksgiving, I have a special Christmas project that DH picked out for this years' Christmas festivities. I've pulled some floss for it already and I cannot wait to get started. This one will be the most outrageously blingy project yet! 

Well, I had best be off. It's lunch time here in the desert and I'm hungry. :)

I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving week! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Challenge Met!

I didn't think I was going to make it, but I managed to get my 400 stitches stitched in one weekend! It wasn't necessary, however, I wanted to push myself a bit. I think I will extend this challenge a bit and attempt a minimum of 400 stitches every week until November 30. I really do want to see how far I can get before I have to put her away for my Christmas start this year. DH picked that one out and it's a doozy! 

Well, at any rate, here are my 400 stitches:

Design: QS Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 

As of Friday, October 30, 2015:

As of Monday, November 2, 2015:

I had best be off. Time for chores. I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

The 400 Stitch Challenge

In my last post, I had spoken about Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs issuing a stitching challenge for her Facebook group. You would choose one HAED piece for the challenge (either in process or a new start) and the goal is to complete 100 stitches per week for a 4 week time frame. I chose my current HAED, QS Evil Queen, and have marked 400 stitches on the chart. And honestly, it really does not look all that bad. I am hoping to get at least half of that stitched by the end of the weekend. I am not sure how much will actually be accomplished as DH and I have a fair amount of running around we need to do this weekend. Monday will tell the tale! :)

At any rate, here is where I am after two days of stitching off and on. The trailing thread marks the start of my 400 stitches for the challenge. 

Design: QS Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 

As of Wednesday, October 28, 2015:

As of Friday, October 30, 2015:

I had best be off. Chores are calling. No rest for the wicked and all. Happy Halloween and blessed Samhain to those of you out there! :)

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Respectfully submitted, 

C.

WIP Wednesday Dragging Of The Feet

Yep, I said it. It's out there now and make no mistake, mind. I have been doing nothing but reading and indulging in series via Netflix and Amazon Prime. I have stitched hardly a thing. Burnout has well and truly set in. 

This situation may be a temporary thing, as Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs announced on the official Heaven and Earth Designs Facebook page that there is a stitching challenge for November. You must choose one HAED piece for this challenge (either in process or a new start) and the goal is to complete 100 stitches per week for a 4 week time frame. You will post a pic of your WIP on the group with the name of the design (It must be posted on the group within the next 48 hours) and then November 28th post a side by side image showing your progress. At the end of November each person that has completed the challenge will receive a very special chart just for this event and only for the group. I have decided that, naturally, my QS Evil Queen will be the subject. 100 stitches per week is not that many, and is a goal that is easily completed. This also means that for the first time ever in my years of stitching, I am actually going to have to count out my stitches! I have never felt the need to do so. In fact, I lose all track of time and space when I stitch, so counting out stitches would just throw me off and harsh the stitching buzz, man ;). I think what I am going to do to combat this is to count out 400 stitches on QS Evil Queen and then 'start' from there. I am attempting to finish up the left hand side with the 3766 that I am stitching with at the moment. I do love pieces with blocks of some colors and confetti in others. I think constant confetti would drive me insane, but who knows?

Well, enough of my blathering. On with the show! 

Design: QS Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 

As of Sunday, October 25, 2015:

As of Wednesday, October 28, 2015:

Well, I had best be off. Lots to do today. Happy Hump Day everyone! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Sunday Visiting

Am I the only one that remembers doing this? After you slept in on a Sunday or went to the church of your choosing or whatever it was you did in the morning, you had a big lunch. And during that big lunch or even after, you sat and visited with old friends and/or family. I miss doing that. As I have moved around a great deal, it makes it hard to commune with old friends on a Sunday afternoon. 

This past weekend was my overnight shift and after finishing up (for the most part!) Creepy Cocktails, I went casting about for something else to keep me occupied. Only nothing was calling my name. I tried stitching on about half a dozen projects and everything just felt flat and uninspired. I got up very late today and remembered this one. I picked it back up and it's been going so smoothly. So, this is the one I am supposed to be working on. I am not sure how long I will be 'visiting' this old friend, but I am enjoying it while it lasts. Back when I first started, I had stitched the wrong color in one spot, and I am so happy I had the foresight to pick that out so that when I picked this one up again, I would not be faced with ripping out hours of previous work. That to me is the equivalent to opening the fridge to get some milk, only to find out its' all been expired. And who needs that on a Sunday? Not this gal!

Well, at any rate, here is what I have so far:

Design: QS Evil Queen 

Designer: Michelle Sayetta of Heaven and Earth Designs. Based on the original artwork of Annya Kai. 

Fabric: 22 count Antique White aida by Wichelt

Fibers: DMC as called for in the chart

Stitcher's Notes: Began Saturday, January 24, 2015. The Quick Stitch for this design is no longer available for purchase at this time. The chart was originally called Maleficent, however, this was changed at some point. 


As of Saturday, January 24, 2015:




As of Sunday, October 25, 2015:

For anyone that is interested, this is how I store my Heaven and Earth Designs that have been kitted up and/or started. I purchase the big scrapbooking containers (always at half off or more!). I find the plastic bags with the three inch metal book rings work the best for me. I tried winding floss on bobbins, but the floss winds up getting kinks in them that refuse to come out and I just can't be bothered with all that. Besides, the rings may be purchased at various places, including Amazon, for around six bucks for ten of them. Which is not bad at all. The symbol chart I have laminated as I use that a lot and I would prefer that it last for awhile, rather than having to repeatedly print out the same sheet over and over again. I keep clear rulers nearby so that I may keep track of the chart. As I purchase the .pdf formats of the charts, I always get the large print, as I have learned the hard way that confetti stitches get confusing with all the symbols look jumbled up in the regular size charts. I mark off the symbols that I have stitched with pencil so that if I make a mistake, I can easily correct it. All in all, this is what works best for me.

Well, I had best be off. I need to finish up some chores before a very early night for my person. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C.