Phoenix Quaker Finish

I sincerely loved this piece. It flowed so smoothly and it came together so quickly. The entire time I stitched on it, it felt as if that was the project that I was supposed to be working on. I truly did not want this piece to end. But alas, as I only had enough of the Picture This Plus 32 count linen in Phoenix for this one section, this was the way it had to be. The chart has been returned to storage, and I will be stitching this one again in this color combination. 

Design: Phoenix Quaker

Designer: Jackye Derhay Renahy of A Mon Ami Pierre (retired)

Fabric: Picture This Plus 32 count linen in Phoenix

Fibers: Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched 2 over 2 as the coverage was needed as I wanted this to be a monochrome piece. Only stitching a portion of the design.

Original Work: 

Last update on Saturday, March 21, 2015:

Finished As of Saturday, March 21, 2015:

Now I need to find a frame for it. I wish I could afford to have it farmed out to have it finished as a pillow, because I think it would be lovely as a pillow or perhaps as a wallhanging. Ah, well. More's the pity! :)

Well, I have to be off. It's decision time as to whether I work on a card or another piece from the Bin O'Shame. Happy Sunday!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

(Partial) Phoenix Quaker Update

My latest WIP is coming along quite rapidly. I am really loving this color combination. I was thinking the other day that maybe I will have to stitch this one as a whole piece, and not just a part of it in these colors. I will have to buy a minimum of 4 skeins of the Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru, methinks. I have already used up almost a whole skein on just the wee bit I am stitching! It's a very lovely silk floss and while I might not mind, I know my wallet will, LOL!

Well, at any rate, on with the show!

Design: Phoenix Quaker

Designer: Jackye Derhay Renahy of A Mon Ami Pierre (retired)

Fabric: Picture This Plus 32 count linen in Phoenix

Fibers: Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched 2 over 2 as the coverage was needed as I wanted this to be a monochrome piece. Only stitching a portion of the design. 

Original Work:

As of Wednesday, March 18, 2015:

As of Saturday, March 21, 2015:

Well, I best be off. I need to take care of somethings today, and finishing up the stitching on this guy is one of them. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday Post

I chose another 'fresh start' piece to work on as my life has been more than a bit upside down here lately. I needed a 'fresh start' and I wanted to stitch a Quaker. Additionally,  I have always loved the legend of the Phoenix. It is very comforting to know that stitching can help oneself in ways that go beyond just making something pretty. 

Well, at any rate, on with the show:

Design: Phoenix Quaker

Designer: Jackye Derhay Renahy of A Mon Ami Pierre (retired)

Fabric: Picture This Plus 32 count linen in Phoenix

Fibers: Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched 2 over 2 as the coverage was needed as I wanted this to be a monochrome piece. Only stitching a portion of the design. 

Original Work:

My version:

Well,  I had best be off. I hope everyone is having a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

La Belle Lettre C finish

Managed to finish this up late last night. I had started it at some point in time to test out fabric and floss combinations for the chart. While I like this combination, I am not sure that I will stitch the whole chart with this fabric. It was of a pain to stitch on due to the unevenness of the linen. Ah, well. That was the whole point of the exercise, eh ;)? 

Well, here are the fruits of my labors:

Design: Wreathed C taken from the design Le Belle Lettre C

Designer: GiGi R

Fabric: 28 count Silk and Linen linen in Touchstone

Fibers Used: Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru and Caron Collection Waterlilies in #017 Blue Lavender

Well, I best be off. Got some cleaning up to do in my stitchy area. Hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A La Belle Etoile finish!

Well, I seem to be on a roll with the finishes here lately, which is making me happy. Last night I couldn't sleep, so I decided to burn the midnight oil and get yet another project finished. I seem to have run out of the Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Ivy League, however, more is on the way and it will take me all of half an hour to finish up the wee bit that's left, so I'm calling the project finished now  :P.


At any rate, here's the (almost!) finished piece:




Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


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.

And a close up of a particularly sparkly bit:

I really love how the piece turned out. I think if I stitch it again, I will stitch the house in Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk Elegant Eggplant and the door in Tumbleweed. I think it would look very pretty that way! (Or maybe in  Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip! OOoooo....red houses! :D)

At any rate, I must be off. Today is house cleaning day and I gotta get going. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! :)

Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A La Belle Etoile SAL update

Been plugging right along with my The Thread Basket with C Mon Mode SAL. I am not too entirely certain I like the 'Hiver' stitched in the Crescent Colours Sweet lavender. I think it's a *tad* too light. I am thinking about ripping it out and restitching it the lighter portions of the Elegant Eggplant. I'd love to hear what people think about it. :)



At any rate, here is what I have so far:





Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


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.

Well, that's all for now. I have a ton of stuff I have to get done today. Hope everyone is having a great week! :)


Respectfully submitted,

C.

Progress Report

I've made some really good progress on my A La Belle Etoile SAL since I last posted. It feels like I'm just zipping right along. I am really enjoying stitching this and I am happy that I am sticking to my promise to stitch only WIPs this year. :)


At any rate, here's what I have accomplished so far:




Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


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.

I am hoping to have it completed within the next few weeks. I am now on a quest for the perfect frame for it. I think this may even be one of the pieces I keep up on the walls all year. :)


Well, I best be off. I have a ton of stuff I have to do today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

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.

Final Post of 2011

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! The Hubmeister and I went to Half Moon Bay for the holidays and stayed with his mother. We all had a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed being that close to the beach again. We have plans to go back in March to go see the Buffalo Sabres at San Jose Sharks. My MIL got us tickets for our Christmas present. She also got me a Ryan Miller Premier Road Jersey and The Hubmeister a Ryan Miller Premier Home Jersey so we will be suitably attired come game time. I'm so excited to go see another pro hockey game. I wish I could go see my beloved New Jersey Devils, but they aren't going to be on the West Coast again until next year. It's a bummer, but whatareyagonnado?


At any rate, since we had a 10 hour car trip (one way, I might add!), I took along my A La Belle Etoile SAL. I managed to get a fair amount completed. My house finally has a roof (yay!), however, I think if I ever stitch this again, I am going to swap out the beige of the house for the dark purple. I think it would look better that way. I didn't change it this time, as I am stitching with silks, and there is no way on God's green earth I am ripping out 20 dollars in silks to do a mere color change. Nuh uh. No way, no how...


ANYHOO...enough of my yapping! Time for some pictures! :)




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 Empress, 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.

I like the way it looks so far. I am hoping to get a bit more completed, but it alas will not be finished in time for the new year. I have way too much to do and not enough time to do it in.


Here is my list of completed work for 2011. I think it's fairly respectable, but I am disappointed in how few WIPs I managed to complete. I am hoping to rectify that in 2012 with the 2012 WIPocalypse hosted by Measi. The only rule I am making for myself is to just grab a project out of the bag and go. No lists because every time I make one, I can never stick to it, so I am not going to set myself up for what I would consider failure. I stitch to have fun and relax, not to make myself feel bad!



At any rate, here's my list of finishes:



1. Merry Christmas by Blackbird Designs finished 07.07.11

2. Season of Growth by Little House Needleworks finished 04.26.11

3. Cherries by JBW Designs Finished 04.14.11

4. Let's Go To The Beach by JBW Designs for Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine, July 2009. Finished 04.20.11

5. Spooky Sunday SAL by SanMan Originals. Finished 11.01.11.

6. Harvest Sampler by Linda P. Reeves. Finished 10.26.11.

7. At Plimoth by The Sampler Girl. Finished 10.25.11.

8. Apple Butter by Cross Eyed Cricket. Finished 10.22.11.

9. Quaker Acorn by The Workbasket. Finished 10.21.11.

10. Leaves by Cross Eyed Cricket. Finished 10.18.11.

11. Witchy Hat by SanMan Originals. Finished 10.14.11

12. Salem Witch by The Primitive Needle. Finished 09.10.11.

13. October Quaker by The Workbasket. Finished 08.26.11.

14. A Very Merry Summer by JBW Designs. Finished 06.27.11.

15. Fleur de Lis by JBW Designs. Finished 06.22.11

16. Joy of Christmas by My Big Toe. Finished 05.11.11.

17. Miniature Monogram Hornbook-Margin Marker by Kelmscott Designs. Finished 05.04.11.

18. Bunny's Bloom by The Primitive Jewel. Finished 04.28.11

19. Downton Abbey by The Sampler Girl. Finished 04.27.11

20. Now I Know My ABC's by Blackbird Designs. Finished 04.13.11.

21. Basket of Memories by Blackbird Designs. Finished 04.10.11.

22. A Very Merry Spring by JBW Designs. Finished 04.05.11.

23. Summer Iris by Blackbird Designs. Finished 03.30.11.

24. Cupcake by Blackbird Designs. Finished 01.26.11.

25. A Stitcher's Companion by Blackbird Designs. Finished 01.17.11.

26. My Home threadkeep by Blackbird Designs. Finished 01.07.11.



Well, I had best be off. I have a TON of stuff to do and time's a wastin'! I hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous new year!


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

Here a WIP, there a WIP, every where a WIP WIP

Goooooood morning, sports fans! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far. I have made little progress on my Thread Basket SAL and have even started yet another project. I have decided that I am going to treat the 2012 WIPocalypse hosted by Measi as a Bacchanalian free for all fest. I have all of my WIP and UFO bags dragged out and on stand by. I am going to start with the projects that are in my stitching area and then I am just going to grab one out of the bags and GO. I am NOT going to make any lists of specific projects to get done, because when I did that this year, I was less than successful. As in I only completed FOUR out of the TWENTY ONE I had wanted to do. For the most part, this also means going on the wagon and not buying a anything other than the odd floss that I ran out of and/or didn't have. I may buy the odd chart now and then, because let's face it, we are spoiled enough to have wonderful designers who manage to produce such lovely things, and Nashville Market is in a few months, and you know what THAT means. Guaranteed stitchy goodness and probably overtime for me to pay for it. :D


At any rate, here is what I have so far on my stitching:





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 Empress, Ivy League, Sweet Lavender, and Tumbleweed. Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru. KreinikVery Fine (#4) Braid in 001 Silver.

WIP#2:


Design: Sew Red


Designer: iStitch Designs


Fabric: 28 count linen in Vintage by Fleur de Luce Hand Dyeds


Fibers: Au Ver a Soie Soie d' Alger 7-strand silk floss in 2926. Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid in PB03 Gold.

Well, I am off for now. I have a mild headache and looking at the computer screen is hurting my eyes a bit. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with all joy, peace, and lots of eats and treats! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

Making it look like I'm doing something...

Not much of an update on my Thread Basket SAL. I seem to have caught the 'bug' that is floating around work. Yay. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything for any length of time, so as consequence, I sort of skipped around a lot when I was stitching.


Permettez-moi de te présenter, mes offres maigres (Allow me to present to you, my meager offerings):



Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Empress, 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 and Crystal Moonlight 4 mm bicone.

Closeup of the beadwork:

Well, I am off for now. Not feeling so hot again. Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

A La Belle Etoile SAL

Haven't made much progress on the A La Belle Etoile SAL. I am hoping to get some more completed soon, now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over. I am going to use beads in place of the stitches on the vines, and I picked out some extra special ones. I am hoping to post pictures of them soon. :)


At any rate, here is what I have so far:



Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

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

Well, I am off for now. I need to go get dinner going. Tonight DH and I are going to decorate the tree. Yay! :). I've been looking forward to this all day.


Hope everyone has a great week! :)


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

A La Belle Etoile SAL update

Been plugging away at the A La Belle Etoile SAL. I am not as far along as I want to be, and the whole project has to be completed by 12.14.11. I am hoping to get a bit more caught up soon. I've been skipping around stitching on different elements as for whatever reason, big blocks of color which normally do not bother me, are kinda boring right now. I am hoping that this will pass soon!


Besides, I have so much I want to stitch on, and just not enough hours in the day. The stitcher's lament the world over, I guess! :)


At any rate, here is what I have so far:


Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Monde


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Empress, Ivy League, Tumbleweed. Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru.

Well, I am off to go watch some TV and hopefully get more of the SAL completed. Tomorrow I begin preparations for Thanksgiving, so I am not sure how much I am going to get stitched between now and Black Friday. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.