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. 

Summer Is Here

At least in Las Vegas, it is. The temps this past week have peaked up to 95 degrees, which does NOT make me happy. I hate this time of year here. I am hoping that this time next year, DH and I are in a cooler clime, but we shall see. We have a lot of financial goals to meet first, but I am hoping that we get to move next year. 

All of this means that I really want to stitch on something cool and soothing. It is hotter than Hades here already. I wanted to stitch something that reminded me of the ocean and clear cool water. What better than a mermaid?  I had a heck of a time choosing which one. I finally decided on Sea Flora by Mirabilia. I did a floss toss and found the most amazing fabric for her. So this morning, I get all settled in after having coffee, anticipating sitting and stitching and relaxing. And then I opened up the chart. 

And was greeted with some of the tiniest symbols on a chart that I have ever seen in my 20 some odd years of stitching. 

Well.

Crap.

*sighs*

I do not think there is anything quite so annoying as getting together a much anticipated design, only to find out that the symbols are so small as to warrant a magnifying glass. My beloved Hubmeister has said that he will assist me in making a working copy where I can distinguish the symbols. Despite this being one of the 'petite' mermaids, she calls for SEVEN packages of beads. Which means that this is no monochrome pleasure cruise where one can zone out and just be 'in the moment'. You have to know what you're about and basically, know where your towel is on something like this. I find all of this particularly annoying as I paid 13 dollars for this chart. Speaking strictly for myself, I should be able to read the symbols on the thing without having to resort to enlarging the chart 200 times in order to be able to read it. 

Well, enough of my old lady kvetching. Let's get to the pictures! :)

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:

Well, I had best be off. She won't stitch herself, haha! Hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C.