Lady In Red
Back again! I have been stitching away, it's been great! I had some time between finishing my last project and starting my new one (waiting for fabric) so I did a couple of smalls.
First is a mini project that Greg wanted me to do. It was a lot more complicated than it looked! But it turned out cute. :D
The hedgehog is so adorable and matches the little figure that Greg had sitting with his plants. He was quite happy with it. :D
Next I did JM Designs Rooster:
I used Needle Necessities forest green thread for this one and I love how it turned out. I thought it would be a "small" project, but it's actually about 5x7. It was fast but a bit tricky keeping all those stitches in their proper places. Not sure what I will do with it, but it would look cute in just the right frame. :D
Next up is an update of Greg's statue of liberty pattern:
He's been working on this for 3 months! But it looks so great and I keep cheering him on. :D This thing is HUGE, but so beautiful to see in person. :D
The project I'm working on now is called Faith, Hope and Honor by Carriage House Samplings.
I just fell in love with this pattern when I saw it and had to stitch it. The thing I loved most was her red dress. But when I started pulling DMC threads (I can't afford the expensive silk ones that are used in the sample.) I realized that the "red" was actually more pink than I wanted. And one of the other colors wasn't quite what I had expected either. So I did some switching and got the red dress back to the red I wanted.
That is one of the downsides of the display photos on the patterns, they can be a bit deceiving. I think in this case it was probably because the silk thread colors are a bit different than DMC. But it also might be because the picture is a bit over exposed. In the picture you can hardly see her albaster skin and it was the same in real life when I pulled the Ecru thread and realized it was the same color as the fabric I was stitching on. LOL Well that wasn't going to work for me, I like my ladies to be a bit more flesh toned or even a bit pinkish. ;) So I did so me mixing and matching and finally came out with a combo thread that give her a more fleshy appearance. I don't have a pic as yet, but will try to post one soon. Sorry. Anyway, overall I would recommend this pattern because it's easy and cheerful. Just be aware that it is a lot larger than you might think, especially on 14ct. I'm doing it on 18ct Aida and it's still going to need an 11x14 frame. But like all Carriage House Sampling patterns it will be one that I cherish for a LONG time. :D I just have to find a place to hang it. LOL, LOL
Bye for now!!
More Stuff
Well sad to say it's been another two months since I posted. I just can't seem to get in the blogging mood. But it does make for more stuff to talk about. :D
First off I have to show my new frames! Hobby Lobby had a 50% off framing sale and I had to take advantage of it. So I got two of my projects re-framed. I had wanted better frames for them for a while. They are square projects and it's nearly impossible to find square frames.
First up is my Blue Moon project:
I thought this frame would set off the project better and I think it looks great! Here is a close up of the frame:
My favorite of all is for my Pirate Map project from Lynne Nicoletti. I was never happy with the frame I had it in and I finally found one that I love!
Here is a close up:
This one looks so fabulous! I really love this frame and am glad I was able to get it.
Back in February I decided to start on an Autumn Sampler kit from Janlynn. It was a long complex project that would've taken me months to finish. But I was ready for it. So I got everything set up and started stitching. Here is how far I got
before I realized that I had started the project horizontally instead of vertically on the fabric. The fabric I had chosen for the project was narrower than it was long and that was fine if I had started the project in the right direction. As it was the project would NEVER fit on the fabric if I kept going the way I was. It was a major bummer to realize that. I had put a lot of work into it and honestly I just didn't want to start over again. It was a very tedious process and I just couldn't face it right then. So I bagged it and started on another project that I'd been wanting to do since last year.
But first I did a project for charity for Greg. He asked nicely. :D I think it turned out pretty nice. The tea dyed fabric is very pretty.
I also just finished "I will always be a wildflower" from Sam Sarah. Greg got it for me last year along with the buttons. I LOVE IT! It was easy and so fun to work on.
I dyed this fabric a while ago and I remember wondering what I would ever use it for, it was just such a strange color. Well you just never know, do you. It works so great with this project. I had to change out the colors because I didn't have the right specialty threads but I got close. I like the sunflower better than their original one. I think it looks more sunflowery. :D I'm not sure how I will finish this...when I saw it in the shop last year the lady had made it into a beautiful pillow. I may go that way if I can find the right fabric. :D
Lastly I have to show the gift that San sent me for Xmas. I found this frame by chance on sale and knew it was perfect for this gift. Greg did the matting and it all turned out fabulously. It's such a delicate project on a lightweight linen that is so pretty. Sorry for the slightly blurry pic, as always things always look better in person. ;)
Well that's it for now. I will try to update a bit more. I seem to be out of my slump so ....
Oh and if you are looking for my gallery I have to say that sadly it has gone away. The hosting site has gone away and I haven't found a new place for it yet.
Take care!
