23 July 2014

Still piecing...

My sister and her family are here for a visit this week, so I have spent a lot of time cooking, eating, drinking and socialising! I have also been slowly continuing with my TATW; hand piecing is perfect work while chatting!

I finished up row 15...
and row 16...

12 July 2014

This Week...

Our house has been filled with workmen both inside and out, I have spent most of my time keeping one very large, very hairy, very friendly dog, away from all the tools and wet paint!
I have managed to sneak a little time away from the chaos to do a little bit of stitching - I think it is the only thing keeping me sane at the moment!
I stitched some more on my thatched roof...
I have embroidered a little more of the leaves on Tipsy Thistle...
And stitched another row on my TATW...
and received a wonderful gift of fabric and patterns from my Australian swap partner Elizabeth! We had to send a FQ of fabric to our swap buddy, which we will have to use in the next round of the challenge. I am really enjoying this hand piecing project, I can pick it up and put it down at will.
Hopefully next week will be just as productive, but my sister and family arrive at the weekend for 10 days so I will have to clean!

08 July 2014

It was all going so well...

I was really happy with my Angel face that I showed in the last post, it turned out exactly as I had hoped except for one small problem - it's too big!! I counted the stitches on the chart and I recounted them, I measured the area on my canvas that I wanted to fill and counted again, and it is still way too big (insert swear word of your choice!!) I don't know how I miscalculated but I did, I need to get a bigger piece of canvas and then I can save it by appliquéing the face on (called a slip apparently) The only problem with that is I will end up with a design almost twice the size I wanted! I really can't face tackling such a large project right now and it will not be portable for class, so I have put it on hold. Once I finish the Thistle design and a Firescreen I want to make, I will mount it on my stretcher frame and start, but for now there is nothing else for it but to start something new!

Remember the drawing I did of our cottage with my dream garden...
I have pulled some fun DMC, silk ribbon and over dyed cotton threads...
and started yesterday in class...
The thatch is stitched in long and short stitch with Week Dye works in 'Mocha'
The real garden is starting to look good too, especially my roses - they are Old English Roses and smell incredible...









01 July 2014

Angelica

Meet Angelica...
This is the photo from a Lavender and Lace cross stitch chart that I bought several years ago; I also bought all the DMC threads intending to stitch it. It has been sat in my stash for a long time! I really want to learn canvas work during my embroidery lessons, so I have decided to adapt this design. I love the colours of the original so I have just added some variegated silks, wools and other fun threads to DMC originals...
I have started playing with some thread/stitch combinations, and pasting them into my design book with notes so I don't forget :)
One of the things I like about the original pattern is the realistic face, so I have stitched it in tent stitch over one - it took a lot longer than I thought it would!!
The rest should go much quicker - I hope!!