5.14 Minerva

When I picked her up again

Finished!

I gave the owl beads for eyes, instead of the 725.

Stitched on Chromatic Alchemy's "Cirrus", 32 count belfast linen.  Stitched 2 over 2, and a partner-piece for Raven.

5.13 Marigold

Stitched on Chromatic Alchemy "Permanganate", 32 count belfast linen.
2 over 2, except skin which was 1 over 1.

5.12 Raven

Yet another small pixie, this time from the bewitching series.

After a small bead snaffoo (the wrong bead was added to the embellishment kits, but wichelt corrected it and sent out replacement beads) the final beads arrived today.

And she got finished!

Stitched on Chromatic Alchemy "Cirrus", 32 count belfast.

Now I just have to finish her sister ... sigh.

5.11 Geranium

OK, so this month is supposed to be an event where you stitch something that starts with the letter of your name....and it turns out K is actually harder to find something than you would think.

But me being me, ended up with a uh... side project...that has nothing to do with the letter K at all.

Whee?

Anyway, Geranium is now finished too!

And I hate those green beads with a passion not suitable for words.

Stitched on 'Cook Straight' by Countrystitch, 32 belfast linen.  

This was my trial piece from Countrystitch, to see what it was like. 

PROS: 

• Very fast turnaround (it was posted within two days, and over Easter holidays no less)
• NZ company!  (Yey for Kiwi's!)
• Very nice customer service, and prompt with it too.

CONS

• Dye spots on the fabric.  Yes, I could have complained and returned it, but a) that would have meant more time and b) I actually kind of liked the effect.

Final verdict so far - undecided.  I need to buy another piece or two from there before I decide officially, as I don't know if the dye spots are a one off event, or not.

But it was a beautiful colour, and bought out Geranium's colours beautifully.

5.10 Willow Queen

Final beads arrived, so she has been finished!

Much love and thanks to Nguyen of Fibrelicious for dying me two threads specially for the pattern too!

She was stitched on Candy, by Colour Cascade Fabrics, and goes as the partner to Rain Queen (Who was stitched on the other half of Candy)

Now I just have to...frame them...*sigh*

5.9 Dressmaker's Daughter Update 1

The current big project, and commission for the year, is Dressmaker's Daughter, from Mirabilia.  Four panels, winter, spring, summer and autumn.

And shall we just say LOTS of beads.

I cannot emphasise that enough.

Anyway, thanks to copious amounts of time spent on the viewer (www.theviewer.net) the decision was made to put the pattern upon black fabric.

Queue an order for a custom dye, thanks to Chromatic Alchemy.

Then ordering the embellishment kit.  Thanks to Dye Stitch Love.

Then I had to actually...stitch.  That bit wasn't quite as fun.  Those background panels...gah.  Just GAH.  Seemed liked they would never friggen endddd.

HOWEVER.  The battle was waged, and partially won - the panel for winter has been completed, except for backstitching and beads (I'm on a q-snap frame, so beading now would end up crushing the beads, and we do not want a sobbing Kat around here.  NOOOO)

Spring is actually the panel I began on - since it was closer to the centre of the pattern, and I'm not always one of those people who count out to the edge of where the pattern should be to start there.  No, I only do that on evenweave or adia, and even then only half the time.  (Effortsssss, we do not likes themmmm)

As per usual, instead of using Caron Waterlilies, I'm back using Fibrelicious threads - along with being an awesome all-round nice person, Nguyen dyes AWESOME threads.  The colours are more vibrant, she can custom change if asked, there are lots of variety ... and they don't cost as much as the Caron ones.  Win all round!

Currently debating if I keep stitching into the summer panel once spring is finished, or if I should take a break and do something else for a bit.  Decisions can be tough >.<

5.8 Box of Delights

Last year some time (or was it even the year before?  Omg I can't remember, it was so long ago now) I found myself caught up in a Stitch-a-long for a pattern called Box of Delights, by Liz Almond.  It was a free pattern, that could be adapted to anything from 1 x 1, to 6 x 6.  Being weird, I chose 5 x 5.

I got two month into it, and ....stopped.  I lost interest, put it aside and well...didn't pick it up again.

Until last week, as I looked around for something to stitch in the evenings, since my current big project, Dressmaker's Daughter, works best during daylight hours as I decided to stitch it on black linen.  But enough of my headache inducing fabric colour decisions, this is about a finish.

Given the detail on the stitching bits, I kept my threads to a minimum - Fibrelicious Joker, DMC 310 and one gold bead (Mill Hill 40557).  But OMG it turned out striking as it is.  It really didn't need anything more.  

Plus I'm now kicking myself for not finishing it earlier, since it only took me three days to finish it at long last.  Procrastination kicked my butt again!

Le sigh.  At least it's done now, right?!