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?!

5.7 Buttercup

Again, one of the patterns floating around half-finished has been done.  Having enough kreinik was what halted this one (it's one of the rare patterns that I had all the beads for).

But thankfully, due to me buying Nguyen's bead and kreinik stash, I had the kreinik needed at last!

Two days of beading.  Argh

Stitching finished

See that awesome butterfly in the corner there?  That's the needle case/beading case that Nguyen made.  It has magnets, to hold it to the fabric, so it both stays in one place, AND holds needles without them wandering around.  AND the best part is that the sliding lid clicks closed...meaning if you use it for beads (as I did) then no beads go everywhere when you tip the frame over to thread under at the start and end of stitching!  Very important factor for me, most beading days start with me spilling 50 odd beads on the ground, and then 15 mins of me on my hands and knees picking them up.

Back stitching finished

Everything done!

There was a truly disturbing number of beads on the dress.  No wonder it took me so long, but still, now it's done...PRETYYYYYYY

5.6 Lilac!

Back when this fascination with Mirabilia patterns first began, I came upon a piece of fabric.  Well, to be more precise, ES came across the fabric, and was generous enough to share it.

It was such pretty fabric, although, alas, not opal.

Anyway, discussing the many patterns and fabrics we gained from this de-stashing of the awesome Judy, we/I decided that the pattern of Lilac might go well on this particular piece of fabric.  Pixie Kiss, from Steph's Fabrics.

And so it was started.

Stitching itself was finished in 2015.  Then it was put away to await beads and kreiniks.  When they arrived, it was pulled out again, stitched/beaded, then put away AGAIN to await the last remaining bead.

Coming into 2016, chatting with the bestie.... I mention that lilac is still almost finished, and just waiting for that one bead.  I was informed that a replacement bead was in fact sent to me with the Bead and Kreinik Stash of 2015 (It was a big thing, for ordering, gathering, sending and receiving).

Feeling slightly worried, I went and checked, and yes, sure enough, there was a bead there.  It was a sutable size and colour to replace the one missing.

It was a beautiful bead, purple/green, shimmery, and size 6 no less.

And I had uh...been using it on other patterns to fill in, because it was so nice.

Ooops?

Anyway, feeling sheepish, I pulled it out, and beaded the gaps on Lilac at long last.  Thankfully I still had enough left over to fulfill all beading obligations for Lilac, AND left some for other patterns.  (Good thing, I'm not kidding about the pretty bead.  It will be used for many more patterns yet...)

And then, after being finished and fully beaded, getting pictures taken .... she was rolled up and put away again.  This time to await framing, along with Lilly, Tigerlily and Stargazer and about four others.  Lalala...