5.19 South Seas Mermaid Adaption

While I have had the pattern for this a while, I've never really felt the urge to stitch it quite yet...mainly because it's colours are so bland.  I'm sorry, but when you mention 'south seas mermaid' I tend to imagine something a bit...more colourful than the original pattern.

Anyway, I finished Royal Holiday, so I was looking for something new to start....so I figured why not adapt south seas?

Anyway, what happened from there was this

The humble beginnings, as I sorted out what colours to use

Colours more-or-less settled, starting to come to life

All the stitching finished!  Just beads left

The finished product!

Fair warning for this adaption - there was a LOT changed.  As in pretty much everything but the skin and hair colours were changed (And one bead.  I left one bead the same, LOL)
I also left out some beading, as a) I didn't think it needed any more (holy hell there were already a million beads on it, and the pattern called for YET MOREEEE) and b) I didn't have a bead in my stash that either fit the colours AND had the sheer quantity I would need.  So that happened.

Body

• 5982 -> 026 (Kreinik)
• 3514 ->1223 (Kreinik)
• 927 ->340
• 772/927 -> 156
• 772 -> 341
• 3770 -> 3840
• 939 -> 550
• 03048 -> 3844
• 356/758 -> 3844
• 926 -> 3746

Top fins

• 3607 -> 3844
• 3607/3609 -> 3845
• 3609 -> 3846

Bottom back fins

• 352 -> 3844
• 335 -> 3845
• 335/860 -> 3846

Trailing fins

• 3860 -> 156
• 844 -> 161
• 3609/3860 -> 156/3846

Stripe

• 335 -> 321
• 352 -> 321
• 922 -> 321
• 335/926 -> 321

Seaweed

• 844 -> 701
• 3860 -> 702
• 704 -> 703
• 5982 -> 015 (Kreinik)
• 3607 -> 321

And then the beads.  (I did mention a LOT had changed, right?)

• 72023 -> 72052
• 72012 -> 72052
• 03048 -> 00165
• 16616 -> SAME AS ORIGINAL
• 16615 -> 02031
• 03027 -> 02009
• 18828 -> 18830
• 18831 -> 02085
• 00525 -> 02035

• 03047 -> On arm, neck and top of bodice 10074, on tail fins, and trailing tendrils 00161
• 42031 -> on belly 00161, on trailing tendrils 02009

Backstitching stayed the same as original pattern, as did the hair and skin.

Stitched 2 over 2 on Chromatic Alchemy's 'Poseidon' Belfast linen

5.18 Royal Holiday (A Christmas Queen)

All up, she took 35 days to stitch and bead (Beading only took a couple hours) Although that skin alone took me two and a half days >.<

Stitched 2 over 2 on 32 count belfast linen.

Skin stitched 1 over 1

Fabric is Al's Darkmagic, from Chromatic Alchemy

Mill Hill beads 03034 were changed to 03004

5.17 Snowdrop (A bluebell adaption)

Mother's favourite flower is the snowdrop...but sadly Nora Corbett doesn't have a pixie of that (Yet.....hint hint)

So I adapted Bluebell into it.

Note - I now hate creams and whites.

The dress done AT LAST

Stitching all finished

All done!

DMC

154 – 164

333 - 369

3746 - 3072

3839 - 822

794 - 3865

800 - Blanc

3756 - B5200

Changed on DRESS ONLY

3371 - 563

Waterlilies 204 – Replaced with Fibrelicious C120, Spring Leaves

Kreiniks

093 – 027L

1223 – 152V

1432 – 150V

Mill Hill beads

16168 – 16606

18830 – 18820

Backstitching

Umbrella – DMC 986. I outlined the snowdrops by going around the edges of the B5200, but that was a personal preference.

Laces on feet – 027L Kreinik.

Stitched on Chromatic Alchemy's "Bridget's Garden" 32 count belfast linen, 2 over 2.

5.16 Bluebell

So this month was 'try something new', and towards the end of the month I finally realised I hadn't done anything new, as I had been focused on getting Dressmaker's daughter finished.  

Bluebell was sitting there, half finished.  So I decided, eh, why not, and tried beading as I went.

Well.

Let us just say that we will NOT be doing THAT ever again.

I either lost time because I was running my fingers over the beads and muttering pretttyyyyyy under my breath all the time, sat staring at it the other half of the time.  And when I was actually stitching, the threads I was using kept wrapping around the beads and catching.

All in all, I have no idea how people manage it, and I am in awe of their ability to not go insane and throw their stitching across the room in a fit of rage.  

But I learnt I am unable to bead as I go.  So at least I got something productive out of the experience?

Stitched on Chromatic Alchemy Permanganate, 32 belfast linen.  2 over 2.  Kreinik 1432 left out, and 838 backstitching replaced by kreinik 1223.

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*

5.7 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...

5.4 Nora Corbett's Lilly

So I had half the fabric left over from Tigerlily (Belfast opal, Flotsam and Jetsam,Chromatic alchemy fabrics), so doing my usual going through all the patterns/fabrics combinations on The Viewer (www.theviewer.net   SO totally worth it for anyone who stitches mira patterns.  Trust me.) I overlaid Lilly on the fabric and ...well, it took a bland pattern and really bought the colours out.

So naturally, I had to stitch it.  I mean, I had the fabric, and the pattern....It would have been a crime not to stitch it, right?

Edit: 20 March 2016

She has been framed!  And found a new home with Carol, a friend from work who is about to undergo radiotherapy for breast cancer.

5.3 Stargazer adaption (purple)

Figured I would type it all up here, so not only the people on facebook could see it.

NOTE: skin and hair colours stayed the same, as did the ruffles, I just changed the highlighting colours there.

Dress coat top:

3799 - 550

645 - 552/550

647 - 553

3072 - 209

3022 - 552

Dress coat bottom:

3799 - 550

645 - 552

647 - 553

Dress Front:

3807 – 3768

156 – 926

3747 – 927

3756 - 828

Dress ruffles:

Keep as same except for

3799 – 550

3768 – 552

926 – 553

927 – 209

Dress ribbons :

828 – 793

927 – 792

926 – 791

3768 – 823

3799 – 823

3865 - B5200

(For hair ribbons I made 3799 – 550, as I wanted the purple accents in the hair too)

BEADS

purple on coat – 03053 (2 packs)

pearl on dress – 00479 (3 packs, there are A LOT of those beads to stitch on >.<)

brown on dress – crystal blue.  I had some old dmc beads (from back when dmc had their own beads.  omg i know, they're OLD), which matched up with dmc 798.  They're crystal blue with e silver inner, so if you can find soemthing that ties in, go with it.

Star beads - a mix of ice blue, pale purple (10103) and a crystal blue

(Sorry, they're not all mill hill beads, so I can't give exacts)

5.2 Stargazer adaption, wheeee

So as Es would be able to tell everyone, I have been eyeing up Stargazer for MONTHS.  I took months to decide on the right fabric, then the right colours....somethings must take time to decide, right?


Anyway, for my 2016 new start, I finally had the fabric, and the colours worked out...and so it began.

The original pattern looks like this:

But well, me being me, decided it wasn't quite...right.  I wanted a fabric dark enough to actually show up the stars she was gazing at, plus you can't go wrong with purple, specifically 550, soooo...I changed things.

Day two

Day three

Day four

Day five

Day six

Day seven

Day eight

Day nine

Day ten

Day eleven

Day twelve

Day thirteen

Day fourteen

Day fifteen

Day sixteen

Day seventeen, and finished

All in all, it was much faster to stitch up than I thought it would be.  Keep in mind I didn't bead everything that was suggested - I skipped some of the beads in the sky, and the tendrils around the dress, because I didn't think they were really needed.  It was enough as it is.  I may go back and add then later if I feel like it, but as of right now, I'm happy with my finish. 

Whee!

Fabric - Flotsam and Jetsam, by Chromatic Alchemy.  32 count belfast.

Colours - adaption by me (Kat)