Friday, November 21, 2014

Finally Friday Finish

I am so glad to be able to report a finish.  It has been a while since I have been able to take a piece off the frame and get it in the wash!  woohoo


I finished the HAED Santa and Mouse free pattern from the Heaven and Earth Designs website. 


This was my first Heaven and Earth Design.  I did it in preparation for a really large project I am doing as a gift.  It is supposed to be an ornament......HA..... it measures 8.5 x 8.5 inches so it is a little large.  I did it on 18 count aida.  I did not want to use anything smaller for my first attempt.  Not sure how I will mount it.  I also note that I did not use the Krenik that was called for as it was only on the outside of the circle.  I may do a tent stitch in a square around it to square it up for framing or perhaps a round mat.  Have not decided.

What amazes me about this project is that while I was doing it the subject matter was a little hard to distinguish.  Then, as it came to life it was pretty inspiring.

I started this on September 19, 2014 and finished it November 21, 2014.  It took approximately 140 hours.  I used the Hours Tracker app to keep track of the time.  I was pretty good about recording the time, but it is still an approximation of the hours. 

Lots of left over thread.  What I found nice about doing this project is that because I kitted it myself using DMC floss, I did not have to scrimp as I often do when I work from a kit using the thread provided.  I like that a lot. 

Now to get to work on the rest of those WIPs.  I have been spending all my time on this little guy.  Glad it is over before December.

I started attempting to use different fabric, the first one being linen.  It has been a challenge, but I have a great teacher for support.  She has videos of her stitching under Tara C.  She is a wealth of knowledge about fabrics and very encouraging.  At any rate, I have been working on a small Thea Gouvernour design (a yellow rose) that I got from Overstock.com when I realized I had some credits so I paid nothing.....woohoo.  I got it because it was not on aida fabric.  I am getting the hang of it, but it is certainly a test of my patience and my eyesight.  It is also a challenge to photograph. 


 I started out using a hoop but changed to a QSnap and like it better.  Using the snap seems to help the fabric stay a little straighter and make the counting easier for me.  I am having to change the way I usually stitch.  I am doing a stitch at a time and I only put the center grid line in for reference.  I am also working on stitching horizontally exclusively as I find it easier to keep my place that way.  I have also discovered that my tension is an issue with this fabric.  I have to take care not to pull the stitches to tight or it distorts so badly that I cannot figure out where the next stitch goes!  Believe me, I have done a bit of stitching and pulling out and re-stitching.  But Tara C. told me that it would take about 100 stitches before I got into a rhythm, so I am not giving up.

Thanks for checking in.

Friday, November 14, 2014

November Already

Almost mid-November and not one finish to show for it.  It has been busy and the weather is so fantastic it is hard to justify sitting inside stitching. 

Have made some good progress on the HAED freebie project, Santa and the Mouse.  It is going rather slowly which I think is typical of these particular projects.  Lots of single stitches (called confetti by stitchers), lots of colors and it takes a lot of concentration.  I am happy with how it is turning out.  It is the only project I have worked on this month so the others are just hanging out in their pillow cases waiting for attention.

I am planning to start a new project from Heaven and Earth Designs.  It is large, very large and may take me the rest of my life to finish!  I originally ordered 25 count pre-gridded Aida for it, but it was just impossible for me to stitch comfortably, so I switched over to 18 count.  I may wish I had gone for 20 count, but I think it will be fine.  Not significantly bigger than the pattern, but OK.   I may not share it here as I am doing it as a gift. 

I am trying out a new magnifier light and I am not sure I like it.  It is a little awkward and cumbersome.  The light is good and it is easy to position but I am not sure the magnifying part of it is all that great.   I kind of miss my old Mighty Brite light and may go back to it.

I am giving up on doing Christmas cards.  Or any Christmas stitching at all other than the HAED design.  I am determined to have a finish this month. 

Been kind of a touch stitching few weeks for some reason.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to have more to post in a few days, weeks, months, .............