I have been fairly disciplined about sticking to my Crazy January Challenge pieces and my 2010 WIPs and UFOs so far this year ... but I couldn't quite resist this charming little Easter project compliments of Martina: I did change the colorway to coral [instead of the charted pink] because I have had a large piece of Autumn Sunrise Silkweaver 28 ct linen in my stash for quite some time, a mystery selection from my FOTM subscription. I have never used sparkly fabric before [I always thought the stuff was just a bit tacky] but somehow this little design seemed to call for it. I'll finish it as a pin pillow ... or maybe I should call it a bean bag, since I plan to stuff it with ground walnut shells. I can see myself stitching this again on a plain 40ct Ivory linen in the original colorway and finishing as a scissor fob or Easter ornament. I love the delicacy of this charming little piece. And, oddly enough, I am liking the fabric on which I am stitching it more and more ... prompting me to find a larger project for it by Autumn. Maybe glitz and glam fabric isn't quite so tacky after all ... either that, or I am getting tacky in my dotage. This last notion is a real possibility. I caught myself doing something recently that just smacks of a downscale nursing home. When I got home from running errands one day recently, I removed my sneakers [excuse me, walking/athletic shoes] but not my supersoft Buster Brown white cotton socks and then I changed into a long fleece lounger and sheepskin-lined suede slippers. White socks scrunched down about the ankles and tan slippers and a glorified house dress ... I'm still too young [albeit, just barely] to be doing things like that ... if my kids saw me, there'd be no end of teasing going on! And I don't even want to think of the acid comments one of my younger sisters would make! I doubt my husband even noticed but he tends to value comfort above style ... so even if he had noticed, he'd have thought nothing of it.
But back to stitching commentary. I am enjoying this fussy little stitch in which fractionals and confetti stitching abound - I wouldn't want anyone to look at the back - since I'll be lining this with a heavy muslin and then filling it with ground walnut shells no one will ever see the travelling threads tucked under existing stitching - I just didn't have the patience to start and end properly after only three stitches in a color, over and over - it's a casual seasonal piece, not an heirloom, after all. Even though I am now a card-carrying member of the august EGA, I prefer to keep a little perspective here!
I also managed to finish Section II of TW's Autumn Faerie in spite of the fact that I spent most of Friday shopping and preparing food for the First Communion Mini-Retreat and Saturday was spent in the ususal way with classes till 10:30am and then setting up the mini-retreat [in another building, with fewer amenities], then running the retreat and cleaning up after it. By the time I was done on Saturday, all I was in the mood for was a nap. I did get some productive stitching time in on this project on Wednesday and another hour on each day Thursday & Friday ... but it wasn't equal to the time I was able to devote these past two weeks. Still, progress is progress ... especially when you are talking about a project that languished untouched for the better part of a year and a half. I'll hold off on photos until I've got a bit of Section III completed next Wednesday.
Tomorrow, I'll be returning to work on my current Crazy January Challenge piece, Witches Stitch, Too from Homespun Elegance. What I am liking about this piece is that it echoes my last Homespun Elegance project, The Stitcher, both in layout and colorway ... but it uses current resources like over-dyed flosses ... marking the passage of time between the publication dates of the two leaflets. I'd love to emphasize the homage to the earlier piece: I am thinking of adding some Olde Brass buttons or some smaller Halloween charms hung from the points of the top border. Once I have the stitching finished, I'll lay out my buttons and charms and see if it works visually. Not all my bright ideas are necessarily good ideas ... so we shall see what we shall see.
3 comments:
It is a lovely finish. Sparkly works if it's done tastefully--that is not just a fashion tip, it works for stitching, too. I try to use it sparingly, for when there is a need for it, like a wintry scene or a "magical" scene. You just have to watch the beads and braid and all that to make sure it's not too sparkly.
Nothing wrong with your choices for stitching OR relaxing at home!
Such cute bunny, Riona! And there is certainly nothing like relaxing comfortably in your own home--you've earned the right to stitch in comfort :)
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