Friday, January 2, 2015

Some Progress Photos

Here's the current progress on the pieces in my rotation.

The English Band Sampler:  I started on the blue flowers flanking the coral pansy.  I should be able to finish these flowers on Monday when the sampler next comes up in the rotation.  It is looking good for a finish this month.  Though perhaps I shouldn't jinx myself by saying so.  After all, there are still the final stitches on the flowers, the spiral border and some more vining to stitch.  


Liam's Crib Blanket: Technically, this isn't in the rotation but I do work on it in the evenings when I am too weary to do more complex work.  There's no point in showing a photo: 50 rows of hounds tooth patterned crochet looks pretty much like 15 rows of the same.  There's simply more of it.



The Mint Tea Towel: I've barely made a start on this piece but it will be my chosen weekend project since I'd like to have it done by Little Christmas as a gift for my secretary.









Dragon Dreams' Dragon of the Summer Sky.  I spent a very quiet New Year's Eve concentrating on this project and got a substantial amount of fill stitching done.  I am still not a fan of rayon floss, or rabid  rayon, as I continue to think of it.  But I seem to be plowing through the stuff at a steady pace.  There's still quite a bit to go though: the ribs of the wings, a bit more of the body and neck, and of course, the face.


Mystic Smalls:  The Needle Book is done.  I am rather pleased with the ribbon embroidery on this piece.  I am finally getting the hang of it. The seed stitched leaves are really rather fine now that I've learned to control the size and draw the ribbon through very slowly and steadily.  It's taken me long enough to master the technique.  The needle book was my last finish of 2014.






Yesterday, I finished the scissor fob.  This meant more ribbon embroidery.  Happily, my success working with silk ribbon on the needle book wasn't a fluke.  I really do seem to have finally figured out the  proper technique.








Unhappily, I seem to have lost my knack for hardangar.  My third attempt at the blanket stitch outline of the biscornu in this series of smalls still looks wonky and will have to be cut out and restarted.  It's been so long since I've done this sort of thing that my tension is all off and I am failing to keep the stitches even in size when I make turns..

2 comments:

Justine said...

Well done on mastering ribbon embroidery! I've tried and found it really difficult. Yours looks great! I love the colours in the English Band Sampler, it must be fun to work on.

Anna van Schurman said...

Lovely ribbon embroidery. And don't jinx yourself on the English band sampler (which is fabulous by the way). I am pretty sure I've heard those promises before. ;) (AS IF I"VE NEVER MADE THE SAME ONES!)