Martha is a Finish

Here is the lady in all her bridal finery.  The gown in golden olive is comprised of 193 tiny rice stitches stitched with one strand and simulating the look of brocade fairly successfully.  It took three days of stop and start stitching to complete the gown.  Aging eyes can slow one down.  The petticoat, in purple and cream is done in satin and back stitch  Smyrna Crosses are used for the pearls in her hair, the lace at her throat and for her shoes.  The original shoes were purple velvet dancing slippers.

Tomorrow there will be a photo of the entire piece, neatly pressed.

I checked on line [Nordic Needle] for some bell pull hardware: and found a lovely one in satin finish brass with a heart charm and another in scrolled pewter.  I haven't made a decision yet but I do think Martha deserves that touch of elegance.

The brass looks very attractive and the heart charm is most appropriate for a wedding sampler.  It has the added advantage of a very clearly centered eyelet for hanging.  The notch at the center of the pewter heart seems a bit more problematic.  It could easily slip off a peg or nail leaving the whole piece hanging drunkenly askew.  But pewter has always been one of my favorite metals for home decor and is a typically Early American material.  The incorporation of the heart into the scroll design fits in nicely with the wedding theme.  I may end up ordering both and making a decision with fabric and hardware in hand.  I'd be interested in any comments from readers as to their own preferences.

Rice Pudding

Not the dessert, though I will admit to loving a creamy home-made rice pudding.  I consider it one of the ultimate comfort foods,

No, this Rice Pudding is the counted canvas design by DebBee's Designs and I am loving it.  I am delighted by all the variations of the rice stitch Debbie has included in the project.  It is not a piece that travels well so I have made it my at home stitching.  My only problem is that the high pollen counts have really irritated my eyes, which are aching and watering profusely, making stitching somewhat problematic.  Still, progress is being made.

I have been working on it, on and off, all weekend.  Here's are some before and after shots.

Clearly this is the before shot, taken July 9 and showing only two variations of the rice stitch: the standard single arm cross and the somewhat more complex double arm cross.

Since then, I have added a slimmer rice stitch, 2 threads wide but 4 threads tall with a single arm cross.  And I have begun work on another double arm cross rice that will have a vertical cross at the center in a contrasting color.  This last is rather time-consuming since it is somewhat difficult to find the canvas threads where I need to place the vertical cross as the background rice stitch covers the canvas so well.  You can also see the mirror image effect coming into play as I have started working the right side of the design.

I am also including a close-up shot of the various different versions of the rice stitch so you can see just why I am so pleased with the piece.  It's amazing how much variety can be drawn out of one very basic stitch.

Weekend Progress Report: Sept. 23, 2012

I haven't been working on my serious stitching lately due to the upheaval in my private life.  My two BAPs have been neglected but

 I did finish Primitive Needle's Here Lies Thy Needle.  It was simple and straightforward stitching just perfect for my current state of mind.  A bit boring but I am pleased with the final product.  I plan to sew it up as a knitting project bag.  Now that it's done, I'll have to come up with something different for waiting rooms.  And I'll be back in waiting rooms pretty soon since I'll be driving my Mom to the hematologist this Friday and Bill to both the surgeon and gastroenteriologist the following Friday. And I thought my days of driving Mom's taxi were done when the kids left home!

I have worked on my Encrusted Crazy Quilt Square, finishing up one more section and starting another. The section I completed is embroidered with stylized rose bushes done in fern and chain stitch with cobweb rose blossoms.  And the section in progress is going to be, I think, a satin-stitched sunflower with a raised center filled with beads ... I tend to make things up as I go along.  One of the reasons I picked up the Crazy Quilt Square was because I wanted to practice my cobweb roses before putting the finishing touches on the Mystic Smalls' Stitcher's Pocket which will have three of

them in the center panel.  And, although I used some scraps of metallic ribbon for the roses on the square and I will be using silk ribbon on the pocket, the technique remained the same and I am comfortable that I know what I am doing now.  It's always nice to have a "sampler" piece on which to practice various stitches and techniques and the crazy quilt square serves that function beautifully.  Then there's the added bonus that I will be able to make something practical out of the square eventually ... I am leaning toward a handbag or project bag of some sort, something with a zippered closure anyway.  I have got an idea for embellishing the thin strip of black moire above the cobweb roses: I have two tiny five pointed star charms and I thought I'd use them to stitch a shooting star motif with the stars heading toward one another and with their tails curving in opposite directions.  I plan on leaving the tartan silk unembellished since it is the patch that established my color scheme for the entire block.  I may put just a few more buttons at the smaller edge but that would be all.  So that leaves only the yellow and gold print and the rose patches to embellish.  One more item from the WIPs sidebar close to a finish!

Today I am going to thread up the sewing machine and bind the edges of some linen for the two Town Square SAL ornaments for which I have pulled the threads.  I believe those will be my next projects for the next little while.  I don't feel like I have recovered my equilibrium just yet.  I am still so tired all the time and my seasonal allergies have kicked in with the usual sinus headaches.  All the rain we have had this last spring and summer have contributed to a really bad allergy season this year.  So simple and straightforward stitching will be the order of the day for a little while longer.  The BAPs will still be there next month.  Right now I want something relaxing rather than challenging.

Shrove Tuesday is a thing of the past

I feel nostalgia for those good old days when I could have done the traditional indulgent eating on the day before Lent began: pancakes with syrup, bacon, desserts, candy. But age and type II diabetes have made that impossible. So yesterday seemed like Lent had already started: oatmeal for breakfast, half a veggie wrap for lunch, soup for supper. But at least the stitching was sumptuous: The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Hearts Sampler's specialty stitches and beading. Rhodes Hearts and Stars, the Amadeus stitch, and lovely pearl and garnet beading! And the result of all that sumptuousness: another finish, the first from the class project list. My next class project, the matching Holly & Hearts ornament, should go relatively quickly since I am already in the rhythm of the design elements in these two pieces. I am really enjoying the specialty stitches and the tracery stitching. The projects are just so lovely and delicate and elegant. It's one of the reasons I really enjoy working with The Sweetheart Tree charts. I have several more in my stash and look forward to stitching them as well. I anticipate a second finish from the class project list before the end of the month. I also got in a bit of stitching on my next [March goal] project from the WIP list, Primitive Needle's Black'd Skie, during my lunch hour. All in all, I feel pretty good about my progress on the February goals.

I'll be sharing my pleasure in this design by offering a PIF of the chart. Just leave a comment on this post. I'll choose a winner on Sunday.