Finally, photos

It's been awhile ... haven't been blogging due to the pressures of work and some minor health issues ... so I have quite a few concerns to address.

First, the winner of the giveaway that I announced just before I dropped off the web: mainely stitching ... I have posted a comment on her webpage asking for a snail mail address. In order to make up for the delay, I am going to include a small bonus - the chart for the altoids tin topper pictured among the finishes noted below.

Though I haven't been blogging, I have been stitching.

First, a photo of my progress on Workbasket's Rabbit Rondel. The plan was to stitch at least 5 hours on this project in February. Well, I exceeded my goal, actually stitching 15 hours during February and March on this very enjoyable piece.

And, then, a biscornu:

The top is stitched just as charted but the bottom is my own design.

I finished stitching and assembling the Poisson du Avril biscornu. Since the center of the design is so closely stitched I opted to omit the button, simply using a couple of straight stitches to tighten the center. I have also stitched a matching scissor case, using one of the fish motifs ... but need to assemble it. I'll have a picture of that when it is properly finished.

Then, I stitched the top of an Altoids tin sewing case using the Rainbow Row from White Hart Designs. I did, however, change out the colors a wee bit, using up silks and cottons leftover from class projects from CATS 2005 and 2006. I stitched this on another small scrap of 32ct Waterlily linen. I try not to waste anything. I may stitch one of the houses on a strap meant to hold the scissors in place. This, too, "requires some assembly" ... those dreaded words.

And I worked on my monthly [February and March] Christmas ornaments. For these projects, I chose Rosewood Manor's 2008 Reindeer and Imaginating's Cardinal free chart. The reindeer was stitched over two on 25ct cream Laguna, using Belle Soie silks and some pearl like beads for the snowflakes. Since the piece of fabric I used was just barely large enough for the design, I had to get creative with the finishing ... without much empty space around the edges of the stitching, my options were limited ... so this is what I came up with. The Cardinal ornament was finished more conventionally as a pillow ornament with a beaded hanger.

I also stitched up a little snowman ornament from Imaginating ... given the amount of snow we've had in the NYC metropolitan area this winter, it seemed most appropriate. This was also finished up as a small pillow ornament with beaded hanger.

And, to celeberate Spring, another biscornu ... this one is adapted from About Cross Stitch's Daffodil and Tulip Diamond [http://crossstitch.about.com/od/patternsfromyourguide/ig/One---Two-Color-Designs/Floral] To make it suitable for a biscornu, I added mirror images of the tulip motif at the corners and extended the borders to "fill in" the corners. I used more than two colors, though: DMC 221, 223, 368 and Belle Soie buttercup silk. I added some deep yellow beads that were just touched with a blush of pink to the areas where I extended the border [only on the top of the biscornu] and finished the piece with two green glass buttons. I am quite happy with the result.



As to sewing finishes: I finished my two French style heart ornaments, a very simple heart ornament with vines and honeybees, and a small rabbit ornament as well as the two biscornus noted above. Unfortunately the hearts were not done in time for Valentine's Day ... truth be told, I finished one yesterday and two today. But the small rabbit ornament [a free chart from Imaginating] will grace my office in time for Easter.

I couldn't resist a new start: Sue Hillis' YoHoHoHo piratical Santa, stitched on 36ct WaterLily linen in the charted DMC colors.

Also, I received these beautiful trims from Farmhouse Fabrics [my favorite source for interesting trim and buttons].



Finally, this is my progress to date on The SweetHeart Tree's Hearts and Holly Sampler

My April goals:

-- stitching 10 hours on Rabbit Rondel ... possibly more, finishing the piece

-- stitching 10 hours on TW Autumn Faerie

-- stitching 10 hours on the Holly & Hearts Sampler

-- 5 hours devoted to sewing finishes

-- stitch 1 Christmas ornament

--GAST free chart Have you any wool

-- kitting up TWs Woodland Angel stocking for Liam

--stitch the Breast Cancer Ribbon Angel ornament for donation to Breast Cancer Christmas Tree Auction project

A Giveaway

I went to take pictures of my progress and found that the digital camera's batteries needed recharging. So, while I am waiting for the camera to be operational again, I thought I'd post a small giveaway.

The chart, Good for the Gander, is from the Brightneedle Squares series. The subtitle says it is a companion piece for Grey Goose. It is a lovely little 69x69 sampler with a very 19th century look [not Quaker]. Since it was packaged in crystal clear plastic, I stitched it without removing it from the packaging. Thus, the chart is in mint condition. I made some color adjustments since I stitched it in Belle Soie silks rather than the GAST and WDW overdyes called for. In any case, I shall show you a picture of my version just to give you an idea of what Good for the Gander looks like.

Sorry about the wrinkles ... I hadn't pressed it at the time I took the photo and, of course, with my dead batteries I can't take another at the moment. Eventually, I will finish it as a needlebook. Just leave a comment if you want to be considered for this little giveaway.

As to my stitching progress:

• Workbasket's Rabbit Rondel: I have finished the outer ring and the paisley ring just within that. This represents about 15 hours of stitching ... so I have met my goal for February on this piece.
• Poisson du Avril Biscornu: I have stitched the top and bottom, marked the centers of each side and am ready to assemble it ... I had enough of the 32ct Waterlily linen left to stitch one of the fish motifs which I will finish up either as a scissor case [my first choice] or a scissor fob [if the scrap of fabric on which I stitched it doesn't fit my pattern for a scissor case].
• The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Hearts Sampler: This is the next project to tackle ... maybe by tonight I'll have made enough progress on it to warrant a photo.

Workbasket's Rabbit Rondel and other pieces

I am really enjoying working on this piece and have completed approximately three/fifths of the outer ring. The colors of the Caron Wildflowers Periwinkle complement the Silkweaver Starburst overdyed linen so well that the piece is a treat to the senses. I am, of course, comfirmed in my love of Caron fibers. The Wildflowers [an overdyed cotton floss] lays so smoothly and just feels so silky that I find myself lightly stroking the finished stitching. I have a Secret Sister to thank for this chart and the Caron floss to stitch it ... and, though I have withdrawn from the 123stitch Secret Sister Exchange, I shall remember my 2008 participation with great fondness.

At lunchtime today, I did a bit more work on the Poisson du Avril biscornu ... yes, yes, I know I stated in my last post that I would be stitching on the Holly and Hearts Sampler during lunch hours ... but I am just going with the flow while I recover my stitching mojo ... I had both pieces in my stitching bag ... and the biscornu just called to me ... probably because I am much closer to finishing it.

In any case, I should be ready to take some photos in a day or two ... this blog could certainly use a few visuals ... it has been over a month and a half since I have posted photos of new work.

Recovery

Well, I have stitched for at least an hour each day for the past four days ... I think my problem was that I had gotten so obsessed with meeting goals that I had taken all the fun out of stitching for a while. This is not to say I will abandon goals ... I am, after all, a decidedly A-type person ... but I will moderate my goals to a degree of normalcy and achievability heretofore missing in my program.

I have given myself permission to start new projects at will ... I was getting bored with my regimen. To this end, I have started Workbasket's Rabbit Rondel using a luscious Silkweaver 28 ct Cashel Linen called Starquest that complements the colors in Caron Wildflowers Periwinkle perfectly. I'll still be taking the Sweetheart Tree Holly & Hearts Sampler to work as my lunchtime project and expect to make some progress on that in the course of the week. I should have made enough progress on both projects to make posting some pictures worthwhile late in the week. Just admitting that I need more variety than I have been allowing myself has been energizing and I will take that into consideration.

I am also considering dropping out of the Silkweaver Fabric of the Month Club after a few more months. I think my stash is starting to overwhelm me ... I am feeling as though I am drowning in "stuff". Part of this is the typical Catholic guilt about owning so much property when people are losing their jobs and their homes ... if I cut back my discretionary purchases I can have more to devote to causes worthier than my own selfish pleasure: charities, retirement savings and my children & grandchildren.

So my goals for the remainder of February:

Enjoy my stitching and taking time with it

Put in 5 hours on Workbasket Rabbit Rondel

Put in 5 hours on Sweetheart Tree's Holly & Heart Sampler

Put in 3 hours doing the sewing finish of the 5 or 6 ornaments and biscornus languishing on my sewing table

Posting my Valentine ornament finishes on the Seasonal Ornament blog to which I belong

If I find I have time or inclination for more stitching, well and good ... but if not, oh well!

The Malaise continues

Since I haven't done any stitching in a while I am posting an old photo in celebration of the upcoming Valentine's Day ... at least there is a heart in the design. In any case, the "hands to work" part of the message is one I need to take to heart ... I very much need to get back into my usual stitching routines.

This is so unlike me ... generally I stitch for at least 1 hour after getting up in the morning and before getting ready for work ... usually a bit more because of the just one more stitch syndrome. Then I eat for about 15 minutes of my lunch hour and stitch the remaining 45.

But I have stitched approximately 10 hours for the entire month of January and not at all, at all in February so far ... it's getting so I had to think twice to remember my password for this blog.

But, today, I vow to do at least an hour of stitching ... it's not like I don't have interesting projects on hand ... ones that will give me a great deal of pleasure ... I think I am simply the victim of Inertia ... you know, objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest ... I have been at rest way too long.

On a positive note, I have lost 5 lbs in the last three weeks.

Easing back in to stitching routines

I am certainly not stitching as much as usual but I am stitching. I have finished the top of the Poisson du Avril biscornu which is a free chart from a French site and have begun the bottom which I am designing as I go along ... we shall see how that works out ... with sea shells done in a back-stitched outline. I figure I have enough of the Waterlily 32ct linen to stitch one of the fish and use it as a scissor case. I do believe this will make a nice little set. I originally intended to set it aside and use it for an exchange at some point in the future ... but I find myself getting greedy [or perhaps, growing attached, would be a politer phrase]. I have all those lovely mother of pearl buttons from Farmhouse Fabrics from which to choose for finishing details on both the biscornu and the scissor case. I think this shall be a lovely little project. I'll post pictures when it is complete.

The January Malaise continues ...

... and has begun to extend into areas beyond stitching. I am reading less, sleeping more, have lost interest in food and cooking [today's lunch box for work contains only some boring but easy celery, carrot and cucumber sticks, one navel orange, crackers and about 2 oz of Brie]. I just seem to be taking the easy way out in every aspect of my life. Could it be my body adjusting [rebelling?] to my new food plan and the goal to lose 80 lbs. ? I am sure the dreary and bitterly cold weather isn't helping either. This morning started off with a steady snow shower, will continue with overcast skies and temps that will not top the teens but when adjusted for wind chill will hover around 5 degrees Farhenheit. I can't afford this malaise because things are about to kick into high gear at work with the beginning of the "Sacrament Season": First Penance, Confirmation and First Communion following one another in rapid succession ... interspersed with registration for 2009-10 and two more fundraisers for the program. All this in addition, to the day to day routines of classes, mid-terms, progress reports, more classes, finals, more progress reports, catechist training, adult formation, Lenten spiritual exercises for children and adults. I get tired just thinking about it. Educators in the US know to expect such doldrums in March ... a month without holidays or breaks ... the mid point of the long march of days from the end of winter recess in mid Feb. to the Easter/Passover Spring break in mid-April. But I seem to be getting an early dose. Well, one does what one must ... so I imagine I shall recover my momentum at some point ... may that point come soon!

Not much stitching going on

Oddly, I haven't been doing much stitching or finishing over this Christmas break ... though I had expected to finish my Holly and Hearts sampler and perhaps, the matching ornament as well ... I also have four flat-finish ornaments half finished [meaning I have the backs covered in fabric and only need to apply the stitched piece to a padded form and assemble.] I don't know what the deal is ... perhaps the fact that the job leaves me so little time to just "be" ... and I am taking some much needed genuine down time: no goals, no pressures. Just endless cups of tea, a little reading, a lot of napping and a modicum of cooking and housework. I haven't done much more than 30 minutes stitching a day, if that much, for the past three days ... that practically represents a cold-turkey withdrawal from my usual 2-3 hour a day routine. My current project, the Poisson du Avril Biscornu, seems to be growing scale by scale by painstakingly slow scale. But that's seems to be just fine by me. Very atypical for my decidedly A-type personality.

As to the reading: some of it has been just browsing through new editions of old friends and some of it even has been fiber-related. I browsed through my sumptuously illustrated new set of Lord of the Rings. I finished both of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books about knitting: The Yarn Harlot and The Free Range Knitter. Very easy and enjoyable reads: a sort of Erma Bombeck meets Foxfire meets [supply the name of your favorite knitting designer]. I have begun my annual ritual a bit early and have re-read two Jane Austen novels: Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice. There's still Emma, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility to go. I never read the pitiful mock-gothic novel ... Catherine is such a ridiculous heroine. I really do have to purchase a replacement for my old Modern Library Edition of Austen's Complete Works. I figure, when you have to hold a book together with rubber bands, it's probably time to invest in a new copy. Finally, I have dipped into The Shack, to satisfy my brother who wants my opinion of the book. I should finish that book today.

I have studiously avoided all the New Year's Day on-line stitchery sales and will continue to do so, as per my 2009 resolution to avoid lavish purchasing while I have such an extensive stash. The folks at The Silver Needle will probably think I died and, no doubt, will consign my file to the Inactive drawer. I don't think I have missed a New Year's or Super Bowl Sunday sale in five year's ... hence, my extensive stash! I do believe my next project will be a knitted throw rather than a cross-stitch piece ... just for a little change of pace.

Not exactly a stellar start to 2009 ... but sometimes a little detachment is just the ticket.

2009 Stitching Resolutions

As a card-carrying member of Anal Retentives Anonymous and of Obsessive Compulsives International, it is only fitting that I should make a list of stitching resolutions for 2009.

Therefore, I hereby resolve to:

1. Limit the purchases of new charts to 5 this year: primarily those needed to complete series I have begun purchasing already. Purchase only fabrics and floss needed to complete charts already in my possession. Do any and all chart shopping from my own stash which now numbers approx. 70 charts, not counting magazines and books.


2. Stick to reasonable monthly goals consisting of one main Focus project, a medium project and a few smalls to provide variety and the immediate gratification of frequent finishes.


3. Continue the plan of doing two sewing finishes from the backlog basket each month and keeping up with current finishes.


4. Assign T Wentzler's Autumn Faerie and Woodland Angel Stocking top priority as BAPs for 2009.


5. Assign the M Design Name Tree ornaments top priority as smalls for 2009 and using them to meet the monthly Christmas ornament portion of the Seasonal Monthly Ornament Blog challenges.


6. Assign the Dragon Dreams, Sue Hillis, Prairie Schooler and Workbasket charts top priority as medium projects for 2009.


7. Return my attention to my own design ideas, particularly the Ghandi quote sampler incorporating the colors and design motifs of sari fabrics into the rows and borders.


8. Withdraw from exchanges to save money and focus on personal stitching goals in 2009.


9. Work seriously on converting junk room into a stitching/sewing room.


10. Try to blog every other day.

Assessing 2008 stitching/Setting January Goals

It seems appropriate to catalog 2008's stitching accomplishments as well as assessing progress on December's specific goals.

So here goes:

First, did I meet my 2008 goals? The answer is that I have met some of them. I have finally managed to set reasonable and achievable monthly goals. I did stitch more for myself. I have kept up with current finishing and have even managed to make a small dent in the backlog of sewing finishes. I did learn to post pictures on my blog though I have not yet mastered the intricacies of Photobucket and posting to groups. I went over my 10 chart purchasing limit by 7 charts. I blog regularly but am not up to the every other day goal as yet.

The tally for the entire year 2008: 55 projects

---31 Smalls including 20 ornaments, 3 pinkeeps, 4 biscornus, 1 greeting card, 1 bookmark, 1 bib and 1 needlebook

---23 Medium projects: 9 of which were Christmas projects, 3 of which were Halloween projects while the other 11 covered a miscellany of themes and topics

---1 BAP: Raise the Roofs' Crabby All Year

I wonder how the people who do 5/25/50 manage that level of productivity. They must be retired and stitch all day, everyday. Either that or they must be speed demons.

December's Focus Projects:

2008 Mystic Stitcher's Hideaway Class Projects

--The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Heart's Sampler: up to Row 13 and temporarily stalled ... I have been using the Christmas holiday to read and catch up on housework.

--The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Heart's Ornament: Amadeus stitch done, vining started

2007 Mystic Stitcher's Hideaway Class Pieces: these will have to be carried over to January

December's Small WIP

--M Designs' Name Trees: Sean & Christina .... not a stitch

December's New Start
--TW Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking .... not a stitch

December's Planning

--Jane Austen Neighborhood .... well, I have pulled out some fabric and drawn a few diagrams but this is still very much an ongoing process

December's Finishing Goals: Okay, here's where I really got it together ... lots of sewing.

--Complete two from the backlog: Stitching for the Cure Ornament #1: Kylie's Heart and my needlebook from Mystic
--Keep up with current finishes: Stitching For the Cure Ornament #2: Dragonfly Stitches' Hope; Imaginating's Snowman Ornament [Promotional Chart], About Cross Stitch's Ruffled Diamond finished as a biscornu, Imaginating's Cardinal ornament, two Heart ornaments from the Gift of Stitching, Imaginating's Heart ornament, Imaginating's Rabbit ornament.

Now, to set January 2009 goals

-- Continue to Focus on the Stitcher's Hideaway Projects from 2008 and 2007

--Stitch and "finish" two ornaments for the Seasonal Ornaments challenge: one Christmas and one January theme

-- Put in at least 10 hours on Liam's stocking: TWentzler's Woodland Angel

--Put in at least 10 hours on Angela's next faerie: TWentzler's Autumn Faerie

--Finish 2 more projects from the sewing finish backlog and keep up with current finishes: inventory those projects to get a sense of how long it will take to handle the backlog