Stitch Class September

Stitch class this month was today, which is also BFF-N's birthday, so first the card for her.

The front. This was an experimental piece. I have a background stamp of cupcakes by the same artist as the main image here (also the same artist responsible for the cupcake-tower stamp I sometimes use), which I stamped with watermark ink, heat-embossed with clear powder, then ran through the dry-embossing "happy birthday" folder. I matted that with a sage green. The center horizontal panel got the folder treatment, but not the watermark/heat-embossing treatment, and was also matted with the same sage green. The cupcake was stamped with two colors of VersaMagic chalk ink on white card stock, cut square-on-point, and then matted with the sage green. The heat-embossing didn't work as nicely as I had hoped; maybe a touch of color in the embossing powder would have helped.

And the innard, where the sentiment square-on-point was also run through the embossing folder, then matted with the same sage green as the card front.

BSF-T (that's Best Stitching Friend) had a finish today:

This is her Mary Wigham, done on a much finer count that my own MIA Mary Wigham, and a most beautiful piece. Congratulations, GF!!!

I worked on Margaret's Monochrome Madness again. Here's MMM at the end of last month's session:

I started by frogging a bit of that green block I finished last month and then re-stitched the off-by-one-thread mistake I'd make on the last row. It's the green block at the top right corner of the (incomplete) center medallion. I also added a bit more (almost finished) to the block to the right of the green block.

 

And started stitching the border:

There's another section of border that will be stitched around the outside of this one.

10:30PM Update: Hannah Beeby is done. And getting a back.

I Can't Find...

...my Mary Wigham. I was going to photograph the finished piece. I've torn apart every place in the house where I'm likely to put a finished but unframed piece. I've looked in unlikely places.



I am heartbroken.

Needlework!

The most recent progress picture of Mary Wigham, taken nearly a month ago at the LNS' All-Day Open Stitch Class:
This is being stitched on PTP's "Heritage" in 32-count Lugana with overdyes primarily from my stash, 1 strand over two.

The birth piece for my younger niece's older son's son:
This is "Blue Jean Teddy," which is what the mother requested for the layette, and stitched from a kit with the kit floss but with an overdyed fabric I pulled from my stash, 1 strand over two on 32-count Lugana. I personally despise pictures shot on an angle like this, but I was having a terrible time with reflections on the day I photographed this one.

And the wedding piece for my older niece's older son and his wife:
They all get the same sampler, done in the color(s) of their choice. This one is done in a hand-dyed red by ThreadWorX and DMC 304 (for the personalization and quote), on 25-count white Lugana, 2 strands over two.

Finally Done!

No pictures yet, since I finished it about 7 Sunday night, and haven't washed it either, but the birth piece is done.

Saturday was the All-Day Open Stitch Class at my LNS, where I've been working on Mary Wigham, partly because she calls and partly as a relief from the Obligation Stitching. Well, I made a counting mistake in the motif I was working on and Terri and Margaret (the teacher) searched for a half an hour or more, trying to find it. Then Terri looked some more after our lunch break. Then Melissa took a turn at it. And found it!!! Many, many thanks to all three for their efforts! I had to frog only a half a dozen or so stitches to fix it.

Mary Wigham Update

Here's my progress on Mary as of this morning when I took her out of the QSnaps so I could reposition her:

Mary Mary!

A little more progress:

These were both taken with the new Crackberry's camera.

And don't forget the 13 Days of Hallowe'en!!

Progress Pics

I finished the piece I'd been concentrating on at home and brought Mary Wigham in from the van to make her my focus piece. Here's a teaser of the finish:
And here's a reshoot of Mary's status as of last weekend, although she's seen a bit more progress today:
The shell-pink medallion squeezed in there alongside the blue half medallion and the dark red half medallion is now complete and the next half medallion to the right of the dark red one is now about half finished (and the color for the half medallion next to that one chosen!).

The finish has been washed, pressed, and hauled away to the framer. I also made it down to my LNS to pick up this year's Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. And then Tuesday I head up to North Hollywood to gather with my fellow NCIS fans at the annual FanFest.

Stitchy Update

I've been so bummed about the camera's memory card crashing that I haven't discussed last Saturday's all-day open stitch class at my LNS. Terri had been sick during the week preceding and wasn't up to the drive, so we missed her. Melissa had been sick, too, but hers is a much shorter commute, so she was able to make it. Thank goodness for that, because even with L and D and K there, it would have been most lonesome without my BSF. So anyway, I took the three in-progress Quakers and Margaret's Monochrome Madness in, but only the three Quakers got any lovin' this time around.

I made a little progress on both Hannah Beeby and Beatrix Potter, and a bit more on Mary Wigham. I'd like to call Hannah a monochrome, but she really doesn't have enough colors in her to call her a polychrome, either, since I'm only using two colors for certain, and only possibly a third (there are three used in the original). Anyway, I stitched a bit more in the predominant color, although I'm a long way from having page one done.

Beatrix is being done as a true monochrome--two shades of a terra cotta. And still on the first page.

Mary is a true polychrome, and I pulled a bunch of overdyed floss out of my stash for her. I finished the off-white half medallion that I'd started at the last class, and chose the blue to use for another half medallion, and got that one all done. And oh! am I happy with the way the blue I chose turned out!! And then I got started on a full medallion in a color called "Conch," which is a pale terra cotta/antique peach sort of thing.

The ongoing project at home is nearing an end, and boy, am I happy about that! I've reached the point where I just want that one to be done! Not counting backstitching and a handful or so of beads (in lieu of French knots), I have fewer than a hundred stitches left on that one. Wheeee!

This weekend is going to be busy as I get ready for NCIS FanFest, or I might try to take new pictures to replace the ones I can't get off the SD card. And no pics of the at-home project 'cause that one's a gift. So maybe I'll get before-and-afters at the October class.

Godspeed, Discovery!

And best wishes to you on your 25th mission. Today's NASA Image of the Day really rocks. If you don't already have that widget on your iGoogle, head on over to the NASA website for a look-see.

And in more mundane matters: today was the first of the new "Fifth Saturday" all-day open stitch class at the LNS and I made a little progress on three Quaker samplers (Hannah Beeby, Beatrix Potter, and Mary Wigham) and on Margaret's Monochrome Madness. I have pictures of the Quakers, but for some reason the MMM picture is corrupted. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Here's Mary, with the upper left half medallion finally complete and the next half medallion, down the left side of the piece, started:
Here's Hannah Beeby, with the tan stitching done today (after going to a slightly darker shade of Anchor floss).
And here's Beatrix Potter, with a bit more progress in a half medallion on the left side:

Rocking Day!

Stitch class today totally rocked! A truly wonderful surprise: Melissa's and my dear friend Terri joined our all-day open stitch class today!!!!! My face still hurts from all the laughter, but what a good hurt it is!

No progress on Margeret's Monochrome Madness this time, nor any on the Ellen Chester class piece from June, but I did get a bit of stitching done on my three in-progress Quakers: Beatrix Potter, Hannah Beeby (I love love love the colors Terri is using for this one!!), and Mary Wigham (which Melissa just re-kitted for a re-start, and I love the overdyed flosses she chose, very muted, very faded-samplery).
Here's the current progress on Hannah Beeby:
There are three colors used in the chart for this one, but so far I've only chosen two, of which only one has yet seen any use.
And the current progress on Beatrix Potter:
Beatrix is a true monochrome in my version; I'm using two shades of the same color.
And Mary's current state:
I'm stitching Mary as a polychrome, from overdyeds I pulled from my stash. And this half medallion seems to be taking forever.
I anticipate lots of laughter during the Fifth-Saturday class later this month and am hoping for lots of cancellations for the rest of the classes this year, to shorten the waiting list for Terri.