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.

Thank You, Terri!!

For the lovely birthday gifts!!!!!!!!

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.

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.

GTG in Alameda

No photos for later blackmail, if you can believe that! But saw the Gidget of Whiz again (for the first time since CATS Las Vegas), and met in person on-line stitching buds 'chelle and RaphaelRay. Made a bit of progress in my newest start, the Mary Wigham Ackworth Quaker. 'chelle is even more enjoyable in person than online, an absolute delight! RaphaelRay (Jill) brought along some pieces to share with us, and is quite the bunny nut, like another bunny nut I know and love. AnnaMarie isn't a part of our little online community, but is also a stitcher of Teresa Wentzler projects and brought along her in-progress "Stretch" and her recently completed "Tradewinds." Needle in a Haystack is a very nice shop, in lovely downtown Alameda, which is chockful of Victorian and Craftsman-style buildings.
Edited to add: I also picked up a few more possible threads for the counted canvas project, since my LNS doesn't carry these.

Progress Pictures

Today was a follow-up get-together at the LNS for "Margaret's Monochrome Madness," and about half the class was able to make it. One woman is very nearly done with hers! It's done in a variety of pale aquas on like-colored canvas and is really lovely. I managed to get three more areas stitched in mine, along with another one started. The image below is the close-up of the three finished and one started boxes.

This image is the whole piece in its current state of progress.
Tomorrow is our Ellen Chester class, so another whole day of stitching, this time counted cross stitch. And this time BSF Melissa will be there! We missed you today, my friend!

Stitchy Weekend!

Saturday the MMM classmembers and teacher are scheduled to meet at the LNS to see each others' progress on this piece. Then Sunday is the class with With My Needle's Ellen Chester. BSF Melissa and our LNS' teacher (and designer of the MMM) are fellow students.

Progress on MMM and a New Start

I really love it when BSF (Best Stitching Friend) Melissa and I can get together at our LNS for some drop-in stitching, and today saw us there again. Melissa did a lot of floss-pulling and floss-tossing for a couple of projects, while I completed one more of the boxes in "Margaret's Monochrome Madness" and started another. Here she is, hard at work on her "Mary Wigham" Quaker repro. Eventually we'll both be working on this one, but I'm waiting for my fabric to arrive at the LNS from the hand-dyer, Picture This Plus. Hop on over to her blog to read about her fabric and fiber choices. Mine will be on PTP's "Heritage" on 32-count Lugana, and I'll be stitching over two with one strand, with an assortment of overdyed flosses pulled from my stash.
And here's the latest completed box on "Margeret's Monochrome Madness":
It's the box done in diagonal blocks with an overdyed fiber very similar to a perle coton. This one is Caron Collections Wildflowers "Rye."

My new start is a piece Melissa, our stitching bud Terri, Melissa's buddy Tracy, and I are doing as a stitchalong. It's another repro Quaker sampler, "Hannah Beeby." Mine is over one thread on 25-count Lugana "Vintage Country Mocha." I'm using plain old solid-color DMC floss for this one, although I had to make a change to a slightly darker shade when I started stitching and realized that the 3013 would be way too light. Melissa and I agree that the 3012 works much better!
The quarter is there not just so that you can tell how tiny the stitching is, but is also a needle magnet put together by a wonderful lady who also is a fellow stitch-class student, fellow MMMer, and fellow Surf City 5K participant.

Sadly (for me, anyway!), Melissa will be off to visit Tracy later this week, so I'll be missing my BSF for the next couple of weeks. We'll see each other again for the Ellen Chester class at our LNS later this month, and then she's off again, to visit Nick in Detroit! The store will definitely be quiet for the next several Saturdays.