Stitch Class November 2013

Stitched exclusively on Margaret's Monochrome Madness, and am now down to just the outermost border and the beads in the outer border.

Last Monthly Stitch Class of 2012

And, as has been my habit these last several stitch classes, I worked on Margaret's Monochrome Madness.
Here's the status at the beginning of class today:

 And when class was done:

The box in the lower left is now about half done...after stitching and frogging and stitching and frogging and stitching and frogging and getting new "string" because the old "string" was starting to look pretty shabby and stitching and frogging and stitching.... 

The light-colored border is now done up the right side and across the bottom, and is about a third of the way up the right side, and after trying one kind of "string" on the outermost border, I consulted with the teacher and tried another "string"--the same "string" used for the innermost border.

I had hoped to get that block done, but accomplishing what I did manage to get done took about 3/4 of the class time!

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.

Stitch Class 1208

Once again I worked exclusively on the piece affectionately known as "Margaret's Monochrome Madness."

Progress at the beginning of class today:

And at the end of class:

Now complete is the greenish colored block to the right of the center block. Unfortunately, I made a placement error in the top row, and it's obvious I'm going to have to do some frogging and re-stitching next month. I also added to the center block.

Yes, it looks like I'm getting close to a finish, but there's still a couple of rows of motifs for the border yet to be stitched.

TUSAL 1207 and a Progress Pic

Combined! Yes, I'm late again with the TUSAL, but that's life. This one contains mostly Margaret's Monochrome Madness and some nearly invisible--because of lighting and position--strands from the pictured current project, Hannah Beeby.

I see also that we're about 2/3 of the way through the month and I never posted anything from the monthly stitch class. Well, here's MMM, before class:

...and after class:

For some reason, the upper photo is turned 90° to the right from the correct orientation. I finished the block at the lower right corner of the center motif, started and got about halfway on the one on the far right side in the vertical midpoint, and got the center motif started. It looks a lot closer to "done" than it actually is, as there's a honkin'-big-arse border to go around it, too. With beads.

TUSAL 120619

Three days late, but here it is, mostly Margaret's Monochrome Madness:

Today I'm away to Temecula for a stitching retreat. Eat your hearts out, suckers!

June 2012 Stitch Class

I worked on Margaret's Monochrome Madness again this month. Status at the beginning of the day:

And at the end of the day:

 

Two blocks started and completed, and a third started.

TUSAL 120421

A little more this month, since I tossed poor neglected Beatrix Potter aside for even more neglect and put Hannah Beeby in the floor stand. The golden browns are from Margaret's Monochrome Madness, while the greens are from Hannah.

April 2012 Monthly Stitch Class

Today was the monthly open stitch class at my LNS, Needlepoints Ltd. As usual, I had no idea which piece (or pieces--I've been known to stitch on more than one piece in the course of a class) I'd pull out until I actually pulled one out to stitch on. I'd had tentative plans to work on the piece lovingly known among its stitchers as Margaret's Monochrome Madness, and that's the one I chose to work on again this month.

Progress as of the start of class:

Detail shot of the area I chose to work on this month, start of class:

Detail shot of the area after class:

As you can see, I finished the left block and started and finished the Utah-shaped block.

I also stopped by the LSS, Stamp Fever, before stitch class because the first Saturday is Card of the Month day. I learned another new technique, this time in the card base itself rather than stamping/coloring techniques.

The front (above) and the inside (below).

TUSAL March

Another pathetic month. This one contains both Margaret's Monochrome Madness, from the stitch class earlier this month, as well as a few token bits from Beatrix Potter Quaker.

Third Stitch Class of 2012

Today I opted to give some attention to Margaret's Monochrome Madness, a counted needlework piece that's been neglected for quite some time now.
Progress as of start of class this morning:
The block I worked on today is the second up from the bottom left corner (above the partially stitched diagonal motif).
The large eyelets are done; and we tested several different shades and colors of fibers to use to fill in between/among the large eyelets, but didn't have time to test what we hope is the last choice. Maybe next month.

I also went over to the LSS, Stamp Fever, to pick up some special orders and for the Card of the Month, but I haven't taken a picture of that card.

TUSAL January and February

It's been a slow year for stitching so far.
The first pathetic little pile is January's.

The second pathetic little pile is February's.

TUSAL: The Third Moon

Things have been pretty hectic at work, so not a lot of progress on anything since the last new moon. The projects included are Hannah Beeby, Dazzle, and an ornament.

Progress

Here's the current status of "Dazzle," designed by our LNS's teacher, Margaret Bendig.

TUSAL: The Second Moon

From the New Moon in February to the New Moon in March. Mostly at-home stitching, but also a few strands from last month at the LNS.

It's Official!

I'm number 202 on the TUSAL list! Unfortunately, I think that means I need to find a moment or three to put the link in my sidebar, as well as keep track of the New Moons, since that's when we're supposed to post our TUSAL progress. Well, it gives me an extra reason to make sure I keep up with posting this year.

It's the beginning of a new year, and a lot of folks on assorted message boards and in various blogs are setting new goals. So what are mine for this year? I'm going to try to blog more, and post more photos of cards and stitchery. I've also decided to join my dear friend Terri in her goal to spend our monthly stitch class time working on pieces for which we're likely to need the teacher's assistance. Today before I left for class I hunted down a piece that's been languishing since before the LNS moved to its new location (a few doors down from an older location!). "Dazzle" was designed by Margaret Bendig, our class' teacher. I didn't think to take a progress pic before resuming this piece today (January 8). The center motif and 3 of the dark-green-and-shiny-stuff arms were done when I set this piece aside. So today I completed the 4th of those arms, as well as the light-colored motifs, and have begun the next segment at the end of each of the arms. For those of you familiar with DMC numbers, the dark floss and the middle value are in the 520 series of sagey greens; the lightest green is a Rainbow Gallery Mandarin floss (made from bamboo). And the canvas is a light sagey green.
I certainly won't be limited to counted canvas pieces in this endeavor, since I also have Margaret's "Spot Sampler" started and have an Ellen Chester class piece suffering neglect, both of which are primarily counted cross stitch.

Stitching Progress

At least on Margaret's Monochrome Madness, from the last 3 or 4 class sessions:

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.

Stitch Class Today

It was the monthly all-day open stitch class today. The first project I worked on was the piece from the Ellen Chester class we took at the end of June:
Eventually this will be a ship, which will eventually be made into a scissor fob or something along those lines. Then I made a little more progress on the Hannah Beeby Quaker:
This is over one fabric thread with one strand of DMC (for now; there'll be some Anchor used later), on 25-count Lugana "Vintage Country Mocha." After that, I did some test-stitching for the Beatrix Potter Quaker and completed one half-medallion and got a fair start on another:
Beatrix is being stitched with plain ol' DMC, one strand over two threads on 28-count Lugana, an overdye I've forgotten the source of. And after lunch I put in some time on "Margaret's Monochrome Madness":
I worked first on the far right segment, and put three rows (I supposed they're technically columns, since they're vertical and not horizontal) and then started the block on the far left.