WIP Wednesday - 2013 Stitch Edition

I can't believe it has been over a year since I did a WIP Wednesday and had some stitching to show for it. It's not that I haven't been stitching, I just haven't been photographing. In my own defense - I have finished 5 quilts this past year.


So, over at Fandom in Stitches, they are doing a Doctor Who Stitch-a-Long and I signed up because it was embroidery, which I can do, but in a very functional (read "not always pretty") way. So, I took it up to challenge myself and because it's Dr. Who! I've been a Whovian longer than anything else as I am progeny of a Trekkie and a Whovian - so I couldn't wait to see these patterns! I haven't been disappointed yet! (In the patterns...my embroidery skills...that's another thing)

There are five patterns out now but I only have the first two done so far.



William Hartnell, the First Doctor. Done in back-stitch in a disappointing fashion. Methinks I need more embroidery classes/learning.





Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor. I was a little more adventurous this time. Although you can't tell in the above picture, I added some green for his recorder and his spiffy bowtie.




I'm actually really proud of how well some of this came out. The fingers in particular were fiddly, but I did the nails/fingertips with a stem stitch and I think they turned out really well.




For the recorder embellishments, I did a circle of French Knots and then circled around them with a circle of green. I'm not a huge fan of French Knots, but I really think they gave it the added dimension.




This is the part I'm most proud of though. I did the entire number 2 in stem stitch and I <3 it! I wish I could now stem stitch everything! I love how it doesn't look all broken and dash-like like back-stitching does.


Next up, a class piece. It's a Jenelle Perrin piece called "Long Spring Sampler". She has one for all four seasons, all of which we'll be tackling over the next couple years or so. I have a thing for this palette, as I have two other pieces in this palette in my bedroom. After this is finished, I should put them all together.




Section One




Two - my favorite section!




Three - not finished yet!




Everyone needs what I call "a 10-year project". Like my Polar Bears. The difference in this one is that it's one thread over one on 32-ct. fabric. I'm a sadist. It is a gorgeous piece though. Here's the link to the HAED site for it: Among the Cherry Blossoms.





Can you believe I never did a monthly club or anything? Actually, I can, because I've never been a fan of any of the ones that have been at my LNS. Until these Sheep Virtues. They're really adorable. You'll have to take my word on it until I have something of substance to show you.




I've coveted a Chatelaine for a while now. They're absolutely gorgeous. Talking to some of the ladies at my stitch night, a couple either had ordered some or wanted to start one but hadn't. Three of us decided to form our own little rogue group and buy our own Chatelaine patterns. Finding out that one of them had a phoenix motif, I had to do that one first. You don't see them yet, they're in the last round. The first round is a temple and water garden.




I love these lanterns. They really make it, although they take a lot of thread!



How long before I finish something? Any takers on an over-under?

February Finished!

Although I'm editing this in March, February's task is finished - the Apache Wedding Blessing is finally done!


I also finished two birthday blocks!

Here is Cari's block. She chose purple, black, grey and white, quilter's choice, so I found this pattern called "Woven Ribbons" that I may use in a year or so with different colors.



The next block is Ralu's. It is from a McCall's pattern and is called "Best of All". I was initially a little scared of all the pieces as I hate detailed piecing. But, with a scant 1/4" seam, and pressing all my seams open it worked perfectly, and came in at the right size. I find it really striking, too!



I also have a bonus finish of the binding getting sewn on the pink and brown quilt. That'll be posted soon too, I just need a not freezing day to get it outside to take a picture!

WIP Wednesday - Overdue Finishes!

So as I alluded to in a previous WIP post - I've had some things at the framers...and here they are!

First, "Pathways" is framed...



Although "Pathways" has been done for a while, I waited to get it framed so that it and "Daffa Down Dilly" could have complementary framing done. They are displayed in the same room, although not next to each other, but they both look great!



And just because I want you to have some sympathy for me -- look at all the beads that I had to put on this piece!



The last piece is a Jeanette Douglas Design, "Mini Pom & Pear". It's also been done for a while, and is now framed.



If I never do 1 over 1 again, it will be too soon!

WIP Wednesday - The Phoenix

Unfortunately, I only have one item to show you today, but for a very fantastic reason...I have three out for framing right now! Mini Pom & Pear, Pathways and Daffa Down Dilly are all there. So, hopefully next week I'll have pictures for you!





So, here she is now. Page 2 almost completed.

For a reminder, this is where she was in April.





I know, I'm not the fastest stitcher out there, but I've had other irons in the fire too!

WIP Wednesday (Weekend Edition) - Busy with a Needle!

So, as I said in my last post, I have been a stitching machine. Part of it is the fact that I've started going to my LNS "Sit and Stitch" night every Thursday. It's a fun time with some great women.

I also have a tendency to go on crafting kicks where I will play with one medium forever and then cycle around. (Right now I couldn't tell you the last thing I really crocheted or scrapped.)

Since rehearsal for my latest production starts soon, I figured I'd get a WIP post out of the way and show you all the things I have been stitching lately!

I showed you this piece back in February. I've got a little more done and although I can see the finish line, the hardest bit is yet to come because it will come with some significant re-charting. So, here it is today.



You may notice that it is in a hoop. (I gave up hoops a while ago!) Well, there's a reason for that. I couldn't help starting a piece I've had in stash forever ....



It's a Phoenix and it is on some lovely fabric from Silkweaver Fabrics. I cannot wait to finish this and put it on my "Phoenix wall" in my craft studio. :)

My smallest WIP is this "Mini Pom & Pear" from Jeanette Douglas. I'm dragging my feet on it at the moment because it needs three more pears in the bottom row ... worked 1-over-1...



My last piece is a companion piece to "Pathways". To remind you, this is "Pathways":




So, it was time to work on a piece to go with it, especially since I had 2 almost full skeins of silk left over! I picked "Daffa-Down Dilly" by Carolyn Mitchell. I wanted to take the class a while ago, but was honestly a little intimidated by the piece. After "Pathways", I figured why not?



So, when this is finished it will be framed to match "Pathways" and they will both go in the bedroom.

Hopefully next time, I'll have some finishes!

WIP Wednesday -- Update - FINISH!!

In my very FIRST WIP Wednesday post I showed you a polar bear cross-stitch piece I had been working on for ... I dunno ... at *least* 10 years. So, it returned from the framer's on Thursday, so here it is! Despite the cost of getting it framed, this will be a winter decoration piece - I don't think I can look at polar bears year round. Maybe again, that's just me. But, since it's finished, here's some more pictures of it. :)And, since I can't get enough of those little bear cubs....I've been on a stitching kick lately and have gotten a lot done on some other pieces too. Those I'll actually post on Wednesday, for next week's WIP Wednesday. Since my April 12 for 2012 is already finished, I'll probably have some bonus finishes/early finishes for May in a couple weeks too!

12 in 2012 - January Finished

So, for my 12 in 2012 I only had one project on my list for January:

January - Wedding Wall Hanging Present

Now that it's been gifted, I can share my January finish. But, before I share, a little back story.

I have known Val for...11 years now. We met when she was 16 or so and still in High School and I was 21 and finished with my undergraduate degree and had moved back home. I started an informal group of writers that met a couple times a month locally to read their own and each others' poetry and such. I was instantly struck by this quiet, polite young woman who reminded me very much of myself at her age and felt very maternally towards her.

Part of me always will. After a while of writer's group meeting, Brian started to come around because he had met Val through another one of her passions, Ultimate Frisbee. Long story short, Brian and Val started dating and got married this past October.

When Val asked me to be a bridesmaid for her wedding I was instantly honored and very touched. I knew I wanted to make her something very special for her wedding. Which was totally beautiful and fall themed. From the "unity volcano" to the carved pumpkins and herb centerpieces, the wedding was completely reflective of Val and Brian and the crazy-beautiful love they share.

Fall and crazy-beautiful love led me to imagine two birch trees (one of their favorite trees) on a fall background of leaves, to look like two white trees in a fall forest.





Often when I start creating something from scratch (anything really, it doesn't matter the medium), finished size is not something that comes into my thought process early. Much like I think I remember Stephen King saying about writing books, it kind of has "a life of it's own and tells me what it's going to be like in the end.". So, I started with the trees and then pieced the entire background in my "faux-crazy-quilted" technique. It is kind of a combination between a whack-n-stack and a crazy quilt.

After I had the main part pieced it came to me how it wanted to be finished. It needed some cross-stitching to add their names, date and wouldn't a quote from the vows they wrote themselves be perfect. So, I harassed them while they were on their honeymoon in New Zealand and they got back to me with the line, "I am precisely where I ought to be". Which is perfect and sums them up so elegantly.





And here it is. All finished and gifted and hopefully I'll have a picture of it hanging in their apartment some day to share with you all. But they love it - and that's all that matters.

WIP Wednesday - Cross Stitch Edition

So, over on LJ in the cross_stitch community, the moderators have been cheering us on for WIP Wednesday since there hasn't been a stitching Olympics/World Cup in a while. Since I finished the Polar Bears, that meant that the Apache Wedding Blessing could move up in the rotation.

Here we are at last glance. Again, 4 years ago... (Hmm...I wonder if I work in 4 year crafting cycles.....)


Not too much there, two sides done and some words.

And here we are today, after some marathon stitching since the Polar Bears are done...



The center top medallion is about done. Forever ago I totally re-charted the top of the border so there wasn't a medallion thing where the top ribbon is, so when I get to the other side I'm going to have to do something similar. I also have the bottom border to work on, so I think after the center top medallion, I will move to the center bottom and then start working my way up the other side.

Although this isn't one of my 12 for 2012 projects, I'm really excited that I'm making progress on so many things! Look back this weekend to see 12 for 2012 progress and the latest Mystery Present!

12 in 2012 - First January Update

So, I'm not a resolution type person. But I am a list type person. And this year, instead of struggling to come up with something thoughtful and deep to strive for this year, I went simple: "In 2012, I will finish more projects than I start..."

So, once one of my LJ friends posted her list of 12 in 2012 I thought it was a pretty good idea. I've got a list of craft projects in a book of mine on my sewing table, organized by medium, but that's a little much, even for me.

12 things, I thought, I can do that...

So....My List

January - Wedding Wall Hanging Present
February - Valentine's Wall Hanging + 1 birthday_blocks
March - 3 x blocks for birthday_blocks
April - Finish 2011 BOM top
May - 2x blocks for birthday_blocks
June - finish blocks for SIL present
July - Assemble very late wedding quilt topper
August - 3x blocks for birthday_blocks
September - cut t-shirts for very late t-shirt quilt top
October - 2x blocks for birthday_blocks
November - Finish 2010 birthday_blocks quilt
December - finish t-shirt topper from September


I was really excited to cross things off this list lately, plus an added surprise finish! Since this seems like it may be a great motivator for me, I am going to post my finishes here, with some crafty diatribe...

January
Item: Wall-hanging Wedding Present
Status: This is halfway done.
But I can't post pictures here. Or I could and don't want to until it's been gifted. All I have left is to add a quote, make the sandwich and sew the hanger/binding on. The most time consuming parts are done.

Item: Surprise Finish
Okay, so it's not really a surprise, because I originally wanted this to be finished in September, but it's done now.



It's not the best picture quality, but I was so happy to get it done. I finished most of it over the last two nights during playoff football and watching RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne, an Anime about an unusual detective agency staffed by two gorgeous immortals. There are many interesting back stories, but there's a wonderful review by Tom Tonthat here at The Escapist.

And, if you clicked on that, and need to get some innocence back, here's the mama polar bear...



I referenced this project here.


February:
Item: 1 birthday block
Status: Finished



carilea has the next birthday after mine, so I found this pattern, called "Four Corners" over at Quilter's Cache, and thought it would be perfect.


March:
Item: 3x birthday blocks
Status: 1 Finished - 2 left



This is mkissa's block. I really liked this pattern despite the small pieces and some of the piecing, but when it was completed, it looks like a lot of white. In retrospect, I probably should have picked two different shades of teal for the sky and sea.

So, I'm feeling pretty good and accomplished. Now, I'm off to finish the other January item. Crossing my fingers that I can get it done before 2/1/12!!

New Feature - WIP Wednesday!

Okay, so I'm barely making the Wednesday deadline, but today is WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday. This is where I show you what I've been working on craft-wise. What decides which project I feature here? How much progress I've made since the last time sillies!

So, today's project is a cross-stitch piece I started forever ago.



This is the first picture I have of this project, taken in 2009. I started it way before then though. I don't exactly remember when, if it was before college or after. I definitely remember working on it somewhere in the 2001-2003 realm.





This is where I am today. Even in just under a month, I've added a lot.





Most notably these adorable little polar bear cubs. See how the back-stitching makes them pop?


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So, remember to tune in on Friday for Food Friday where I reveal this week's CSA share!