2009...

Well, here we are in the middle of January and I haven't so much as picked up a needle let alone stitched a stitch - not one - nothing - zero - zilch!!!! They (who ever 'they' are suggest that you start as you mean to finish - so does that suggest I should just quit while I am ahead... What do I hope to achieve for 2009 stitching wise? Yep, there is an answer to this one I am sure - while I have thought about it briefly I don't want to put pressure on myself - perhaps I would like to experiment and not take myself so seriously and have a little fun in the process and perhaps learn a thing or two or maybe three..

While bloghopping I came across Gail Pan's blog and she has designed a free BOM - A Christmas Wish - I have been wanting to start something new but because I have a self imposed stash downsizing happening I didn't want to go looking for anything new that might mean I have to spend money... Anyway I came across this and thought that this could be the beginning of something BIG... I was determined that I would make this from what I have rather than what I want - I went through my fabrics and came up with some red fabric and calico that can do as the centre blocks I am rather lean on green fabric so that is where my Spotlight Christmas voucher may come in handy... I am not even sure I have the right colours in the embroidery threads but again I am going to make do...

I have read the instructions and I think that this is something I could actually achieve each month and at the end of September I shall have nine blocks in which to do... well, do something... It will be interesting to see what it looks like at the end...

So stay tuned and I shall faithfully post a photo of my take on Gail's BOM each month...

I have also found another stitching site called Stitches and Spice which by coincidence was the stall I bought a cross stitch kit and chart last year at one of the shows... They have some charts I could really get serious about had I not put a 'stop' on my stitching purchases. As I said once before I have far to much already and I have realised that in reality I shall not get them all done - still it doesn't hurt to look - just in case there becomes a vacancy in my stash...

Another book..

I had some unexpected money come my way just about the time I saw this book - of course what does one do - but buy it of course!!!! I have not had a really good look at it yet - I definitely will be doing that on the holidays.

It is one of those books that will provide hours of 'looking' and inspiration...

sharonb if you read this - have you ever seen this book - a definite one for you if you haven't - reminded me in places of your surface stitching etc...

I have given up on my stitching for the minute - just not enough time in the day - looking forward to after 'the big day' when life returns to chaos rather than absolute bedlam... As always I am thinking about next year and what I would like to achieve...

Update...

Not a great deal - more greenery and the beginnings of the flower which is done in two shades of pink with the added red in the middle and outlining the petals.. I have just about gone cross-eyed stitching the flower because of the closeness of the two very pale pinks...I have been stitching in the early morning light as that is when I can see it more clearly.

Pink on pink with ever so subtle pink accents - ahhhhhhhhh... While in the photo they look quite different - one strand over 18 count pink aida makes them indistinguishable from each other and their background.

The flower has a bud just under the letter 'e' - but just not yet!

While stitching this one I have been musing about what other cross stitch I would like to start - as you do - after this one - nothing with pink for a while... Perhaps more earthy tonings - or brights or black and white... Now I do have the one that is all just one colour blue...

Remember this one...

G you may remember this one...

I have felt like doing some stitching of late but I wasn't keen to start something new so I went through my UFO pile and I dragged this poor cast-aside sampler out from its 'dark place'...

This sampler's starting date goes back over three years ago and can be traced back to that time on my other blog'. To update those who haven't seen it before - the pattern came from a book titled The Vanessa Anne Collection which I found at our local library quite a few years ago... It took me about 18 months to actually get it all together before I 'crossed' the first stitch.

I made the change from the black fabric to an 18 count pale pink aida which whilst it doesn't have the same dramatic effect is a lot easier on the eyes to stitch and gives the sampler a much softer look. I have borrowed the book so often now that I probably have more claim to it than the library. It borrowing statistics probably show that it is quite regularly borrowed - and it is -by me!!! I borrow it at its maximum borrowing time - return it for a few days and then re borrow it again...

Why don't I just buy it you say - because I have tried - it rarely comes up on e-bay and if it does - is highly sought after. It doesn't appear to have an Australian distributer and seems to be very expensive on Amazon... Yes, I have done my homework I do intend though to ask the library if they would consider to selling it - I would hate to lose it to a library sale - my stitching book pile would be lost without it!!!! I would say by its publishing date it would be out of print by now...



As you can see I did start off with the best of intentions all those years ago - as I do with all my stitching- but then it gave way to other pursuits - or I just got tired of it. Over time I did stitch bits and pieces of it so really these two photos aren't a true indication of its ongoing progress. And I think if I had to be honest becauseI had made a mistake in the letter 'L' and I couldn't decide whether to pull out quite a bit of work to rectify it I just let it languish in the 'too hard basket'...

So when I decided to tackle it again I looked for the trespassing stitch - it took me ages to find it - so I thought if I had to look that hard to find it would anyone else notice - unless they had the pattern and tracked it stitch for stitch.

In the last few days I have completed the 'L' put in the 'o' 'v' and 'e' plus the majority of the green surrounding it. Ok - not a huge amount - but for a slow stitcher like myself - heaps... I find I get restless and cannot sit for hours stitching so I do it with breaks in between other things - but neverthe less I am pleased with what I have achieved...

I am going to try and do a little over each weekend and see if I can be near the halfway mark by the new year...

**sharonb alert**

sharonb - of 'in a minute ago' blog - stitchin fingers creator, embroidery and crazy quilter extraordinaire - has moved her blog. The new addy is http://www.pintangle.com/

Crazy Block revisited...

Not the greatest photos in the world but they at least give you some idea of what I have done to this block which I have had in the 'too hard' basket for some time...

This was my first real crazy quilt block which I started for one of sharonb's Encrusted Crazy Quilting classes...Whilst her teaching, support and information was wonderful - my own expections of what I should achieve fell a little short and I became disheatened and abandoned it. The block only has seen the light of day thanks to G who wanted some advice on her own block and I dragged mine out of its dark place to show her an example of what I meant.

Since then I have played a little more and have come to a bit of a stand still with it again...

However I have learnt one thing if nothing else... That a little forward planning is not a bad thing... What I mean by that is that I started this block because I like the fabrics and whilst that is a positive - I really had no idea of what theme I wanted to develop it too... As it has unfolded as 'a floral' - that has been purely by accident rather than design...

Now again that is not a bad thing but I have found it rather a battle as the designing element was in tandem with the stitching element - like 'what will I do next- wait for inspiration' to hit type process. In otherwords had I had a basic concept first I would have set off in a particular direction with a 'map' of sorts - even if some elements changed during the process I would have still had guidelines in which to work with...

One of my failings is that I want it to work straight off - my measure of patience is limited these days as is my time factor - the snail section as you can see if you look close enough has had quite a few re-works - I knew what I wanted it was just getting it right took the time and my patience frayed as did the fabric - however I am pleased with my final attempt and 'he' will be joined shortly by another 'shelled' pal.

There are quite a few trouble spots with this block that I still have to resolve -still I guess that is 'the journey' - or process - of these endeavours...

stitchin fingers - UFO's Uncovered...

Most of you will now be familiar with stitchin fingers a Ning group which sharonb set up a few months back. For those who don't know or haven't seen stitchin fingers it is well worth a visit - just be prepared to spend more than one cup of coffee will allow... I digress, as stitchin fingers grew (like Topsy!!!) all sorts of textile sub groups began to 'blossom' under its umbrella - too many to do justice to here - go see for yourself - I dare you!!!!!

One such group to 'unfurl its wings' so to speak is stitchin fingers UFO's Uncovered - a very catching title that says it all... Our first 'play off' is beginning in a couple of days with some of us already bringing those ufo's out into the light from where we may have stashed them away. Our only obligations if you like is to (i) bring them to the surface and declare them (ii) have a go at at least DOING if not * FINISHING them in an allotted time (iii) check in and show progress on a regular basis (iv) and last but not least - try to reduce the UFO piles that live secret unfinished lives hidden in our houses etc...

I decided that I would start small with the two unfinished which I started THIS year and perhaps work backwards in time to the ones that almost predate my adult life... I wonder if they still count??? Do the UFO's you have inherited from other people count too???? If so G - you are in BIG, BIG trouble!!!!!


So here are my first two entries into the 'stitchin fingers Ufo's Uncovered' marathon...

This is the cross stitch I mention in my last blog entry here - as you can see little progress has been made... A half figure sits forlornly looking forward into a starless void...

This unlikely group of patches translates to a crazy patchwork chook that I started via a workshop at the quilt fair a couple of months back - I then thought 'what if' - I embroidered the seams - yep that too came to a needle halt when I ran out of inspiration... This is soon to be rectified...

So hopefully this 'workroom' with become more active as the unfinished become finished!!!! There will be of course photo evidence to see my 'forced march' to the end of the pile... BUT there might be a few new Ufo's in the making (no pun intended) as I go :). At the moment I am obsessing about making fairy slippers - I have seen a pattern and I am hooked - or perhaps 'fairy enchanted' to have a pair for my very own self...