Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Too Small

I set off to finish the Sue Spargo bird needlebook.  I was so frustrated!  The wool stretches as you sew.  I ended up taking the stitching out twice.  Then I realized that the (very ugly) lining fabric from the kit wasn't going to fit.  It was just too small.  So I looked through my closet stash of fabric to see if I could find something ugly enough to go with it.  I found two candidates.


One was too pretty, so I went with the other one.

 I only put in one (double) page for the needles and two labels per page.  I still have a small label to hand sew on the back.  Otherwise it is done-done.



I found a nice bird to put on Flowers of the Needle.  Now it is finished.

The mat board in the kit used as backing looked too small for the design so I measured to see if it would fit.  Nope.  Too small.  It isn't really a problem as I will just cut a larger piece of mat board.  But the kit card should fit!  The design was traced onto the fabric so I know it isn't my fault that it doesn't fit. Oh well.  I need to finish the needleroll before cutting out the needlebook front and doing the finishing.  I don't think I can finish it today.

The crest design will fit one of the boxes I got at Michael's.  I want to stain the box and see if it looks nice enough.  What I really want is an Old Colonial box.  That would be a really nice finish.

I worked on the experimental bug.  I wanted to see if cross stitch and embroidery would mix okay.  I'm still not sure.  You can do it but would it look better to have all cross stitch or all embroidery?
It is interesting to compare the two bugs.

I've got to go iron so I can pack!
A

2 comments:

  1. Well done on the little bird case, I love the idea of having those special needles in a case like yours.The bird is very artistic in the design and maybe you will grow fond of him eventually:)
    Not nice when we buy kits and there are missing pieces or fewer threads than needed etc.
    The little blue birds you stitched on the Flowers of the needle are perfect.

    It is great fun to see the both butterflies next to each other and see the difference in tecniques. Love them both!
    I am very fond of doing these " cross-overs " in tecniques, and like the cross stitched background too. You have a very open mind to trying different tecniques and it is a great way to explore and learn new things and see what comes out of it.And that is a true essence of a Needle-Artist!
    Wish you all the best of fun and enjoyment on your trip!
    Take care,
    Anette

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  2. Loooove the crest!
    I think mixing the techniques makes you look more at the texture and the features of the butterfly, whereas staying with tent/cross stitch makes you look more at the colours. For me, anyway.

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