Tiny Book Cover

 I worked on the Fanciful Story book cover.  I wanted to finish the center rose to see how it looked.  I did it and it looks okay. I started on the back cover so when I get to the front cover I can do a better job on the embroidery.  I am working with the gold thread and it isn't easy.  the first stitches to form the ladder went pretty well. The wrapping the ladder rungs isn't quite looking like I wanted.  It hard to tell if it looks good because it is so shiny,  Maybe that's a good thing - you can't tell if how bad it is, it's too shiny!

I'm going to keep working the gold. Then there is only beads and spangles to put on.  I can do those, no sweat. I ordered a set of three more of the tiny books on Amazon.  I want to give one to Claire and one to Evan for Christmas but not with a gold embroidered cover. You could hang them on the Christmas tree as an ornament.

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Done!

 I finished up the Sampler Roll! I'm happy with how it turned out. I found some ribbon to tie around the ends that was an agreeable green.

Have a great weekend!

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A New Fun Kit

I first saw this kit on FaceBook from Salty Yarns in Ocean City. I resisted. I need another kit like a hole in the head. Then Staci posted her finished kit and it was so cute. I could resist no more. I ordered it.  I have a thing for fish designs. It came in a bigger box than I expected.  The box contained all kinds of stuff.

I love the fish waxer and the shell topped pins. What a cute fish ruler and scissors fob. All the threads needed are there. Love the teal colors.

This is the lid to the box.

Even the box was included along with an ort jar..

Don't you love those little fishies? This will be so much fun to stitch!

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Finishing

 I decided to do hem stitching on the ends od the Sampler Roll. I pulled some threads and ironed the folds for the hem. I hadn't done hemstitching on 40 count linen before so I thought about going under and over 5 threads and down three threads.  I am happy with how it looks. It looks much better after ironing.

I sewed the bottom seam with my sewing macine. Now I am ready to draw up one end and stuff it. I'm just usuing fiberfil and not lizerd litter. I haven't looked to see if I have enough ribbon in the right color. If I need to I can order some.

Almost done!!

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New Book

 I ordered the Goldwork Masterclass by Alison Cole after reading Mary Corbet's review. 

 This is a wonderful reference guide to goldwork.  Especially since I am not familiar with all the different cords, threads and materials used in Goldwork.  There are several pages like this one that show many materials and tell you the name of each one.

There is some historical information also.

There are pictures of different stitches and techniques. Very helpful!

Lots of great information and illustrations are included. It is a book well worth getting!

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Flanders Field

 I have made some good progress on Flanders Field. I am almost through a whole skein of Weeks Dye Works Red Rocks. I bet I can finish the top of this biscornu today.

 Although I am tempted to start something new.  I got the free charts for a Theresa Baird Design and I really want to start the strawberry.  But first I have to track down the threads and linen.

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A Finish

 I'm happy to say that I have a finish! The Sampler Roll is done! Along the way I didn't lIke an empty space between the birds and the oak leaves and acorns so I extended the vine a bit.

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Don't you love that little flower at the end of the upper alphabet?

I just read the directions on the finishing and it sounds easy.  I have to measure and trim the linen and make a few seams. I've finish a dozen Shepherda Bush needleroll and the Sampler Roll is a bogger version of a needleroll.

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The Hat

 Earlier this year all my hair came out during chemo.  Bald is not a good look for me. I looked like Gollum in Lord of the Rings. I went looking for a wig. You never know how wigs are going to look unless you try them on. They are also hot. I looked for a scarf, I just looked dippy in a scarf. Then I looked for a baseball cap. I wanted one suitable for a girl with no hair.  I found an embroidered baseball cap that I liked in a shop on Etsy.  The maker was in the Ukraine. I ordered it and it came yesterday.

I love it! No machine embroidery, it is stitched by hand. Luckily my hair is growing back but very slowly.

This hat is great!

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Even More Happy Mail

 What a week I've had with lots of packages in the mail.  Yesterday my order from the French Needle came.  I got a sheet of iron on embroidery designs.  Each design has two sizes.

I also got a kit for three clovers.  I made strawberries by the same designer a while ago and they were very sweet.

This is what is in the kit.

There is overdyed velvet and silk ribbons and lots of beads. I haven't read the directions yet so don't know how hard it will be, What will I use them for?  I have no idea! Maybe a scissors fob? Hey, they are cute.

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Testing

 I was very excited about starting my new Kit.  I wanted to know if I could do it. I traced the design on the linen. (I was relieved that I'm just embroiderying on the linen and not having to count the threads on it). So I started with the central motif, the red Tudor style flower. It's done in detached buttonhole and I've done that before. It looks good, like its supposed to. I'm not done with it yet.

Then I wanted to try working with the gold passing thread. I only knew which spool to use because "passing" is written on the spool. There are clever instructions on threading the needle with the gold passing. First I made the spider web rose. I took it out once and tried again. It turned out great.  I really like the look of it.  I thought at first it was just a big knot but the gold thread makes it stand up like a rose. Cool. Next was another stitch that I hadn't done in a long time (Ceylon?) but the instructions were clear.  Once I got the tension right it looked good.  So the conclusion is that yes, I can do this! And I am enjoying it.

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Stuff

 Spinster Stitcher recently asked how to keep threads on a large project and I thought I would add my two cents. I forget where I saw or heard about using luggage tags thingies. I recently ordered some more off of Amazon and ordered the wrong size. I got 4 inchers when I wanted 6 inchers. Duh. Anyway I put my floss into floss bags and then onto a luggage tag wire and it keeps them all together.

Then on FaceBook I saw where Vicki Clayton was dying some threads again, Yeah! I had been wanting a particular red for a couple of years.  So I thought I would try and order some. I'm halfway done with a sweet bag all in red and needed more floss. Low and behold, I got it. Now I can finish.

I also saw that stitched in red purse in the Yumiko Higuchi book. This red would be perfect to stitch it.

More Happy Mail

 I got a book in the mail yesterday that I had pre-ordered from Amazon.  It is "Simply Stitched woth Embroidery" by Yumiko Higuchi". I actually wanted to pre-order her book that comes out in October but it isn't offered yet. I saw this one and thought the tiny purses were adorable.

There are many designs in the book of purses of many sizes.

The book is in English and had directions for each project, many pictures, sources for the purse frames and even a tear out pattern pages for all the designs.

I like this red one.

The stitches used are easy ones and there are diagrams of them so even beginners can do this.

Cool.

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New Kit

 I ordered an ornament kit from Racheal Kinnison.  I thought it would come today but when DH and I went walking yesterday it was inside my screen door so it must have arrived Saturday. 

She always sends a little paper ornament on the string.

This is th kit that was inside. It is a little miniature book of the Nutcracker. The ccover is covered with real gold spangles- front and back.

This is what is in the kit. This will be very interesting to make.  It is worked on 50 ccount linen. I have to transfer the design next. Well, I need to iron the linen first. Very cool!

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Digging

 While I was looking for the Blackwell Roundell I found this kit.  It is small, about a 2 1/2 inches round.

I went digging again this morning for the called for thread.  It uses DMC threads but I have so many and they aren't terrible organized so finding them is a challenge.  I found all but two of them. Basically I need 5 greens and three pinks.

Do I need to start something else? No. But a small project is tempting!

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The Beginning and the Half

 As promised this is the beginning of the middle queen

This is how Linda Vinson did her middle queen.  I picked out some colors to do her dress in the blue range.  They look too light here.

This is definately a darker color. I hope I can find it again so I can finish the outside skirt. I want to include some gold thread too 

I'm excited to show you that I actually made it to the half way point in the Sampler Roll. This is where I was yesterday and I worked hard to get to the halfway point and a little beyond.

Have a good Friday!

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Go With the Flow

 I had a nice bit of momemtum going on the Sampler Rpll so I just kept on going. I really wanted to get to the left half done point.

I started the middle queen on the Queens Sampler.  There is a lot of detached buttonhole in the skirt that is slowing me down. Not mush to show. I'll give you a look at it tomorrow.

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Dilemma

 I have a dilemma.  I found the Blackwell Roundel kit!  Yeah! But should I start it?

I also found two other Jenny Adin-Christie kits that have already been started.

 

This is Lakeland Odyessy.  

This is how far I am on it.  I think I should finish it before I start Blackwell Roundell.

Considering that I have several new starts, I think I should finish this first. We'll see how much self control I have.

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