Lost and Found

I have been working on hard projects.  I tried the background of the Rose Glove using the gold thread.  ARGH.

The thread breaks open showing the silk center easily and after only a few stitches. See the yellow plume at the top?

  It makes me wonder if I am using the correct needle for gold thread.  I am not very happy with what I have stitched so far.  It isn't very nice and even.  It does look sparkly though.  I tried a few stitches using various techniques just to see if a different stitch looked better.  I think the cross stitch one looks nicest.

I don't relish taking out what I have done so I will probably stick with the knitting stitch.  But it is not fun.  I went looking for my hoop as I thought that might help.  While looking for the hoop guess what I found??  The basket thread!!  It wasn't on a spool as I had imagined, it was just coiled up in the bottom of the Laundry Basket of Shame getting cozy with another thread.  I can't believe I found it.  I shouldn't be surprized as I ordered some more yesterday ( it is more than 20 dollars a spool!) so of course I would finally find it.  Then as I was working on Flowers of the Needle, I couldn't find the spangles.  Why do I keep losing things?  Well, the bag does have a tear in it that I finally covered with some scotch tape.

I have made good progress on Flowers of the Needle.  Sometimes I am afraid of trying to stitch things that may not turn out.  But one must soldier on.  I am proud of my pansy.  I added the purple color in the middle and think it looks good.

 
I should kit up some easy stuff to take with me on my trip.
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Chilly Saturday

The mattress is fabulous!  I'm less achy this morning.  We cleaned out all the stuff under the bed.  I made a trip to Goodwill to drop off two comforters and a bed skirt.  It was so cold at the farmer's market and there were many fewer tables today.  The market ends in two weeks and I won't be here next week.  I'll be enjoying the fall colors of New Hampshire and crafting.  I can't wait!

I got all the design stitching done on the Rose Glove so now I am ready to start the gold thread background. The metal thread is pretty flexible so I'm hoping it works out okay.

I got the bug to make a pumpkin pie.  I really wanted to go get a mini pie from the bakery but I had all the ingredients at home so I just made one.  DH doesn't like pumpkin pie so it's all mine.  It's that time of year when there are pumpkins everywhere.  I am trying to resist the bug to get a donut.  There is no season to donuts, I always want one of those.  I am very proud of myself that I have not bought any Halloween candy yet.  I always munch on it and end up having to buy more.  I pledge to buy more healthy treats.

I got the neatest lip balm.  It is root beer flavored.

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A Finish and a Start

I goofed around with the Rose Double Pocket yesterday until I finished it.  Yeah.  I've had the kit laying around for over two years so it is about time to get it done.

Unfortunately, I still can't find the basket thread for Flowers of the Needle.  It occurred to me that I should just finish everything else and worry about that later.  I just have the basket curliques to do in the lost thread.

So I got out the Rose Glove directions.  I decided to do it just like the instructions say.  It is pretty small.  I've got about half of the cuff (not counting the background, that's a whole other story) done.  It is over one on 34 count.  Not too bad.

I looked this morning for a small wooden box at Joann's but didn't find anything.  I was looking for quilt designs and needles.  I got the pattern and the filling (Soft and Stable) for the fish bag yesterday.  So I have all the stuff to get going on that.

The mattress is supposed to be delivered soon.  Can't wait.
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Following Directions

Lately, I've not been very good at following directions.  I just want to try it my way.  I know it may not turn out.  But really, that is the best way to learn.  I finished the bug pin pad.  Now it is time to critique it.

didn't use the suggested colors.  I just looked at the picture and picked out my own colors.  Now that it is done, I think the bug outline is a darker color than in the picture.  I like it that way.  I changed the sky and I think that didn't turn out as well.  I think the bug would show up better if the sky was dark at the top and got lighter.  I think I messed up the colors of the sky in that two of the flosses are muted colors and that dark one looks like a bright color.  The dark red in the wing doesn't show up very well.  I was limited by the shades of pink that we have in the kit.  When I got down to the very bottom of the grass I rebeled.  The silk was irritating me and I couldn't find the green that I wanted.  So I grabbed a Hand-Dyed Fiber in the color I wanted and tried that.  It was a premium varigated silk floss (which means it is thicker) and I only used one strand.  It was soooo much easier to work with.  Now I would like to try this all over again and do it better and using more of the Hand-Dyed Fibers.  There is room on this linen to do another one in one of the upper corners.  But hearing of other people working on the glove pattern makes me want to start that.  It is done on 34 count Oaten linen.  The background is in knitting stitch using gold thread.  I haven't tried that before.

I worked a bit on the CA Wells' Rose Double Pocket.  I took out the rest of the rose that was over 2 and in the wrong place.  I did the pulled upright cross stitch.  It takes me about three tries to get things right.

I'm still cleaning out things in my sewing room looking for the thread for Flowers of the Needle.  Still no luck.  I may have to order more.
Time to eat lunch and putter.
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Three Cartouches

I finished the Ring of Roses and found some initials for inside it.  It turned out great.

I think it would be perfect with just the right fabric for the box.  I looked at my fabrics to see if I had something that went well with it.  I found one that I like but I probably don't have enough for a box.  I now have three cartouches to take with me to the retreat.

It is interesting to see the three of them together.  The 40 count linen one looks so smooth compared to the 32 count ones.  I'm liking 40 count better each time I work on it.
I didn't find that spool of thread yet.  I have sorted through some of the laundry basket of shame.  I threw some things away,  put some in a pile to sell on ebay and put the rest in a someday pile.  I still have more to go through.

I am doing well on the bug pin pad.  Just the bottom section to fill in with greens.  I don't like such a large count linen (24, I think).  But I have learned a lot.  Anything that you have a line drawing of can be stitched.
The silk thread is a bear to work with.  At least is isn't as bad as Pearson's.
We just bought a new mattress.  Yeah!  It is to be delivered on Friday.
I finally got a hotel reservation for next Thursday so I am all set for the retreat.  The countdown is on.
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Two Strands is Better

I've been working on the bug for Cabinet of Curiostities.  I've learned several things already.  First, I'd like to start over and make it neater.  Second, the recommended three strands of  silk is too many.  I was fighting to get my needle through the linen.  So I changed to two strands and it is much better.  Easier stitching and more even and neater stitches.

  Maybe that is because I am working "in hand" instead of having the linen stretched taut on a frame.  I am changing the colors along the way.  I wanted the sky to go from light at the top to dark instead of the other way around.  The silk we are working with is not all that cooperative.  It has a mind of its own.

I am totally frustrated with the messiness of my sewing room.  I wanted to do more on the basket of Flowers of the Needle.  But I can't find the special thread used on the basket!  ARGH.  It is on a spool and it wasn't where I thought it was.  So I may have to suspend stitching and clean stuff up until I find it.  Then I was working on Ring of Roses but couldn't find the thread that I wanted.  DMC 471 where are you?
I didn't win any of the CA Wells kits up for auction.  Oh well.  DH says I am an Ebay addict.  But he is only partially right.  I am very picky about what I bid on.  Although I have learned not to bid on stuff when I am angry.  I was sweating it the other night when I expected to get outbid and it came down to the wire before I was.  Maybe I should stay away from the Bay of Evil for a while especially since I have more stuff to stitch than I have lifetime left.
The trees are starting to turn yellow and orange and red.  Makes me want a caramel apple.

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My Joy is Complete

I was so excited this morning to get the Cabinet of Curiosities lesson 6.  It was more than what I hoped for.  I knew we would get directions for the bug and that it would probably be made into a pin pad.  I thought it would be worked the same as the Butterfly pin pad kit.

No!  It is done in tent stitch.  With a technique I haven't tried before.  Cool.  You outline each part with a dark thread then fill in with tent stitch.  I want to try it.  I didn't know that they didn't have charts back in the 17 hundreds and so this is the way they stitched.  Who thought up charts anyway?  Then there is a second project to do.  A tiny glove with a stitched cuff.  The glove part is made out of ultrasuede.  I can't wait to try that too.  I haven't finished with my little experimental bug.  This lesson gives me more ideas on ways to finish it.

I got distracted yesterday.  There are several CA Wells kits on ebay (be still my heart) so she is on my mind.  I happen to be looking through some of the patterns that I have of hers and came across the Ring of Roses.  I thought, I should try that for the cartouche for the retreat (next week!!)  The pattern calls for Soie d'Alger silk.  So I went looking on the internet for a conversion chart to DMC as I don't have many skeins of that silk.  I even looked up how to pronounce "Soie d'Alger": swah -doll- zhay.  So then I had to go looking for floss.  That is always frustrating, trying to find the color I am looking for.  So finally I got started.  I didn't measure what size it is going to be.  I cut a piece of 32 Sandstone to try it on.  So far, so good.  It is a little smaller than the original cartouche design.  But we will see how it turns out.

I put in one flower in the basket of Flowers of the Needle.  I didn't get very far yesterday.

The bathrooms are clean and I'm ready to party.
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