Canvas updates

Not much stitching has happened this week, but the bit I've done has been canvaswork.

I brought Jim Wurth's The Baroness Edie to stitch night yesterday, since it's easy to carry. I'm really loving the colors on this piece, and would like to finish it this weekend.

Wheels of Color has also seen some progress. I finished the wheels on the third round, and started some of the background.

Colleen asked if I drew the outlines on the canvas before I began the piece. I decided not to do this, because I rarely have difficulty with counted pieces. The engineer in me can see the grid and intuitively understand how things fit together. I can't recommend this approach to everyone. If you're somewhat uncomfortable with counted work, by all means draw the lines according to the instructions in the front of the book!

Independent Needlework News

I recently discovered a really interesting and useful blog: Independent Needlework News! The name and tagline (It’s like CNN, but all needlework news, all the time!) say it all, so I won't bore you with my description.

Apparently I'm a bit slow in finding my way around blogspace (is that a word?) the blogosphere*, since this terrific site started back in February. If you haven't already paid this site a visit, what are you waiting for?

(Disclaimer: I'm completely unaffiliated with INN, except to enjoy it!)

*Thanks to DH for correcting my geek speak!

Wheels of Color

The needlework world lost noted canvas designer and teacher Genny Morrow in 2002. I never had the opportunity to take a class from her, but fortunately for us, her family continues to make many of her designs available.

I started Genny's Wheels of Color nearly three years ago, and I pick it up every once in a while. This week, for some reason, it called to me. Here's where I left it last night.This piece is one of the largest I've ever done. It's on 20" x 22" stretcher bars! I started stitching in the middle so I wouldn't have to lean on an already completed section to reach the middle. As a result, I'm working in rounds toward the outside. After the wheels on this round are completed, I'll go back and fill in the centers.

Bugs & a Berry

I've made a bit of progress on Fantasy Remembered this week.

The spider and her web are in! I'm really pleased with how it turned out - and it's SO simple to do! Just a bead, a wrapped knot, and a few straight stitches for the spider, and some long backstitches for the web.

I have a wingless dragonfly, too... the wings will be wired elements (like the leaves) and aren't done yet.


Felt padding has been added for the raised leaves and for the "fantasy fruit" (which look more like berries to me), and one of the berries is done. Long and short stitch is NOT one of my strengths, but I don't think the berry is too bad.

Here's the entire piece so far. (Click on the picture to enlarge!)

An Irish Jig!

Hooray! Happy dancing here because Luck of the Irish is complete!I really like the way it came out, even though I discovered that I made the leaf veins in a slightly heavier gold than directed. That's what happens when I do three goldwork projects back to back - the threads get mixed up!

Now I just have to send this in to the group coordinator. Since I'm doing this GCC through the Cyberstitchers chapter of EGA, the projects go through the mail system more than in a face-to-face group. In an FtF chapter, the only mailings are between the teacher and the group coordinator. The instructions are handed out in a meeting, the projects collected for critique in a meeting, and returned to the stitchers in a meeting. For a cyber group, each of these steps requires two mailings: teacher to group coordinator, group coordinator to stitcher (or visa versa).

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This is my first finish for the WIP-loss challenge!

WIP-loss challenge status: 1 down, 9 to go

Another busy week

No pics today, as I'm writing this on my lunch break. This is working out to be another hectic week, with multiple evening activities. The good news is that these activities are mostly stitching-related!

Monday, I realized I had an EGA board meeting on Tuesday, and I started to get my information together for a report to the board. I'm working on bringing in a teacher in the spring. We had previously narrowed the list of classes down to a select few, for voting by the membership. I had the packet of class descriptions on my desk a few weeks ago when I emailed the teacher for color photos. The good news is that the photos arrived in plenty of time for the board meeting. The bad news is that I had subsequently cleaned off my desk, and I think the class descriptions were filed into the wrong pile, and ended up in the trash!!!! :-( At least, that's the only thing I can think happened to them, since I can't find them anywhere. So, I sent off a sheepish note to the teacher, and only had the photos to bring to the board meeting.

Tuesday evening, of course, was the board meeting - after I got my hair cut.

Tonight is our goldwork group night. I've made some progress on the shamrock. The two horizontal leaves are mostly done, and the top leaf is about half done. I hope to finish the leaves tonight.

And tomorrow is the stitch night at the LNS!

Needless to say, I probably won't have time to update the blog again until at least Friday evening! Thanks for your patience! :-)