She's done!

Yes. Cinders is done. While done with fairly basic blackwork and darning, stem, and satin stitches, this piece was quite challenging due to the format. As described in my first post about this piece, Marion encouraged us to change filling patterns and colors as we stitched.

I'm pleased with how my version came out. Here's Marion's original, for comparison. (Sorry about the flash. This is a photo of a photo.)

It's really interesting to compare and contrast these two versions. I've seen many instances where several people do the same counted canvas piece in a multitude of colors and threads (most recently on the website of Gay Ann Rogers), but I haven't seen it often in other techniques.

Have you seen other examples? Please tell us about them!

Drawing inspiration from reality

In my last post, I expressed my frustration with the small, even blocks in the background of Cinders. I thought that they should be more irregular, more in keeping with the actual construction of a medieval castle or manor house.

Edy commented, "Why not change the bricks into stones...a bit larger and not so regular...sort of like a stone wall? Just a suggestion, not that I'm one who should second guess Marion."

(Actually, based on the couple of classes I've had with Marion, I think she wouldn't mind being second-guessed. She, like most great teachers, encourages students to make a design their own.)

Regardless, I was already thinking along the same lines as Edy. Rather than potentially adding something more inauthentic, though, I turned to the internet. I learned that medieval construction did actually involve shaping roughly rectangular blocks out of rock, so I used Google Images to get some visual inspiration. Surprisingly, I found plenty of construction with small blocks, but rarely were these as evenly spaced as on the original Cinders.

Two images in particular helped me decide how to "build" the wall behind Cinderella. This photo shows that the blocks were often of similar heights, but surprisingly long blocks were interspersed with much shorter blocks. The front of this manor shows similar dissimilarities between blocks, and also shows that each row of blocks might be a different height than neighboring rows.

With the exception of the upper right corner, where I'm still ripping out the little blocks, I've applied these lessons to Cinders. After the upper right corner is done, I'll reevaluate to see if I need to fill in any of the blank areas.

I like the new look much better. Isn't it wonderful that we can do small research projects like this with a minimum of time thanks to the internet?

What about you?  Have you made changes to a project (or even designed your own project) based on images found online? How did it turn out?

Slowly building a wall

This week has seen very little progress on stitching projects. Between the EGA holiday party Monday night and various Christmas preparations, I haven't had much time to stitch in the evenings after a certain little person goes to bed.

So what stitching did I get done this week? Besides finishing the hair on Cinders (thank you all for your comments, yes, the hair is done!), I've worked on a few of the small bricks in the background of the same piece.

Not very impressive, is it?

While it's true that I've been busy with other things, it's also true that I've been hesitant to stitch these bricks. I swear, I've never had more bouts of indecision on any piece than I have with Cinders. The wall is the very last part, and I'm bothered by it.

Why, you ask? Well, the story of Cinderella is in medieval times, so I'm guessing the hearth she's sitting at is in a castle, or at least a large manor house. Is it at all realistic for such a dwelling to be made up of tiny bricks, all set very evenly?

Am I taking things too far? I can hear some arguing, "C'mon. It's a fairy tale, already. Why should it be realistic?"

I should buckle down and finish stitching the silly little blocks, just to call this one done!

Striking fear into a counted-thread lover's heart

Two words:  RANDOM and NATURAL.

Those two words are part of the reason that Cinders has lingered in the WIP pile. While most of the design is counted, her hair is not. The hair is stitched in three shades of DMC floche using stem stitch, and it's up to the stitcher to place those lines of stem stitch more or less randomly such that it looks natural. Aack!

I cheated a bit when I started. I looked at Marion's picture of the original, and I used a pencil to sketch in the general flow that would be stitched in the darkest shade. For subsequent rows of stem stitch, I've tried to keep  random and natural in mind. Yes, I ripped out a bit, but I think I'm done.

What do you think? Do I need to fill in any of the spaces? Does anything look really odd?

Cinders is getting there!

Despite getting sidetracked (why does this sound familiar?) with the green ornament, I have made a bit of progress since I last posted about Cinders, designed by Marion Scoular.

I have finally finished the bucket. (Or coal scuttle. Whatever.) After finally finding a stitch that could be shaded nicely to indicate a little pile of coal inside, I used the same dark gray to outline the back edge of the rim. Satin stitch in the darker brown lines the inside of the handle. The rest of the outlines on the bucket are in the same brown.

The rest of the outlines have been finished, also. These included the blue edge of her skirt above the cat's head, and the lower outlines of the hearth.

What's left, you ask? Only two things:

• Adding many more small bricks in the upper half of the wall, although the entire wall will not be filled in.
• Finishing her hair, which is stitched in stem stitch.  This won't be entirely filled in, either, but more strands are needed, especially between her shoulder and the top of her head.

Hopefully we'll all see it completed next week!

WIP: Cinders (by Marion Scoular)

Today's featured WIP is Cinders, designed by Marion Scoular.

Technique/Materials: Blackwork and surface stitching on 22ct hardanger fabric with DMC floss, DMC floche, and overdyed floss from the now-defunct Needle Necessities (for the cat).

Background: I started Cinders in April 2008 during a class with Marion with the Corning EGA chapter. The class kit included the floche, the overdyed thread, and the fabric with the line-drawn design. The instructions included basic information on blackwork and ways to shade using blackwork stitches, along with 13 pages of blackwork and darning filling stitches.

Some stitchers decided to examine the photo of Marion's original piece, find the stitches she used in each area, and replicate the original. Marion encouraged those with some blackwork experience to try selecting their own stitches and colors for each area. I've gone this route, and I'm pleased with the result so far.

Why it's not done: I got stuck on the bucket (Oh, excuse me. Coal scuttle. Sorry, Marion!).

I had a really difficult time choosing a stitch for the inside of the bucket. When I picked this piece up again recently, I was going to use Rhodes stitches to represent lumps of coal. I tried that this week. It didn't look right. I tried an overall darning pattern. That was too heavy, and didn't have shading to indicate where the coal was. I've tried a couple of different filling stitches, and I think I've found one that lets me shade the "coal" appropriately. What do you think?

What's left to do:  Filling in the rest of the bucket and the inside curve of the handle, outlining a few areas, adding more color to her hair (though it won't be entirely filled in), and stitching a few bricks in the background wall.

Ok, you win

Thanks to those of you who voted on my three projects.  Three out of the six commenters chose that I should try to finish Cinders by Marion Scoular.

So, here we go.  I'm doing a bit of a rotation, in which I can work on up to three projects each night.  I'll start with one length of thread on Cinders.  Here's where she stands now.  As some of you pointed out, there really isn't that much left to do on this piece.

After that length of thread, I'll stitch one segment---one section of a circle or one area of background---on Genny Morrow's Wheels of Color.

If I still have some stitching time after these, I'll work on How Great the Blessing from Catherine Theron.  I really want to finish this piece this year, since I've already stitched the date! 

My exception to this rotation will be the Thursday evening "open stitch" nights at my LNS.  For these, I'll just bring the sampler, simply for the ease of carrying only one (smaller) project.


If I get closer to the end of the year and the sampler is lagging behind, I may put the other two aside for a bit again, but I'll cross that bridge if and when I need to do so!

*********************
Erin update:  We had a visit to the orthopedist, one month post-cast.  The right hip is still in great shape, and the left is still out.  She'll continue with the brace, since she's tolerating it well.  We don't go back again for four months.  Her next surgery will happen when she's 18-24 months old, which means we have at least 9 more months of squishy baby!  Speaking of which, somebody's trying to get my attention through the baby monitor...

UFO fun

On Wednesday evening, I attended my local ANG meeting. As we did in early 2008, we again had some fun with members' UFOs. Each member who chose to participate in the 2009/2010 UFO challenge brought in three UnFinished Objects, pieces started at least one year ago. The rest of the membership voted on which piece the member would be challenged to finish by December 2010.

I decided to bring My Way, Cinders, and Wheels of Color (the only remaining UFO of the three I brought in last year).  I really wanted them to choose My Way, and it received several votes, but Wheels was the winner.

It was an enjoyable evening.  The best part, as it was last year, was hearing the excuses regarding why certain pieces were set aside.

Which of my three would you choose if you were in my chapter?  Which of your pieces would you put up for voting?

Cinders - plodding away

I'm slowly plodding away on Cinders. I don't know why, but I've been procrastinating when it comes to stitching on this. There really isn't that much left to be done, but it was 9:30 last night before I got to it, and then I only added the handle to the coal scuttle (a.k.a. "the bucket).

I think part of my hesitation is that I'm not really satisfied with some of the patterns/colors I've used, and I don't know how adding new patterns/colors will alter the piece. I know I should just try something, but I end up putting it on my lap stand and staring at it in dissatisfaction.

I restitched the vest. I had originally tried it in a light yellow, but it just didn't show up enough. I've now tried a medium green from the wall, and I'm debating if it's still too light.

I've added a bit more to the hair, but I have to be in a "random mood" to stitch the hair, or I over-analyze it to death! Sometimes my engineer's brain is not helpful when it comes to stuff like this.

These are all the thoughts and feelings that go through my mind when I pick up this piece. It's just not fun for me right now, but I really do want to finish it, just so I won't have to deal with my frustrations on it any more!

WIP progress

So far, my rotation has been working! Unfortunately, I don't make much progress on any given day, so I'm uninspired to share it here regularly.

Cinders is nearing completion. I still need to stitch the vest, her hair, some random bricks in the background, and finish the coal scuttle and outlining. I'm thinking of stitching the vest in the darkest green from the wall. What do you think?
I've been making good progress on ScottLee, too.Note: I've removed any comments/pictures about Gay Ann's mystery at her request, to be posted at a later date. If anyone was upset by my early posting of this photo, I apologize. It was a lack of judgment on my part.

Attempting a rotation

On Sunday, I stitched on Examplar IV. Monday evening, Jean Hilton's Scottlee found it's way onto my stand for the first time in six months. Yesterday, after prompting from Cynthia and Joanie (thanks for keeping me honest, ladies!), Cinders was unearthed.

You know, it felt a little strange to be working on something different each day, after so many months of concentrating on one project at a time for a few weeks, but I enjoyed it! I used to have a "screaming rotation", wherein I worked on whatever project screamed at me loudest. That's how I ended up with so many WIPs and UFOs!

I've decided that I'm going to take this as a lesson. I like working on a focus piece because I feel like I make a lot of progress, but I also like the way working on something different each day alleviates boredom with a single piece. I find I actually stitch better if I'm not tired of a given section or a given piece.

The result? A three-day rotation! I'm going to work on three focus pieces, rotating to the next each day. I often am able to stitch at least an hour a day, with much more time on the weekends, so I should be able to make progress on all three. I'll be keeping three types of projects in the rotation:

• a sampler or other counted linen project. For now, that's Examplar IV.
• a counted canvas project. That would be Scottlee.
• a non-counted project. Since most of the rest of Cinders isn't counted, it will fill the role for now.

I won't keep it so constrained that I have to keep these projects in the rotation until they're done. I know I won't stick to the rotation if I make a rule like that. For example, when the next part of Mystery in a Corner or the next Jim Wurth ornament shows up, Scottlee will be set aside for a bit.

I am going to try to stick to the rule that I need to finish two items in a given rotation slot before I start a new one. The exception is for this first round, where I'm giving myself an option to only finish 1 in each slot before pulling something from my stash.* I think I've been pretty good at limiting my starts this year, and a few things are calling loudly!

Here's where the rotation pieces stand now:

Examplar IV (Catherine Theron) - sampler

Scottlee (Jean Hilton) - counted canvas

Cinders (Marion Scoular)

*(Oh yes, of course the Jim Wurth ornaments and new class pieces are exceptions too, but I'm only expecting two more ornaments and 1 class piece for the rest of the year.)

Progress on Cinders

As you can see, I've been making good progress on Cinders. I'm looking forward to finishing the filling patterns so I can start the outlining. Right now, the blackwork sections all kind of blend together.

I haven't stitched the vest or the "coal scuttle". (As an aside, in class I kept referring to this as "the bucket", and Marion corrected me, until I heard her mention "the bucket". :-) ) Since I've changed the color scheme, I can't quite figure out what colors to put in these areas. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has them.

Cinders, Day 2

After yesterday's post, M&Co asked,

What is the name of this class? Is this one of the fairy tale series?

Please allow me to apologize for not stating this up front! Yes, this is one of Marion's fairy tale designs. It is Cinders, dressed in rags before her transformation. There is a partner design, Cinderella, showing her running away from the ball. If you're not familiar with Marion's other fairy tale designs, she also has The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Bremen Town Musicians.

For the second day of class, we tackled the outlining of her skin in split stitch, started the outline stitch for her hair, and discussed outlining the patterned areas. These outlines will be done last, so we can match the weight of the outline to what's inside. Heavier patterns will get heavier outlines.

I made a bit more progress yesterday, and picked the patterns for most of the larger areas. By adding a few more stitches to the pattern of the smaller stones of the archway (as compared to the top-most stitched small stone), they are visibly darker than the larger ones. The top small stone looks like a mistake in the pattern. The pattern in the other two make it obvious that these are supposed to be different.