Stitching friends are extra special people

Stitching and wonderful friends definately go hand in hand. After my recent accident I have come to realise how being part of this 'family' makes lifes little set backs bearable. So many offers of help and kind wishes.

Many thanks to you all.

Although not able to stitch at the moment,  I thought looking through my past stitched pieces would 'hit the mark'.

So below, first up is Jim Wurth's, Blues in the Night, stitched in the original colourway simply because I believed it was just perfect as is.  What do you think?

This is a true joy to stitch using a lot of Rainbow Gallery threads. It has lots of sparkle and plenty of challenging stitches.

The second piece is another Jim Wurth, Xanadu, published in Needlepointers Magazine, ANG publication and originally stitched in whites and golds.

The colours and threads this time were from my stash so they don't have the dramatic image that RG threads create. Lots of lovely stitches and my first attempt at a chilly hollow stitch (the 4 large diamond shapes). This is not a large piece to stitch but has lots of challenge with good instructions.

Happy stitching, Carol

Murphy,s law - just when you least expect....

A lot has happened since my last post. You know when life is going just right there just has to be a little hiccup somewhere off in the distance, right?

Well my hiccup arrived over easter. Walking out of a service station (gas station) and executing a perfect "10" swan dive over the concrete thingee the cars park against and landing shoulder first onto the concrete driveway. One ambulance ride, with hunky paramedics and several x rays later, yes its badly broken. Moral of the story, 'watch where you put your big feet, Carol. Too late she cried.

At the moment the arm looks like the family tree at christmas and Im sure it would glow in the dark with the lights out.

Although not as much stitching will be happening this stitcher is determined to get better as soon as possible. Stitch a stitch for me.

Bye for now, Carol

Changing colours on projects

Many times I have wished a design was in a different colour than the stitched original. The choice of threads on the market today gives the stitcher an almost endless palette to choose from and the variegated and overdyed threads give us so much inspiration that changing these projects is most times easier than you think.

The first photo is a chart by Jean Hilton- Darien, using the colours in the chart.

This colour combination although pretty would not have been my first choice, so I started off by asking my LNS to help with colours and then tweeked them even more till they were to my taste and closer to the colours in the picture on the chart.

The second photo is a little on the light side which is due to my lack of skill as a photographer, but it shows how colour can make a bit difference to your work.
Happy stitching, Carol

Getting ready for Christmas

For several years our stitching group has been exchanging handstitched christmas ornaments with a group in England. Last year we decided we would have a display of these ornamnents in July before they are sent around the following October/November.
Below is the display of the 2010 ornaments received from England.

Being as July is fast approaching now is the time to start thinking about stitching and completing my ornament, so Rainforest Crunch is on hold while I decide the ornament to stitch.

Rainforest Crunch project

Here's the latest photo of the progress of Rainforest Crunch by Needlepoint Delights Originals as promised earlier. The original colours have been changed quite a lot. I think it now looks more like an old worn quilt rather than a rainforest. It is a delight to stitch with Watercolours and in my piece the 18 count canvas was changed to 14 count and covers really well and enlarges the design by about 1.5 ins (4cms) which still makes the stretcher bars a manageable length.
Happy stitching

Carol

Yipee the postman has delivered

Always a welcome site, the Australia Post van. I have discovered Anne Strite-Kurz who uses blackwork techniques in her needlepoint designs with some really lovely results. So having scoured the Net to find some books they arrived today safe and sound. Oh so many goods ideas to play with, so little daylight hours. But if Albert Enstein could survive on 3 hours sleep a night maybe I could train myself to handle the same and get a lot more stitching and designing into a day?

At the moment I have to finish an Assisi mat for a teaching project coming up later in the year, design another counted canvaswork piece, finish several (how many I am not owning up to) wips and hopefully get to fully understand the 'art of blogging'. Oh well, such is life.

Oh Oh Cannot resist a new project

Just received a chart by  Needle Delights Originals called 'Rainforest Crunch'.
Couldnt wait to play with the threads colours. The original is stitched in Olives, browns and green shades. So I decided to dig into the stash and see what happens when I change them. Just completed the first row of the 6x6 squares and it looks a little like an old quilt made up of bits and bobs of fabrics left over from past dressmaking. Really enjoying it. Will post a photo when I have stitched more.

Think happy thoughts and peruse stash

I have just decided I am becoming 'very high maintenance'. A trip to the dentist on Monday and the doctor on Tuesday for the 6 monthly check up. Getting older really is just not on.
Mee thinks its time to go and peruse the needlework stash to lift the spirits and brighten the day.

Currently I've been working on a Jim Wurth decagon called Old Country the colours are really lovely and working on 10" stretcher bars makes it easy to stitch.

Also have several WIPs Jim Wurth, Prelude to Peace, 2 Jean Hilton pieces, Mystique and Dowagiac. All 3 of these are quite large so rotating them helps to keep the stitch finishing rate going.

The weather is glorious so me and my stitching are moving into the backgarden for a day in the sun.

This is a photo of the class piece I will be teaching next month for the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia. The overdyed threads are by an Australian company called Cottage Garden threads. Hope you like it.

Counted Canvaswork from Australia

Hi

This is my journal to record and share the joy of counted canvaswork. The inspiration for this are designers such as Jean Hilton, Jim Wurth, Ro Pace just to name a few. Hope you drop by and keep in touch with the latest stitching adventure.