Who moved that weather dial

Hi everyone,

Remind me never to talk about the weather again. Since posting about the beautiful sunny weather and abundance of nature the wheels have fell off. For the past 3 days the wind has been extremely gusty and the pollen count is off the Richter scale, woes betide folks with bad hay fever. In the midst of all this like the valiant troupers that we are my friend and I braved the elements and visited a “new” needlework shop. Well it was new to us it has been in business for years but moved to another location. I found some lovely twisted silk called High Twist by Kacoonda an Australian company.

Here is a little photo of the thread

On the stitching front Looking Glass has advanced a little more. Have made an error which I am going to leave because it is the Gloriana silk border and re using Gloriana is not a good idea, it tends to shed fibre if you rip it out and is then a bit thin when reused. If you notice I changed direction of the last leg of the Smyrna crosses. It would also be impossible to change now because all the motifs within this area are anchored into this border. So this piece is what I call “unique” because they’re won’t be another like it anywhere. Other stitchers are way too clever to make the same mistake, right?

Here is Looking Glass so far

And lastly, some exciting news. My second design “Nile Jewels” has been released for sale in the USA through our good friends at Scarlet Thread. If you would like to see the design, hop over to Its a Stitchy Thing from my blog list and take a peek or go to my post of 28 August. Hope you like it; I used some of my favourite colours for this one.

Bye for now, Carol

Looking Glass plus temptation

Hi everyone,

This weekend was a quiet and relaxing time. The weather is turning warmer and the garden and visiting birds are glorious. A great time to take the stitching frame out into the garden and enjoy nature while I stitch.

Looking Glass has had a little more attention with a few more colours added. Several of the smaller shapes I have left out, not sure if I will change them to something else but I can decide that at a later stage.

Here is a photo of the progress so far:

Here are 2 new small monthly items of counted canvaswork.

I received an email from Fireside Stitchery telling customers they are starting a monthly club of geometric small designs. You can sign up for them individually or for the whole club. It is great to see counted canvas stitchers able to join in on the clubs that are usually available for painted canvases.
Also Scarlet Thread is now stocking Needle Delights Originals, colour of the month kits/charts. These are small designs using a range of threads and a great way to try different fibres.

Hope you don’t blow your budget too much. It is difficult to pass up these little treasures, unless you are very strong willed.

Well I am off to play in the sun, happy stitching.

Bye for now, Carol

Stitching with friends

Hi everyone,

Mystique by Jean Hilton is finished. She was a genius, way ahead of her time. There were 2 backstitched rows around the creamy narrow border but I decided it was nicer without them. Here is the photo.

Stitched more on Looking Glass but this one will need pacing as the yellow canvas is very drawing to the eyes. Colours are great with lots of texture. The photo will come soon as more of the second circle is stitched.

Tonight is stitching night down at the EGSA so I will catch up on what everyone is working on. This is always fun, some evenings not much stitching happens as the ‘girls ‘ are in a  mischievous mood and we spend most of the evening swapping funny stories about DH antics or interesting titbits of life. The group’s ages range from 20 somethings to 80 somethings so there is always someone with a mild crisis that needs to be heard and solved. We all at some time have arrived in a mood of hair pulling only to leave with the weight of the world removed from our shoulders by this special group.  Friends make the world rock.

Remember those empty stretcher bars. Slap, slap the sound of one very naughty stitcher slapping the back of her hand. They are starting to fill up again. Decided last night that a smaller design was needed so I framed up an old Jean Hilton piece called Eureka which in on 14 x 14 bars. This one is much more manageable to take to stitching group. Will post photo when I have more than a couple of stitches done.

Bye for now, Carol

PS: Thank you for the kind words about Aquamarine and thanks for letting me off the hook with Santa Jane.

But santa I promise to be good

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your comments about Galaxy. I really enjoyed you following along until the end.

I decided before continuing on with Looking Glass a bit of stitching tidy up needed to take place. So out of the cupboard and various other hiding spots came the unfinished projects. Over the weekend several pieces we have talked about earlier have been completely finished and put to bed in the stitching vault. So Galaxy has friends to keep her company. Dowagiac, Aquamarine, Camelot and Silken Sonata have all come off the stretcher bars which mean new ones can now take their place. Thump, thump, the sound of one happy stitcher patting herself on the back for being a very good girl and not buying more stretcher bars instead.

Mystique is the next piece to be finished soon. Only the corners and a small border are needed to be stitched for it to be completed. There will be a photo soon.

 In the meantime here is the completed Aquamarine by Needle Delights, stitched in my Deep Ocean greens/blues with a few minor design changes. Thanks to Coni over at Spinster Stitcher for introducing me to this design. This one stitched up very quickly and was stitched on 12 x 12 stretcher bars which was a nice change from the larger projects.

Here is a list of the threads used from my blue/green stash:

Vineyard Silks: c078 Seafoam, c214 Naples Blue, c203 North Sea Green, c206 Seaport, c079 Reef Waters, c133 Iceberg. Needle Neccessities: Overdyed Perle 5, 5138, 5136.Watercolours: 197 Monsoon, 067 Celadon, 229 Oasis, 068 Mediterranean. Renaissance Designs Sprinkles 36, 06. J L Walsh silk/wool ovedye 1420. Madeira floss 1106 0518. DMC floss 597. Plus 2 threads from my hand-dyed collection, dyed when I was in my inventive phase, one is very very light pale green and the other olive green and grey overdye Perle 5.

Bye for now, Carol

Ps. Jane at Chilly Hollow is off the hook, the challenge is revoked, she told me how many counted pieces she has yet to finish. I am very impressed.

A drum roll please.............

Hi everyone,

Galaxy is finished. Here she is in all her glory. Photography still not the best but I hope you enjoy. This is now the correct orientation of the design, but I quite like it longways with the stripey star at the top. What do you think?

Spent yesterday taking a look at the Nuido exhibition and then spending the rest of the evening with friends at our Thursday night group at the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia. Some were stitching canvas pieces. Anne has been stitching David McCaskill's cyberclass " Journey"recently but was taking a break last night and working on a christmas sampler which will be over 1 metre long when finished. (A present from me, mean aren't I). I think Jane over at Chilly Hollow probably agrees LOL............ Yolanda was stitching a Lois Caron piece, Stained Glass Window, really pretty in yellows and blues and me I was finishing off a small Needle Delights design called Aquamarine, stitched with my colours choices of green/blue deep ocean shades. No more on Looking Glass yet, but it will happen soon.
Bye for now, Carol

Basketweave ughhh..........

Hi everyone,
I am a little late in posting but I have been trying to finish Galaxy, it is taking a little longer than I thought. The last star has a lot of basketweave to stitch and this is not my favourite stitch (I just need lots more practice). So to encourage me to keep going I have started my next project “Looking Glass” by Threedles in between this last piece of the design.

Here is the centre of Looking Glass. Already I have changed the thread and moved about the pattern a little just to make me happy. Just beware if you stitch this piece that the stitch diagram for the centre border and the master pattern do not match. A little whoops that does happen from time to time even with all the checking and double checking they still slip through as I have found from bitter experience when creating my own charts.

The colourway is the set using Buttercream yellow canvas and Gloriana, Apricot Grove silk for the main colour, real autumn (Fall) colours. Haven’t seen this buttercream canvas colour before and it is looking good with these shades. Have added into the photo a few of the other colours in the design. The colour in this photo is quite brown but the canvas in a bright yellow.

A little while ago we talked about From Molehill to Mountain a design by Pam Gardner. As promised Sara (Scarlet Thread) has posted the progress the chapter group members are making on this design. Many thanks Sara. If you like this design and would like to take part in a cyber-class of this design, hop over to” A Stitchy Thing” blog(listed in my blog list to right) and vote for the cyber-class to go ahead. Looks like a very good idea and lots of fun. The colours the chapter members have chosen are lovely and are great inspiration. I think we should throw out a challenge to Jane at Chilly Hollow to stitch at least one square, we know you are very busy but how could you refuse a stitching challenge. What do you say Jane? LOL....................

Lastly, I had a lovely email from a friend in England showing photos of her interpretation of my free design posted earlier. Her stitching group are going to stitch the piece as a project in September and I am very excited to see the outcome shortly. Will post photos soon.

Bye for now, Carol

PS: To answer a question from a friend in Italy. The watercolours used in Galaxy are 060 Slate and 050 Eggplant.

Colour of the Month plus Galaxy

Hi everyone,

The postman arrived yesterday with my Colour of the Month threads from Theresa at Homestead Needlearts in Michigan. This month’s colour is Orange or as my friend would call it Calendula (botanical name for marigolds, because she doesn’t  like orange). In the package were threads I have not seen before so it was a lovely surprise. Looking forward to trying these soon.

Here is a photo

Threads left to right, top row: Gloriana Princess Perle 090, City Needlework Silk 108, Kreinik 12 5510, Kreinik 1/16 Ribbon holographic 027L, Kreinik Japan thread #7.
Bottom row: Splendor  S1099, Shaded Very Velvet V816 and Silk Lame Braid 18, SL30.

Have stitched more of Galaxy and there is only 2 medium sized stars to complete before it is finished. Here is it as at 7 September.

Which means I now will start trying to decide the next project, this is always fun and I am spoiled for choice but it is difficult decision. Think it may be Kurdy Biggs Looking Glass, itching to see it stitched and with all the crystals and beads it is going to be a fun piece to stitch.

Bye for now, Carol

More Galaxy and beautiful silk embroidery

Hi everyone,

Currently in Adelaide, South Australia is hosting the OZAsia Festival which runs from 2-17 September, 2011.

The showcase country this year is Japan and as part of the festival the Adelaide Festival Centre is exhibiting the NUIDO World Embroidery Exhibition, 31 August to 16 October 2011. This means we get to see some of the most exquisite and beautiful Japanese kimono’s, obi’s and stitched Japanese embroidery pieces.

I was very honoured to be able to attend the opening of the exhibition as well as the celebration dinner which afforded me the opportunity to meet Staff and members of Kurenai-Kai, Japan and the Japanese Embroidery Centre, Atlanta, USA.  12 Ladies from Kurenai-Kai were there dressed in their hand stitched kimono’s and obi’s.

You may wonder why I am talking about Japanese embroidery when my stitching world is canvas.  This exhibition is just ‘eye candy’ in the extreme, I may never stitch this technique but I do have at least 3 friends who are at Phase Level 10 and above and I enjoy watching their stitching triumphs and it was wonderful to see their stitching and Japanese beading on display to the public.

If you love looking at beautiful embroidery here is a link to a very talented embroiderer and teacher living in South Australia, Margaret Lee 

Now to Galaxy. I am down to the last few squares with 2 medium squares and about 4 smaller ones to complete.

Here is the latest photo.

Happy holiday on Monday for all in the USA, bye for now, Carol