Rose of Sharon Update

So this project seems to be ticking right along.   I did have to change her hair as she was originally supposed to be blonde, however, the yellow hair combined with the yellow roses really didn't stand out, so I changed her to a brunette.

The dress is looking beautiful so far.  I think the periwinkle colors are going to look magnificent, and once I'm all done, I will post the conversion colors. I'm really happy with the conversion so far.

I am fighting the beginning stages of a cold/flu, whatever it is. I feel prickly and very, very run down.
But if I am going to get sick, let it be now, as I have holidays in less than a month and I want this to have run its course by then.

In any case, dear kindred stitchers, Happy Holidays to you all, whatever you may celebrate, and may you be surrounded by family and friends, (and a present, or two).

~Rai Rai

A Cross-Stitch Meme that I Couldn't Resist.

I've seen this on a few blogs now, and thought it would be fun to add my own.

 1)      Which fabric do you most prefer?
           Oddly enough, I prefer Lugana.  Call me crazy. It's usually most people's last preference.  

2)      What is your favorite fabric count?
          Not so fond of the 14 count.  

3)      What colour fabric do you most enjoy stitching on? 
          Neutrals and antique white.

4)      What is your favorite fibre?
          Silk

5)      How many of the 450 DMC Colours do you own? 
         All of them, plus the newest colors.  

6)      Of your last five projects—how many used DMC/Anchor as the main floss?
          All of them.  

7)      Of the last five projects, if you didn’t use DMC/Anchor—what did you use? 
         An overdye of some sort.

8)      What needles do you prefer?
          26 Bohin. I only use Bohin's.  Once you try them, you will not go back!

9)      What is the UGLIEST design you’ve encountered?
          Although I don't have a link, I once came across a cross-stitch of an atomic explosion. Why, good lord, why?  It was super detailed too, like a Heaven and Earth design.

10)   What is the most BEAUTIFUL design you’ve encountered?
         Too numerous to count.  But I likely stumbled across it at Heaven and Earth designs.  

11)   Who is your favourite designer?
         Probably Mirabilia or Lavender and Lace..  I've done many of their patterns. I also quite like Teresa Wentzler.

12)   Least favourite designer?
       Probably Joan Elliott.  I like some of her work, but I find much of it to be a bit blocky.


13)  Will you/would you support a designer whose personal beliefs offended/angered you?     
       It really depended on what the belief was.  I cannot stand racism or elitism of any kind.  So if they were banging off about that, or against gay rights, which I see as more as human rights, then I might choose not to support them.  But otherwise, viva free speech.

14)   Do you have a lamp especially made for needleworkers/crafters?  
        I have a giant magnifier with LED lights in the bottom.   Love, love, love it!  If I wasn't all ready married, I would likely marry that light! That is how much I love it.

15 )  What brand of stitching lamp do you have/prefer?
        I have an Ikea special that I picked up on sale.  Works like a charm and I can move it so the light is right over my work.

16 )  What kind of environment best suits you when you are stitching?
         It's like an evening ritual.   The couch, with the feet up, in front of the TV, with a documentary  on, so I can listen to it and not really watch.   Bliss!

17)   Have you stitched any design more than once?
       Just once. I stitched this hideous little mime mask.  I think I had no other patterns, or something, because it was pretty hideous.

18)   Favourite design you have stitched and finished?
       For me, the last design is always my favorite.  So it would be the Treasure Dragon Christmas Stocking from Myles Pinkney.

19)   Least favourite design you’ve stitched and finished?
       A baby afghan. It gave me grief.  Serious grief.  Others on my friends list are doing the same pattern and enjoying it.  I think they are insane.  Nothing personal.

20)   Last, but not least, what’s your longest running WIP?
        Never had a WIP.  But I think the next project might be one. I have a 30 page HaED design waiting in the wings, and I may have to do a few projects in between, because 30 pages is mad.  And yes, I think I am insane.  Nothing personal.

~Rai Rai

An Old Project FINALLY Finished

This stocking is for my dear friend, Jude.   I had finished it a year ago August, and then given it to a lady who had offered to sew it.  Well, schedule/health/family issues came into play and a year later it still hadn't been sewn, so with much insistence and reminding on my part, I finally got it back today.

I whisked it off to my friend, Arwen's (she is the one I had made the Yule Fairy for) and she managed it sew it together in about 45 minutes. 

I don't know about you, but when I finish a project, I want to complete it immediately. I hate having projects sitting around, nearly finished, but just not quite.  It, to me, feels like an itch I just can't reach and it sits festering in the back of my mind.

But I have it back and it is done!  Done, I tell you, DONE!

So tomorrow two stockings go in the mail!  

I am feeling so darn accomplished, I'm going to celebrate with a glass of wine!

~Rai Rai

For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Completed Treasure Dragon Stocking

Ta Da!!!

Sewn beautifully by Paige!   I originally was planning on choosing a deep red silk material, however when I compared fabrics side by side, the burnt orange really looked fantastic. And after canvassing complete strangers at the fabric store, I'm happy to say, 9 out of 10 agreed.

I will be taking her to show off at my Stitch'n'Bitch this Sunday, (hopefully everybody comes) and then first thing Monday, this will be packed up and mailed.

Hopefully little Heinrik Roar likes his little dragon, and pulls many, many gifts out of it.

~Rai Rai

Rose of Sharon - Arbor and Flowers

This project is coming along nicely.  I decided to change the pink flowers to yellow. So far I'm delightfully over the moon with my changes.  I can't wait to start the dress and see how the colors look.

I find the vine and flowers to be arduously slow, and this is coming from someone who has just finished a Heaven and Earth design.  I think that once I get to the lady, then it will be a quick ride to the end, but man, oh man, it seems to be taking me forever to get the arbor done.

~Rai Rai

PS - Dragon stocking has been assembled and I pick it up tomorrow.  Pictures to follow!

Rose of Sharon Update

Well, not much to report so far. I'm 3 days in to the project and I'm making pretty good progress, I guess.  I'm glad I started this one.  I am waiting for Magic Cloth to arrive in the mail, and I thought it would have arrived this week, but so far, nothing. And to be honest, I'm not in a hurry. I'm thoroughly enjoying stitching her.

I am fighting a tight shoulder which usually leads to migraines, so I'm pulling out all the stops from popping anti-inflamatories to applying the heating pad to my shoulder so I can stitch. Because, lets face it, only a migraine can really stop me! 

But I do have to say, after a project which was almost entirely confetti stitches, this one is a real pleasure to do!  Lots and lots of blocks of solid color. I am in heaven!

As mentioned before, I'm doing the dress in periwinkle with a yellow sash.  I'll see how the conversion goes and if it seems to work, I will post the conversion with the final photo.  That way if anyone wants to try it for themselves, they will have the colors to use.

I love seeing conversions!  If you have any conversions that you have done, please respond with the link, I'd love to check out yours!

I won't be able to work much on this for the next few nights, as I will be on night shift, but hopefully I will be able to put in some serious hours next week.  

Hopefully I will have an update for you then.

~Rai Rai

Another One Bites the Dust!

It's Saturday night at midnight and I just finished it!  I had to share immediately!

Come next weekend, I will go to the fabric store and pick out the loveliest dark red backing and a soft linen lining and take it to the talented Ms. Paige to be sewn into a stocking. I am absolutely over the moon that the recipient of this will have it for Christmas!  It was a fun/frustrating/challenging/time consuming ride, and I loved almost every minute of it!

Henrik Roar, I hope you like this and one day hand it down to your own son.

My magic cloth for my next project hasn't arrived yet, so I may do a Mirabilia in the mean time.  Rose of Sharon.  I'm thinking of doing her in red, although I might play with some colors and see if I can do her in purples, deep purples with red roses.   I'm going to the stitch'n'bitch tomorrow, so it will be a perfect time to play with colors.

Anyway, dear kindreds, I will post a final photo of this piece as soon as it is done.   Thanks for keeping me company while I created this work of art!

~Rai Rai   

 

Page 6 of the Treasure Dragon is Done!!!

I am so close to the end that I can taste it!  Just under 3000 stitches now, and I can see the finish line from where I stand.

I can't wait to see this finished, cleaned and sewn into a stocking.  My goal of having this done by Christmas is obtainable!

I feel like the little engine that could. I've moved from "I think I can, I think I can" to "I know I can, I know I can!"

And this week I ordered more Magic Cloth so I can start a new HaED. Because, kindreds, I am a glutton for punishment!

Just wait until you see the next project.  Just you wait!

~Rai Rai

HaED's Dragon Stocking Page 5 Complete

Page 5 is done, done, done!

I cannot tell a lie, I am sooooo bored of this project,  just want it to be over, but I also know if I pick up another project no, this will never, ever see the light of day again!  So I plug on!

The end is in sight, though!  Only one more full page to do, and then 2 or 3 partial pages, which are really, really small.

I think this next page will be the hardest of all, because it is the "treasure" part of the dragon, and it won't make much sense until the last few stitches go in.  This is where I just trust the pattern and wait for it to reveal its magic!

~Rai Rai

HAeD's Treasure Dragon Christmas Stocking

Page 4 is complete!

I've decided to try the "parking" method, and omg, it's like taking the escalator instead of the stairs! Soooo much faster!

I wish this photo was clearer, but my iPad doesn't have a flash and it was kind of dark in my office, but you can see some of the outline of his cheeky face.

I am now 61% done! The hump has been crossed, it should be all downhill from here.  (Looks at patten and shudders)  Er, yeah, downhill...

I'll post the next update at the completion of page 5.  I'll be keeping a rather low profile until then.

~Rai Rai

The Happy Endng to My Baby Afghan

Unfortunately attempting to take a photo with my iPad resulted in this crapstacular photo below:

It looks a little washed out, and it was being held up by Mr. Rai-Rai.  The wrinkles are courtesy of having it folded to fit into a bag the size of my change purse.  Time was running out and I neither had the time or the energy to iron again, so this is the result.   BUT, it looks fantastic, and that's the main thing.

I had a very talented girl sew a lining onto the back for me, so baby won't get his pudgy little fingers caught in loose threads. 

She did a beautiful job!  Now this is ready to work as a quilt or a wall hanging.   I also chose not to fray the outside as the pattern call for, because if baby is going to use it as a blanket, I don't want little threads finding their way into his mouth to choke him.

My friend bought baby over today and I finally got to meet the chubby little delight, but I got to spend some quality time laughing with my bff.  Oh how I miss her!  She caught the ferry over and we spent a total of about 2.5 hours together before she had to catch the ferry home.   It was a short visit, but so worth it.

Val and bub enjoying the blanket.

Close up of Val and bub. He was fascinated by how even my stitching was, and the sheer detail in my work!   (Just kidding, he was more interested in the cat).  And I must remind myself, before taking photos for my blog - remove the folded laundry in the background. (Queue a Homer Simpson D'oh right about here.)

So, that's it, dear readers! This is where my journey with this little baby afghan ends. 

Thanks for hanging out with me during my moments of frustration and wibbling over this project.  The end result was worth every moment!

Now, back to my Dragon stocking.  I should have an update in about a month or so.

~Rai Rai

He Ate the Honey, He Ate the Lot....

This, my kindreds, is my VERY LAST PANEL.  The stitching on this piece is officially done, done, done!

Just look at the little greedy guts!   He's so focused on the bee hive that he has no idea he is about to be stung in the ... you-know-where!  And deservedly so!!

I have decided to finish the piece with a lined back, so if my friend wishes to use this as an afghan, she can.  I am off to Fabric Land tomorrow to find something soft and appropriate, then I have another friend lined up to sew everything together.  Then it will be a quick wash, and then in the mail.     Her baby just turned 6 months, so better late than never, I always say.

I will post a picture of the finished project as soon as I have it back.

Now I can take a short breather before I pick up my long forgotten dragon stocking.

Is There Anything on Earth Cuter Than a Baby Bunny?

I think no, my friends. I think not.

This, I did actually try to take "in process" photos, but I realized that they really weren't showing up. It wasn't until I put the backstitching in that it all came together. But I just have to say, that little bee is cute, cute, cute!!!!

I am now down to one panel to do. The end is truly in sight! 

Next up, a little black bear and a bee hive.  I'm hoping to blaze through this and have it done sometime this week.

This is my favorite time of a project, where the end is so close, I just want to work on it non-stop until it's done.   I can't wait to show you the completed project!

~Rai Rai

Two For the Price of One

Today I have not one, but TWO panels to show you.  Yes, two!  Do you know what that means, dear kindreds?  It means I have only two more panels to do.  Yes, this project from The depths of Hades now has a light at the end of the tunnel.

Now that I am nearing the end, all I want to do is sit and stitch nonstop, however work beckons, and with 5 upcoming 12 hour shifts next week, it is going to be a while before I pick this up again.  Damnation!

While I am toiling away in the proverbial salt mines, I leave you with these two pictures.  I warn you, if you are prone to falling prey to the cute, then you may just want to look away now.

(This is my first post while using a new app on my iPad, and I haven't quite figured out how to arrange my photos, but I will hopefully have it figured out by the time I make my sext post)

The Evolution of the Love Tree

This didn't take long at all.  I'm actually kind of shocked at how fast I was able to whip this up.

I thought I'd try something different and take a photo at the end of each stitching sitting, so I could see just how much (or little) progress I was making.   It turns out I could see a lot of progress each and every time.

I hope you enjoy watching my little tree grow....

First sitting.

Second sitting.

Third sitting

 

Fourth sitting.

Fifth sitting.

The finished result.

This is the centre piece of my afghan.  Now, only four more panels to do.  

The end is in sight.

Go me!

~Rai Rai

 

Who is Slower? Me or this Turtle?

So I FINALLY finished the turtle.  I don't know why, but he seemed to take forever to complete.  But like the story of the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race.

And just look at that cheeky smile and he crosses the finish line.

Next up is the tree.

Hopefully it won't be 3 weeks until you hear from me again.

Little Raccoon and a Very Late Tusal

One more panel of this seemingly endless project is complete.  And he's pretty darn cute!

He took me about 10 days to complete.  I don't know what it is about this project, but I am so easily distracted when I try to work on it. I end up picking up my iPad and checking Facebook, or playing a game, or even just watching TV with my project sitting in my lap, which, trust me, is pretty unusual.  Usually if I'm sitting, I'm stitching.    But one more panel has been complete.  I think I am now officially 1/2 way through this project.  Hopefully the second half goes faster.

And now for my April tusal.   I completely forgot about it.  Better late than never, huh?

Sorry for the bathroom pic, but it's after 2 in the morning and that seemed like the brightest part of the house to take a photo. 

Well, I've got a date with an adorable fawn.  I'll post pics as soon as I'm done.

~Rai Rai

Who? Why a Jr. Pepe Le Pew, That's Who...

Ok all in unison... Awwwwwwww.

So far, this little guy is my favorite!  I can just picture him saying "Ah, oui, she loves me, she loves me not" as he plucks the petals from the flower.  Of course the final petal will always be a declaration of "She loves me!"

And it's true, I do.

Next up, I'm going to do the raccoon.  I've discovered that it's a bit of a pain trying to do the panels on the right, as there is just SO much blanket to fold over and keep a hold of while stitching. So, I will finish the panels on the right hand first, and then slowly work over to the left.  As of the completion of the next panel, I will officially be half way through this project.

Honestly, I just want it to be done so I can go back to working on my dragon, which I sometimes hear calling me. 

So far this little guy took me a week to complete.  Hopefully the raccoon goes just as fast, although he has a lot more colors, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say 2 weeks, but we'll see.

Enjoy Pepe,  and his little red flower.  He was a delight to stitch.

~Rai Rai

A Little Chipmunk, Just in Time for Spring

I finished this little darling late last night.  Adorable is the word that immediately jumps to mind.

I took stock of this project and realized that it has taken me 2 months to get only 4 panels done.  That's it!  I'm pretty shocked by that realization.  I'm going to try to up my stride a bit and see if I can shake a leg on this.  I don't want this to be a 6 month project. I still have my dragon laying on the sideline and I'm itching to get stuck back into that.

Next up is an adorable skunk.  He's lots of patches of one color so he should be pretty quick.  Hopefully I have something to show off in a week or so.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, I offer you a little Chipmunk, just in time for spring....

~Rai Rai

No Updates, But a Question for You All

I'm just sitting at my computer, enjoying my first full day off in 10 days, and I was having a peruse through the blogs that I am following and I noticed now all of us have a certain "style" of stitching.

For example, I am neurotic about always starting at the top left hand side of the piece I am working on.   I've noticed many stitchers prefer to start at the bottom and work up.  I've also noticed there are stitchers who start in the exact middle and then work outwards.

Which are you, and why?

For me, it makes the most practical sense to start at the left and work across and down. This way I can see the pattern take shape, almost as though it were coming off of a printer.

So, talk to me! Where do you usually start in a pattern, and why?

(Oh, and I should have an adorable chipmunk to show off in a day or so)

~Rai Rai

Oh, and since there were no photo's in this post, I thought I'd leave you with this...