Not done yet

At my last Winter Fairy update, I posted that I hoped to have the backstitching done by the end of October.  I should have looked more closely at the pattern!  I've been getting 20-50 minutes of stitching tucked into most days, but still have quite a ways to go.  I didn't realize how involved the wings would be, and hadn't noticed that all the little groupings of green and red on her skirts were joined together by silver backstitching to be holly and berries.  Plus, all the white dots you see on her bodice will be connected by silver backstitch.  And then there is still the beading to do.  Yikes!  So my revised "hope for" date is to be done by Thanksgiving (or over Thanksgiving weekend).  I still really want to have her framed and up before Christmas.  Our dearest friends in the world are flying in from Colorado for Meg's graduation in December, and I want to have this up on the wall by then. 

All that said, I am quite pleased with how she is looking.  I get so caught up in cross-stitching that I forget how much the backstitching adds to the piece.  Take a look and tell me what you think of her.

And now for something completely different

Hubby and I spent the past weekend building a dog.  Yep, you read that right.  Let me explain.  Hubby, our daughter Meg and I are all Whovians, that is, big fans of Doctor Who.  Meg has also gotten her college roomie hooked on the show, so the girls plan to to dress up as two different regenerations of the Doctor for Halloween this year.  Meg chose #4, played by Tom Baker, and one of his companions was a little robotic dog named K-9.  So Hubby and I decided to surprise her with her very own K-9.  We had a lot of fun going up and down the aisles at the hardware stores and finding things to use as components.  It was pretty challenging, but that's also part of the fun.  We spent just about the entire weekend on it.  We're going out to college tonight to hear her sing (she has an amazing voice and sings jazz), and we're taking him so she'll have him for Halloween. 

You can look up pictures of the original K-9 on line - there are plenty of them.  Meanwhile, here is our version, K 9.5:

Cross-Stitching is Done!!

Today I put in the last cross-stitches on my fairy!  Woohoo!  I'm really pleased.  (And I found it interesting that I finished stitching the snow at her feet during the 7th anniversary of the October Storm, which dumped two feet of unexpected snow on us and caused all sorts of havoc.)  I have been working on her for about three and a half years.  I never sewed on her much during the winter months because the light was rarely good enough for me to work on 24 count fabric, so that added considerably to the completion time.

Now I just have to finish all the backstitching and do the beading.  I'd like to have it completed by the end of October, but I'm not really sure how long all that will take.  Meanwhile, my dear readers, here she is:

End of September Update

I'm very excited to announce that I've finished the cross-stitching on the fairy!  I didn't quite complete all the cross-stitching, though; a little bit of the bunny and some snow remain.  But the lady and her dress are done!  With any luck, I will complete the cross-stitching in a week and then I can start on all that backstitching.  I'm glad I've done some of it as I went along, but there is still a lot to do.  Then there will be the beading as well - I'm liking forward to that part!

I generally have the project rolled up except for the area where I am working (it helps to keep it clean and out of my way), so I was amazed again at how beautiful she is when I unrolled it to take pictures.  Let me know what you think!

End of August Update

I hope that all my American readers are enjoying their Labor Day weekend, and I think next weekend is Labor Day in Canada, so I wish the same to you.

Now that I'm sewing again, I want to post progress at the end of each month.  That will help keep me motivated to keep going.  I'm pleased with the amount of work I accomplished since my last post.  I've been stitching 15-20 minutes here and there on weekdays, and for an hour or two on weekends.  The weekend sewing is the best.  I take a chair out in the yard, sit with my feet in the grass, my face to the sun and stitch.  I like the connection to nature while I am out there.

As for other projects, I do have some ideas for more church banners, and I will be doing some rubber stamping for holiday cards.  Right now, though, my craftiness is aimed at finishing the Winter Fairy.  I'd like her to be ready for framing by Thanksgiving.  There isn't all that much cross-stitching left, but then there will be a lot of back-stitching to do.  I'm looking forward to getting to that point!

August 2013 update

We just returned from a lovely vacation visiting Hubby's family in Vermont.  I love our annual trips there.  This time I completed a lot (for me) of stitching on Winter Fairy.  I'm going to try to keep up the pace as best I can now that I'm back at work.  I would be so happy to finish her by this Christmas.  I'm well into the last page of the pattern, so there's hope!  Here's an updated photo:

And to give myself further motivation, I'm going to post updates at least once a month.  I do have some ideas for other church banners, but I don't know when I'll actually get into making them.  When I do, I'll post pictures of them as well.

Long Time, No Post! - May 2013

Yes, yes.  I know I haven't posted for quite some time.  The truth is, I went through a few months of not doing any crafting at all.  Winter seems to drain my crafting "mojo".  I am getting back on track now, though.  I've started working on Winter Fairy again and hope to have a progress picture for you in a little while.  Meanwhile, I've completed two of the four banners for my church for Pentecost (May 19th this year).  I've had the idea in my head for a while, but bringing it to life was a whole different ball of wax. (Where does that phrase come from?  I must check that sometime.)  These are smaller banners - roughly the same size as my Lenten banners - that hang on the sides of the church.  I'll hang these two for this Sunday and add the other two when I finish them.  I have the red part cut; it's "just" a question of cutting and attaching the streamers. 

My inspiration is how the Holy Spirit came down like tongues of flame that first Pentecost.  The liturgical color is red, so that formed the basis for the banners.  I wanted them to be interpretive of the motion and flow of flame, and I always think of the Holy Spirit as swirling like the wind.  All the fabrics are very lightweight and should move and flutter as people walk by.  Here are a couple of pictures:

End of November WF update

I did it!  I managed to finish page 3 of Winter Fairy!  Well, there is back-stitching to complete, but all the cross-stitching is done.  The further I get with her, the more excited I am about how lovely she is.  I think it'll be another day or two of backstitching, and then I will be able to start on the fourth and final page. There will be a lot of finishing to do once I get the cross-stitching done - not only will I have the backstitching for page 4, I will finally be able to backstitch the wings and add all the beading.  I'm putting off the wings because they're backstitched with metallic thread and I think it would get damaged when I roll my project to store it.  Same idea with the beading - I don't think it would roll up very well.

I am taking some vacation time around Christmas and I hope to make a lot of progress then.  We'll see how that goes, with hubby off and Meg home from college as well.  I will post again sometime around New Year's, so in the meantime, may you have a blessed holiday season.

Winter Fairy update October 2012

Well, here we are at the end of October already.  Halloween is upon us - and, unfortunately, so is Hurricane Sandy. I hope all of you out there in her path will stay safe in the next several days.  We are at the edges of her proposed path, so not expecting the severe damage of the coast.  We are, however, already experiencing weather from the storm out of the west.  It's been raining since Friday night and is due to continue through Wednesday at least (I'm posting this on Monday).  Our fear here is that the saturated ground combined with expected high winds will bring down trees and cause power outages.  Flashlights, batteries and generators at the ready!

Meanwhile, I am stitching along and very pleased with the amount I've accomplished on Winter Fairy this past month, especially considering the time I took out to make the Reformation Banner.  (The banner made its debut at church on Sunday and was very well received.)  I am more than half way through page 3 of 4 on WF, which is exciting for me.  Since, for reasons I won't go into here (I'm still very annoyed about it), I do not need to make a gift tag for our office gift exchange, I will have time to keep working on her.  It would be wonderful to be on the last page by the end of the year!  This month's picture is slightly darker, but I like it because it shows a little bit of glitter from the gold thread in her dress.

I probably won't post till after Thanksgiving, so let me wish you all a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Reformation Banner 2012

In between stitching on Winter Fairy (I'll post her update at the end of the month), I have been working on a banner for church.  I was inspired by a free cross-stitch pattern by solascripturaneedlework at wordpress to create a Reformation banner.  Reformation Sunday is the last Sunday of October so I wanted to have the banner finished by then.  It's all done in felt, approx 3' x 5'.  The white felt I got for the background wasn't heavy enough so I sewed two layers of it together, then sewed the red (where the pole will go) at the top.  Red is the parament color for Reformation Sunday, so I used it for the accents - I thought a full red background might be too much.  I also sewed the bottom of the fortress.  Everything else is glued.  In case you are not familiar with the words, they are the opening of a hymn written by Luther himself.  I printed the words in as large a font as I could, then blew them up about 300% to get the size I needed.  Cutting out the letters can be a challenge, but I discovered that if I basted each letter onto the felt instead of pinning, it went along pretty quickly.  I had the basic idea and did all the physical work but my hubby and daughter both contributed valuable advice on the design.

October 2012

So our fall weather has arrived.  After such a hot, dry summer, it is a bit of a shock to have cool, rainy days.  I'm not complaining, mind you!  We need the moisture.  I've been very busy with housework (we were one of the hosts for a progressive dinner for our parish this past weekend) but am carving out quiet time most Sunday afternoons for stitching.  A cup of tea, some '40s music in the background and my cross-stitching - what more could I ask?

I am planning to post updates at the beginning of each month.  I've been moving along on Winter Fairy - 20 minutes here, an hour there - and am excited to see her continue to take shape.  As you can see, I've finished her bodice.  The white spots are alternating white stiches and places where beads will go.  I don't want to put in the beads or do the backstitching on the wings until everything else is done (although I'm really anxious to see how they will look).  The backstitching is with metallic thread and I'm afraid it would get damaged because I roll up my piece whenever I'm not working on it.  I don't think all the rolling and unrolling would be good for the thread.  I hope to have a lot more progress to show you all at the end of the month.  Sometime in November I'll start stitching a gift tag for my office Secret Santa exchange and I'll post that when it is done.  Meanwhile, hope you each have a wonderful month and a fun Halloween.  Happy Stitching!

September 2012 Update

Did I say I was going to post more often?  Well, so much for that idea!  We had, as usual, a very busy summer and I didn't get as much stitching as I had planned. On the other hand, we do have a new kitchen floor, entirely done by hubby and me, including tearing up several layers of old linoleum.  Boy, was that work!  I'm back to sewing again now, and hoping to get a lot more done by the end of the year.  Even though I didn't spend much time sewing I'm pleased that when I do sew it seems to go quickly.  I have not had to frog - knock wood that that continues! My goal is to finish page 3 by New Year's. That will leave just one page to go.

I won't make promises about when I'll post again, but at the very least there will be another update at the end of the year. Meanwhile, here is how Winter Fairy looks today.

Long time, no hear from me, eh?  Well, I haven't had much to post about so far.  I finally finished the gift I've been working on for my friend, so I got back to work on Winter Fairy. Today, I finished page 2 of 4.  Hurrah!!  I thought that backstitching would never end, but it really does add so much to the picture. I can hardly wait to start on page 3 tomorrow. Here's how she looks now. I love the little bunny and bird at her feet.

With the spring/summer weather and sunshine I expect to make a lot of progress on WF in the next few months, so I will be posting more often.

I shipped the gift to my friend a couple of days ago and as soon as she receives it I'll post a picture here.

Hope this finds all of you well.

December 2011 Update

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted here. Most of my free time until the end of September was taken up in prep for ALEP (A Long Expected Party). That's the Lord of the Rings event which Dennis & I attended at the end of Sept-beginning of Oct. It was marevelous, honestly one of the best times we've ever had.

Craftwise, after that I started working on a cross-stitch gift for a friend of mine. However, since she has access to this journal, I haven't posted about it. And, since I have not finished it I'll say no more for now.

I haven't finished the gift because I ran into the time the make my annual gift tag for our office Secret Santa gift. I started doing ornate gift tags about 10 years ago, first 3-d paper ones, then cross-stitch, then adding in beading. It should have been an easy little cross-stitch but turned out to be much more complicated than I planned. First of all, I kept getting lost in the pattern, even though I was marking as I stitched. All those shades of green... Because I had so much trouble with the darned thing, I decided not to do my usual double-sided tag. So when it came time to do the red border I stitched a piece of white felt to the back at the same time. But I wanted a nice finished back, so I took a little piece of holiday fabric and stitched over the whole thing. I also added the gold beaded hanger. In the end, I am quite pleased with the result and I know the person receiving it will like it. Never one to leave a pattern alone, I changed the red border and the candle flames to beads. I like the extra dimension beads add.

Now time to get back to my other stitching - I plan to alternate week-to-week on the gift and my Winter Fairy. Maybe she'll be ready for next winter.

Meanwhile, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming New Year.

A different type of stitching

The nice thing about having a blog is that I can choose my topics. This post is still about sewing, just not cross-stitching. Almost all my spare time the last couple of weeks has been spent working on capes for hubby and me to wear to an upcoming Lord of the Rings event. I do not make garments very often, as was painfully obvious with this project. What should have been completed over a weekend is almost half done (1 cape done except for hem) after 2 weeks of struggling. Aside from my own slowness in getting reacquainted with sewing, there has been one delay after another, a constant stream of petty delays that has really been driving me crazy. Yes, I should have started this over the summer, but the summer was hectic enough. At any rate, here are a couple of pictures of the first cape. I sincerely hope that I've learned enough from making it that the second cape will go smoothly. At least I am very pleased with how it looks!

What have I learned? To either sew more often or not attempt it at all!

End of August post

Time for my monthly update. I did not get as much done on WF in August as I had hoped. I didn't quite finish page 2. First of all, the day before we left for Vermont I realized I'd made an error and needed to frog about a hundred stitches. ARGH! I took a smaller, more portable pattern to work on while we were visiting and then got back to work on WF when we got home. I will be alternating working on her with the smaller project week to week now. The smaller one is a Christmas gift, so I will not post any pictures of it till it's in the recipient's fair hands. So, folks, here is the picture of where we are at the moment. I'm also including a picture of the large tube I decorated, that protects WF when I'm not struggling along with her. Note the little froggies? I thought they seemed appropriate.

Stitch Tubes

I don't know about you, but where I go my cross-stitch goes. I take WF for the times when I know I'll have at least 20 minutes of waiting time somewhere. When it may be a "catch a few minutes here and there", I take a smaller project. When the fabric is too large to fit in my travel cases (I love my DMC travel cases!) I bought a couple of mailing tubes. I can roll up the fabric and put it inside, so there are no creases and it is fully protected. But I realized that plain white tubes are boring and that just won't do. So I got out the ol' Mod Podge, snagged a bunch of paper from my rubber stamping supplies and got to work. I'm very pleased with the results. A bonus of the Mod Podge is an extra layer of protection - it's fairly water resistant because you put a layer across the top of everything. A minus is the smell - the tubes needed a lot of airing out before I put the fabric back in. I don't want my finished pieces to smell! Here's a picture of the medium tube. I don't have a picture of the large tube at the moment.

August??? Really??

Wow, how did August get here so fast? Seems like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating the 4th of July. Well, because it is the first of August, here is my monthly stitching update. As you can see from the picture, I got a lot done on Winter Fairy in July. The bunny is all done, as is the snow around him, and I added quite a bit to WF's skirt. I made such good progress because I am currently carpooling with my daughter. She is a counselor at a Girl Scout day camp and also a bus aide, so I drop her off at the first pickup stop in the morning and then pick her up at the last dropoff in the evening. I go there straight from work, and most days I have 30-50 minutes of waiting time. Part of it I spend very happily in the library next to the parking lot. But most of the time I stitch. So, instead of maybe an hour or two on the weekend, I am getting several hours of stitching done per week. Yea! I am enjoying the extra time while it lasts. I had hoped to finish page 2 by the end of July, but didn't quite make it. I will certainly finish it and start page three this month. We'll be going to visit the in-laws in Vermont for several days, and aside from having a nice visit with them, I will have lots of sewing time. Once, I finish stitching page two I will add the backstitching. It is so fun to see all the extra detail pop out then!

Hope you all have a wonderful month of August!

Happy July!

Happy July 1st!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Birthday to the Girl Scouts!

And, because I will most likely not be online much over the weekend, Happy Fourth of July!

Here in the northeast U.S., we are expecting lovely summer weather all weekend - at last. So ,while cross-stitching is on my schedule, sitting around in the house messing with the computer is not. If you're having good weather too, wherever you are, don't waste it. Turn off your computer (after you finish reading my post, of course) and get outside!

I'm trying to get into the habit of posting an update at the change of each month, so here is my end of June/beginning of July photo. I have made progress since the last one. The little bunny is finished and I'm adding to WF's skirt. With the summer sunshine helping me, I'm getting about 20-40 minutes each weekday and an hour or so on weekend days of sewing. I know some of you are thinking, "is that all?", but for me that is quite a lot. So, without further ado, here is the latest picture.

Winter Fairy Update - 6/12/11

I've been making progress on WF. The spring/summer weather helps with an abundance of good, natural light to see what I am doing. Even my OTT light does not work as well as pure sunshine! After all the time on her white over-skirt, it was great to work on her blue scarf again and then start on her purple dress. I was pleased yesterday to get down to the bottom of her skirt. If you look closely, you can see the beginnings of bunny ears there. That was actually the trickiest part; it is full of half stitches to make the curves. Once Sassafrass (long story, but that's what we call bunnies) is done I'll move on to the rest of her skirt. I'd say I'm a little over half done with page 2 (out of 4) of the pattern now. Who knows? Maybe I'll have her done for this winter!