A Bit of Stitching, Reading, and Thinking

Good morning, dear friends,

Once again, it has been a while. What can I say? Life gallops on, with work, projects, books, commitments there isn't much time to sit and write it all down. Day by day, my life seems pretty regular and scheduled, same-old same-old, but when compiled, suddenly I see that a lot has happened.

Let me start with the highlights...

"Pumpkin" by Olesya Novoshilova

My stitching has been published! I received my copy of Just Cross Stitch - and look, there it is, the design I stitched. It is small, but so colorful and detailed. I really enjoyed working on it; the process felt very natural, almost like painting, thanks to the way the designer blended the colors.

Here it is, close up. I was in such a hurry to send it back on time that I forgot to remove the waste knot (easily fixed, thankfully)... Can you spot it on the picture?

There are a few more designs that have been published - mostly online and in pamphlet publications, and it was a thrill to see my work on the leaflets in the stores. There is a special feeling about seeing something you worked on in print, the picture of my stitching showing how it's supposed to look. Knowing - for sure - that I am good at something I love to do.

Here is the new project from Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe that I had the pleasure of working on.

"Flower Seeds" by Nancy Turner

When I think of Nancy's designs, the word "earthy" comes to mind. Stitching her designs always gives me the feeling of slipping into a time loop and visiting the past. The touch and smell of fabric, the softness of the thread, the subtle yet vibrant colors - all adds to the richness of it. Whenever I get to pick up one of her designs, I know it's going to be a beautiful experience.

In the WIP section I have "Stocking Critters"  kit from Dimensions.

On top of the Penguin (if you can see him) there will be a bird with a colorful package. A totem pole of sorts (I keep thinking while stitching it). It was a whole lot of white for a while, but now, with more colors around it, it is starting to take shape.

With all the stitching done (and still to be done), I have been listening to stacks (is that word appropriate here?) of audiobooks. From Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike trilogy, to Agatha Christie's stories, to Edgar Allan Poe. After watching "It" at the movies, I thought of re-reading Stephen King - and got hooked. Book after book, story after story. I just finished listening to "Bag of Bones," read by Stephen King himself....

But, it is getting late. I will have to write about my thoughts on the read books in my next post. Good night, my friends.

Until next time,

All In Stitches

Good morning, my dear friends!
For the past month, I have been stitching non-stop every day and night. I have been working on several projects - in fact, still working on several projects - for my stitching service. Until now, though,  there was not much to show for it in terms of pictures. So, I stayed away from posting, firmly believing that a stitching post has to have images.
So - here is the picture of my first ever official Model Stitching project.

I would call it my "live and learn" project. It was stamped cross stitch, done in three threads, with lots and lots of back stitching. I had to remember how to stitch the stamped work so the back does not look like hieroglyphs - and I recalled the technique that my host mother taught me a long time ago. It takes more thread, but in the end result the back looks like a basket weave and provides support for your work, like a back panel.

Overall, this was a great, valuable, interesting learning experience. One thing that I realized - alas, after the fact - that one has to be careful with back stitching... I have always done straight line back stitching in longer increments on stamped cross stitch - when I looked at the project, in the end it seemed to make no difference between shorter or longer stitches. But, I guess, when it comes to model and photography - everything makes a difference. Now I see (I guess) that the border does look a little ... wavy? It was not visible to the naked eye. Oh well, I did my best. I will keep notes for the new stamped cross stitch project that comes along.
Until next time... happy stitching!