STITCHLADY'S ADVENTURES

Such a beautiful bird….to cause so much frustration.

The body of the heron was a challenge…I ripped it out twice and it it still not exactly as charted. I consulted Jennifer and we agreed that my design change is ok. There is a little sparkle in the body. Some petite silk lame was used. It doesn’t show in the photo.

I am currently stitching the underbelly of the heron. Chart calls for nobuko stitch. Well I’m trying….the area is so small that most of the stitches are compensating. I do agree that the “look” is good.

Next I’m doing the legs….brick stitch…with a lot of compensation.

I stitch on the background when I need a rest from the heron. It is peaceful stitching once the line is set. Once that’s done and all the little areas are done it will be fun putting all the grass in freehand over the background.

May your spring days be filled with lots of fun stitching…until next time…..

I arrived home today from a two day class in Colorado Springs. I’m very tired…..who books 6am flights🤯

This class was a pilot class. Most of you know what a pilot class is….stitchers get to do a design before it is sold or taught. It is a chance for the designer to correct instructions or charts depending on what actual stitchers find. HERON, a Jennifer Riefenberg design, is beautiful….I really love it and am looking forward to working on it. Her class will be taught at this years ANG Seminar in Denver.

My progress after two days of stitching…..and a lot of “frog work”. The herons body is still not exactly as charted. Not frogging again….it has become a design change…Jennifer agreed. This is stitched on 24ct congress cloth…so my #4 magnifying glasses are a must.

I really enjoy going to these classes that are held each February at the Cheyanne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs. Jennifer has given me permission to post my progress as I complete the Heron.

Still stitching for fun…..another bookmark. I thought you might like to see just how this design developed. I never know when I start what the finished design will look like. I just start with a favorite stitch, in this case a scotch over 4, then added a Smyrna stitch over 4, now small cross stitches over 1 etc.

There are 4 threads used in this design. 1st a gold pearl cotton #5. 2nd Silk & Colors, dark blue. 3rd Watercolors, yellow to gold. 4th Silk & Colors, light blue.

You ready to stitch for fun? More soon.

Happy Stitching…..🌹

I hated to see this finished….now what? However this is how I feel almost every time I finish a project.

I sat in my living room looking at my WIP tub and none of them spoke to me. I just wanted to stitch ‼️

I went back to a favorite…..design as I stitch. Most of you will remember this from past posts. I grabbed a piece of scrap canvas, selected a couple of threads and started stitching.

I began with the yellow Watercolors in the center and went from there. Now it’s done …… 🤪 just two days of fun stitching.

I live in an independent living 62+ facility. We have a great library and when I get several bookmarks stitched I put them in the library for fellow residents. They always disappear. I love knowing they have found a home.

This project is a good reminder of how I need to pay attention to details. The first thing I discovered was that although the canvas came with threads …. It had not been kitted with the recommended threads. Like I do occasionally, someone had pulled threads based on color and texture. And all the colors had not been selected. The craziest thing I discovered was that the canvas orientation did not match the photo. It was upside down 🙃 The canvas identifiers were put on the bottom of the canvas when it was upside down. Make sense? This was discovered when I started matching area numbers with the photo….and had to turn the chart upside down for the designs to match.

I am enjoying the stitching. Simple stitches and color combinations. I have been fortunate enough to find threads in my stash that I can use to complete the kit.

Seeing how the stitches look has given me some idea of how I might use these stitches on other canvases. I will finish it very soon……then something else 👏👏👏

Happy stitching to all of you.

I’m going for easy and no thinking. I found this small painted canvas when I was searching my stash. It was kitted and has a stitch guide. It is also on 14ct canvas…..I’ve never stitched on such a large count canvas.

The design size is 6” X 6”. Threads are Vinyard Silk, Vinyard Wool, Silk &Ivory, Gumnut with some Frosty Rays and Sparkle Rays. The large count canvas will make the threads look good. I think it will be a quick project.

More soon…..Happy Stitching