Rotation Changeover - 2023 Rotation #1, Slot 5 (Not Counted Thread) - reboot complete

Well, the Morning Glory Runner is completely frogged and back in the stash.   No visible mishaps, though there were some moments in the very knotted sections where I was cutting blind and hoping for the best!  Do not recommend!

It took me about five hours to finish all the frogging on this project and so I'm calling it good for the first needlework rotation round of 2023.   It's rain/snowing here again and there's a crock pot dinner going.   Work is up to date, I have no where I need to be but home, and there's a nice calm weekend ahead (just bell quartet and a family birthday party on Sunday).  Perfection!

Last week's precipitation was a deluge thunderstorm.   But earlier in the week it was 60 degrees F / 16 degrees C and just the loveliest weather for a walk.  Welcome to Kansas in the early spring - if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute.😁

FRAMED NEEDLEWORK: "Dragonfly Lace Sampler" by Victoria Sampler

 

Pattern: Dragonfly Lace Sampler

Designer: Victoria Sampler

Fabric:  32 count white linen

Threads:  Kreinik Mori and metallics, AuVer A Soie, Perle Cottons, SJ Designs beads (as charted)

Stitches: Stumpwork, Beadwork, Cross Stitch (over two), Eyelets, Lazy Daisy, Herringbone Hemstitch, 4 Sided Stitch, Hardanger (Kloster Blocks, Greek Crosses, Woven Bars with Dove's Eyes), Backstitch

Stitching finished 1/2004

Framing by Frame Warehouse Topeka KS  1/2023

Iridescent fabric and metallic threads are hard to photograph.   There is an underlay of shiny fabric behind the cutwork in the same blues and purples as the dragonfly's wings.  The framers did a fantastic job, well worth the wait!

FLASHBACK NEEDLEWORK: "Ghoulies and Ghosties" by Hillside Samplings

 This is the Halloween needlework decor piece that I am the proudest of.   That Hardanger ghost was not easy!

pattern: "Ghoulies and Ghosties "

designed by: Hillside Samplings / Lesley Rudnicki

stitched on:  28 count Linen "Tropical Orange" by Wichelt 

threads: (as charted) DMC, GAST, size 8 and 12 perle cotton, Krenick metallics

embellishments:  Mill Hill and Access Commodity beads, bat button, brass pumpkin charm, tiny (doll sized) white buttons

stitches used:  cross stitch one over one, Double Running, Straight Stitch, Smyrna Cross, Rice Stitch, modified Rhodes Stitch (spider border), Queen Stitch (tiny spiders), Satin Stitch (largest spider), Bargello, Hardanger with Dove's Eye filling

stitching finished:  1999

finished as a wall quilt

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "BCS #4-2" by Victoria Sampler

 Back in the early 2000s, Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler did a whole series of 50 ornaments, "Beyond Cross Stitch Learning Collection", each teaching one or two specialty stitches, from the very simple to quite complex.  Each batch of 10 ornaments addressed a specific set of skills.  The first level was basic specialty stitches (things like Smyrna Cross, Simple Eyelets, etc), I think the second may have been ribbon work (don't have any of those).  Level three is more complex texture - Rhodes, Double Running, etc.  The fifth level is Hardanger.   This project is from level four, which is drawn thread and pulled thread work.  They were re-issued in a slightly larger chart/package format in the 2010s with an additional 10 kits in a Level Six (Advanced Hardanger) and were available on Thea's website until a few years ago when the kits stopped being available.   I am not sure, but I think the patterns may still be available as online classes. 

All of these little kits have a stitched area about 3 x 3 inches / 8 x 8 cm on 25 count Lugana or Dublin linen with all the thread, beads and charms included.  The overall stitch count is around 40 x 40 over two.  Designs varied, but about half were either explicitly Christmas themed or had colors that were in the red and pink plus floral greenery range (or could be adapted to be there easily). 

I have 9 Christmas (or Christmasish) kits that I've collected over the years.  Three have been done in the past, but never fully finished.

I have three more of the Christmas Caroling ones like the bottom one above, and two 'odds and sods' ones in sort of Christmas colors.  

I'm thinking of using all nine as blocks in a small wall quilt.  I'll need to back the hardanger and drawn thread ones with some fabric, but looking at them plopped on a random hunk of solid '30s green , that will work fine. 

So look for the remaining five little kits to pop up sporadically in the 'Modern' slot of my rotation or as a travel project.  They only take about five to seven hours to stitch (and since none of the others have any cutwork, they will be on the faster end, I'm sure).  

This one took about seven and half hours, so I still have a couple of hours left in the Modern slot for this round of the rotation.  I'm going to get the Plum Street Samplers "Corgi Caboodle" on the scroll rods. 
 

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 4, 2021

 First of all, happy Easter to those who celebrate!  Alleluia!  Everybody else, Happy Spring!  Wednesday was the "Women of the Passion" - a version of the Stations of the Cross told through the eyes of the women.  It's a 'radio play' type script and very moving.  I played "the widow" of the parable of the widow's mite.  A smaller part, but I enjoyed it.

I am just back from the sunrise service (chilly, but beautiful) and heading out in a bit to have lunch with the kids and grands.

As far as the stitching goes, this post could be sub-titled "Sometimes you frog....."  Notice anything odd about Dutch Beauty?  Yep, the entire top third of that bouquet's foilage went 'poof' after I started the pink bloom over on the left and got to where the stem was supposed to join up and...... It. Didn't.    And it was far enough off that I didn't want to fudge it.  I still have to pull out that last leaf on the right, and I have counted the remaining stems SEVERAL times to be sure they line up this time!

Oh, well, it's a part of needlework and a maxim of the craft that sometimes you unpick.

And sometimes you finish things!  Like a set of napkins!  Aren't they pretty?  My two are in the upper right.  And the best thing is that unless I look on the back, I can't tell which ones are mine. (I use back stitch to start and stop my stem stitch, my Mom used tiny knots.)  I was worried that having them made by two stitchers at least 75 years apart would be obvious, but no worries.

So back to unpicking the boo boo on DB.  I'd like to get to the point of adding stitches back today!

Check out the other Slow Sunday Stitchers (link to current round up).

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 28, 2021

 Wow, busy couple of weeks since I checked in last.  I was overly optimistic about things getting better at work.  The flip side of that is that I had very little crafting mojo left when I got off work.  Also church things are finally starting up again in real life, including my bell choir.  Man, am I rusty; felt like I was lifting weights at rehearsal on Thursday.  Glad to get back to it, though.   I've really missed ringing. 

On the handwork front, I'm working on the last of the cutwork napkins.  At a little over six hours into my ten hour rotation slot, I've got to here

Still one more big petal, three little petals and all the interior area and details.   I'll probably be running over the ten hours, but I'm so close to a finish that I'll work on it until it's done.

It's supposed to be nice today, so I'm going to go play in the dirt.  Getting the garden ready for planting. Hello Spring!!

Linking up with the rest of the SSS crew (current round up link).

2021 Rotation #2 Start

 With the raft of finishes, finishing and framing last week, it's time to kick off the second round of the rotation for this year. #24HoursOfCrossStitch will be the weekend of April 23-25 (Friday to Sunday).  I would like to have the cutwork napkin finished by then so that I can work on Dutch Beauty for 10 hours and the USMC Seal for 10 hours and have a new start to finish off the weekend. 

So this round starts with the last Cutwork Napkin; I will be working on the waterlily motif in the corner.  Goal is to finish this project!  First up is to find some scraps to put on the edge so the hoop has something to hold on to. 

 

Slow Sunday Stitching - January 24, 2021

 Lots of finishes and milestones this week!

Grey socks are done

During the virtual retreat, the stitching on the Elizabeth Designs project was completed

Got the cutwork napkin to the ten hour mark before the weekend (and retreat) started

I've got the next project for the "modern sampler or smalls" slot set up.  It is Just Nan's Halloween snippet "I Can Drive a Stick".   Working it on 36 count R&R (colorway Park City - a nice  warm golden brown with NPI in "Charcoal").   Going to be working on it today to finish off the retreat.  Then I'll move on to Dutch Beauty.   

It's also time to get the finishing done on the muppet.  I'll be working on it this week.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current link party)

Needlework Changeover - 2021 Rotation #1, slot 1 (not counted thread) complete

 Well, I made it around the napkin to the other side of the main motif in plenty of time to start this weekend's virtual retreat (#24HoursOfCrossStitch on Facebook) with my next rotation slot.   These napkins are 15 x 15, so that's well over a yard of buttonhole edging in just under ten hours.   Not too shabby!

 

 

 

Just a reminder, here is where I am starting on the Elizabeth Designs class piece "Garden Delights".  Over one motto and charms left to go.  The plan is still to FFO this as a project bag with a matching notions pouch.

Slow Sunday Stitching - January 17, 2021

 Very busy at work this week - month close plus quarter close plus year end.  Whew!  For a managerial accountant such as myself, it's rather like the middle of April is for a tax accountant.  

So not as much crafting as is usual; work spilled into the evening hours a bit.  It will continue on for another week before it gets back to 'normal' or at least as normal as the 'new normal' can get (still working from home). 

However, I did make progress on both of my focus projects this week.  The grey socks  - I decided to do the V shaped detail on the top of the instep instead of continuing the patterning all the way down.  This was only possible because the pattern repeat was wide (8 stitches), and totally symmetrical around the center point. Heel is folded flat underneath, causing odd buckling on the right.  The marker is in the final decrease of the gusset.

They are getting quite close to the toes - maybe five more rounds or so.

The cutwork napkin also got some attention,  About seven hours and 2/3 of the way around.  I need to pick up the pace this week to get ten hours and the other edge of the lily motif by Thursday this week.   Next weekend is the quarterly virtual retreat and I'd like to be able to switch to a counted thread project since that's the focus of the retreat.  #24HoursOfCrossStitch on Facebook.

Linking up with SSS (current round up).

Slow Sunday Stitching - Januay 10, 2021

 Very quick update this week. 

Socks are at the ends of the gussets.   I think I'm going to do a sort of V shaped detail moving from patterned stitching to regular stocking stitch across the instep.  The rest of the foot will go quicker that way and be a bit more comfortable in the shoe than texture all the way to the toes. 

On the embroidery front, the napkin is at a bit over three hours and a third of the way around.   I want to have my usual ten hours in by January 21 so I can move to the next project for the quarterly virtual retreat starting on Friday 1/22. 

That's all for me this week.  Linking up with SSS (current round up)

Slow Sunday Stitching - January 3, 2021

 Here's to a new year and a hopefully it will be a better one. 

Big news this week on the crafting front is that I finished off the Sampler Sweetbag set in time for it to count as the last finish of 2020 (details here).  This was an older WiP, and the assembly took a lot longer than it should have!  But it's off the work table now.

front

back

Replacing the Sweetbag as the active needlework project and kicking off the 2021 Needlework Rotation (#1) is the last of the cutwork napkins.  I put the padding stitches into the all of the outer border except around the main lily motif and got started on the first side this weekend. I figured out last time that I need to support the edge of the work in the hoop and the off-cuts from the sweetbag hadn't been put away yet, so I just basted a length  along the edge of the napkin, avoiding the stitched area.  Much better tension.

Both of the socks are a bit more than halfway down the gusset area of the foot. 

And all the crochet is done on my sister's Muppet.  There's still a lot of assembly and embellishment - tentacles, antennae and eyes plus a black felt lining.  So right now it looks more like a wonky helmet than  cute fuzzy beast.

And last but not least, a few more inches on the sock yarn blanket.  Ten inches  (25 cm) to the next corner.

On the organization front, all the DMC not assigned to a project is on bobbins and put away neatly in boxes.  That's a major milestone.  I use a combination of bobbins (for full six strands) and Floss Away bags (for cut lengths and lengths that have plies pulled out).  I have a lot of DMC since I inherited parents' and grandmas' (both sides) and Aunt Lottie's crafting things and purchased or was gifted three estates needlework materials and yarns over the years.  Plus all my own leftovers from over 40 years of serious stitching.  Before that, I raided the adult's stash LOL.  I do go to my bobbin boxes first, especially when I only need a partial skein for a project.  Despite my efforts before Christmas, the yarn stash is still in progress.  I am trying to not only pack, but also double check the amounts in Ravelry and annotate which bin it is in.  So I'll get back to that after I scope out what the SSS crew is up to this New Years weekend.  (link to this week's roundup)

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 15, 2020

 Work is going to be crazy busy for the next several weeks, American Thanksgiving notwithstanding.  My monthly deadlines happen whether there are holidays or not!  

But at least crafting is going well.  

Finished the cutwork napkin and switched over to the third slot of five in my needlework rotation.

The actual cutting went well with my better scissors - the Dovo pair that I got at the Silver Needle a couple of years ago during Stitch Camp.  They cut all the way to the very sharp tips, which helps a lot when getting into those narrow places like the leaf stems. 

As mentioned in the chageover post, next up in the needlework rotation is Elizabeth's Designs "Garden Delight".   I'm working on the remaining borders for my next 10 hours.   At about 6 hours (most of which were due to the #24HoursOfCrossStitch virtual retreat last week), I have the satin stitch and eyelet flowers in the second border done.  They were rather finicky; each one took about 15 minutes. 

This week,  I'm on to border #3, which is Smyrna cross and ringed backstitch.  Ringed backstitch can be a pulled thread stitch, making little openwork circles.  But here it is not pulled, so it looks more like double running.  

And as promised, here's the Sock Yarn Blanket as of the end of Round 7.  Puttering along on this in stolen moments while reading or watching TV/You tube.  The only time I have to really pay attention is on the corners.   I'll tackle Round 8 / Corner 1 today after I check in with the SSC crew (link to current round up).

Needlework Changeover - 2020 Rotation #4, slots 1 (pictorial) and 2 (not counted thread) complete

 Since I was working on the beading on Millennium and the outlining on the cutwork napkin at the same time, they finished up more or less together.  

Millennium was FINISHED.  (I still can't stop looking at it!) and so was the first cutwork napkin.  By 'first', I mean the first one I worked on.  It's actually #7 of 8 in the set.

 

I have two goals for the rest of the month.  Get more assembly done on the Sampler Sweetbag.  And do 10 hours on the Elizabeth Designs project that I started back in July.  I left off about half way through the border.  It still needs some 'satin and eyelet' flowers and two more borders - a linked chain with smyrna crosses that will fill in the bottom of the corner squares and then the inner border (which is large half eyelets if I remember right.  And the verse, of course.

 

Needlework WiP: "VS 4 Elements: Air" Band 1

Success!   The Fray Check reinforced satin stitch was enough to keep the hardanger area intact for Band 1 of Victoria Sampler's "Four Elements: Fresh Air".  

You can really see now how that center band in the 'window' is unsupported and why it needed reinforced!  Four little threads holding it together!!!!!

The rest of the piece is pretty straight forward, but lots of decisions will need to be made with the colors as I am doing a conversion from "baby blue and pink" to "bright yellows" in order for the piece to make sense with the strong reds, kelly greens, and medium blues of the other three pieces in the series.

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 22, 2020

Very surreal week this week.   My work has transitioned to work from home, which I always wanted to try.   Still working out the bugs - especially for printing, but Skype meetings are working well.  But other than seeing video of my co-workers and waving at the mail man and the neighbors, I haven't seen a soul all week.   Guild is cancelled, as are church services and my choir.  I'm totally out of my usual routine. 

But I'm all caught up on laundry LOL.  And it's nice to be able to cook every day.  I need to add in a walk over my lunch hour, and watch the amount of snacks.  It's too easy to nosh all day with the kitchen just steps away. 

There's been quite a bit of crafting, as I'm sure is the case with everyone in the Slow Sunday Stitching crew (link to the week's roundup). 

First and foremost - the hand pieced Christmas Carpenter's Wheel is done!  I really like the way this one turned out.  It will be a striking focal for the eventual sampler / orphan block quilt.  I'm leaning toward doing this 'medallion style' with this block as the center.  But right now, I'm just collecting blocks of all sizes.  Since this is only added to when I want to do a 'test' block, it will take a long time to get enough blocks for a decent sized quilt.

needs a good press, but it will be folded up
in the project box, so ironing will be later

The socks also got quite a bit of time this week.  The gussets are done on both of them.  Now it's all plain knitting down to the toes.   Since these are the travel project and I'm obviously not going anywhere, these are getting a few rounds off and on during my work day and also the 'TV knitting' time.  The majority of the knitting this week was during a long meeting (Skype) that I had to attend but not present for, so I wasn't up on the video.  And also some online professional development classes that didn't need much note taking.  I focus so much better if my hands are busy.  

I haven't put as much time this week into the Victoria Sampler "Air" as I had hoped, but I did get the first of the 'curtain' panels done and the second side panel cut.  Once again, I used Janice Love's excellent Hardanger series for a reference.  This time, 'wrapped bars with dove's eyes' and 'Greek crosses' were in the second book "Fundamentals Made Fancy".  So far, so good on the cutwork. 

pin is keeping the pink basting tails out of the way until the center is cut

 Stay well, everyone.


ETA:  My church hosted Morning Prayer online (link to the main page, recorded service is embedded) , which was interesting and I really enjoyed it.  We are also doing Compline (the late evening service) live on our Facebook page at 9 every night.  I have been doing the early Morning Prayer as my Lenten discipline, so my days are bounded in reverence.

Needlework WiP: "VS 4 Elements: Air" Band 1 Set up

As with all of this series of small samplers, the top band is modern Hardanger.  In this case, the area is a 'window' with lacy 'curtains' on either side. 

Now traditional Hardanger is formed with kloster blocks that are in a four by four grid.  The open areas have four threads on each side (or more if on the edge of the lace area) that go all the way across the lace and into the ground fabric on the other side.  This makes Hardanger surprisingly sturdy.   It had to be sturdy, it's used for table linens, towels and aprons, after all.   And it holds up to fairly vigorous laundry.  Historically, laundry of the 'boiling water with lye soap, wringers and washboards' type.   Even though the most ornate versions were probably used for 'Sunday best' clothes and 'the preacher is coming to dinner/holiday dinner' type use, those items still had to be washed fairly frequently.

The problem is that modern Hardanger doesn't always follow the four by four rule.  The other three pieces in this series did, but used shaped kloster blocks and different fillings to make their designs.  THIS one, though uses four by four blocks in the 'curtains' and six by six blocks in the 'window'.

Vertically, that's not an issue, the threads running from the top to the bottom of the lace area go into the ground fabric just fine.   But horizontally is another thing.  There are exactly two sets of two threads each in the entire area that go all the way across.   That's not nearly enough for structural stability.  You can see in the photo below, the pink basting is where the threads will be cut.   Especially problematic is that highlighted center bit.

It's hard to see, but the right basting will be cut.  Directly opposite that cut is a woven bar in the 'window' section.  Only four threads keep the entire thing from falling apart.

So the solution is one that I would NEVER use with traditional Hardanger - Fray Check.   I'm going to run a line of it down both sides of the center 'window' before I do the satin stitch in that area.  Heresy to use it on fine needlework, but needs must.

I sure hope this works......

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 8, 2020

It's been a bit of a mixed bag crafting wise this week.

I did get started on the Victoria Sampler "Four Elements: Air" band sampler, but I only got a bit over an hour in on the upper band of modern Hardanger before I hit a problem.    I'll do a post on the issue and my solution later this week once the solution is actually implemented.   Spoiler Alert:  it involves glue...…

 As promised, here's where I am on the Christmas Carpenter's Wheel.   Corners 1 and 2 are attached, and I've pin basted the first section of Corner 3 - getting that corner attached is my SSS goal for today.  

I will need to haul out the bin for this project, pull fabric and cut the background triangles at some point this week; I may try to do that this afternoon as well.

And my socks are to the heel flaps!  So they will be house knitting until the heel flaps, turns, pick up and gusset decreases are all done.  Then they will go back to being travel knitting all the way down to the toes.  Because of the variances in the two skeins, these will be more fraternal twins than identical twins.   But they are very obviously a pair, which is the most I can hope for with this particular yarn.

Linking up with the SSS crew at Kathy's blog.

Needlework WiP: "VS 4 Elements: Earth" Band 13

The second cutwork drawn thread band on this sampler is set up the same way as the first one, but with six threads removed instead of four.   The hemstitching is the same, then the pin stitch area of pulled thread work is offset for a totally different look.

Needlework WiP: "VS 4 Elements: Earth" Band 8 hemstitching

Once you have the linen prepared for drawn thread work, the fun step of the embellishment can start.  Often there is some type of hemstitching to secure the top and/or the bottom of the open area.  There can also be fancy interlacements done on the open threads or additional pulled work on either side. 


This design calls for a relatively simple four sided hem stitch, with an additional band of pulled four sided stitch (under only moderate tension to match the hemstitching) directly underneath and sharing the same holes in the fabric grid.  

The effect is quite nice - open and lacy.  This would make a nice border on a hand towel.