Partial WiP, But really about other stuff article....

 

So, let's start with the WIP.

This is still page 1 of Mother's Love. I'm making progress, but it does feel a little slow.

Sadly, this week, I haven't really had much time to do much stitching.

I've had a few appointments outside the home, I've been trying to sign more artists to my company, and, to be perfectly honest, I've been incredibly tired this week. Seem to be having more than my fair share of afternoon naps. Starting to feel like an old man! LOL! It's probably just the last few weeks catching up with me.

 But, this does mean there's not a lot I can update anyone with that's about my stitching...so this post is going to be about other things.

Firstly, my cat.

Isis.

Gorgeous, contrary, and loving she and her sister Olivia, are my absolutely joy (even if her name is now tainted by that horrible terrorist group! She's named after the Egyptian goddess of love!)

Anyway, she has a scratch post which her sister completely ignores. Even so, every so often she chooses to scratch the new armchair instead...so we moved the scratch post so she'd choose the right thing.

But, this is how she chose to use it:

 

When asked Is that you footrest, Isis? she answered and I managed to catch it with the camera. So, there she is saying Yes as only cats can! :-)

So, while I've been busy doing work-related tasks, or just watching CSI: NY as that's all I have the energy for, Nigel has been hard at work being very creative.

For the first time in years he dug out his art supplies and started to draw.

I guess, given his love of Downton Abbey it should come as no surprise that he chose the characters from that show to be his subjects.

Personally, given that he hasn't drawn/painted for about 3 years, I think he's done an amazing job. Just think what he could achieve if he had more time to practice!

First up is Anna Bates. Loyal ladies maid.

Then we have Lady Edith.

And finally, Lady Mary

Hope you like them, and don't be surprised if more appear! He's just bought more art supplies, so I don't think he plans to stop for a while.

I'm very proud of him!

WIPped But Never Beaten! Mega Progress Report

 

First up we have Day 2 of Awwoo from PaineFreeCrafts.

The moment I saw this design I knew I had to stitch it and I've finally started!

This particular picture has been designed with the option to stitch the white background too. Personally, I'm choosing not to do that. I also think this decision will make the colours stand out more.

I've started in the top left corner.

When finished it will look like this:

Next up is my easy design I'm doing between the others. This is 2QT2BSTR8.

When finished it will look like this:

 Next up is a design from one of my favourite companies Tilton Crafts (yes, I know I shouldn't say that about the competition...but, really, who cares about that sort of rubbish!? Oh, wait, pretty much everyone else does! :-) )

Anyway, this is my progress on page 1 of So Lonely.

I'm still loving every stitch and I know this is going to be amazing when it's done.

 

When finished, this is what it will look like:

 

Finally, an update on Mother's Love, from my own company Eclectic Bloke Designs.

This is from a painting by Caroline Lord.

What you're looking at is page 1, and as you can see, I've managed to define the shape of the page already.

 I'm really enjoying this one too.

I started in the top left corner (right under my watermark!) When finished, the design will look like this:

 So Lonely, Mother's Love and Awwoo! are all being stitched on 28ct Charles Craft Monaco fabric. 1 thread over 1.

Finally, here is my Tanto so far.

As I mentioned ages ago, I use a Tanto mainly with kits, but when I'm doing 6 WIPs I'm finding it very helpful. As I cut a length of floss from one of my bobbins, I store it on my Tanto for easier access.

I may not get so much time to stitch any more, but I really can't complain.

I love charting the art I get given and I love the interaction with the friends and customers I'm meeting.

The sacrifice may be a little of my stitching time, but I think it's worth it.

HAPPY STITCHING!

Getting WIPped into shape! 3 WIP updates!

 

Here it is! A new update for my Indiana Jones design.

Firstly, I would like to address the issue of copyright with this design. I charted this long before I knew anything about copyright and started my own company.

Should I be stitching it? Actually, yes. Copyright law does have a whole section about personal use only, and it because of that I am continuing to stitch this design.

This design is just for me. I will not be selling it or making any profit from it and I will not be giving anyone else the chart.  Also, I have written to Paramount Pictures to ask permission to use it...funnily enough they haven't replied yet!

The above image  shows where I'm up to from a distance, but this one is a bit closer in for detail. This is stitched on 18ct aida.

 

I started this end of last year, but life and the Tiger commission got in the way so I had to stop. But, now I'm back at it and have completed the block I was working on as well as the confetti stretching out from it.

 Here's how Indy will look when it's finished:

My second WIP is my own design 2QT2BSTR8.

This colourful little design is proving to be an absolute joy to stitch as it gives me a nice break from the more complicated images.

As you can see I've now completed two sections including the gold Kreinik backstitch. I hate backstitch, so for this one I'm going to do it as I finish each letter/number.

 

Here's what it will look like when it's finished:

 

Finally, for today, I have a long-awaited update for Mother's Love.

A whole debacle over the fabric resulted in me starting this three times (including this attempt).

The 25 and 27 count fabrics I tried were not suitable (too loose/flimsy) so I opted to go with the 28ct Monaco evenweave I mentioned in my last blog entry.

Well, that arrived yesterday and I got cracking straight away!

This is what I did in just a few hours:

 

 

I'm pretty proud of myself for making good progress. This image also shows the width and length of the page I'm working on...which is a nice side effect of the colour I started with. I do like it when I can see what I'm aiming for.

For anyone who can't remember, this is what Mother's Love will look like when it's completed.

That section I've done is the top left corner. Long way to go but I'm really enjoying working with 28ct!

Both Mother's Love and 2QT2BSTR8 can be purchased from my website by clicking HERE

HAPPY STITCHING!

WIP Updates!

So, here I am showing progress pictures of my latest WIPs. To be honest, it feels a little strange to not be posting pictures of some tigers!

Also, there's that this-doesn't-look-like-anything stage at the beginning of any new project that just makes progress pictures a bit of a bore, in my opinion.

But, then again, it's really nice to be able to look back and see what things used to look like, which is why I do this.

The above picture is the top left corner of So Lonely from Tilton Crafts. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to stitch it. I love bears and I'd never seen a decent Polar Bear cross stitch design until this one. This (along with Indy and Mother's Love) is the first small-count, complicated design I've ever tackled. So far I'm really enjoying it.

 

You can buy this amazing design HERE

Here's a distance shot so you can see how big it's going to be:

There's actually another 4 inches or so at the bottom too. So, I've got a reaaaaallly long way to go! :-)

You may be wondering why I haven't posted any more progress pics for Mother's Love from my own company.

Well, to be honest, I've abandoned it until I get some new fabric (which is in the post! (or mail to my US friends)). I really couldn't get on with the 25 count I was using, or the 27 count I bought to replace it (I've now started that design twice!).

So, given that the 28 count I'm using for So Lonely is a joy to work with I've ordered more of the same.

For anyone who wants to know the fabric is from DMC, their Charles Craft Range and it's 20x24" 28 count Monaco in white. It's 100% cotton and it has a thicker, more rigid feel.

I've also not done any further work on my Indy picture...but that may change this week!

Finally, I have my easy WIP.

The latest design from my own company, I designed this one for someone on Facebook who wanted something she could stitch for her gay granddaughter. I wanted something that wasn't gender specific, and this is what I came up with.

 

That stands for 'Too Cute to be Straight' in case you can't figure it out.

I've used the colours of the Rainbow Flag too, which I really like and I think makes for an interesting design.

I've already started stitching this too and here's where I'm up to:

It's a nice easy stitch. Designed in 14 count and using only 9 colours with gold Kreinik thread for the backstitch - just to give it some bling!

I'm doing this on a 16count evenweave band. Not quite sure what I'll do with it when it's finished, but I'm sure Nigel or I will think of something.

At the request of a Facebook friend, I also have the same design with a different layout - so that it's adaptable for cushions or standard frame sizes.

Here's Version 2:

 I also have a companion piece in the works which I think will appeal to people as well. At least I hope so!

In other news....I'm still hunting for new artists and hope to have new designs for my company soon.

HAPPY STITCHING!

FINALLY FINISHED!! Siberian Gold Tigers - Day 56....plus a wee break.

56 Days and it's finally finished!

This is Siberian Gold and it's from Anchor and it's a commission piece I've had in my possession for about 6 months.

I've actually only spent 56 days stitching it in that time and each day has been a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 14.

I hated the first page but loved every stitch after that.

Now it's done, I will be sorry to see it go, but I'll be pleased to be able to concentrate on my own stitching.

In addition to finishing this design over the weekend, I also did some more on my Tilton Crafts design So Lonely. It still doesn't look like much, but at least progress is being made! That's also almost 200 stitches!

So, what else did we do since my last blog entry?

Well, on Thursday we had a trip to York.

We discovered we could get a train from Grantham (about an hour from our house) and be in York in an hour too! Which gives Nigel a nice break from driving too!

So, off we trotted to Grantham train station. Admittedly getting up at 5.45am to be able to get the train was not my idea of fun!

 

An hour later and we were in York!

York's a lovely train station. Very clean and modern with a touch of the London feel.

Don't worry...I'm not going to bore you with 'holiday snaps'. We spent the day wandering around the city; which if you've never been, is a beautiful place to visit!

We found a stitching shop of some importance too!

People who read my blog know I'm a firm fan of the Able Stretcher frame, well the UK owner of the design is based in York...The Viking Loom.

And here I am outside (I HATE this picture! LOL!)

After a fair amount of time in there - during which Nigel bought some patchwork squares... - we continued our wanderings.

We found the Abbey which is lovely:

 I even managed to get Nigel to pose for a picture and he managed to sneak another of me:

As the day wore on we both started to feel like old me. Aching feet, aching backs, too hot, too thirsty! LOL! Still it was a lovely day and we really enjoyed ourselves. Nigel was especially pleased at only having to drive a little bit all day!

The following day, while I was busy trying to finish the tigers, Nigel was hard at work creating this little masterpiece!

A companion piece to the other Downtown Abbey Cushion, this is the sequel!

Fully patchworked with flower/fabric buttons and framed with a delicate blue edging.

And, now we're up to date.

Hope you enjoyed this entry.

HAPPY STITCHING!

Nigel, A Stool and the Downton Abbey Cushion

My partner Nigel is currently on a week's leave, and one of the things we like to do together is browse our local (local towns and cities that is) charity shops, antique shops, car boot sales (that's flea market/thrift store to my US readers).

We're always on the lookout for a bargain. It's also a really good way of supporting a wide range of charities, which is something we like to do as well.

The stool pictured was found in the town of Alford in one of their junk shops (not as nice as a charity shop or antique store).

Primarily it was rubbish...but this oak-legged stool was hidden in a corner.

You can't really tell from this picture but that material was disgusting. Stained, tatty and a little on the smelly side!

But, it was also only £3 and it was solid. No wobbly legs!

On the way home from our day out we stopped at our local needlework shop (LNS to those in the know!) Camelot Crafts, where, in addition to the Teresa Wentzler Carousel Horses chart book and Qsnap-equivalent frame for me, Nigel bought a handful of material swatches.

They were called the official Downton Abbey Range.

As a huge DA fan, it was a no brainer for Nigel to buy them. A plan was forming.

But, first....that stool!

Delving into his stash of fabric, Nigel spent a couple of hours cleaning and re-upholstering the stool until it looked like this:

I loved it! And so did our cat, Olivia:

First thing this morning - while I was hard at work! LOL! - Nigel took a trip to the local haberdasher to pick up some braiding for his stool, which he finished when he got home!

With the stool done, the next task was to design and create his patchwork Downton Abbey cushion!

Here's the back of the finished cushion:

 

And here's the front.

The purple colour is called Lady Mary. Also, of special notes, is the fact that he covered some buttons with material from the back to tie it all together.

I think he's done an incredible job!

Here's the two of them together:

It's a wonderful thing to have a partner who can create such beautiful things for our home!

The cushion cost about £18 to make and the stool cost £7.50!

In my opinion you couldn't buy something this nice in a shop!

So, a round of applause for my amazing partner, Nigel!!!

Mega WIP Update! Lions, Tigers & Polar Bears, Oh MY!

Day 55 of the Siberian Gold Tigers is just backstitch.

Yes, I am one of the many who hate backstitch. Foolishly with this design I didn't do it as I went along, which I normally would have. There simply didn't look like there was a lot of it, so I thought it would be OK to leave it until the end.

How wrong was I?

There is loads of the stuff - but even worse, most of it doesn't even damn well show!!!

Twig highlights is all there is and the effect is so minimal as to be practically invisible!

I'm probably about half way through the backstitch, but I just can't do it for hours on end. Splitting it into small sessions is the only way I can cope with it!

So, now we're onto the new stuff.

Back on July 28th I posted the first pictures of my Mother's Love design.

This is what it looked like:

Sadly, I had to abandon that one. I really couldn't get on with linen over 1. The stitches kept slipping and going out of shape.

So, I abandoned that one and started on a piece evenweave instead.

INTERMISSION

A word about material.

I will admit that I've never given much thought to the material I use. Most of the time I do kits and it's never crossed my mind to swap out the fabric.

Primarily I've used aida, but also quite a bit of linen. Never evenweave. I've also never stitched 1 over 1 before.

Also - in my very UNPOPULAR opinion - I really am not a fan of all that tie-dyed, sparkly fabric that many people use. It's just a personal preference, but I find it all a little on the naff side (please don't lynch me for having an opinion).

But, my ignorance - or indifference - to material does bear an impact on this article.

MAIN FEATURE RESUMED

 The evenweave I'd purchased for another project was DMC Tiole á broder and I figured that would be fine.

Well, it is to a certain extent.

It's a lot easier to use than the linen, but I'm still not impressed with the general 'lightweight' feel of the fabric.

I'm toying with ditching it for another fabric that I do like (more in a minute). The only reason I'm resisting is because I've already done quite a bit!

Here's the update picture:

Distance shot:

 

 This is Mother's Love on 25 count evenweave.

 You can see in this close-up that I've done about 200 stitches.

To be honest, my first experience of working with 25 count is really not a pleasant one. I have found the fabric poor and the count awkward...however, a revelation was to come very, very soon....

Given how annoying I was finding the 25 count, I decided that it would be a good idea to see how I felt about 28 count. After all, if it was all going to go pear shaped, it's better to learn that early in the process.

I decided to start So Lonely from Tilton Crafts:

I'd already bought the 28 count fabric - the cheapest I could find on Amazon, in this case Charles Craft Monaco.

I prepared my Able Stretcher frame and threads and prepared myself for another headache.

In the space of an hour I'd done this:

 Just over 100 of neat, uniform and thoroughly enjoyable stitches!

The moment I opened the fabric packet I could feel the quality and thickness. It's an absolute joy to stitch on.

Whereas earlier I was thinking I'd made a terrible mistake taking on this challenge, now I feel much more confident.

I'm now thinking of ditching the 25 count and restarting Mother's Love on a piece of this stuff!

It's been a while since I had done a lot of stitching (a while for me being a couple of weeks!) and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've enjoyed the challenge of new fabric counts and the discovery of what I like.

While I was busy doing this, my partner, Nigel was doing something else....so check out my other blog entry today to see what he created!

HAPPY STITCHING!