Daydreams: Sular Designs

Project: Daydreams (Rainbow Gallery chart, 1991)

Designer: Unknown

(Sular Designs)

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 3

Cadberry Tea tray: http://www.sudberry.com/catalog/teadresser.htm

Comments: This is one of the first design that I have stitched. The finished size is 6" by 10". This design could be done in three different colors: Fall/Earth tone, Pink/Blue pastel and Peach/Green pastel. Since I instinctively tend to go with earth tones, I selected the first option for mine.

The original design on the photograph had been inserted in a lovely Sudberry Tea Tray. A piece of gold lame has been put under mine and you can see little bits of gold coming through here and there. I just love this piece and how it was finished.

I have retaken a few photographs as I did not really like my original one, but it was difficult because of the glares of both the glass and the gold lame underneath. I still think that they are an improvement over the original photo though as we can see better.

The ideal solution is to take a photograph before doing any finishing at all but I did not used to do that when I first started stitching unfortunately. I don't think that we even had a digital camera, so that would explain it. Things have changed considerably for us since the coming of digital cameras as we now know right away if a photo is good or not and we can take as many snapshots as necessary and it does not cost us an arm and a leg with photo finishing.

Above is a closeup photograph

Scissor case: Carole Lake, designer

Project: Scissor case (Glitzy Accessories)

Designer: Carole Lake

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Carole's website: http://www.carolelake.com/

Comments: Another interesting stitching accessories from Carole lake, a scissor case with a long cord making it easier to carry it with you.

Keepsakes: Beverley Sheldrick, designer

Project: Keepsakes (Bookmark)

Designer: Beverley Sheldrick of New Zealand

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photo: 1

Project coming from Inspirations magazine #50, pages 58 - 62

Comments: I am an avid reader and I can loose myself for hours in a book, so when I saw this little bookmark in that magazine I knew that I just had to stitch it for myself. Since I already had some lovely silk dupioni at hand, all that remained to do was to find some threads with some silk ribbons that would go well together and do the actual stitching which really did not take long at all. The finishing instructions that came with the project were also a breeze.

There are 2 other projects that accompany this bookmark, which I have not done myself, one is a pen case and the other one a notebook, both lovely.

UPDATE: Yesterday I received Anasazi Song from my framer. It was a very nice surprise as I was not expected to get it back so soon. I have taken a few photos and have added them to the Anasazi Song blog entry here.

*** Special note: We had some thunderstorms during the night and the internet connection did not come back until 8 o'clock this morning, which explains why I am late posting.

Czarina: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: Czarina

(8th of the series)

Designer: Jim Wurth

Series: Dodecagon ornaments

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Jim's Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DodecagonSeriesOrnaments/

Comments: I believe that this is the ornament that made me decide to subscribe to this whole Dodecagon ornament series. I thought it was just fabulous.

UPDATES: As I go through my old blog, other photo albums, files, etc. I am finding additional photos that should have been included in previous posts, so each time that happens I will add the links for you so that you can have a  look at them, if interested.

Fabric vase with silk flowers: Photo of the pillow has been posted here.

Bargello symphony: Photo before framing has been posted here.

Windows into my heart: Photo of the original project, the one I had fell in love with but could not have because of discontinued material has been posted here.

Lace Ribbons: Dakota Rogers, designer

Project: Lace Ribbons

Designer: Dakota Rogers

Type of needlework: Blackwork

Photos: 2

Dakota's web site: http://www.dakotarogers.com/

An EGA correspondence course: http://www.egausa.org/

Received through: EGA CyberStitchers: http://www.cyberstitchers.org/

Comments: Sometimes there are interesting coincidences. I wanted to learn how to do blackwork properly and was looking for a good source to learn from when I won this course written by Dakota Rogers for EGA.

When we have our meetings at EGA CyberStitchers, we sign in daily for each meeting and at the end of that day there is a drawing of two names and these winners get to pick a prize shown in special photo albums on the Yahoo group where we hold these meetings and I chose this project.

As soon as I received it through the mail, I purchased the necessary material and stitched it right away. I found blackwork ro be a very enjoyable form of needlework and I have done many other projects afterwards, which I will add to my blog later on.

Lace ribbons has been finished as a pillow with cording around it and tassels added at each corner.

"Desire": Susan Portra, designer

Project: "Desire"

(#13 of the Cabochon Series)

Rainbow Gallery 1993

Designer: Susan Portra

Type of needlework: Bargello

Photos: 9

Comments: This is one of those projects that I fell in love at first sight. I love bargello and this bargello ornament just seemed like it would be so much fun to stitch and it was.

The finished size is 5" by 7", so not a long stitch.

I had found this chart on eBay and there was nothing included, no threads and no cabochons with rimsets and no bugle beads either.

One of the thread was discontinued, but I was lucky enough to get it from a fellow stitcher. One problem remained though. I could not find the necessary cabochons for it and they were important to the design. Some of my friends even went to a lot of troubles to try to find some for me.

During that time I started thinking about what I could do to replace those hard to find cabochons and then it hit me like a ton of bricks, why not stitch some Jessica stitches instead using some gold metallic threads and fill the inside with some red metallic ones.

I tried it and was real pleased with the results. Then I had to make a decision about the bugle beads. Did I still wanted to use some as they are not hard to find or did I want to do something else instead. With the previous changes I had made, I opted to add a row of metallic thread instead.

Since I was in a changing mood, I then decided to finish it differently and you will see two photos showing the finished project. All I did for the finishing was to enlarge the original design and cut a piece of cardboard, cover it with a nice piece of velour that would serve as background and attach the finished stitched piece on top. I put some brown paper on back of the larger piece covered in red velour and glued a fabric hook that could support the weight which was rather light and I was pretty much done.

I have also included a photo of how Susan Portra did the original one. Normally I would have done it exactly the same as I loved the original design but due to the lack of cabochons I ended up with something different but equally interesting.

2 examples of cabochons a bit similar to those needed for this project but not quite what was needed

How I decided to do my finishing for "Desire"

This is now hanging on one of my walls

This is a photo (below) that came with the instructions showing the original design, how it was stitched and finished as an ornament.

A little horse called Suzie: Needle case

Project: A little horse called Suzie

Designer: A stitched drawing with the addition of silk ribbon flowers in the corners

(This was done for a needle case exchange)

Type of needlework: Embroidery and Silk Ribbon

Drawing taken from this book on page 86: Motifs for Crazy Quilting by J. Marsha Michler

Photos: 2

Comments: When I was part of Crazy Quilting International, we often made exchanges and these items did not have to be crazy quilting for such exchanges as long as it was something that we embroidered ourselves.

The woman who had been selected to receive my needle case had a love for horses and she had had many during her lifetime but there was one special horse that she had especially loved riding and her name was "Suzie". I thought that she might enjoy receiving a needle case with a horse on its cover and I made this one for her. I added some silk ribbon flowers at two corners and a little bit of cording.

From what she told me when she opened it, she was real happy about receiving something like this.

Lots of interesting photos for embroidery in this book which makes it an interesting book to have for crazy quilters but also for someone who is only searching for a drawing to embroider.

Portuguese Needlework pillow: Patricia Stone, designer

Project: Portuguese needlework pillow

Designer: Patricia Stone

Type of needlework: Portuguese

Photo: 1

Project coming from this book: Portuguese Needlework Rugs: The Time-honored art of arraiolos rugs adapted for modern handcrafters (page 109)

Comments: This project could have been finished as a rug but was finished as a pillow instead.

 UPDATES: Two projects have been framed.

The first one is Mallard Duck Collage. To see the new photos of Mallard Duck Collage, please click here.

The second one is Twilight Angel. To see the new photos of Twilight Angel, please click here.

On this new photoblog, my goal is to keep every photos relating to any particular project together with its initial posting. I will always put a note telling you where it is with my daily posting as I have just done above.

The Baroness Edie: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: The Baroness Edie

(7th of the series)

Designer: Jim Wurth

Series: Dodecagon ornaments

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Jim's Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DodecagonSeriesOrnaments/

Comments: This is another lovely design from the Dodecagon series using very pastel colors this time around, so pretty like the previous ones.

Each time that a box came from Jim, I always rushed to open it right away in order to find out what colors and design I would be surprised with.

Jim's instructions are always very clear and there are lots of them with graphs on every page making it very easy to stitch each ornament. They were also relatively quick stitch due to their size.

Cats: Anne Stradal, designer

Project: Cats

Designer: Anne Stradal

Type of Needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Anne's website: http://www.absdesignsonline.com/

Anne's Website Guest Gallery: http://www.absdesignsonline.com/guest_gallery.htm

Anne's blog: http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/

Comments: I love stitching Halloween projects as it is just so much fun. If you were a fly on the wall while I stitch such projects, you would see me grinning from start to finish.

This is a small painted canvas, so that was a quick stitch. Have finished it as a door hanger and have given it to a dear friend of mine, just to put a smile on her face ............. and it did because we have been having this ongoing joke between the two of us for what now seems to be like forever.

I often tease her when she says that flying is too expense by saying that all she has to do to come visit me is to climb on her broomstick and fly over to my place and that I will keep the lights on for her for easy roof landing, with a big ladder handy so that she can come down in style to ring my doorbell. Coffee or tea will always be waiting for her with of course a nice assortment of cookies.