Crewel embroidery design: Joanna Reed, designer

Project: Crewel embroidery design

Designer: Joanna Reed

Type of needlework: Crewel embroidery

Photo: 1

Design coming from the magazine called "Victoria", September 1993

Comments: This is the very first crewel embroidery project that I stitched and I discovered that I truly enjoyed stitching on fabric instead of on canvas. I have only stitched a couple of crewel projects, Edwina Gorey, being the other one, so I am thinking that it is high time for me to stitch some more. I just happen to have one waiting for me.

One of my goal these days is to work on my UFOs as I have got way too many of them sitting here and there. I am presently working on one of them called Persian Fantasy and my intention is to stitch exclusively on it until it is completed, then pick another UFO and do the same. Some of them have very little left to do before I can take them off the stretcher bars, so perhaps 2010 will be known as the year of the UFOs in my household.

Scissor fob: Carole Lake, designer

Project: Scissor fob (Glitzy Accessories)

Designer: Carole Lake

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

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

Comments: This is the 5th of the Glitzy accessories, a little scissor fob. Only one more remains and it is a beautiful name tag. Having chosen my own colors for these accessories made it so much enjoyable to stitch them, as they were all colors that I really love. I just love it when there is some copper tones in the project though that does not stop me from doing projects in a lot of very different colors.

Camelot: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: Camelot

(9th 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 beautiful design from the Dodecagon series.

Little clown

Project: Little clown

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Designs from http://cathycreatif.free.fr/index_galerie.php

(beautiful drawings that can be adapted to embroidery)

Finishing: Done as an ATC (artistic trading card)

Photo: 1

Comments: I love to try things at least once so when we had some ATC (Artistic Trading Card) exchanges, I signed up for some of them.

This is a little clown I have stitched for which I found a drawing on the website listed above. All that remains after that was to decide how to stitch him, what colors to use, etc.

I decided to do a bit of thread painting for part of his outfit, added a few juggling balls, finished it and it was ready to be mailed. I really like the little fellow and I wish I could have kept it. I have this thing for clowns ever since I made a drawing of one of them in class when I was in eight grade and I surprised myself and my art teacher as it was so well drawn with a very sad expression on his face. I am not normally great at drawing so this was one in a lifetime extra special drawing. Too bad I don't have that one either. I need to stitch myself a clown and keep it this time around.

If I had to redo this clown ATC again, I would probably put a cardboard piece sandwiched between the two pieces of fabric so that it would end up straighter. It looks a bit ragged as it is (grinning).

Gracie: Ganet Burr, designer

Project: Gracie

Designer: Ganet Burr

Type of needlework: Stumpwork

(Intermediate level)

Photos: 12

This is an EGA correspondence course taken through EGA CyberStitchers

Comments: When I stitched this lovely project, I had been wanting to do some stumpwork for a while and after seeing Gracie, I just could not resist anymore and just had to stitch her. It was a lot of hard work, but so worth the time spent on her.

You will find photos showing Gracie at different stages from start to finish.

 I was looking for a very special project to put on my blog today and looking through all the projects that remains to be posted on this blog I felt it just had to be Gracie, as she is such wonderful company to have around. I have very pleasant memories stitching her. It was such a great learning experience for me.

Today Daylight Saving Time begins for us in the USA. I like longer evenings, but that also means that the mornings are going to be dark again, making it so much harder to wake up. Bad start this morning as I woke up an hour later than my usual waking up time. At least I hope that this is a sign that Spring is around the corner as Winter has been so very long and cold this year compared to previous ones.

Left side seaweed leaves

Right side long slender seaweed leaves

Seaweed ferns using Edmar Boucle threads

Tail and fins for Gracie

Sand added

Wired elements: Seaweeds

Wired elements: Large and small fins and the fish body

Adding the fish body over two layers of padding (felt)

Attaching all the wired elements, adding the eyes, mouth and some bubbles

Close-up of Gracie

Gracie all framed up

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.