Piece By Piece...

I know it doesn't look like much, but the silver brilliant check is a smaller gauge than I usually use, and each chipping (cut piece) is tiiiiny! You can see them in my little bees wax pot in this picture. That silver strand next to my laying tool is what they look like uncut. It seriously took me a couple hours to get this far.

I'll work on it again when I get home from work today. (I'm liking these new hours, by the way.) I'm hoping to at least complete half of this heart by the time I stop later today.

Wish me luck!

 

Purple Heart Brooch...

Purple Heart Brooch In Progress

I completed all the stitching for the Purple Heart Brooch yesterday. I can't cut that one out yet, because removing two from the ground fabric would destabilize my other two brooches I still need to stitch. I'll cut them all out when those blue ones are done.

It was really lovely to sit in my favorite sunny spot to stitch. Bella was sleeping at my feet, while Handsome ran errands with Bella's kid. 

I'll be working on the blue hearts today. I'll begin with the pearl purl outlines, and progress to the chippings, beads and crosses. These will be Bridal Brooches when they're finished, but the purple one is already spoken for.

I hope it's warming up with a little bonus sunshine where you live. I'm looking forward to the temperatures continuing to rise. I'm completely done with the deep freeze stuff! I know there's a cuppa with my name on it, so I'm off to start my day. See ya later, gator!

Ta Daaa!...

I want to begin this post by sharing the photograph I received of the bride's bouquet. My niece told me that the bouquet will look exactly like this one. It's silks, so I trusted her assessment. Isn't it gorgeous? My task was to try to create a finished embroidery equal to this bouquet. As you know, that bit hanging from the bottom was a bit vexing, but I think MA and I came up with the solution.

 

I took this photograph in daylight once it was complete and framed.  I stretched into a new hoop and then secured the back, covering it with a beautiful blue felt and the frame backer. This is a closeup of all my stitches.

 

 

This is the photograph I'll be using as one of the images for a listing in my etsy shop for future embroideries. It also shows you just how perfect the frame is for the monogram. 

I sure hope my nephew and his bride love the finished piece. I'll get photos of the newlyweds later today to share next week. Time to go. I'm off to a wedding!

 

Here's What's Next...

I see flowers in my future. Lots of flowers, for a wedding monogram I'm going to start today. If you've been to my Etsy shop, you've seen the "B" framed piece used as an example of wedding pieces that you can commission me to stitch. This is going to be similar to that. 

The flowers in this first photograph are not my work. They're from the book that I use for the monogram shapes. Aren't they pretty, though?

This is a portion of the piece I'll be doing. It's actually the letter "N", and most of the flowers on the pattern are irrelevant to me, as I'll mostly use my own flowers to coordinate with the bride's bouquet. That's a bit tricky in this case, as I have no idea what the bride intends to carry. 

When I'm not sure exactly what flowers to use, I default to the wedding invitation for an idea of the bride's taste. As this is for my great-nephew's wedding, I'm going to contact his mom today to see if she can at least advise me of what colors will be in the bouquet. Once I know that, this piece could be anything from tones of white and cream, to wintry or spring colors. 

Today I'll begin by preparing the fabric (linen), and transferring the basics of the design onto it. Once I have the conversation about colors, I'll pull silk threads for this piece, and begin stitching by lunchtime.

I enjoy doing these monograms, so I know it's going to be fun, especially since it's for a couple I know and love. I'll share more information about it tomorrow. I intend to add a few symbolic touches to this piece, too, which I'll explain later.

I guess I'd better make that phone call so I can get started on this. See you tomorrow!

Brynwood Bridal...

My Brynwood Bridal department is already open in my Etsy shop, with new additions posting this week. Brynwood Baby will open soon, featuring some very special handcrafted items for baby boys and girls. I can't wait to share those treasures with you! I'll let you know when new items post via my Instagram and Facebook pages, but of course, you'll always get the news here, too.

I was so close to finishing the ladybugs yesterday, but just need one more day to get them assembled. Once complete, I'll list those in my shop, too. Assuming the Internet doesn't take a dive today (with all the predicted doom and gloom), I'll be back tomorrow to show you what they look like with their wee antennae!

A Note About Today's Solar Eclipse...

The only caution I'll share for whenever this eclipse is scheduled for your area is this: Some pets may react to the event like they would fireworks. Please make sure your pets are safe and secure so they don't bolt out of fear. We're planning to go about our business as usual here at the farmhouse, and we're going to keep all four girls (Bella, Carly, Claudette and Crystal) indoors with us until this has passed. Better safe than sorry. We can chat about the events of the day later this week. Hoping this is all one, big nothing burger!

Completed Brooch...

My completed commission will be on its way to its new home today. Not shown is the acorn that was added to the back of the brooch. It's there now, and have created the insert card that will remain with the brooch. Soon I'll be adding a new category in my shop, "Brynwood Bridal" where you'll be able to purchase these brooches from the site.

Forgive me for keeping this brief today. I'm sticking close to Tag as he heals, and as my desktop is upstairs and Tag is downstairs, I don't want to be away for long. Handsome is watching him now as I write this.

I've begun a new frog over the weekend, and will soon be doing the rest that have yet to be mailed to the giveaway winners. I'll work on it today, but Tag has another vet appointment at 2 pm, and we're just praying that this is a soft-tissue injury that will heal with rest.

Tag will be back tomorrow to tell you all about it. You know the drill. I'll be back on Wednesday to share what else I've been up to this week. See you then!