Framed...

My frames arrived from ACMS a couple days ago. The cool thing about these frames is that you can keep your needlework on the hoop (also from them), and it inserts right into the back of the frame. There's also a dust cover included for the back that can be personalized. (I'm thinking about doing that.)

If you're interested in seeing what their frames look like, HERE is the link to their website. They offer a wide variety of sizes and frame finishes. You can select from colors or stains. 

I'm still working on the strawberry, but hope to show you progress photos soon. I also have a few days of comment replies to catch up on. Sorry I've been lax in that regard. It's been a little crazy here, but I'll get to everyone today. Thanks for your patience. 

Fresh Flowers...

May I present to you my finished Goldwork Floral Wreath class piece. 

I promised to share a video showing how I stitched the leaves, but I hit the wall trying to do the recording yesterday. I decided I'd finish my class piece, and then show you how to stitch the leaves as a separate piece.

Now all I have to do is solve my recording problem (it's an operator issue...mine). As soon as I accomplish that, I'll be back to show you how the leaves are done.

For the moment, I'm going to celebrate completing this gorgeous design. Thanks to Clara Warschauer (@clarastitching) for offering this class, and for her skill in teaching the techniques. I feel much more comfortable moving forward with a few ideas I have for more goldwork embroideries.

Next I'll be finishing the embroidery on my "Everlasting" quilt top. What are you working on this week?

Sparkle Plenty...

 

I wanted to sit in the dining room to stitch yesterday to take full advantage of the natural light pouring into the farnhouse. Because of a curvature on the edge of our dining room table, I chose to set up my Lowrey floor stand instead of using my oak table stand.

First I set up my magnifier lamp, then my floor stand. All my supplies on a tv table next to me; Claudette purring at me as she slumbered on the chaise on the porch side of the window; and Tag sleeping at my feet. It was a perfect day to stitch, and I accomplished quite a lot. 

I only have one more blossom to do. Then I'll stitch the calyx on the three buds (the part at the base of each bud), the stems, and I'll keep one of the leaves to do with you next week.

I hope we have another day today, just like the one we enjoyed yesterday. That would be nice, indeed.

Back To My Project...

I've completed three stems now (of course, I've seen one gap I need to fill on the leaf), and I'm starting work on the fourth and final stem.

I'm waiting for an order from Amazon to get here, and then I've planned to do a recording of the stitch used on the leaves to share with you. I've ordered a stand that will both hold my cell phone (which I'll use for the video) and illuminate my embroidery as I work the stitch. I'm planning to do the video next Monday if my order comes on schedule. I'll let you know later in the week.

So, my plan is to get everything else done, leaving just the two leaves to work. As I stitch, I'm contemplating how I want to finish this piece. Do I want to mount it on a wooden box? Perhaps framed? Maybe I should put it into a wonderful framed hoop assembly I've recently discovered? I'll keep thinking on that while I'm working. Do you have any thoughts?

All That Glitters...

 

Metallic Check Purls

Well, some anyway. This is my assortment of check purls for future projects. Most of the colors are one meter lengths. You'd think in all of this, that I would have the color I ran out of for my Goldwork Floral Wreath project. Nope.

I contacted Clara to let her know that there wasn't enough in the kit to finish, and that I didn't have a matching color. She said color lots in the metallics are wildly different, and she immediately dispatched what I will need to finish the piece. (She's sending extras of some of the others where I may fall short, too.) How's that for wonderful?

In the meantime, I can't finish my piece, even though I could work on the rest of the branches. I may do that today, now that I can sit and stitch without letting my mind wander. I have an audio book that I'm going to set up so I can listen to that while I "dance". That way, when the package arrives, I can complete the rest of the design.

The weather will be rainy all weekend, so I'll make sure the barn girls are safe, warm, and dry while I stitch. The pups will likely be sleeping underfoot while I stitch. It will be a lovely weekend in spite of the rain.

Have a great weekend!

Sparkling Needle Dancing...

Current Progress On My Goldwork Floral Wreath

In addition to baking bread and rolls on Monday, I also worked on my Floral Wreath. I’m making great strides on my third branch, so I’ll move on to Number Four (and final) very soon. 

Making Chippings

I thought I’d share one part of the process that I think you’d like to know. The blue sparkles in my flowers aren’t beads. They’re actually cut from a metallic coil called pearl purl. CORRECTION: The fiber is called “Check purls”. Pearl Purl is a different metallic fiber. Sorry for the confusion. I’m still learning. 

I have to use scissors devoted to only cutting metallic threads, as they dull the blades. Ideally, the chippings are cut in equal sizes, but it’s okay to make them a bit smaller to fill in a bare spot when needed. 

They’re then stitched in place (through the coil, like a bead) with another metallic thread called heavy metal. I’ve learned that fiber is Madeira 30 thread. The chippings are stitched in a random pattern, trying not to have them all going in the same direction. I think you achieve maximum sparkle that way. 

Tomorrow I’ll take pictures or a short video to share how the leaves are stitched. I think you’re going to love that process. It’s very zen!

See you tomorrow.

 

Craft Day Creations…

More Crafted Hoops (l-r: me, Linda, Deb, Marie, Kim, & Adrienne)

Saturday was another craft day in Portage. The weather was perfect for the drive over and back, and we had another fun day.

Adrienne had seen some other great hoop ideas, and we had hoops left over from last time, so we all got busy.

Deb, Cutting Up With Her Piece

I’ve known Deb (nickname “Derby”) since she dated Linda’s son decades ago. Like me with Mom Grace, Linda and Deb have remained close, even after her son broke up with his girlfriend. I’m sharing this picture of Deb because it perfectly captures her personality. I loved Deb years ago, and I love her still.

I left my hoop a bit understated because my plan is to add a goldwork insect to it in the near future. Perhaps it will be a ladybug, or just a small gold bug. I’ll decide when I’m ready to work on it.

I’m in charge of next month’s project. I already know what it will be, but you’ll have to wait to find out what we’ll be creating until the reveal photographs. 

I also made great progress on my Floral Wreath piece. More on that Wednesday. Tag will visit with you tomorrow. 

A Little More...

Updated Progress On My Goldwork Floral Wreath

I’m off to Portage this morning for the monthly craft group, but I wanted to share my progress on the goldwork wreath. I love how it’s coming together. 

I’ll have photos from today’s craft project on Monday, and more of this piece, too! I can see real progress now. I may do a short video to show you how these elements are created sometime next week, too. 

For now, I’ve got to run. Playtime in Portage with my dear friends awaits!

Bright, Shiny Stitches…

 

Adding Stems and Leaves

I spent time stitching yesterday afternoon. I added centers to the large blossoms, calyx to the smaller buds, completed two leaves, and added most of the stems to one set of blooms. 

The leaves were especially fun to work on. They’re stitched using two needles with three threads in each one. I love the effect.

I’ll be finishing this first stem today, and then I’ll see how far I get on the second. I do love the look of these sparkling, metallic fibers!

New Inspiration…

 

“Goldwork” by Hazel Everett

I’ve told you before how much I love books. It pains me that most of ours are still in storage. Much of my goal for downsizing my sewing/fabric studios is to turn my fabric studio into a library/guest room. 

So, it should come as no great surprise that I had to have a goldwork book recommended by my current class instructor, Clara Warschauer. It arrived on Saturday, and I’ve had my nose buried in it since then.

Clara told our class that it’s her favorite book for this technique, and she shared a piece she’s created from the book (shown on the cover!). It’s beautiful. Once I’ve finished my wreath project, there’s a smaller piece inside that I’ll attempt. I have already added some of the supplies to my sewing box, so I’ll be able to get right to it. 

For now, I’ll keep my blinders on and my fingers busy with my “Everlasting” embroideries, and the floral wreath in goldwork. I think it’ll be worth the wait.

My New Needlework Frame…

It’s Here! 

I ordered this table-mounted needlework frame last December from a talented needleworker in Russia…before everything went crazy overseas. We corresponded about what I wanted for personalization, and it was produced in January. My package shipped January 16th, and then I started tracking its progress. It wasn’t good. 

Russia to Poland to Germany. Russia for a long, long, long time. Once in Germany, it sat and sat. March 26th, it showed as being received in Jersey City, NJ. It was finally stateside! It languished in NJ until last week. When I saw it was in Illinois, I almost threw a party!

I greeted our postal carrier at the door Thursday. I actually got home from the retreat before she came with our mail. There it was. A compact box with packaging tape with Russian text on it. 

My Goldwork Wreath In The Frame

There are multiple accessories to create various configurations. I’ve chosen this setup for my goldwork piece. Having it flat will allow me to rest my goldwork chippings on the hoop as I work. You’ll definitely be seeing more of this frame in the future. 

I managed to complete two corners on my “Everlasting” quilt while I was at retreat. I’ll work on corner three over the weekend, and show you my progress on Monday. 

Happy Easter to my fellow Christians, 

Goldwork Floral Wreath Progress…

Goldwork Floral Wreath (So Far)

It’s always revealing when I post progress photos. The process of enlarging my images shows an occasional glitch. I’m noticing things you might not, so I’m sharing my errors as well as the things I’m doing right.

Take the smallest bud in the middle above. See those two little “antennae” stitcking up? The trimmed check purl thread isn't supposed to look like that (I don’t think). I’ll be asking Clara about that during our second and final session tonight. Otherwise, I feel like each flower or bud is an improvement in technique over the previous one. That’s a good thing.

I’ll be leaving here after lunch to drive to the retreat house at Primitive Gatherings. Dinner is at 5 pm, so I’ll be able to attend my Zoom class with Clara at 6 (central time).

Tag will pop in tomorrow, so I’ll have lots of photos and retreat fun to share on Wednesday. Please show my boy a little love in my absence. 

Another Goldwork Class...

Off To A Nice Start

Monday night was the first session of the latest class offering from Clara Warschauer of Clara Stitching. This is a Goldwork Floral Wreath project. I took notes through the class, opting to pay close attention to her technique and instruction, so I could then apply what I learned to actual execution of the work.

I began the stitching yesterday, and put about four hours into my needlework. My plan was to stitch each sprig in the gold thread, then "color in" each flower blossom or bud. Stems and leaves are for next week's session.

Adding A Little Color

As you can see, I couldn't resist adding color to the blossoms before calling it a day. The flowers will have gold centers that we'll add next week. I'll keep working on my flowers until then. The ground fabric is ivory Kona cotton, so the color more closely resembles the first photograph above, rather than this one. I took the second photo late day, under my magnifier light. The first one was taken in daylight. What a difference! Nothing like a little needle dancing to start the week! More today.

Goldwork Floral Wreath...

ClaraStitching Goldwork Wreath Class Piece

I received an email today from @clarastitching (on Instagram) with a pre-offer to her new class offerings. She's going to do another Zoom session for the Four Leaf Clover class that I took last month. When I took that class, we asked her about a piece that was behind her in her work space. The gorgeous embroidery shown above was that piece.

We asked her if she'd teach it, and if she did, to please offer it to her former students first. (We were pretty cheeky on that point, I admit.) She did just that yesterday, though. I immediately signed up and paid for my kit. I'll have the opportunity to prepare my materials prior to the start of the class in early April. 

If you're interested in taking this class, you can go to Instagram and follow @clarastitching. She'll soon offer the class to all, and you'll get signup links for both classes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't get any stitching in today. I ran errands in the morning, went with Handsome for our hair appointments, and then went for a late lunch with my girlfriend, Wendi. We tried a new bar/restaurant that offered Caribbean fare, and it was delicious. We sat and visited with the owner until the after work crowd started arriving. His restaurant is in Kewaskum, WI and it's called Caribbean Joe's. (He's from Chicago, IL, and his mom grew up in Mississippi. He explained to us how he came to this specialty, let us taste his personal season blends, and then we placed our orders.

Everything he brought to us was fabulous. Some was spicy hot, and others were flavored with the perfect blend of seasonings to compliment the dish. I had what I think was the best mac and cheese I've ever had. I'll definitely order that again (when I take Handsome to check it out).

Wendi and I sat and visited for a couple of hours, so I got home in time to air the dogs before Handsome got home. I think I told you about him slipping on the ice a week ago. When he went to Urgent Care right after the event to say he was in pain, they sent him home with meds, but they never did x-rays.

Handsome got his hair cut before me, so after he "got his ears lowered" he went bakc to Urgent Care to find out why he still hurt. They did x-rays, which revealed that he actually has two broken ribs. I felt so bad for him. The doctor sent him home with a new pain killer prescription, and instructions for a bit of breathing therapy to help him. 

We also kept track of our two loved ones who were hospitalized yesterday. My niece is stabilized now, and will be hospitalized and monitored over the weekend. She'll possibly go home on Monday. They'll determine that after Sunday.

Our friend has been admitted to the hospital, too. She was diagnosed as having an "ischemic stroke" last night. I had to look it up, and my search revealed good explanations. She had speech therapy today and her husband said she did well. We're waiting to see if she will regain use of her left side, and what we can expect for that issue. She's in her early fifties, so we're praying that she heals completely from this scary diagnosis. 

Thank you to all who lifted prayers at my request. We all appreciate it, and know that every prayer is heard and answered. We know their families are grateful, too.

Oh!! before I go, remember the opossum photos I shared last week? Well, the little black one is sleeping in the Compass Barn during the day. It seems that my concerns about him (or her?) being bullied by the cats were unfounded. They're all in the barn together, and they're not bothering each other one bit. Cool, right? 

I'll get back to the teddy bear soon enough, and you know I'll share photographs as soon as she's finished. I'm going to have a little coffee and then go out and feed my girls and their house guest. See you tomorrow with my Sunday post.