Well, I got a last minute request to work today from one of my coworkers. I had PT in the morning, so I told her I'd only be able to help if I could start at noon. She worked from ten until noon, and I got there as soon as I could after my appointment. 

That meant no stitching all day, but I did manage a few hours while Handsome was at band rehearsal. I drew a few changes on the fabric to coordinate with the other upper wing. I'll be able to look at the other wing as I work this one. The markings don't have to match, but I try to get them close.

I'll be working my regular shift today, so I'll see what I can do after I get back home. I'll definitely be ready for a little needle dancing by then.

My Views Yesterday...

I was making great progress, as I sat in my favorite stitching spot. This wing part will be completed soon.

I take frequent "stretch" breaks for the benefit of my legs, back, and hands. Sometimes I get up and make a cuppa tea (or grab a snack), and other times, I stretch in place and check to see what's going on outside our dining room windows.

Yesterday, I was looking out the window more frequently because we had storms rolling through and it got really windy and rainy. I noticed movement in one of the dark tracks you can see in the field. At first I thought I was seeing deer because of white tail flashes. I was wrong.

Handsome grabbed our binoculars and we realized I'd been watching two foxes playing with each other. Even as it started to rain, they continued running up and down the right side, chasing each other. It was adorable! 

Coincidentally, I'd also seen gophers running around in our yard, and had really just been wishing we had foxes.

I hope they're denning nearby, because those gophers are digging holes in our yard. You can just imagine how that could harm Bella or Carly if they stepped in a hole while running around. They could do catastrophic damage to a leg or foot.

I think these critters might be the perfect meals for the foxes, and a much better alternative to us trying to get rid of them (the gophers, not the foxes). I think we need to put up a sign saying, "Foxes Welcome". In the meantime, I hope they'll continue to hang out nearby!

Stitching Silk Threads...

Sorry I don't have more to share today. I actually stitched and frogged three times yesterday. I just wasn't happy with the way my work was looking, but I'm very happy now. 

I have PT mid-day today, but I'll get back to this afterward. I'm on a roll now.

Cha Cha Cha...

I began my day of stitching by unstitching a section of my wing. I decided that I needed an intermediate color between the peachy gold and the monarch orange, so I had to surgically remove a large swath of black silk to get to the gold color spots near the top edge of the wing. Two steps forward. Once step back. Cha cha cha.

Once that was accomplished, I had to leave for a PT appointment. By the time I got home it was late afternoon. Plenty of time to return to my needlework.

This is how far I got before calling it quits for the night. I'm much happier with the color adjustment, and I'm looking forward to getting in a few more hours with needle and thread before I work later. I admit I was a bit enthusiastic about how much I could get done on my wing, so today, I'll just do what I can do and be happy with that.

It's hard to believe it's already Friday again. I hope you have a good one. 

All the wings have been wired now. Next, I'll tape the ends down so they stay out of my way and don't catch threads as I work. Once I add a few directional lines to keep me on target, it will be time to bring out my threads.

I had a restful weekend, and hope you did, too. I'm relaxed,  refreshed, and ready for the week ahead. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished. 

I have a PT appointment, and Handsome and I have to pick up some "supplies" for Carly. She surprised us with a heat cycle on Friday. This will be her last one. She's five, and after discussion with Mike (our trainer friend) who has retired, our source for breeding/puppy sales is no longer available. So, once she's finished this heat, we'll have her spayed. No more doggie diapers in her future. 

It's kind of bittersweet for me. I would have loved to have a litter of her puppies. We've bred, raised and trained hunting retrievers for about forty five years. Although I'm sure we'll always have dogs, Carly signals the end of our breeding programs. We're definitely ending on a high note with this girl.

Time to get moving. I'll see you again tomorrow. I hope you make it a great week!

Fixin' To Start...

 

Well, I drew my design and transferred it onto my fabric. Now I'm ready to begin the process of creating the components for my regal stumpwork Monarch butterfly.

My question to you is, "Would you like me to chronicle each step, or show you stages where I make more progress?".

Understand, this isn't going to be a "quickie" project. Thread painting the wings (just as I do with my birds) takes me more than a minute. I'll also take breaks to work on other smaller projects along the way.

Please let me know how you'd like me to share this process...detailed or in stages of completion. I'm happy either way, but I don't ever want to bore you, so I'd appreciate the feedback.

Okay, You Win...

I've been saving images of Monarch butterflies (among other things) in my "inspiration" binder since Lexington. Yesterday, I pulled them out of the binder, and took the silk thread assortment out of my silk thread cabinet. Yes. I have a cabinet full of only silks. (It's actually a jewelry chest, and I'll share a post about that another time.)

I'll be setting up the components for this project over the weekend, and you'll get the first peek at my Monarch butterfly beginnings on Monday.

I'm excited to share my progress with you, but as the comments said, you may find me working on the goldfinches, too. I'm making no promises one way or the other. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. 

Happy Weekend!

 

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!

Another UFO...

Brynwood Needleworks - Crossed Wing Collection "Bluebird"

 

As I've been going through my supplies, I locate unfinished projects, decide on what I want to list for sale, and organize what I'll be keeping. I currently have many bolts of beautiful fabric selected that will be listed for sale soon.

As I was sorting, I came across a silk gauze project I began decades ago. It needs to be completed, and I'm going to get back to it very soon.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Crossed Wing Collection "Bluebird"

 

This project is worked in silk thread on 40 count silk gauze. That means forty threads per inch. You can see from my thumb, for reference, that the silk cross stitches are tiny!!! I'm definitely going to need my lighted magnifier to complete this piece. (I needed it decades ago, but there's no way I can stitch this now without one!)

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Crossed Wing Collection "Bluebird"

 

In fact, when I enlarged this image, I can see a number of stitches that I never went back and completed the second half of my cross! Some of those stitches are messy by my current standards, so I'm debating whether or not I'll remove them all and start over!I'll have to decide soon, because it's really bugging my "perfection" gene!

 

I'm looking forward to working on this one...it will be like the "good ol' days" when I had my shop. I'll be happily needle dancing in no time.

Repurposing...

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire

Facebook Marketplace strikes again. I found this lovely jewelry cabinet, thinking it would hold all my baubles and bangles (and bright, shiny beads). So I drove to take a look. Once I saw it "in person", something else occurred to me. Would it work for my silk threads, and stumpwork supplies? I think so!

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire - Top Section

I paid the lady, loaded it into my Explorer, and brought it home. I gathered my supplies, and gave it a test load. I began with some of my tools in the top section (where the rings and things usually go).

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire - Left Side Door

The side sections with hooks work perfectly for storing my hanging silk threads (Waterlilies and Watercolors from The Caron Collection, plus a few others).

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire  - Right Side Door

I hung vintage silks, and my stumpwork wires on the opposite side. They all fit quite nicely!

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire  - Silk Threads

The next drawer had compartments that were the perfect size for Trebizond silks, along with vintage robin's egg blue silks, Gutermann silks, and a few other odd silk threads.

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire - Silk Threads and Needles

The front of this drawer holds needles for embroidery and applique', and strong cotton threads for covering and securing stumpwork wires. The back spools are gorgeous Kimono silks that I used in applique', but they'll also work for other embroidery.

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire - Needles, Threads & Needle Minders

More silks, needle minders, needles, a beautiful ruler from my dear Kiwi friend, Marrianne, and even a bottle of coiled Pearl Sadi thread for goldwork.

Brynwood Needleworks - Repurposed Jewelry Armoire - Silk Threads

 

Last, but not least, are the rest of my silk threads, purchased in Kentucky when I was attending the Royal School of Needlework courses. My tutor, Owen, helped me choose them.

 

So, next time you see something you really like, consider a completely different purpose for it. This will fit perfectly next to my stitching chair, and all my supplies will be within reach. Now, all I need are more hours in the day to work on all the ideas in my head!

Still Stitching...

Brynwood Needleworks - Au ver a Soie (Soie d'Alger) Silk Threads

 

As I continue to embroider the wool appliques' for my Wooly Critter Sampler quilt, I'm also thinking about creating the vignette for my completed RSN Butterfly. Don't you think silk stumpwork flowers would be a perfect accessory for my Red Spotted Purple?

I ordered these from a brick and mortar shop via their website, and they arrived yesterday. I'd better keep after my quilt so that I can start this as soon as my critter quilt is finished! As my friend, Susan Greening Davis always says, "Still Stitching!"

I'm So Close...

Brynwood Needleworks - RSN Butterfly Body Detail

 

I completed the butterfly body late yesterday afternoon. All the "chambers" have been embroidered in long and short stitch, with satin stitch in the areas above each chamber. All of this is stitched onto one layer of navy blue fabric, topped with a layer of black, gauzy fabric.

Brynwood Needleworks - RSN Butterfly Body - Pleating Areas

 

My next step is to pleat - or join by overstitching - the satin stitched area to the chamber above it. Those areas are unstitched (as pointed out by my red arrows). The unstitched areas will be pushed to the back as I pinch the stitched areas together, and then sew them in place. It will give more dimension to the butterfly's body in preparation for the rest of the process.

 

I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to show you my completed butterfly. My goal is to join the wings, complete the body and add the antennae and legs today. Once that's accomplished, my butterfly will be finished.

Brynwood Needleworks - Butterfly Cloche Idea - Source Unknown

I've already decided how I want to display it, too. I went online to search "cloches", and found a photo of exactly what I have in mind! I want to set up a display cloche with my butterfly "mounted" inside. I may even embroider flowers, leaves, etc. as part of the display! That way, my class project will be protected from dust and hands - big and small. What do you think?

Please come back tomorrow to see whether or not I meet my goal, and whether or not I have a whole butterfly to share with you!

 

Little By Little...

Brynwood Needleworks - RSN Butterfly Wing

 

I began adding the bright colors to my last wing part yesterday. I'd say I'm about half done with this piece, now. Little by little. Stitch by stitch. I'm getting there. I'm sure I'll be finished (with this part) by the end of the weekend. Of course, you can expect to see pictures!

 

Happy Weekend! Happy March.

Shall We Dance?...

Brynwood Needeworks - My Needlework Corner

Before I could sit down to work on completing my Royal School of Needlework butterfly, I needed a spot with lots of daylight to work. I brought my favorite stitching chair into a bright corner of the dining room - right next to a warm radiator...aaahhhh - along with my needlework boxes and stands.

My lighted magnifier sits in a handy spot close by, and I set up a small table to hold my barrel clamp and working threads. I'm ready to get back to work.

Brynwood Needleworks - Final Wing Part, Ready To Stitch

This is how far I got before I took a break last fall. I've kept my hooped project under plastic to keep it clean, but I'm anxious to get back to it. The first thing I had to do was pull all the silks I'd chosen from the assortment in my "butterfly" thread box. Daylight is the best lighting for seeing the subtle color differences. That task, alone, took more than a little while.

Then, I pulled my needles and other "necessaries" (scissors, melor, and thimble) to proceed. Once all that was done, I settled myself in my own little corner and began.

Brynwood Needleworks - Stitching Has Begun

If you slide back and forth between the two butterfly wing photos, you can see that I've begun my work on the lower edges of the last wing. Not a bad afternoon's work before the guys returned from Handsome's PT (pain and torture) appointment.

My plans for today center around being right back here. Unless Handsome needs some assistance, or Tag needs to get outside, I'm concentrating on my butterfly. When I post tomorrow, I'll show you exactly how far I progress. My needles and I are ready to dance!

RSN Butterfly Progress...

Brynwood Needleworks - RSN Butterfly Progress

 

Today I'm sharing two views of the same parts of my Royal School of Needlework butterfly project. I added the second view for a different perspective of the silk thread shading.

Now that these parts are complete, I'll begin work on the left side. I'm packing today, preparing to return to Wisconsin. I'll be driving on Thursday morning, but I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. For now, I'm going to enjoy finishing this much of my butterfly.

It's Getting There...

Brynwood Needleworks - Upper Right Butterfly Wing Nearly Finished

 

I worked on it for another few hours yesterday. It's slow going, but it's really taking shape, and it's nearly finished. More black silk on the lines, a few colors on the wing edge to embroider, and then filling in with navy blue silk will complete this wing section. I thought I'd be able to say this part was finished today, but I likely won't be finished with it until some time Saturday. 

 

Handsome and I are taking Tag and Bella across the state with us today for an overnight with "Uncle Mike" and his lovely wife. It's his Birthday, so we're tickled to be able to celebrate with them. You can look for that post on Tuesday, as I'll leave it to Tag to tell you all about it (as only he can).

 

I know there will be some pretty cold days ahead for the weekend and next week in Wisconsin. It's even chilly here. Today, we're expecting to train dogs in comfortable 64º sunshine. Don't envy me too much, though. I'm heading back to Wisconsin next week, and Tag and I will be in for a cold dose of reality! I'm going to enjoy this weather while I can.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you live. Warm or cold, I hope you have someone who loves you, something to do that you emjoy, and a dream in your heart. See you tomorrow.

One Down, Three To Go...

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Lower Right Wing Part

One wing part completed on Saturday. I have three more parts to do...the lower left wing and two upper wing parts. I'll be working on them this week, but today is lunch with a Florida Corgi friend who lives nearby. I'll let Tag tell you about her tomorrow.

I'm very happy with the way this is turning out, and am looking forward to every day I'm able to work on this project. I love stitching with silk threads, and how beautiful it looks on fabric. It's definitely different from cotton. yum!

I'll be back Wednesday, but don't forget to visit Tag. We don't want him feeling neglected, do we? lol