Looks Like I Made It...

Well, I finished ahead of schedule...but barely. I got down to the very last spot only to find I was about three chippings short and out of brilliant check purl in that size and color.

I looked in the corgi cup I use for thread ends, and even checked the carpet for the rare snippet that bounced off my fabric when I was cutting them, and thankfully found what I needed. I know more is already on the way, but I would miss my goal. As it was, I finished ahead of time by a few hours.

Next, I'll release it from the ground fabric and finish it into a brooch for our granddaughter. All that will be left then is to create the insert and place it in a special box for her. I'm one happy grandma.

Could Today Be The Day?...

I sat at my Lowrey stand all day yesterday and made great progress. I panicked at one point, thinking I'd used the last of my .5 mm brilliant check, but I found more in my inventory. I'm sure I have enough to finish now, so perhaps today will be the day I secure the last piece. I'm certainly going to try. 

We're expecting rain today, so l plan to stitch until dinner time. I think a bit of laundry is on the agenda, too. Here's hoping I'll be ready to cut this brooch away from the ground fabric today (or very soon). 

I hope you have a great day, too! I'll be back tomorrow.

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!

 

A New Start...

I started the bridal brooch for our granddaughter yesterday. I chose all the components, set up the ground fabric in my special hoop - the one that belonged to Handsome's mom, and started work on it already.

This is how far I got before I stopped for the evening. I'll work on it more over the next few days, as I embroider toward the finish. 

Although I haven't heard a date yet, I'm sure there'll be a bridal shower pretty soon, and this is one of the gifts I'd like to give her. So I'll keep stitching until this is finished.

Almost Ready For Takeoff...

Monarch Front

I've finally released the butterfly from its hoop. First I used an awl to open small holes so I could insert each wing part. 

After each wing section was inserted, I turned to hoop over and stitched the wires to the back side of the body. I added a small bend near the end of the wire and continued to secure them so the wings couldn't be pulled out. I repeated this four times, securing all wing sections.

Monarch Back

Once the wings were attached, I cut the fabric away from the hoop, leaving enough extra to wrap around and secure the new body form inside. 

This photo shows the back after I finished sewing the fabric around the form. I'm a bit chuffed that the stitching on the back of my wings mirrors the front, making the wings look more realistic.

Closeup of Monarch Body

As you can see in this closeup, I haven't stitched the back of the body detail to cover all the fabric yet. It's really fiddly to hold the body in my hand while I complete this embroidery phase, so I admit, once I enclosed the body form, I took a break for the rest of the day.

All I have left to do is that detail stitching, and adding the legs! I'll share photographs once my Monarch is ready for takeoff!

Almost Ready To Fly...

Notice Bella in the background. She's always close when I'm stitching. 🖤

I spent hours at my needlework stand yesterday, and got quite a bit accomplished. I started by cutting and covering the antennae and legs. 

They were a lot less fun than I remembered. This task requires wrapping a single strand of silk thread (78" long) around a thin 6-1/4" length of wire. My fingers aren't as nimble as they were in 2019, which means it just took a bit longer than last time.

Once I completed the stitching on the butterfly's body, I attached the antennae to the head portion of the body. I realized at this point that the spare body from my red spotted purple is probably a bit small for the slightly larger monarch. I'll need to make a new one that fits.

Then I released the wing parts from the ground fabric and trimmed everything as close as I could without cutting into my needlework. That part of my task alone took a couple hours. 

When our class made our red spotted purple butterflies, Owen told us that we could take a dark marker to the trimmed edges if the light fabric showed. I used a fine tip Micron pen, and carefully moved around each wing part. Now the backs of the wings match the fronts. (I'll share photos of that in another post.)

So here's the list showing my progress, with one addition. I'll be attaching the wings today, and make the new body insert so I can prepare to close the fabric to form the body.

I'll be sliding into a new weekend by getting close to the finish line. I'll have new update photos soon.

 

This Is The Day...

Today's the day! I'm pulling out all the stops. Tomorrow you'll see real progress on my Monarch butterfly. 

No excuses today. I'll be cutting out wings; covering wires; and finishing the work on the body, so it can be cut out, too.

See you tomorrow!

 

I Have A List...

 

I have more than a few steps left to complete my Monarch butterfly, so I made a list. Thanks to my trusty notebook from my class with Owen, I have all his instructions from start to finish. I'm really glad, too, because there are a few steps I know I would have missed.

Once these steps are completed, my butterfly will be finished. 

I know I'll get back to my needle dancing soon, but these days I've been consumed with clearing out clutter. I've come a long way, too. I have boxes of things going away and already the spaces I've been working on feel lighter. I'm motivated to continue. 

The heat has broken (finally), so it's perfect for clearing, boxing and cleaning. I guess this is where farmers came up with "Make hay while the sun shines". (I know that's not completely appropriate, but I'm going with it, and I know you understand my usage.)

This afternoon is another classmate dinner. Another of our group has lost her husband, so I know some heavy-duty support will be in order. We'll have another group photograph taken, so I'll be sharing that tomorrow. See you then. I'm off for my morning cuppa.

Truthfully...

 

I haven't been stitching at all the past two days. I've been busy sending "stuff" on to new homes. Between my sisters and nieces, I've cleaned up an overstuffed buffet, china cabinet, and at least one cupboard. 

I have so many useful and nice things I don't use anymore that I decided to let them go. What I've pulled that they don't want will be donated. I have to say, it feels pretty great, too.

I'm not finished yet either, but I work tonight, so I'll take it easy today, and get back to it tomorrow. 

Now, about this picture of my butterfly... I'm sure you must be wondering what the white thing is next to it. I can tell you that when I was in Kentucky with Owen and my classmates, there were a lot of jokes about its appearance!

What you're looking at is actually off-white muslin, sewn into a tapered tube, filled with emery (it can be sand, too), and then sewn closed. This will actually be the body structure for my Monarch. 

When I finish stitching up the body "cover", it will actually encase the filled muslin piece. Before I can do that, I'll release my wing parts from the ground fabric so they can be attached and the wires imbedded inside that cover, too. 

You can imagine, it's going to be a bit futzy manipulating all those parts. I'm going to see if I can get a short video of that part of my process to share with you when I get to that stage.

I have a little tidying up to do this morning, so I'll close for now. I'll see you tomorrow! Have a great weekend, friends.

With A Bit Of Luck...

I completed more of the body for my Monarch. I should finish it today. I can't wait to show you what comes next!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, so I can share more of my progress and how I wrap up this part of the project.

Body Building...

I've begun work on the Monarch's body. I actually finished the segment in process above before I stopped for the day. Progress is slow when stitching primarily black on black. (Between you and me, it's hard to photograph, too!)

Saturday was difficult, but my niece and nephew celebrated their dad in a way that was touching and respectful. So many friends and family attended, and paid their respects to Mike and the life he lived. Thank you for the kind messages you left.

I'm looking at another busy week this week. I have a one year checkup for my knee replacement; work; one year follow-up on cardiac tests results pre-knee surgery; annual wellness check; craft day in Portage, followed by a wedding reception for Linda's son and his new bride. Sunday will definitely be a day of rest!

I'll do my best to get a bit of needle dancing in this week, and I'm also working on wool pincushion patterns and an ATC tutorial. Just thinking about all this makes me want to take a nap. Rest assured, I'll sleep well at night. Better get busy now. My doctor's appointment is an hour away. I don't want to be late!

Butterfly Body...

I set up the fabric and design for the body for my Monarch yesterday.  I needed some lightweight black fabric for this, drawing from the materials we used in the RSN class Owen taught in Kentucky. 

Having nothing like that in my fabric room, I opted to "shop" my closet. I had just what I needed in a dress top that no longer fits me. (It's one of those "I'll get back into it someday" tops that has taken up space in my closet for the past twelve years or so.)

After I hooped a double layer of fabric, I had to draw my butterfly body. Owen had drawn the design on our fabric for our class. He never included the drawing in the size we actually used in our worksheets. He only had enlarged drawings with the stitch diagrams. 

However, I kept my practice needlework of the body done on calico fabric, so I cut out the embroidery and used it as a size template for my Monarch.

Once drawn, I got out my light box and white Clover pen to transfer the design to my fabric. My next step will be to tack the two layers of fabric together (with Gutterman thread) to prepare it for stitching with my silk threads. Then I'll be good to go.

Tomorrow is Mike's memorial service. Steve the Otter will be saying hi to add a little levity to an otherwise somber weekend. I'll add my Sunday Scripture, and will be back with you on Monday. 

Hug your loved ones. That's what we'll be doing.

This Part's Done...

I finished them late last night! When I look at them from a distance, I can see that they really do resemble a Monarch's  wings. Can I be just a wee bit chuffed?

I'm going to draw and set up my hoop for the body next, but not quite yet. My plans for yesterday were delayed due to weather, so I'm going to see my sister and niece today instead. 

I'm taking goodies and plan to visit all afternoon, so my project will have to wait (for a little while). I'll share the next phase when I start it. I'm going to get my things together for my road trip now. Later, 'gator!

So Close...

I'm nearly there! Once I complete this part, I'll choose the fabric for the Monarch's body and draw it onto the fabric so I can stitch it. 

I still have a body from the class I took with Owen to use as the padding, which will cut out that step, but I'll still need to stitch the cover for it. 

I best not get ahead of myself, though. First things first, and right now, I'd better get ready for work so I'm not late.

Can you believe it's the last day of June already? We're half way through the year, and I still have so much to do!

 

I'm Getting There...

I managed to do a little needle dancing over the weekend, too.  I actually did the right top edge of the upper wing twice! 

You see, I'd thought I'd completed the area with the rusty red color until I stood back and assessed it. In fact, it looked as though the wing might belong to a different butterfly. You know what that meant, right. 

After I'd frogged all that area, I went back to redraw it. Then I began again...and was much happier with the results. Now I can proceed toward finishing this wing part, and I'll have more to share with it very soon. 

Well, not tomorrow actually, because I'm working today. I'll see you tomorrow though. Have a great day!

Teeny Tiny Stitches...

...take time.

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.

Three Done. One To Go...

It was a busy weekend at the farmhouse. I baked bread and rolls, we did some work in the yard, and I completed the third wing part for my butterfly.

I have PT this morning, but when I get home, I'll be starting the last wing part. I have a quieter week this week, so I'll have more stitching time. I'm hoping to finish the last wing part and then work on the body for my Monarch. 

I also decided to participate in the artist trading card swap for this month. The prompt is "key". I have my idea, so all I have to do is execute my vision. I'll do those this week, too, so I can mail them out.

Here's hoping we all have a creative and happy week. I'll be back tomorrow .

 

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!

Working On Wing Part Three...

Even though my orange silk thread arrived, I need to work my way up to those areas first. I made great progress when I worked on my third wing part over the weekend, and am expecting to complete it soon.

I have PT mid-afternoon today, so I'm baking cinnamon rolls to take with me for the therapy department personnel. I'm hoping to do more needle dancing when I get back home.

I also work tomorrow, and I'll be doing more canning in a few days, so I'm looking forward to a fun-filled, productive week. Come along, and I'll happily share it all with you!