Category Archives: Mirabilia

June WIPocalypse and WIP Wednesday

Wow, WIPocalypse already! Time just seems to be flowing by. Sometimes I feel like I barely have time to breathe before diving into the next thing & I wish it would all just slow down a little.

Since the last WIPocalypse check-in, I’ve had some wins. Now seems like a good time to go over the May goals:

Nice to do’s:

  • Finish the stitching & beading on Mediterranean Mermaid DIDN’T PICK HER UP AT ALL
  • Sort out what my next big Mira will be STARTED THEN FROGGED ROSE OF SHARON; STARTED PERSEPHONE

So the June goals are:

  • Complete Ali’s April & May prompts for One Little Word
  • Print out the last 10 days before Christmas & journal to complete my December Daily for 2014
  • Complete my portion on Debbie’s RR (mermaids!) which will probably also double as my Small
  • Complete the hair portion of Persephone (it’s a lot of confetti, more than I anticipated)
  • Layout & complete my portion for the new New Zealand FB XS group RR (only four to a group, fast)
  • Complete Med Mermaid’s tail beading

Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter? I’m about equal. In the summer I spend more time outdoors doing family stuff but I offset that against stitching while on the road (Si is one of those men, it’s my job to pack lunch/snacks and book the accommodation & find highlights on our route). In the winter there are always at least two nights a week that I don’t even think to pick up a needle due to exhaustion or mucking around with the kids’ training or a really good book. I binge watch recorded TV twice a week (my binges are pitiful, they amount to 2-3 episodes of whatever I’m loving right now) and stitch while watching.

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Today is also WIP Wednesday for me. Here’s my new start, Mirabilia’s Persephone. I had started Rose of Sharon, then frogged when I realised that the fabbie wasn’t going to be big enough. It will do for the NZ RR which I’m playing around with now. Thinking Mira (surprise!) with a horizontal layout, four heads divided with a peony tree in the centre. Or four reindeer, but I am stitching these anyway…oh, I don’t know! What do you think?

Fairy is Framed

Posted in Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns by

Really happy with how she looks – simple and sweet.

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I also took Stargazer in to see what potential frames would look like. It’s a toss up between these two:

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Left is already silver toned and matches the beads/fabric nicely:

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Right has more detail and if this is the one I use, I’ll rub it with silver to make that detail stand out. Pristine is not the look I’m going for:

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Let me know what you think. Left? Or right?

WIP Wednesday

Posted in Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns by

Having finished with the Fairy I’ve been working away at Stargazer’s beading. I didn’t stitch over the weekend, as we were busy/I was tired, but after some frogging and matching, I’m really happy with what I’ve now decided on. I’ve used Mill Hill 16010 for the largest, 02010 for the white and 00161 for the remainder.

 I have roughly 3 weeks before the next RR piece arrives, so plenty of time to finish this. But what do I start next?! I so want a new start, rather than finish the last

Stargazer as model stitched

Stargazer as model stitched

My version of Stargazer

My version of Stargazer

 

 

I also picked up two more charts, and sold a couple myself. I have (on the way) the May fairy and the OOP Once Upon A Time. I’ll change out the roses colours on OUAT – blue is wrong on too many levels! The May fairy will stay as charted and likely be as model stitched.

once upon May fairy

First of May, first of May…

Posted in Mirabilia, round robin, Smalls SAL by

I won’t complete the line from an old Jilly Cooper book in case it offends anyone, but today is (for me) one of those earworm days. I also have the same experience on the 4th, only it’s Luke etc saying “May the Fourth be with you”.

I know. You really needed to know that.

I thought I would trial listing my goals for the month. If I crash & burn, it’s likely to be the last goal list, but here goes nothing.

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  • Complete Ali’s April prompts for One Little Word
  • Print out the last 10 days before Christmas & journal to complete my December Daily for 2014
  • Bead the night sky on Stargazer (which is only 4-6 hours at the most!)
  • Start & finish the C fairy for framing; it’s the MIL’s birthday in six weeks so this is priority!
  • Complete my portion on Jacqui’s RR (hoping it’s leaving Scotland today/tomorrow) – second priority
  • Chose & stitch a “Small” for the Smalls SAL

Nice to do’s:

  • Finish the stitching & beading on Mediterranean Mermaid
  • Sort out what my next big Mira will be

So that’s just three starts this month (one being a Small, and one being not much bigger as our limit was 2500 stitches) and hopefully four stitching finishes. Sounds doable.

WIP (oh dear) Thursday & Smalls SAL

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So…this month has been a little slow on the stitching front.

20150427_184351I sussed out (finalised) the pieces for my Round Robin & completed the base framework. It was posted yesterday – before deadline! This is what it looked like – with the tiny bit of 422 that remained on my bobbin!

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I completed two small poppy badges for my Smalls entry, & to wear for ANZAC day. Sarah P received one, and mine was finished on black felt as I wanted it to be flat to go into my One Little Word Album.

I brought an awful lot of charts – see previous post – and another arrived that I swapped to receive – Mirabilia Dressmaker’s Daughter. Sulked a little as I realised the fabbie I had stashed for that was 28ct, so TOO SMALL to fit DD on it, unless I divide it into two halves (not happening, could get a different dye lot which would screw it all up). Fabric was the charted Milk Chocolate, but the chart calls for a FQ of 32ct. Stupid rookie mistake.

Persephone on Milk ChocolateThought about changing plans on that fabric and using it for Persephone – what do you think? This is from the Viewer; I still need to do a floss toss myself to confirm. Might take it to Zeb’s on Saturday & get her and Jenny’s opinions.

I didn’t complete any larger WIPs which has left me a little discouraged. I only need to do beading on Stargazer (I have decided she needs it); a small ammt of stitching on Med Mermaid (beads arrived last week) & a lot of stitching on the freebie Christmas cherub. I think the “only” needing to do the beading on Stargazer will mean that she comes to dinner with me Saturday!

I went a little bit mad…

Posted in grateful, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitching patterns by

One of the ladies in our group decided to de-stash. I only brought one piece of fabric but….

PersephoneMirabilia Persephone kit: Like the lotus flowers behind her, with their blooms growing up from the darkness, Persephone emerges from the underworld once a year to return to her mother Demeter and herald the beginning of spring. Surrounded by cranes, symbols of happiness, good fortune, and longevity, she embraces the beauty of the Victorian era in her aquamarine gown while she contemplates the luscious pomegranate and the coming harvest.

md130lgMirabilia Biancabella kit: In honor of her mother who stitched in the palace orchard, Biancabella visits the place where her mother once pricked her finger and made a wish. Her heart’s desire was to be granted a lovely daughter with skin as white as the fragrant snowdrops at her feet, hair as black as the friendly raven who perched above, and lips as red as the crisp apples that hung from the branches around her. She holds the last apple of the season aloft, admiring its succulent scent, wondering if it possesses the power to bring her a true love in spring. I have a mirror shaped frame, I think her face/hand/apple will be perfect but I’ll have to stitch over 1 or on 40000 count to fit it in!

md111lgPeony Garden: Exuberant double blossom peonies create a purple haze at twilight. With names like “Cup of shining night”, “Story Enchantress” and “Red embroidered needles ball”, it is no wonder that the peony tree is the center of every spring imperial garden. I’m going to reverse this one so she faces Damask Roses.

md1Damask Roses (v excited, this one has just been discontinued and Wichelt do not ever, ever re-print or load as digital): A Grecian beauty clasps a bouquet of pink roses to her heart, her gold-banded teal gown draped in serene folds about her as she dreams of days last spent with her one true love in this very topiary garden. There are no beads on this design– the textural interplay of carved stone, shimmering silk and soft rose petals is embellishment enough.

md6Christmas Elegance (again, I think this is now discontinued): Glorious gifts await on the lap of the emerald-gowned heiress who sits beneath the softly falling snow on a starry Christmas Eve. Who would guess from her beaded and bejeweled opulence that she waits each year at this time to spread lavish holiday cheer among those less fortunate?

md69Cinderella: “She made her escape as lightly as a deer. The Prince followed, but could not catch her. Only she dropped one of her glass slippers, which he picked up and treasured. Romantic quote taken from: Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur. The Sleeping Beauty and Other Tales From the Old French. Edmund Dulac, illustrator. New York: Hodder & Stoughton, 1910. I needed a second copy of this one. The one I have is tatty, being about 5th hand and not cared for at all.

mermaid l mermaid a mermaid d

And the mermaid letters A, D (I shall extend this into the P as this still hasn’t been released) and L. I’ll convert anything red into “traditional” mermaid colours and use lots and lots of Kreinik, as you do.

That’s 9 charts. Oh. It’s a very good thing I am not participating in “stitch from stash” & that both my birthday & mother’s day are coming up soon. Told Si & the kids that they don’t need to buy me anything, i’m so very happy with this haul!

Most of the text above was taken directly from www.mirabilia.com – usually there’s a little tale with every design. I wish there was a noracorbett.com with the same!

WIP Wednesday

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I finished putting together one of the two poppies I stitched for ANZAC day, which is this Saturday. The finished one is for Sarah P (who gave me stitching stash for Secret Santa, removing the “secret” but rocketing her into my “favourite” list, see here: https://sewscrapmuse.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/secret-or-not-so-secret-santa/ ) & she’s already wearing it, and the second I want to add the phrase “Lest We Forget” and “1915-2015” top & bottom, then finish as a hanging ornie. Pics later – I need something for my Smalls SAL post next week!

Today I need to work out the final two rectangles of my RR and where the corner border will finish in relation to those. Because some ribbons go thru the border on The Dreamer I also need to chart something to fill in the gaps that looks natural. The easiest way would be to frog the RHS of this corner and mirror the LHS exactly but who likes easy? Or do I just finish at that first scroll? Decisions, decisions…

The dreamer

WIP Wednesday

Posted in Mirabilia, stitching patterns by

FB_IMG_1428961147869I’ve been quite slack this week. I had planned to complete at least two “smalls” – both poppies for ANZAC day, one for me and the other for Sarah P, who gave me the chart for Christmas. Didn’t even make a working copy of that portion of the chart. Laaaazy.
I also planned to have at least one of the corners stitched on my RR piece. I’m not even half way! I predict lots of mysky and stitching tomorrow. Yay for days off!

I just have get very thru very wet cold training tonight…

MISSING: Sleep. Reward?

Posted in family, league, Mirabilia by

I synced my Polar Loop today for the first time in around 6 weeks and noticed something. I haven’t had an uninterrupted sleep in AGES. Since February. By uninterrupted, I mean more than 5 ½ hours in a night. Firstly Si was sick, then me, then Mase and then it was so humid it was ridiculous.  Now the weather is turning to cold (about time, it’s mid-Autumn yet the roses are going strong, as are the summer herbs which is ridiculous) and all I want to do is hibernate. Four days away from the office was not enough. Roll on this Thursday!

I had a social media free weekend, apart from posting the one pic of my “babies”, the Under Six league boys from Saturday. You’ve got to be quick to get photos before they muddy up the uniform! We ended up combining the two teams this week (delights of starting organised sport during school holidays) & it was fun. Plenty of parent support and despite the other coach throwing 11 players on the field at once, we found the gaps and the kids scored plenty of tries – including Mase, who scored his first ever! He couldn’t believe he got over the line and stood there as if to say “now what?” Better still, the defence lessons showed and I was very, very impressed. If they carry on like this (listening and having fun) we are going to have an awesome, awesome season. Char is organising an oranges roster (another weight gone) so all I have to do is remember the player of the day prize.

Stitching wise I have sorted out the seven spots for the Mirabilia RR, and basted the piece so I know where everything will go. The basting lines even matched up first time! I am stitching the outer border altho it isn’t important to get this completed before I send it as long as I stash those threads (batch dye matching is very important!). I would like to get my rectangle completed too but that’s up to the kids more than anything; I seem to spend all my “spare” time refereeing fights or trying to hide. I also hate my kitchen right now so dinner is hard work. We are trying to teach B to be responsible and it’s uphill. He is on clean up until he gets it right i.e. loads the dishwasher, cleans anything else outstanding, clears the table and wipes the benches. We keep finding dirty plates in the pantry (ick!) and the sink full. And he wonders why I won’t top up his cell phone! I am grateful he hasn’t found this on google yet:

clean_your_mess_dobby

I did a 50% water change on the tank last night; we needed to move the coffee table over to make room for the couch layout. One of the first things I did this morning was count them all – phew everyone survived! Fingers crossed they are all still swimming when I get home.