Tag Archives: Stargazer

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

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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 Wednesday

Posted in grateful, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL by

Does anyone want to welcome me back? Four days of migraine & I feel like it was four weeks. I had no end of FB notifications, emails etc – if you sent me something, send it again as it’s a big blur. However yesterday I sort-of felt human again & was up and about. I completely regret missing Z’s 12th birthday party but I can tell you that cricket balls against your window are not conducive to a fast recovery.

I finished the stitching part of my Small for the month (reveal is set for the 25th; if I showed you something now I’d have to get something else done before then!) and the beading on Stargazer’s dress. I did the large star but I’m not 100% sure if I want to do more, to be honest. Right now I am living with her in daily view so I can make a decision later. There’s no rush; she is for me so I don’t really care if that portion of the design is done or not. I am keeping the chart tho (I normally swap so I can a) keep my stash manageable & b) stitch something else I want to do cheaper) as I plan to do her again in 10 years or so!

Med at March 9, 2015

Because DD still hasn’t arrived in the mail I pulled out a WIP last night. My “hospital” piece, the Mediterranean Mermaid. Last night was some confetti, the backstitch around the urn/hands (yes, that bead is not as charted) and a bit of working out where I was up to/where I want to go next. I sort-of have to finish her in the next block; the pattern’s already promised to a friend & they have been patient! Far more patient than I am 🙂 I love how the BS around the skin suddenly made it pop. Sorry about the spooky eye tho. Promise I’ll get onto that this week.

So a quick trip to Spotlight for a couple of DMC threads (I’m in a hurry and annoyed that I don’t have them to hand) and another order to Elizabeth at http://www.stitchnz.co.nz as I have changed the beads charted – again! The perils of not using the original fabric – something’s usually got to give.

Smalls SAL + WIP Wednesday

Posted in Mirabilia, Smalls SAL, stitching patterns by

I’ll confess straight out. I didn’t finish my small this month. I finished the stitching but I didn’t get brave enough to tea dye it like I planned. I have enough of the thread to test; does anyone know if DMC variegated is colourfast? Like the last small, this is on 25ct lugana, over 2.

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Souvenir de France, a Blackbird Designs freebie

In other news I HAVE NEARLY FINISHED STARGAZER! And as you can tell, I’m a little excited. Just two more hours I think of stitching then to compete the beading. I’m swapping out another of the colours as it looked very very wrong on my fabric (Jennie & Zeb concurred).

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Isn't she gorgeous?

And lastly, the current bane of my life, Orient.   I’ve spent some time with a working copy and a pen and I’m fairly confident I won’t stuff it up again. All that purple needs to be frogged then I can start again on the fan. I guess this is my rut piece. I might just move onto week three’s portion of the chart or finish the border. That at least should be idiot proof. Hush up there in the cheap seats!

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Orient, week 2

M has started on his first kit, a little owl he had fun choosing. I hope he enjoys the process – I made sure to buy him a needle threader for the next steps. Z sometimes picks up his piece but right now its all about the cricket. Next month it will be all about the league! He might finish that car before he’s 21 (house joke).

WIP (ahem!) Thursday & Grateful

Posted in family, grateful, Mirabilia, stitching patterns by

Let’s start off on the high note – today is Simon’s birthday. He won’t thank me if I was to tell you how old he is but he withstood the birthday boy bounce from M! The boys gave him a card and gift before Z & I headed out the door. It’s a Zoku Ice-Cream maker – perfect for the man who has everything. I got it thru one of work’s stores:

http://www.livingandgiving.co.nz/kitchen-and-food/preparation/tools-and-utensils/zoku-ice-cream-maker-purple-5035057

Today my Grateful pic just has to be Simon. Not because it’s his birthday but because he has given me so many things to be grateful for. Three of them also on the bed!

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This could be the “before” pic too – I have brought an old (1920’s) solid timber door that I plan to scuff up and use for the headboard. The room looks bare without a headboard! Plus I’ve selected a few paint pots to try.

Low note. I am not at all happy with the Spirit piece. I don’t know if it’s the colours (the book might be different from the chart pack) but the fan background is purple for me, and mid/pale blue for others in the group. I’m talking Eeyore purple, the same skein that I used last stitching a piece that currently hangs in M’s room. The chart is also harder to read, as it is colour blocks and not symbols. I know why, it’s to help stop copyright thieves, but it means a few hours with a working copy & a marker and right now, I just don’t have that emotional investment in it.  So it went away on Monday & I pulled out Stargazer with the intent to finish her before the end of March.

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Stargazer makes me happy.