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| Zzzzzz... |
I feel like curling up under the tree, too! Here's wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas! ♥
Merry Christmas!
I feel like curling up under the tree, too! Here's wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas! ♥
Family Mailbox: Finish!
First off, welcome new followers~ I think I followed everyone who had a blog linked in their profile section but if I didn't, comment and yell at me! :D
Wow, I managed to finish it with tons of time to spare! Exciting and Amazing! I took possibly too many pictures as I progressed through it, but it's fun to watch a stitch grow.
Here's where I was last time back on November 20th (oh, the shame!):
And here is the progress march through time:
That was a long scroll, haha. I was too lazy to make a table to organize the images and blogger's "compose" section was making a royal mess of the arrangement. So, I just coded them straight down.
I apologize for the "rosey175" box in the last two pictures -- I put our names on the mailbox! :) It was quite a fun little stitch and I suppose the post doesn't look too bad now that the piece is complete. I like to do French knots but I think I might need more practice -- the poor wreath looks a little squished, haha. I did wind up having to frog a section of backstitching (compare the first French knot picture with the one right before it) and add in some stitches I apparently forgot!
The kit also came with a little press-for-music circle (what the heck are those things called!) but as this was a thrift store find and from the early '90s... well, the battery doesn't work. I don't know what song it played nor how to (or if it's possible) to replace the battery. So it will just be another little decoration to come out at Christmas time!
Technical Details
At last but not least, I have a new start that I can't show! It'll be a Christmas present assuming I can get it done. I didn't realize the new project would be such a fiddly little chart to stitch -- so many quarter stitches on very hard to split fabric! But other than that, it's a really interesting design and I have the wonderful conviction that that recipient will just be amazed that such a thing ever existed. :D
Until next time, have super productive fingers! Only a few more days until Christmas~
Wow, I managed to finish it with tons of time to spare! Exciting and Amazing! I took possibly too many pictures as I progressed through it, but it's fun to watch a stitch grow.
Here's where I was last time back on November 20th (oh, the shame!):
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| Needs more mail! |
And here is the progress march through time:
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| French Knots! |
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| More French Knots! |
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| FRENCH KNOTS. |
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| All Stitching: Complete! |
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| Framed and Everything! |
That was a long scroll, haha. I was too lazy to make a table to organize the images and blogger's "compose" section was making a royal mess of the arrangement. So, I just coded them straight down.
I apologize for the "rosey175" box in the last two pictures -- I put our names on the mailbox! :) It was quite a fun little stitch and I suppose the post doesn't look too bad now that the piece is complete. I like to do French knots but I think I might need more practice -- the poor wreath looks a little squished, haha. I did wind up having to frog a section of backstitching (compare the first French knot picture with the one right before it) and add in some stitches I apparently forgot!
The kit also came with a little press-for-music circle (what the heck are those things called!) but as this was a thrift store find and from the early '90s... well, the battery doesn't work. I don't know what song it played nor how to (or if it's possible) to replace the battery. So it will just be another little decoration to come out at Christmas time!
- "Family Mailbox" kit by an unknown manufacturer. If anyone had/has this kit and would be willing to share more info, please let me know!
- 2 over 1 on 14-count white Aida.
- Framed size: 5" x 6.5" (12,7cm x 16,5cm)
- Started: November 16th, 2012, Finished: December 18th, 2012. Unknown hours.
At last but not least, I have a new start that I can't show! It'll be a Christmas present assuming I can get it done. I didn't realize the new project would be such a fiddly little chart to stitch -- so many quarter stitches on very hard to split fabric! But other than that, it's a really interesting design and I have the wonderful conviction that that recipient will just be amazed that such a thing ever existed. :D
Until next time, have super productive fingers! Only a few more days until Christmas~
December TUSAL
I've been busy, then busy and sick, then just busy so I'm behind on the blog reading! Sorry if some of you have been getting comment spam from me lately; I've been trying to catch up! I have more to blog about (awesome winnings, stitchy news, 2012 review, blog hops, etc) but I think I'm gonna have to break it up into little posts to keep my own sanity.
I'll start with the last TUSAL of 2012~ If any of my followers aren't familiar with that, head over to Daffycat's journal and see what's going on~ There's hopefully going to be one next year too, if you're wanting in on the fun. :D
I'm still working on Family Mailbox, so that's the latest fluff on the top. It's modeled with the cute little reindeer my mom sewed for me around 25 years ago (really? that long ago?!) His nose is barely hanging on even though it's not quite obvious in the picture. He comes out every Christmas with all the other decorations. :)
Until next post, have more productive fingers than I do, haha!
I'll start with the last TUSAL of 2012~ If any of my followers aren't familiar with that, head over to Daffycat's journal and see what's going on~ There's hopefully going to be one next year too, if you're wanting in on the fun. :D
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| December TUSAL! |
I'm still working on Family Mailbox, so that's the latest fluff on the top. It's modeled with the cute little reindeer my mom sewed for me around 25 years ago (really? that long ago?!) His nose is barely hanging on even though it's not quite obvious in the picture. He comes out every Christmas with all the other decorations. :)
Until next post, have more productive fingers than I do, haha!
What's Behind Door #9?
Hello~ I'm sure y'all are here because of Jo's delightful Advent Calendar! I'm day number nine so I had to hurry and dig my Christmas stuff out, haha. I've only been stitching for just over three years so I don't have many choices... But I will give you my favorite so far: a little clothespin angel!
I stitched her from a little kit found in a thrift store and everything was fun until I tried to follow the directions for her lace. Let me tell you: Glue does not work! (!!!) So she got a red backstitch to hold her pretties on. Otherwise she was a delightfully fun stitch and I did save the cutout pattern so maybe I can design more friends to hang out on the tree. :)
As the Advent theme this year is "Stocking, Sack, or Something Else" I will give you a terribly ghetto picture from last year (our stockings aren't up yet this year!).
We had moved to a new house (twice!) near Christmas and there was no time or energy or space to put out a Christmas tree! I couldn't have that so I quickly tied up some yarn, tacked it to the wall, and "decorated" it with Christmas cards as they came in. Our stockings were hung by the tree with care in hopes that St. Nicholas would be able to find our forwarding address (he did; thank you, Santa!)! I really liked the yarn tree idea though and I have it up again for this year's cards.
My stocking is the one on the right - my boyfriend's wonderful grandmother decorated it for me when I was in Hawaii for Christmas one year. It has handmade beads and letters and candy canes and I was so happy to receive it! The one on the left is my dear boyfriend's that I made a valiant effort to decorate while he was in Missouri. I didn't have access to the delightful items from my own stocking so I did the best I could with little beads and leftover buttons and Christmas lights. I think now that I'm older and "wiser" I will have to experiment with waste canvas, don't you think? :)
I love meeting new stitchers so thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed today! :D
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| Hi there! |
I stitched her from a little kit found in a thrift store and everything was fun until I tried to follow the directions for her lace. Let me tell you: Glue does not work! (!!!) So she got a red backstitch to hold her pretties on. Otherwise she was a delightfully fun stitch and I did save the cutout pattern so maybe I can design more friends to hang out on the tree. :)
As the Advent theme this year is "Stocking, Sack, or Something Else" I will give you a terribly ghetto picture from last year (our stockings aren't up yet this year!).
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| LOL. |
We had moved to a new house (twice!) near Christmas and there was no time or energy or space to put out a Christmas tree! I couldn't have that so I quickly tied up some yarn, tacked it to the wall, and "decorated" it with Christmas cards as they came in. Our stockings were hung by the tree with care in hopes that St. Nicholas would be able to find our forwarding address (he did; thank you, Santa!)! I really liked the yarn tree idea though and I have it up again for this year's cards.
My stocking is the one on the right - my boyfriend's wonderful grandmother decorated it for me when I was in Hawaii for Christmas one year. It has handmade beads and letters and candy canes and I was so happy to receive it! The one on the left is my dear boyfriend's that I made a valiant effort to decorate while he was in Missouri. I didn't have access to the delightful items from my own stocking so I did the best I could with little beads and leftover buttons and Christmas lights. I think now that I'm older and "wiser" I will have to experiment with waste canvas, don't you think? :)
I love meeting new stitchers so thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoyed today! :D
Blog Hop #12 ~ Thank You, Cross-Stitch
| When it comes to the stitching part of your life, what are you most thankful for? |
I found myself hesitating on posting for this prompt. I'm thankful for so many things. But. I taught myself how to cross-stitch at a low point in my life. I needed something to occupy my mind and hands. Basically, I needed a distraction from myself.
I'm thankful that stitching has provided an outlet for my creative splurts. I'm thankful I have family and friends that are supportive, encouraging, and interested in my stitching. I'm thankful for the Internet friends who get excited with me over a finish or a new skein of floss or a thrift store find. I'm thankful I have access to the Internet for new ideas and tutorials on old ideas. I'm thankful I have the resources available to fund my hobby. I'm thankful I haven't run into very much negativity when I force myself to stitch in public. I'm thankful for the Sprite Stitch community and the creativity it inspires. I'm thankful for thrift stores and I'm thankful for people who donate to thrift stores. I'm thankful for a boyfriend who likes to see the patterns and results and sometimes says "could you do this?" I'm thankful that my boyfriend and I can enjoy our separate hobbies in the same room. I'm thankful for pattern makers (both human and digital). I'm thankful my cats haven't destroyed any stash or ate any needles. I'm doing something I love and I'm thankful no one can take that from me.
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
November TUSAL & IHSW WIP!
I feel like I need more acronyms in the post title, lol!
I'm always so timely with these things but first up we have a delicious TUSAL. If you have no clue what TUSAL is, head on over to Daffycat's blog and join the fun!
I don't often buy doughnuts. They're tasty but eating just one is almost impossible! We have a doughnut-loving guest however, and I'll happily supply them as long as I don't have to eat them all, haha.
And another month of IHSW! I did poorly in my participation this year but some is better than none, right? :) This is a little kit I picked up in a thrift store (surprise, surprise!) a year or so ago. I've been wanting to stitch it for a while but was always busy and / or distracted. I had no idea how it would look completed as I have only the black & white pattern to go by. I'm terrible at imagining finished products. Maybe this is a skill that will come with time?
And there I stopped. I'm not sure how I feel about the weird yellow post color. I need to deliberate on it for a little while. I don't think I'd like a Christmas-y mailbox that a passing dog took a leaking to!
Now I'm off to oooh and ahh over everyone's much more substantial progress! Your fingers were indeed very productive.
I'm always so timely with these things but first up we have a delicious TUSAL. If you have no clue what TUSAL is, head on over to Daffycat's blog and join the fun!
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| om nom nom |
I don't often buy doughnuts. They're tasty but eating just one is almost impossible! We have a doughnut-loving guest however, and I'll happily supply them as long as I don't have to eat them all, haha.
And another month of IHSW! I did poorly in my participation this year but some is better than none, right? :) This is a little kit I picked up in a thrift store (surprise, surprise!) a year or so ago. I've been wanting to stitch it for a while but was always busy and / or distracted. I had no idea how it would look completed as I have only the black & white pattern to go by. I'm terrible at imagining finished products. Maybe this is a skill that will come with time?
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| Gray brick with a tail! |
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| Gray brick with a tail and ... head? |
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| Oh. |
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| Ohhhhhh. |
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| :D |
And there I stopped. I'm not sure how I feel about the weird yellow post color. I need to deliberate on it for a little while. I don't think I'd like a Christmas-y mailbox that a passing dog took a leaking to!
Now I'm off to oooh and ahh over everyone's much more substantial progress! Your fingers were indeed very productive.
FFVII Framed
I will try to spare you the exclamation points that are punctuating the excitement in my head, haha. Jo, I didn't cry, LOL!
But here it is, in all it's professionally framed glory. Don't mind the cardboard on the corners; I'm currently at my mother's house and I wanted to leave them on to transport it back to my house.
She did a good job though, and it really is super close to what I had in mind. It isn't exactly what I was envisioning but she doesn't live inside my brain so I can't fault her for not knowing what goes on in there. Half the time, I don't even know. I think I'll have to learn framing fo' sho because it was a splurge to have it done. And when I consider there are still at the very least, 15 more to stitch and get framed...
BUT YAY LOOK AT IT EEEEEEEEE.
Okay, okay, I'll get my TUSAL up soon, and I hope your fingers are having a fabulously productive IHSW! I'll actually have pictures for it myself but I had to get this post up before I exploded with exclamation points!!
But here it is, in all it's professionally framed glory. Don't mind the cardboard on the corners; I'm currently at my mother's house and I wanted to leave them on to transport it back to my house.
She did a good job though, and it really is super close to what I had in mind. It isn't exactly what I was envisioning but she doesn't live inside my brain so I can't fault her for not knowing what goes on in there. Half the time, I don't even know. I think I'll have to learn framing fo' sho because it was a splurge to have it done. And when I consider there are still at the very least, 15 more to stitch and get framed...
BUT YAY LOOK AT IT EEEEEEEEE.
Okay, okay, I'll get my TUSAL up soon, and I hope your fingers are having a fabulously productive IHSW! I'll actually have pictures for it myself but I had to get this post up before I exploded with exclamation points!!
Blog Hop #11, a Visit To the Framers, and a Finish!
Once again, I'm grateful for Blog Hops to break me of my radio silences, haha. I'll jump right into it, iffins you don't mind!
I pondered my (frequent) trips to various thrift stores and the wealth that they sometimes bestow upon my stash... as far as interesting (to me), I think I would have to go with floss. On one excursion, I picked up a sandwich-sized baggie of floss. Being thehoarder stash builder that I am, I think "yay floss!" and don't even bother to go through the baggie. When I get it home and start playing with it, I discover that they aren't all new, but Star (3 for 10¢? Can I go back to those days, please?), Brillanté D'alger (French DMC?), and some older labels of DMC. I know they're not really unusual but for someone who only has new DMC and Sullivans around, they were kinda neat to look at. Maybe someday I'll get lucky and find specialty flosses at a thrift store!
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
Next up in my excitement was... are you ready? A trip to the framers! (!!!!!) That was a fun experience, playing with all the various frame pieces and mats and how to put them all together. I had no idea there were so many options out there. Nor just how expensive framing is, omygosh! Even with various discounts, it will still be $160 and that is really a lot of money to me. I went ahead with it as I had already picked out everything but is this really a normal price for framing? I suppose it's a good thing that I finish things slowly. And it's apparent that I need to make figuring out framing a high priority, lol! Anyway, I'll pick it up in a couple of weeks as I only get down to that area on weekends. It'll be so nice to have something to display on the wall!
Lastly, I haven't been entirely neglectful of my stitching. It's Sprite Stitch's 5th birthday so they're having different challenges on the forums for the month of November. I've always shied away from participating in the challenges because I feel as creative as a potato next to the talent there but I thought I could at least give the mini challenges a try! I couldn't post WIPs of it because it was a challenge, but the first one was "something birthday" so here is what I created:
I got the idea from my friend who reminded me of this blog post on SS who in turn got it from @Shereebedee on twitter. Even though I didn't win, it was a fun little stitch and I think it would work great as a birthday card for the geeky group. :D If you can't read it, it says, "This time, the cake isn't a lie." which is a little play on "The cake is a lie." from the video game Portal. The black forest cake is resting on a be-doilied Companion Cube which I already had made a pattern for ages ago. In a flash of inspiration, I added little turrets shooting into portal holes... and thus, each other. Silly turrets. I don't hate you.
That's all I got for today, folks! I'm sure you're tired of reading anyway. :D May your fingers be productive until the next time~
| What has been your most unusual or most interesting stash acquisition to date? |
I pondered my (frequent) trips to various thrift stores and the wealth that they sometimes bestow upon my stash... as far as interesting (to me), I think I would have to go with floss. On one excursion, I picked up a sandwich-sized baggie of floss. Being the
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
Next up in my excitement was... are you ready? A trip to the framers! (!!!!!) That was a fun experience, playing with all the various frame pieces and mats and how to put them all together. I had no idea there were so many options out there. Nor just how expensive framing is, omygosh! Even with various discounts, it will still be $160 and that is really a lot of money to me. I went ahead with it as I had already picked out everything but is this really a normal price for framing? I suppose it's a good thing that I finish things slowly. And it's apparent that I need to make figuring out framing a high priority, lol! Anyway, I'll pick it up in a couple of weeks as I only get down to that area on weekends. It'll be so nice to have something to display on the wall!
Lastly, I haven't been entirely neglectful of my stitching. It's Sprite Stitch's 5th birthday so they're having different challenges on the forums for the month of November. I've always shied away from participating in the challenges because I feel as creative as a potato next to the talent there but I thought I could at least give the mini challenges a try! I couldn't post WIPs of it because it was a challenge, but the first one was "something birthday" so here is what I created:
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| More video game stuffs here! :D |
I got the idea from my friend who reminded me of this blog post on SS who in turn got it from @Shereebedee on twitter. Even though I didn't win, it was a fun little stitch and I think it would work great as a birthday card for the geeky group. :D If you can't read it, it says, "This time, the cake isn't a lie." which is a little play on "The cake is a lie." from the video game Portal. The black forest cake is resting on a be-doilied Companion Cube which I already had made a pattern for ages ago. In a flash of inspiration, I added little turrets shooting into portal holes... and thus, each other. Silly turrets. I don't hate you.
That's all I got for today, folks! I'm sure you're tired of reading anyway. :D May your fingers be productive until the next time~
Small and Late IHSW!
Well first of all you guys need to kick me in the pants!! I had no idea that the spectacular Jo had offered to put $10 toward getting a piece framed! Her entries don't show up in my reader. Nor do Daffycat's. I hope there aren't more people not showing up -- if so, I'M SORRY!! I just thought you all were quiet posters, lol! But now that I know people are hiding from my reader (LOL) I can google the blogs. If I've been missing anyone else, let me know. I may have to create a bookmark folder so I know I'm checking them all! :)
BUT YAY I can get something framed! I have e-mailed a local framer for info regarding FFVII options. We'll see if she breaks the bank. I hope not, 'cause then I can get FFVIII done too! And then I can really call my home The Home of a Needleworker! :D
And now, IHSW! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get anything done this weekend as it was the Fall Festival and I'd be out of the house quite a bit. I got something finished even though it was technically finished before, haha. I got the felt backing sewed on, yay!
I think next time I will leave the edges straight omygoodness! That was some crazy stitching all around there. I'm not sure orange was the right choice but I think orange and black for Halloween and that's how that happened. I'm not so good at floss tosses, I suppose. And of course after I stitched the back on, took pictures, and admired her I realized I forgot to stitch her little cape ribbon on!! Aaaa. *facepalm* It'll be an easy fix as long as I'm super careful...
She was stitched on black 14-count perforated plastic in six colors plus the orange blanket stitch for the edge. I backed her with a piece of black felt. She's modeled on my chopstick lamp and is 3.5" tall. You can find the wonderful pattern on Carolyn's blog, along with a whole bunch of others! :D Also her dA has more!
Now I'm off to catch up on everyone's posts~ I'm sure y'all will have productive fingers again this week, much more than mine, haha. :D
BUT YAY I can get something framed! I have e-mailed a local framer for info regarding FFVII options. We'll see if she breaks the bank. I hope not, 'cause then I can get FFVIII done too! And then I can really call my home The Home of a Needleworker! :D
And now, IHSW! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get anything done this weekend as it was the Fall Festival and I'd be out of the house quite a bit. I got something finished even though it was technically finished before, haha. I got the felt backing sewed on, yay!
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| Front & Back |
I think next time I will leave the edges straight omygoodness! That was some crazy stitching all around there. I'm not sure orange was the right choice but I think orange and black for Halloween and that's how that happened. I'm not so good at floss tosses, I suppose. And of course after I stitched the back on, took pictures, and admired her I realized I forgot to stitch her little cape ribbon on!! Aaaa. *facepalm* It'll be an easy fix as long as I'm super careful...
She was stitched on black 14-count perforated plastic in six colors plus the orange blanket stitch for the edge. I backed her with a piece of black felt. She's modeled on my chopstick lamp and is 3.5" tall. You can find the wonderful pattern on Carolyn's blog, along with a whole bunch of others! :D Also her dA has more!
Now I'm off to catch up on everyone's posts~ I'm sure y'all will have productive fingers again this week, much more than mine, haha. :D
Blog Hop #9 and #10
Okay, I missed Blog Hop #9 but I'm sneaking it in here anyway. ;)
I'm gonna go with something kinda alien here -- the dual monitors on my computer. I like to make patterns so having the extra screen real estate is SO USEFUL. I can have one monitor devoted to the pattern maker and the other devoted to a browser full of reference pictures, or at least the one reference picture to compare with.
In terms of more normal tools, I suppose I would have to go with painter's tape. I'm quite hopeless when it comes to sewing so binding edges seems to be beyond me (I'm trying though!). I keep a roll of the lovely blue tape around to keep my edges (and sanity) from fraying away.
I'm going to have to go with... metallic! Why, why must it separate! And twist! So many twists! I can't say that I've ever had it knot up on me but that might make me want to toss it in a fire so perhaps that's a good thing. I don't have any problem backstitching with it but Heaven forbid I try to do cross stitches! It's impossible to "railroad" metallic. I haven't tried thread heaven yet so maybe it will be the answer to my woes but until then! It adds so much to a piece with all the little sparkles it throws out so I can't hate it...
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
| What are your must-have stitching tools and aides? Other than your trusty scissors, of course. Is there a problem you have had when stitching that you created your own solution for, or have you purchased a tool that helped? |
I'm gonna go with something kinda alien here -- the dual monitors on my computer. I like to make patterns so having the extra screen real estate is SO USEFUL. I can have one monitor devoted to the pattern maker and the other devoted to a browser full of reference pictures, or at least the one reference picture to compare with.
In terms of more normal tools, I suppose I would have to go with painter's tape. I'm quite hopeless when it comes to sewing so binding edges seems to be beyond me (I'm trying though!). I keep a roll of the lovely blue tape around to keep my edges (and sanity) from fraying away.
| What’s your absolute least-favorite thread to work with? |
I'm going to have to go with... metallic! Why, why must it separate! And twist! So many twists! I can't say that I've ever had it knot up on me but that might make me want to toss it in a fire so perhaps that's a good thing. I don't have any problem backstitching with it but Heaven forbid I try to do cross stitches! It's impossible to "railroad" metallic. I haven't tried thread heaven yet so maybe it will be the answer to my woes but until then! It adds so much to a piece with all the little sparkles it throws out so I can't hate it...
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
October TUSAL
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| October TUSAL! |
I am timely this time! :D There's all the little flosses from Halloween Witchy Kitty and a random bit of string that was on a shirt. Also, my sparkly pencil, the eraser (that packs down the floss, btw), and a basic pair of scissors!
Sorry there isn't a C&H backdrop. Instead, we have my stitchy table. The little sewing box was a gift from my boyfriend's grandfather. When he gave it to me, I had zero idea what it was for as I didn't do any stitching at the time. Dangling above is a tiny wind chime that tinkles if I even look at the lamp wrong, haha. And the shamrock potpourri heart to keep it company. If you look on the table to the left of the jar, you'll see a pair of stork scissors my grandmother gave to me. They're quite old and so much more awesome than anything else I've tried. They do need a good sharpening though!
:D! Productive fingers for you all!
Possibly Another Halloween Kitty
Hooboy! We finally have Internet at our place! I spent quite a while catching up with blogs; I hope I got everyone! Blogger still likes to "hide" posts from me once in a while.
Well, apart from having Internet, the electric company was out replacing poles in the corn fields so we were without power for a few hours over a couple of days. What better time to stitch, right~? :D
Wait, that's not stitching...
...
Turns out, having no electricity also makes good time to work on rainbows. I decided to take the opportunity to wrap my floss from FFVII up on bobbins instead of letting them get all tangled up in the baggies. I'm not very fond of pink but I like that my box is different from the usual white / clear ones.
I need more floss.
And here's what I worked on! I apologize for the abysmal photo; the camera refused to focus and get the colors right at the same time. Anyway, this super cute kitty was a freebie pattern made by the wonderful Carolyn! I seem to have a thing for Halloween kitties, especially witchy Halloween kitties. She has a whole series of these little guys in various adorable outfits on her blog and dA.
I made a few changes to the pattern as I didn't have all the colors listed. I chose a medium gray for the body, a darker gray for the outline, and black for the cape and hat. I like gray kitties with green eyes, so that was another change. I also stitched the hat buckle in gold metallic because all witch kitties need bling. Another change (not shown) was the bow. Because of the cape edit, I decided to make a little bow out of extra floss.
This was my first attempt using perforated plastic (and stitching on anything black!). I'm harboring some mixed feelings about it! I think my main trouble was not having a needle the right size. I had to really shove it through the hole even though it was 14-count! Also, it was a little uncomfortable to hold. Otherwise, it's awesome. I like the stiffness. Even if I left it as-is, it could've been considered "finished" but I can't let the world see the back of my stitching now can I?
I had an idea how to finish it using felt for a backing. I started stitching it on with a blanket stitch and then for some mysterious reason, decided there was too much felt and cut it to size. A size too small! Aaaah. I have tons of scrap felt (yay for being a teacher's kid -- all kinds of crafty access) so all I have to do is rummage out another piece and not get so crazy with the scissors.
I'm in the middle of fall cleaning and had tossed that camo jumpsuit out of the closet I was working on. I turn around and there's Peanut, happy as can be, making a little Kitty Nest and enjoying life.
Until the next time, enjoy the rest of your week and may your fingers be productive~
Well, apart from having Internet, the electric company was out replacing poles in the corn fields so we were without power for a few hours over a couple of days. What better time to stitch, right~? :D
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| It's a raaaaainbow! |
Wait, that's not stitching...
...
Turns out, having no electricity also makes good time to work on rainbows. I decided to take the opportunity to wrap my floss from FFVII up on bobbins instead of letting them get all tangled up in the baggies. I'm not very fond of pink but I like that my box is different from the usual white / clear ones.
I need more floss.
 |
| Cute Level: MAX! |
And here's what I worked on! I apologize for the abysmal photo; the camera refused to focus and get the colors right at the same time. Anyway, this super cute kitty was a freebie pattern made by the wonderful Carolyn! I seem to have a thing for Halloween kitties, especially witchy Halloween kitties. She has a whole series of these little guys in various adorable outfits on her blog and dA.
I made a few changes to the pattern as I didn't have all the colors listed. I chose a medium gray for the body, a darker gray for the outline, and black for the cape and hat. I like gray kitties with green eyes, so that was another change. I also stitched the hat buckle in gold metallic because all witch kitties need bling. Another change (not shown) was the bow. Because of the cape edit, I decided to make a little bow out of extra floss.
This was my first attempt using perforated plastic (and stitching on anything black!). I'm harboring some mixed feelings about it! I think my main trouble was not having a needle the right size. I had to really shove it through the hole even though it was 14-count! Also, it was a little uncomfortable to hold. Otherwise, it's awesome. I like the stiffness. Even if I left it as-is, it could've been considered "finished" but I can't let the world see the back of my stitching now can I?
I had an idea how to finish it using felt for a backing. I started stitching it on with a blanket stitch and then for some mysterious reason, decided there was too much felt and cut it to size. A size too small! Aaaah. I have tons of scrap felt (yay for being a teacher's kid -- all kinds of crafty access) so all I have to do is rummage out another piece and not get so crazy with the scissors.
 |
| Shh, I'm hiding. |
I'm in the middle of fall cleaning and had tossed that camo jumpsuit out of the closet I was working on. I turn around and there's Peanut, happy as can be, making a little Kitty Nest and enjoying life.
Until the next time, enjoy the rest of your week and may your fingers be productive~
TUSAL, Blog Hop #8, FINISH (yay)
Aloha! This is gonna be a busy post with a blog hop, TUSAL, FFVII squee-age, and whatever else pops into my head!
First up, September TUSAL, sporting another Calvin & Hobbes cover!
Most of the additions were black. Lots of black. All squished down. :D If you're doing the TUSAL, don't forget to link back to it on Daffycat's blog! Like I have been doing, whoops. :)
Nextly, blog hop #8! I've missed having these, haha.
I found this piece in a thrift store back in 2010 with the border and a bit of the background started. All of the floss was included in little floss-a-way baggies and the pattern was in pretty decent shape. It smelled horrible. I had to wash it at least twice because I was nearly overwhelmed with cigarettes. Admittedly, I purchased it mind of picking out all the stitches and using the fabric for something else. My mother saw it though and really liked it, so I decided to finish it up. I am glad I did because it was so much fun to stitch! My absolute favorite part was that little brown pot on the left. It was also the first piece I ever stitched on a floor stand and that may have contributed to the love, haha. It's so much easier to stitch using both hands.
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
Lastly, lastly....!! IT IS TRULY FINISHED. It even gets the Super Special "finish" label!
And then sadness. I washed it and while there was no bleeding (thank goodness!), the creases will not iron out! Argh. I may have to block it or perhaps someone can suggest some sort of magic to get those darn things out. I totally feel Annie's (via The Crafty Pixie) frustration over stubborn wrinkles.
Technical Details
Lessons Learned
(hopefully)
I probably should've used a bigger piece of fabric... Oops. It will make framing interesting, I suspect. As for framing, I am not even going to attempt these guys. I'm taking them to a local framer where I can spend a few hours hashing out matte, glass, and frame preferences and then watch them suffer with my lack of fabric on the sides. I'm really a huge fan of the framing done by Jill at Rensel Studio but I don't think I can afford her, haha. Such fantastic work though!
Oh, and I actually washed FFVIII. Yes. With all those reds. I sort of cheated though. I fished out the colors in the chart and stitched them on a little scrap of fabric and then washed the little scrap. Nothing happened on the scrap so I figured I'd be safe washing the big piece, but let me tell you, I held my breath as I submerged that in the sink, ahahaha. It really, really needed a wash after being on the stand for five months and then a drawer for a year. It turned out sublime so this is a deliriously happy post instead of a woebegone gloomy post.
I think I'm (finally) typed out! I hope you enjoyed (or at least had tolerated amusement at) my very excited excitement. I hope you have productive fingers in the next week as well!
First up, September TUSAL, sporting another Calvin & Hobbes cover!
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| September TUSAL |
Most of the additions were black. Lots of black. All squished down. :D If you're doing the TUSAL, don't forget to link back to it on Daffycat's blog! Like I have been doing, whoops. :)
Nextly, blog hop #8! I've missed having these, haha.
- What has been your favorite project to stitch? (either finished or in progress)
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| Southwest Spirit |
I found this piece in a thrift store back in 2010 with the border and a bit of the background started. All of the floss was included in little floss-a-way baggies and the pattern was in pretty decent shape. It smelled horrible. I had to wash it at least twice because I was nearly overwhelmed with cigarettes. Admittedly, I purchased it mind of picking out all the stitches and using the fabric for something else. My mother saw it though and really liked it, so I decided to finish it up. I am glad I did because it was so much fun to stitch! My absolute favorite part was that little brown pot on the left. It was also the first piece I ever stitched on a floor stand and that may have contributed to the love, haha. It's so much easier to stitch using both hands.
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
Lastly, lastly....!! IT IS TRULY FINISHED. It even gets the Super Special "finish" label!
 |
| "We may be retreating, but... we're still victorious." |
And then sadness. I washed it and while there was no bleeding (thank goodness!), the creases will not iron out! Argh. I may have to block it or perhaps someone can suggest some sort of magic to get those darn things out. I totally feel Annie's (via The Crafty Pixie) frustration over stubborn wrinkles.
- Chart designed with KG-Chart and featured 10 colors originally. After stitching, I realized that two of the lighter blues were very, very similar so I replaced one with the other.
- 1 over 1 on white 22 count (hardanger). Black 2 over 1.
- Finished size: 11" x 6" (26.5cm x 15cm) -- need to double check this; I'm not exactly sure it was 6" high.
- Started: April 1, 2012, Finished: September 20, 2012. Roughly ???? hours.
(hopefully)
- Tweaking chart forever works out for the better. Getting the colors down to reasonable amounts was the best thing ever.
- Confetti the transitions even more. Stop going diagonal!
- Doing the colors in half-stitches worked AMAZINGLY. I was able to see the colors and decide if they were acceptable and if there was a mistake, half-stitches are so much easier to pick out. It also makes it easier to do the top leg.
- Black one line at a time, working up makes for the best "fill".
- Need to devise a better way of keeping track of the time spent on these. I have no idea how long it takes me to actually stitch them.
- Wash fabric before stitching to get out stubborn wrinkles. Bah.
 |
| action shot! |
 |
| size comparison |
I probably should've used a bigger piece of fabric... Oops. It will make framing interesting, I suspect. As for framing, I am not even going to attempt these guys. I'm taking them to a local framer where I can spend a few hours hashing out matte, glass, and frame preferences and then watch them suffer with my lack of fabric on the sides. I'm really a huge fan of the framing done by Jill at Rensel Studio but I don't think I can afford her, haha. Such fantastic work though!
Oh, and I actually washed FFVIII. Yes. With all those reds. I sort of cheated though. I fished out the colors in the chart and stitched them on a little scrap of fabric and then washed the little scrap. Nothing happened on the scrap so I figured I'd be safe washing the big piece, but let me tell you, I held my breath as I submerged that in the sink, ahahaha. It really, really needed a wash after being on the stand for five months and then a drawer for a year. It turned out sublime so this is a deliriously happy post instead of a woebegone gloomy post.
I think I'm (finally) typed out! I hope you enjoyed (or at least had tolerated amusement at) my very excited excitement. I hope you have productive fingers in the next week as well!
Partially Excited Post!
Ah, goodness me, another week.
But what is this.
Is this... Final Fantasy VII... DONE???
It is... not!
Well. Kinda not. The backstitching is all that is left but I had to set it aside because I was MUCH too excited to be holding anything pointy and doing tiny work with said pointy. I frog enough without distractions of hyper, thank you! And I tend to get very hyper when I'm close to finishing a project. Probably because I don't finish very many. Anyway. I have set it aside for the weekend to cool my head and allow for focus.
As if I could ever focus. >_>
Until next week, enjoy the productivity of your fingers, yes? :D
But what is this.
Is this... Final Fantasy VII... DONE???
It is... not!
Well. Kinda not. The backstitching is all that is left but I had to set it aside because I was MUCH too excited to be holding anything pointy and doing tiny work with said pointy. I frog enough without distractions of hyper, thank you! And I tend to get very hyper when I'm close to finishing a project. Probably because I don't finish very many. Anyway. I have set it aside for the weekend to cool my head and allow for focus.
As if I could ever focus. >_>
 |
| Tadaaaaa! |
Until next week, enjoy the productivity of your fingers, yes? :D
Soul Pumpkin, Framed!
Hello, hello, hello! I hope y'all have had a great week! I must first brag about the absolutely amazing weather we currently have. After weeks and weeks and weeks of horrid 110+ F (43+ C)temperatures and no rain, we got hit with the remnants of Hurricane Isaac one weekend and then a passing cold front the next (which brought somewhat terrible storms), we are a magnificent 70F (20C) and I LOVE IT. Everything is so green after the rain and I can have the A/C off and windows open all day and night...! Ah, bliss!
Okay, I'll stop rubbing it in as I know some of you are still suffering with the heat. Meteorological autumn began September 1st and I wholeheartedly welcome it!
I'd like to share a giveaway hosted by Melody on The Stitching Life! She's doing this for HaED appreciation week and the prize is a chart from HaED and you have until midnight on September 11th. I have never stitched a HaED chart before (they look so daunting, lol) but I chose a Storykeep Blossoms-Law because I could always use more bookmarks, haha. Plus I love the colors!
I don't know where my brain has been lately with taking WIP shots but FFVII is soclosetofinished! If I just ignored the house one day this week, I could get it done and squeal like a little girl and post terribly small cell phone pictures that no one can distinguish any happenings from! I'm quite excited, haha.
I did manage to get another small piece framed though! It's not a world-class framing by any stretch but by golly, it's washed (and didn't bleed!!!), ironed, and in a frame! I finished it last year before Halloween (see post here) and was so sure I'd get it done up... I should know better than to make promises with myself! Anyway, here it is framed:
Please ignore the black floss visible through the fabric. It was a whole year ago and I was young and naive. :) The frame itself is just a simple black one picked up in the dollar store. Sometimes the simplest things work best!
And because it was Oreo's turn to be silly:
I picked up a very lovely and soft afghan at a local thrift store and had spread it out on my living room floor to examine it closely... and Oreo found it to be the most fascinating new kitty tent. She loves being under all blankets so I guess I shouldn't be surprised!
Until the next time, enjoy your new week and may your fingers be productive!
Okay, I'll stop rubbing it in as I know some of you are still suffering with the heat. Meteorological autumn began September 1st and I wholeheartedly welcome it!
I'd like to share a giveaway hosted by Melody on The Stitching Life! She's doing this for HaED appreciation week and the prize is a chart from HaED and you have until midnight on September 11th. I have never stitched a HaED chart before (they look so daunting, lol) but I chose a Storykeep Blossoms-Law because I could always use more bookmarks, haha. Plus I love the colors!
I don't know where my brain has been lately with taking WIP shots but FFVII is soclosetofinished! If I just ignored the house one day this week, I could get it done and squeal like a little girl and post terribly small cell phone pictures that no one can distinguish any happenings from! I'm quite excited, haha.
I did manage to get another small piece framed though! It's not a world-class framing by any stretch but by golly, it's washed (and didn't bleed!!!), ironed, and in a frame! I finished it last year before Halloween (see post here) and was so sure I'd get it done up... I should know better than to make promises with myself! Anyway, here it is framed:
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| Soul Pumpkin! |
Please ignore the black floss visible through the fabric. It was a whole year ago and I was young and naive. :) The frame itself is just a simple black one picked up in the dollar store. Sometimes the simplest things work best!
And because it was Oreo's turn to be silly:
 |
| Mine? |
I picked up a very lovely and soft afghan at a local thrift store and had spread it out on my living room floor to examine it closely... and Oreo found it to be the most fascinating new kitty tent. She loves being under all blankets so I guess I shouldn't be surprised!
Until the next time, enjoy your new week and may your fingers be productive!
FFVII Update... Almost!
Well, I don't think I'm gonna beat my September deadline for FFVII! I did make quite a bit of progress though and considering how busy I was this week, it's a miracle anything at all happened!
FINAL is all stitched in, excluding backstitching. I finished the line and the meteor underneath the line and started filling in above the line. The gradient seems much sharper in the pictures but really, it's harder to distinguish the color transition. I'm getting better at making up gradients on the fly but I really need to get over my habit of going diagonally for everything!
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| Before! |
 |
| After! |
FINAL is all stitched in, excluding backstitching. I finished the line and the meteor underneath the line and started filling in above the line. The gradient seems much sharper in the pictures but really, it's harder to distinguish the color transition. I'm getting better at making up gradients on the fly but I really need to get over my habit of going diagonally for everything!
Giveaway Wins, TUSAL, and FFVII, o my!
I received a spectacular package with beautiful handwriting in the mail containing things that made me squeal like the little girl I am! Steph over at Show And Tell (who is such a fabulous felter and amazing ami artist!) hosted a very generous giveaway and I actually won first place!! I had way too much fun with the ami mushroom; my boyfriend held it up over my head, I did a little hop, and he made the little "brrling~" sound, ahaha (we're possibly dorks). Thank you so much, Steph, I love them all!! :D This cell phone picture does not do them justice but I snapped it in excitement immediately after opening the package.
Once I got past my excitement, I recalled it's still August so my TUSAL is completely valid. Here it is, modeled with another Calvin & Hobbes background. Weirdos from Another Planet seemed appropriate with the successful landing of Curiosity!
Also, I've been making more progress on FFVII! It goes quite fast... if I sit down and actually work on it. Here is where I was last time (back in June, yikes!):
And now:
I also started to work on the meteor; you can sort of see the darker shades in the portion under the line. My goal is to get this finished before September. Hah, one can dream, right! If I finish it by the 1st, I'll have completed it two-three weeks before the other one, haha (completed on Sept. 19th). I'm in competition with myself!
One week, go, go, gooooo!
 |
| Squeee!! |
Once I got past my excitement, I recalled it's still August so my TUSAL is completely valid. Here it is, modeled with another Calvin & Hobbes background. Weirdos from Another Planet seemed appropriate with the successful landing of Curiosity!
 |
| August TUSAL |
Also, I've been making more progress on FFVII! It goes quite fast... if I sit down and actually work on it. Here is where I was last time (back in June, yikes!):
 |
| FIN... not quite. |
And now:
|
| One skein of black down! |
I also started to work on the meteor; you can sort of see the darker shades in the portion under the line. My goal is to get this finished before September. Hah, one can dream, right! If I finish it by the 1st, I'll have completed it two-three weeks before the other one, haha (completed on Sept. 19th). I'm in competition with myself!
One week, go, go, gooooo!
Blog Hop #6 and #7!
Howdy, howdy, howdy! I hope y'all have had a spectacular weekend of IHSW! I didn't participate this time (again, geh) but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's accomplishments! I even forgot to take a picture of the TUSAL after all; where has my head been lately?!
I haven't posted a Blog Hop in a while because it's so difficult to format the post from a phone and I kept forgetting on weekends when I have computer access, so I will play catch up with #6 (stitching rituals) and #7 (leftover floss).
I definitely have a favorite chair to sit in! It's old, ugly, half picked apart, and covered in cat hair but it must have been designed for my behind because it is sooo comfy! As far as getting ready to stitch, I like to do it when I'm sure everything else has been accomplished around the house. If something is unfinished, it looms over my head and makes it so I can't concentrate on stitching! It's probably the main cause of my lack of progress lately, hah. Many times I'll start by peeling off my work-around-the-house clothes and putting on PJs. I turn on the lamp by my stand and let the bulb warm up (it's a spiral-y CFL) and I make sure all of my materials are present and not carried off by curious little kitties -- pencils are the usual victims. The only finished-for-the-day ritual involves making sure I put the needle in the top left corner of the extra fabric holding FFVII on the frame. And then a sense of accomplishment. :D
o man, I hoard those suckers. I have so much random stuff in my little sewing box I can't even remember what kit most of it came from. I do use them though. Freebie patterns I find online or design myself are the primary absorbers as I find it silly to get to a LNS to buy a skein of floss for a little mini-project even if I don't have that precise color. Even if I don't use it for the front of a piece, I use some of the longer lengths for other things around the house. Some longer pieces got used when I laced the back of Ruby Angel. I've used others for tying up plants around the house. Others have gone toward repairing clothes. I'm not picky! I do participate in the monthly TUSAL (late, usually :B), and keep the little pieces of thread to sprinkle out in the spring. It is so cute to see a bird go crazy gathering them for a nest! I haven't figured out what to do with the beads I have left over from RA as I've never had them before, but I did keep them in their little plastic baggie. They'll probably go to adding bling to a small project. I definitely keep needles because I have them all over the house! It comes in handy when I need one quick 'cause they're everywhere, haha.
This reminds me I need to tidy up that sewing box...
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
I can't leave you without pictures but I have none of stitching! So have instead an off-center photo of mini french toast cupcakes on a stylish paper plate!
They were a wonderful discovery by my friend and the basic recipe can be found here! Yes, that is bacon sprinkled on top! I didn't have a box of cake mix on hand so I made some yellow cake. I also made this icing with the maple extract instead of vanilla. It made a delicious amount of food (even though I didn't make the full amount) and I really found I liked them much better cold! The only downside is that B loved them so much, he said I have to make them every day for the rest of my life! G'luck with that wish, dear. ;)
I haven't posted a Blog Hop in a while because it's so difficult to format the post from a phone and I kept forgetting on weekends when I have computer access, so I will play catch up with #6 (stitching rituals) and #7 (leftover floss).
- Some of us have a favorite chair that we sit in to stitch, others prefer to enjoy a steaming mug of tea while they stitch. Maybe you need to get comfortable and put on your pajamas before you pick up your needle or you simply must rearrange all the sofa pillows before you sit down. Sometimes the ritual is in the clean up when we’re done and everything must go in a certain place. What sort of stitching rituals do you have when you sit down to work on your projects?
I definitely have a favorite chair to sit in! It's old, ugly, half picked apart, and covered in cat hair but it must have been designed for my behind because it is sooo comfy! As far as getting ready to stitch, I like to do it when I'm sure everything else has been accomplished around the house. If something is unfinished, it looms over my head and makes it so I can't concentrate on stitching! It's probably the main cause of my lack of progress lately, hah. Many times I'll start by peeling off my work-around-the-house clothes and putting on PJs. I turn on the lamp by my stand and let the bulb warm up (it's a spiral-y CFL) and I make sure all of my materials are present and not carried off by curious little kitties -- pencils are the usual victims. The only finished-for-the-day ritual involves making sure I put the needle in the top left corner of the extra fabric holding FFVII on the frame. And then a sense of accomplishment. :D
- What do you do with the floss, thread, beads, and other elements you have left over from full project kits?
o man, I hoard those suckers. I have so much random stuff in my little sewing box I can't even remember what kit most of it came from. I do use them though. Freebie patterns I find online or design myself are the primary absorbers as I find it silly to get to a LNS to buy a skein of floss for a little mini-project even if I don't have that precise color. Even if I don't use it for the front of a piece, I use some of the longer lengths for other things around the house. Some longer pieces got used when I laced the back of Ruby Angel. I've used others for tying up plants around the house. Others have gone toward repairing clothes. I'm not picky! I do participate in the monthly TUSAL (late, usually :B), and keep the little pieces of thread to sprinkle out in the spring. It is so cute to see a bird go crazy gathering them for a nest! I haven't figured out what to do with the beads I have left over from RA as I've never had them before, but I did keep them in their little plastic baggie. They'll probably go to adding bling to a small project. I definitely keep needles because I have them all over the house! It comes in handy when I need one quick 'cause they're everywhere, haha.
This reminds me I need to tidy up that sewing box...
Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.
I can't leave you without pictures but I have none of stitching! So have instead an off-center photo of mini french toast cupcakes on a stylish paper plate!
They were a wonderful discovery by my friend and the basic recipe can be found here! Yes, that is bacon sprinkled on top! I didn't have a box of cake mix on hand so I made some yellow cake. I also made this icing with the maple extract instead of vanilla. It made a delicious amount of food (even though I didn't make the full amount) and I really found I liked them much better cold! The only downside is that B loved them so much, he said I have to make them every day for the rest of my life! G'luck with that wish, dear. ;)
Framed, Fo' Realz!
Hello, hello! First of all, welcome to my new followers! It's so exciting to pop online (at a local library this time) and see more lovely stitchers! I am alive somewhatish and have some news! After the tragedy of the last post, I went on a desperate search for a way to fix that horrifying mistake.
I read up on lemon juice, salt, oxyclean, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and a whole other plethora of crazy advice and scandalized criticism (how dare I be so dirty my projects need washed?!). I like natural solutions so I decided to try the lemon juice and salt combo first. Yeah... That didn't go over so well. I think it actually made it worse! Aaaaaaa, I felt like I was going crazy! So frustrating that I dug out something I knew would work, and something that I can hear screams of horror from the stitching community -- bleach. Yes. I used bleach on my project. I tried it out on a corner of the project just to make sure no crazy shenanigans would happen and once I was convinced the fabric wouldn't dissolve or turn neon green, I got a trusty lil' Q-tip, dipped it water, then the bleach (so it wouldn't be quite so deadly) and suuuuuper carefully tapped around the area of disaster. I left it on for approximately 2 minutes before I started rinsing.
I rinsed. And I rinsed. When I was sure it was all rinsed away, I rinsed some more. Victory! I had no more pink fabric blob! A small casualty was a portion of offending floss against the stained area but as it is covered by a bead, not noticeable.
50 years from now there will probably be a terrible yellowed spot or a hole (Heaven forbid!) but perhaps the stitchers of the future will have discovered a restorative draught for pieces of the ancient past!
After it was ironed and dry, I set to work figuring out how to get it framed. I've never laced a project before (lolol, what project of mine has ever been framed, laaa~) but decided to give it a try. I used leftover bits of floss in random colors (I know something stronger would've been better but it is a small piece and I used what I had available). I think I did a fairly neat job given it was my first attempt. I had a lot of fun with clothespins and figuring out straight lines, ahaha.
Who says stitching is a relaxing hobby, LOL!
Plus, just because he is so cute and I have no idea how on earth he finds this weirdo position comfortable, have a Peanut! He's sound asleep. With his head resting on his back right leg.
Thanks for stoppin' by! :D I'm so happy to have a framed project, who knows, it might kick my butt in gear and get everything else finished and framed (hah!). I forgot to take a picture of my TUSAL jar before coming to the library so that will have to be some other time (this weekend?).
 |
| My fabric is not PINK~! |
I read up on lemon juice, salt, oxyclean, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and a whole other plethora of crazy advice and scandalized criticism (how dare I be so dirty my projects need washed?!). I like natural solutions so I decided to try the lemon juice and salt combo first. Yeah... That didn't go over so well. I think it actually made it worse! Aaaaaaa, I felt like I was going crazy! So frustrating that I dug out something I knew would work, and something that I can hear screams of horror from the stitching community -- bleach. Yes. I used bleach on my project. I tried it out on a corner of the project just to make sure no crazy shenanigans would happen and once I was convinced the fabric wouldn't dissolve or turn neon green, I got a trusty lil' Q-tip, dipped it water, then the bleach (so it wouldn't be quite so deadly) and suuuuuper carefully tapped around the area of disaster. I left it on for approximately 2 minutes before I started rinsing.
I rinsed. And I rinsed. When I was sure it was all rinsed away, I rinsed some more. Victory! I had no more pink fabric blob! A small casualty was a portion of offending floss against the stained area but as it is covered by a bead, not noticeable.
 |
| Goodbye, pink! :D |
50 years from now there will probably be a terrible yellowed spot or a hole (Heaven forbid!) but perhaps the stitchers of the future will have discovered a restorative draught for pieces of the ancient past!
After it was ironed and dry, I set to work figuring out how to get it framed. I've never laced a project before (lolol, what project of mine has ever been framed, laaa~) but decided to give it a try. I used leftover bits of floss in random colors (I know something stronger would've been better but it is a small piece and I used what I had available). I think I did a fairly neat job given it was my first attempt. I had a lot of fun with clothespins and figuring out straight lines, ahaha.
 |
| Framed, and in sunlight! |
 |
| Mandatory angle shot! |
Who says stitching is a relaxing hobby, LOL!
Plus, just because he is so cute and I have no idea how on earth he finds this weirdo position comfortable, have a Peanut! He's sound asleep. With his head resting on his back right leg.
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| Kitty Yoga? |
Thanks for stoppin' by! :D I'm so happy to have a framed project, who knows, it might kick my butt in gear and get everything else finished and framed (hah!). I forgot to take a picture of my TUSAL jar before coming to the library so that will have to be some other time (this weekend?).
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