Windows into my Heart: All stitched finally!

I have not been stitching much during this past week as been feeling rather tired and after a bit of rest, this morning I took Windows into my Heart out and finished the last section of it. This is a scanned version, hoping that it will be more accurate than a digital photo. If you click on the photo, it will be really big and you will be able to see some of the details better.

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I had to make some adjustment to this last section as explained in my previous post, but it has turned out better than I expected it, so I am rather happy about it. I have done some random eyelets of different sizes but smaller than the ones on the left side since I had only 6 canvas threads to work with, which was really not much, but "à la guerre comme à la guerre" :-)

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I still have to do the finishing using a Home Arts box kit, which was provided to me with the kit by Ruthmarie Hofmann, but that will be later when I have a bit more time and feel like doing some finishing. This is now the 4th item that I need to finish :-(

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I am now thinking of doing the last section of Shalimar and that will be another one completed, but that also means that I will have one more thing to finish, a pillow. Oh well, won't worry about it for now.
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I wish the weather was not as HOT these days as I am not a happy camper with those kind of temperatures (between 90 something and 100°F) .
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Better go clean up my working space now that this project is completed :-)
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Pierrette =^..^=

Windows into my Heart: A bit more done

The last few days, I have been working exclusively on Windows into my Heart, a fiberart design by Ruthmarie Hofmann.
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This is an ANG Cyberworkshop 2004 project that I took at the time. After working on it for a bit I had put it aside because of so many reasons. I had received a 24- instead of a 26-count canvas and not having realized it at the time worked the project as if I had a 26-count with the result that I ended up with a much much narrower band (the one still unstitched) than I needed in order to be able to work the design as Ruthmarie had done on hers. The colors were not the original colors that I had fell in love with (some threads and beads having been discontinued). I also remember seeing at the time a photo from someone who had completed the project with the same color as the one above and I just did not like the overall look (now I am starting to think that this was probably a bad photo like I often end up taking myself). Anyway, for all those reasons, I just put the whole project aside, not really knowing at the time if I would ever complete it or not. One thing though is that this project had always stayed in my mind as the design is just so special, so recently I took it out of my UFO pile and started working on it again, first by doing the tent stitches on the far right and these past few days working on the left side of the heart by doing loads of free-form eyelets, some beading and lots and lots of french knots. The left side of the heart has been completed unless I decide to change a few things here and there, but not much, if I do.
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Threads used for this project are mainly DMC floss threads with Needle Necessities (the color used in the original had been discontinued before the company shut down), Japan gold. I don't think that I am forgetting anything here.
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Stitches used throughout the piece are Tent, French knots, Padded satin, Double cross, Square and free-form eyelets, Couched lines and some beading. There will be a gold lame fabric under the finished canvas and through all the little windows created by the big and small eyelets, you should be able to see into my heart or maybe not (grinning).
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Next step will be to finish that narrow band and when posting my next photo I will take a photo for you showing the heart box kit, the fabrics, padding and hook. For now though I need a break from it all, so I will put it aside and will come back to it a bit later.

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On another note, some of you asked me if it was still possible to get the instructions for the Shalimar project and the answer to this is YES. This project is included in a book called "Fancy Work & Fantasies" by Carol Costello. Inside the 32 page book, you will find two pillow projects, one being Shalimar (the one I have been working on) and the other one is called Saxony. If you make a Google search, you should be able to find it somewhere on the web.
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Not sure what I will be working on now, so will have a look around and decide which one I feel like stitching :-)
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Pierrette =^..^=

Gold & White ornament all done

Yesterday I started working on a little ornament designed by Gay Ann Rogers to celebrate her new website. Here are the details of my blog entry of yesterday.

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I had to undo the last gold metallic row that I had made all around the ornament as that row was to attach the front to the back. That is the kind of mistake I normally do when I get tired after stitching for a long period of time. Anyway, that was easy to fix and did so this morning and now it is all done and ready to hang somewhere. I will put it with my other Christmas ornaments as I think it will be cute in my Xmas tree.

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The design is really cute and I could see myself making some out of canvas instead of perforated paper and using other colors.

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Now I will go back to the project I had put aside in order to work on this for the stitch-in.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Gold & White ornament

Today we are having a stitch-in in the Shining Needle Society Yahoo group and I decided to work on a little gold and white ornament that Gay Ann Rogers has created especially to celebrate her new website. It is stitched on perforated paper, something that I had never tried before and was curious to see how well it worked.

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I must say that I had no difficulties at all working with the perforated paper and it seems to work well for small ornaments. This being said, I still prefer to work on canvas, but I can see that perforated paper could be useful at times like for greeting cards and things like that. I had no problem using metallic threads or silk pearl. The feeling was pretty much like when using regular canvas. Since it was small, I could hold in my hands, something I rarely do, which was nice.

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I still have to do the finishing. Gay Ann has included the instructions so will have a read after taking a little break and will try to finish it today, if not today, tomorrow at the latest.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Patches of Snow completed

Well, no more beading for this girl for a while :-)

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My mini Xmas stocking is all done and I am happy as could be. I did not dare count the number of beads in this project, but there are lots and lots of them, I can all tell you that. It will certainly draw all eyes when I put it on my Xmas tree with all this gold and off white.

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Now, I will be very good and start working on my latest cyberclass The Sky's the Limit and practice my various stitch samples (3 every two weeks), which can be easily done without taking major chunks of time away from my other projects.

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After that is done, not exactly sure what I will be working on. Will it be an already started project or a new one, big or small? I will have a look around and then decide what I feel like doing, so many choices, so little time, isn't that always the problem?

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Pierrette =^..^=

Patches of Snow: 10 out of 13 patches done

Moving along with my beading, at times with cross-eyes after adding one bead after another and another and another ............. I do love the design and will be very happy to have it as a Christmas ornament, but really not enjoying all this beading. I don't mind at all adding a few beads here and there on a project as it makes it more interesting, but this is a little more than I bargained for when I bidded on Ebay for it, but I am going to see it through, no matter what (big smile).

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The next Christmas project won't have any beading at all, if I can help it as I will need some time to recuperate from all this.

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It is an interesting design though and at some level do not regret having purchased it and will leave it at that :-)

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That is what I like about trying different things, best way to find out the techniques that you enjoy the most and do less of the ones that you don't enjoy as much. I am not saying that I will never do anything like that as I may see some design that I just have to have and will probably go for it.

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Next photo will be with the last 3 patches done and then will move on to another project.

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Today I will also be starting the cyberclass called "The Sky's the Limit" with Beth Robertson and Suzanne Howren, but will probably not be posting any photos unless I get permission as those are samples stitches and I don't want to give away their secrets. I am looking forward to getting started on these. Those classes are based on the numberous books that they have written about "Stitches for Effects". This series should come quite handy the next time I have a sky to stitch.

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Well, better go back to my stitching as I have a lot more stitching to do before the day is over.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Desire: A Susan Portra design

I don't know if you all remember, but I had a little problem with this project as I could not find the cabochons with rimsets that I needed to finish the project. Pat had sent me a few things that I thought could work (thank you Pat for those, I will keep them for later use), but after trying them, I realized that I would much rather do something else to replace the missing cabochons.
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Once I put behind me the notion that I absolutely needed some cabochons for this project, I started concentrating on what else I could do instead and decided to do some Jessicas with some golden metallic thread and then filled the inside with some red metallic threads.
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After I did that, I decided that I really did not want to put any bugle beads now, so used some gold metallic threads and made a bargello row instead.
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I am happy with the outcome. It is different from the one Susan did, but still looks good.
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All that remains now is to do the finishing. That will have to wait a little bit as I have other things to stitch first.
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For the sake of comparison, I have added below a photo of what the original looks like.


I would like to finish stitching the little Christmas stocking, but not so crazy about the idea of working with all those beads though :-(
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Pierrette =^..^=

Shalimar: 8 out of 9 sections completed

I think that this is an awful photograph, but unfortunately it will have to do until I complete the middle section and then scan properly instead of using my digital camera. At least it gives some idea of what has been done up to now.

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It is funny because my husband is supervising this one very closely as he thinks this will become his own little pillow (lol).

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Pierrette =^..^=

Patches of Snow: Middle section completed

Done a little more beading on Patches of Snow. I like beading, but I wish there would be a little more stitching and a little less beading on this one, a bit like the little Emerald one I made some time ago.

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On another note, I have found a new series of adventure books recently, quite by chance as I was investigating something else. They are called the Amelia Peabody Mystery series written by Elizabeth Peters. The first one of the series and the only one I have read so far is called Crocodile on the Sandbank and it did not take too long before I found myself hooked by that new series.

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I was lucky enough to be able to visit Egypt a few times in the past and I have always been fascinated with archeology, so this newly discovered adventure/mystery series is absolutely perfect for me. I thought I would share in the event that some of you might like to investigate this series a bit further.

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Whenever I need to relax a bit, there is nothing better for me than a good book to do the trick. I read a bit and then I can go back to my stitching a bit refreshed.

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Pierrette =^..^=

She Stoops to Conquer: All stitched

Just put the last stitch on "She Stoops to Conquer", an Anne Stradal design. I had started this little project many months ago, then got distracted by something else and just came back to it. Originally I was thinking of putting it on one of my bathroom wall, but changed my mind and will instead finish it as a flat-fold finish and keep in my stitching room so that I can keep a vigilant eye on her.
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My friends were kidding me when they saw the towel I made for her, quite thick and fluffy :-)
There is one positive thing about that towel in addition of drying her perfectly, it is the fact that when she drops it, she will probably loose an instant 5 lbs, which should be a big booster in her fight to loose a few extra pounds (grinning).
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I really like Judy Odell's little finishing instruction booklet called The Flat-Fold as it makes a really neat finish and is not expensive either to do. The instructions are well made with good photos and is easy enough for anyone to use. I have used it once before when I finished my little Halloween Friendly Ghost All you need is some decorative fabric, batting, cardboard or mat board and threads. It has been a long time since I made the first one so will have to reread it before starting, but I remember it going very well.
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This is a photo of little cabochons with rim sets that I have been looking for to use on a Susan Portra ornament. These two came with another project so can't use them for Susan's ornament. They are the perfect size, about 10mm or a little less than 1/2 inch (approximately 7/16"). I am looking for 5 red cabochons with golden rim sets. If someone knows where to find some online, please contact me at LovetoStitch99@comcast.net I think that I will buy a whole truck load of them, if I ever find some (grinning).

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Terry and Pat have been helping me to look for some, but we have not been able to find some exactly the same style as the ones on the photos. There are probably other stitchers that would also love to know where to find some and if I find the same exact thing, I will post the information on my blog.

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Pierrette =^..^=