Challenge Ornament: Designed by Gay Ann Rogers

On Saturday I rushed to finish stitching a little bookmark so that early Sunday morning I could start working on Challenge Ornament, which is a little end-of-term examination ornament after having stitched Mystery in a Corner, but things did not really start as smoothly as I had expected.
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(Photo showing what I have managed to do so far)

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When Gay Ann started talking about Challenge ornament, I thought I would use the same threads that I had used for MIAC (Mystery in a Corner), then later on as the holidays were coming closer, I thought it might be nice if I used Xmassy colors instead, then thought about it some more and went back to my initial decision to use the same colors as MIAC. Some may think that I have too much time in my hands, but that would not be true :-) The main reason for using the same colors is that it would be easier for me to have some idea of how those colors would look like when deciding where to put each one in my Challenge Ornament, and as this is after all a small ornament, I can make another one after with my Xmassy colors. Seems, reasonable, right!?
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So, yesterday morning I started looking for my MIAC leftover threads as I remembered that they were all in a little baggy. I looked everywhere I could think of (inside my home of course), but just could not find them. I had no choice then, but go to Plan B with my Xmassy colors. I got all my threads out on my working table and selected lots of reds, greens, gold, grey, sparkling white, etc. My desk was literally covered with them, then my eyes looked sideways and what did I see? Yes, you are right, my MIAC leftovers threads in a little baggy and they were exactly where I had put them, imagine that, so now I am back to Plan A. I put all those reds, greens, etc. in a big bag for the second ornament which now of course I absolutely need to do later as I certainly don't want all those efforts to go to waste.
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I then put my canvas on stretcher bars and worked on it on Sunday until I got too tired to be able to think straight anymore, not a good place to be when I had so many "important" decisions to make, so put everything aside for the day and this morning took it out again with a new perspective, at least that is what I am telling myself.
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This ornament is really becoming more and more of a challenge because on top of making all those decisions with the MIAC leftover threads, which are limited in themselves, now I am starting to run out of some. When I wrote a message yesterday in the classroom saying what else could possibly slow me down and somebody wrote back saying "NEVER ask that question", well she was right as running out of threads with an approaching deadline is NOT good at all. I will have to become very creative. Will I manage to rise to the challenge? Next post might give us that answer.
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Be right back!
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Pierrette =^..^=

It's another bad hair day bookmark

Just finished the little bookmark and have temporarily put it on top of the book I am currently reading, which is "The Torn Birds" by Colleen McCullough. I remember reading that book years and years ago in a French translation and I just loved it. This time around I am reading it in its original version (English) and still having a ball.

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Tomorrow I will be working on Gay Ann's Challenge Ornament, but for now I will take a break and perhaps read a little more in my book :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

It's another bad hair day: Added a little border

I love visiting blogs as you just never know what wonderful ideas you will find and not long ago I was visiting Laura Perin's blog and she was talking about adding borders to your projects and I thought it was a wonderful idea as it really makes the project look more finished so when I finished stitching this project, I immediately thought of Laura and her blogging about borders and wanted to add one before I finish this as a bookmark. I only needed a little border so I did a row all around with one strand of black DMC using the backstitch. It really does make a difference, doesn't it? I will leave a little bit of canvas all around before I turn the fabric under and attach to some fabric for the back side, so I now need to go hunting for the fabric in my boxes :-(

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Be right back!

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Pierrette =^..^=

It's another bad hair day

I wanted to make a little something for the son of a friend of mine and wasn't sure what until I saw this lovely dog designed by Claire Crompton and then I knew that I had to make it for him. Not long ago he just acquired the most beautiful dog, a big one who is called Marz. This little design looks a little bit like him, at least overall.

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At first I was thinking of making this as an ornament but after thinking about it, I decided to make a little bookmark for him as it will be so much more useful and hopefully bring a smile on his face whenever he looks at it :-)

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I will be right back with another photo once the bookmark has been done.

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Almost forgot to mention that I found this lovely ornament on this site. They have lots of them, so you may also find something that you like.

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Be right back!

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Pierrette =^..^=

Wintertide ready to send as gift

Wintertide all done and ready to send as Christmas gift, so one done and how many more to go? I don't want to know (grinning).

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Need to clean my working space now before starting on something else.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Wintertide: Almost done

My little Christmas ornament is all stitched. All that remains to do now is cut the fabric around it, press and starch it a little so that it can hang properly and of course add a little piece of thread to hang it :-)

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Will go and do that right away!

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Pierrette =^..^=

Wintertide: Small corner flowers added

Moving along with Wintertide. Just added the four corner flowers with vines. As I am working this project, I have decided to make a second one a bit later using a different fabric and threads as I am not 100% happy about the outcome of this one. It looks good, I think, but it could be so much better. My fabric has uneven threads, which is a no no when you are doing hardanger. Not sure what I was thinking when I selected it (not thinking perhaps!). I had problems with the thread suggested, so switched to DMC Perle, which was not quite the proper size for this piece. I am telling you, big learning curve on this one. I need to use the appropriate fabric and thread for the task at hand next time around. Oh well, I suppose we can't win them all :-(

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I will now "attack" the kloster blocks and hopefully only cut the right threads and weave the bars. Let's see what happens next!

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Pierrette =^..^=

Wintertide, Poinsettia stitched

Working on 28-count linen has been a bit tough on my eyes, mostly in the evening and white on white did not help any, but managed to complete all the klosters and the poinsettia with leaves. Ouf! I am exhausted :-(
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This project was asking for silk mori, but that did not agree with me at all, so ended up using DMC Perle #8 instead. I tried DMC Perle #5, but did not like it as I felt it was too heavy a thread for that particular use and just did not look good. The #8 was a little too thin to my liking, but decided to go with it as it was the best of the two options I had as I just did not have the time to start looking online for something better and then wait for the threads to arrive.
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I still have a bit more decorations to add on all four sides of this ornament and then do a bit of cutting and weave some bars and it will be all done, so see you all soon :-)
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Pierrette =^..^=

Wintertide, A Patricia Andrle design

I have found a lovely free Christmas ornament made in hardanger, another technique that I especially like, on the Kreinik website. It is called Wintertide and has been designed by Patricia Andrle. I have other projects from her, but this is the first one so far that I have been working on, something that I should probably change as I like her style. I have only started working on it last evening so have not done a whole lot so far, but having fun with it.

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Instead of using the Silk Mori white thread, I have switched to DMC Perle, something that I already had in my stash. I am hoping that by the end of today I will have made quite a bit of headway with it.

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The next project that I absolutely need to get started on is the lovely end-of-term examination ornament designed by Gay Ann Rogers, so as soon as Wintertide is all done I will start working on it as the deadline is rapidly approaching. I am thinking of using some Christmassy colors instead of the same colors used on Mystery in a Corner. After that I need to finish Mrs. Santa :-)

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Better go back to it as the clock is ticking.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Angelina's blouse, quilt and stool

All of a sudden this morning, I realized that I am starting to run out of time and thinking that I really need to change gears if I want to complete some of my projects for either Christmas or by the end of this year (panic time).
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The above photograph shows Angelina's blouse, using two different blackwork stitches. I want to do her jumper before I stitch the outline around it. I know that some stitchers start with the outline because they say it makes their job easier to stay within the lines, sort of speak, but myself I prefer to stitch the inside and then do the outline.

This photo above shows Angelina's quilt and the stool she is sitting on. I have been having a bit of problem with the design drawing as it has become rather light and I feel that I am stitching "blind" at this point. Next time that I work on a drawn outline that is pale, I will make sure that I go over the lines that are too pale before starting. I was trying to remember how light it was before I started and I can't :-(

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I really need to sit down and make myself a list of the projects that I absolutely need to finish before Christmas, some which have not even been started yet, like little gifts. I like to make some small ornaments and things like that, so I need to decide on some cute little designs and get my bionic needles out as time is of the essence here. Hopefully they will not take too long to make and finish. Each year I want to start early and each year I end up running like crazy. When will I ever learn?????

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Anyway, better get on with it. See you all soon. I will probably be posting more often as I will be working more feverishly from now on.

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Pierrette =^..^=