Shalimar: 3 out of 9 panels completed

Since yesterday morning, I have managed to stitch a third square/panel. If only I could keep this tempo, I would be all done in, let's see now,, got 9 panels, if I take 1½ day per panel, that would make 6 times 1½ = 9 days. Hey, that would not be too bad, but knowing me, something will happen and I won't make it, so let's say I give myself 2 weeks and my oldest UFO would have been completed. Hard to believe right now :-(

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When it is all done, I will scan the new finished panels/squares so that each design can be seen better. That is what I have done for the previous photos, just before I put it back on my stretcher bars. Digital photos do not show stitches as well, sorry to say, at least when I am taking the photos.

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Going back to my stitching now. Not a minute to spare if I want to make it (big grin).

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Pierrette =^..^=

Shalimar

A good friend of mine when she saw this project called Shalimar, which end result will be a lovely pillow, strongly encouraged me to finish it.
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The photo above shows one little section that has been stitched.


A second photo shows another section with a different design.

Here with the third photo we can see the two stitched sections with some unfinished ones.

Here we have a view of the entire project. There are still quite a bit of stitching to do, but it is the kind of stitching that gives a lace effect and is quite lovely.

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Shalimar is a Carol Costello design. Some of you may be familiar with her designs. You can find it in a book called Fancy Work & Fantasies. There are two different pillow designs in the book. The other one is quite lovely too, but I prefer this one. Shalimar has a beautiful vase with flowers in the center section, little hearts in the four squares and lots of beautiful stitches.

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The threads used for this project are Medici and DMC Perle.

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It has been such a long time since I have stitched on that project that I won't even try to guess when it was. Yes, it was that long ago. That makes it quite a UFO, doesn't it? I think that this is my oldest one, when I think of it, which means that I will probably have to have some kind of celebration when it is all completed :-)

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I am having some bad Spring allergies these days and it is making stitching much more difficult, but not impossible.

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Have started working on my brazilian embroidery rose the other day, so it is progressing slowly.

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Still reading my Monica Ferris book called Framed in Lace. Hey, that is probably why I have just picked up Shalimar as it looks like Lace. I had not realized that until just now. I think that I may be pushing that thing a bit far by doing some crewel work when reading Crewel World and now wanting to work on Shalimar because I am reading Framed in Lace. The next one on the list is called Murderous Yarn, does that mean that I need to start knitting something? I have not knitted since I was 12 years old probably :-(

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Oh, well, enough chatting and better get myself moving on my stitching.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Elizabethan pencil box

I have never been very patient at waiting for answers, so decided to take the bull by the horns and do the finishing right away.
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First thing I did was to lace my finished project on a piece of cardboard that my husband precut for me. Once it was all laced properly, then I inserted it in the opening and it fit snuggly, not too tight and not too loose, just right.
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The inside of the box except for the cover was all covered with a dark brown felt, so I went looking into my stuff and found one piece that was very very close to the same shade of brown that Olde Colonial had used, so I was really happy as it avoided me a trip to the store.
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My husband who is very good at making technical drawings made some calculations so that the felt fabric would go down inside the cover and then up the side and then cover the top of the inside box where the cover meets the bottom part. He then made a drawing with all the proper dimensions on a white piece of paper.
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The next part was to use that drawing for my cutting pattern and cut the felt. After cutting, we tried it to make sure the dimensions were right and then glued the whole thing with a glue gun. It almost looks like a professional job and it did not cost me anything :-)
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I will be using the box to put the pens/pencils that I use the most for my embroidery and won't have to keep looking for them each time I need them.
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Last evening I decided that I was going to start a Brazilian embroidery project, a lovely rose. It is not a terribly big project so I should be able to post a photo in a few days time, at least I hope so.
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Pierrette =^..^=

Elizabethan pencil box all stitched

I forgot to include a photo showing the whole design in my previous post so here it is :-)
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A few comments about this kit. The instructions were very good and had good diagrams explaining the stitches. Another thing that for me is very important is that the threads included in the kit were plentiful and at no point was I concerned that I would run short if I made an error and had to start over.
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Below is a photo of the box in which the finished stitched design will go into. It came as you see without anything more. Have written to Barbara Jackson from Tristan Brooks Designs, the designer and seller of this Olde Colonial Designs box to make sure nothing had been forgotten like finishing instructions, little cardboard or something, but have not heard back from her yet. She may be out of town teaching or something so will put the finishing on hold for now and see what happens.

Now, moving on to some other projects. Need to think which one as I have quite a few already started and lots and lots not started yet but begging to be, so will see :-)
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Pierrette =^..^=

Elizabethan pencil box: third and last section

Completed the stitching of the third and last section of my Elizabethan pencil box design.

Pierrette =^..^=

Elizabethan pencil box: middle section

I have done a little more on this crewel project by adding some strawberries and a little bee to what I had already stitched.

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Talking about crewel, yesterday I finished reading Monica Ferris' book entitled Crewel World and I have enjoyed it so much that I have already started reading another one of her book called Framed in Lace.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Gracie: Framed

My Gracie has just came back from the framer and here is a picture of her. We made the decision not to put a glass over this time around, so I will be able to play with her whenever I feel like it (big smile).

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I was happy to hear back from the framer, especially today as I am having one of those days where nothing seems to work just right. Bet you all know what I mean. Anyway, Gracie has put a bit of sunshine in my sorry day.

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Been working on my Elizabethan crewel project this morning, the one that will go into a pencil box when finished. Going well so far. I checked the box I purchased with the kit and to my surprise there was no finishing instruction at all, no cardboard included or anything, nothing to attach it in position, so just wrote to Barbara from Tristan Brooks hoping that she can give me a bit of information as to how to go about putting everything together. I have purchased boxes before, not from Olde Colonial Designs though, but there were always finishing instructions with them, so will see what happens with this one. Still have a little bit of stitching to do before getting to that finishing part, so I am hoping to hear back from Barbara soon as I love to finish my projects as soon as they have been stitched.

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Now, back to my stitching :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

More Options .... in Hardanger: Motifs completed

Again, I have scanned instead of taking a photo as it comes out a bit better. The only drawback is that the photo is split in two sections. It is either that or a not so good photo :-(

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I am so happy that I have completed everything except the fillings. This project is much bigger than Options in Hardanger that I have done just before this one. Since the last photo posted, I have done all the motifs and also the little diamonds inside the bigger ones in preparation for the fillings.

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I have also ordered the bell pull hardware yesterday. I will add a photo when I receive it.

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I think that I will now concentrate on some other projects for a few days as I feel that I need a break from this right now.

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Have also been slowly reading during the evenings Crewel World ... where murder in a small town keeps one smart lady on pins and needles, a book written by Monica Ferris (63 pages read out of 243, not too bad). I love to have something to read and it is the first time that I read a book where the story involves our stitching world, which makes it really enjoyable :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

More Options .... in Hardanger: Eyelets all done

Upper and bottom sections showing the eyelets. Had to scan in order to get a decent photo and unfortunately the piece is too big to go inside it without having to cut it in two, but at least now you can see it a bit better.

It was funny, my husband came into my stitching room when I was almost done with all the eyelets and he had the nerve to ask me if I was going to do the same in the surrounding border. I gave him "the look" and he understood (ROFL).

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Next phase of this project will be to add the motifs and after that the real fun will start with the fillings.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Elizabethan Pencil Box: Crewel

About a month or so ago, I saw this lovely pencil box from Tristan Brooks and I remember thinking at the time that it would be fun to have it so I could put my pens/pencils into and moreover I just love crewel designs and it was something that I had been wanting to stitch so I plurged and purchased it.

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My goal is to rotate lots of projects using different techniques and each morning as I wake up decide which one I would select on that particular day.

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As I was stitching a bit earlier today and I suddenly remembered that I had purchased a few Monica Ferris' mystery books a while back, but for some reason had not yet started reading them. I went to check which ones I had and I found that I had "Crewel World" amongst them, which seems to me very appropriate just now, so you all know now which book I will be reading (big grin).

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Happy stitching and happy reading everyone!

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Pierrette =^..^=