A Finish and a (Re-)Start

I missed a question from Kathryn in an earlier post. Yes, I'm switching to an evenweave for my BAP restart. The gridded Aida came with the chart, but I've never really been partial to it.

Also, thanks to teageeare for schooling me on my flower. :) I feel much better knowing that I haven't taken my plant killing abilities to new levels. And it has bloomed a few more times already!

I finished the stitching on gecko #1! I'm going to make him into a patch for my son's backpack and then I'll get started on gecko #2 to hang here. I'm glad they sent me enough fabric to stitch him twice!

I also got a small start (or should I say restart) on my BAP. It took me a while to get it all kitted up - which I hadn't done the first time around - so I haven't put much stitching in yet. I'm doing it on a tea-colored monaco since it's a solid pattern that I intend to mat and frame so the fabric won't be visible anyway. No sense wasting a pretty hand-dye!

Ornaments and Geckos and Lilies Oh My!

Thanks to all of you for the great tips and tricks in my last post!! I'm a self-taught stitcher and most of the time I'm just winging it. :P I'm learning so much reading all of your blogs and your comments here! So...thanks!! :D

I've made some progress on my Hawaiian quilt ornament. I decided to try the spiraling thing with the overdyed thread and I really like the look. I can see how stripes would be better for certain things, but for this I like the spirals. I'll just have to flip the design so the stripey corner is (hopefully) not very noticeable on the bottom.

I think for the next ornament, I'll stitch around the outline and then confetti the insides, just to see how that looks. I'm running out of Turkish red, so I'll need to order a few more skeins!


I also got a start on my tribal gecko. I'm loving this little guy! I'm having to be very careful of where the thread sits on the back of the piece, but other than that the little guy is easy peasy. And so cute!



We also planted a few lilies in the yard and one of them bloomed! And then promptly died the next day. lol I think I need to move them. I'm not sure they're getting enough sun where they are.

Catchin' up, catchin' up!

It's been a few days since I posted, so this is going to be a little long...

I got my fabric order from Silkweavers! I got two small pieces of opalescent fabric - Dew Drop (the green one) and Treasure Trove (the bluey/purpley/taupey one). They are SO pretty! And I love the sparklies, though I'm not sure you can see them in the pic. The linen is also nice and soft and seems really even. Definitely worth the wait!!

I started a project I'll be working on with my friend Alicia. I'm stitching the name, and she'll be quilting a wallhanging for a mutual friend's daughter. I think I should have used my WDW Bubblegum, but I picked up DMC 107 because it seemed darker and closer to the color we wanted. I'm not really happy with the DMC - seems like each color goes for a long time before a change, and the changes are rather abrupt. Just makes me appreciate my WDW fibers even more!

I also started one of the Hawaiian quilt ornaments. I'm really happy with how this piece is coming so far. I love the WDW Turkish Red! I love the Silkweaver Dew Drop linen! I love the Christmas-y contrast between the colors! I love the shape of the design! It's really nice to be working on a piece that I love everything about after feeling so meh about the last couple of smalls.

I guess I've been busy, I even put in a small section on my BAP. I was really depressed about it at first. This is actually only the second piece I ever worked on. Why yes, I am completely insane - funny you should ask. :P I should have started with little fun pieces. Anyhow, four years ago when I started it, I decided to use 4 strands of floss (4!?!?!?!) and my stitches were soooooooo sloppy. It looks horrible. The entire time I was putting in the new section, I was totally bummed. After putting it away for a few more days, I've decided to go ahead and start over. While that means even more work, it's really a relief to make that decision. Now, I'm actually looking forward to working on it again! I'm including a scan so you can see just how totally ridiculous it looks. Click on it to see what I'm talking about in horrifying detail. :P

A New Heart

I've made a small amount of progress on Little Nemo. I can't wait to actually start stitching the fish. Orange is my favorite color!








But, I set him aside today to start working on a July 4th piece. This is a cute freebie that should stitch up very quickly. And, it will give me a chance to practice the no sew wallhanging finish before I do up Nemo for public consumption.

Finding Nemo

I wanted to get started on some Hawaiian quilt square Christmas ornaments for my mom, but I haven't actually ordered the stash yet. :P So, I decided now would be a good time to start on a project for a friend's baby who should be born any day now. I'm kind of over the bib thing right now, so I'm going to try my hand at this great no sew wallhanging from Focus On Finishing.

I'm working on a small clownfish piece from Artecy on a fun tea colored monaco. It's kind of odd in that it doesn't have any backstitching or fractional stitches at all. I'll have to see how it turns out, and maybe work some backstitching in on my own.



I've gotten a very small amount done so far. I never like having to leave off at such an odd spot, but Baby A wakes up when she wakes up. :)

I also ordered this cute Lizzie Kate Flip It from Stitches 'N Things and hope it gets here soon enough that I have time to finish it and hang it on the door by the 4th.

Once I order the Hawaiian Quilt squares, I'll need to pick up some fabrics and would love to hear recommendations. Since the quilt patterns are in single colors, I'm thinking of going with some hand dyed, marbled linens and a Silkweaver opalescent fabric (spotted here). Any suggestions?

My First Kit

I got a small start on the kit my friend Alicia sent me. Mary Engelbreit stuff is so cute and I really like this design!

Here's what I've done so far...

Another One Bites The Dust!

I got a burst of motivation and polished this bib off last night. Yay! The design originally had 2 flowers, but I decided to stop with one and make Baby's name bigger. Aesthetically, I just like it this way a little better. Besides, it was going to be a while before I finished a second flower at this pace.



Next up is a cute little kit that my friend Alicia sent me. I've carded the floss and will probably get started tonight. Is it just me or is this an awful lot of thread - and a lot of colors! - for a 5" piece?