New Start: Autumn Queen

It’s been driving me crazy, not having something to do with my hands when I’m sitting watching TV, even if it’s just the news.

I did get out Defender of the Kingdom, but at 1 over 1 on 25-count, it’s too small for me to see with my glasses on – and I can’t see the TV if I have my glasses off. It’s also a bit fiddly for my current metal and physical energy level.

After briefly considering picking up so long-abandoned Hardanger, I decided to hunt out Mirabilia’s Autumn Queen. I’ve already stitched the first three seasonal queens (Winter Queen, Summer Queen, Spring Queen) and I always wanted to do this one to finish the set. Unfortunately, it got caught up in my general stitching decline. Since I had started Cinderella, I felt I had to finish that before starting something else by Mirabilia. Having officially made Cinderella a UFO makes me more comfortable about starting a new project.

Autumn Queen Model

I knew I already had the fabric because I’d bought an entire strip of white Belfast when starting Spring Queen and only needed half of it, so the rest was waiting, all labelled for Autumn Queen. I had also pulled out the Kreinik for the design ages ago. I even managed to find it today. When I looked, it turned out I already had all the beads as well and most of the DMC. So I need to buy the crystal treasures, some DMC and (yuck) some Wisper thread for her cloak. I used that in Winter Queen and it’s horrible stuff to work with. But I’ll manage.

I picked this one to try to have as a current project because it’s 2 over 2 on 32-count so I should be able to see it with my glasses on, because a Mirabilia design is generally an easy stitch but makes up into something beautiful, and because I’d love to finally have all four queens finished. (Although we’ll have to take out a mortgage on the house we don’t own to pay to frame them all, as the other three are rolled up in the cupboard because I wanted all the frames to match.)

So far, I’ve stitched a grand total of 14 stitches. Hopefully there will be more.

8th January, 2012

Yes/No on Hardanger

I was chatting with Mel in the comments to her post about Haunted Hardanger, that I really wanted something I could easily stitch at the moment and maybe I should pull out the Hardanger I started many years ago.

I did that this morning, and while I still like it, it’s just too big and not want I want to try to work on at present. All the same, I thought it deserved a photo.

I did a beginners Hardanger class when I was working at Needlecraft so that I had some more knowledge to offer customers who came in asking about it. I was never an expert, but I did graduate to the intermediate class and then go totally insane by starting a runner for my mother’s antique sideboard. I don’t remember the exact dimensions I worked out, but I know it was going to be over a metre (3 feet) long. This is as far as I got.

My progress so far

My faithful helper is back

It has now been packed away again and I’m trying something else. Hopefully this one will stick (see next post for details).

Medieval, 26th October 2011

Oh, it was nice have a simple, smaller part to do. I finished it last night. Fortunately, I think I’m ready to tackle another side of scrollwork now (however long it might end up taking me). So here you are – pictures of Illuminated Medieval Sampler completed through to the end of part 3.

Part 3 completed, 26th October 2011

The full project, 26th October 2011

I had a helper! 26th October, 2011

Medieval, 12th October 2011

Go me! I finished part 2. (It’s only taken me about 16 months to get that far.) There’s a lot of work in the scrollwork, so I’m actually really happy with that.

Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 12th October 2011 (Part 2 completed)

Part 3 is a small one – some lozenges and beading across the top of the inside border. After that though, it’s back to scrollwork, doing the left hand side. I shall enjoy the change while it lasts.

Medieval, 9th October 2011

I’ve been sitting here, doing a bit more on Medieval Illuminated Sampler while the Rugby World Cup quarter finals are on. I have just watched Australia narrowly beat South Africa (in all honesty, I’m not convinced they deserved the win; SA had all the possession and momentum, but Aussie scored the points). I’ve now finished the scrollwork down the right hand side and only have to flourish at the corner to do in order to finish part 2.

Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 9th October 2011

Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 19th September 2011

Here’s my progess on Illuminated Medieval Sampler (I’m going to have to come up with something shorter to call it) as of last night. Since I picked it up again I’ve added the medallion in the middle of the right hand side and everything below it.

Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 19th September 2011

And a close up:

Close up, Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 19th September 2011

Old Age is Catching up with Me

I guess it’s a day that comes in most stitchers’ lives; that day when you have to face up to the face you don’t see as well as you used to do and you can no longer stitch some of the things you’ve started. I’ve known this for a while, even if I’ve been trying to avoid admitting it.

I now see better up close (ie when stitching) with my glasses off than with my glasses on. But if I want to stitch and watch TV (something I used to do all the time) I need something big enough that I can see it with my glasses on.

This has forced me into a hard acknowledgement. Basically that, if I want to watch TV, I can no longer stitch on anything smaller that the equivalent of 16-count (ie my favourite 32-ct Belfast over 2) and even that is pushing it.

While I’ve been working on Defender of the Kingdom recently (1 over 1 on 25-ct lugana or whatever it’s called now) I’ve been listening to podcasts or audio plays and leaving my glasses off. That’s fine if that’s what I want to do.

But…

The Rugby World Cup is on right now and while I’m not a mad keen rugby fan, I am a New Zealander who grew up in a rugby household. That means I’d like to be able to do some stitching while watching the matches. If I try to do nothing more than sit there and watch it drives me batty. I need to be doing something with my hands.

But of my current WIPs, especially now I’ve tossed out Cinderella (see today’s earlier post), I find I’m left with very little that I can actually see if I want to be able to leave my glasses on while stitching.

• Defender of the Kingdom, 1 over 1 on 25, NO
• Dawn Star, 1 over 1 on 25, NO
• Garnet, 1 over 1 on 25, NO
• Dragonfly Quaker, 1 over 1 on 28, NO
• Second Chances, 1 over 1 on 32 (was I insane?), NO
• The Bookshelf, 2 over 2 on 32, but totally not interested right now, NO
• Illuminated Medieval Sampler, 2 over 2 on 32, on floor stand, YES

Are we seeing a trend here? I love those 1 over 1 projects, but I can’t stitch them like I used to. So I have pulled Chatelaine’s Illuminated Medieval Sampler out of the study, pulled off the quilt that covers it (I made it to cover Marcus’ incubator, so it’s the perfect size for covering the stitching on a floor stand) and set it up in the lounge. I hadn’t worked on it in nearly a year and I must say that I’m enjoying it, so that’s good. When this bit of enthusiasm burns out (or the World Cup ends), I don’t know what I’ll do after that. For now, I’ll see if I can make some progress on this one.

I took a photo of my progress up to last night, so that’ll be the next post.

Bad Cinders, No Prince for You

I have, with a little more careful thought than the post title suggests, decided to make Mirabilia’s Cinderella officially a UFO.

Cinderella on 19th September 2011; now a UFO

As you can see, I didn’t get very far with the figure, but I did finish the castle. I still like the design a lot and I still love the fabric colour heaps. However, I just found I didn’t want to stitch it, and when I did pick it up I only ever did a few stitches before putting it down again.

I think the fabric is one issue. It is supposed to be hand-dyed 32-ct Belfast, but it went very soft and kind of fragile when it was dyed, making it fussy to stitch on. The rest, I’m not really sure about. The design, much as I like it when I look at it, isn’t working out as something I actually want to stitch on.

Having it stuck on the go also means I’m not comfortable starting something else as I don’t want my number of WIPs to get any higher than it is already. With this one put aside, it frees up a space if I want it. Right now, I have no intention of starting anything else, but it is nice to feel I can, should I wish to. If/when I do, it will probably be another Mirabilia as I still have Autumn Queen to do out of the four seasonal queens. The other three are rolled up in the cupboard waiting for me to finish the last one – and then win the lottery so I can afford to get them framed.

I may have to seriously consider scrapping/UFO-ifying a couple of other designs as well. They are things I still love and want to stitch, but maybe I need to let them go for a while. (That or start over on bigger fabric since my eyesight is nothing like what it was when I started them. I don’t know how I ever managed to stitch 1-over-1 on 32-ct fabric!)

Defender, 31st August 2011

I had to move the q-snaps, so here’s a picture of the whole thing so far.

Defender of the Kingdom, 31 August 2011

What Defender will (eventually) look like

It has just been pointed out to me that I don’t have a picture up of what Defender of the Kingdom is supposed to look like when finished. Ooops, especially since it has been discontinuted and can’t be found on the Heaven and Earth Designs website. So here you go. (I’ve also included the book cover for which is was painted.)

Art for Defender of the Kingdom

I really like these books (although sadly the author never followed through on all the ones she had planned). I think they are out of print now, but if you see them lying around second hand and would be interested in an SF vision on the ancient Celts, give them a try.

The Silver Branch by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison