More Updates on my projects - September 26th

HI all,
Well, I have been updating my album and it's time to update here as well. I am so glad to say that I finished my first Quaker June Freebie from The Workbasket. The stitching is done in three colors of aqua to teal in Vikki Clayton's silks, which I am using more and more these days. They stitch up beautifully and I love her colors. You'll see the actual piece in my photos below. Also, I have updated my marquior Sampler. That has gotten the most attention these days, and it is growing. My hope is to get 2 squares done by the end of October, and possibly start the 3rd one. Then I have only 1 to go and hope to finish that by mid-November. In time to get it framed for the holidays.

I'll be posting a small emery here as soon as I buy the filling to get it assembled. The stitching is done, now just need to put it all together.

Also, I'm working on two projects that are small ones, but also close to a finish. The first one is a Hope Needleroll from Heart's Content -- and I haven't much left to finish it. The second project is the Secret Garden Needle Necessaire and it is a very pretty little stitcher's accessory. Has two pockets inside but they are triangular, not square, or rectangles. A gate that is stitched and added on as a panel inside, and ties with a metal bead. Underneath you can put your needles and it has a picture of a pretty robin on a branch over the gate. There is also a garden stitched in one of the inner panels and has a brass rabbit that is running attached to it. The outer panels include my initial and Lily of the Valley stitched over it, plus the front panel which has another garden gate and path with flowers and the words "How does your garden grow?"....I'll post pictures soon so you can see them.

Now here are the updates I promised:

This is not the finished photo of my Workbasket June Quaker -- forgot I had not taken the picture yet, but this is my previous update -- I'll get the final pic up soon and add it here later.






















This is my Marquior Sampler Update:


I already have several things in the wings that I'm looking forward to adding to my stitching rotation...getting these other small ones finished will make room for the new things, and OH! I can hardly wait!
Cathy C

My first atempts at Dyeing Fabric -- what fun!

This is my second attempt at dyeing fabric. When I tried this the first time, I used small pieces because I wasn't really sure what I would get. This time I used both evenweave which is cotton, and linen fabric in 25 ct to experiment with. These are the results -- The evenweaves are dyed with tea, and the linen piece is dyed with coffee. I had never used coffee to dye with before, so that was a totally new experience for me. I'll be doing a lot more of this in the future -- it was fun watching the fabric take the dye and trying to stop when I thought I had the right look .
This process of dyeing my own fabric will also save me a bit as I won't have to buy the more expensive hand dyed fabrics and that too is a good reason for giving this a try. Here are my
pics of the end results.
The picture to the Left is Linen dyed with coffee.
Below is evenweave in cream that was dyed with tea.

Here to the Left is a piece of evenweave in cream dyed with tea. I used teabags to get the splotchy color. WHat I did was place the teabags in different folds of the fabric, then microwaved it for a minute and let it cool by itself. Then removed the tea bags and repositioned them, and repeated the same time in the microwave. There was also some tea in the bottom of the container so that the fabrick also got a little more color from the tea that was at the bottom of the bowl.

I"ve already picked the project I will stitch on the Linen that I dyed with coffee. I have chosen from the Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly -- latest issue -- the sampler titled 1816 Edcina Pieters Black Sampler. I think it will be a lovely compliment to this piece of fabric with the black silk stitches.

I'm looking forward to a lot more of my own hand dyed fabric. This turned out to be a great experiment!

Cathy

More pictures of my projects in progress...

Well, I successfully added a picture of my Quaker RR, so I'm going to try to add pics of the rest of my in progress pieces.

House and Garden Sampler:


This is a SAL that I am leading and participating in on legacy Embroiderer's Guild on line. WE are using designs of houses from miscellaneous designers, adding trees, animals, people, birds, etc., and creating our own House and Garden Sampler. The possibilities are endless and it's a great project. My piece had 2 shaker style houses an apple tree and fence, ducks, pond, and grass, more trees in background as silouhette. That is what will be on my first row of houses in this sampler. The rest is anybody's guess .

Marquoir Sampler


This is one of the most enjoyable samplers I have ever worked on. I don't know if it is the fact that I am picking colors for it as I go, or if it is the fact that I am changing it to fit my own life. The motifs represent different things in my life, not all, but some -- it is a free design by a French Designer. I am going to miss this one when it is finished. Right now I have the center rectangle finished, and am working on the one next to it on the right. Will add a new picture at the end of the month when hopefully I will have the current rectangle I'm working on finished. I would really like to finish this by December. I have 4 more sectiosn to go, and that means I have to stitch one and one-third sections each month. This design when it's finsihed will be hanging in my 'stash room'.

And They Sinned

I have not made much progress on this piece, though I do have the sun finished and more of the cloud and motifs in the cloud. I need to update my album and pictures for this site. BUt at least thsi gives you some idea of the work I'm doing. This is a very long sampler, and a lot of fun to stitch. It uses Overdyed threads, which are great to stitch with.

Trinity Sampler

I started this in 2004 and haven't gotten much farther than this. I hope to get back to it though soon, and maybe even finish it this year. It would be nice to get it out of my UFO/Rotation and framed for displaying on my wall. This one will go in my bedroom when it's finished. I am working on a sampler wall of sorts over our bed, and this would make a nice addition.

Dutch Beauty

This is my really BIG sampler. It's huge, though I am working this one on 50 ct linen, so it will be smaller than what most people who stitch this design will have. I really am glad now that I chose this fabric, partly becuase it works beautifully to stitch with one strand of Vikki Clayton Silks, and it really is not difficult to see. I do use those little drug store 'cheater' glasses, at 150+ to see the fabric threads better. But it is not bad at all to stitch on. I have more stitched on this piece, but need to take new pictures. Will try to load them by the end of the month.

Cathy C

Trying to Add Pictures -- Hope this works!

Since I have never added pictures before, I am hoping that I don't have any problems. We'll see how this goes .

This is a picture of my Quaker RR Sampler to date. Hope to finish it this year.



Well, it looks like it may have added the right information -- so we'll see how if the picture shows up alright . Don't you just love doing things for the first time -- fingers crossed and all .

Great day for blogging!

HI!
Well, I have a new blog site, and I am enjoying learning how to add posts and pictures to it. It has been wonderful being able to share my pictures on line through on-line albums, and blogs give you a whole new space to share your thoughts as well. Since I have many friends and some family in different parts of the country, this is a marvelous way to stay in touch and let them know what's happening in our neck of the woods....Though I'm not in the woods .

So you know a little about this page and me, I'm enjoying the midlife years ...And that is actually possible. Young enough to still be able to do most everything I want to do, and old enough to stay out of trouble for the most part. Married, no children -- though I love kids. Have lots of family and enjoy them often as almost all my family lives in or around the same area of New Mexico. My DH's name is Roger, and he's an engineer, and we've been married 14 years. Seems like we were married yesterday -- and thankfully -- we really do love each other . I thank God for that, because today so many married couples are stuggling or worse, divorced after only a few years. We really do like each other .

My life consists mostly these days of taking care of our home and landscaping, and doing lots of volunteer wrok at my church. I teach two classes a week, help with the accounting, and sing with the praise team. Keeps me busy! I also am an avid needleworker -- started that early in my life -- maybe in my teens. When I was older and on my own I spent quite a lot of time crocheting and doing surface embroidery, which I enjoyed. There were lots of crewel kits around at that time. Now, I stitch mostly cross stitch, and that includes other forms of needlework with special stitches (more complicated ones). My love is samplers -- reproduction samplers and some modern samplers. I used to stitch a lot of 'cute' things at one time, but have gotten away from that. Somehow my love of books, history and linen/threads, led me down the road to reproduction samplers, and I have sort of settled there in my tastes for needlework. There are loads of styles and offerings for this type of sampler, English, German, American, French, Canadian, Scottish, Norwegian, Spanish style samplers, so I won't be running out of options for projects for a very long time.

Right now I am working mostly on the following samplers:

Dutch Beauty - A Permin Design. This is a German Sampler, and it's huge -- I'll hope to be sharing a picture of this before long with you so you can see the entire design. It's quite impressive. I've not even finished page one, but I am working on this more regularly now.

Marquior Sampler (French Free Sampler) - This is a Free sampler you can get on line, and it's quite a fun piece to stitch with all sorts of motifs. It consists of 9 rectangles, and different motifs that reflect happenings and special memories in life. The original sampler is offered with all the motifs that reflect the owners life and interests. I have substituted some designs to show special memories, or meaning in my life. So there isa piano in mine as i am just learning to play, and a church which is a very signifiant part of my life. Also there is a ligthhouse which has nothing to do with my life except that I have always loved them. I will be posting apicture here for you to see before long.

Hope Needleroll - By The Heart's Content/Maureen Appleton - Needlerolls are little pincushions made in a roll shape. They sometmies have hemstitched edges, which are very delicate and pretty, and finished off with ribbons, they look like a very small bolster pillow . This one I am working on is stitched over one thread on linen, using one strand of fiber (overdyed cotton in this case). I am almost done with this project, just need to add one pot with flowers and the words hope in the center of a cartouche. After that I'll do the hemstitched edge and assemble it. This was a great project to work on, but over one is not fast stitching. So I have stopped and started this project several times. Pictures will follow -- you might even get to see the actual finished piece before long .

Cross Eyed Cricket's - Acorn - I have about 2 - maybe 3 hours left to work on this and it will be finished, at least the stitching. I plan to frame this piece. I've used a victorian red fabric (lugana) which is a very rich red. The colors are very autumn, and of course, so is the theme. It's a large acorn worked almost like a patchwork pattern. This will be completed by next week (9/17/05) and I will then post a picture for you to see.


Quaker Huswife - By The Sampler Cove. This is a project I started this year, using one strand of thread on 35 ct linen. It is of course, Quaker motifs that make up a long needlework tool kit. This one happens to have a tool pocket, a pincushion, a needlebook, and a woven pocket for 'whatevers'. When I first stitched this piece, I didn't like the coverage of the threads on the linen, and decided to go back and take out all the stitching and start over. I am now stitching the piece using two strands of Vikki Clayton silks, and it is looking lovely. Also I had the silk threads dyed special for this project, as well as the organza ribbons, so I am looking forward to getting this piece and all the inside pockets worked on. It will be a lovely piece to own and display in my needlework box. Though starting over has set me back considerably, but I hope still to get the piece completed by the end of the year. Hopefully I can start the pocket assembly in January 2006. Will have pictures to share soon.

Quaker Round Robin (my own) - This is a group that I led in 2004. We finished December 2004, and I have a bit of work to put in on this sampler before it is completed. I will have a picture of where I am with this project for you to see very soon. Then I hope to post some updates every month until it is done. It is done in burgundy, pink, rose, cream, pale aqua, and hunter green silks on a cream 35ct linen. Right now it seems I am in a 'Quaker Bent' ...that seems to be what I seem to want to stitch and collect as far as charts and patterns of samplers. They are lots of fun to stitch, and very pretty. They can be muted colors, or very bright, and both have their place. This piece when it is completed and framed will be hanging over our bed on a cocoa colored wall. I think it will be a lovely contrast, and should compliment the decor in my room very nicely. PIctures will be forthcoming....

Now to figure out how to add pictures . Hopefully i can do it now that I have promised you all kinds of updates on my needlework projects hmmm....