Recovering Some Stitching Mojo

Long time no blog, I know.  Sorry.  I just lost my stitching  mojo for a while.  I am still with the SALs and challenges in spirit: they kept me on track during the winter doledrums.  They certainly kept me focused, kept me from starting so many other projects that I would have otherwise.  But by June it just became more work than passionate hobby.

I'm back now.  I did do some stitching over the summer.  I have updates to post of a few projects but I will only do 2 of them today.

Blackbird Designs
 Christmas Garden. 

 I finally got part of an alphabet in there.  The alphabet used was from another Blackbird Designs chart whose name escapes me right now (head/palm moment).

I have a little bit more done since the picture was taken but not much more.  Some of my color placements are not as charted.  I wasn't a fan of as much gold as there was charted so I subbed in the green in most of those places with some brown in at least one other place.


Bluework Blue, no name design from a Filet Lace book,  vol 6.

Bluework Blue is the name of the color, a blend of 4 blues from Hand Dyed Fibers, it was a custom forum call.  I finally got onto one before the calls were closed up.  I am usually too late for most of them.

This is 1 strand silk over 2 threads on Antique White 36 ct linen.  The thread color appears lighter than in real life.  In real life there are more gray/blue tones.  All of it being slightly more to the blue tone than the picture has.  

It was still a bit of a shock for me when I got them.  I guess the attempted facsimile of colors on the HDF forum call had as much of an issue with exact colors as I'm having with my camera.  Either way, I still love the color and have plans for more after this piece.

While I was looking for a small piece to test the color out, I found a scrolly design with a peacock in it in the same book that just about screamed to be done with this thread but the pattern was more than twice as big as this one.  I wanted something small, working up quicker to act as a test for show 'n tell.

Many designers have recharted old filet lace designs then sold them as individual cross stitch patterns.   I saved a lot of money and found a greater selection of patterns by searching out filet lace books.  There are even some online at sites like Gutenburg project and other archivist sites.  The charts are a bit of a chore sometimes but with a pen marking up the photocopied page that is easily fixed.

So until the next time when I can update more work on my Chatelaine Egypt and an almost completed pieces of 8 where I'm on to the last 4 medallions.