Revelation

I have been stitching on Revelation for the past week. I recently restarted on 25 ct pink lugana 1x1. I had been stitching 2x1 half cross on linen, but the fabric was warping. So rather than waste more time, I restarted. Here's a pic- I did it without the flash, because with the flash it seemed too bright. You'll have to ignore the shadow at the top :)



Now for my other HAED projects that are 2x1 tent stitch... I am restarting them all. Why? Same reason. If they were started on linen or lugana, the fabric is not strong enough to keep from warping. My Vision of Light is stitched on Monaco which is much stronger than linen or lugana, so it will be fine. I am also leaving Sea of Roses alone because it is on Monaco. The others have just a little done, so no matter what the fabric, they're getting the restart and 1x1 treatment. I like the look of the 1x1 better anyway. I used to think that 2x1 tent was twice as fast as 1x1, but turns out confetti is confetti. An extra millisecond to cross the top leg really doesn't matter when you have to rethread your needle 50 times in a 10 x 10 block!!

Hope everyone has a great stitching week!!

Vision of Light Update

Well, here she is after the April SAL challenge on the HAED BB. I decided to do a "chunk" instead of stitching straight across. I had no idea how much faster it would be! I completed over 5000 stitches during the SAL- probably because I didn't have to rethread the needle over and over and could actually complete a color all the way down. I stitched in five block coloumns.

I've now reached the 50,000 stitch mark and it has taken 300 hours!

I've included an up close pic of the jewelry. Had to be a little dark to show the beautiful sparkle. It took about 8 hours from start to finish. I used DMC precious metals and antique effects. Very fickle stuff to stitch with, but worth it. The hardest part was trying to "chart" the jewelry. Obviously, there were more colors charted than I had to choose from and it was also difficult to decide which part was necklace and which was skin. So, I did my best and am happy with the result. There's a little metallic blob of knots in between the earring and the necklace- you'll have to excuse that. I couldn't do a loop start with this metallic stuff, so intead of tent stitching, I did it 1x1 full cross. I think I'll like the contrast with the rest of the piece which is tent stitch 2x1. Oh, and I did this out of sequence to give me time to change my mind and frog it all out before I actually get there with the cotton. It's virtually impossible to frog very much when you park threads without tearing out the stitches you want to keep!!

The last pic is there because I'm going to use one of the colors as the gems set in her jewelry. Still haven't decided which one. I'll probably wait until I get there with the cotton part to decide.

Changing my rotation and April goals

I have decided to rotate based on "screaming" rather than my normal list of WIPs. I think that will make stitching much more enjoyable. I was becoming overwhelmed with the thought that I must stitch this or that because it was coming up in the rotation and having to put one that I loved away to stitch on a lesser favorite. So, now I am stitching whatever I want whenever I want to... let's face it, it's not like I'm going to get all these HAEDs done in my lifetime anyway!!

I'm also going to try to remember to list my monthly goals... my April goals are as follows:

1- 2000 stitches on Revelation (my restart)
2- 4500 stitches on Vision of Light
3- Start QS The Napping Hat by Molly Harrison
4- 1500 stitches on Midnight Orchard
5- 1500 stitches on La Belle

I am also going to do my best to remember to post progress pics of each of my goals.

The HAED BB had an Easter Creature SAL- the perfect opportunity to start The Napping Hat. Here she is after the SAL with 5500 stitches done (17.6% complete)


She screams very loudly to be stitched, however so does Vision of Light. I'll be stitching VoL this weekend for the April Challenge SAL.

Vision of Light 27% done!!

I have finally reached the 25% mark on VoL. Actually 27.1% to be exact. She now has a nose and lips and even a few fingers!! This piece is so beautiful. The colors are wonderful. I can't wait to see her on my wall!!

This is my start on Mask of Colors. It is being stitched on 32 ct. bittersweet lugana over 1 tent stitch. I have a good start so far... I think the fabric will look nice with this one. Unfortunately, the pic doesn't do it justice.

So Far This February...

Well, this month's almost over and this is my first post. I have been dealing with the flu for the past week. I have several pics to show from earlier the month.
This first pic is my newest HAED start on Midnight Orchard by Ian Daniels. I am using Vikki Clayton silks. They are very beautiful. This is stitched 1x1 on 25 ct lugana.

Today I also was able to finally complete the top 5 rows on La Belle Dame Sans Merci. This is also done 1x1 on 25 ct.

This is my start on Love Me Not by Selena Fenech. It is done 1x1 on 28 ct evenweave.

One of my February goals was to finish the second row of blocks on Revelation. This piece is very beautiful with lots of confetti... when I get frustrated, I just have to look back at the progress pics of others to see it will be worth it!!

This is another BAP, but a break from HAED. It is called Rainbow Wind. The original artwork is by Joni Solis- converted to cross stitch by Jodi Watson of the Golden Hoop. This one is very colorful and one of my favorite subjects- horses!!

Catching up on a few pics....

Well, I haven't updated in a while, so I have three pics to show. The first is La Belle Dame Sans Merci charted by Michelle at Heaven and Earth Designs. Anyone who has seen my PictureTrail Album

has probably seen my initial start on La Belle by Unicorn Designs. That company is out of business. I have been so pleased with my HAED charts that I decided to restart- I like the darker reds in the HAED chart. The other one has a more peachy colored dress. So, I am going to work on this one a while and see what happens. I may go back to the other one, but so far so good.

This next pic is my start on Tracy Butler's Martyrs. I got tired of the black border and just had to stitch some of the skyline.

And finally, my start on Poet by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law (also HAED). This one is very dark with lots of 310 and 939, but I think the beautiful gold fish in the pool will be worth it in the end.

Revelation

I have finished one of my January goals- to complete the top row of blocks on Revelation. The first half was hard going, especially when I got to the middle reddish colors. After that, the rest was easy. I must say, of all the HAEDs I am working on, so far this seems to be the hardest. This is 30 hours of work so far with 4400 stitches completed (2%).

Vision of Light

Well, here she is after an entire weekend of stitching. This is the first weekend of the HAED SAL Challenge. I completed 3,100 stitches. She has an eye!! I am now 20.6% complete.

The Oath

Well, I received my latest HAED order earlier this week. I ordered:

1- Pumpkin Pixie- JBG
2- Jewele- JBG
3- Belladona's Gift- JBG
4- A Pale Comparison- JBG
5- A Rose Among Thorns- Ian Daniels
6- When Fairies Talk- Christensen
7- Wood Nymph- Josephine Wall
8- Butterfly Fairy- B.K. Lusk

I've been stitching like crazy. This weekend is the 2007 Challenge SAL, and I will be getting back to Vision of Light.

Here's a progress pic of The Oath by James Christensen. I love this one- looks like an old world doctor with lots of concoctions on the shelves... and of course the famous fish is hiding out on the shelf as well. Lots of green. Just started and have only done 1300 stitches for a grand total of .5%... lots more to do!!!

Vision of Light

This weekend is the HAED 2007 Challenge SAL. I will be stitching my already started Vision of Light. Here are a couple of before pics:

I added a closeup of the butterfly. It is so pretty in person. My ultimate goal for this year is to complete half of this chart. So far, I have 18.5% complete (27,700 stitches).I am stitching on 28 Monaco 2 over 1 tent stitch... really feels like cheating, but the coverage is great, and I feel like it's twice as fast ;)

My New Years Insanity

Well, I took the plunge on January 1st and had a whirl-wind day of starting HAEDs... all my most favorite ones. I have a semi-strict policy of finishing 2 WIPs before I can start a new one EXCEPT on Jan 1st I can start anything. I have tried to stick to this plan for the past 3 years. So, since it was the first, I started 18 HAEDs!!

1- Revelation- Wolk OOP
2- Field of Dreams- Wolk OOP
3- The Garland- Wolk OOP
4- Metamorphosis- Wolk OOP
5- The Master Plan- Ravenscroft
6- Mask of Colors- Ravenscroft
7- Waiting for Neptune- Ravenscroft
8-Sea of Roses- Fenech
9- Love Me Not- Fenech
10- Midnight Secrets- Fenech
11- Poet- SPML
12- The Oath- Christensen
13- Old World Santa- Christensen
14- Fire in the Soul- Bergsma
15- Christmas Journey- Gilbert
16- Merlin and Arthur- Gustafson
17-Martyrs- Butler
18- Gypsies Again- Butler

I am actually concentrating on Vision of Light (B. K. Lusk- already started) which I will work on during the HAED SAL. I have another weekend devoted to Revelation. The rest I work on randomly... yep, this is going to be the year of the BAP for me!! I am going to do my best to take progress pics and post them in my blog.

Here's my first progress pic on Sea of Roses


I have completed about 800 stitches- that's 1.1%. The colors are so pretty!!

The next pic is Revelation. I worked on Rev all weekend- Doesn't seem especially difficult yet, but just getting through the top 10 rows are very time consuming. I am just over half way across the top. I have completed 2350 stitches for a total of 1.1 % complete on this one as well. DH would like to see this one on the wall tomorrow!!

What a great weekend!!

I have had a wonderful weekend. I cross stitched on Vision of Light all day Saturday while watching my favorite channel - Turner Classic Movies. I also received some more HAEDs in the mail. These I had to search the net forever to find... Sheila Wolk's Revelation, Metamorphosis, The Garland and Field of Dreams. I was able to purchase them from Dark Lilac (www.darklilac.com). I had to pay a little more since they are OOP, but it was well worth it, IMHO. I'm still looking for the Gatekeeper. If anyone out there has one that they know they'll never stitch, I'd love to have it!! I don't know if Dark Lilac has any more Wolks or not... I may have gotten the last ones.
To top off a great weekend, DH and I drove to Nashville to see our first pro football game- Titans vs. Giants. Wow, what a game!! The Titans were down 21-0 in the fourth quarter, and we started to leave (it's a 4 1/2 hr drive!). Luckily, we decided to stay to see one more series of downs and that's when Pac Man Jones got an interception... then it was off to the races!! Titans pulled it off 24-21 in the biggest come back in franchise history (since they've been in Nashville, anyway).
The only thing that could have made the weekend better would be to have one more day off....

Vision of Light- first progress pic

So, I'm surfing the web around Memorial Day. I had been up most of the night before finishing a Christmas cross stitch and had to work that day. I was too exhausted to stitch. I stumbled across the HAED website. I thought, oh another one of those computer generated sites of beautiful paintings that look horrible when stitched (I have been burned before, can you tell??). I saw the link to the BB... and WOW all those WIPs and finished pieces were FABULOUS!!!!!!!! My favorite was Vision of Light by B. K. Lusk, a WIP by ropane, so I had to have it immediately by email. I also ordered Loves Me Not, Fire in the Soul, Midnight Secrets, Merlin and Arthur, and Waiting for Neptune. I think I could spend days looking at HAED's site and always find something new. I have since made another list of charts I want for Christmas.
I have no idea how Michele and Bob do it. The charts are NOT computer generated so it makes every stitch count. CG charts will have strange confetti stitches like a green stitch in the middle of a field of black. So far Vision of Light looks exactly the way it should... I don't think I have ever been so excited and happy stitching anything!! I still have an ornament and small piece to XS before Christmas, so I may have to get DH to hide VoL so I have to work on them.....
So, without further ado, here's my one week progress pic. Oh, and I am tent stitching which I have never done to an entire piece. I didn't like it at first but made myself keep stitching, and once everything started to take shape (twice as fast!!) I loved it!
I wish you could see it in person!!

Stitching Again

Well, I have been on a 6 month hiatus
from stitching, but I am finally back.
I thought I should update my blog.
I finished Little Witch just before Halloween.
Isn't she lovely?


I have also been stitching on Polly Phillip from the Scarlet Letter. It is very colorful and fun to stitch. This is 70 hours of work. The outside border is cross stitch and the inside pastoral scenes (there's 3 of them) are tent stitch over one. I'm using VC silks.

My true stitching passion right now is HAED's Vision of Light. I have stitched nonstop on it. I hope to have a picture uploaded later today of my one week progress.

Skeleton Crew- slow going

I really love this pattern, but for some reason I can't get into it like I thought I would. Maybe it's all the white sails... anyway, I am stitching the skeletons in DMC's glow in the dark white floss. They look cool when the lights are off.
I got an unexpected day off today, so I am catching up on Polly Phillip 1772 and She Gathers. I hope to get WIP pics of them soon as well. Then it's back to Skeleton Crew....

Finally enjoying a sunny day,
Rebecca in TN

And They Sinned

This is my latest UFO that I finally pulled out of the closet. I stitched on it 30 hours (for a total of 130 hrs), and now it's back to the closet. Hopefully it won't be long before I'll get it out again. It's such a beautiful piece! I really need to get this one finished before And God Created comes out. Of course, no one knows how long that will be. Hopefully this pic won't look as fuzzy as Rebecca Cullin 1801. Unsure what happened there!
My wonderful DH is working on a wooden lap stand for me to set my lap frame that is similar to one at Hoffman called the "Lap-Stitch Frame Pal"
http://www.hoffmandis.com/ I have all three of the Images lap frames (Original, Mini, and Mini-mini). They can all be seen at the Hoffman site with the "Pal."The Mini is by far my fav for medium to large projects and the Mini-mini for small projects (I should mention I also have a Gazelle and a floor stand and countless Q-snaps,lol ) I highly recommend Images frames as long as one rips off that horrible black fabric that is stapled to the bars and replaces it with American Dream E-Z Stitch No Basting tape. I use this on almost everything I stitch. http://www.adp-usa.com/
Since I usually work on wide projects, DH is going to customize the frame for me with wings on the sides. The one at Hoffman is just too narrow.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Rebecca in TN

Rebecca Cullin 1801

Well, it's been awhile... I have had a few finishes. Happy Hearts Sampler by BOAF is at the framers. Today I finished Patchwork Cats by Carriage House Samplings. I changed all the colors to Crescent Colors- picked at random. Really enjoyed it!It can be seen in the Recent Finishes sidebar.
I wanted to share a pic of one of my favorite WIPs. It's called Rebecca Cullin 1801 by The Scarlet Letter. I am using 40 ct. double pearled barley and Vikki Clayton silks. The freehand embroidery in this one seems difficult- especially since this is my first attempt at embroidery. I took a lot of liberty with the carnation to make it look more like the original sampler. I hope to finish this year.

Two more finishes...

It's been a while since my last post! I have two more finishes to report- Starlight, Starbright and Garden Cottage. GC is totally finished except for the charms. I have to order them online and haven't gotten around to it yet. I hope to have several pics soon of framed pieces.

Three Finishes in one week!!

WOW!! I've never finished that many in one week before... however, one was almost complete and the other two were small....lol
Peter's Cotton-Knits was very fun. I started him last year and finished Tuesday. (8 hrs this week, 28 total hrs to stitch)





Truly Thine from Blackbird Designs was very easy. I did it over 1 on 28 ct cranberry bog linen- 11 hrs total. Finished Friday.

Spring Medley was also easy. I changed this one to Crescent Colors making it bright and "springy."- 12.5 hrs total. Finished Sunday during the first half of the superbowl.

Thanks for looking at all my finishes!

Rebecca in TN

Another finish...

This little birdie stitched up fast and easy. He only took 5 hours to stitch. I hope to put a pretty green frame around him soon.

Rebecca in TN

This is another challenge piece started on the 1st. I am using 50 ct kingston linen (hence the challenge, lol), that I coffee-dyed. It turned a nice brown shade and smells yummy. I have coffee-dyed before, but this time I heated it in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and it seems twice as dark as other things I have done. This linen is very hard to see the holes in, but it's also fun because the stitches are so tiny. I put my scissors in the pic to give you an idea of how tiny the stitches are...isn't that a nice shade of brown? Anyway, that's 97 stitches across the bottom. I am using Victoria Clayton silks. I hope I don't go blind before I finish this one!

First Finish of 2006

I have my first finish- it's called Valentine Medley by Heart in Hand. I changed the GAST and WDW to Crescent Colors, so it is much brighter than originally charted. It only took 11 hours to finish and is very cute. Now to get it and Valentine Row framed before V-Day.

Rebecca in TN

Started Sanctuary

I've spent the past few mornings updating my Picture Trail album and getting pics of all my 2005 finishes up. This year I have decided to concentrate on Samplers and Seasonals. I will also be stitching on La Belle Dame Sans Merci, a large BAP that I have been working on for a few years.
One of my cross stitch groups holds a challenge every year. You have to start stitching something new on the first day of the new year, no matter how many stitches you can put in. I was sick on the first, so I only put 2 stitches in each of my two challenges... "Sanctuary" by the Drawn Thread and "Westwinds" by Carriage House Samplings. I am using Victoria Clayton silks on both pieces.

First post

Well, after a week in the hospital and now a week at home recovering from surgery, I have decided to start a blog. My first post is just to see how things work.... oh, it wasn't a major surgery. Just had to have my stinky gall bladder removed after I turned a nice shade of banana.