Stop the presses!

I have some exciting news!

The fickle Gemini

Today it’s time for a WIP update.

Remember my latest start that I introduced a while ago? I’ve been working exclusively on this piece in August on the few stitchy days I managed to squeeze in. Here is where I stopped after about 10 days of stitching.

I am weak… so weak!

Why is it that when all your unfinished projects weigh you down, the only logical solution is to start a new one?

For no particular reason my hands were itching for a new start (Hah! Like you need a reason anyway!). The joy of sorting through fabrics, figuring out measurements, deciding on colors and finally putting that first stitch in. Yes… I was itching for a new start. It was a buzz that simply would not go away. And so with gleeful abandon I gave in. Here is the tiny progress I made on Day 1 (30 July) of my latest start.

The project wound up looking quite different from what I first envisioned. But when inspiration knocks you simply have to answer, don’t you?

The piece is being stitched on 28 count count Graziano Linen in Milan-Savannah Rose. It is a delicate, blush pink and the DMC I’m using is a vivid 154. I fell in love with this deep, rich purple when browsing the DMC range at my local store. I snatched up a skein having no clue that I would find a project for it in less than 3 days.

Can you guess yet what the piece will be? I’ll give you a hint. It’s a freebie and quite a popular quote.

I’m really enjoying this piece so far. Hopefully it has quenched my thirst for new starts for a while. But only time will tell…

Until next time… stay blessed!

WIP Introduction – The Quilt-batross

It’s WIP introduction time again. And, I tell you, this particular WIP is out to defeat me.

In July 2014, a friend of mine (let’s call her C, shall we?) was due to have her first baby. Two months prior to that, yours truly had the splendid idea of stitching her one of the Dimensions baby quilts as a gift (Note to self : Future such splendid ideas should immediately be discarded). On pitching the idea to two other common friends, M and B, they were sufficiently enthusiastic and wanted to be a part of the project too. So we spent a couple of days browsing on 123stitch.com and eventually picked out a pattern that we all liked – The Baby Drawers Quilt.

Baby Drawers

The pattern we chose was perfect in that it could easily be divvied up into 3 sections, one for each of us. We placed the order and the parcel was shipped to M who was to work on it first. And thus began the Quiltbatross’ reign of terror.

Suffice to say life events at M’s end meant she could not complete her part and so it passed into the hands of B. B also made a valiant attempt but eventually had to admit defeat and so it came full circle back to the originator of the idea aka Moi.

The Quiltbatross in progress

Needless to say, the quilt is a gigantic project and I really wish now that we had opted for a smaller baby sampler. Why oh why did we not choose a baby bib instead?! It would have been just as functional and a fraction of the size! But of course I can never settle for something small and I really wanted something special for Baby C (the little marshmallow totally deserves it!).

Ever since the quilt passed into my hands, I have been setting myself target dates for completion. The vain hope was that a deadline would motivate me to work on it in earnest. Baby C just celebrated his first birthday (another self imposed deadline that whizzed by with a cheeky wink and a jaunty wave) and the quilt is not even half complete. My new deadline is now mid-August.

Logic dictates that with such humongous stitches I should be covering a large area with every stitch. Logic dictates that I should be making fast progress. This quilt laughs in the face of logic.

Here is my phenomenal progress as of date.

Current progress

I feel like I have been working on that elephant for YEARS! It is now dawning on me that I will not get this done by August (Quit chuckling and commiserate… I’m talking to you M!). In fact C is now convinced that she will only get it in time for her baby’s wedding day. Or perhaps HIS baby’s first birthday (both estimates don’t seem too far fetched at this point).

But I will soldier on. I will not give up. I will NOT admit defeat.

Now if only I could finish that wretched elephant.

WIP Introduction – HAED #3

Happy 4th of July to all of you who are celebrating! In the spirit of the red, white and blue here’s a WIP that has a LOT of blue in it!

Today I’d like to share with you the third and final (for now!) HAED that I purchased. The piece is by the artist Brigid Ashwood. Her subjects are diverse and range from fantasy and religious to women and insects! Her art, although quite dark at times (and I mean that literally) is bursting with vibrant color, rich depth and fine detail. Check out these stunning examples.

Brigid Ashwood masterpieces (Pictures courtesy : HAED website)

There were two pieces of hers that grabbed my attention. Oddly enough both were crosses. And although both depict the same subject, they are treated in diametrically opposite ways. While one is dark, metallic and gothic in its color scheme, the other is bright and floral.

The crosses that had me at a crossroads (Pictures courtesy : HAED website)

I knew I wanted one of the two and I’ll admit it took me a while to decide between them. But in the end there was a clear winner.

Butterfly Rose Cross (Picture Courtesy : HAED website)

From the battered and broken cross bloom the tender, fragrant blossoms that hold an irresistible appeal to life-seeking butterflies near and far.

Need I say more?

Of all the HAED’s I own this is the one I have made the most progress on. This is the piece which gifted me my first page finish on a HAED. This piece also introduced me to my current favorite DMC shade – 597.

DMC597 – The best-est color ever!

The background has hardly any confetti which makes it an easy and quick stitch. I can make pretty good progress when working on this one simply because of the large blocks of color. I am stitching this on 18 count Fiddlers aida, full cross, 2 over 1. I love love LOVE working on this WIP. Here is my current progress.

Progress as of 04 July 2015

I’ll admit the stitching turned out much darker than I expected. But I’ve only finished a little over one page so far and that means I’m still in the darker top left corner of the picture. And what with DMC 597 starting to make more prominent appearances (you can see the bright pop of 597 in the bottom right corner) I’m hoping the palette will lighten up soon. So far it definitely looks more greenish to me than blue. Fingers crossed that the finished piece will look like the artwork!

So to those of you celebrating the 4th of July, what are your plans for the day?