Speaking of Papillon....

Yep, just as I start the new Papillon Creations mystery SAL for 2009, I finally get the SAL from last year back from the framer!

This is How Does Your Garden Grow? Stitched on Silkweaver's Solo 32ct Belfast linen with Needle Necessities floss, and MH beads.

I also finished a CharlesCraft tote bag for my niece's birthday in May! The design is from the My Aunt's Attic blog, a butterfly motif stitched with 5 different Anchor varigated flosses.

Castles in the Air-New Start!

This is my first part of Papillon Creations new 24-part SAL, Castles in the Air. I am loving it already! I did make a couple of minor changes to lighten it up a bit, by using single threads on some specialty stitches calling for two, by leaving off the second step B of Motif 9 Smyrna crosses, and by adding the Light Peacock crystal bicone to the center rather than beads. I'm still not sure about the orange color in the four outside flowers, and may change it later....wait and see!
The fabric is Silkweaver's Morning Mist 32ct opalescent lugana. Threads and beads will be listed on the Gallery on the Papillon website shortly, or you can see them here. Scroll down a bit and you will see this same picture with the threads listed.

Music and Stitching

There was an interesting discussion on one of the Yuku boards I visit about designers and their "styles", and it got me thinking....here's a bit of what I posted.
To me designers are like musicians, they each have their own "style" and pretty much stick to it, so if you see one of their designs you easily recognize it, just as you recognize a musician by hearing their songs. The other interesting parallel between music and stitching to me is the fact that designers provide us the patterns (the sheet music, if you will) and we "perform" the stitching. Just as it takes skill to play a piece of music beautifully, it takes skill to stitch a beautiful pattern! Some stitchers become so good, they morph into designers, but you don't have to be a composer to perform a great symphony, nor do you have to be able to design to stitch a great needlework piece. There is a place for "cute" designs (think simple childrens' songs) for "traditional" designs, or for the "symphony" that is TW's body of work......and they all have value to stitchers.
I'd love to hear what other stitchers think about this....why does a particular designer's "style" appeal, or not? (no need to name names if you don't want to) Why do you like a particular "style" of music over another? I'm not the hip music listener I used to be, I still prefer soft rock, a la James Taylor, over today's trends. My DH on the other hand, likes country music!
What stitching "style" do you favor? Does this idea make you feel good about the stitching you do? (as a musician would feel good about their performance?) I have used this idea to explain what I do and why I love to stitch to the stitching "layman", and it makes sense to them.

As for my actual stitching lately...been caught up in the NHL playoffs and my team, the Carolina Hurricanes so I haven't actually gotten much stitched (well, if you count during the commercials and intermissions!). Hope to have the first part of Papillon's Castles in the Air done today and will post a picture soon! Series is tied 2-2, so.....Go 'Canes!

Biscornu for April

Here's my April biscornu for the Basket of Biscornu Blog. The designer is Toni Fojtasek for Dinky-Dyes. The Pansy Biscornu chartpack comes with the silks. I used Silkweaver's Jubilation 32ct opalescent lugana, and subbed petite beads along with the called for JABC pansy buttons. Finished it last night, April 15th.This is the top before assembly, the second picture is the complete biscoru.



I don't have any pansies growing this year (the rabbits always eat them anyway!) but I do have many lovely trees in bloom...these pics were taken Easter Weekend. They are azaleas, cherry blossoms, white and pink dogwood, and even holly tree blossoms! I love spring!

Latest finish!

My latest finish is another peacock design...a freebie handout at my LNS from the Gift of Stitching magazine. It didn't have a name, so I'm calling it Peacock Heart. Stitched over one with 1 strand of Weeks Peacock on 28ct cashel and mounted in a gold heart ornament frame.

Spring Tulips!

I spent the first week+ of April working on my Holland Landscapes by Chatelaine, and finished the tulips over the right side window scene, bringing me to the half-way point on this large piece!

Here is a pic of the whole thing so far....

The next pic is a close-up of the center, where I changed out the large crystal cube for a Mill Hill tulip Treasure which I think matches the small flowers around the center box very well!

Over the weekend I worked on a couple of small pieces, as I am waiting for fabric to start the Papillon Castles in the Air. More later....

Peacock by Papillon

My first finish of April is Papillon's freebie The Peacock. Stitched on 28ct white linen with called for GAST threads. I have a small stack of peacock related projects that I'm trying to get to, and this one called loudest. I left off the outermost border because I was running low on the blue floss, but I don't think it takes away from it at all. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, so I'll add it to the box of finished items for now.

Time to get out Holland Landscapes again! Still waiting for fabric to start the new Papillon SAL.

March Progress, April Goals

So March was a laid back stitching month for me....Growth Rings took most of the month, but that's okay! As long as it's fun, what does it matter? Anyway, here's the recap and new goals for April!

March Recap
Work on WiPs
~Holland Landscapes, tulips over pt.6 window scene Postponed again...
~Growth Rings, continue with top half...All Done!
New Starts
~Do a biscornu...Done!
~Do an ornie...err, a peacock? Working....
~Random new start...maybe Trellis, or what? Nope!
Finishing
~do some finishing! (at least one item) Biscornu Done!

April Goals
Work on WiPs....
~Still trying to get back to Holland!...now Part 6 all done!
~Finish freebie Peacock from Papillon Done!
New Starts...
~Do another gift totebag Done!
~Do a biscornu...Pansy Biscornu Done!
~Do an ornie or other small piece...Peacock Heart Done!
~Start Papillon's Castles in the Air Part 1 is Done!
Finishing...
~At least one every month
Ornament Done!
Biscornu Done!

March biscornu

Growth Rings kept me busy most of the month, but I had enough time to get my March biscornu done for the Basket of Biscornu blog. This is from the blog Cross Stitch Happy (both are in my blog list down on the right if you are interested) and is called Roberta's Cats Scissor Fob. It's very tiny for a biscornu, only 2 inches across! I changed the colors of DMC called for, and used a scrap of 28ct watercress linen from my stash. The top has a crystal bicone, and the bottom a button of a mouse!
Before biscornu finishing.
After finishing!
And this is the back...
don't know why Blogger keeps rotating this one picture, but you get the idea!


And, since the orange cat color was inspired by my other male cat Leo, here's a pic of him sleeping too....

Growth Rings Happy Dance!

Dance with me! I finished Growth Rings! It took six weeks and chasing off a few frogs (they were small but annoying) and here it is, all stitching complete......the picture just does not do it justice!

I will take it in April to be framed....this was a really fun stitch and I enjoyed every minute, even after chasing off those pesky frogs....LOL!

Now I can work on the biscornu I started yesterday after the last stitch was put in Rings.....my cat Pixel is happy because I don't need the big floor frame for something so small, so he can nap on my chair arm. Don't ask me how he sleeps like this....he reminds me of the Wysocki cat in Too Pooped sleeping on the tree branch!

Back to stitching....

I'm back to stitching this week after a lovely day w/my Dad on Sunday! Last night I settled in to watch the Carolina Hurricanes (thanks to the NJ Devils for giving Brodeur the deserved night off so we could win!), and finished off the last ring on Ink Circles' design from the March JCS...Growth Rings! I ended up using 4 and 2/3 silk skeins of the main color, with one+ skein left over to add to the stash. Took the picture and right away started on the secondary color (still had part of the game to watch after all!), which is for the leafy sections inside the rings and things. I am enjoying this design thoroughly, and hope to finish it this month at the rate I'm going! I also need to squeeze in a biscornu before the end of the month for the Basket of Biscornu blog I am taking part in...better be a quick one! The rest of the monthly plan is going to be postponed, but I'm having fun with Rings, so I don't care.....and besides, there will shortly be a new mystery SAL (Papillon) starting and I need to clear a spot in the rotation, right?





















ETA: Errata for Growth Rings (I just sent her a couple more so check back!)

My Daddy

I couldn't let the Ides of March (3/15) pass without making note of my father's 80th Birthday! I told him I looked for a card that said "Happy 50th!....because if you are 50, that makes me 23!" Alas, no luck finding that card, but he was happy with the Panara card we did get him!

We took the short drive to his house yesterday and helped with disposing of the cake, but not till after watching our family's favorite team, Duke, win the ACC Tournament! Thanks to Coach K and the guys for giving my daddy such a great present! Five years ago we surprised him with this cake, but this year it was kind of hard to pull the same trick! The pic was from his college days at Duke in the 50's......

And here he is today, handsome as ever! He still has the little cross stitch I did for him when I was a Duke student 30 years ago! (and you thought this wouldn't be a post with stitching in it!) LOL!