Been Busy Stitching!

I have gotten into a bit of a routine. When I stitch during the day I work on a needlepoint project and in the evening I am working on a Sampler while sitting on the sofa "watching" TV. In the process I finished a needlepoint piece first started in 2003. I took a class with my Raleigh Needlepoint group from Debbie Stiehler, it is called Lucky Gecko. Is on a 15" x 17" frame and its size made it perfect to work on in my studio vs on the sofa.

Here are a few other things I finished recently. The first three are projects from a Sampler Guild of the Rockies Retreat, a needle fold and a bookmark. I think both are from 2012.

I also finished a project done last year by my Saguaro Chapter of ANG (American Needlepoint Guild). I attached the stitching and fabric to a finishing form which helps keep it nice and round.

I also finished a 2" square practice piece into a pin. It is designed by Catherine Jordan and was a Cyber course. We made the small square first to practice making a larger piece that consists of multiples of this square. It is call My Granddaughters quilt and the idea is for it to look like a quilt top when done.

Tomorrow I will have a post on the progress I have made on the Maria Antoni sampler, which is what I have been working on in the evenings. My goal is to post an update on this sampler every Monday until it is finished, so stay tuned!!

Foothills EGA Workshop with Catherine Jordan

This past week I took a two day class with Catherine Jordan offered by my Foothills EGA Chapter. We painted fabric, stitched and played with fabric dyes. The class is to create a treasure map - here is the class piece done by Catherine.

To make us feel more at home with painting, she had us make the cover for a small journal before we put paint brush to the larger piece. So the two day class focused on the journal cover, but everything we did on the cover we would do on our bigger map (at least painting wise).

We also had the option of dying our fabric to be used for the bigger map (final size would be 11"x 11") if we wanted. We had cutch dye in our kits, but the other fabric dye she provided in class, so I decided to do mine in class so I could use some of the darker dye for the upper left corner. When stitched this darker area is to help give a feeling of illumination in other areas.

Here is my journal cover so far. The front is mostly done, just some borders are needed. Then I will stitch the spine and the back cover. I painted the sky, ocean and ground. In the ground area I painted shadows and in the sky and ocean I painted in the sun. Also the shadowy border around it all is painted. Once dyed it will pull it all together. You can compare the fabric color not dyed below with how it looks after it was dyed above.

Once done stitching, I will dye it using the cutch provided, and hopefully remember to post an update here on my blog. I do not need to wait for all the stitching to be completed to dye it, that is just how I decided to do it.

It was a GREAT class and Catherine is a wonderful teacher. I highly recommend her.

Fortune Cookie Friday And....

I saved this one because I got it October 23, 1997.....

"You will seriously consider a move by year end."

We moved in November 1997!  We knew we were moving when I got the fortune, so that is why I saved it and put the date I got it on the piece of paper.


AND...

Check back this weekend, I hope to post some pictures from the GREAT workshop I attended sponsored by Foothills Chapter EGA. Catherine Jordan was the teacher and we painted and dyed fabric and stitched on it then painted again!!  FUN, FUN, FUN. Catherine was a wonderful teacher too.

Rotation Sunday

Sunday is the day I change rotation projects. Last Sunday I started a needlepoint project which happened to be my oldest UFO/WP and I stitched on it a few nights this past week and this is as far as I have gotten. So it remains my oldest WIP.

My rotation project for this next week is an embroidery project and the one I chose is called Victorian Journal by Catherine Jordan. It is from the class I took last August at the Rocky Mountain Region EGA Seminar. I believe it is my youngest WIP. I do not think I have added much to it since class and this is how it looks now.

For this project we started out my tracing a design on the fabric then painting it. Next we stitch designs to make the colored areas to look like fabric and stitch embroidery on the borders to end up with a piece of fabric that looks like a crazy quilt. When completed it will fit around a small journal - hence the class title. I can't wait to get working on it again!!!

Happy Stitching!!