Needle in a Haystack

And here is my version of long and short stitch in smooth purl metal thread:

It's supposed to be random and organic. This is as random and organic as I get. 

Having been slightly under the weather for the last 24 hours, I believe I am going to sip a little ginger ale and nibble on a saltine, then go back to bed. Hopefully I'll be back to whatever passes for normal tomorrow.

Planting Grass . . . and Letters?

 I am still slaving away on the projects I decided to focus on.

I needed to set up the foundation for the motifs that will be stitched atop the hills. And I looked at the fact that there are letters (I don't like to stitch letters) and a lot of tent stitch (which I find boring) and thought maybe I should get this done and out of the way. So that's what I need to do.

And then there is my goldwork class. 

This is in no way a reflection on the teacher or the class. This is more a problem with my skill level, or lack of skill level, but I have to admit, I am frustrated.

We had to do a trellis stitch pattern. I've done trellis stitch patterns umpty-leven times on crewel pieces with no problems. However, I found that metal threads are much less forgiving than wool crewel threads. 

Even with eyeballing and measuring and eyeballing and measuring, I could not get my base lines for the trellis itself to lie straight and evenly separated. Thus, I ended up with something that looked more like fishnet than a trellis--no two spaces were the same size, sort of the way part of a fishnet can get wadded up. That meant that I couldn't do the filling pattern we were supposed to do. So I just threw in sequins fastened down with loops of smooth purl and called it done.

Then the motif next to it is supposed to be worked in long and short stitch. Once again, not like long and short in crewel. I fought with that for a good chunk of the afternoon and finally said I believed I should just do tent stitch for awhile.

And that's when I got completely and totally bored to tears.

I think I'll read a book.

GRRRRR!

Almost like Christmas

 It was a good mail day today. The materials came for the crewel class I'm taking this fall from Sara Rickards of Well Embroidered.

The "gift" box

with the contents wrapped in tissue

and all the goodies inside

Just look at those luscious colors! And the design is already transferred to the linen twill--be still my heart!

Today, though, I am taking a day off from stitching, at least until this evening. I have a list of Domestic Diva activities about a mile long and, thus far, I've only crossed off two items on that list. I must don my Head Housekeeper attire and tackle the living room.

And hope it doesn't tackle me first.

Before and After

 This ungodly mess is the beginning of what is supposed to become a trellis pattern in goldwork.

Don't even ask. I have faith that it will all work out. Eventually.

And this is after a weekend of various Zoom meetings that required something I could stitch but also follow and participate in conversations.

All the spiral trellis stitches and over-one cross-stitched leaves and vines in the border are done. Now I can sew this to the scroll frame and start on the innards.

So that's what I've been up to for the last several days. Yes, I am deadly dull and boring.

So close . . .

So very close to having this motif finished.

Actually, all I have to do is plunge the ends and sew them down on the back and this will be done.

And I have learned several things about Or Nue and me.

• If I stand at least five feet away and don't use magnification or the camera lens to see the motif, if doesn't look half bad. It doesn't look half good, either, but I'll take what I can get.
• Not only am I incapable of drawing a straight line, I also can't stitch a straight line.
• I do not foresee much Or Nue in my future. Now that I've said that, the next seventeen projects I want to do will have Or Nue as a major design element.

I spent most of the day hunched over my embroidery hoop because I was determined to get this done, done, DONE. The result is that my back has said enough for today. I am going to lean back in the wing chair, hold my linen right next to my nose, stretch my legs out on the ottoman, and work on No Place Like Home.

After, of course, we dine on Julia Child's crab quiche. Today is her birthday, and I always pull out Mastering the Art of French Cooking and bake her quiche on August 15.

And that will be the extent of my Domestic Diva tasks today. 

Challenge vs Comfort

 I think I figured out why my Or Nue motif is taking so long.

I do about three rows and decide I've had enough of this and I go do something else, like clean a bathroom. When I step away from stitching to do housework, it is obvious I'm not having a good time.

BUT, I want to get this done (remember, I am stubborn and bloody-minded) so I decided to work until I had at least doubled the amount I had already stitched. And I did.

In the middle of the night when I have my hour or two of staring at the ceiling (every night and I'm getting a little cranky about it since I'm not awake enough to get up and do something, but I'm not sleeping peacefully) I was thinking about projects in my stash. And I figured out I have two distinct types of projects.

One big pile is full of challenging things to stitch--new or unfamiliar techniques that require concentration and focus to accomplish. A lot of them I always considered my retirement projects. Let's face it, if you're working full time, it's hard to have enough energy at the end of a work day to work on some of the more complicated projects. So . . . retirement projects.

Then there are all the projects I've accumulated over the years from all the designers that I love. Of course I want to work on all of them. They are comfortable and comforting to work on.

Then I realized I've sort of figured out how to handle this stuff. I work on the more challenging things early in the day when my brain and body are fairly fresh. Right now, it's the goldwork piece. Then, after dinner in the evening, I work on something from the comforting pile--at the moment, Catherine Theron's No Place Like Home.

So, challenge in the mornings, comfort in the evenings. And by golly, I am going to get this Or Nue motif done this week!

Making a little progress

 It helps to have only three threaded needles at a time, down from six.

I can't do this for very long before I need a break, but I'm making progress.

And I'm also making progress on Catherine Theron's No Place Like Home stitching book:

As soon as I get all the leaves filled in, this is going on a scroll frame. That means that I need to dig into my scroll bar stash in hopes that I have a free frame that will fit the linen. I do not want to take something off a frame. 

When I win the lottery (which means I'd have to buy a lottery ticket), I'm going to hire someone to sew linen to scroll frames or mount fabric to slate frames. 

Now what?

 The Olympics are over.

What am I going to do with myself?

Maybe I could get this mess cleaned up.

I've started the Or Nue motif on my goldwork class. 

This is the result of about two hours work. We were warned this is a very labor-intensive form of embroidery, plus you need to have an artistic eye. I'm a decent technician. I am not an artist. This may be more labor-intensive than I had hoped.

I shall persevere.

Debbie

We battened down the hatches because we were in Debbie's path today.

Thus far, not as bad as feared for our part of the track. We expected heavy rains and wind. We got the winds, but not continuously. We got heavy rain (and flash flood warnings) but only in spurts. We actually saw the sun several times, which was nothing short of amazing considering past experiences.

However, Dearly Beloved had to take a long detour after a doctor's appointment because a tree was down across the road he was traveling. And our power went out for a big chunk of the afternoon, but we were very lucky and repairs were made quickly. Something to be said for being close to UNC.

Have I stitched?

Well, I watched stitching--today had a demonstration from Golden Hinde's Academy and a class from Kate Barlow for the Crewel Work Company. I was able to see the first one before the power went out and the second one on my phone after we lost electricity. 

BUT--and this is major--last night I finished all the spiral trellis stitches on the front and back of No Place Like Home, and I can fill the leaves in around them.

They give almost a tapestry-like effect, or maybe the look of an elegant woven silk ribbon--anyway, well worth the time and energy.

So I may spend tonight's stitching time and energy on this.

And hope Debbie continues to move away and loses her energy.

Ups and Downs

This band on Carmen pretty much sums up the way I feel. It's been one of those up-and-down days.

I didn't sleep well last night, then I've had a little, nagging headache all day. I decided maybe I shouldn't attempt Or Nue on my goldwork sampler, especially since it's a technique I have done exactly once previously, and that was close to two decades ago. 

Then we've been watching Debby's track off and on; we're in her path although we're in the middle of the state. Depending on which weather witch doctor you watch, we're supposed to get anywhere from 2" to 10" of rain and there's a slight chance of tornadoes in our area. 

This is one of those days when I'd like to make a trip to Krispy Kreme. But only when the Hot sign is on--I believe a hot doughnut, fresh out of the fat and off the glazing table, might just elevate my overall mood.

Oh, Christmas Tree . . .

 Tricia Nguyễn has designed a new Christmas tree ornament for 2024. The instructions are free. However, she also offers a complete kit, and I, of course, ordered one.

It came yesterday.

I am having a very hard time sticking with the things I'm already working on. As we all know, I have the will power of a squirrel.

Stay tuned to see what happens . . .

Puttering

I needed a break from intense projects and intense competitions, so I took a day off from the goldwork class and Carmen, and I turned off the Olympics for one day.

So I've been puttering. I moved some things around in the stash room, and I dug into my stash to find some multicolor threads for a project that BDE is doing. I couldn't go for a whole day without stitching something, so there are more spiral trellis stitches completed.

 I may just stick with this for the evening. Or not. I'm taking the day off from my regularly scheduled programming, so who knows what may happen!

Taking the Plunge

 I have lots and lots of thread ends to plunge to the back of the work and sew down.

I have stitched both diaper patterns, and it will be time to move on to a different but similar technique with the next motif as soon as I get all the excess thread taken care of.  To be honest, after spending most of the afternoon watching track and field, I am exhausted. I realized I was holding my breath in each event, which I don't think helped any of the athletes, but certainly wore me out! So the ends will be dealt with in the morning.

I was asked what a diaper pattern is. In this context, it means a repeating geometric pattern--the top one is a fairly simple zigzag (maybe fairly simple for some people, but I had a bear of a time getting it going correctly), and the bottom is a diamond pattern, which I think I would have had less trouble with if I had alternated colors. And I still need to work on my tension, but it's better overall than it was, so I'm counting that as a win.

My version of the Olympics!

Sloooooooow Saturday Stitching

 I've done a little--a very little--on a diaper pattern on the goldwork project.

Why so little?

One word.

Olympics.

More Gold

 I made myself stitch today, and I have more gold.

Definitely not my best work, and I noticed some twisted stitches only when I looked at the photograph. Unfortunately, where they are would mean taking the whole thing apart. I've decided this is definitely a learning piece, so the errors will stay as a reminder in the future.

I have a horrible feeling that I'm going to have a lot of reminders in this project.

Olympic Stitching--Not!

 This is all I've managed to stitch in the last few days.

Pitiful, just pitiful.

I literally cannot tear my eyes away during some of the competitions, especially the gymnastics. This means that I can't watch my stitching at all, so I've just decided to watch and not even think about threading a needle during certain sports.

At the moment, though, Dearly Beloved is watching fencing, which I do not understand. Everything happens super fast, then a bunch of people in blue suits go look at a computer screen, then one of them comes up a short flight of steps and waves a hand, and then the fencers start over again. Dearly Beloved and the Big Kid used to fence, so he gets what's happening and has tried to explain, but his explanations sometimes go back to the Middle Ages in France and Italy and beyond. I glaze over after about the first 15 minutes of the lecture.

And I still have no clue what's going on.

I may actually get some stitching done today.