Berries

Four months, two jobs, one breakup later, I finally have a finish to show. Can you say life happened? I actually completed this last Friday but didn't get around to posting it until today. So without further ado, here it is.

Design: It's Berry Time

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric: 32 count Hand Dyed Fibers Jackalope Linen

Fibers: Hand Dyed Fibers silk (Crushed Berry)

I love how the name of the floss went with the theme of the piece. I've been privately calling it my Berries project. You can see how the colours flows so naturally into each other with these close up shots.

Don't you just love the glossy shine of silk?

The only changes I made to this piece was the year. The numbers were not provided so I had to chart it out. Am pretty satisfied with the result.

So what's next, you ask. I have no idea though Mike has been pushing me to work on a friend's birthday present that I started a while ago which was supposedly due in April...

Awards, Silk & Framing

I got two blog awards within days of each other. First is the Beautiful Blogger award given to me by Jan. Thank you, Jan.

As with each award, there are certain rules:

• Accept the award
• Thank the person who gave you the award
• Add a link to the person who gave you the award
• Put the award on your blog
• Write 10 things about yourself others might not know
• Pass the award on to 10 others

So here are 10 things about me:

1. I love both coffee and tea. And Gummi Bears.
2. I play the piano. In fact, I have a Grade 8 qualification. However, I am ashamed to say that I have not touched the piano in years.
3. I have a HUGE thing for Forever Friends bear. Cutest bear in the world!
4. I am a complete bookworm and my favorite books are romance novels. I also collect books. If I have a book from a series, I usually end up with the whole series.
5. I love watching Stargate TV series.
6. I visited Phuket, Thailand for vacation three times within the last two years. My partner loves that place!
7. I speak three languages (English, Mandarin and Malay) fluently and two dialects (Cantonese and Hokkien) not so fluently.
8. I love assembling jigsaw puzzles. The more pieces, the better. I like the challenge.
9. I met my partner online through a dating website.
10. I play World of Warcraft and my main character is a druid.

My second award is from mbroider. Thank you!

Once again, here are the rules for this award:

• Put the logo on your blog or within your post
• Pass the award to 12 bloggers
• Link the nominees within your post
• Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog
• Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award

I'm gonna bend the rules a little. For BOTH awards, I nominate the following bloggers:

• Andie of Stitchitandie
• Chiloe of Chiloe's Corner
• Christine of Mtrl Girl's Material World
• Cindy of Stitching Corner
• Dani of Dani: Black Belt Stitching Wizard
• Dovilė of Žydinti svajonių pieva
• EeKoon of CraftyPretender Projects
• Elizabeth of Sew in Love
• Hazel of Quietly Stitching
• Helen of Stitchery Nook
• Lillie of Home of a Little Needlecrafter
• Lisa of Lisa's Blog

As to what I've been working on, I'm two thirds done with Berry Time.

Did I mention I love silk? Especially variegated ones which this project shows off to perfection? If I didn't, well, once again, I LOVE silk!

I've switched back to stitching on Love With A Capital L for now. This is the progress so far:

I would like to personally thank Christine here for bringing to my attention some discrepancies in the bottom half of the design which the stitches were not centered properly. She has recorded the errors on her blog here if you need more details.

Now that's done, look what came home from the framers last week.

This was presented to Adeline on 22 March, her birthday. I'm happy to report that she was trilled with it though I gotta admit I mentally facepalmed myself when I had to literary explained to her that the kitties represented her two cats. She unwrapped it, took one look and went "Oooooh... a black cat and a white cat! So cute!" >.< In her defense, we were in a karaoke room with dim lights but still...

And here's Esperanza again.

She is awaiting the arrival of my partner. Hence, I won't be online much for the next couple of weeks. He will be here in Malaysia as will his brother who is visiting Malaysia for the first time for the Formula One race this coming Sunday.

A Couple WiPs

After finishing Rose in Morning, I figured I'll stitch something more complicated. "High Hopes" by Just Nan which have been languishing in my WiP pile fits the bill so I picked it up and started plowing steadily away on it. It wasn't long before the constant colour changing started to drive me bonkers. Soon after, the project started stalling and finally came to a screeching halt.

That's when I decided something a lot simpler is in order before my stitching mojo vanishes. Going through my WiP again, nothing caught my eye this time so... yes, I was naughty and started a new project. In my defense however, there's nothing like a new start to ensure the stitching mojo stays.

This is "It's Berry Time" by Blackbird Designs. Knowing my fondness for silk, I'm sure you have no doubt that's what it's stitched with. The floss is HDF (what else?) Examplar Crushed Berry. In my opinion, it's perfect for the design. Even the name matches it. As for the fabric, this is the first time I'm using Vikki's 32 count hand-dyed linen. The colour is Jackalope and I gotta say I'm loving it. The design calls for about four skeins of floss and exactly one skein has been used here in this picture. Judging from the amount stitched, I should have more than enough, which I'm thankful for.

The Rose in Morning

I don't post frequently. In fact, I sometimes go months with nothing to show. Hence, I'm always surprise that there are people out there still visiting my blog, some even taking the time to leave me encouraging comments. To all of you, thank you.
I know I promised a Mirabilia WiP pic in my last post but sadly, I have yet to make any progress since. Reason? I've been gobbling up House M.D. by the seasons and stitching something that requires a lot of counting while doing that is generally not a good idea. Hence, I picked up a much simple WiP and this is the result...

Design: The Rose in Morning
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Desert Sky Belfast Linen
Fibers: Hand Dyed Fibers silk
Embellishments: Mill Hill Beads & Charms

Notice any difference from the original design? Let's take a closer look.

Hummingbird charm in place of a stitched bee.

HDF silk with beads.

Bee and dragonfly charms in place of the remaining stitched bees.
Yup, I'll say changes have been made alright ^.^
The conversion is Vickki's own, which she sells prepacked here along with the conversion list...
DMC Ecru - HDF Ecru
CC Country Lane - HDF Chocolate
CC Dandelion Stem - HDF PennyWort 3443
CC Petite Maison - HDF Magpie Twitters
CC Second Hand Rose - HDF Examplar Pressed Petals
CC Tufted Yellow - HDF Lemon Creme
Now I'm off to find another simple WiP along with another episode of House M.D. Happy stitching, all.

First 2010 Finish

My best friend, Adeline, has two cats - Gaby, a beautiful blue Burmese and Cookie, a gorgeous Siamese named after her favourite character in Sesame Street the Cookie Monster. These two completely owns her heart... besides her husband, of course.
Now since her birthday is coming up, I decided to stitch something special for her...

Design: Brotherly Love
Designer: Brittercup Designs
Fabric: 32 count Cream Italian Linen
Fibers: Hand Dyed Fibers silk

Not surprisingly, I changed the colour of the cats to better represent Gaby and Cookie. Then again, I stitched the whole piece in HDF silk so technically, I've changed every colour. As usual, I've made some changes to the chart as well and used the alternative wordings provided.
Here's my HDF floss list if you're interested:
Cream Cat - FleckStone
Grey Cat - Nisse-Ness
Grass - LE 3209/11/13
Brown on Pot - BeFuddled
Metal Rod (Guider?) & Black on Pot - BeGrimed
Hearts - LE 1303/07/11 & WinterBerried
Rhodes Heart & Ribbon - OMG Red 1139
Eyes, Nose, Whiskers & Words - Basic Black 5300
Now I gotta have it framed in time for her birthday which is in three weeks.
Other than that, I've been stitching on Capital L. I've also started a Mirabilia... my first in fact. Anyone can guess which one it is? Hehe... However, I don't have enough progress to warrant a pic yet so stay tuned.

Goodbye, 2009

Happy New Year, everyone! This would be my last post for Year 2009. I hope everyone has enjoyed their holidays. It occurred to me earlier that I probably should make some New Year Stitching Resolutions. Now, I never have done so because that would mean putting restrictions on a hobby which would in turn make it not as enjoyable but with my WiPs and stash piling up, I figured I'll make one (yes, just one :P) New Year Stitching Resolution and that is to at least finish five (can you tell I'm not ambitious? LOL!) projects, be it WiPs or a new start :)

Anyway, as usual, I've been stitching some but not a lot. Made more progress on Love With A Capital L.

The top half minus the border is now completed. Onwards to the bottom half. With only two colours to switch between, this is such a relaxing stitch.

Capital L is Back

After months, actually, make that more than a year, of hibernating under my constantly growing pile of WiPs, Love With A Capital L by Papillon Creations is finally in rotation again.

Maybe it's the season. After all, Christmas is a season of love but more than likely it's encouragement from Mikey and a suggestion from my SO who said that he would like to see me stitch something different, like letters or even a famous quote after my angel. Well, I've taken both their advise to heart. Nothing could be more famous than a chapter from the Bible, right? Either way, enough talk. I'm sure you would be waiting for a picture by now so here it is.

I know, I've only finished the flower movif from my last WiP picture but an update is still an update. Heh! I hope you're not disappointed. Anyway, I'll leave you with this close up picture. I'm loving the colours. Also, did I mention stitching with Vikki Clayton's silk is a luxury?

A Little Christmas Gift

I just return from an incredible eleven days vacation in Phuket, Thailand with my significant other. Before I left, I had posted off a small package. A day after I return, I was informed that my package has arrived safely. Shortly after, I encountered computer problems so it wasn't until now that I can finally show you what the package contained...

This is my third mailart to date. What do you think? The Leisure arts design can be bought and downloaded here.

I used a Passione Ricamo freebie for the back. Sadly, the fabric doesn't show off the white metallic thread I used to stitch the snow :(

And here's the fabric I used for the mail art lining. I've had this Christmas themed fabric for a while now and have been waiting for the right project to use it on. I think it's perfect for it.
As usual, what is a mailart without a card, right? Since I have a thing for handmade cards, once again, I decided to let my creative juices flow...

I just love these Stitching Cards. This time, I have a Christmas Tree theme going...

I hope you enjoyed your gift, Mikey. To everyone else reading this, Merry Christmas! I hope you have had a great year.

The Finish Line

Two post in two days. That must be some kind of record for me. Well, I changed my mind and decided to bead Esperanza after I posted yesterday. She's intended as a Christmas present for my significant other. Thus, I'll be having her framed soon either way. So here she is in all her glory :D

Design: Angel of Hope
Designer: Lavender & Lace
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Skye Reflections Lugana
Fibers: DMC, Kreinik #4 Braid & Hand Dyed Fibers Silk
Embellishments: Mill Hill Beads

What's a happy dance without closed up, detailed pictures? So once, again, here we go ^.^
I just love the beads forming a halo around her head. For anyone who's interested, I attached the beads with invisible thread so in real life, they look like they're suspended in mid air.

Here's her harp. Another feature I absolutely love of the design. Heck, who am I kidding? I love everything about her. The sparkling metallic thread makes it stands out so much more.

Silk ribbons close up with more beads.

The result of the metallic swirls on the frills of her gown along with the flowers is gorgeous but they sure ain't too much fun to stitch.

More flowers, more beads, more of everything. Hehe...

Can't leave out the left side of her gown, can I?

Last but never least, she's been Esperanza to me for so long I had to embroider her name along with mine :)

Thanx for staying with me for so long. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

The Final Stretch

Here's the latest WiP picture of Esperanza. Let's compare my last WiP picture with the previous one... 10 days was all it took to finish the white on her dress. Now let's see how long it took for me to stitch the flowers and the metallic thread... one whole week! Now do you understand why I said they're a real PitA? Heh!

Anyway, notice that I mention that this is still a WiP? To anyone who is unfamiliar with the design, Esperanza is, in all appearance, completed. However, I assure you that is not the case. There are still some confetti stitches around her head and sides that I have yet to stitch. The design supposedly calls for DMC gold metallic thread which in my usual style, I've substitute with Kreinik 002HL Very Fine #4 Braid. In my opinion, it sparkles more ^.^ Now, can you believe I've used up nearly a full spool of it just on the harp and the strip of gold near her hemline? I'm afraid I won't have enough for the confetti stitches. Thus, I've decided to bead those stitches instead. I think that will give the design a more interesting depth. Since I won't be doing the beading until I'm ready to have her framed up, I guess Esperanza will remain a WiP for a while yet.

No More Frills

Finally! No. More. White. Yesssssss!
Yup, as you probably can tell, I'm trilled here. Why? What's so exciting about white? This, ladies and gentlemen, is why ^.^

Her dress is done and the frills is done. True, Esperanza is still far from being finished but other than the flowers, the strip of gold near her hemline and her harp, all of which will be a world of hurt to stitch due to the constant colour changes the flowers require and the metallic thread the strip of gold and harp demands, she's nearly completed.
You can bet that the next design I stitch will not and I repeat WILL NOT consist of any white or at best minimal white. So sick of white. I didn't keep track of the exact number of skeins I used on this design but five to six skeins is a good guess.
Anyway, gonna get back to her. The sooner I start on the pain... er... I mean flowers, the sooner it will be done :)

For Mikey

Yup, as the title suggests, this update is specially for my good friend Mikey who has been asking over and over again how Esperanza is going. So here you are, Mikey, a picture finally :)

What do you think? Not a whole lot of progress but still better than no progress. I'm a little concern about the yellow silk that bled some when I rinsed it a couple of weeks ago and stained the fabric a little around the ribbon's edge. Nothing too obvious but rather visible if you know where to look. I know, I've been boasting about the colourfastness of HDF silk and I still stand by my statement. Vikki never guaranteed that her silks won't bleed. Truth is this is a first. Thus, in my opinion, as far as the colourfastness of hand dyed items is concern, hers is still at the top of my list. I just hope when I wash it again after the stitching is done, I'll be able to get rid of the stain completely. Any tips on accomplishing that more effectively? Thanx in advance!

Silk Ribbons

Or more accurately, ribbons stitched in silk. I know, it's been a while since the last update on Esperanza. Finally, here she is again with the ribbons around her waist completed.

Remember I mentioned I had some changes in mind for the ribbons? As you can see, I've changed the colours to a brighter, more cheerful yellow. I reckon it's more striking this way. The reason why this update was so long in coming was because I had to frog and restitch it as my first conversion ended up being more brown than yellow. You know how much I love Vikki's silk so it's shouldn't be a surprise to you that I've opted to stitch it using that.
As usual, the picture does not show off the silk's subtle shine but I can guarantee you the texture difference is something to behold in real life, especially when cotton and silk are stitched side by side like this.
For anyone who might be interested of using this conversion as your own, here is the list:
DMC - HDF (DMC)
829 - Cerveza 4143 (783)
831 - Cerveza 4141 (728)
833 - Koi Gold 4219 (972)
834 - Koi Gold 4217 (725)
3046 - GoldRush 4225 (744)
3047 - GoldRush 4223 (745)
3072 - Haywains 4123 (746)
Hope you like it. I had wanted to take more close-up pictures but my camera batteries kinda died on me :( Now back on to the not-so-fun part... more white. Sigh!

Quaker Faith Hope Love

This is a quick post to show you my first Quaker project:

Design: Quaker Faith Hope Love
Designer: Midnight Stitching
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Desert Sky Belfast Linen
Fibers: Hand Dyed Fibers silk

It was a fast stitch, finished in only four days using the new variegated silks by HDF - the BE colours.
Faith is stitched using BeSmurfed. I was expecting this to be an all blue colour from the picture and description instead of blue/blue green that you see but as with all hand dyed products, dyed lots can varied so even though it wasn't what I expected, I'm not too fussed. I think it's rather pretty, don't you think so? I can assure you the colour is so much more vibrant in real life.

As mentioned last post, Hope is stitched with BeCreamed. You can see it more clearly in this picture compared to the last one.

Lastly, my favourite of all the three BE is BeRedded. I'm officially in love with this red. It's beautiful!

As usual, it has been a pleasure stitching with Vikki Clayton's silk. With this done, I really think I should be getting back to Esperanza. I've delayed long enough.

The Final Band

With that picture, can you guess what it means? Yes, you're absolutely right. After more than a year my kingdom of stitches is finally finished!

Design: Queen of the Needle
Designer: Just Nan
Fabric: 28 count Silkweaver Abracadabra Cashel Linen
Fibers: Soie D'Alger silk
Embelishments:White Pearl Beads, Rosaline Swarovski Crystal Pearls & Queen's Rose Antique Gold Visions Charm

Wanna see the entire kingdom close up? If you do, scroll down. Just a caution though, it's gonna be picture heavy ^.^
First, we have some beautiful flowers and a lovely rose charm:

Bluebirds and verse:

Every queen must have a crown...

And a couple of bunnies as pets.

What is a kingdom without butterflies and more flowers?

Aren't the pink Swarovski pearls pretty?

And how could I leave out my favourite tiny over one ladybirds?

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my little cross stitch kingdom.
On another entirely different note, I need your opinion. I took a break from Esperanza and decided to start a small project - Quaker Faith Hope and Love by Midnight stitching. I've already finished Hope here:

As you can see, or rather can barely see, it is disappearing into the fabric. It's more visible in real life compared to the picture but it's still kinda bothering me. It's stitched on Silkweaver's Desert Sky cashel linen with HDF BeCreamed. I used the fabric because it was exactly the right size but now I'm wondering if I should have not done so. I'm trying to decide if I should just start over again or continue on with Faith and Love. What would you do? Help!
To Yin who asked where I purchase all my materials, with the exception of DMC floss, I buy them all online nowadays as the LNS here are sadly inadequately stocked to suit my needs. Hand-dyed fabrics are ordered directly from the company that produces them. The rest from various ONS. Needlecraft Corner, Wasatch Needlecraft and Handcrafts Online are a few of my favourites. Drema, Karen and Mary Kathryn from those respective ONS are absolutely wonderful to deal with and their shipping charges to Malaysia are very reasonable as well.