Another New Start

This is my last WiP pic. I promise. Next one should be a finish. Now if only those beads I ordered would arrive...

Deprived from beading Lady Alexandra, I delved into my stash and pulled out Mermaids of the Deep Blue. Yeah, not like I have dozens of WiPs waiting eh?

This design is very special to me as it's the first Mirabilia I fell in love with. Still, I wonder why I've yet to stitch it. Perhaps it has something to do with the number of fabrics I've bought for it that just doesn't seem quite right.

Clockwise from top left:

• Polstitches - Ripples Opalescent Cashel
• Polstitches - Monsters and Mermaids Opalescent Cashel
• Picture This Plus - Splash Opalescent Belfast
• Silkweaver - Aegan Aqua Opalescent Cashel
• Picture This Plus - Splash Opalescent Cashel

Oh, don't get me wrong, each and every one of them is certainly pretty enough in their own right but somehow, just not the one for Mermaids of the Deep Blue, know what I mean? Sigh! OCD much?

Finally, I decided to go a different route. I ordered Crafty Kitten's opalescent cashel Aurora, requesting that it has minimum green than normal. It arrived on Wednesday.

Holy moly, my hunt for the perfect fabric is finally over. I'll be starting Mermaids of the Deep Blue the moment this post goes up ^.^ I have to admit though that I didn't come up with this idea solely on my own. I've seen plenty of mermaids, including Mermaids of the Deep Blue stitched on this particular hand-dyed fabric and they're all stunning!

Till next time, Happy Stitching!

Hand-Dyed Obsession

What does one do when she has been deserted by her stitching mojo? In my case, stash acquisition and stash fondling always help.

Last time, I showed you my HDF silks in a chocolate box. As yummy as that was, alas, my collection has totally outgrown it. So here's my new storage system.

This is actually a plastic file folder that can be found in most bookstores.

Colours make me happy. Yet, that wasn't enough to lure my mojo back. So I moved on to my fabric collection.

Here are my Lakeside Linens.

That is what happens when you join a year's worth of Fabric of the Month Club.

These are neutral linens from various hand-dyed fabric companies.

Picture This Plus

Polstitches

A couple of Sugar Maple Fabrics and the rest Silkweaver.

Hi, my name is Veronica and I am a stashoholic...
Anyway, I need to clarify that all except two of Silkweaver fabrics were bought before the change of hands to Needleworker's Delights. This is because after they took over, many stitchers, including me have experienced a drop in the quality of their products and customer service.

I've only ordered from them once since the changeover during a free shipping promotion. Never again! (I won't go into how ridiculous their normal overseas shipping charges are.) This was what I got:

Bright solid turquoise with no colour variations. I can't imagine stitching anything on it. This was what I was expecting to get.

I wasn't the only one who encountered this problem either. See TJ's complaint here. With this same order, I had also included a piece of Scattered Leaves. The result?

You gotta be kidding me, right? Both were supposed to be fat quarters - 18" x 27". This piece of Scattered Leaves measures only 15 inches wide. Note how small it is compared to Aegan Aqua.

If you were wondering, no, I didn't report my grievances to Silkweaver. Many before me has done so without any result. What's the point? Well, I'm done with my gripe. Thanks for bearing with me.

*Edited to add: Please see update on Silkweaver here.*

Moving on, here's my May's WiPocalpyse report. I know, I'm so late! A single, lonely stitchy pic of Lilliput Village. Hopefully, I'll be forgiven after the number of stash photos I've shown above ^.^

This is the first time a project from my original WiPocalypse list has made an appearance. Poor Lilliput Village hasn't seen daylight for over a year. Wish me luck that I'll be able to complete a significant amount of it this year.

Last but not least, to all mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Colours

My friend, June, has been wanting to know how I store my floss for a while now. I'm sorry it took me so long to post the photos. So, this is for you, June.

I store my DMC floss in a two tier craft box. Lucky for me, it's big enough to fit my entire set of DMC in.

As you can see here, I had the floss wound on plastic bobbins. So much easier for storage.

I've been building up my collection of HDF Solids. My micro bobbins are stored in a clear Ferrero Rocher box.

Of course, my box is now overflowing.

What better excuse could one ask for to buy more chocolates? I used to joke with Mikey that silks are yummier than chocolates. Don't you agree with me?

I've also been asked to show my scissors collection. Now, my collection isn't as extensive as some stitchers I see out there but until I put them all on display like this, I never realize I've already accumulated this many scissors. LOL!

One last thing, I received this gorgeous scarf from Radha a few weeks back. I've neglected to show it off until now. Radha knows my favourite colour is blue so she made me one in a brilliant shade of blue. Thank you so much again, Radha. I love it!

That's it for now. I'll show more piccies of my Romantique Sampler next time. I'm working on the next two parts at the moment.

Happy Stitching!

Making Plans

HAPPY (Belated) NEW YEAR!

I'm not one for making New Year resolutions. Especially not when it comes to stitching. After all, a hobby should be enjoyable and setting goals and targets would only make it seem like an obligation. That opinion is completely mine though and I have nothing against stitchers who do.

However, I do like making stitching plans because fondling fabric, threads and charts is always, always fun in my book.

With this post, there are a few things I hope to accomplish. Firstly, with as few words as possible, I'd like to summarize what I have in mind for 2011. Secondly, this would serve as a reminder that I have more than enough stash for now which hopefully would help curb my itchy finger from clicking on all those wonderful sale items out there :P

Also, I love drooling over pictures of stitchers' stash. To thank all of you for sharing pictures of your stash with me, here's a portion of mine which I hope will serve as eye candy for the day :) So be prepared... Picture heavy post coming up.

Here are some of the projects I would like to get started on this year. Do keep in mind that my plans are always flexible. Changes are bound to be made at a moment’s notice ^.^

I've noticed that I've been accumulating a lot of CCN and LHN charts. Hopefully, this year I'll be able to reduce this pile you see here.

Not to mention those I've kitted up such as LHN’s Brave Hearts with my conversion of Vikki's silk and Vintage Lentil from Lakeside Linens.

Same goes for LHN Home of A Needleworker (Too!) which I'll be stitching on Sassy Fabbys' Spun Sugar.

Then there's LHN Sea to Shining Sea. The fabric I've chosen is Pansy by Picture This Plus.

I'm also dying to stitch Martina's designs. Two in particular.

Spot Sampler Victoria with HDF Ethereal Ice on PTP Fog. The fabric is 36 count linen which is something I’ve yet to stitch on so I’m rather apprehensive about it.

But dang, isn't the silk yummy?

Rose Quaker which I've been drooling over ever since Martina posted it on her Yahoo group front page. Once again, I couldn't resist converting it to HDF, this time in premium silk.

I've also vowed to make something with my charm packs and jelly rolls instead of having them sitting oh-so-prettily in a corner gathering dust. Gotta admit they make lovely decorations though ^.^

Don't worry, I've not neglected my poor WiPs. Here are a few which I've decided I would like to concentrate on this year, especially that Drawn Thread piece... If I ever get around to frogging most of Autumn out, that is. Most of it is off by one stitch :(

I did spend some of my New Year weekend stitching instead of just playing with my stash. I’ve been working on Little House Neighbourhood.

Not much progress since my last update but I'm having fun with... what else... the silks! LOL!

On the tatting front, I made another bookmark for my mum for Christmas.

A Clover Bookmark, again an online freebie. It’s kinda wonky though as I messed up and attached the picots of the clovers differently from the pattern :(

This year, I also hope to try my hands at something different. Couple things I look forward to are Silk Ribbon Embroidery and Bag Making. Guess we’ll find out how well that went come December.

So what are your plans for 2011? Happy Stitching!

Garden Verses Update

Thank you, everyone for your kind words on Garden Verses. After another week of working on her, here's the latest progress:

She's still a pleasure to stitch. However, sometime last week, I found out that I've made a huge placement error when starting her. Instead of being centralized on the fabric, I've stitched her half an inch to the right. Now while half an inch might not be much under normal circumstances, Garden Verses on the other hand, fits just nicely in a fat quarter, leaving only 2 inches of fabric on both sides for framing. Usually, I tend to leave 3 inches of framing space so 2 inches is already pushing it. Now with my placing error, there leaves only 1 1/2 inch for framing on the right side. Oh how I was kicking myself for it. This is the first time I've done something like that. I guess the saying "Never Say Never" really does apply here, huh? Luckily, the ladies on Mirabilia Stitchers has assured me that a good framer can definitely work with that. What a relief! Maybe I'll get her frame by Jill Rensel. What do you think, eh? Mikey? Hehehe...

Speaking of the forum, the Mirabilia Competition will be starting soon... On 6 October. I'm thinking of switching my goal from stitching her skin to finishing the yellow part of her dress. Fact is, not only is having to stitch one over one within a given time limit is intimidating me but as Mike pointed out, her skin, especially her face, is an intimate part of the design and as such, should never be rushed. Besides, I have a good rhythm going on her dress that I don't wanna break.

I was informed by Meari that I had won her TMQ Contest. Late last week, I received the package she had sent me. This is what the prize consists of:

A couple of Christmas charts, DMC thread and Vikki Clayton's yummy silk perle. I like! Thank you so much again, Meari.

Here's a close up shot of the silks. Isn't the lustre scrumptious?

A Little Update

First, I'd like to start off this post with a huge THANK YOU! For the first time ever, I had 30 comments on one single post. Wow! I never knew there were so many of you out there reading my stitching ramblings. Thank you for making me feel special and appreciated. Also, to Jessie and Michele, I'm glad you like my new blog look. I didn't think anyone would notice :)
Special thanx too to Andrea. She had an Autumn Giveaway in September and she drew my name for one of the charts that's up for grabs. I'm now the happy owner of Country Cottage Needleworks' A Place We Call Home.

I almost never win anything so I was smiling from ear to ear when I found out. It made my day. The chart arrived last Friday and I've already ordered the overdyed floss it calls for.
Secondly, I have to apologize for it's been a long while since I last post - more than 3 weeks!
Yet, all I have to show for the time I went missing is this square for Paul's Dragon RR:

Design: Dragon of Water
Designer: Dragon Dreams Inc
Fabric: 14 count Off-White Aida
Fibers: DMC & Kreinik Metallics

If you know me, you would know that I'm usually not too keen on dragons but this one is too cute for words - the friendliest looking one among all four elemental dragons ^.^ Part of the reason I chose it is because it looks like a seahorse which is one of my favourite sea creatures besides dolphins. It also has the added advantage of being blue - my favourite colour.
It's not that I haven't been stitching. I have - some but I've been so restless with my stitching lately I can't seem to concentrate on one single project. Have you ever felt that way before? Here a stitch, there a stitch, the end result being that I have nothing much to show. It feels as if I've barely gotten anything done! What I actually have finished is for an exchange which I can't show until it has been received.
However, does that stop me from stashing? Never! The pictures below are proof enough...
Never in a million years did I think I'd find this magazine after so long and in Malaysia on top of that. Woohoo! Now I can stitch Nora Corbett's Trick or Treat Fairy too.

Silkweaver recently had a sale - 30% off their Classics line. I took full advantage of it...

Golden Harvest, Dark Tan, Heritage & Solo

The only fabric that I bought with a project already in mind for it is Golden Harvest. I'll be stitching my MM&IRR on it. The rest I bought just for the sake of... SALE! If that's not enough reason to buy fabric, I don't know what is :P I'm sure I'll find a suitable design for each one given the fact that they're all in neutral colours.
Since I've actually bought my fabric for the MM&IRR, you must all be wondering what I have in mind as I've never once mentioned anything more about it after joining up. No hint, no tips, no nothing regarding my construction plans. Well, that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking hard and working on it.
Finally, I've decided on a "Home Sweet Home" village. It'll have those words in the middle with quotes on home scattered all over it.
Just so you know what I'm talking about, let me show you a picture of my blueprint. Just don't faint when you see it for I've never claimed to be a gifted artist.

Ahem... have I stunned you into speechlessness? Don't say I didn't warn you. (I actually have another blueprint from my early days of playing with another idea but I'll spare you that) Anyway, now that you're recovering from the horror my "art" has inflicted on you, let me explain. I'll be using all charts from Elizabeth's Designs. I've left out "Home Sweet Home in the center but if you click on it, you can see the quotes I've inserted around each house.
To give you a better idea, here are the charts all laid out:

What do you think? Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? All are welcome!
P.S. I won't be online much from 1st November to 13th November. I'll be on vacation with my SO (Significant Other) which I haven't seen for more than a year. I'm so excited!

Cake!

... is done.

And you know what that means? Yup, ladies and gentlemen, dust off your glitter balls because we need you out on the dance floor doing the shimmy, shimmy happy dance with me ^.^ Here's Sweet Treats with all its buttons and beads attached.

Design: Sweet Treats
Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 28 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Lenti Cashel Linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours
Beads: Mill Hill Beads
Buttons: JABC Buttons

Other than that, not much stitchy news today so this will be a short post. However, I did make some progress on Little House Neighbourhood.

Only managed to finish the middle tree. I'm now working on the blue house on the left. It's stitched with Vikki silk. Other than that, do you notice anything different? Look closer...

I had opted to stitch the sheep with silk chenille also by Vikki Clayton. It sure gives their woolly coats a more realistic look, doesn't it? I think they're too adorable!
I've also joined the newly created Let's Stitch blog by Becky SC. It's basically a SAL blog with no actual theme. We stitch what we like, UFOs, WiPs, New Starts, it's up to you. It exists purely for us stitchers to encourage and support each other so that hopefully, we'll get more stitching done. Judging from the success of my Sweet Treats SAL with Jessie and Carol (it's been a pleasure, ladies!), this will definitely be a huge help to me. I have quite a number of WiPs I have in mind for this SAL and also a couple of new projects I'm looking forward to starting. (Yes, yes, I know I must be out of my mind) Maybe a few of us could even agree to stitch a design which will make it an actual SAL. We'll see. Check it out and email Becky if you're interested.
I'm overwhelmed by the number of comments I received for my last post. Once again, for those of you who have taken the time to stop by for a visit, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!
Appologies to Sherry who asked me a question regarding my Seasonal Cats and Four Seasons Chairs RR. I hope you don't mind me answering your question one post later. (I seem fond of doing that all the time :S) All the cats in Seasonal Cats are designed by the same desginer - Donna Vermillion and published by Sudberry House. I'm not sure where exactly you can find the chart. You can try contacting Renée or perhaps someone here can help out? The same goes for Four Seasons Chairs which in this case is designed by Janlynn Corporation. This one is relatively easy to find. In fact, you can buy it here. Hope that helps. Do feel free to ask more questions if you need more information.
Last but never least, here's my S.E.X. (Stash Enhancement eXperiment for those who don't know :P) for this week.

Spot Sampler Victoria by Martina, yummy linens by Sassy's Fabbys in Spun Sugar and Desert Sandstorm, Vikki Clayton Silks (of course!) and charms from A Charming Place. Remember the $10 gift certificate I was given just for mentioning their website on my blog? Well, these are the charms bought with that along with a free shipping promotion on the day these were ordered... what more could a girl ask for?

Professional Procrastinator Posting Pie!

A pie that has been baked a week ago and which should have been displayed on Monday.

Still, better late than never, right? Lastly would be cake so stay tuned for a major happy dance soon.
I've also finished (finally!) Gingerbread Cottage. In my last post of it, I showed a lot of missing spots in my project and mentioned that I was playing around with some ideas. Here is the end product.

Design: Gingerbread Cottage
Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 28 count Silkweaver's Sapphire Sky Cashel Linen
Fibers: DMC & Crescent Colours
Beads: Mill Hill Beads
Buttons: JABC Buttons

As you can see, I substituted parts of the design with buttons from JABC. I gotta give the credit to Jessie who suggested that I take a look at her finished Gingerbread Cottage. Isn't hers lovely? I sorta took her idea one step further and added more embelishments. Hope you don't mind, Jessie.
My LHN Mailart to Joanne has also been sent and arrived on Wednesday so I can show you what I stitched for her.

The design on the front of the mailart is taken from Ladybugs which is published in Leisure Arts' Joy In The Journey leaflet. For $3.99, it can be downloaded here.

As for the back, do you recognize which design it came from? I'm sure most of you can guess. If not, it's a portion of Necessities Sampler. The background fabric is what I used to line the inside of the mailart with as seen here:

Now for something a little different than cross stitch. Enclosed in the mailart is also a Butterfly Card handmade by me.

The design is a freebie from Stitching Cards It's pretty simple to make but the results rather stunning, in my opinion. The butterfly is stitched with DMC E130 metallic thread to achieve the effect I wanted - shiny and colourful. To echo the butterfly theme, the inside of the card has a pop up butterfly.

I gotta admit that my handwriting isn't the best here. The word "Hi!", written in gold, looked a little messy to me. Anyway, here's a closer view:

With the card, I had also put together a kit for Spot of Coffee.

I hope Joanne likes this exchange as much as I have enjoyed making it.
The fabric for Little House Neighbourhood has finally arrived too! Woohoo! Now I can actually start on the SAL Here's the floss toss for it... Vikki Clayton silks on Picture This Plus Legacy.

While we are on the subject of Neighbourhoods, don't forget to check out the MM&IRR and MM&IRR2. I've been thinking and thinking about my Neighbourhood but can't make up my mind on anything concrete yet. Luckily actual building doesn't start until 31st December so I still got plenty of time. Gonna go think some more...
Last but not least, here's a picture on my latest acquisition. I went crazy buying fabrics on Ebay. I think I might have developed another severe addiction. Help?