OhSewCrafty

Stitching HD: Christmas Angels

• Design by Sandy Littlejohns / Cross Stitch Collection December 2005
• Materials: White Cashel, DMC, Gold Kreinik #4 braid, Gold and Silver Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hill Beads
• Time to stitch: 15.25 x 8.5 inches
• Time to stitch: 18 days, March 2022- December 2023

Here is my last finish of 2023, on New Years Eve no less! 

The pattern is fine, Cross Stitch Collection magazine is no longer published, a grave loss in my opinion.  This chart has everything, a lovely extensive color palette, fractionals, backstitching, metallics, beads, French knots.  Charts of this complexity aren't published much in modern magazines, to the detriment of the craft, if you ask me.  The piece is a good size overall, and there is plenty of dense stitching, as well as negative space.  My only issue is the beads attached across from the middle of one stitch to the middle of the next, fine for the star in the center (empty fabric), but kind of impossible over the dress.  

Though it's not exactly spelled out in the chart, some of the beads are attached with large metallics cross stitches (over 4 stitches), using the metallics.

As for materials, I chose Cream Cashel rather than white because I think a little warmth suits the scene.  The model was stitched on Aida, but I think it's a lot easier to work all the fractional stitches on linen.  About 20 colors of DMC are used (and you need 2 skeins of the 797 medium blue), plus gold and silver Light Effects are charted.  I don't enjoy Light Effects, so I substituted Kreinik #4 braid for the cross stitches and Petite Treasure Braid for the backstitching and beading.  As for the beads, 3 colors are used: gold, silver, and crimson.
My favorite feature is probably the verse from Rosetti's poem, I love her work.   The huge gold star in the center really brought the design together, and the the shading in the dresses is beautiful.  The side bands and capital "L" box evoke an illuminated manuscript.  The blue angel's dress is encased in filmy silver, while the red angel has an extensively beaded, gold belt.  The ribbons floating behind them enhance the flying aspect.  

Overall, I'm really happy with this finish. It wasn't the easiest project, but immensely rewarding in the end.  

HD: Happy Haunting

• Pattern by Maria Diaz in Cross Stitcher October 2019, also on designer's website
• Materials: Ale opalescent Cashel by Picture this Plus, DMC, RG Petite Treasure Braid, Kreinik, DMC Diamante
• Size: 8.5 x 12.5 inches
• Time to stitch: 7 days since November 2023

Presenting my first sizable finish of the year!  I am thrilled to have it done so early in the year; I made it a focus for the first quarter, doing 4,000 stitches in January, and ~3,600 in February was enough to finish.  

The pattern is really well done, the verse is cute, the font is fun, and all the elements are lovely.  I think a few more fractional stitches should have been charted though, "messy" backstitch is my pet peeve.  I added some quarter stitches as I went along. As for backstitching, there's over a thousand between the words and elements.  But the backstitching on the pictorial elements is limited and used to great effect.  The project is rather quick stitch, 42 hours it claims in the magazine and I think it took me a little less, with the equivalent of 7 stitchy days to finish (I generally stitch less than 6 hours in a day).  In any case, my total stitch count was 9,320 (backstitch counted for half).  I typically get around 300 stitches in an hour, so that would be 31 hours.   

As for materials, I chose to use opalescent Ale Cashel, a medium brown.  All the colors popped, and I think it's prettier than the "Dirty" aida that was used in the model.  The fabric was considerably shrunken, and it was a little difficult to see the threads at times with all the sparkle.  The chart called for DMC light effects, which aren't my cup of tea.  I substituted black Kreinik #4 for the text, white Kreinik for the eyes, white Petite Treasure braid and black Diamanté for the backstitching.    About 20 colors of DMC used, including 2 colors of Etoile.  Actually I only used 1, the 725 (orange).  Black Etoile is also on the key but I didn't see it on the chart.  My magazine was a digital copy from Zino, and the picture quality could have been higher.  The chart was in color and it was difficult to discern some of the dark symbols, they all looked very similar.  No big loss, I think my project is plenty sparkly between the metallics threads and the opalescent fabric.

My favorite element is probably the haunted house with the door slightly ajar; how ominous. There's quite a collection of avians, between the vulture, the bat, the raven, and the massive owl.  And I adore the black cats with their glowing eyes, some stretching sinuously, ready to pounce, with others looking out.  The poison apples are colorful, the apples would be delicious but for that dangerous poison spilling all over!  The smiling jack o lanterns are welcoming and the witch hat is an artful nod to the supernatural; the spiders are suitably creepy.  The overall effect is clever and cute, rather than scary.

Overall, it was a really fun stitch, nothing too fussy, a lovely color palette and many engaging details.  I love the aesthetic, and need to stitch more designs by Maria Diaz.  

2024 WIPocalypse: February

February was a cracking month, despite being a little short, the leap day helped! 

I started with my ornament finish goal, Polar Night Sighting by Stitch Sprout / JCS, with a bit more than 1 day, 395 stitches, and I finished!  I admit the beads are not the "proper" ones, however the ones from my stash were one digit off, and looked like aqua crystal to me.  I think the beads add a lovely sparkle to this little full coverage piece.

Father Christmas came out to play, 2.5 days and 1,300 stitches.  I've been filling in his dress, and inching close to the midline.  The long bands of color are so soothing.  Hopefully I will finish the bottom half before he becomes a focus in the 3rd quarter.  

Making a Brew had a half day love and 1,105 stitches (lots of backstitch counted as half).  Though spiders aren't my favorite, I think these guys are absolutely darling, Durene Jones is a genius designer.  I finished the little ornament and made a tiny start (100 st) on the large one, figured I'll finish with the medium so it will be a downhill slope. And this project will become a focus in the second quarter (April), so it will be nice to have the large piece on the go. I can really sink my teeth in!  

I got an early start on Mickey Stained Glass, because this stitches slow with all the confetti.  He had 1.75 days and 1,206 added.  I fixed the border and stitched another diagonal, the first page is over half done now.  It went okay, but I am happy to report that I got Markup R-XP, and it seems to work, so maybe future progress will be a little quicker.    I was prepared to buy an Android tablet to run Pattern Keeper, but the designer informed me that the file isn't compatible with PK.  I decided to try Markup R-xp since it's free and works on my phone!  

Now for my big goal pieces... Happy Haunting had 3 days, 3,616 stitches done (including 966 backstitch counted for half), and it's finished!  Last time I was a bit hung up on finding fibers to use for backstitching since I'm not fond of DMC light effects.  I was lucky to find some white petite treasure braid on sale at Drema's (Needlecraft Corner in Parkville, MD), I had just enough leftover black Kreinik #4 braid from Bellatrix for the words, plus black DMC Diamante in my stash, that worked for the small black blackstitching.  I'm so happy with the first of my Halloween goal pieces, 1 down, 3 to go, not bad for the second month of the year.  I really need to stitch more designs by Maria Diaz.  FO post forthcoming.

Before: After:

Feather Fairy got 3.75 days love, 4,000 stitches and the feather skirt is coming along. Maybe I can finish the skirt in  March and stitch the legs.   I adore this piece, the colors are magnificent, it feels like a dream;  Mirabilia charts never disappoint.

Before:
After:

Fairy Wind had 6.75 days attention, 4,000 stitches and I've started working on the top half.  I should probably do the metallics and backstitching on the bottom, maybe I'll do that before proceeding on the top.  I filled in a lot of DMC 317, which I had been missing for a while, stitched tons of periwinkle and purple.  Her dress evokes a hurricane and I find beauty in the danger.  

Before: After:

Winter Robin had 4 days love, 4,000 stitches, and 3-4 k next month might be enough to finish.  I made it through a large chunk of the chart, the circular portion is about 2/3 complete and what remains is mostly background, not as fussy as the leaves and flowers with all their fractional stitches.  Of course, everything must be backstitched and the border done, too.  But the border is pretty simple, a single stitch around a rectangle with several of the green colors.  The backstitching will be fun, I think.  I don't mind backstitching a small piece like this with all the fractional stitches, it will make it pop.  

After:

St. George and the Dragon came out for 1 day, 1,010 stitches (much of those tiny fractionals), all on the horse and it's tack.  The first page is coming along.  The pattern came on one huge piece but I made a working copy on about 8 or 10 sheets of regular paper.  

I made 2 new starts, Poltergeist Pirates by Glendon Place had 1 day and 1,200 stitches.  I started in the center and I'm thrilled with the shading on the ship, I think it will look three dimensional in the end.  And the colors pop on the Bang! linen by Crossed Wing, created specially for this chart.  It's perfect, I will love working on it as focus in the second quarter.

Lastly, I started another JCS ornament, Decorating the Tree by Judith Kringle, with a half day and 600 stitches.  I had flagged this chart when I first got the magazine, and I needed a "D", as well as something to work for the Daily 30 weekly SAL challenge. As it turns out, I think the colors are actually prettier than in the magazine photo, and I love it.    

Question of the month: What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?  So far, just the JCS Ornament SAL hosted by the lovely Jo of Serendipitous Stitching.  Another one I've considered is the Dragon Field Guide by Climbing Goat Designs (etsy) , but I'll need to see more of it first.  So many times, I've been interested in a SAL, but then I don't fancy the finished project for whatever reason.  I only stitch what I love, life is too short.  I do have the Tiny Modernist Santa House Cut-through (2018 SAL) if I tire of the ornies.  

Now for March plans: : 

Focus WIPS (4k each): Fairy Wind, Feather Fairy, Winter Bird

Secondary WIPs (1.2 k each): Father Christmas, Poltergeist Pirates, Mickey Stained Glass

Tertiary WIPs: (1 k each): Making a Brew, St. George & Dragon

New starts: 4th of July (3k) and Peace on Earth (300?)

Finish: Decorating the Tree (1k?)  

Happy Stitching