Scribbles & Bits

Busy Bee

A very busy weekend of finishing projects!  First, the bookmark!  It is backed in a faux suede and has a store-bought tassel.  The unfortunate part: it's pretty thick, so I'm not sure I really want to use it as a bookmark.  Plopping something like that in between the pages would put a whole lot of pressure on the spine.  Anyway, I forgot to take measurements of it, but I used an 18-count Aida and the following DMC floss colors: 304 (maroon), 3820 (antique gold), 319 (dark green), ecru (doesn't have a color number), 336 (cobalt blue), and 310 (black).  I don't think any of those were the color numbers suggested in the book and I know the cloth wasn't.  Next is the Eiffel Tower embroidery which I actually finished a couple of days before the weekend, but hadn't remembered to take a picture of it.  So one picture of it framed and one close-up through the frame glass.  I used DMC 310 (black) for all of the embroidery. It was a lot of fun to make and is almost sculptural to the touch since the floss is just layered over itself at multiple points.  I wouldn't mind doing a few others like this.  The monochromatic-ness of it is nice, particularly after working so many color-oriented pieces. 

I also made this shoe door hanger.  It's filled in with several blackwork motifs.  I got the whole pattern from The New Anchor Book of Blackwork Embroidery Stitches.  I don't really know how many of the stitches in it are of any historical significance, but it's a nice book with patterns that utilize lots of the stitches on every couple of pages.  I used DMC 367 (sage green) for it.  It's stitched on 14 count Aida, backed in green felt, and stuffed.  The ribbon is sewn into the upper corners. 

  Finally, more pictures of the stuffed dog.  The only change since the last set of pictures is the addition of the nose.  I wanted her to have a fuzzy, shaggy coat of mohair yarn, but I just couldn't get the yarn to look right.  I've decided I'd like to swatch the yarn to see how it would look if I knit it up as a sweater/body suit thing that would cover all that felt.  Seeing all that felt is driving me nuts.  I just want to embroider it!  I know.  I have issues. 

I leave you with:

a picture of the tail, an angle you didn't see last time.   

a promise of pics of another embroidery I did this weekend that is also framed and I yet again forgot to take a picture of. 

I'm a Little Bit Random; I'm a Little Bit On Topic

At least I'm making progress on something!  There is the stuffed being I was working on earlier.  As a random side note, this is the first time I've ever used buttons as eyes.  I've always used safety eyes, embroidery, appliques, or beads.  No reason to not use buttons, just the others fit more.  But this time, the applique wasn't right, I didn't have any beads big enough, I didn't want to embroider them, and I couldn't find the right kind of safety eyes.  But these are really cute and kind of shiny and once I'm done, you probably won't be able to see much of the eyes anyway.  I have also provided a side view.  I think I will make some as Christmas gifts for some of the family. 

In other news, I still haven't actually backed the bookmark, so that's still the finished unfinished object of the moment.  I also didn't get the chance to take a picture of the embroidery I've been working on, but soon.  I'll probably end up finishing it this weekend, which means a new Lunch Break project.  I've actually been mentally sewing and embellishing an elephant and a couple more teddy bears, so those may get bumped up on the to-do list. 

And in other other news, I'm totally bummed that I had so much stuff to do this morning that by the time I finally got on-line, Angry Chicken was all sold out on her mail order.  Bummer bummer bummer.  I really wanted to subscribe.  At least there's next month!  Have a great weekend!

Projects, Projects Everywhere

I wasn't going to post until I completed the bookmark.  It's not completely finished yet (it still needs the backing and the tassel), but all the cross-stitching is done!  I'm pleased with how it turned out!  Hopefully I'll get to the mounting part tonight.  I could have started yesterday, but I was ready for a break so I started that thing that you see in the picture to the right.  It's going to be a stuffed dog.  It's made out of felt and is going to be completely hand-sewn (I don't like sewing felt on my sewing machine).  Of course late last night I realized that I wouldn't be able to carry this project around as a lunchtime/coffee break project (now I remember what started the binge of cross-stitching), so I started a simple embroidery of the Eiffel Tower.  Not sure what I'll do with that yet.  It's really a bit too small for a cushion, but I don't really have a place to hang it.  Oh well, I'll worry about that later.

And to add to my "Must Make" list: a chessboard out of blackwork patterns!  I saw one in a book I got this weekend, so that obsession is just down the road.  I'll have to find a source for some nice chess pieces or just get some dowel and carve some myself.  Overall, chess pieces are pretty simple shapes, so that may be my best option.  That's just what my extra-long craft list needs added to it!

Boring Post? Blame the plague!

Mea culpa.  I have no new pictures of my project due to having caught the plague.  Also, the differences from the previous picture wouldn't have been that great.  Instead, I offer a picture of these fantastic branch bracelets from jjill and some ramblings about them and my project.  Bracelets: fabulous, organic, silver, and on sale!  What more could I possibly want?  Did I mention they're cast from real twigs?  Real twigs (as opposed to fake twigs, I guess)!  "Twigs" is a great word.  Anyway, enough about the bracelets.  On to the project.  Mainly the fact that I was going to buy linen thread last night, but dear sweet Michael's only carries it in $18 packs.  I was floored.  I don't even know if I'll like working with the stuff. And what if I need more than a skein's worth of the pink?  I can't buy a pack every time I need more of a color.  I want to check out Hobby Lobby, but, you know, with the plague and all, I may not get around to it. 

And, on a more exciting note, I sketched out one of the next stuffed things I'd like to create.  Now comes the pattern-making part.  Not sure when I'll start that process.  I kind of want to wait til I finish this gift.  On the other hand, I don't want to lose my excitement over the project.  Maybe I'll do another rough draft....

Oh! The Drama!

Well, I didn't get as much done this weekend as I had hoped.  A large portion of it was spent in traffic.  What did I get for all my efforts?  A haircut, more 18 count Aida cloth (for my grandmother's absolutely-perfect-for-her birthday present), lots of flesh colored embroidery floss, and the biggest package of toilet paper I have ever seen.  Seriously, this thing could orbit the earth!  It comes up to my waist!  I probably won't need to buy toilet paper for the rest of the year!  Thanks, Sam's Club!!!!

Now on to what I did accomplish!  I am pleased to introduce to you:

  Emily Brumfeld!  She always wished that her life would be just like one of those sweeping epic romance novels she borrows from her father (don't tell Mum!).  After all, she's in just the right setting: sweet little cottage on a hill in England, scenes of pastoral bliss visible through every window, even roses climbing and weaving through lattice.  Yes, all in all, she was completely set for all this, but oh, the trouble she's in now.  It all started when she bumped into Lord Richard Hughes in the Cash and Carry.  Not exactly the thrilling romance start she was looking for, but after he helped her collect all her purchases back in her bag (why oh why had she bought prunes that day?), he brushed her arm lightly as he offered one more apology.  She offered him a shy smile and her phone number so he could ring her and tell her how much the dry cleaning bill would be or, if the cleaners couldn't get the stains of her cocoa off his lapel, the cost of a new coat.  He graciously declined the offer of money, but took her phone number anyway.  She knew love was right around the corner now!  But Lord Richard didn't call.  Day after day, Emily stared through the window, the sun glinting off the jars of black licorice lined up along the sill.  She had always loved how they looked up there (although she hated the actual taste of black licorice).  But these days, she couldn't even take pleasure in that.  Scenario after scenario flitted through her mind: he lost her number.  He lost her number when it fluttered out of his outside pocket.  He lost her number when it was pulled mercilessly from his pocket by a modern-day Fagin.  A modern-day Fagin who is also a pirate and actually didn't pick Lord Richard's pockets until they reached the ship, where this ne'er-do-well yanked it from Lord Richard's inside pocket (the one next to his heart).  Lord Richard nearly wept in frustration and agony, begging the pirates to take anything but that lone scrap.  It meant so much to him, much more than lands and money.  But the pirates, being black-hearted scourges of the sea, laughed maniacally, tore the piece of paper into shreds and tossed it overboard where a hungry shark ate it.  And oh, how Lord Richard wept then!  In her cottage, Emily's eyes welled up, tears about to burst from the corners, until she noticed a package on her doorstep.  Flinging the door open as she dropped to her knees,  she pulled the package to her, ripping into it in a very unladylike manner.  She tossed tissue paper in every direction until a tiny, delicate tea cup and saucer were revealed.  A note inside the cup was asking her to tea and was signed Emmett Braun.  Emmett Braun!  The handsome, dashing, daring (and unbelievably eligible) baker!  Oh!  The things he'd done with pies!  And his eclairs?  Delightfully sinful!  She rushed inside to call him and arrange for a tete-a-tete tea tonight.  As soon as she hung up, the phone rang.  The shy, husky voice on the other end was Lord Richard apologizing for not calling sooner and asking if she was available tonight.  Her excitement (and relief that he wasn't trapped on a pirate ship) caused her to blurt out a yes.  It wasn't until she hung up that she remembered Emmett and realized she didn't have Lord Richard's number to call him back and sort this out.  And calling Emmett to cancel after she made the arrangements?  Absolutely unthinkable!  She is so confused now.  Whatever shall she do? 

Now, on to the technical info about Emily.  She is 100% hand-sewn and hand-embroidered.  She is made of felt and has jointed arms and legs.  She is approximately 3.5 inches tall and, on a good day, can stand on her own.  My photos fail to really show her eyelashes or the large flowers embroidered on the bottoms of her feet.  I'll have to pay more attention to that sort of thing when I photograph anything else. 

  Here is the beginning of the next project.  This is the aforementioned birthday present.  Obviously, I still have quite a way to go to finish her.  She is going to be a pink angel.  There's a very long story about why it's perfect for my grandmother, but take my word for it, it is.  I'm modifying the pattern from Needlework Masterpieces from Winterthur by Hollis Greer Minor (ISBN 0715311956).  The original is in shades of blue and yellow.  Like the original, I am cross-stitching her on 18 mesh Aida cloth.  The flesh coloring has been the biggest pain in the butt for me.  The only light flesh color I had in my stash was an unmarked skein.  When I put some the two darker flesh colors next to it, it all looked decent.  Shading seemed to be within my reach.  I blithely stitched in all the light bits then started with the next shade.  It looked like ghastly discolorations all over her skin.  What followed was a trip to Michael's where I very painstakingly matched the original flesh color then got two slightly darker shades.  All fine and good except apparently it wasn't the perfect match I thought it was because the shading doesn't look much better than the first go.  I'm going with it, though, in the hopes that the whole thing will look better when there are more things to look at than just the face.  Going back to the book for a moment, I'd like to mention that there are a number of lovely and inspiring projects in it.  However, the charts are pretty abysmal.  They are color only (no symbols), which for a complicated pattern is great.  However, the coloring seems to have been done in colored pencil.  Not a big deal if the two colors next to each other are pretty different.  However, when there is shading and things are separated by half tones, the pencil coloring makes it difficult to tell exactly which color I should use.  I've been making some of it up as I go along.

I was also going to include a picture of (and the recipe for) the gingersnaps I baked last night.  However, I think this post has gone on long enough, thanks to Ms. Emily Brumfeld's antics and imagination.  Tomorrow's post with most likely be boring, though, so the gingersnap recipe should spice things up (no pun intended!) 

Dear Jeweler's Saw: I Love You! Call Me!

No pictures today.  I got distracted by sleep and by calling my grandmother for her birthday.  Anyway, the little thing I'm working on is almost finished.  I plan to get it finished sometime today. Good thing because I figured out the very perfect thing I could make for Grandma's birthday and since it will be a couple of weeks before we can all get together, I shall have time to work on it! 

OK, one picture.  I'm in love with this bowl from Crate and Barrel.  Serious, serious love.  I love working with metal and this was just the sort of confection I always dreamed of creating - lacy, ethereal, organic.  Sadly, I don't think anything I ever made lived up to this and now I don't have access to a metalsmithing studio anymore.  Just as well.  The acid always did freak me out a bit.  But oh how I loved my jeweler's saw.  Maybe I could pick up a jeweler's saw somewhere.  I do still have my soldering iron....  Mmmmm.  Solder. 

On second thought, maybe the bowl will just go on sale. 

The Post Wherein I Reference Greek Tragedies and Comb-Overs

I got a lot more accomplished last night even with the distraction of Martha Stewart:Apprentice.  I've never gotten into the reality show thing before: all the drama, backstabbing, alliances, and cheesy music.  Who writes this music?  And why won't Charles put down the creepy enormous cigar?  But back to the point, which is: somewhere, deep down, I want to be like Martha, especially post-prison Martha.  Pre-prison Martha was SO successful and SO perfect.  I mean, how many other people are going to make 850 billion snowflake cookies with each one different because "in nature, no two snowflakes are alike?"  And not like my excuse of "they're handmade so each one's going to be different."  No, sir!  Different design.  Different shape.  Different frosting and nonpareil things happening.  But because of all this, she was smug.  Naturally, something was going to happen to yank her from this pedestal.  Anyone who's read a Greek tragedy saw this coming a mile away.  So she does her time, comes out a kinder, gentler Martha, and is now seemingly even more successful which brings us back to Apprentice.  I watched the first show, positive it was going to suck and instead I got sucked in.  She's handling it with as much class as one can handle a show like this.  She reminds them that this is a job interview, albeit a very long one.  When she dismisses them, her basis is on how they won't fit into the company structure.  No crass "You're Fired!"  No miserable comb-over.  The tasks are interesting (to me, at any rate).  I've even learned some things.  All in all, I'm sort of weirded out by this side of my personality shining through, but I guess it's some more of that Greek tragedy justice.

Scene: Me sitting on the couch, the Gods sitting on a cloud with nothing better to do.

Me: I hate reality shows.

The Gods: Let's make her roommate watch reality shows.

Me: I hate reality shows.

The Gods: Let's make all her friends watch reality shows.

Me: I hate reality shows.

The Gods: Let's make her work hours so long that she'll realize she doesn't want to spend money on extended cable that she's never getting to watch.  With basic cable, there's nothing on but reality shows.

Me: I hate reality shows.

The Gods: Let's kill two birds with one stone here.  Let's throw Martha in prison and knock that hubris out of her.  Then she'll be so interested in keeping her popularity up that a reality show will sound good, and then...  Look, do we really need to spell it out?

Me: Oooh!  Martha Stewart!  (considers shaking fist at Gods but much too busy watching Martha)

Barnes and Noble: The Happiest Place on Earth!

And, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you'll look to the left of the blog, you'll see the entirety of what was accomplished craft-wise last night thanks to a trip to Barnes and Noble and the accidental purchase of the Family Guy movie (and Bob Newhart:Season 2 and The Modern Quilt and Alterknits because I have learned that even though I never see any crafty people around here, they are here and they are buying up every single craft book that I ever said I wanted and didn't buy the very instant I found it).  Anyone guess what I'm making yet?  Probably not since 1) no one's left a comment saying so and 2) no one's reading.  Ah well, back to the adventures of last night, which basically involved the aforementioned movie and the heretofore unmentioned dinner: the easiest thing in the world to cook!

Three Cheese Mac and Asparagus

2 boxes of Three Cheese Mac

Butter

Milk

Asparagus spears which you have painstakingly cut

Prepare the Macaroni and cheese as the box instructs (something about butter and milk) and right when you have all the powdered cheese stirred in, mix in the asparagus bits.  Well done!

Of course, as soon as I got the shiny new movie packaging removed (God!   All the packaging!  If only food and medicine were as well-sealed!), I settled down with my steaming plate of cheesy goodness, lips moist with anticipation, eyes twinkling with mirth and goodwill for my fellow man.  Overall, the movie was pretty funny and actually was not as raunchy as I figured it would be (not to say that the raunch wasn't right up there, just not as high as I thought it would be). 

Late to bed and early to rise (an hour earlier!  Thanks Dog barking at nothing!) and I have a throat full of so much acid, I could qualify as a car battery.  Also, my shin feels bruised.  I obviously ran into a very hard pillow last night.