But first, a couple updates on stitching, sans photos... (the photo below is not mine... it's a downloaded image for complete project reference)...
I finally am wrapping up my rotation on Egyptian Sampler this week. The center three figures (Horus, Osiris, and Isis) have all of their basic stitches completed. The eyelet stitches in the headpieces are not done-- I'll do those when I do a backstitching rotation. Over the weekend, I began working the over-one cartouches in the center panel. I've never done over-one work before, and I'm finding that doing them on raw-style linen is very, very tricky, since the individual squares are so uneven. I'm at a bit of a decision point. I've completed my goal for this rotation (which was the stitches on the three figures). I'm thinking that perhaps, since I've taken so many weeks to complete this rotation, maybe I should hold off on the cartouches, and focus just on those next round. With how many counting mistakes I made just making the left-most cartouche ring, I imagine that the four cartouches might actually take an entire 10-hour block of time.
I think I have an organized approach to how I'll go about completing this piece, which makes me feel very good. Since I'm working this piece on a scroll frame (which is driving me insane, but that's a rant for the SBQ below) due to its size, I'm going to work horizontal sections of the entire piece. So both birds will be done at the same time, and matched sections of the border will be done together. Now that I have those three figures done, I can appreciate how big the final piece is really going to be. Each of the god figures is just about the length of my hand, from middle figure tip to wrist joint.
In any case, I'm happy with what I've done so far. And it's going to look amazing when done. :)
For the trip to Maine this weekend, I'm going to bring along The Castle. I'm stitching it on-hoop (what I feel most comfortable with), and despite all of the blended threads, it's an easy piece to port around. I do have a very good chance of finishing it by the end of the year, which would thrill me to no end, so I'm pushing to really get some work on it. Other than Ivanna's wedding sampler, this really is the piece I want to focus on. Depending on what happens in the next month or so, I may drop my rotation for a bit and just work between those two pieces exclusively until The Castle is done.
We'll see...
Anyway, onto the Stitching Blogger Questions...
9/14/05: Do you stitch for events like weddings, engagements, or other things that might not last? If you have been unlucky and the two people broke up, what happened to your stitched gift?
Ivanna's wedding sampler is the first special celebration gift I've ever stitched. Thinking about a break-up to me is a bad-luck thing, and I simply don't do it. I realize such events happen in life-- both Erich and I are children of divorces (both sets of parents married at least 20 years), but I'm not going to focus on the negative because it's counter-productive and just seems... wrong... to me. If anything, as I stitch her sampler (and next year, my own), I'll be trying to infuse the stitches with good tidings for the years to come.
9/07/05: Which way do you stitch (/// and then \\\ or \\\ and then ///)? Can you (or if you haven’t done it before, do you think you could) change the way that you stitch temporarily if it is asked of you?
I stitch /// then \\\. If I were asked to change my stitching for a specific project (like a stitching round robin) to match the owner's stitches, I know I could. I've stitched both ways, and really only stitch the way I do because it was the way I decided to align my stitches to keep them going the same direction. If I were asked to change, it would probably be easier for me to just turn the fabric 90 degrees so I'm stitching sideways. I'll stitch in my normal direction, but the end result would be reversed. *shrug*
8/31/05: What do you use to hold your fabric while you stitch? A hoop, a Q-Snap, a scroll frame, something else, or do you stitch in hand? Have you always used just the one thing or have you tried one or more of the others? Which do you like best? Why?
I prefer a hoop. No discussion. It's what I learned on, and I simply feel more comfortable with it. I was thrilled... THRILLED... to take the plunge and try plastic hoops this year, rather than the cheap balsa wood ones from Michael's that I'd been using. I even have an old metal hoop that my mom gave me when I first started stitching. But I keep it more for my stitching history's sake and as a novelty, since I haven't seen one on the shelves in years. Due to how nasty metal hoops stain fabrics, I won't use it.
But I have about a half-dozen plastic hoops in different diameters, each a different color so I can quickly tell them apart. They're durable and easy to tighten. I love 'em.
I bought a scroll frame and lap stand, after seeing Michelle's work on her frame. As I mentioned above, I'm using it for Egyptian Sampler, but I'm finding it very awkward to work on. For one thing- the fabric does NOT stay tight on the frame. It's constantly loosening, and amounts to really being stitching in-hand with the assistance of a frame to hold it up. I've tried rolling it in different ways to see if anything helps, but it's just not working.
And sadly, the lap attachments for the frame are just BARELY wide enough for my hips to fit in. I have a fat ass, and the lap stand really forces me to stay in ONE position as I stitch. I'm debating a floor stand because I know there are many larger projects, like Egyptian Sampler, that would work better on scrolls so I don't have to wrestle the extra fabric out of the way. But I need to figure out how to keep the fabric on the scrolls better.
I've never tried Q-snaps. Since my hoop works fine, I haven't had a reason to try them. I have tried stitching in-hand before. For really small projects on stiff Aida cloth, I don't have problems with it. But otherwise, I'd find it difficult to keep my stitches clean.
Gotta get back to work...
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