TUSAL Time & Canvaswork Crazies

Well, the calendar on the wall indicates that today is the new moon, which naturally means that it’s time for this month’s TUSAL:

 

The jar certainly took a respectable jump this past month – mostly because I seem to have come down with a case of Canvaswork Crazies….  Ever since I finished Golden Reminiscence I’ve been on a tear through canvaswork projects of old.  I’ve even finished one of them:

 

 

Triangulations

by Anna Marie Winter

Stitched on 18-count White Mono Canvas

with Kreinik Silk Mori, Silk Serica, #4 & #8 braid, Paillettes & Mill Hill Beads

 

This was a class piece from the CreativFestival at some point in the last few years.  I really love this piece and don’t know why I didn’t drag it out sooner to finish it.  It’s just pretty, pretty, pretty.

 

Then, since I had an urge for more canvaswork, out came this piece:

 

This piece is called Solitary Flight and again, it’s a piece by Anna Marie Winter that was taught at the CreativFestival at some point in the last few years.  I’m working my way through the background in a braided fence pattern in 5 strands of Silk Mori.  It’s highly soothing and repetitive.  I have a bad case of waste knot-itis and I really need to trim and bury ends…..  (Although if I leave them, I’ll soon be stitching over them and they’ll bury themselves – much less work for me!).  Once the background is done I’ll be stitching a gorgeous dragonfly over the background.  You can see the finished piece here (scroll down a bit – it’s partway down the page – and I really, really want the 5 fans kimono & the golden kimono now…. Reflections is in my stash already….)

 

I think I’ll head back to the stitching chair for a little more time with Solitary Flight’s background…..

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s day has swung round again – no doubt the florists and card companies are jumping for joy today.

 

I’ve been working a little bit this month – but not much at all in comparison to this past fall.  I’m enjoying the time off, which I’m spending with a needle in my hand.  Here’s what I’ve been working on (sorry for the wrinkles – I’m still without decent iron – hoping to remedy that situation in April at the spring CreativFestival….)

 

First up – LoTD:

 

 

I finished backstitching Majesty and worked on the border for Magic.  It’s slow going, but I’m still enjoying it.

 

Then I dug this old WIP out of the pile – and finished it in less than an hour…..

 

This is from a class I took at the CreativFestival back in 2009.  It needs to be finished into a needle roll and there’s a little pattern darning to do on the edges yet, but the stitching is complete.  It’s so pretty!  It’s from Dragon Dreams.

 

Heather passed on a kit that she started, but was unable to finish because the fibres are all wool – and she’s allergic to it.  We have extraordinarily similar tastes in things, so I was quite happy to be the recipient of this little kit.  I’m about half done:

 

It will finish into a needlebook when it’s done – but I’d better finish the stitching first!

 

And then, because my resistance was low (not that it’s ever particularly high when it comes to starting new projects…..), I started this:

 

This is ‘Love them or eat them’ which was a class taught at last fall’s CreativFestival.  Another Dragon Dreams piece.  I couldn’t take the class, but Jen was kind enough to let me buy an extra kit from her.  I really wanted to start this when I first got it, but kept resisting.  I finally gave up.  I’m enjoying the stitch – need to dig out more DMC 890 for the dragon’s tail – I managed to run out. 

 

Then, after spending so much time making little x’s, it started to get to me, so naturally, I picked up a mostly-finished canvaswork piece and polished it off:

 

Golden Reminiscence

by Carolyn Mitchell

Stitched on 18-count sage mono canvas

using Caron Antica, Waterlilies, Impressions, Soie Cristale, Watercolours

 

The colours in this piece aren’t really ‘me’ at all, but I did enjoy the stitching.  The Antica (it was used for all the sashing on the outside of the design) just about killed me.  Antica rates right up there with DMC metallics for ornery-ness as a fibre.  It looks to be a knitted metallic, so if you catch it wrong, it unravels…..  I caught it wrong more than once.  I’m not counting the exact number of times, but let’s just say that the ORT jar got fuller this month because of it.

 

Being winter, I have my bird feeder up to keep the little feathered friends happy (and provide some entertainment for Mojo, the stone deaf cat)…..  Last year I had a female cardinal that took up residence on my windowsill and loved to watch TV.  Imagine my surprise when, a year later, she has shown up on my windowsill again:

 

(I had to turn on the TV to get her to stay long enough to catch a picture of her – if the TV isn’t on, she lands, looks in then takes off again.  If the TV is on, she’ll stay for at least 5 minutes before flying off again….)  I never would have thought that she would remember the window ledge and TV watching a year later….  We’re trying to decide upon a name for her, since it seems she (and her hubby – he doesn’t ledge-sit though) have adopted us.

 

Well, that about sums up things in this little corner of the world.  Hope you’re spending the day with someone you love!

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