Sinister Craftiness

Button Up Birdies 1, 2, 3
Victoria Sampler Designs by Cathy Jean
Natural linen (30 count)
Stitched with GAST and WDW

Right after the sampler guild class I came down with a bad case of the flu which sent me to bed for quite a while.  I’m wobbling around now, still dealing with a nasty cough, but at least I’m getting my energy back.  I’ve been easing back into things by finishing up the first three sets of Button-Up Birdies, designed by Cathy Jean for Victoria Sampler.

Set 1:  November chickadee and December cardinal

Set 2:  January tree sparrow and February whiskey Jack

Set 3:  March house finch and April robin

Thing Two is thrilled to have these finished, and he’d really like me to begin working on set 4 (bluebird and goldfinch), which arrived in the mail this week.  However, I’m hoping to escape from the birdie sweatshop for a while to finish up my class piece and Hardanger exchange, and catch up on several other neglected projects.  Although some fruit juice and a nap is sounding pretty good right now, too …

It’s been a while, but here’s another Crazy January Challenge finish:  the Williamsburg Stitcher’s Case by Just Nan.  A colorful, cheery design – the flower beds are a much-needed dose of springtime – and a cute finish.

For more information about purchasing this shop exclusive design, visit Just Nan’s official site.

Free pattern from My Aunt’s Attic
Antique white linen (32 count)
Stitched with Gentle Art Sampler Threads “Crystal Lake”

This birthday request was a great excuse to stitch up one of the many lovely (and all free!) patterns that can be found on the My Aunt’s Attic site.  I added Rhodes stitches in squares and diamonds for texture and variety.

Thanks for visiting!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Thing Two really likes the Button-up Birdies series by Victoria Sampler.  To date I’ve stitched some of the birds, but was waiting until I had a few more done, then planned on finishing several all together.  Thing Two is mostly agreeable to this plan.  The other day he presented me with these:

In case it’s not readily apparent, these are two of his own bird buttoned ornament designs:  a puffin and a dark-eyed junco.  As with the other charts, the finished design decorates the cover …

… followed by the actual chart, complete with symbols for the different colors …

… and a key on the back.

Translation:  the puffin is stitched with Onyx, Burnt Orange, and Yellow Jacket, with a bead for the eye, and the junco is stitched with Pelican Gray and Sweet Petunia.  Thing Two is partial to Gentle Art Sampler Threads, Weeks Dye Works, and Crescent Colours because of their interesting color names, but he also likes DMC because we wind those on bobbins, which he thinks is fun to do.  He consulted my GAST stash to determine the best color for the junco’s beak.

Thing Two is almost as much of a projectaholic as his mother, so after finishing up these bird charts, he moved on to draw a picture of the solar system.

Long time, no post!  I’ve been stitching away for the past month, but nothing is ready to show off yet.

First, an “interspecies” thread exchange.  My pal Knitika agreed to knit a pair of her lovely handwarmers for me.  In exchange, I’m giving her a completely useless Hardanger centerpiece.  I think I’m getting the better part of the bargain in this exchange.

It’s a simple pattern, but the edge proved to be a little tricky. Working on it caused my fingers to stiffen and become sore, so I could only stitch on it just a little, every other day or so.  That slowed the progress down considerably, much to my frustration.  But I finally finished the edge on Monday, and the rest of the surface stitches are flying along painlessly, so I hope I can have this finished soon.

While I was picking away at the centerpiece edge, my materials kit arrived for the class I’m taking from the Northwest Sampler Guild.  This is the Blue Ribbon Sewing Box, taught by Sherri Jones of Patrick’s Woods.  Here’s a photo from the class page:

Isn’t it gorgeous?  Hopefully mine will look something like it.  We’ll get the cherry wood box and scrimshaw pieces at the class.  Meanwhile I’m doing my homework and stitching up the slip pockets and smalls:

Last, my brother mentioned that his wife “really likes those pincushion things you make” and suggested that I make her one for her upcoming birthday.   I’ll show it off properly next week, but for now here’s a glimpse at the birthday biscornu:

Other bits and pieces include:  amusing Thing Two with more Button-up Birdies (stitched, not finished), Crazy January Challenge projects (but nothing significant to show yet) and another pair of peacocks is almost complete.  Lots of nearlys and almosts!

Finally!  Part four is finished!  These garden medallion/peacock roost/thingamabobs are gorgeous, and I’m so glad to be done with them.

One more pair of peacocks, and this mandala will be halfway complete.

Christmas Robin, Victoria Sampler Designs by Cathy Jean
Just Cross Stitch 2010 Christmas Ornament issue
Natural linen (30 count)
Stitched with GAST and WDW

Between the Crazy January Challenge, other WIPs, and other projects I’m hoping to tackle, I wasn’t planning on making time to stitch ornaments this year.  However, my little stash enabler (Thing Two, age five) can be very persuasive.  He’s been an avid birdwatcher for a few years now, and can identify many of our native birds.  He also loves to decorate the tree at Christmas time.   (Guess where this is heading.)  Unfortunately, the little guy has been sick all week with a bad cold, so I thought making one of the “Button-Up Birdies” from Victoria Sampler would cheer him up.

Here’s Thing Two showing off his new Christmas ornament.  Yes, he’s wearing two hoodies.

This Christmas Robin isn’t part of the series; the chart was published separately in last year’s JCS ornament issue, but I’m adding it to the button-up flock.  Now Thing Two is eager to see the rest of the birds stitched up, and is looking forward to the next birds in the series.  They stitch up quickly, so I think this charming series is a doable addition to this year’s projects.

Thing Two quickly identified all the birds in the first three charts (and the sneak peek at chart #4 featured in the Victoria Sampler newsletter) save one:  February’s Whiskey Jack.  Victoria Sampler is a local designer, so we guessed that this must be some sort of native bird to our region, but we couldn’t find it in our field guide.  A little further research revealed that Whiskey Jack is another name for the Gray Jay, a bird we’ve seen in the mountains.

And now Thing Two has stopped by the computer to ask “Why haven’t you started stitching the cardinal yet?” so that’s my cue to get going.

Another Crazy January Challenge finish:  the Coussinet de la brodeuse by A Mon Ami Pierre.  I don’t usually stitch on 40 count linen, so I was worried that it would be difficult.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it stitched up, and the finer count of linen makes the design so delicate and pretty; I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

Lavender sprinkled throughout the batting makes this little pillow smell as sweet as it looks.

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The Rose Mosaic needle roll is done, and my Crazy January Challenge is one-third complete!

Here’s the pre-rolled, pre-beaded stitching.  I love beading.  Not only do beads add sparkle and richness, when it’s time to bead, that means the project’s almost done.

This week I also made significant progress on part four of the Peacock Mandala, and may be able to finish that section in a week or so.  Looking forward to showing it off, then adding another gorgeous pair of peacocks to the ornate perches.

Here’s another finish from the Crazy January Challenge:  the thimble purse by C.A. Wells.  The first side of the purse features the initials of the Historic Needlework Guild (for which this design was originally created) while the other two sides are customized with the stitcher’s initials and the date.

This was my first time stitching Hedebo buttonhole edging.  The instructions in the chart were very easy to understand, so I was able to learn it and stitch up the edges in no time.

I’m picking away at the other CJC projects, trying to get most of them up to the half done mark.  I’ve also been doing a little work on the Peacock Mandala, and it’s encouraging to see that taking shape.

Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend!