Walk is finished

Project of the last four years is finished.  Walk on the wild side by Linda Reinmiller is finished. The last bead tassels were done this week and now onto the framing. 

This project has been lots of fun and a big challenge at times, especially when I had to do the weaving bands three times.

New project is the Shady Colours cyber class by Carole Lake and Michael Boren. Mine is a pewter palate of colours so looking forward to the stitching and not having to worry too much about colours. Mum has the same class set and is doing it in the blue with orange accents. I also have periwinkle and green colour way to stitch later on the year. 

Start with a Jean Hilton stitch double fan doubled. This was easy as the instructions were detailed and the thread smooth to use. Another new thread to my collection.

All posted

Over the past ten months mum and I have been stitching for ANY Auction. These are the pieces that have been sent back for this years auction in Chicago.

Egg stitched by me.

Xmas Deco beaded and stitched by Mum

 

Christmas deco stitched by Mum

Elf boot stitched by me.

The other piece that we have finished was on my last blog post. It is a cone which was loads of fun to stitch and showed me how much the choice of stitch affects the finished look.

I am hoping that they will be made up beautifully and sell for good prices at the auction. It has been fun stitching and I now have brought one of my canvases out with some inspiration for stitching.

The next project that we are making for our night class is going to be some of the projects from the Needlepoint Now magazine.


This picture below shows the display table from our recent embroidery guild meeting. We also had all the pieces for our guild challenge finished and on display. It will be exciting to see it made up by Lee for the conference in New Plymouth in July. Notice under the display my table runner that Marilyn helped me make. It is the french braid pattern and now lives on the TV cabinet in my lounge. The small rooster piece was another piece stitched by Liz Bartley and I have made into a snappy bag.

May 2014 Guild Display of finished pieces.

Another finish

A week of  highs and lows in this country. The week started optimistically with NZ poised to win the Americas Cup. I finished twisted stitcher and completed the piece above Harmony -Earth by Thursday which was also the day we lost the Americas Cup. It was a valiant effort by our team but in the end it was money talking and extra millions we did not have. I am so proud of Grant, Dean and the whole team including NZ media who did such a wonderful job. It shows that we as a nation are supporters of all and we don't need to win at all costs. I will continue to wear my shirt with pride.

I have stitched more on amazing grays, as well as my small floral ribbons piece. Also started is the next beaded piece a red heart so I hope to finish that this week and post to Lynn for Creative Stitchers. 

The term has finished and I made an trip to Auckland to see the musical "Wicked". Stephanie and I saw this in New York in January 2012 and really loved it. I was inspired by the story once again and will listen to the CD with fresh ears. Getting to Auckland was a trip this time, first time flight has been cancelled but I was lucky enough to get a lift with a young man Phil who hired a car as he needed to be in akl for business. Arrived at the international terminal four hours after leaving np airport. Hoping that the flight home tomorrow is fine. 

School finished well with a cultural afternoon for the students and a quiz afternoon for the staff. We were once again the worst team but we only had five members so a disadvantage before we started. 

Stitching finishing

It's been a busy month with bits of stitching nearly completed as well as a new little project started. I made a number of snap trays so that was a bonus and hope to sell them. It started with making one to match the snappy bag I made for Maree. She really liked it so that was cool and I am hoping to make a couple of kiwi ones to take to Los Angeles in August.

Card demonstration at Sarah's and the wonderful items they made. All different but from the same starting point.

Finished pieces from night class project.

Night class have finished with our Christmas tree project. It has been a really stunning project to stitch and I have enjoyed mine on the 45 count Florence and single strand of silk as well as the 100 count silk for the hardanger sections. You can see the difference in the fabric count quite markedly as mine is half the size of the other pieces.

May also saw the cold weather return with a vengeance and we had snow settle on the ground on the 22nd May.

Tulip flower for Mary V.

This is the latest piece that I have done for the Creative Stitchers 12x12 challenge. I have been doing beadwork on each of these and also using these as part of my beaded journal project items for this year. I made the decision that I would bead something each month and so this is the piece I have finished for May. I am not certain if I have a copy of Aprils face but I will be able to take a photo at another stage.
For March I completed a snowflake on Rosalind's piece and for this month I have a pear to complete.

Still Stitching.

Several pieces of stitching have been done since the opunake retreat. I nearly finished all the flowers on my latvian piece and only have the borders to do. managed to get the finishing instructions for our linen biscornu and have the night class group onto that over the next weeks.
I have started one of the ANG auction pieces which is fun and mum has also started a piece as well.
Made several patchwork things for the guild christmas party and nearly have my door prize sorted. Next thing to do is my gift as well as secret santa gift for school. My institute box is nearly finished so only needs wrapping and labelling (tonights job which is running late).
I am hoping to put the pictures of the night class ornaments that have been stitched and one was finised with a lovely tassel and candycane cord by Fiona who has not done any of these things. I am so proud of her.

Scissor keeps made in class.

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busy holidays

Well another holiday break has nearly finished and I have had a busy time, catching up with friends, rugby world cup is nearly over and some of the planned projects are done. The holidays started with a trip to Wanganui to take a canvas class in making a needle book or book cover which was loads of fun and inspiring as well.

Members enjoying a break at wonderful Payne's Palace Beach Retreat.

Last weekend was the annual Central Taranaki Embroidery Guild retreat to Opunake where we had ten people undertake a project from Stitch magazine - a winter sky. It was loads of fun and I have mostly completed mine as well as completed most of the bargello section from canvas two on Walk on the Wild Side. Nothing further has been done on this canvas this week but I expect to get some done when watching the rugby final tomorrow night.

Ten of the stitched projects from the weekend. My piece is the bottom right sunset piece.

The reason no stitching this week is a new toy - I am the proud owner of an IPOD Touch and it has been loads of fun loading stuff onto it (took me four hours last night to get my music from one ipod to the other) and I have nearly got all the music ready to go plus some new stuff to listen to tomorrow.

Erin's roll

One project I have finished this holidays is the needleroll or lavender roll for my neice Erin. hopefully my brother will get it and be able to take it home with him on monday. I started this as my plane piece on our trip to USA last year and finished it this year with Erin's name on it.

Projects started (and hopefully finished) is the porject bag using my sudoku piece. I went to Maree's today and she stitched (I was gofer) and it was halfway there. Then late afternoon I went to marilyns and we started on a table runner for a christmas gift for our cousin. I have quilted half of it so can complete it tomorrow night when I go to feed the cat and then start one for my friend for christmas. Tomorrow morning I am going to start Marilyn's knitting bag and if it is fine weed some more of the garden.
I have finally got the stones ordered for the pebble garden and I was hoping that they would arrive before the weekend it is fine that they will be here next week and I can get to it each night.
I will report on more of my holiday break in the next post (possilby with more pictures of completed works)
Diane

A very busy time

It has been nearly a month since I last wrote and things have been really busy.



My Soduku - very halloween ish.

I have finished Sudoku and here are the finished pieces from my Monday night ladies. This has been one of our most successful projects for a couple of years with five of us completing it within the same year we started. It is doing projects like this that I miss Liz and how much she would have enjoyed doing this work.

Judy's piece - same colours as Sue

Jills piece used the colours as stated in the pattern.

Mum used a monotone palete which looks great.

Sue used the same colours as judy but quite different results

Mum and I went to Dunedin to visit Alice and while there I completed a mill Hill Christmas kit plus finished the Mill Hill Scissor case 9without the long neck cord) as well as completed the outside row for my Lativan work. I have also started the May piece for BJP 4 and am back onto walk on the wild side with canvas #1 finished and number 2 underway. Mum has finished one and two so she is racing ahead of me.
My Colourific piece has been received and the exhibition opens at the end of this month in Arrowtown so it will interesting to see if Skadi comes home afterwards.

Sudoku Finished

Yeah I have finished stitching Sudoku. Mum finished hers and the rest of the class have also finished this piece. I loved doing it. it is from the ANG magazine Needlepointers and designed by a lady we met last year at Columbus "Marilyn Owen". A great project. now to finish stitching on colorific and then onto walk on the wild side.

I will also have time to make up my book cover that I stitched very quickly using cornpad embroidery. I will also endeavour to get another ATC card done so I can send one off to Karen who I am sure is waiting for one to swap.
It is supposed to snow again this weekend although I don't think we will get any but you never know - weather forecast is snow to low levels on the eastern shores of new zealand and we are in the west but not much land between us and the Antarctic.
Diane

Busy working

A busy fortnight has seen me make a number of coffee cup holders for small coffee cups but I am going to make some larger ones now. They have been really fun and I sold about ten of them so was pleased with the effort. I have made a number to give away as presents for Xmas so that is a start.


The next exciting thing that has happened has been my attendance at a creative stitchers play weekend. Jo and Anne from Creative Craft Supplies came and showed us how to use lots of their products; rubbing plates, polysol dyes, shiva stiks, xpandapaint as well as using some new materials polysuede and evalon. It was loads of fun and I have painted lots of paper with colour to start making some little goddess dollies. Think that they will look really cute and hoping to spend next holidays on making them.

Also I have started the ANG needlepointers piece of work “Sudoku” by Marilyn Owen. We met Marilyn at the seminar in Ohio and I am looking forward to doing this with the class. The class members have chosen the colours that Marilyn used (or slight adjustment) but mum and I are stitching differently. Mum is doing hers all in greys and I am using orange and black so it looks quite vibrant.

Went to see “Mozart’s Sister” last night at the Kings Theatre in Stratford and it was really great. Lovely costumes, sets and even the inside of Versailles I am sure.

Diane

March BJP is finished

March BJP Finished

I have finished March BJP - Jealously - eye word of the month. Green eyes with jealous, envy looks. The background fabric has dried leaves incorporated.
Busy weekend with Mothers Day so lunch out with mum and dad and then to my sister's for dinner. We spoke to the neice and nephew so that was great.
I have made a dozen coffee cup holders for presents but a friend wants to buy some so have made them earlier than for christmas presents.
Finished another square on canvas 1 of walk on the wild side, so only one square to complete and that will be one canvas done. I am thrilled with getting some stitching time this weekend and have more planned out for the week.
Plug for a great movie - went to  the preview of Water for Elephants and this is as good as the book. I loved both.
Keep safe and bless someone this week.
Diane

Days at the beach

Mum and I have had days at the beach so that was great. We have done quite a bit of stitching on the light canvas of our ohio project "Walk on the Wild Side". I have completed six sections on this piece and am hoping over the next couple of weeks to get a flicker photo organised.

This is mum getting ready to start and the view from the cabin that we had each day. It was wonderful.

my section two nearly done. I cannot decide what to do in the gap whether to repeat the colour or to change it to the metallic thread. I will decide before I have to take it off the bars, I promise.

My progress to date. I have not quite completed the bargello stitching but I have made a start on the bottom three sections.

Merry Christmas to all

Just a few days before Christmas and the weather has really deteriorated. It has been wet for several days so the farmers are celebrating as the drought season has been delayed for at least a while. It has been colder as well so time to catch up with all the watching on the tv and am nearly up to date with a number of programmes.

School has basically finished for me with just a few more things to do and then I am off until at least ten days before school starts. Hoping to get some time at the beach with mum and a few days away with Stephanie to Wellington. We are going to the European Masters exhibition at Te Papa so that will be neat. Not certain what else we shall do.

Christmas wishes to all friends that read this blog. I have had a wonderful 2010 although not all things have been completed. Heart of the cabin has stalled due to our travel to san Francisco and attendance at seminar. I have completed one piece from seminar and have most of my pages ready for my notebook but nothing to put it into yet. Linda’s piece walk on the wild side is still just sitting and am hoping to do some over the holidays to get at least the first canvas finished.

Beaded journal project was not a big success this year as I only completed three months with another three designed and not stitched. On the beading plus side I did complete three of Laura McCabe’s kits that I bought. I also designed three new decorations (Neptune’s series) and taught them. This last three months I have done another Christmas ball which my group of ladies did one night. This last weekend I have borrowed a couple from a friend of mum’s and am hoping to make them and then also make the patterns for them. I have made 12 of these decorations for gifts so that was a busy time. See them in previous posts.
This year I made my first ATC and did a swap. It was fun. As well I swapped a biscornu on the swap-bot network as well as a couple of other swaps.
A challenge has been presented to me for next year with the invitation to enter an ANZEG exhibition in October. I have a number of thoughts and this holidays will find me starting on at least one of them.
So to all friends I hope that you all have a wonderful season and that the weather good and bad does not deter your festive times.
Diane

What I have been doing?

I have done of two of the three canvas's for seminar. The pictures are not great but I am quite pleased with how it has gone. The third canvas is on the frame ready to start this evening.

I have continued stitching on the BJP for March. I found a coin from Brazil which had a face that was good but slightly bigger than i wanted so it appears slightly large. I tried to use a brick stitch for the bezel which was not too bad but a bit uneven. I am filling in around with little picots using the delica and #15 beads. I will keep going with this today as the weather is really shocking and quite cold so I can sit in front of the TV and catch up with viewing.
Also since the last posting I have completed two more christmas decorations for sale so hoping that I will be able to do a couple more in the next week.
I am going to see Shrek 4 this afternoon with friends as a relief from being inside as well I watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show with friends who had never seen it. It was a great couple of hours and fun to see it again.
Diane

Another Square done

What a great weekend. Saturday was wet and horrible so a perfect day to stitch on Heart of a Cabin. Finished two logs so really pleased and also started on the third of my beaded journal pieces for this year. Here is the finished square for HOTC and the sixth one I have done. Had a letter from L Reinmiller to say that we should get our canvas this week so this will be all that will be done on this piece for the next few months as I need the stretcher bars.

The third BJP for me this year is my friend Kim from Melbourne, Australia. She introduced me to a wonderful piece of music in about 1992 – a musical written by Jon English called Paris. It is the story of Greeks and Trojans with the horse and Helen playing wonderful roles. I have not seen it performed but have seen several clips on YouTube of the various performances in Australia. The music is wonderful and this piece symbolises the longevity of the story – I have tried to get a stone like look in the letters but the warmth of the wooden horse. I have taken a small snap of the semi stitched piece so you can see it.

Sunday was also spent stitching with friends from the embroidery guild on our christmas raffle. We are stitching an advent calendar so it was making the 24 toys to hang on the calendar then our next meeting will have some of the last bits to do and Maree will have all the putting together. It will look fabulous I am sure and I will be making a couple of new toys to hang on my advent calendar. Currently I have a selection of about 30 to choose from so that is really neat.

latest work

Decided that I needed to complete another square for Heart of the Cabin. Here it is nearly finished so that is a great event. 5/16 ths of this piece done. I really struggled with the shading as I found that six strands were too many so had to use four so the shading is a bit shorter.

This weekend has been busy with fighting off a cold and having too much to do at school to have the time off. After Tuesday I can relax a little bit when things will settle down.

Friday night Marilyn asked me to bake for a cake stall to assist Nathan – pharmacist at her work who will be attending the paraplegic world cycling champs in September. I made my best cakes and they were a failure so Saturday morning I made two others. The new recipe this month is butterfly cakes from Healthy Food Guide and also remade the mocha nut butterball cookies. I found this on the internet and they are great. Both worked well so that is two more recipes for my challenge. A recipe a month this year.

Here are the two pieces that I did finish over the holidays. They are from conference 2008 - Allie Snow class of textile art. Really enjoyed this and think this is what encouraged me to start with the BJP. These are my first two flower princesses. I have one more started and would like to perhaps make more for display in the next Art Society Exhibition.

A Long week

It has been a long week and it feels like there have been three Wednesdays, two Thursdays and not enough Friday already. I have stitched this week mostly on my friend Stephanie’s needle book cover so it is nearly finished. Just the last area to stitch and then to embellish and make up. I think I will hand stitch it together using some ultra suede for the inside in a pale green colour or else beige felt.

Mum and I have received notice that we have our classes for Columbus in September so that is exciting and I am looking forward to receiving the needs list or the stitching supplies. There is some pre stitching for both pieces I think.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Seminar-10/classes/4day/40223.php this is the four day class which mum and I are both doing so I am very excited.

Beaded journal project is going very slowly with February about half done and march thought about but nothing in print yet. I am hoping to get to some of that this weekend and also to spend time trying to make up bead kits for a class next week. Think I need a four day weekend.

Guild meeting was this week so I think that threw me out of sync. We had the national president with us for the night Margaret Erskine so that was really nice and no-one took a picture. We are having a workshop next weekend at my place as well.
Diane

another square half done

Heart of the cabin
another sqaure is done and block 6 is half done. I have completed the fourth log this week and with easter on the horizon am hoping to complete the block and also block 3 this weekend.



here is the half of block 6. the rust colours look really great so I am pleased and we are using threads as we go as do not have all the recommended threads. Some are difficult to get here so we are substituting mostly for silks etc.



I went to our regional embroidery retreat last weekend and this was a piece of completed work that caught my eye. i love the free ness of it and also the colours. perhaps i can complete it in beads. the big circle in the centre is a covered marmite lid so about 2 1/2 inchies across. quite a large piece

these are the cards we made at the weekend. Mine is not that flash but this one i really loved for its simplicity.

another square completed

This week has been a very busy week with my goddaughters 21st birthday last weekend and a public holiday. On tuesday we had the announcement of our new principal, http://www.shsinfo-centa.blogspot.com/ so that was very exciting and took up a lot of my time.

I have completed another square on heart of the cabin. That makes three complete and two started. only 13 to go. I am really pleased with this one as it has been a real struggle to get the right kind of threads - we have made lots of substitutions but that is okay we are still getting the colour values right. Mum has completed nearly four squares so she is ahead of me.

I have half done the first month for BJP and will take a picture to post later. It looks good but very simple.

Life has been really busy with most of this weekend I was at WOMAD and it was great fun, i have 3 great cd's of music to listen to now - jazz, irish and arabic. wonderful mix of things although I only went to two of the three days as I have too much to do at home.
diane

Biscornu nearly done!

On swap-bot this month I signed up for a swap with a red biscornu. I stitched a lovely little one using aida and a varigated thread then had an accident with dye so I space dyed the fabric and restitched part of it. I have sewn it up now so it needs its corner decorations and then to be posted. yeah for me getting it done before the deadline of 27 feb. I will post a photo after that as I am pleased with it.
Watching the winter olympics has been a popular pasttime over the weekend so the stitching did not get done but nearly finished another log on block 5 of heart of the cabin.

On a more exciting note mum and I have chosen our classes for Colombus and in two weeks we will be able to book them and hopefully get our choices. I had three classes that I wanted to do on a more teachers side of things but two of them were on the same two days. I have decided to do a four day class with mum and then we are both having a day off and a two day class - different for each of us. It will be exciting to do this.

BJP is very slow and this week is the starting week I think so get a move on is my instruction to self. Hoping to have finished January by the weekend.

heart of the cabin - block 1

This is the first block for the heart of the cabin cyber workshop. I have generally got the same colours for the dark family but have moved into the rust colours for the alternate family. I had to use a cording thread for the hearts in log 1 as we do not get the renaissance threads in New Zealand. Still I think it looks okay and we are using varities that work as we go. I have not put the beads in as I thought I would do that last as I may have to source special beads from USA. I have enjoyed this and have done most of the log 1 in block 2. very slow progress I know but hoping over the summer holiday to continue with more.
diane