20 January 2018

Saturday Sampler: "7-11" Project Edition

Thanks for all the well wishes on my last post and for all the sweet comments about Tiger Lily. She really is a precious girl. Lil' bit bossy (and spoiled, which isn't her fault), but very sweet. She made several days sick in bed a lot more tolerable. So we're getting back to normal around here. Let's catch up on a few things. Grab a cup of tea!

Here's my January memo board. I described making this in this post back in October and if you scroll back you'll find pictures of my November and December boards. This ribbon is from post-Christmas clearance at Jo-Ann Fabrics (85% off!).


I'm almost, almost ready to start Russian Hunt. Here's what happened. I intended it to be a New Year's Day start, but when I measured the fabric in the kit, I discovered there was barely 2" of extra fabric around the edges. That spooked me. I know good framers can work with that, but I really didn't want to spend y-e-a-r-s on this project and then worry about the framing. So I decided to buy a larger piece of fabric for it. Then I debated with myself. I haven't stitched on Aida in donkey's years, but since this is a fully-stitched project, I didn't mind it. Then I thought about using an even weave, but in the end I decided I wanted the stiffness and body of the Aida to support this huge piece of stitching. So Aida it was. And then I decided to stitch it on 16 ct. instead of the 14 ct. intended, just to give me a bit of wiggle room on the threads in the kit. I'm frugal with my thread and don't anticipate running out, but again, for such a long-term project, I don't want to worry about it. 

Still with me?

So I ordered a huge piece of 16 ct. Aida. Of course, that delayed my start. I decided to start it last weekend. Of course, I got sick, for the first time in probably five years. Of course. So here we are, past mid-January, and my New Year's Day start is still "un-started." But it's all ready to go!

I am one of those stitchers who likes to have the entire work area visible and accessible, so yes, I made a ginormous frame out of my Q-snap collection. I've done this before (when I stitched CEC's Skeleton Crew) and it works well for me because when I work on a big project I sit on the floor and just prop the frame against something so I can mostly stitch two-handed. I know that sounds unbelievably awkward to most of you, but I sit on the floor all the time and it really does work for me! This frame is 23" x 17".

Naturally, I had to make a special needle minder just for this project. This matryoshka charm is from AC Moore. 

Russian Hunt is the biggest project I've ever tackled, and the only fully-stitched one, so it's a double whammy. I see lots of large designs (HAEDs, usually) that I think are pretty, but none of them have appealed to me enough to spend a couple of years stitching them. This one (a Riolis kit) hit me hard. Had to have it. Have to stitch it. I'm normally pretty finish-oriented when it comes to stitching; I want to have things done in a timely manner. I don't have a bunch of WIPs or UFOs lying around. Obviously, that wasn't going to work with a project like this. Too much life happening. And I didn't want to stitch this to the exclusion of other projects. To me, that would make it feel like if I wanted to stitch it would have to be this or nothing, and that's not fun. A fellow stitcher (waving at Melanie and Potpie!) referred to this as a "7-11" project: not always doing business but always open. Brilliant! (For those in other countries, 7-11 is a chain convenience store/gas station that is always open, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) This concept is perfect for my approach to this project: I may not be putting stitches in every day, but it's always ready for my attention. Hopefully in the near future I'll have a very exciting blob of stitches to show you!

If you read my January memo board (and my December one, posted 25 December), you probably noticed a project called "Christmas Gathering." It was supposed to be a finish last weekend, but we all know what happened to that. Anyway, I thought I'd share a tiny peek at my WIP. I'll provide all the details on it when I can show the finished piece, but for now I wanted to show you a designer's inspired use of variegated thread. This little red barn is stitched in one color (DMC 4140) and in columns (as opposed to rows; I stitched each of my columns bottom to top). The effect is a beautifully weathered look. Such a smart way to achieve this result.

I'm going on and on, aren't I? Anyway, now that things are getting back to normal, I hope I'll have some finishes to share before too long. I haven't picked up a needle in about two weeks! Perhaps I'll have a burst of productivity to make up for it.

Happy Saturday!

8 comments:

  1. That's okay, Honeybee, I like a long blog post! I'm impressed and slightly jealous that you can sit on the floor to stitch! I'll be watching your progress on the Riolis kit, it's a beauty. Hope you're feeling much better.

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  2. I am glad you are feeling better. I am looking forward to seeing your progress of the Russian Hunt piece. I love the 7-Elevn analogy your friend came up with. The barn looks good and I like how you stitched the floss in columns. Enjoy your weekend, Honeybee!

    PS I enjoyed reading today's post. It felt like we were chatting over tea/coffee.

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  3. I belong to a group/SAL where everyone stitches their own thing (usually big projects) and every three weeks, we post our progress. We encourage each other and root each other on. I'll be posting on Sunday (1/21) and you can see my various progresses (I'm a bit scattered at the moment) and there will be a link to the rest of the
    group. If you think it will help (or be fun), let me know and I'll get you the coordinator's info. It has helped me stay more on track (except this month) and I get to see all kinds of fun /pretty/different stitching.
    http://needleworkerssamplings.blogspot.com/

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  4. Je trouve ton blog superbe tes coutures sont vraiment agréable et je te souhaite plein de jolies points pour la chasse Russe, je n'aurai plus le courage de broder de grande pièce comme cela, mais il y a une quinzaine d'années j'ai réalisé un tableau de la marque Lanarte il y avait 60 couleurs et il est immense...
    J' ai cousu une pochette pour le thé comme celle que j'ai vu sur ton blog!!! J'ai mesure par rapport au sachet si de thé et le résultat et bien, comme cela j'ai toujours du thé dans mon sac car je suis accro au thé.
    Je te souhaite une bonne soiree

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  5. I am so glad you are better. Your barn looks super!

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  6. That is a long term stitching project for sure!
    Love the way the barn stitched up.

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  7. Glad to hear Tiger Lily's nursing did the trick! I'm so looking forward to watching Russian Hunt grow :)

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  8. It's amazing *how* you stitch with variegated thread can make a difference in the final product. I learned this with pumpkins. Skinny tall pumpkins look much more skinny and tall if you stitch (with variegated thread) in columns. But short fat pumpkins look more short and fat if you stitch in rows. It's fun to experiment when using variegated thread.

    I sit on the floor, too. But I mostly stitch in hand so I can stitch anywhere!

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