We need to talk about The Russians.

"The Russians" is what I call my ever-growing hoard of Russian kits. I've never been crazy about kits, partly because the designs usually don't appeal to me, but mostly because I'm always changing fabric and thread colors and it just didn't make sense for me to buy them. I would occasionally buy one if the design really grabbed me, but it wasn't often. However, several years ago, some Russian needlework companies started popping up with US distributors, mainly Riolis and RTO, and more recently, Panna. It was the beginning of the end of my resistance to kits.

So far, I've managed to contain my madness to two main subjects: foxes (!) and Russian themes. I spent all of my college years studying Russia, Russian, and Russians, so I have a weakness for Russian themes. My hoard is growing. Now, I haven't actually stitched any of these kits yet, mind you, but I do have a plan for that. I always have a plan. But first, let's pull out all of The Russians and see what I have!

Lurking in a big box, under the sewing room chair...

First, the foxes. Riolis:

RTO:

Panna:

And not Russian, but I'm throwing it in anyway. This is by Luca-S, from Moldova, and I absolutely love it so much I can't stand it.

And in the general Russian themes category, we have these. The street scene reminds me of Sherlock Holmes.

The matryoshka on the left is one of a set of four (this one is winter). I love the Russian domestic scene on the right. It's such an unusual subject for a design; I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

Spring:

Russian woman in beautiful traditional dress.

And the jewel of my collection. It doesn't get any more Russian than this: a winter wolf hunt with Borzoi. 

This was a total heart-over-head purchase. It was ridiculously expensive (even on sale), and it's huge, but I was a goner the minute I saw it. We all love everything in our stash, and we intend to stitch everything we buy, but there are those rare projects that if you die without having stitched it, you've cheated yourself. This is one of those projects. 

So, about that plan. Since my stitching plan for this year is a smoking ruin, beyond rescue, and since I've wandered off in a completely unexpected direction and have taken on creating a Texas basket, I decided to look ahead to next year. I'm considering having a "Russian year" in 2018. Wouldn't that be cool?

Snowflakes & Scissors

I've had this pretty little freebie in my stash for some time and finally got it stitched. I think it turned out so pretty. It's from the old Patrick's Woods blog. I wanted to share it here so I hunted high and low for it on the interwebs and finally found it here. I stitched it on 28 ct. Natural Brown Undyed linen (a favorite neutral) using DMC B5200, Weeks Pelican Gray, and CC Wild Berries. I also added a few micro mini buttons to the scissors.

Also, I have cake.

I usually bake from scratch but I am not a food snob. A box of cake mix is a good thing to have tucked away in the pantry for cake emergencies. Since there are only two of us to eat cake, I divide the mix in half and bake a small cake in an 8" square pan. Depending on the brand of cake mix you use, you may need to adjust the amounts of water, oil, and eggs, but here's the math for halving a cake mix:

Half of a 15.25 oz. Cake Mix

1 1/4 c. + 3 Tablespoons + 1 tsp. cake mix
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 
*Do use an entire container of frosting on your wee cake. You're welcome.
*Do use sprinkles. It's very important.
*Seal up the remainder of the mix nice and tight and write the date you opened it on the box. 

Back to stitching! Thanks so much for all the kind words and encouragement about Russian Hunt. It's coming along nicely. I'm also about to start another longish project that I'll work on throughout the year, but it's not nearly as large or involved as Russian Hunt. More about that soon.

Happy Stitching!

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!

It Has Begun

Behold! I have finally started Russian Hunt! I promised myself I'd start it in January, and with a few hours of the month remaining, I put in the first stitches. I can't believe I have actually started this massive project. Since it's fully stitched, I chose Aida. I wanted the fabric to have a lot of stiffness and body for such a large piece. Besides the subject matter, one of the things I love about this design is that unlike many large projects, it's not heavily pixelated; it's made up of smooth swaths of color, like brushstrokes, and there are very few confetti stitches. I'm already enjoying stitching it.

I circled the area I'm working on. 

So, I'm off. Not exactly off and running... more of a casual stroll. No deadline. A fellow-stitcher once described this type of project as a "7-11 project: not always doing business, but always open." I thought that was brilliant. For a control enthusiast like myself, there is something a bit daunting but also a bit therapeutic about taking on such an open-ended, who-knows-when, type of project. Getting lost in--and enjoying--the process takes precedence over the finish, which is years away (Lord willing). I have lots of deep thoughts about this but they're best summed up in the Chinese proverb:

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The journey has begun...

Russian Hunt Update: February Progress

Beginning of March:

Beginning of February:

Winter in the Sewing Room

Hello, y'all! It's been quiet here on the ol' blog but I've been busy-busy stitching and stalking the Nashville Market previews for new must-have stash. I usually don't post pics of stash until I have it in my mitts but I am so. excited. about this gorgeous new sampler. I'm not a big sampler gal, but this one stole my heart. This is Huckleberry Farm by Blue Flower. I am a huge fan of huckleberries, and this sampler takes me back to where I first experienced them, in Sequoia National Park in California (bears and all!). Huckleberry tea is my absolute favorite. I just love this sampler. The colors, the composition, all the critters (see the chipmunks and hummingbirds?).  Lovely.

I was so wild about it that I already ordered and received my fabric! This is the suggested fabric, PTP Shale. I think I did a pretty good job of capturing the color (it helps to give the camera a little white to look at). It's a very unusual, very pretty purplish grey. 

I've been putting in a few hours of work a week on Russian Hunt. I'm also working on this. Hmmm... what could this be? Stay tuned for updates on both of these projects.

I'm getting lots of support from the Stitchy Supervisor. I don't know how she snoozes with my stitching light in her face, but she does.

Winter dollhouse is up. You can check out my other seasonal dollhouses by clicking on the label at the end of this post.

I am having a fit to get some finishing done. I have a stack, y'all. A stack. I'm trying to get to a certain point on that mysterious piece I showed above, and when I do, I plan to take a break from stitching and plunge into the finishing pile. Hope to have a lot of new lovelies to share over the next few weeks.

I guess most stitchers have their favorite sites for Market previews, but in case you don't, here are a few good ones. These usually start posting in mid-January, and gradually fill up as designers release preview photos. You'll see a lot of overlap, but there are a few things that might be shown on one site that aren't on others. They're updated regularly, so keep checking back to see if there's anything you can't live without. Market is 6-8 March.

Stitches 'n Things

Reflections Framing & Stitching

The Black Cat Stitchery

Enjoy window shopping and Happy Stitching!

Easy Felt Chart Protector

I'm not one for multi-year cross stitch projects with gigantic charts, but I've made an exception in the case of Russian Hunt and I needed a way to keep the chart in as good condition as possible through years of handling. I like to use 8" x 11" magnetic boards and when using a larger chart, just fold the parts I'm not working on around the board and secure with a rubber band. For projects that will only take a couple of months, this works fine, but I was concerned that over a much longer period of time the ink on the edges folded over the board would wear away, not to mention the normal wear and tear and bending. So I made a quick, easy little felt chart protector.

All you need are two pieces of felt, some floss, and a sewing sharp.

This part will depend on the size of felt you're using and the size of the magnetic board you have. My felt is 9 x 12 and my board is 8 x 11. I laid my board onto the felt and aligned it so that I had a 1/2" border on every side.

I used pins to mark the 1/2" border on three sides. I left the right side open for the board to slip in, but you could leave any one side open. Set this piece aside.

The border on the second piece of felt should be about an inch. 

Get a piece of copy paper from your printer (8.5" x 11") and trim it so that you have a paper template that leaves a 1" border on each side of the felt.

Pin the paper template to the felt and cut around it.

Place the "frame" on the first piece of felt, secure at the corners with pins, and then sew or stitch (or glue, if you want to) the two pieces together.

 I just used a quick blanket stitch.

And here's my chart protector. My magnetic board with the chart on it slips into the right side and the edges don't see my hands again until I get ready to move the chart on the board, which--let's be honest--will be a while!

I used a dark color felt to stand up to a lot of handling better, and though I thought about decorating it a bit, I skipped that for the same reason.

So there you go! An easy felt chart protector for those gigantic charts.