Around the World in 80 Stitches - Part 3 of 24

I just finished part 3 of the Around the World Stitch-a-Long. This section had some really interesting new stitches for me, as well as some stitches I already knew. This section had a lot less variety than the first two sections, so it was a bit easier to stitch up. Here's the whole section:

The center section has Satin Stitching, Buttonhole Wheels and Faggoting all done in DMC Perle cotton. The Buttonhole Wheels were a bit tricky, but otherwise this section was simple.

The top and bottom petals have the same stitches: a Point Russe in the center, surrounded by Russian Chain stitch (basically 3 lazy daisy petals joined in the center), with ray stitches in the corners, and Pulled Eyelet stitches at the tip.

The left and right petals have the same stitch layout with a different color scheme, but have satin stitching in the tips of the petal instead of pulled eyelets.

Around the World in 80 Stitches - Part 2 of 24

I've just completed Part 2 of this Stitch-a-Long, and learned several new stitches along the way. I also decided that the metallic I originally chose did not "pop" enough, so I replaced it with two colored metallics (one in pink and one in blue) instead.

Here is the whole piece so far:

This section has two hardanger sections, which could be stitched as "cut" or "no-cut." I decided to do the "no-cut" version, since I don't think I am experienced enough with hardanger to cut a piece this big. Here are the hardanger pieces in both tulips:

This section also introduced the Mordvinian Star Stitch, which I found a little tricky. It looks a little wonky up close, but has a very nice effect from a distance. Inside the sections of Star Stitch are Pulled Eyelet Stitches.

Next up is Swedish Split Stitch, with a few stray cross stitches, ray stitches, and backstitches.

Next are some Danish Knots surrounding ray stitches, with a couple of rice stitches, cross stitches, ray stitches, and backstitches.

In the center of the section is a Divided Round Eyelet stitch:

And in the corners, there are flowers made of Queen Stitches and ray stitches:

Lastly, here are some closeups from what I redid with the new metallics in part 1, the Norwich stitch and the Lindisfarne stitch:

Tree of Stitches - Finished!

I finally finished the Tree of Stitches I have been working on, and I really like how it turned out. I am tempted to do one for each season, since this one would work well for summer. I could do bright and vibrant colors for spring; reds, oranges and yellows for fall, and pale blues and purples for winter. We'll see if I have time for that......

Anyway, here is the finished design:

 Here are the closeups of the new stitches. First up, star stitch, in Weeks Dye Works "Ocean."

Next is the Rhodes Square, in Weeks Dye Works "Aqua." I like the effect the variegated thread gives to these stitches.

The next few stitches were completely new for me, and were very fun to learn. I think this is my favorite one, the Fancy Cross Stitch. It gives a lovely layered effect. This one was stitched in Weeks Dye Works "Cadet."

Next up, the Tied Windmill Stitch in Caron Waterlilies "Bermuda Reef." This one was a little tricky - first it's imperative to keep the threads in the long stitches completely smooth & straight, and then it's tough to find the holes for the tacking stitches. But I think the effect is very nice.

This one is the Leaf Stitch, in Crescent Colours "Jolly Holly." This stitch is basically a series of satin stitches in the shape of a leaf.

Finally, the last two things to be added were the creatures. An owl perches in the branches of the tree, and is made from a combination of straight stitch, cross stitch, and knit stitch, in DMC 840 and 842.

And a rabbit sits at the base of the tree, stitched in DMC white and made from oval and circular rhodes stitches, with some backstitching added.

Tree of Stitches

My newest project is Abi Gurden's Tree of Stitches. It's a beautiful design using different specialty stitches to form a tree. I am stitching on 32 count lugana from Picture This Plus in "Spice." I'm using various threads from my stash in blues and greens.

Here is what I have so far:

The tree trunk is just simple cross stitch, and it is done in Crescent Colours "La Tierra."

The first specialty stitch is the Smyrna Cross Stitch in Caron Waterlilies "Celadon."

Next up is my least favorite stitch ever: the French Knot. The pattern has some really good tips on how to make French Knots more even, but it was still difficult to position them all since they are so close together. I think the effect is quite nice, but I still prefer beads to knots! I stitched these in Crescent Colours "Key Largo."

Another stitch I have done before is the Eyelet Stitch, in Thread Gatherer Silk N Colors "Forest of Greens."

Next was the Rice Stitch, in Weeks Dye Works "Lagoon."

The Cushion Stitch is the first stitch I've never tried before, although it seems to be a variation on the Scotch Stitch, which I have done before. This one is stitched in Weeks Dye Works "Peacock." I love the way this stitch really looks like leaves on the tree.

Another new stitch for me is the Jerusalem Stitch. It's basically a Rice Stitch turned diagonally, but it has a much different look. I stitched this one in Thread Gatherer Silk N Colors "Mermaid Shimmer."

Next up is the Floral Stitch, which is basically a simple cross stitch surrounded by satin stitches. I stitched the petals in Thread Gatherer Silk N Colors "English Meadow," which is a beautifully variegated silk that flows from green and blue to pink and purple. I did the centers of the flowers in Crescent Colours "Cobbled Peach."

Last up for now is the Norwich Stitch, in Weeks Dye Works "Emerald." I really like the texture of this stitch.

Song of the Weather SAL - January & February

I've joined another stitch-a-long this year: Mabel Figworthy's Song of the Weather Hardanger SAL.
For this SAL, there is an option to stitch all the parts together in one piece, or to stitch each one separately. I have chosen to stitch each separately and make them into small cards or ornaments.

January's design featured no cutwork, but taught some basic Hardanger stitches, including Kloster Blocks, Satin Stitch, a Star Motif, a Tulip Motif, Colonial Knots, Lazy Daisy, and Herringbone Square.
I stitched on 25 count antique white Lugana, and used Caron Watercolours, Wildflowers, and Waterlilies in Blue Lavender and Ice. I also used DMC Perle #8 and #5 in White, and I added a strand of Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid in Pearl to the Kloster Blocks. Here is the finished design:

And here it is made into a card:

February's design featured some cutting, Kloster Blocks, Dove's Eyes, Woven Bars, and Bead Edging. I again stitched on 25 count antique white Lugana, and used Caron Watercolours in Orchid, Caron Wildflowers in Mulberry, DMC Perle #8, #5 and stranded cotton in White, and Mill Hill beads in Wild Plum. I finished the stitching, but have not made this one into a card yet. 

Around the World in 80 Stitches - Part 1 of 24

I'm starting this a little late, but I've just joined Papillon Creations' Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL project. This project has 24 parts, and uses different specialty stitches from all around the world in each part. I'm stitching on 32 count lugana from Silkweavers in Goldspinner, and using DMC threads, Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid, and Mill Hill beads. Here is the stash:

And here is my completed Part 1:

The first part of this project has cross stitch, back stitch, Berwick stitch, Norwich stitch, Lindisfarne stitch, Lazy Daisy stitch, and various versions of eyelet and ray stitches. Below are some close up shots of the special stitches.

The flowers are done in DMC 792 and are partial eyelet stitches, and the stems are DMC 988 and are Berwick stitches.

This is the Norwich stitch in DMC 3740, surrounded by partial ray stitches in Petite Treasure Braid PB54, and backstitching in DMC 3042.

Here is a Lazy Daisy in DMC 799, surrounded by partial eyelet and partial ray stitches in DMC 164.

In the second heart, the flowers are Scotch stitches in DMC 3727 and the stems are backstitched in DMC 988.

Here is the Lindisfarne stitch, which uses the Petite Treasure Braid for the middle, DMC 3747 for the petals, and DMC 793 for the outline.

 And finally Lazy Daisy stitches in DMC 225 surrounded by partial ray stitches in DMC 164.

 This has been very interesting to stitch so far, and I'm excited to learn the new stitches in the next part!

Needle Case Finished

I have finally finished the needle case that I was making for my sister. We actually decided to change the end product into a purse / bag, since my sister thought she would get more use out of it that way. Here are the final pictures!