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!

Midwinter Finished!

I have finally finished "Midwinter". I think I am going to enter this in the MD state fair this year in the counted thread embroidery competition.

I am excited about this finish, but wish the wind gusts showed up better in this picture - maybe I will try for another picture in the daylight.

Needle Case Update

In addition to the "Midwinter" and the Hummingbird project, I am still working on the needle case for my sister. It is coming along nicely, and I really like the colors. Here's a pic:

I'm almost finished the stitching, then it will be time to put everything together :)

Hummingbird Sparkly Garden

This is one of my most anticipated new projects - Hummingbird Sparkly Mandala Garden by Chatelaine Designs. I have been lurking around the Chatelaine site for about a year now, trying to decide which project to do, and I finally settled on the Hummingbird. It's a big decision since the materials are not cheap (this one cost me upwards of $200 for all the fabric, floss, beads, etc) and also because the designs are so large and intricate that this will be a huge time investment. I decided to stitch this on 32 count linen from Silkweavers in "Mississippi Blue". The design calls for silks from Gloriana, Caron, Dinky Dyes, and Thread Gatherer, and also calls for Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid in various colors, and numerous shades of beads and crystals by Mill Hill and Swarovski. So I finally assembled all my materials and made a start on the project, and here it is:

Midwinter Update

Here is an update on "Midwinter". Design is by monsterbubbles. I've been working on this off & on in between other projects since last summer, and it is almost complete (yay!). I just have the tree to finish and the border.