Scenic Bridge Update - 5.12.14

As I mentioned in my last post, I joined an online SAL through Facebook that ran from Friday, 5/9/14 through Mother's Day on Sunday, 5/11/14.  I did make a little progress but wasn't able to stitch as much as I wanted to.  However, it was for a good reason as my husband's family came into town for the weekend and a local barbeque festival held on Saturday.  We had a great time over the weekend and it's always good to see my in-laws.  I'm lucky that way! :-)  On the down side though, I wasn't able to complete as much on Scenic Bridge as I had wanted.  The good news is that I believe there is another online SAL coming up very soon so I'll keep stitching away on this one.  You can see my progress in the photo below.  The top picture is my "Before" and the bottom is the "After" photo.

Progress as of 5.8.14 (top) and 5.11.14 (bottom)

Progress on Scenic Bridge

Over the past week I have been working on the Scenic Bridge.  This is the design that I am not really that fond of but that I believe my friend will love.  I'm trying to finish it for her birthday in August or at least by Christmas.  I think I've made pretty good progress on it thus far.  I've included a couple of photos below.  I snapped these in a hurry so they are not the best quality but it should give you an idea of what I was able to complete. 


Previous progress as of 4/26/14



Current progress as of 5/8/14

I joined an online SAL scheduled for this weekend (May 9th to May 11th) and I'm going to continue working on this piece.  I do have family coming in for the weekend so I'm not sure how much I will get completed but I can at least work on it at night.  We usually watch movies in the evenings so it's a perfect time to get some stitching in.  Wish me luck!

A Hardanger Wedding Gift

Hardanger embroidery, also called cut work, was named after a town in Norway called Hardanger.  It is a type of embroidery featured in local attire and is still seen today.  It is traditionally worked with white thread on white even-weave fabric.  For this reason, it is also commonly referred to as whitework embroidery.  Several years ago, I taught myself the basics of this beautiful art form.  I haven't completed any Hardanger projects in a while and when I found out that Kelley, a friend of mine at work is getting married in May, I decided to dust off my skills and put them to use.  I haven't known Kelley very long but we just seem to "click".  We have a lot in common, including a love of crafts and the fact that we attempt to do some gardening.  Notice I said "attempt". ;-)  Kelley is getting married in about three weeks and I have been working on a small Hardanger design for her as a gift.

I found out that her bridesmaids' dresses will be a shade of aqua blue and her flowers are going to be white.  I decided to use a variegated blue DMC No.5 Pearl Cotton thread to accent the Hardanger pattern and a piece of aqua blue silk fabric behind the finished design so that the color will show through the openings in the fabric.  The remaining threads and even-weave fabric color are white.  I have been having a little trouble finding just the right font for the names and wedding date but I'll be using DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss in a similar shade of blue once I decide on a selection. 

I'm almost finished with the design.  I really just have to focus on wrapping all of the bars and completing the lettering.  This pattern was found in "Hardanger Embroidery" by Jill Carter.  It's simply called "Pincushion" as it's one of the many projects outlined in the book.  I modified it just slightly to make it more of my own and to make sure I could complete the stitches.  I am a beginner after all and wanted to stick with the basics.  I also used 22-count fabric instead of the 28-count that the pattern called for to make the finished design just a bit larger.  I really hope that Kelley enjoys it once it is framed and ready to hang in their new home.  I'll keep you posted on my progress!  Happy Stitching! 

 

Smalls SAL - April 2014 Update



April's Smalls SAL

Today is my very first check-in with the Smalls SAL hosted by Stitching Lotus.  I joined earlier this month and had to work quickly to have a finished piece completed by check-in today.  I chose to do a small bargello design that I will use in a greeting card.  As you may or may not know, I have a small shop on Etsy.com called Calico Craft Designs.  I'm trying to decide whether or not to add a few handmade greeting cards to the shop.  If I do, I think I'm going to add this bargello design as either a thank you card or a birthday card.  Not sure just yet.  Any suggestions?

Bargello Example 1

Bargello Example 2

Oh, and just in case you're not familiar with bargello designs, I've added a brief description of this type of embroidery from good ol' Wikipedia.  I've also added three photos of bargello work I located through Google.  I do not own the right to these three photos and are only using them to represent this beautiful art form.  Per the Wikipedia website, "Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs.  The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello Palace in Florence, which have a 'flame stitch' pattern.  Traditionally, Bargello was stitched in wool on canvas.  Embroidery done this way is remarkably durable... Traditional designs are very colourful, and use many hues of one colour, which produces intricate shading effects.  The patterns are naturally geometric but can also resemble very stylized flowers or fruits." 

Bargello Example 3

Now, what I have completed as my Smalls SAL for April is not needlepoint embroidery but is bargello in cross-stitch.  I found this particular pattern sample through a web search in Google.  I really like it as it reminds me of a pattern you see in Moroccan design and Morocco is definitely a place that I would love to visit one day.  I adapted the design just slightly and chose my own colors.  It repeats the same pattern every three rows and could be used with 3, 6, or 9 colors.  I chose to use six colors in my finished piece.  I really enjoyed working on this piece and am looking forward to completing a few more in the future. 


My Bargello Design in Cross-Stitch

Has anyone else ever finished a bargello design in cross-stitch?  If so, I'd love to see some photos.

TUSAL Progress - April 2014 Update

Time for the next TUSAL posting!  My glass has a lot more ORTs in it than it has in previous months.  I've been able to devote more time to both cross-stitching and Hardanger.  Now, to be fair, this month's collection is not just for the month of April.  It does have a few older threads from February and March as well.  Not many, but a few.  I haven't participated in the TUSAL Challenge since late last year and so this is my first photo now that I'm off and running again!

This month I worked on a Hardanger piece for a friend who is getting married in May.  I'll post an update about it and add a few pictures later today.  I also worked on a couple of small designs that will be made into greeting cards.  I'll post about them later as well.

The next posting is due May 28, 2014.  If you're not sure what the heck a "TUSAL" or "ORT" is, be sure to check out the link to the TUSAL Challenge by clicking on the link on the main blog page.  Happy Stitching!!!