Finished!

The stockings for my sister's family arrived home from the finisher today! I couldn't wait to share them with you. But first I had to take a nap. (I am so old and tired and the dog woke me up early and then has been a pain in the bum. We went on a hike and she's still been in and out, in and out, because she is bored and at loose ends and still can't go to daycare because she is coughing. St Francis help us, amen.)

 I sent them to our friend Faye. And she did a great job! I love that they have miniwale corduroy backing--matches the ones I did for my cousin. And the colors she chose are perfect matches. I feel so relieved! Let's imagine I tried to do this myself...first getting myself to the store for fabric. Going to every store in the greater Philadelphia area to get matches. Then clearing off enough of the sewing table to cut and sew and then the piping. I could have gone nuts.

Instead, now they are done. Done and beautiful and I am so so very happy!

WIP: More Stockings

I had been in a MWF blogging groove and somehow I've fallen down. I am looking at my calendar but I don't see anything that is obviously eating up my time... I have been stitching, however. And enjoying it--thinking about the girls and the Chrsitmasses they will have with these stockings.

They are walking as a matter of course now. And eating food the rest of us are eating. And they love being read to; you could read to them for hours. They're getting more exciting, almost like real people. {wink}

I have finished all of Charland's Stocking that I can without the artichoke thread I am awaiting.

So I picked up Sadie's Stocking. And then took a really crappy photo!

Oh, and I decided Special K is getting Charland's Stocking. She didn't have any hair when she was born and that angel looks bald. And we all remember that Sugar Rea had tons of dark brown hair, just like Sadie's angel. (If you don't remember, click on the "babies" label.) So that all worked itself out as I knew it would.

Thanks for stopping by!

WIP Wednesday

I continue to work on Charland's stocking. While watching the US Open, I've been concentrating on the little village on the bottom of the stocking. I have completed what I can of this section--I am waiting for the thread I ordered to come in. In the meantime, I've been filling in the dress. Getting close! With luck, you won't have to suffer through this stocking much longer. (The bad news is it will just be replaced by another!)

WIP: Charland's Stocking

I'm continuing work on Charland's Stocking from Shepherd's Bush. I love how quickly these go when you put your mind to it.

And when you have a sick day and a half. (Don't worry about me, just a little low level nausea.) Things really charge along when you don't have eight hours of work interrupting! So jealous of all the retirees. Eighteen more years.

Stitching on Mesh

I had a lot of questions about stitching on mesh so I thought you might like to read an answer here rather than searching the comments for hints.

How was stitching on the mesh? and How did you like working on the mesh and would you do it again? I regularly stitch on linen and paper, and I'd have to say the mesh is somewhere in between--the the flexibility of the fabric mixed with the rigidity of the paper, but without the capacity to tear. I had to pull a little tighter to get the stitches to lay nicely. And even still, don't look too closely because some of my stitches are kind of yuck. 

This is the second of the "Fresh Mesh" designs I've done, so yes, I'd do it again! (Plus there's a really cute sunglasses pattern in this series, and I'd like to make myself a glasses pouch someday.)

Is the little tote already finish finished? Yes. It is Walker brand, and you can find them here. This was the "Nylon Mesh," but I'm pretty sure that Heather Holland Daly used the "Color Mesh" bags in Stitch Graffiti. I would say that stitching on a prefinished piece is the hardest part about stitching these projects. You've got to try to avoid hooking the zipper pull or stitching through the back. I found stitching upside down helped a lot.

Funny story: someone saw me stitching upside down and said, "I'd have to turn the pattern upside down too." I had to show her that I had. What am I some kind of spacial genius? (No, not at all.)

Did you stitch it with perle cotton or several strands of floss? Three strands of floss, but I might have done four. One of the reasons I didn't is it's stitched in overdyeds, and you cannot really mix the two threads that are leftover with the other two threads from the next section of the floss. Muddies the colors. But if I were stitching with regular old DMC I would have done four. And perle cotton, why didn't I think of that!? That might have solved it all.

Should I broaden my horizons and stray from linen?? The answer from me is always going to be YES!

As I've continued stitching on the SB Stocking (Charland) I've come to realize that I didn't buy all the threads for these stockings. I guess I know where I'll be this Saturday.

Shepherd's Bush: Charland's Stocking

First, thanks for your wonderful response to the Chart Title Meme. I do hope I'll see it on some of your blogs in the future. Let me know if you decide to participate!

I'm not sure which niece is getting which stocking but I had a chance to pick up a needle and work on Charland's Stocking again. I love the purples in this one, and the funky flower (which is similar to the funky flower on the Wisteria Snowman). You can see where I was when I last stitched on this one here.

Days 9 & 10

Friday night, as planned, we went to see the Psychedelic Furs. I didn't realize how 80s that was until I told my (younger) boss about it and she had no idea who they were. Fortunately, I just had to say "Pretty in Pink." Anyway, it was one of those things that was a little fun and a little sad and a little scary. It's the first concert we've been to in a long time where we are among the younger (looking, anyway) people in the crowd. The band was all dressed up like they'd just shot out of the 80s, including the hair.

So I just got a few stitches in on Shepherd's Bush Wisteria Snowman.

On Saturday, I turned my attention to the first of the Shepherd's Bush stockings I hope to finish this year. This is Charland's Stocking. I'm not sure which niece this one will be for, but I think it will come to me before I have to put the name on!

Sunday was more Shepherd's Bush. It's was a whole Shepherd's Bush weekend!