Shame Faced

Oh, goodness gracious! I forgot Mary Agnes's version of Be True. How could I? (I saved this one in a different file from the others. D'oh!) I think someone is going to have to revoke the challenge from me.

Keep the applause coming!

And if I lost your photo by filing it in still yet another folder, please tell me!

Challenged Challenge

This post has been delayed for all sorts of reasons, but I'm blaming the camera. That technology is so 2000. 

Last April, I announced another stitching challenge. 

Unlike in past years, I totally forgot to remind you about it. Then I forgot about it all together. About two and a half months ago, I got a photo in the mail from Monica, the Hoopless Stitcher…(which I always misread as the Hopeless Stitcher, but really she's not!) She stitched Paulette’s pattern and finished it as a threadkeep. I sent her a little return message to let her know it came though, and then I thought I should perhaps look up the deadline for this thing. (Which I just did now.) 

Then I got another one in the mail from Jo at Serendipitous Stitcher as a birthday present! With a card and everything. So that was like a month ago now. I’m blaming the silent auction coupled with the new job for preventing me from sharing this fabulousness with you. Thanks, Jo, it is ghetto-fabulous! (Actually it's just fabulous.) I love how she undermined the original by adding the tattoo. 

Backing fabric and little charmer.

You know who else stitched this? Riona over at Oubliette. 

I feel so badly about dropping this ball from such a great height, I feel moved to send a little surprise to everyone who actually stitched this. So Monica, Jo, and Riona, please send me your snail mail addresses.

I hope you enjoyed all the beautiful examples people made. Let's give them a round of applause.

Challenge

Every two years--well in the past five years, anyway--I host a little stitching challenge. The first year, I linked to a little project and several of you stitched it up. Some people finished it, some people just stitched it. Then two years ago, I suggested a starting point--a Workbasket flower--and a la Blackbird Designs you were going to use it in a bigger design. Alma came; she gave out prizes; it was huge! (Okay it was really pretty small, but fun!)

It's time again. Here's the challenge. To Thine Own Self Be True (and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. But it's Polonius. He's a boob. We're not really supposed to believe him, no matter what Sister Judith said when she was making me memorize stuff.)

So, go get Paulette Stewart's design--here--and make it your own! Let's see what you can do by October 10th. (That's six months. You can stitch this in six months. But don't put it off. You don't want to forget!)

And the Winner Is...

Number four
Joy of Counting Bits of Joy! Yay, you! Yaaaaay you.

Second prize goes to Number 3

Stitched by Pam of Stitching Between the Lines

Yay!

Congratulations to all!

But remember, everyone's a winner. Please be sure to send me your addresses so I know where to send the prizes.

Edited: I've been asked to reveal the contestants. And your stitchers are...
Contestant number one: Mouse of Tales of a Stitching Mouse
Contestant number two: Carolyn (I don't know her blog)
Contestant number five: Jenna of Tale of a Shooting Star
Contestant number six: Erin of Fairy Tales & French Knots

Two Weeks!

Photos of finished pieces have started trickling in. Where's yours? You're done, right? Just waiting to send your photos, huh?

Time Challenged

How's that challenge piece coming along? One more month!

Challenger

Thank you all for your kind wishes for our anniversary. Let me tell you, it's been pretty easy (for me any way, LOL). I guess the secret is picking the right person. Simple enough, right? And now for something completely different...

How are you doing on the challenge? Two more months...better get started!

Challenge

How's it coming?

How About Another Challenge?

Two years ago, I hosted a stitching challenge. I directed you to a freebie, and you all chose fabric and colors and stitched it up and went head to head with your sister stitchers. How about we do it again? This time, the game's a little different.

Remember last summer when Barb and Alma gave us the design Sweet Home Alabama? They based their design on The Workbasket's freebie "Pink Flower" (which is why the flower doesn't show up on their chart).

Here's your challenge: starting from Workbasket's Pink Flower, create your own souvenir sampler of a place you love or have visited recently.

Don't think you're artsy enough? Stitch the Blackbird version (pdf) using your own colorway.

Don't have enough time? Just do Pink Flower. Again, choose your own colors.

Obviously we will have three categories of competition this year. Unlike our last challenge, the finished-finished will go toe-to-toe against the stitched-but-not-finished projects. And unlike our last challenge, I'll provide small prizes to the winners in each category. How about a $10 gift certificate to each winner, as voted by loyal readers?


If you didn't play last time, here are the rules: You stitch up your version and send a photo to me. Don't post it to your blog*, we want to keep these anonymous! I'll post the versions here and everyone will vote. Due September 15. That gives you a few months.


*If you don't blog, you can still play!

Swirlygig Challenge

Are you ready? I am sure I don't have to tell you that stitchers are very creative and talented people! You are going to have a very difficult decision. I want to thank everyone who took the time to enter the challenge. As they used to say on After School Specials in the 70s, you're all winners!

Indeed, how to choose the winners: e-mail me your vote by September 27 to annavsxs AT gmail. As you will see if you scroll down, there are two simultaneous contests: one for those who finish-finished the piece henceforth known as the winner of the Inaugural Stitch Bitch Challenge and the First Annual Anna van Schurman Queen of the Fuffies prize for the person who couldn't/didn't do the finishing. It sounds great but don't be fooled, it's a runner up. At any rate, you should make sure to label which contest you are voting in--you can vote for both in the same e-mail.

Click to make the pictures bigger--see those floss colors, examine the finishing, look at those beads!

You are welcome to comment on the pieces in the comments, however, pretend you were raised well and know how to be polite.

Number One

Number Two

Number Two, alternate view

Number Three

Number Four

Number 4, back

Number Five

Number Six

Number Six, holding iPod

Number Seven

Number Eight

Number Nine

Number Nine, back

Number 10

Number Eleven
Number Eleven, back

Number Twelve

Number Twelve, back

Number Thirteen

Number Thirteen, back (awkwardly cropped by me to cut out identifying initials)

Swirlygig Challenge, FUFO Entries

Here are the girls after me own heart. Completed the stitching but didn't leave enough time (or just couldn't be arsed) to finish-finish the projects. Competing for the First Annual Anna Van Schurman Queen of the Fuffies Award. For best viewing, click to embiggen the photos.

Number One

Number Two

Number Three
Number Four

Number 5

To vote, send me an e-mail by September 27th at annavsxs AT gmail with the number of your favorite entries. Be sure to label your vote "FUFO" to distinguish it from the other entries. You are welcome to discuss the entries in the comments, but please remember that not everyone wants your helpful input. That is, constructive criticism is probably unwarranted: be nice.

Just One Month

If you are interested in a new type of challenge for cross-stitch, you have just one month to send me a photo of your stitched piece (due 9/16/09).

Find the Swirlygig pattern here. Oh sure there are floss and fabric recommendations, but I want you to strut your stuff! Choose your own!

Challenge Revisited

Remember that time I suggested we have a stitching challenge? I think it was about a year ago... We'd all take the same freebie and substitute flosses and fibers and use a variety of finishing techniques. Then I found a pattern, but since it wasn't online anymore and I couldn't get the designer to return my e-mails, it just seemed like too much work. Well...

I've found the pattern. Small and straightforward. You can really do something with this.

Bent Creek Swirlygig (This pattern is not hosted on the designer's website, but the creator of this website does have the designer's permission to post these patterns.)

You stitch up your version, and send a photo (or two) to me. Don't post it to your blog, we want to keep these anonymous! I'll post the versions here and everyone will vote.

Let's say entries must be received by September 16th. We'll judge based on overall appearance, color, and material combination--it would be too hard to judge stitch quality from photographs.

Sound good? Get stitching!

More on the Challenge

I have written twice to Tracy Riffle, the designer of the pattern I had hoped to use for the challenge, and I have heard nothing from her. So I am going to keep looking for something else we can use. At any rate, we have to wait until I'm stitching again.

Which may be sooner than I think. I had the big bandage removed today. Now I have a bandaid on the stitches on the side of my hand and a little turban on my middle finger. The ugly bruise on my palm where they shot me up with novocaine is laid bare. I might see how a little stitching goes tonight. But first I had to walk to the library. And it's a much longer walk than I thought; 3.4 miles according to google maps. A book I requested was in and our car has a flat tire which we discovered when we fired up the Civic last night.

Yeah, yesterday was the day of suck. (Or shitty island, because the dude is reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.) Besides the flat, we were late picking up the CSA--according to the guy whose house we had to go to. (All my e-mails said 7:00 pm, but you don't want to piss off the volunteers). It was raining, okay pouring. And we discovered the flat as we pulled out of the driveway to go get the vegetables. We had to walk. I also had to skip the annual meeting of my alumnae club since there's just the one car. And after two blissful and productive days of working from home, I went to work in the office which is rapidly losing its appeal. I think I'm working for Machiavelli, and even my temperate mother-in-law thinks it's a farce.

Challenge Pattern Challenge

Grrr. I flipped through my freebies, and I though I found the perfect pattern. Lots of possibilities for modification and personalization. Then I went online to find it only to see that the designer's website has expired!

If anyone can find "Live Simply" by Hands to Work or something like it let me know.

Edited: That was poorly worded. I have a paper copy of this pattern, but I wanted to find a place online where the pattern was still available. That way, I could just direct everyone to the pattern. I have since been given the designer's e-mail and a link to her blog, and I've written for her permission to e-mail the pattern to those who wish to participate in the challenge, but do not already have a copy. I'll let you know how that goes.

Craft Corner

Last night I went to the public library's "craft corner." The woman in charge called me the wrong name almost the whole night. I kept repeating my name, but she wasn't getting it. I really have to come up with a polite way of correcting people. Anyway, she finally asked me for my e-mail address, and when she saw it written, she started using the right one. Two librarians, two friends, and I were the only ones in attendance. The two friends were the kind of people that go to a public stitch in and then just talk to each other. Nice. Good thing you left the comfort of your own home. They only stayed for an hour. The librarians were super friendly, so I think I'll go back next week.

We got on the topic of this local yarn store that closed, and one woman said she didn't carry things that were that different from AC Moore. I cannot confirm since I never went to the store, though I meant to. Then they were talking about the bead store and saying they hoped she survived. The woman who said the Technicolor Sheep was like AC Moore said she had been in to the bead store but hadn't bought anything. I told them about the classes I took, and said they had a lot of stuff that you can't get at the craft stores. Which is totally true. It's just more expensive, and I suspect that that is really the underlying reason that these people think that the big box craft stores are good enough. But I am here to shed light not to condemn! Next week, I think I'll bring my beading projects to see if I can get them interested in actually shopping there. I also turned the younger facebooking librarian on to ravelry. It's just one good deed after another.

I ran out of Harvest Basket for my aunt's gift, but I do have some on the way from Jenna so I should finish up soon. I found some fabulous flannel for a pillow finish, but I was thinking I wanted to make a ruffle on the pillow. Then I thought I might use five fabrics (four different ones around the pattern and a fifth for the ruffle) so I've got to get more fabric for finishing it. This may be put off until June (my parents arrive for ten days 4/30 and my MIL for 14 days on 5/16).

I've substituted Curly Q Ewe for my travel project. But people I have just realized that my birthday exchange is rapidly approaching. Yikes! Gotta get on that! (Well, I've been buying things for it, now I've got to get to making things for it.)

---

Challenge
It looks like we have critical mass for the challenge. I'll start looking around for freebie patterns--if you have any ideas, just point me toward them. And I'm thinking about the prize thing. I'm a little wary of collecting money from people, and I thought it might be nice to have prizes for the top three...but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

Challenge

Here's an idea I've been kicking around for a while. It came up again a few weeks ago when I saw a woman mailing her quilt to Keepsake Quilting for their challenge. In a quilting challenge, quilters get some number of fabrics from which they can make a design of their choosing. The rules state they have to use a minimum number of the fabrics supplied, and they can only supplement with a certain number of additional fabrics. You can't quite work this way with cross-stitch, but you could have a common pattern that people stitched allowing them to choose fabric, floss, and finishing method.

How about a cross-stitchers' challenge? We could do it for fun to see all the different ways the pattern got stitched, or we could do it for prizes.

If the latter, we need to find judges and make rules. And the prizes, we'd need to come up with prizes. People could send in a photo of their finish and I could post them anonymously and put it to a vote, letting the visitors make the choice. Of course, people would have to be on their honor to make their entry anonymous.

So, would you be interested in participating in something like this? We could work on a timeline of a couple of months and make it a pretty small (free) pattern so it won't interfere too much with your already busy stitching schedule.