Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Arnotts Embroidery
This is one of my ongoing Works In Progress... If you've ever attempted cross stitch embroidery, then you'll understand the amount of time which goes into a project. Hours and hours and hours of work will result in one small section being completed.
It's one of those odd hobbies, which requires a huge amount of concentration but is actually quite mindless.
I say that it's mindless, because it doesn't really require much by way of decision making. You work from a chart which marks every single stitch and tells you which colours to use where. You don't choose the colours, the stitches or the image - it's all done for you.
I guess that the concentration part comes in to play when you have to put all those little stitches in the right place! Because one wrong stitch can really mess you up. Especially if you don't realise at the time...
It's also kind of hard on the eyes to work on black cloth. I've learned that the hard way... although if you cover your lap with a white pillowcase while you work, then the white can be seen through the holes in the cloth, making it easier to identify where each stitch needs to go. I wish I had discovered that tip at the beginning of the project.
My goal has been to finish this project before the end of 2013...
I've been working at it for about seven hours each week, for the last six months!
Here's a progress shot of where I was up to the last time I shared this with you, back in May...
And here's where it stands now.
So although it feels like a never ending task - you can see I am getting there!
SLOWLY.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
It's not always about the crochet...
It's not always about the crochet...
But I do like to be working on some kind of a Crafty Endeavour!
Sometimes I like to embroider instead:
But I do like to be working on some kind of a Crafty Endeavour!
Sometimes I like to embroider instead:
Of course it's VERY slow and time consuming...
If you haven't seen cross-stitch embroidery before, it's exactly what you would imagine it to be.
You stitch one little cross after another, after another...
I'll be happy if I can finish this off before the end of the year.
But while I was working on it earlier today, I thought "Hmmmmmmm...."
Remember the Australian Quilt I was talking about making?
I think I know what my first Aussie "square" will be:
And then maybe the Skipping Girl.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
and now for the scraps...
If you have ever worked an embroidery from a kit before, then you will know that there are loads of threads left over when you finish. They've all been precut into lengths, so there's a limit to what you can use them for.
I used to keep them for any time I wanted to work up a small cross stitch, or to add embroidery details to another project. But not any more! I discovered how much fun it is to crochet with them...

So, I've collected all the leftover strands from my kit, and joined them together with knots. The only down side is that you need to use a fairly small hook... like the 1.25mm pictured here.
And what will I make with it???
Well...
Last time I used the scraps to make this little Easter surprise. I just kept all of those knots to the inside of my work, and you wouldn't even know they are there.

Of course, I don't really need another Easter chick...
What's need got to do with it??? I hear you asking
Well, it WILL need to be something small. Two reasons - firstly, there's not THAT much thread here; and secondly, nedd I remind you I will be using a 1.25mm hook???
So maybe a camera pouch, or a case for my sunnies? Not sure just yet. I'll have a play around and see what comes to life.
I used to keep them for any time I wanted to work up a small cross stitch, or to add embroidery details to another project. But not any more! I discovered how much fun it is to crochet with them...
So, I've collected all the leftover strands from my kit, and joined them together with knots. The only down side is that you need to use a fairly small hook... like the 1.25mm pictured here.
And what will I make with it???
Well...
Last time I used the scraps to make this little Easter surprise. I just kept all of those knots to the inside of my work, and you wouldn't even know they are there.
Of course, I don't really need another Easter chick...
What's need got to do with it??? I hear you asking
Well, it WILL need to be something small. Two reasons - firstly, there's not THAT much thread here; and secondly, nedd I remind you I will be using a 1.25mm hook???
So maybe a camera pouch, or a case for my sunnies? Not sure just yet. I'll have a play around and see what comes to life.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
finished stitching
Well... the goal was to finish this by Christmas 2009...
a goal that I didn't QUITE meet - but I did FINISH - and that's the main thing!
Now that it's done, I will need to give it a gentle wash to remove any dirty marks and oils from my grubby little fingers... and then it's off to the framing shop.
The framing is always a really expensive process, and I've often thought that I should just learn to do it myself. But the results are so professional looking, that I've finally given in to just paying the price. Given the hundreds of hours (could it even be thousands of hours???) that I put into each embroidery, it's just not worth taking the risk.
If you're a local, and looking for a framer here in Sunbury... I can absolutely recommend the 'Art House Picture Framing and Gallery' here in town. The ladies there have such a keen eye for detail, and really focus on bringing your artwork to life - rather than just sticking with the latest trends, or the obvious choice. I've been using them for years and years, and would be reluctant to go anywhere else.
Monday, December 7, 2009
plodding along with the cross stitch
I'm very, very good at losing things...
Well - maybe not losing as such - but definitely MISPLACING!
I MISPLACED my cross stitch project. You might remember I was talking about it in this post here. I was determined to get it finished before Christmas, and was working on it at every opportunity... but then one day... without warning... it just DISAPPEARED!
It's not as though I didn't look for it. I kept getting these fabulous ideas about where it might be - like UNDER the passenger seat of the car - or in the ironing basket... but no matter where I searched, I couldn't find it.
Then, just the other day, I wanted to work on some card-making. So I grabbed the bag of goodies... opened it up... AND THERE WAS MY CROSS STITCH!!!
No idea how... or why... or when...
But so glad that I have found it!
Not sure that I have any chance of finishing it before Christmas. Although it would be nice to complete it over the summer holidays.
So, here is my progress so far:
and you can click here to see where I was at the last time I showed you
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
s.a.b.l.e.
Are you familiar with the acronym S.A.B.L.E.?
It's one of my favourites... as it's so descriptive... and most of us can totally relate to it...
Stash
Acquisition
Beyond
Life
Expectancy
Does that sound familiar to you? Have you acquired more crafting materials than you could ever expect to use in your lifetime? Or perhaps you know someone who has?
(hello Daphne)
I was looking through my embroidery case the other day, when I came to the frightening realisation... that even if I spent an hour embroidering every day, for the rest of my life... I CAN'T IMAGINE I WILL EVER MANAGE TO FINISH ALL THE EMBROIDERY PROJECTS I HAVE STARTED!
I'm not being melodramatic about this. Anyone who has ever dabbled in cross-stitch embroidery knows that it is painstakingly slow work. Sure, the results are fabulous... it just takes forever to get there.

I worked on this piece over a period of ten years!
Admittedly, it was an on again/off again project... but still... I don't need to tell you that ten years is a damn long time...
Reading through your comments from my last post, I had to agree with Misha. My style is usually simple and speedy. I love items which come together quickly, so that I don't get the chance to become bored with them. It's very surprising, especially to me, that I have gone back to my embroidery. Perhaps Stances & Stitches is on the right track when she suggests that with all the stress going on, I needed to find a place of calm... and the simple, slow rhythm of embroidery provided me with the 'centring' that I was craving.
Or maybe I'm just fickle, and I got bored with my yarns...

Anyway, here's a shot of some of those projects. It's a bit hard to see much detail because of the reflection from he plastic bags. I keep them in a vintage hat box which my father bought me for my birthday a few years back. Definitely one of my favourite gifts ever...


As for my current embroidery? My aim is to finish by the end of the year. Then I will probably have it professionally framed. The other option is to make it into a cushion cover, but I worry about how grubby it might get at my place... Might just be best to put it safely behind glass.
It's one of my favourites... as it's so descriptive... and most of us can totally relate to it...
Stash
Acquisition
Beyond
Life
Expectancy
Does that sound familiar to you? Have you acquired more crafting materials than you could ever expect to use in your lifetime? Or perhaps you know someone who has?
(hello Daphne)
I was looking through my embroidery case the other day, when I came to the frightening realisation... that even if I spent an hour embroidering every day, for the rest of my life... I CAN'T IMAGINE I WILL EVER MANAGE TO FINISH ALL THE EMBROIDERY PROJECTS I HAVE STARTED!
I'm not being melodramatic about this. Anyone who has ever dabbled in cross-stitch embroidery knows that it is painstakingly slow work. Sure, the results are fabulous... it just takes forever to get there.
I worked on this piece over a period of ten years!
Admittedly, it was an on again/off again project... but still... I don't need to tell you that ten years is a damn long time...
Reading through your comments from my last post, I had to agree with Misha. My style is usually simple and speedy. I love items which come together quickly, so that I don't get the chance to become bored with them. It's very surprising, especially to me, that I have gone back to my embroidery. Perhaps Stances & Stitches is on the right track when she suggests that with all the stress going on, I needed to find a place of calm... and the simple, slow rhythm of embroidery provided me with the 'centring' that I was craving.
Or maybe I'm just fickle, and I got bored with my yarns...
Anyway, here's a shot of some of those projects. It's a bit hard to see much detail because of the reflection from he plastic bags. I keep them in a vintage hat box which my father bought me for my birthday a few years back. Definitely one of my favourite gifts ever...
As for my current embroidery? My aim is to finish by the end of the year. Then I will probably have it professionally framed. The other option is to make it into a cushion cover, but I worry about how grubby it might get at my place... Might just be best to put it safely behind glass.
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