03.04.10

Another Finish – Candlewick Pillow!

Posted in Finished Projects at 11:46 am by deRomilly

The pillow in question

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have a phobia about REALLY finishing needlework. I’m working on it. But I’m always terrified (and it really is terror) that I’m going to ruin a piece of stitching that I’ve spent hours and hours working on. If it entails more than just lacing it to a back and sticking it in a frame, I freeze.

But I’m taking it gently. I have several pillow designs that I want to release this year. They’re going to include finishing instructions as well as the needlework design. (There, I said it!) So I’ve been trying to get myself to finish the pillows I have half finished around the studio so that I can do it.

I started with this candlewicking piece. I got the kit at a garage sale for about 25¢. The stitching was finished in about a week other than the three months I spent trying to find enough thread that matched for FOUR knots after I ran out. Candlewicking thread is NOT all the same. Ick. But I found it, finished the stitching three years ago and put it in my “Finished Objects to Finish box.” (As usual, click the photos to enlarge for more detail!)

The "scary" zipper... Not so scary after all!

Last week I dug out my Singer Sewing for the home book that my heart-sister the former interior stitcher recommended, teased the instructions out of three different areas in said book (not the best organized, but really good instruction!) and to paraphrase Nike, “just did it.” I’m pleased. I’m not completely happy with the zipper, which I wanted because we always have pets and cats like to bring up hairballs right where you don’t want them: In other words, the pillow cover NEEDS to be washable! But it’s more than serviceable. I’ve made a pillow form for the crazy quilted pillow I posted about ages ago, and now I just need to attack it with the black backing, black zipper and the same book. I figure by the time I get to the models, I’ll have enough stitched that I’m not QUITE so terrified any more.

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02.22.10

Dragon Banner – Finis!!!

Posted in Finished Projects at 2:53 pm by deRomilly

The full dragon banner. Has tab hangers at the top.

FINALLY!

My godson/pseudo-nephew turned 13 yesterday. In honor of the event, I made a point of finishing his dragon banner – that he still doesn’t know he’s got, since he spent the weekend at his father’s. After I post this, I shall be delivering it to him.

Dragon Detail

Remember the banner? This has been a LONG year for me. While I finished the stitching back in the summer, I still have a phobia of ruining my embroidery during my attempts to really finish things. So it took me until this weekend, when, in a fit of  “I feel much better after a week of being sick, thankyouverymuch” energy, I just went and DID it.  I’m proud of the results. The EO says if the kid doesn’t like it, he’ll take it himself.

Click the images for more detail!

Edited 2/26/10 to add – Well, when he opened it he hugged it to his chest and went dancing around the room with it, so I guess it’s a success!

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10.27.09

My not-quite-a-UFO pile – Acorn Sampler

Posted in Samplers at 6:47 pm by deRomilly

Also back in my not-quite-a-UFO pile, we find the Acorn Sampler kit from The Drawn Thread. This was a fun little piece to stitch, and I’d really like to hang it on my wall, so I should probably get around to finishing it and getting the hardware for it. It’s white and colored work and a variety of stitches throughout the band, including some pulled whitework. It came with the cutest little acorn charm for the bottom!

As usual, click for the full picture and details!

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07.31.09

My not-quite-a-UFO pile – Cats by Kelly

Posted in Stitching Genres at 3:08 pm by deRomilly

Working my way through my box… also on the “decorate a bathroom in my house” concept, there are three of the Kats by Kelly designs all stitched. These are actually stitched with the KbK signature in the corner, rather than my initials, because I feel Kelly’s signature is very much a part of the design, and they ARE her artwork.   I love these. In particular, Gone Fishin’ reminds me of my own baby Rhys, gone now for a bit over a year. I miss that cat.  He used to “fish” just like that on our dinner plates in college when we didn’t have a table to eat at. And if you called him on it, he would get this look like “What? Oh dear. How DID that paw get THERE?!” As if we didn’t know.

Yeah. Rhys. I miss him.

Click to see the entire image in a larger format.

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07.21.09

My not-quite-a-UFO pile

Posted in Stitching Genres at 7:37 pm by deRomilly

I have a box full of “half-finished” needlework. What I mean by “half-finished” may not be what you expect.

You see, what I mean is that the embroidery is finished, but the product isn’t. So.  Half-finished. You see, I hate prep work and “finishing” work with a passion. the prep work has to be done or I don’t get to stitch. but the finishing work — which entails either “real” sewing (and me terrified I’m going to ruin a piece I stitched and love) or more work similar to the prep work (for example, lacing to a board for framing),  or paying someone else to do these things is something I often don’t get around to doing. So, I have a box of unfinished finished objects in my studio that is getting close to overflowing, and none of my own work on the walls or chairs in my house.

Anyway, I noticed last week that the box was getting overly full, and something had to be done. So instead of tackling the main problem – the finishing work — I took photos of the work to share here over the course of the next few weeks. Yup. I’m still procrastinating about finishing them.

The first one is a piece that I did to hang in our bathroom, which is supposed to, in the long run, gain a Gothic Castle theme. There’s a shower curtain that is most definitely a UFO and will probably stay that way as well… I’m still considering whether to admit that I bit off more than I can chew with that one. I may go ahead and start a different one in a technique that’s more likely to actually get finished! LOL Click on the images for details.

Remember that I’m a horrible masochist when it comes to needlework. This is done in mostly satin and stem stitch… on cotton muslin, and measures about six or seven inches wide. When you look at the details — all of that satin stitch is done with one strand of DMC floss. I told you I was crazy…

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