More Stitching

I'm getting a bit slack with the blog but not so with the cross stitch!
I've been quite prolific over the past week or so, the second wing of the large fairy (Apple Blossom Fairies) is finished, and all the surrounding background half cross stitch around the bits I've already done (I know what I mean!), and am now onto the first leg. Its taking a long time but its fine, I'm still enjoying this one.

I decided to take it out of the hoop and stitch without one, because I don't like the way the hoop squashes the already done stitches. I might, in future, just use a hoop for the first bit of my projects before it needs to be moved around. Its not so bad stitching hoopless!

African Dawn finally finished

I finished African Dawn last Thursday. Hubby was nagging me to get it finished. I wasn't keen and was making all sorts of excuses the most plausible one being lack of light. I can't backstitch brown on brown in dingy light! So he went out and bought me a new lamp, one with an uplighter and a separate reading lamp on a bendy arm. It gives out lots of light so I was a good girl and got on with the dreaded backstitch. In the end, I didn't do it anything like it was on the chart, the lines were all over the place and it would have taken forever, so I improvised. Besides, I didn't like the look of the backstitch on the cover picture and think my version is just as good. I'm not usually one for bringing my own interpretation onto designs, I have little imagination and prefer to follow other people's creativity. I'm the same with face painting; I can perfectly adequatly copy a design from a book but when it comes to inventing something myself I wouldn't know where to start. Anyway, African Dawn is finally finished and what a relief! I'll post a picture as soon as I get around to it.

Now I'm back working on the Apple Blossom fairies. I've worked on it a lot over the weekend, finishing one wing of the large fairy(which was about half done), the dress, the arm, face and most of the hair (photo to follow soon). Working on this project is such a pleasant reprieve from doing horrible backstitch, there's a lot of pink and white on a blue background, the contrast makes it easy, and enjoyable.

Its very unusual for me to only have one WIP. I can't think of a time when I ever did before! I think I'll always be inclined to have more than one job on the go at once, and I don't doubt that as soon as I get to a less enjoyable part of Apple Blossom Fairies, eg. the backstitch or the dreaded french knots, I'll shelve it again in favour of something else. Time will tell.....

Another one finished

I finished the little Permin horse this morning. It is destined for the wall in my daughter's doll's house.

Iris Fairy finished

I finished the Iris Fairy yesterday. On the whole, I enjoyed doing this one. The only thing I'm not totally sure about is the face - I don't think I got it quite right, but am not sure if I was to unpick it and do it again it would look any better. I guess when the facial features are entirely made up of backstitch its difficult to get right.

I have done a little more on African Dawn but am really struggling with it. I really need good light to get this backstitch done, which there is a lack of just now. Dark brown on dark brown is no fun. This really is just an excuse but I'm really not enjoying it. It will be a major triumph when its finally done.

I've done a bit more on the Permin mini kit as well, its about half done now. I don't like this one very much either! But it isn't difficult.

My husband convinced me not to sell The Storyteller chart after all but to stitch it. I didn't take much convincing! I bought the fabric, beads and all the threads I don't already have from Sew and so last week. Its probably not the cheapest online shop but they had everything I wanted and it arrived the next day. The site provided me with a list of all the materials I needed for this project, rather than me having to manually enter them all myself, which was very helpful.

I also bought the fabric and speciality threads and beads for Fantasy Triptych. I couldn't get sew and so to produce a materials list for this one because its a discontinued design but I've probably got most of the colours I need for this one what with what I bought for the Storyteller.

I have no immediate plans to start on either of these two but who knows.....the materials are sitting temptingly on the desk in front of me.....!