How time flies when you're stitching...

Well it's been a while since the last post...

Been busy stitching and searching myself in those last few months.
Did i find what i was looking for? Probably not, so let's skip to the point of this post: i've been stitchin a lot (in all honesty i'd spend every single moment with a needle in my hands and the beautiful threads... If only that would be possible). 

Let's now take a look at the progress made.

• Leo 

Finished on March, 8 2018. I'm so happy with the result and honestly it looks so much better in real life than it does in this photo.
*Pics of the framed piece to come (hopefully soon)!

• Last Minute project for Christmas 2017

I almost forgot to post this but better late than never, right?

It was fun stitching with three threads, as i already knew the feeling and the outcome it's not so bad with the 3D looks.
It was so much easier than stitching an HAED but I needed it.

• Night Moves

As I'm typig this post I'm prepared to do the #60daysofHAED challenge after partecipating in the #30daysofHAED hosted over Facebook.
The first challenge was easy, focusing one month on only one project it wasn't so hard in my opinion but with this new challenge (that starts April 24th) we will see... Maybe I can commit on stithing Night Moves on 60 days or maybe Spiders Queen will scream at me for attention (I negleted her since having completed the first page so long ago) after the first 30 days... Who knows what will happen?
Returning on the subject at hand: on Night Moves I've surpassed the halfway point and I'm very happy about how it's coming along.

See you soon,

Almost the end of 2016.

Hello!

How time flies sometimes! Stitch after stich and in a blink of  an eye... It's almost the end of December.

Let's start this wrap-up post with a last minute project.

Yes, this is a Christmas related project started at the end of the year. *yikes*
The photo is covered because it's a surprise, but in the next year I'll show you the result.
The floss isn't DMC, but for a kit it's not so bad. The final effect of this pattern is a 3D feeling as the directions tells you to use 3 strands of floss.


As for the other wips:

• Leo. 

This is where I've stopped in November, with a bit of the first lion's leg finally showing.

• Night Moves.
  Pages 1, 7 and 13 are done, for a total of 17760 tent stitches. 

For now that's all...
If only I could I would  stop to look (only for a short period of time) at the HAED patterns who are waiting to jump in my ever-growing wishlist.





I wish you may find happyness, health, love and many, many stitches (and progress with your favorite crafty hobbies) in the next year. 

Happy holidays!

See you soon,

Of finished challenge and birthday.

Hello stitchers!

In the last month (just some days after the last post i wrote) I've managed to finish the Facebook NEW HAED group second challenge.

This time the challenge was to complete an entire page with the "cross country" method, one colour at time.
I've tried to resist (well, not so much!) from starting another HAED pattern, but Night Moves was calling me... And when a particular chart calls you only have to listen.
So... Yeah, I've dismounted Leo from its frame and i've started the second wip.

This is the first of many "first times".

Night Moves is the first pattern I've worked with the tent stitches thecnique.
More specifically i've opted to try the "continental" tent.
Theright side is looking like this "////" and on the back the stitches aren't like this "||||" but a bit slanted.

Challenge finished.

This method prevents the fabric from distorting itself when stitching with tent stitches.

The other first thing is... The loop method for starting. It's easy to make and saves a good amount of time from having to reach back for bolcking the threads.
I'll add that this techinque is really fast. So fast indeed that I've completed the first page and the challenge in two weeks. (!)
50 colours in that short time frame was really something!


Another first time: the use of Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid pb10 (first thread i've brought from the USA). This thead is sparkly and it gives the pattern a nice "feeling".
Last of the first times: the parking method. I've tried it with six threads on Leo when it was still placed on the Q-snaps frame but with so many colours i've feared (stupid me!) to mess up in some ways, so i quickly gave up and stitched it like i've always done before, following no particular scheme or the 10x10 grid.

Oh yes! One last thing.

Last Wednesday was my birthady and though I didn't brought something stitchy related (yet) i've brought this cute necklace.

I had many reasons for this purchase. I've wanted this necklace from the first time i've saw it, years ago but through one thing or another I didn't get the chance to buy it before and soon it was out of order. From all this I laerned a lesson: if you want something don't wait too much or you could end up a bit sad.
But this year, with a graet deal of luck I had finally found a seller and quickly made the decision to buy the three stars necklace before it would be too late. Long story short: at the end the neckalce has traveled way more than me and showed up just a couple of days before my bithday.
Now I'm happy but something will make me happier.
Guess what? Another purchase of an HAED chart, since Leo and Night Moves, when they will be finished and framed will go to my mother... And I too want an HAED all for me.
The wishlist is ever growing, it's so, so so very difficoult to choose only one, but sooner or later I will make a final decision.

Ok, rant is over! If you managed to read this far: congratulations! I hope everyone will have an awesome week end, filled with happiness and many cross stitches!

Saturday, 16 April 2016

First post.

Here I am!
This is my first Blogger post.

My name is Irene and I'm from Italy.


Here you will mainly find the progress on my cross stitch projects.

Right now I'm working on HAED's Leo and Night Moves.

I fell in love with that site, there are so many charts of many many artist to chose from! The only downside to life, is that's so little time to stitch and sometimes it's hard to keep away from browsing through those beauties and not buy everything i have on my ever-growing wishlist.


Less talk now, i'll let some photos do the talk...

Leo

(450x570, 90 colours)

The artist that painted "Leo" is Josephine Wall and this chart is part of her collection of the Zodiac Signgs.

Total stitches count: 256500.

I've started working on Leo in the last days of November 2013, more specifically it was the 20th.
It's being stitched 1x1 full crosses on 25ct. white Lugana.

The firs 100+ crosses done.

From that day onward it was (and still is) a nice journey stitch after stitch.

Night Moves

(450x222, 90 colours)

Painted by Jim Warren.

Total stitches count: 99900.

 This pattern, brough along with Leo, was my choice of the 2016 challenge#2 over the NEW HAED Facebook group.
Stitched 2x1 tent (continental technique) stitches on 25ct. white Lugana.

I still haven't finished the challenge as i don't have three (shame on me!) colours.

Usually i follow the pattern and instructions carefully, but for this time i've chose to forego the use of Kreinik floss and instead i've decided to stitch the sparkly bits with the white pearl pb10 also know as the #4 Petite Treasure Braid produced and sold by Rainbow Gallery.

I love how it captures the light showing off its many reflections and i have to find a way to show that in my future photos.

Challenge#2 progress so far:

25ct. white Lugana

Well, that's all for now. 

 See you soon,