Bringing Evertyhing Up to Date

As I was searching for proof of last year's Xmas stockings for the grandkids, I could not find the photos I took of Elliott and Grady's stocking. Elliott and Grady are Nikki's children and Nikki is Ellen's child. Ellen is my 1st cousin, 1 of 5, and daughter of my mother's brother, Uncle Bob. Suffice it to say, I used Grady and Elliott as an excuse to make the Brittercup Xmas stockings. Well, that and I wanted them to have Xmas stockings too since I was on a roll. I just found the photos.

I do love the simplicity and color of Brittercup's designs and I wish they would make more and different patterns. I have been stitching, but not posting. I know. Bad Jackie. I did post the photos of finished work elsewhere, just not here. It seemed a bit too much fuss for the results, which is posting in yet another blog. I won't tell you how many of those I have. I also link to a bunch of different search engines and websites so I get the news out (in case anyone care or is paying attention) to as many of the sites where people might actually visit. At least there is an app for that and I use it all the time. Saves me having to juggle HTML and all the other blog features to get it right. I will show a few of the latest projects in the current state. Celtic Summer by Lavender & Lace took me the most time because of the hundreds of beads that had to be applied. Still, it did turn out to be lovely.

I am quite naturally proud of the work - and that I finished the whole thing. A close up is in order.

And now for a closeup of the bottom. I don't know which part (top or bottom) has the most beads. They are everywhere.

Of course, now I will have to do the other four pieces in the set: Autumn, Spring, Winter, and Christmas. I have all the patterns now and most of the beads and fabric, but I still need to get some thread to go with the Rainbow petite braid I bought a few months ago. This one is my favorite current projects, The Japanese Maiden. It is proving to be much bigger than I first thought when I saw it online and in the picture on the package, but still lovely.

I need to get out the camera and show how much more I've finished. I have the bottom quarter done and am working on the top left quarter as of yesterday. I took some time off from Celtic Summer to work on a quick project for a very good friend, a birthday present. Getting the stitching done was a breeze, although I need to work on the heart. It's a new technique for me and I think the right side is a little off. What made the gift late for her birthday was getting the frame; that took much longer. It did turn out lovely, but I didn't get a picture. I have to do better with that in the future -- taking pictures, I mean.

I did a couple more projects from the Adventure Box I bought from The Stitchery. You don't get a choice of what goes into the package and the theme is strictly up to the company. I got a lot of cats. These kittens were just adorable and not too difficult to get right -- once I bought some erasable highlighters and used them on the chart. The highlighter made everything so much easier.

In keeping with the cat theme, the cougar was a bit more challenging. I got off (before I bought the highlighter) and was afraid I'd have to rip out a huge section, so I moved on to another part of the pattern and worked from there. I found out I wasn't so far off and only had to remove and redo a few stitches. I think it turned out quite lovely, although I didn't take a picture of the completed project. This photo is when it was nearly done. Since I still have it, I'll photograph it and add it later, maybe even after I have it framed and ready to send to its new owner. I do think cross stitch makes lovely gifts and you couldn't buy them already made because of the hours of time that go into a good sized project. The cost would be prohibitive. No matter how beautiful the stocking, I doubt many people could afford - or would - pay $250 per stocking, and that is still getting off on the cheap side.

I decided last year that my now 14-year-old grandson Jordan was too mature for a stocking. I was wrong. He wants a Xmas stocking too, and so I am finishing his stocking. I'm much farther along (again, no photos yet) than this picture shows. It's a beautiful piece, but there is a lot of work involved and it is much more complex than the average once a month stitcher -- or even an every day or week stitcher -- usually works on. The highlighters came in handy on this one as well. There are half stitches, blended stitches, fold filament that is pretty stiff, and beads to attach when all the stitching is done. It will be beautiful but it did give me some difficult moments, which is why I've worked on other projects in between. I've found that is the best way to keep from throwing everything in the bin and turning the air blue with cursing.

Here is a picture of the whole stocking. No, I do not use stretcher bars or embroidery hoops. I've found I can keep things in shape by simply rolling the fabric up -- or with Aida, folding the fabric -- from the side and getting my hands in there. No, that has nothing to do with the complexity of the pattern. My finished pieces aren't stretched out or misshapen, but I doubt it's something that every stitcher should consider. It works for me.

Well, that brings almost everything up to date, except for one last little piece, another quickie, that I still need to outline. I think I'll put this one in the lid of a Sudberry House keepsake box. It would look lovely that way. I only wish there was one with shells around the box to go with the sea theme.

Well, that brings me up to date -- mostly. I hope you have enjoyed the show. That is all. Disperse.

And happy stitching.

Marking

Since I have an e-reader, a Kindle specifically, I don't need to mark my books. Kindle saves my place automatically.

I usually use the book flap or whatever PR material the agent or publisher send with review books. Then I bought one of the fun adventure boxes from The Stitchery and it contained a kit for bookmarks. I had to make them if only to bone up my rusty stitching skills.

The first bookmark took a bit of time -- and a bit of ripping out and redoing -- but I got the hang of things and the second one went very quickly, which was what I wanted -- fast and easy. Cats and books. It turned out pretty good.

Cats and books

I made a couple of changes because I do that with whatever project I'm working on to make it mine, and it has my signature year so I know when it was made. Not too bad for a fun adventure box piece.

I've also found that marking the pattern helps to keep my place, especially on B&W patterns, something I didn't have to do 20 years ago. I find it necessary these days with older eyes and bent synapses in the brain -- or whatever it is that causes me to lose my place.

I bought an erasable highlighting pen from 1-2-3 Stitch and that makes all the difference. It also makes the chart pretty with all the colors (yellow, green, pink, neon orange, and blue). I tried it out with the current project and erased some of what I had marked (hadn't done that part yet and got a bit ahead of myself) and it works. The color erases nearly completely so I can use the pattern again if I decide to do the project with my own floss. Talk about a handy tool. The Frixion pens from Pilot (always a solid name in the business, and pens I use all the time) are exactly what they are advertised to be -- highlighters that do erase.

 Buy one in each color and keep them on hand for projects. They are worth the price, $1.49 at 1-2-3 Stitch, and will come in handy as you get older or just want to make sure you're in the right place.

I seem to remember being much more competent and accurate 20 years ago. Who doesn't? It helps to know there are tools and products to help the slow decline of more than half a century of life -- and stitching -- to help old stitchers like me keep up with the times and keep our blood pressure and frustration levels down.

Keep stitching.

Equipment Talk: Twist-a-Light

Well, no progress to report on any new projects, although there are some. I'm just not unveiling them now. Today, I want to talk equipment, specifically task lighting.

I bought the Twist-a-Light from The Stitchery looking for something to add a dedicated light so I could stitch easier. I'm getting older and my eyes aren't as good as they were 20 years ago (whose are?) and thought the Twist-a-Light would be the perfect option. It wasn't.

The Twist-a-Light worked all right but went through a battery in about 36 hours, and that was only using it for about 3-4 hours of the 36. I thought there was something wrong -- more wrong than being an energy hog -- and I was right. I had put the light in the bag where I keep current projects and happened to look up one evening and there was a blue light shining in the bag. It was the Twist-a-Light. Not good. I thought I'd left the light on and that's why it was running through batteries so quickly -- even the Coppertop batteries I always buy. Not so. The light had a short in it.

I contacted The Stitchery and they sent me a free replacement; it took more than a week, but I did get it and tried it out. The light was great. Using both lights put a beacon right where I needed it, with a bit of adjusting, and the seeming short in one of the flexible arms turned out to be an anomaly, I hoped. It doesn't stay on when I turn the light off, but it still goes through batteries about one every 2-3 days. Not good.

The light is powerful, as long as the battery lasts, which isn't very long. It is a power hog even without the short. My suggestion is having a lot of rechargeable batteries available for this one. Regular batteries won't do.

The rubber tubing of the arms gets warm, as does the plastic battery cache, and can become a little uncomfortable, but not to the point of burning you if it rests on the skin.

My grade: C- 

The Twist-a-Light is a great idea but needs more work, especially with power and insulation. I'd suggest getting a dedicated light, possibly with a magnifying glass to shine on small weave fabrics, and plug it into an outlet. It's the safest and best way. Mobility is limited, but you won't spend a fortune going through Coppertops or Evereadys and won't have to invest in rechargeable batteries and charging stations.

The Twist-a-Light