this stocking just can't catch a break!

you guys.....

remember this stocking that ended up giving me a heart attack when i thought it was lost forever and then it was found?

well i was so overcome with joy and relief that i had it back, that i overlooked the fact that they monogrammed the wrong freakin' initials on it!

last i checked, my first name starts with a "K" and not an "R." grrrr.

but the silver lining of this story is that i had this finished and monogrammed long before i ended up getting divorced and changing my last initial back anyways, so it works out. 

the issue i face now is, where do i go to have the monogramming re-done without ruining the entire thing? i don't want to send it back to the same finisher, so i'm looking for any other options that will handle this with some extra tlc. 

can this be saved?

a deja vu finish

the stocking is officially ready to go to the finishers, with NO detours!

i decided to replace the beads with sundance sparkles to give it more of a garland vibe

it adds the dimensional quality to the stocking without taking attention away from the main lady. i actually considered just removing the sparkles and beads and leaving it completely empty, but the spacing looks weird. 

i'm BEYOND ready for this stocking to go away to the finisher and come back completed in time for christmas...

i found the silver lining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omg. omg. omg. OMG. OMG. OH. MY. GOSH. 

the lns found my stocking and ornament on saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

somehow the stocking and water meter ornament were in a separate box and were misplaced until saturday when they were moving some things around and presto! i cannot believe my good luck and have to thank all of you sweet friends and readers for your happy thoughts and prayers that you sent my way. i am SOOOOO relieved that i don't have to stitch this again yippee! 

instead of sending it off to be finished right away, i'm going to remove the bead garland at the bottom and do some experimenting with sundance sparkles instead. that was really the only area i was having second thoughts on. the water meter ornament will be sent to the finisher as is. 

i am so happy and so excited and so completely overcome with all human emotions. this has been a wild rollercoaster of a journey, but if anything, it cemented the fact that i freakin' LOVE needlepoint!

no deja vu stitching this summer! now what do i do with the canvas i just got in the mail??????

best. weekend. ever. 

a HUGE finish!

stitchy friends, i am pleased to introduce my completed stocking!

love her turkey work coat! i'll trim it once it comes back from the finisher. 

the cuff and beaded name

i decided to use real beads for the garland, it adds some more dimension and i love the colors!

thanks for all the encouragement, i'm really happy with the final result! 

death by basketweave...

devil, thy name is basketweave!

these were my sentiments at around 9 pm last night when i finally put the last stitch in the cuff. 

more specifically, the basketwoven background.

i had finished the top and bottom borders over a week ago and started on the basketweave around thursday night.

the black and gold borders are alternating scotch stitches, as well as the all black border at the top. the red and white triangles are padded in petite very velvet, then stitched with splendor multiple times. 

i'll start with beading the name tonight, but i feel the hard part is behind me! 

and because she was being so good and patient...here's a gratuitous cricket pic!

how was your weekend?

stitching the blues away...

psych! 

the blues are complete!

the weekend's endless rainstorm provided the perfect backdrop for my needle to fly! i finished all the blue background and will be moving onto the beads.

a closer snap. the background stitch is really an optical illusion. the shading of the triangular stitches create a checkerboard pattern that i absolutely adore. 

i really feel like i'm on the home stretch! i've divided my threads into stitching groups (coat, flowers, cuff) and i'm thinking this will be finished within the month! can i do it???

i also worked a little more on the water meter ornament background while babysitting thursday and friday nights. i'm flying to fort worth this weekend for a bridal shower, so this may be a "mile high finish!"

i apologize for the week-long absence! what i needed more than anything was sleep, so it was nyquil at 8 pm every night for me, which also meant no stitching. but i'm back! 

the sprint turned into a slow jog...

i came down with a head cold sometime over the weekend, so the sprint for the background ended prematurely when i decided to take nyquil and pass out at 8:30 pm. not the idealistic birthday, but those undisturbed 9.5 hours of sleep made it worth it. 

this is as far as i got, but it's slowly starting to take shape!

very simple stitch, but it makes the coolest effect when complete, almost like shaded squares. 

thank you for all the sweet birthday messages yesterday! it warmed my heart ever so...

zipping through it!

my needle was flying this weekend with the background for my lady! tonight i start on the inner diamonds...woo hoo!

tried to get a closer pic of the detail. beads will be added in the red centers last.  

while it was very soothing and relaxing to do repeated tent stitching on the outlines, i'm ready to get to the creamy center!

i'm pressing pause on the water meter ornament since i'm on such a roll with the stocking. i don't want to upset the momentum!

starting on the background

this week i started stitching the first step of the stocking background. while it's bo-oring work, it's exciting to see it start to come to life. 

i'm starting with the navy blue borders and will then go back with kreinik for the center lines. at least it's easy and doesn't require a lot of attention, so i can stitch while watching tv.

i do love how much impact it has on the stocking. it's really starting to come alive!

now i can move on to the fun stuff!

i knocked out the wood paneling yesterday while watching all the football games on tv. i am just so excited to be moving on to the background!  i feel like i turned a corner and i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

i used 3 shades of vineyard in slanted gobelin for the wood. i tried using overdyed floss, but the coverage was less than desirable. i had a fleeting moment of "this looks so plain," but then i quickly reminded myself that once the flowers and beads are added, the leaves and wood will drop off into the background.

  

i will be dropping this off to the painter to add my name, so it will be a good opportunity to move on to another project for a while. 

hope you had a great stitchy weekend!

progress continues

i'm almost there, just a few more!

i'm really liking how the leaves are starting to look. i think they will only be enhanced once the ribbon is added for the flowers.

my goal is to start on the wooden paneling this weekend. another not-so-fun part, but i would rather get those over-with so i can move on to the fun stuff! 

i can see the light!

eureka!

i have finally found the answer to "leafgate 2012"...and it was so simple all along! 

after studying what an actual poinsettia leaf looks like, 

it became clear that all it needed was some simple diagonal satin stitches.

first i basketwove the entire base to give it some padding (and a strong foundation) then went over it in diagonal satin stitches. i will be covering the vein in something else, perhaps memory thread or something sparkly. i love how the gumnut thread adds subtle shading and dimension. 

the center of the flower will have stacked beads, so the green will almost be obsolete. 

so i'll be working on these leaves this week so i can move on to more exciting areas!

rainy days and mondays

it rained non-stop this weekend and makes me want to go climb back in bed this morning

(or maybe it was those two hurricanes from pat o'briens)

saturday night was spent in the french quarter for a friend's last night in new orleans (she's moving to washington dc for another job opportunity) so we had a girls' night out. fast forward to yesterday where i spent 92% of the day on the couch not stitching. hah!

it's a miracle that i actually have progress to show!

thank you for all the sweet comments on her dress, i really love how it turned out. i like how it picks up the shape at the top of her crown and adds a really nice subtle effect. 

started fiddling around with a leaf stitch on the flower. i'm not crazy about the coverage/size so i'll continue exploring. 

hope you had a great weekend!

lunch lady land...

i worked on the queen's hair and with the help of diana from my lns, we decided that a varied version of the buttonhole stitch would look fitting for the snood, or woven hairnet. 

the tent stitch on her hair worried me at first, i thought it would look too plain. i'm glad i didn't listen to my gut because the buttonhole overlay is the star, and the hair is just a supporting role. 

after picking myself off the floor following le bead meltdown...and with jane's encouragement, i came to the conclusion that trying to add beads on the bodice was too much. one of the issues that i've been forced to come to terms with is that there are so many opportunities for decorative stitches and complicated techniques, but there's a very delicate balance on when to use them.

sometimes the simple option is the best one. like using memory thread for the laces, and securing them with a bit of krenik. i can't over-think the stitches and i can't stress out if the right answer doesn't appear to me instantly. 

only one more piece of her dress before we move on to the next destination!

ps. if you are confused by today's blog title, please watch this masterpiece by sandler and farley. i had this stuck in my head the whole time i worked on the hairnet. enjoy!

i'm going to poke my eye out with my laying tool...

i'm serious. 

i worked on mostly beading last night, and adding in more gold trim. i decided that i would test out some options for the beads on the queen's dress.

and they suck.

they just plain suck.

avert your eyes from the terror that was formerly known as a bodice. don't get me wrong, j'adore swarovski beads. but the color is wrong. the size is wrong. and i went to bed wanting to poke my eyes out.

now let's turn our attention to the crown, the inside of the jessicas and the scepter. pas mal?

the "rubies" came from an sj designs christmas cocktail mix that i had leftover from another project. they're nice and shiny and i like the funky shape. 

started on the trim under her bodice and around the skirt. it's starting to come together!

so, after another emergency bead trip this weekend and perhaps a big girl drink, i will continue the saga that is my stocking. 

meow!

a date with the queen

no, not this grumpy lady in her peach fascinator...

this lady!

we have been spending some quality time together since sunday night...she's my olympic watching partner

i finished up the pavilion diamonds in very velvet for the lining of her coat, then backstitched the outlines in krenik 

another view

then i started on her scepter and gold accouterments...i was mildly distracted by the swimming and gymnastics, but i managed to complete the two jessicas before turning in for the night

also added the last finishing touches on her face, she now has eyebrows and lashes

i'm on the hunt for two majestic looking rubies to go in the middle of those jessicas...any suggestions?

texas bound tomorrow!

progress picked up during the technicolor lightning storm we had last night. i love stitching when it's raining outside, it sets a nice rhythm. 

started on her two-tone fur coat lining in very velvet. it's hard to see the pattern (pavillion diamonds) but once i do the back stitching in krenik, it will be more noticeable. 

the stitch is great because you can cover so much ground in a short period of time, and i love running my fingers over the velvet. but this thread is a b*$^# with dog hair and the cut turkey work on the coat.

next week i have family coming to visit me so stitching will be a distant memory, but i do have some fun posts lined up!

another finish!

i'm happy to report that the second tote bag was completed last night while watching "to catch a predator". quality programming i tell ya. 

i'm going to go back and add in a few stitches to the edge on the top right corner to fill it out, but this still qualifies as a finish in my book!

progress also continues on francesca. i completed all the purple areas (including crown and shoes) and then followed up with the navy blue outline around the edges. next up is the lining to her fur coat and starting on the gold work. 

i know it doesn't look like much, but i like getting all the small details out of the way so i can start on the really fun stuff. 

i bought some fun beads for her dress and the poinsettias and can't wait to start the velvet lining of her coat. moving right along!

hope you had a wonderful weekend. we are deep in the throws of hurricane season here, so it's been raining non-stop followed by steamy humidity. yum.

chugging along....

the dressmaker is in business! i finished up the bustle and moved on to the bodice. i used the horizontal brick (over 4) on frederick as well, but i love how it has a different effect on her and accentuates her ladylike waistline. it almost looks like she's wearing a corset, an added bonus! i'm not worried about the gold paint showing through because i'll be going over that with beads. duh.

i'm determined to complete the bodice and put up my purple thread tonight! i got sidetracked last night while simultaneously stitching and watching "sex & the city" re-runs on E! it's one of those shows that i always love to watch even though i've seen every episode a million trillion times. 

tried to get a closer pic. i'm really excited with how it's starting to take shape and come to life!

thank you all for your sweet comments and enthusiasm, i love having an online stitching community to bounce ideas off of who will geek out over needlepoint just like me!