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!

more fabulous finishing!

i picked up some long lost friends back from the finisher this weekend! it's true that a project is never really complete until it comes back from the finisher, it makes all the difference!

first up is petei's "kiss me santa" with stitch guide by diana bosworth from the french knot. 

close-up detail of the coat.

this was a fun, quick project. i received the kit as a gift last christmas and couldn't wait to start! diana's stitch guides are so easy to read and fun to follow!

last but not least, this beautiful fort worth round by kathy schenkel.

stitch guide by the talented diana bosworth from the french knot. 

love the little longhorn!

and the skyline...

hope you had a great weekend! 

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!

is it a bird? a plane?

no...it's super stitcher!

stitching faster than a speeding bullet and laughing in the face of christmas deadlines

muah ha ha......

but in all seriousness i think it was the "dance moms" marathon that pulled me across the finish line last night.

the double brick stitch was fast...it was the beading on the crab that was my kryptonite. 

now off i go with my trusty laying tool and needle minder, solving my abundant needlepoint stash problems one canvas at a time...

fabulous finishing...

don't you just love getting those phone calls saying your finishing is ready to pick up?!

michelle at acadian corner always does a brilliant job with framing, it takes all the stress off of me because i know my work is in the best hands. 

sorry for the craptacular quality of my pictures. i've come to terms with it. don't cry for me argentina. 

this is country cottage needlework's "beach cottage." it's a birthday gift for my aunt, who is the one that introduced our family to the beaches of sanibel. she loves to go shelling and i thought this would be a cute token of appreciation for sharing her love of the ocean with us. 

this is jbw designs' "french country pig" and i'm not quite sure what i'll do with him. this was the first cross stitch piece i ever attempted (so please forgive me) and i went back and forth over whether or not to frame him since i knew i can do better.

i'll probably end up giving it as a gift for someone, and then doing it in a different color scheme for our house. i am in love with every single french country piece by jbw designs, and i love the small size of them. since i'm not a huge fan of hanging the framed work on the wall, the smaller size allows me to put the frame on an easel and move it wherever i want!

guess what else got finished this weekend?

this guy!

i did the kennan stitch for the background, tent stitched the sand dollar (with a few french knots in a darker shade) and then beaded the middle. i wanted to give it some depth and i've been adding 3 dimensional touches to each one. 

this is awful color quality but you can see the sand dollar a bit better. 

i'm still plugging away on the next tote bag so i can get these to the finisher. and then it's quality time with the queen!

case of the mondays

i was bad and didn't get ANY pictures of my progress over the weekend! i definitely have a case of the mondays.

the good news is, there is lots to show, so stay tuned!

switching gears

i had mild heart palpitations yesterday when i realized it was august 1! the holiday finishing deadlines are officially upon us so i switched gears from the nutcracker back to my tote bags. 

my apologies for the crappy lighting!

i finished the padding and river silk for the straps, and moved on the background. i chose to go with the kennan stitch just to mix up the variety of all the different bags. i was able to finish the entire right side and move to the middle before calling it a night. 

i'm confident i can finish this baby up this weekend while also devoting more time to the nutcracker queen. 

stay tuned...