As near as we can ascertain, not having the precise date, this the the birthday of my cats Berkeley and Marie Curie. I figure that makes sense, as all cats are April Fools. Well, Marie is anyway, as she gets into a state in the Spring where she is, quite literally, bouncing off the walls. And racing up the hall, down the stairs, behind the books on the shelves, and otherwise going berserk. Mind, all that is without the aid of catnip.
Meanwhile, I have been working on my oriental flowers and vases quilt, I got some new fabrics for the sashing, and finished a couple more flowers and another vase. I just started the tiger lily, you can see a photo here http://www.choicesembroidery.co.uk/acatalog/Oriental_Collection.html, and that is all twelve of the flowers. I have finished peony, wisteria, iris, clematis, chrysanthemum and lotus. I just started the lily, so all I have so far is some green and brown curves on the fabric. Once the light is good, I'm going to get a photo of the two fabrics I just got for the quilt, and I think I may start cutting strips and adding sashing to the blocks I've stitched so far. With twenty-one blocks, the sashing is going to be a big job.
I'm also going to start working again on my Month quilt, of which I have finished the first four blocks and stitched them together. I started the cross stitch blocks in January of 2001, and after September put them aside for several years, and finally finished the last of them in 2010. There are three small stitched patches for each month, and then I picked out a fabric that went with each monthly set of three blocks to put them together into larger blocks. The sashing is a pretty green and cream swirl. I put it aside when I couldn't get the May block to come out even, but I think it may be time to take it up again. The stitched pieces were all out of a book titled "365 Tiny Cross Stitch Designs" and some were done in themes, of which I did the samplers, quilt blocks and flowers of the month. The pieces are lovely, and as I stitched, I added the occasional deviation from the actual design. Sometimes I used specialty stitches, for the Easter Sampler I used angora yarn for the bunny tails, for the July Sampler I used beads and silk ribbon to do the ears of corn, things like that. Again, once the light is better, I'll get some photos of those.
I haven't forgotten about my Jane Nicholas Stumpwork pieces, or my Michele Chavez pieces either. Still mulling options in my head, and once I have my plan figured out, I shall begin. I just got the blue silks I needed for the blue peony from the Jane Nicholas book, so that may be the first piece I do from it.
THE Magpie
Meanwhile, I have been working on my oriental flowers and vases quilt, I got some new fabrics for the sashing, and finished a couple more flowers and another vase. I just started the tiger lily, you can see a photo here http://www.choicesembroidery.co.uk/acatalog/Oriental_Collection.html, and that is all twelve of the flowers. I have finished peony, wisteria, iris, clematis, chrysanthemum and lotus. I just started the lily, so all I have so far is some green and brown curves on the fabric. Once the light is good, I'm going to get a photo of the two fabrics I just got for the quilt, and I think I may start cutting strips and adding sashing to the blocks I've stitched so far. With twenty-one blocks, the sashing is going to be a big job.
I'm also going to start working again on my Month quilt, of which I have finished the first four blocks and stitched them together. I started the cross stitch blocks in January of 2001, and after September put them aside for several years, and finally finished the last of them in 2010. There are three small stitched patches for each month, and then I picked out a fabric that went with each monthly set of three blocks to put them together into larger blocks. The sashing is a pretty green and cream swirl. I put it aside when I couldn't get the May block to come out even, but I think it may be time to take it up again. The stitched pieces were all out of a book titled "365 Tiny Cross Stitch Designs" and some were done in themes, of which I did the samplers, quilt blocks and flowers of the month. The pieces are lovely, and as I stitched, I added the occasional deviation from the actual design. Sometimes I used specialty stitches, for the Easter Sampler I used angora yarn for the bunny tails, for the July Sampler I used beads and silk ribbon to do the ears of corn, things like that. Again, once the light is better, I'll get some photos of those.
I haven't forgotten about my Jane Nicholas Stumpwork pieces, or my Michele Chavez pieces either. Still mulling options in my head, and once I have my plan figured out, I shall begin. I just got the blue silks I needed for the blue peony from the Jane Nicholas book, so that may be the first piece I do from it.
THE Magpie
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