All posts tagged Finished projects

Feeling adrift after a large finish

A bit before the pandemic, my friend Erica sold off all her stitching stash including some WIPs she had started. One of the ones I bought from her was Noah’s Sub. I had the pattern already, it was out of print and a Unicorn but I had it.

First picture I took of Noah’s Sub in November 2020 before working on it.

First full picture of Noah’s Sub, I had already added stitches to the ocean around the octopus.

It was a little over half finished when I inherited it. I worked my way around it in a clockwise fashion and substituted beads for French knot eyes.

And finished it with 66378 stitches (it takes 2 half stitches of sky to count as one stitch and 1 bead counts as 1 stitch).

Shortly after finishing Noah’s Sub, I finished a small Stacy Nash pattern, Bobbin.

Bobbin by Stacy Nash with color changes by me.

I stitched Bobbin as a shop model and think I want to stitch it again with a few changes for myself.

But now that I’ve finish such a large project with a smaller finish after, I’m feeling at loose ends. I have 33 WIPs to choose from but nothing seems to be calling loudly.

I would normally go to my WIPGO pieces but I’m caught up except for the TW pieces from March (still need 400 stitches in Fortunate Traveller and 700 for Summer Carousel Horse) and I’m not in the mood to really work on those tonight.

I just finished the 1000 stitches for my WIPGO on Storied Steeds so not feeling that one. Secret Carousel needs really good light so not something to work on at night.

I’m kind of feeling like I should work on my sister’s West Point Sampler but then I could also try to finish my WIP Warriors stitches for Lion and Lamb which is Kingdom of Books.

Other options to work on today – Diamond Bouquet by Just Nan, Sentinel by Fire Wing Designs, Stitch Every Day by Hands On Design, Summer Queen by Mirabilia which hasn’t had any love this year, Ladybird Fairy by Joan Elliott needs to be mounted on the other scroll bars.

I could also start on a new small – Like my copy of Bobbin since the one I finished was a shop model. I could also start my other Christmas piece (Another Reindeer was made).

Or since this was a BAP I finished, I could start a new large – like Glendon Place’s Sleepy Hollow or Winter Queen by Mirabilia or Butterfly Fairy by Joan Elliott.

It’s 9:00 so I need to make a decision soon.

All together now, the magical mystery tour

Back in 2019 before all the crazy, my husband took me to Las Vegas and a trip to Vegas means a visit to Stitchers Paradise. Well usually, DH stays in the car but it was just too hot this time and he came into the store.

I was in the back room fondling fabric when DH comes over with the 6 patterns from Magical Mystery Tour by Blackbird Designs and asked if I would stitch them for him.

He doesn’t ask me to stitch things very often and it meant I could get 6 patterns which I kind of liked.

As we were heading home I was looking over the patterns and DH asked if it would be possible to stitch them all on a single piece of fabric so he could hang it in his office.

I pulled Gentle Arts Sampler Threads at Shepherd’s Bush and somehow I ended up with very yellow greens.

But here we are 4 years later and I’ve stitched all 6 patterns on one piece of 28 count natural linen from my stash. I stitched it 1 strand over 1 thread.

I’m going to digress for just a minute and give a mini tutorial on 1 over 1 stitching. When stitching 1 over 1 its easiest to cross each stitch as one does it. The bottom stitch always goes the same direction. The key is the direction to go for the top stitch. Every + of the thread will have a bottom thread going either – or |, one wants to cross under this bottom thread in order to make the top leg of the x. Doing this helps keep the stitched threads from slipping under the fabric threads.

So every one who has seen my arrangement of Magical Mystery Tour has loved it and many have asked for my layout.

With the reaction, I figured I wanted to enter it in the state fair which means I needed it framed. My framer has an 18 to 24 month wait for framing. I took it up and luckily, I had a piece which was coming to the front of the line so we swapped places and the piece which had been about to be framed moved back to the end of the line and Magical Mystery Tour was now in its place.

I love the work that Rensel Studios does.

It’s home and I’m still getting a lot of attention for having stitched it. I’m looking forward to taking it to the fair. Along with Stars for a New Millennium which was framed by Dustin of Art and Frame Station in Murray, UT.

Stars for a New Millennium pattern by Tony Minieri stitched by Stasha

Dustin knows how to stretch Needlepoint and was willing to hand cut the mattes for me. Not many framers who know how to do either of those things anymore.

In a month, I’ll let you know how the fair goes.

Finally a finish….and a contest.

I have friends who would say this is not finished because it doesn’t have a name and a label.
I created this quilt from the blocks in a beginning quilt class and it’s made for my son, J, who is on an LDS mission in St. Louis, MO. He wanted Red and Blue but not something patriotic which is why I went with a black background. I need suggestions for names – I’m thinking about giving a prize for the name I select… Leave your name suggestions in the comments.

I love how many of the blocks have scriptural references. The center block is known as Tree of Life, the house block has been nicknamed by my classmates – the wiseman’s house because it’s built upon the rock, the teacher said that a log cabin block with a black center stands for freedom from slavery which is what the gospel truth does to a tortured soul, The bottom center block is an anvil which is appropriate for the summer that J was an apprentice to a blacksmith. You can definitely see the relation of the block to the anvil he worked with. He looks so young in that picture too.