10 April 2007

'Luck' Finish and Other Things


Hey there :) Yes, I finished 'Luck' on Sunday. I've got a nifty little frame that I'm going to put it in, then it's going to live in my front room. My first finish of 2007 - hurrah!

I've stitched quite a lot of 'Phoenix' as well...


If I'm honest, I have to say that this is a pig of a design to stitch and on more than one occasion I've been tempted to chuck it in the bin! The problem is that there are huge amounts of fractional stitches and as a consequence, it requires oodles of concentration. Just one slip-up can be disastrous, as I have found to my peril on more than one occasion. Even before I started stitching it, there was the added faff of having to blend the threads beforehand, as 99% of the colours are made up of two DMC colours mixed together. With all of that to contend with, as you can imagine, I've not been filled with the joys of spring when summoning up the courage to tackle it. However, I think I've 'cracked the code' so to speak. I've discovered that if I have a little side project on the go at the same time (like 'Luck for example), it gives me something else to concentrate on when my enthusiasm wanes. Then when I feel suitably enthused, I go back to stitching 'Phoenix' again. I wished I'd stumbled on this little gem before, but better late than never is what I always say.

Talking of side projects, I started this rather lovely design by 'The Cross-Eyed Cricket' yesterday, entitled 'Autumn Acorn'.


The main acorn body is stitched with 'The Thread Gatherer' Silk 'n Colors thread in 'Autumn Honey (SNC069). It's the first time that I've ever used TTG thread - it's a gorgeous thread to stitch with, in terms of both colour and usability - the stitches are very smooth to work, but I guess it goes without saying when it's silk thread. Has anyone else used it before? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts :)

Thank you for taking the time to read my prattles and I hope you have a good week :) xx

10 comments:

stitcherw said...

Luck turned out very cute, congratulations on your first finish for 2007. Phonix is look great too, you got a lot done. I'm not familiar with Autumn Acorn, I may need to go look that one up, beautiful colors.
Sue

Carol said...

Congratulations - Luck came out perfect!!!

Hazel said...

Just thought I'd say Hi from a neighbour (Derbyshire). Luck looks lovely and well done on your first finish. Love Acorn too. I love using hand dyed threads and silk ones too although I've never used TTG ones. xx

CritterLady62 said...

Luck looks great! Stay the course with Phoenix, the end result will be worth it. I Wentzler's The Castle and it took me 7 years. The main issue there was all of the blended colors. I love silks although I haven't used any TTG yet.

catandturtle said...

Luck looks awesome!!! I love your autumn acorn start and phoenix looks cool. Ann.

Kim said...

wow you have done some serious stitching there! I love the way phoenix is shaping up stick with it!

Elizabeth MacGregor-Kirkcaldy said...

Luck is beautiful, Heidi! Congrats on your first finish of 2007! :-)

And Phoenix is gorgeous... I know the blending is a pain, and next time you think of chucking it in the bin... Just remember we are cheering you on! It's going to be so beautiful when you're finished! :-)

Lovely start on Autumn Acorn... I love the colours in this one! TTG silks are so lovely! :-)

Unknown said...

Your luck looks stunning. Lovely start on Autumn Acorn, I love it.

stitcherw said...

Hmmm, been a while since you posted. Hope you've been filling your time with lovely stitching projects or doing something else fun that has kept you busy.
Sue

Concetta said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and your lovely comments! Fudge is an absolute cutie too. :)

I've been tempted to do a Dracolair design so many times, they're gorgeous, but I know they must be quite difficult because of all those fractionals (and along with the blends it sounds as difficult as a Wentzler!). Don't give up on "Phoenix" it's absolutely beautiful and will be so worth it! What is that amazing fabric you're doing it on?

I love Billy Connelly too - absolutely loved your story about "meeting" him. :)