Oct Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello Everyone,

I am back with a quick update for GG. I missed the last few (2 I think) months but I am back to finish off the year strong. Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching each month and we are supposed to show our stitching that is related to someone else. So a gift to or from a person has to be part of the project in some shape or form. I use the Coastal View piece usually for this SAL as it was gifted to me by Lulu in one of her giveaways last year and will be a gift for my sister. I have also started an embroidery piece that I will be gifting to my brother and his partner as a "move-in" gift for Christmas, I think it will be done by then (omg fingers crossed!). 

Coastal View:

This is the same photo as last week since I haven't stitched on it since then. I wanted to include it though, as I did do a fair amount since the last time I checked in for GG. All the backstitching is done on this page except for a tiny bit in the road as it extends over to the next page.

Coastal View

Dimensions Gold Kit

18 count ivory aida

Energetic Tree:

This is a crewelwork piece that I picked up on my trip to BC in July. The colours are super vibrant and it stitches up fairly quickly. I am almost done the larger Jacobean flower and the stem.

 Vigaroso Albero (Energetic Tree)

Crazy for Crewel

32 Count White Lugana

DMC Cotton Threads

Life Update:

Asides from work and stitching the big focus I have had recently, especially on the weekends, is building a chicken coop. The coop will be at my parents and will house 15ish laying hens. I am opting for as many chickens as would be happy in the coop but we will see what my partner wants as well. The coop is built onto a plastic frame that used to be a greenhouse and is made of plywood and 2x4s. This weekend I am going to be painting to make sure the roof does not suffer water damage over the winter and will be finishing up some of the siding pieces. We also need to put sheets of plywood in the inside to make sure the chickens don't have access to the insulation (styrofoam) and put in nesting boxes and roosting dowels. I really want to have the chickens in about a month but we might go the chick route and order them for February-ish and raise them to hens. I am really looking forward to eating my own eggs and to having the hens. 

Hope everyone is well,

Bekah

Aug & Sept Update

Hello Everyone,

I have been gone for a couple of months from the blog world but I have been stitching. I don't really have a good reason for being gone so long, I have been very busy (but not satisfyingly so) at work and I think that has really been the issue, more on that below.

Stitching:
I have been working on the Coastal view and the Dryad mostly. A quarter is now down on the Coastal view and the whole side of the Dryad is finished minus a couple of ninja stitches as Alicia calls them. I am stitching using the parking method, unless a colour is only used once in the nearby blocks and then I am marking it and going back at the end. There is a lot of confetti in these last few pages and so this keeps me from hunting for where to park the thread and going back later takes about a day/ day and a half.

Coastal View

Dryad

Finished Pieces:

Life Update/ Rant:
I have been watching flosstube while I stitch unless I am listening to an audiobook and I enjoy other peoples personal updates and so I am going to try adding this portion to my blog.

I have mentioned before that I am taking my Masters of Science (MSc) in welding engineering which entails taking four courses and writing a thesis. I am working on phase transformations in steels and in particular, I am focusing on predicting what phases will form and therefore how likely a welded piece of metal will crack. For those who are unfamiliar with steel phases imagine ice forming in the winter. Some of the ice is brittle and forms sheets that you can easily shatter completely, and other ice forms an intertwined structure that is much more bendable (think of ice dipping down under your weight on a pond but not breaking). Steel is very similar and I am working on improving prediction techniques so that we can always form the bendable steel and the piece will not critically fail when it is used.

My work has taken a lot of my time recently, more in frustration-allotment than in actual time. There are many nice aspects working in the university however here it is like have 100 different little companies without managers and so it is inefficient and puts people in roles that they are not well suited for. My supervisor is a very intelligent person, but is not a good manager and is not well organized. What that means for me is that work can be madness without a need. And it turns out I am not the type of person who can work under constant panic, especially if we could have just done some basic planning to avoid the problem. So needless to say, I was returning home as a ball of annoyance and just could not write a happy blog post to save my life.

I have also been feeling so helpless with the almost weekly cases of tragedy somewhere in the world. Definitely there are moments of brightness, especially close to home (Payette as the GG in Canada, mission to end homelessness in 10 years in my city) but the horror and frustration has been all consuming. I have been feeling like some days I wake up mad and go to bed mad and although I have a very strong home life and am connected to my technical and local community I have the feeling of being swallowed by the frustration of world events. With the recent horror in Las Vegas and the attack in my own city that injured five I want to offer my condolences to everyone and anyone touched by the senseless violence and disregard for human life. I also want to reach out to those battling and rebuilding after hurricanes, flooding and other weather events.

I am planning to check in much more these next few weeks even if it is just a life update and a few pictures.

xxoo,
Bekah

July Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone has been having a good summer. It has been hot here for the last few weeks although it is cooling off during the nights again finally. The plants are doing very well though as long as they can stay watered. I just have a small balcony but we set up flowers, tomatoes and some herbs and they look very nice. It really brightens up the room and smells nice. We don't get any bees up so high unfortunately but the tomatoes will self-pollinate.

For Gifted Gorgeousness (hosted by the wonderful Jo from Serendipitous Stitching) this month I have been working on the Coastal View. This is a project that was gifted to me by Lucy and will be for my sister. I am working on the steps and the first building and am happy with the progress. I still have a fair amount to go and will start to focus on this project more while I am at home and not just while I am in the car.

Coastal View

Dimensions Gold Kit

18 count ivory aida

I also received a gift from Minnie at AllXX's who held a blog giveaway and then ended up giving a gift to everyone who entered. She sent me the great pattern below and I am very excited to start it, I think I will put it at work when I am done. I have begun to slowly kit it up and will probably get a hand-dyed fabric for it and maybe silk floss.

Be True

Little House Needlework

I have completed a few more blocks on the Dryad. I have about 1500 stitches left until this page (and top row) are completed which will be a major milestone. I am enjoying the detail in this piece and like exploring each new motif, I feel I have a much better understanding and appreciation of the painting.

The Dryad and the Dragon

Heaven and Earth Designs

Original Art: Josephine Wall

28 count evenweave

I also have picked up some more patterns. I took a couple of days off a few weeks ago and went on a road trip to Vancouver. We had a lovely time, saw whales and flew in a float plane, and ate tons of fruit. I also got a chance to stop in a quaint needle shop in Victoria called Buttons and Needlework where I had purchased the salmon and dolphin designs from years ago. It has stayed refreshingly the same and I picked up another pattern designed by the Stitching Studio and two needlework kits. I think the shoe design is fun and silly and will definitely go to my sister who loves shoes and plants. The other design is bright and happy and will go to my youngest sister as a house warming gift if I can finish it in time and as a Christmas present if I can't (good to always have a back up plan).

Virginia Creeper Slipper

Woodland Threads

Vigaroso Albero (Energetic Tree)

Crazy for Crewel

Urchins

The Stitching Studio

Original Art: Sue Coleman

The only other update I can think of is about my work at the University. It is going fine right now, I am focused on making a proof into a usable calculation (excel or matlab program) and am having fairly good success. There are a few kinks to iron out, but I feel like I am moving forward at least. I am hoping to have a very productive rest of the summer as the fall will be very busy with conferences (Montreal and Chicago!)

Have a good rest of the week!

Bekah

June Gifted Gorgeousness and WIPocalypse

Hello Everyone,

We are going to do another combined SALs post so that I have a hope of being on time for WIPcopalypse. I am working to find a better system of getting photos onto the blog using both my camera and tablet. Right now I am writing the post at home and then inserting the pictures during lunch at work or I am bringing my laptop home. Neither of those are ideal but I am going to try using a micro SD card in my camera and see if that works.

Onto stitching. For GG we have to work on something that was gifted to us or will be a gift and shoehorns are welcome. Jo is the host of this fun SAL and you can see all the other entries on her post, she also recently completed the "longest day" stitching if you want to take a look at the diversity of her wips and ufos.

Coastal View is an easy piece to use since it is both, no shoehorns necessary. The Birds and Berries will also be part of GG for me once I actually start it.

Coastal View:

I have worked a bit on this piece but missed the last two weekends because A) I forgot my threads at home when I went to my parents (sigh!) and B) I did not travel last weekend and so didn't really work on it. I do really enjoy this piece and I love the balance of backstitching and crosses. I am hoping to get this page finished before the end of summer. The next bit is mostly the arch and should be large blocks of colour.

Birds and Berries:
I have selected the fabric that I am going to use and just have to decide which birds to do. I think I will do all the red ones first but I could mix them up as well. I am planning to start this piece this weekend once I attach it to the scroll bars and make some decisions.

For WIPocalyse I will update you all on my other wip, the Dryad haed piece. This has been finally getting into a rhythm and I have made a fair amount of progress given the amount of time I have stitched. I am more than a third through the final page of the first row which would be a huge milestone on my first heaven and earth design.

You can start to see the final blue flower on this page and also the very tip of the dragon's tail (the gray/blue part on the bottom right). 

Also just a quick thank you to Minnie for her not only running a great giveaway with four wonderful prizes but then also rewarding all the rest of us who entered, and were not selected, with a gift as well! Thank you for your generosity Minnie and for your awesome blog (and flosstube) posts. I love the diversity in your projects and how personable your posts are.

Have a good week everyone,
Bekah

May Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello Everyone,

I hope that spring is transitioning well for you and that the frost hasn't killed anyone's plants. It has been fairly nice here although there has been snow just south of us, so not everyone is out of the cold yet. I have really been enjoying seeing everyone's gardening getting started. Some people already have flowers blooming!

For Gifted Gorgeousness I finished up one of my projects and made some progress on the other. The Kingfisher piece is finally completed and here is a picture of the piece. I have not framed it yet but will be finishing it in the next week. This is a present to my parents and is a long and thin design, perfect for a bit of odd/extra fabric. I made some changes to the backstitching of the bird but the rest was kept as charted. I am very happy with the way Sue Coleman designs are very realistic and also have the Haida design incorporated.

"Kingfisher" by the Stitching Studio

Original art by Sue Coleman

32 count antique white linen (over 2)

7.0'' x 18.7''

Started: June 2016

Finished: May 2017

The other piece that I worked on is my Coastal View that will be for my sister. This piece is coming together well and I have finished half the walk way and am almost done the bushes. Next will be the big archway that will take me a couple of months to finish.

The image does not properly show that the dark bits in the corner are just cobblestones in the shade. It took me awhile to realize, while I was stitching, what I was actually looking at. This piece has so much perspective through the shading and size difference and the full effect isn't realized until I take a step back and look. The colours and design are very bright and cheerful, perfect for spring.

Have a great week everyone!

xxoo,

Bekah

April Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone has had a good April so far and the weather is treating you well. It has been feeling very spring-like here, although we still had snow early this week. I am excited to start gardening and seeing everything turn green. 

Everything has been going well here. I have finished up the course requirement for my Master's degree and now will be focusing on my research and thesis. My partner's job has been going well and he has been busy with that. We are planning on getting a new-to-us vehicle and am looking forward to a bigger vehicle for hauling the canoe this summer. With the courses done I will also be having more of my evenings off and will be able to do more stitching! I have also been watching a lot of sports as baseball ramps up and the nhl playoffs have started (and finished for some). This first round is always fun, even though my team is out. 

Now on to stitching:

Go and see the other GG posts on Jo's blog to see the other projects that the group has worked on. A quick reminder that my two gift projects are the Kingfisher and the Coastal View. 

I have done a fair amount of work this last month, but I have not finished the Kingfisher yet. I am planning to have it done by the end of the month but I am not sure I am going to make it. I am also not sure how I feel about the backstitching on the bird. The model did not stitch it and the painting also did not have the black lines. I think that it looks alright but I am not sold and might pull it out and use a dark-ish blue instead. Any thoughts? How does it look to someone who has not stared at the piece for hours?

Here is the total piece at the end of page 2. I had not backstitched the bird yet:

And a  up-close of page 2 before and after the backstitching:

You can see how stark the black and white the backstitching is on the bird and I prefer a quieter backstitching for a nature piece. I will decide how it looks when the whole piece is done and I haven't looked at it for a couple of days. 

The other work that I have done is the Coastal view. I am almost done the path (on this page) and then I will do the backstitching and start on the buildings.  

This is a great travel projects and as the days get longer I get to do more stitching as we drive so it is getting more hours and is growing quickly. 

See everyone in a couple of weeks,

Bekah

March Gifted Gorgeousness and Wipocalypse

Hello Everyone,

The first day of Spring has come and gone here and it is starting to warm up a bit. Pretty grey out today but it is so much nicer than last week. Definitely spring is in the air, I am excited for when the trees start budding and turning green.

I am going to do a combined post for both GG and Wipocalypse because I am so late (looks like you aren't the last one checked-in Alicia). Check out Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching for everyone else's gifted projects. All my updates this month are gifts to family and the Coastal View is both a gift from Lulu and will be a gift to my sister.

As I mentioned in my last post, work has been keeping me away from stitching. Once the semester ends half way through April I should be able to get on a more consistent stitching schedule (and posting schedule)

I did have a new start and finish on a smaller design however and this will be a gift to my partner. This was my own design that I had originally started in cross stitch (twice) and then I decided to use a variety of specialty stitches. I am really happy with how it came out and will definitely be making a set of these. Below is two pictures of the started cross stitch version and the final version.

Stopped in December 2015

14 count Aida

DMC theads

Original design

Stopped in April 2016

32 count white linen

DMC threads

Original design

Started: March 2017

Finished: March 2017

Grey cotton

DMC threads

Original design

I also worked on the Kingfisher which will be a gift to my parents. I have finished most of the colours in the bird and am done about half of the background. I still need to do some of the backstitching in the bird and a bit more in the branches. I am still really enjoying this piece and am aiming to finish it up very soon. The white background is difficult to show well in the picture, I am hoping when the darker threads are added it will show up better.

Stitching Studio Design

32 count white linen

Started: July 7, 2016

I have also done some more on the Coastal View and this will continue to be my travel piece. I have gotten to the far bottom of the piece and am working towards the left corner.

The question for this month's Wipocalypse is "What stitchy blogs, groups, or flosstubes do you follow and why?"

So I follow many blogs (see the side bar) and some flosstube vlogs. I am not present on facebook so do not belong to any groups. I follow both the blogs and the flosstube videos to stay current with the stitching community and to support others who enjoy my hobby. 

Check out Measi's blog for everyone's update on their WIPs. 

Be back soon!

xxoo Bekah

February WIPocalypse

Hello Everyone,

The month has just flown by here and I have not had as much time to stitch as I would like. Isn't it always that way though!

Here are my quick updates:

Coastal View

Dimensions Gold Collection Kit

18 count ivory Aida

The backstitching really adds detail to this piece and brings out the shapes. I am really excited for this scene to come together, the cafe area looks so quaint and refreshing surrounded by the greenery. Haven't hit the edge in any direction yet though, maybe for the next check in.

Kingfisher

Stitching Studio Design

32 count white linen

Am now completely in the sky and back to doing full crosses with two strands  (bird and branch). I have finished the darker colours in the Kingfisher and just need to add the oranges and whites. I also need to fill in a lot of the sky (see the faint white patch above the bird?). I am planning for another page finish before next check in.

The Dryad has only had a couple more blocks put in so I will show it next month.

The question this month is: What is you favorite stitch (other than cross)?
My favorite is the stem stitch or the leaf stitch as I can really see the effect. I do not have a lot of experience with specialty stitches and am planning on doing more projects that incorporate them in. The effect of backstitching is very clear in many of my pieces (Coastal View) but I find it difficult to make the thread lie flat and stay where it belongs consistently so it does not make the favorite list.

Head over to Measi's blog to see everyone else's favorite stitch!

Xoxo,
Bekah

February Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello Everyone,

A couple of days late for this one, but I have a fair amount to show. I have been very busy with work so I have not had as much time to stitch as I would like.

Coastal View:

Dimensions Gold Collection Kit

18 count ivory Aida

This is coming along fairly well and I am enjoying this, particularly when driving. I am going to start doing some more of the backstitching which will define the shapes. The little cafe sign looks great though and I like the umbrellas.

Kingfisher:

Stitching Studio Design

32 count white linen

I am almost done this page! I will post when I am done, which should be a couple of days and will show the whole design. Still mostly on track for this piece if I give it some more time during March.

Check out Jo and see who else had gift-related stitching.

See everyone in a couple of days,

Bekah

January 2017 GG

Hello Everyone,

Today is the first check-in of the year for Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness. Pop over to her blog to see the other gift-related projects worked on this month. I have two projects to show today; one is a gift from Lucy and the other is a gift for my parents.

The Coastal view is a dimensions kit and has been my travel piece for the last month. I have managed to finish two of the umbrellas and part of the pink building, but have not done any of the backstitching. I am not sure if I am going to leave it till the end of each page or when I finish a section as it really adds to the piece.

I started the Kingfisher piece last year  and have completed the first of five pages. This page is mostly water, with a little bit of reeds in the bottom right (not stitched yet) and the beak of the native symbol. I am really enjoying the colours in this one and will finish the page in the next week.

Hope everyone has had a good start to the year and is getting lots of stitching done.

Bekah

Wipocalypse Post and Plans

Hello Everyone,

I have decided to join the WIPocalypse and GG Stitch-a-longs this year as it will guarantee (as long as I make each check-in) two posts a month. Plus they come with interesting questions and I had a lot of fun with Solo September last year. Check out Measi's blog for more information about the SAL and how to join.

The question for the first check in is "Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year."

My name is Rebekah and I am 23 years old living in Alberta, Canada. I live with my partner and our cat and am currently pursuing my Masters of welding engineering degree. Both myself and my partner graduated with a Materials engineering degree last April and he now works in the corrosion industry (cathodic protection). I am a few-at-a-time stitcher  and do not have a significant stash although I have a long wishlist.

Projects:
The Kingfisher is a Stitching Studio design that was started in 2016. I have completed four of their other designs but this is the first Sue Coleman that I am doing. The piece is a mixture of full and half stitches with some backstitching. I have completed one and a half pages and plan to have this finished by the end of May 2017.

The Coastal view piece is a Dimensions kit that I won in a blog draw from Lucy. I have put in about 200 stitches already and will include a picture in my next post. I would like to have the piece at least half way completed by the end of 2017.

The Dryad and the Dragon is a Heaven and Earth chart by the artist Josephine Wall. I have three pages complete and would like to have at least six more done by the end of 2017. 

Have a good stitchy week,

Bekah

Dryad p3 first update

Hello Everyone,

I have completed page 2 and have done almost 1/3 of page 3. I don't think I will finish it for the end of October but we will see. I have switched back to doing the parking method but this time I am doing a ten by ten square. I really enjoyed how cross country looked but hunting down the missing stitches took days. So I am going to give this a try and see how it goes for a full page.

Before:

After:

I also received the kit from Lulu at Crafting Across Continents and am tentatively planning on entering Gifted Gorgeousness SAL with Jo next year using this piece. I am considering not starting it until I am finished the Kingfisher though, which is also going to be a gift, so I might start with the Kingfisher and then move to Coastal View.

Have a good week everyone,

Bekah

Page 2 Update

Hello Everyone,

I have really been enjoying stitching this page completely cross country. It is hard to say how much of the page is finished but I am plugging along.

One of the other update is a big thank you to Lucy at Crafting Across Continents who had a giveaway for her four year anniversary and drew my name. The prize is a beautiful Dimensions chart that I am very excited to stitch, the sea in the background really draws the eye, especially with all the little boats.

I also received two pieces framed by a local shop  as a gift from my parents and they look fantastic. The Salmon I finished a couple of months ago and is now hanging in my hallway. The Dolphins I finished a little less than a year ago and are a gift to my sister.

I will see everyone with an update. I hope to be half way done the Dryad page at that point.

Bekah