02 Sunday Dec 2012
Posted in Completions, Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff
Another piece that recently came back from the framers, and again it’s Huge! (slightly off a perfect square at 30×31 inches).
Jane does a couple of variants of this sampler, some of which I’ve done before, but I think this was my biggest!
17 Saturday Dec 2011
Posted in "My Big Toe Designs", Completions, crafts, Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff, patchwork, quilt, websites
It’s December, and therefore we’re slowly coming to the end of the year – yes, I know, there’s a while to go yet but bear with me! It comes round faster than you think! Traditionally it’s a time of looking both backwards and forwards, and today I’ll be looking backwards with these questions about your chosen craft(s):
As for me – I’ve completed three pieces. Two large pieces are by My Big Toe designs (here and here), and one decent sized piece by Jane Greenoff. I got one of the My Big Toe designs framed up in a local framers I found last year , and need to get the other two framed up when I have the money (essentially!).
After doing several large pieces one after another, I’ve learnt that I’m pretty much cross-stitched out for the minute and need to pick something else up. First thing would be to get the sewing machine back out and running!
Websites
I bought a chart from a French company I found a few years ago on the net – of course I now cant find their address can I?. I was quite proud of myself in that I managed to complete the transaction even though the whole thing was in French. I put it down more to knowing how to buy things off the internet rather than anything more than a very old O-level (1986!) in French.
Sewandso have also upgraded their website, so that you don’t have to re-enter your details every time you place an order – you can now have an account! I find them quick, cheaper than other sites – e.g. 39x43in 16ct Aida is £18.95, whilst £20.29 on willowfabrics, who also appear to have overhauled their site recently).
Podcasts
I continue to listen to Craftlit, where Heather is really coming into her own. We are currently listening to Dracula, and Heather has managed to pull a few readers together that make it less of a reading and more of a dramatisation of the full book.
Craftsanity seems to have (almost) disappeared off the podcast radar, as Jennifer continues to try making a living in the craft world, and taking Craftsanity into the magazine world.
CastOn with Brenda Dayne, has been quiet for a while, but she’s back for a weekly podcast.
06 Thursday Oct 2011
Posted in Completions, Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff
I actually completed this a while ago, just havent gotten around to getting it framed or anything which is why it looks so creased. It’s a Jane Greenoff sampler, similar to the one I did ages ago and then had to ditch because I did it wrong enough and big enough for it to be too much like hard work to frog out.
13 Saturday Aug 2011
Posted in designs, Exhibitions, Fabric, Jane Greenoff, patchwork, quilt, Textiles
Tags
Festival of Quilts, Jane Greenoff, Kaffe Fassett, quilting, quilts, shows, Twisted Thread, William Morris
Have been to this year’s Festival of Quilts and will probably only do the one day this year. They’ve changed the social events around, and there is/was no gala dinner, so I wont get the chance to bemoan how expensive the wine is in the hotel!
Hadn’t pre-ordered any tickets so stood in line for tickets at opening time – and was offered a ticket for less than face value by a woman whose friend couldnt make it! Good start there! (The exhibition didnt lose out as she had already brought the ticket, I won cos I got a ticket, she won – kinda – cos she got most of the ticket price back).
The queue was huge, but the guys on the door handled it well, which meant that people were through the door quickly and with the minimum of fuss.
I went straight to the shopping, as I knew this was where the crush would be later and I wanted to spend time looking and touching without getting too pushed. Dont know what happened, but some exhibitors were not where the brochure said they would be – which meant I never got to see some of the stands I wanted (could they not photocopy up an errata sheet?). I only ran into a couple of “difficult” people – 1 woman who was shouting at an exhibitor “why didnt you take down details of what I brought from you last time? I want the same thing at the same price!”. Right. The other one was whilst I was in the queue to pay for something, and she clearly doesnt have the same definition of “personal space” as I do and was practically sitting in my handbag as I was trying to pay. She did say “sorry” (when she got my handbag in her stomach!), but didnt move back.
anyway: goodies I came away with:
1 pack Clover Patchwork Templates
2 patterns and a fabric roll from The Fennel Shed – some lovely girls from Northern Ireland!
2 JellyRolls and a Layercake (with 3 free patterns) from White Cottage Country Crafts…..In Wolverhampton! Yay! Another Local(ish) company!
Didnt get to see Jane Greenoff (one of those who had moved stand). Heard later that one of her made up items had been stolen off her stand. That had crossed my mind when going round the show – there are a lot of people going around some very small stands that may only have space for 2 people on it, both of whom may be serving people. It would have been (and as Jane has found out, proved to be) very easy for someone to slip something into their hag and be off.
Did go through The Cotton Patch stall – had hoped to see some Dan Bennett fabrics up close, but they either didnt have them or I didnt find them. Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett again seemed to be the two big pushes (Fassett was there again signing his latest book. I didnt buy). Something I spotted several times: William Morris in Applique. I’m not up to applique yet, so didnt get
I was there for 3 hours in all and walked around for most of it. Not sure I will go back this weekend for more, as I think I had enough. I did take some photos – had originally thought I wouldnt but ended up taking a couple. These’ll be put up in another post when I get the chance to do some attribution on the quilts themselves.
ETA: I’ve found the HenHouse blog, where she also does a posting on her visit to the show
09 Monday May 2011
Posted in Cross-Stitch, ebay, Exhibitions, Jane Greenoff, magazines, patchwork, quilt
Tags
Cross-Stitch, Festival of Quilts, interweave, Jane Greenoff, Kaffe Fassett, patchwork, quilting, Twisted Thread, wip
Bits and bobs that wouldn’t necessarily make it into their own post:
The haberdashery section in the local House of Fraser seems to have been closed down (or moved and hidden into an area I’ll never find). It was never the best section I’ve ever come across, and the equivalent in the Birmingham House of Fraser seems to be much better in terms of stock etc. If the latter ever closes down, I think I won’t have a local haberdashery department I can walk into and walk away with something in my hand within minutes (I have the occasional rant about the number and quality of Bricks and Mortar shops and how they can compete with Internet shops, if at all).
I am progressing with my current Jane Greenoff Catherine Archer sampler, and have realised that I *am* going to have to do some frogging. I thought I might be able to get away with not doing but no such luck. It’s progressing at a reasonable rate, as the recent Bank Holidays here helped, but I am getting a little bored of it. I shouldn’t put it down before completing it, as I run the risk of never really going back to finishing it – as all the other WIPs in the corner can testify. I have several WIPs that have been sitting in the corner for several years, which I should really get to finishing sometime. I also have one or more new cross stitch items to start, and then there are all the other things I want to do too!
During the last two weeks with loads of Bank Holidays, and the Royal Wedding in particular, I brought some lace making stuff (mainly bobbins) off the tinterwebs. Now I just have to find some thread I can work with and a way of reproducing some patterns and I’m away! I’ve found one book already that has some good step-by-step instructions and photographs, and that combined with youtube could get me well on my way.
The next main show in this area is, I believe, The Festival of Quilts being held once again at the NEC in August. They’ve changed the format this year, so that the social events are different – there’s no Gala dinner for instance and I don’t believe there’s a designer talk either. I don’t know whether I’m disappointed with this change or not – I quite liked the Gala Dinner, even if the hotel themselves charged stupid prices for drinks, and I usually ended up on a table as far away from the main stage as possible whilst being in the same room.
I am still waiting for my magazine (101 patchwork Projects) from Interweave that I ordered about a month ago now. It’s good in a way, in that it has given me the chance to continue with some of my WIPS, but bad in another way in that it has allowed me to be distracted by other shiny things, and I have ended up with more stash rather than less! Knowing my luck it’ll turn up tomorrow, just after I’ve complained about it!
I really do need to do a sort though of my stash ahead of the FoQ, as I will need to have an idea of what to buy. I don’t want to get something I already have (enough) of, but likewise, I don’t want to miss out on a trick for something I don’t have. I hope The Cotton Patch will be there this year, as I would like to see some of that fabric in person before committing to buy. I like the idea of both the Amy Butler and the Kaffe Fassett fabrics, but when seeing them in person last year I wasn’t so sure….
Now that I have all these different crafty tools, I’m going to have to find a better way of storing them than just shoving them in the back of the cupboard and ignoring them. How does everyone else store their Knitting needles, wool, paint brushes, paints, bobbins, threads, pins, needles etc? (I’m going to try out these storage boxes from Muji for a start)
29 Friday Apr 2011
Posted in Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff, wip
Tags
No photo – I’ve tried several times and
1) the piece is too big
2) my camera is not good
3) I am not good
but basically the photo is never quite all in focus, so it does neither my stitching nor my photography any favours!
Anyway, I am still working on Jane Greenoff’s Catherine Archer Sampler. I’m doing it differently than in the pack shown mainly because I dont like linen and cant work on it, especially with my current eyesight levels, and I’m also doing it in green (anchor 218 for anyone that’s interested), to tie in with other samplers that I’ve done recently.
For ages I’ve been worrying that I didnt have enough fabric for the length, so have stitched to the bottom to find……that I have just enough! By about 15 rows! phew! Now that I’ve stitched down 3 A3 pages, I now have to stitch across 2 A3 pages and fill the rest in. I’ve had to do some frogging already, but hopefully wont be too much in the end. Now there’s a wedding on the telly, the weather is cool enough to stay inside, so I’m going to sit back and spend some hours stitching!
14 Thursday Apr 2011
Tags
Cross-Stitch, interweave, Jane Greenoff, patchwork, quilting, wip
Spring is definitely here (knowing the fickle British weather, some say that Summer has already been and gone) and with the longer days of sunshine I’m spending more time outside as and when I can. Sometimes I bring a project with me. I’m currently working on another Jane Greenoff sampler – photos to come soon. Some times I just sit outside with a book and enjoy the sun.
Last weekend was spent doing some spring cleaning. The duster and vacuum cleaner were dragged out (and yes, actually used!), some cupboards were cleaned out, jewellery was rediscovered and cleaned, and much washing and ironing was done. There is still more to be done, but all this new space in cupboards makes me think of my stash and how better to store it and then use it. I’ve also joined a couple of communities over at Interweave.com, the craft publishing website. I’m hoping to get some inspiration for new projects, either in knitting or sewing. I was on there the other day and one of their communities – Quilting Arts – have just published a special issue called 101 Patchwork Projects + Quilts, which I ordered in a fit of shopping madness. With any luck it’ll get through customs and prove to be interesting. I do have quite a few scrap pieces of fabric that I’d like to get out of the cupboard and into something interesting so with any luck this will give me some ideas.
26 Saturday Mar 2011
Posted in crafts, Jane Greenoff
Tags
I took some time out to go up the “Stitching for Pleasure”, and “Hobbycrafts” shows up at the NEC this week. I got there not long after the show opened, for which in retrospect I was grateful, as it meant that I got around for a good hour before the crowds descended. I think the shows were slightly smaller than last year, but there were definately different exhibitors which I’m taking as a good sign.
I managed to avoid “The Black Sheep Wools” stall this year – hurrah! – on purpose as I did a stash sweep a few months ago and realised that I already have too many kits that I will probably never do, and that stall is the one that can only get me into more trouble! I did pick up some fat Quarters from a new exhibitor in Bombay Stores an Asian Department store from Bradford (a tad ironic when I live in Birmingham and Handsworth Wood is not far away, but hey, they were there and I liked their fabric!). I did shuffle through Jane Greenoff’s stand – and even talked to Bill again – but didnt buy anything. Her stuff is pretty, but most of it is now designed (and kitted up for) linen. Not only do I hate linen, but my eyesight means I am now a long way away from doing 18ct, even on aida.
At least I went there with a small shopping list, and managed to achieve most of what I wanted, except there was nowhere selling standard knitting needles. Then again it was a sewing show, so I cant complain too much. In all in the 3 or so hours I was there I think I spent around £50 – that including the £11 to get in.
I could have stayed longer, and might have spent more money except…….It could well be me (I’m not in the best of moods right now), but the show seemed to have more of it’s fair share of what I call “ugly” people – the ones with the trolleys they pull behind them that you cant see until you trip over them (in my case, literally), the elbows in the back or the ribs, the standing in the middle of the aisle chatting in groups of 3 or 4, oblivious to the queues of people all around them trying to get past and the endless pushing and shoving, pushing and shoving (and the filthly looks you get if you end up having to take part, like it’s all your fault there’s a woman in a chair ahead of you and there are three people behind you wont wait).
07 Monday Mar 2011
Posted in "My Big Toe Designs", Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff, wip
Have had problems with WordPress, and the stats and posting in particular.
I had started a review post of an exhibit, but was unable to do any decent links or load pictures. My machine then crashed, meaning I lost what I *had* managed to write (which makes me think the “Auto Save” was also not working).
I’ve managed to do some more stitching on the latest WIP (see a previous post). At some point I will put up a progress picture – uploading pictures being one of the problems I was having. I’m still nervous that I don’t have enough Aida at the bottom, even though I keep recounting to reassure myself. Things are going quite quickly when I am doing stitching, helped in no small part by being in one colour and on 14 ct, so most of the time I can see the holes!
End of Feb I picked up another item from the framers – the latest “My Big Toe” design previously blogged about. It’s HUGE! I feel another photo coming along.
So things to share with you, just things are conspiring against me to share them with you!
30 Thursday Dec 2010
Posted in Cross-Stitch, Jane Greenoff
Mixed feelings about this one. I broke off during the Christmas period and took NO stitching with me during my visit away. Whilst there was less than a day’s stitching left on it, I had realised that I had stitched it wrong, and there was several hours worth of frogging to be done before I could complete it.
I completed it yesterday, washed it, and ironed in this morning. To note that the top band was off to the left slightly from the rest of the stitching. I dont know if anyone else would notice it, but I do. Now a bit of a dilemma – do I spend money on getting it framed or not? I’d like to recognise the work I’ve done, but would the glaring (to me) mistake annoy me more if I saw it up on a wall? I havent decided yet though I’m certainly not going to frog several lines of stitching to correct.
On the packet, it’s known as The Catherine Archer Sampler, but on the Jane Greenoff journal, The Catherine Archer Sampler is bigger (I have this one too) and the smaller one just completed is known as The New Müller Sampler. A pdf copy of the latter can be downloaded from here or from The Cross Stitch Guild
