Melissa's Needle Work Blog

Christmas Present Previews

melissabchris — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:55:45 +0000

I keep thinking that I should post some pictures of what I am working on…but I am working on Christmas presents for friends and family so I can’t post them until the New Year. I am enjoying making them into ornaments more than I thought I would.

I’m going to show some of the edges on my ornaments. I’m particularly happy with the red and green ribbon trim.

It’ll be a Margaret Sherry Christmas

melissabchris — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:08:57 +0000

I prefer to make Christmas presents for my family. I’ve stitched two Leavitt-Imblum free angels, one Nora Corbet free cherub, a Martina Webber freebie and a Passione Ricamo freebie. I went through the magazines that I have and found a bunch of Margaret Sherry designs that will make really cute ornaments. So far I’ve gotten two done.

Magaret Sherry 2009 Calendar

Chocoholic stitched up very quickly. I stitched it on 22 count aida and had to convert anchor to dmc. I am going to try getting some pink maribu trim for the edging.

Cool Cats designed by Margaret Sherry, December 2007, Cross Stitcher Magazine

This winter design took longer than it needed to. I frogged the scarf and the head a couple of times. Silly counting mistakes. I’ll have to wash this one out, the floss I had to frog left behind a shadow. They are small, only 3.5 inches around at most. I am going to stitch a few of the designs from the 2009 Calendar. I want to give a couple of them to co-workers this Christmas.

HWS HD!!

melissabchris — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:59:58 +0000

This year I had two cousins get married. I thought since Heirloom Wedding Sampler was so pretty I would stitch one for each of them. What a bad idea. I lost interest in the second one and even the deadline of the wedding couldn’t get me going on it. My cousin’s wedding was in July and I just finished the stitching last night. I still have to apply the beads, but in my mind finished in this instance means all the stitching (hardanger). I’m almost giddy thinking of what I should stitch on next Here are a few pictures. The blue colour matches the wedding colour.

Victoria Sampler Heirloom Wedding Sampler - with changes

Reading

melissabchris — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:38:55 +0000

I read alot. I came across murder mysteries by Monic Ferris. Her main character, Betsy, solves crimes and owns a needlwork store called Crewel World (also the title of the first book in the series). The mysteries naturally revolve around, or stem from, hinge upon, stitching related topics. Reading her books reminds me of the sense of companionship that having a conversation about needlework with other like-minded people makes you feel. It’s relatable. Anyway, I’ve decided to read all of them and have been borrowing them from the library. I didn’t read the first one but have read the second one, Framed in Lace, and am currently reading A Stitch In Time. It’s fun and panders to my hobby.

A Stitch In Time by Monica Ferris c.2000

I guess I’ll start mentioning what I am reading. Some books I save for reading while on the way to and from work, or for reading a half hour each night before bedtime…meaning they don’t get in the way of my stitching. Other books consume my attention until the book is done and I get don’t stitch much or at all.

Always stitching

melissabchris — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:26:46 +0000

I haven’t posted much over the summer…about once a month. I’ve certainly been stitching though. I’ve finished 3 Christmas presents and started a fourth. I did a little blackwork design of a lobster. I printed a picture of a lobster and used graph paper to get the basic outlines going. I have PCStitch so I used that program to finish the design. I love my lobster!

Melissa's Lobster 2009

Two Saturdays ago three of us (Janet, Elizabeth and I) travelled from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Moncton, New Brunswick (about a three hour drive) to visit Because You Count…the most local LNS that we have. There are only two or three places in Halifax/Dartmouth where we can get DMC floss and that is it. Because You Count has all kinds of stuff…Caron products, Rainbow Gallery products, Weeks Dye Works, Threadworkx, Kreinik, DMC, Mill Hill, loads of fabric and patterns and probably more stuff that I can recall. Kids in a candy store! Janet drove and she has a GPS, so we didn’t have to worry about navigating at all.

Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum is one of my favourite designers. I love her free angel designs. Over the summer I stitched her 1997 and 2005 Angels.

1997 and 2005 Angel - Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

They look adorable side by side, but I’ll be splitting them up and giving them to two different people for Christmas.

I finished working on a free design by Martina Webber/Chatelaine called Kathy’s Violets.

Kathy's Violets - Martina Webber / Chatelaine c.2002

I am also working on Mirabilia’s 2006 Cherub.

The 2006 Cherub - Mirabilia

Our guild resumes it’s meetings tomorrow night for the 2009-10 year. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has been working on over the summer.

Been stitching :)

melissabchris — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:30:29 +0000

I’ve been busy stitching since I finished Mystique. While I was in Kingston, ON for EAC Seminar I bought a kit for Bargello Jewells (pattern, materials and canvas) from Northern Pine Designs – Linda Lachance. I love the colours. It was the first time I did a beaded bezel and I don’t think it’s perfect but it does what it’s supposed to

Bargello Jewells - Northern Pine Designs (Linda Lachance)

I attended the wedding of my cousin Chelsea in July and while I have started her wedding gift I didn’t have it finished in time. I am going to visit the family after Christmas and will bring it over with me then. It contains some hardanger on the bottom and that is the part I am working on now. I’ll be finished the whole thing within the next six weeks. Since I’ve seen her wedding colours I am now going to incorporate them into the gift.

I’ve stitched two Lavendar & Lace free patterns (two complementary angels) and have no idea who I am going to give them to. I think it would make a striking gift if I framed them in a double window frame. They are done on the same fabric so I might do that yet. I like having small stitched gifts ready to give for Christmas presents.

I bought the Gold (Gifts of the Magi #2) pattern and Accessory Pack from Victoria Sampler a few months ago, and I recently purchased the remaining materials for it. It’s nearly entirely beads, but I have seen it in the Trunk show and love it.

This past year I haven’t been focusing on cross stitch much, and I kinda miss it. I am going to do a few more of the Lavendar & Lace and Mirabilia freebies as Christmas presents and then I’ll concentrate on compeleting things I’ve had around for a while. I want to get back to Watergarden (Chatelaine), Fire in the Soul (HAED), and Peace Angel (L&L).

Mystique

melissabchris — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:45:45 +0000

I finished the Carolyn Mitchell design, “Mystique”. Here are some pictures from start to finish. I love it!!

EAC Seminar 2009 Kingston, ON

melissabchris — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:42:33 +0000

It’s been a while since my last post…life interrupts. Getting over a sinus headache, busy at work, muscle spasm in my neck and a mother in the hospital for a week. Well I’m all better, it’s the weekend and my mom got home a couple of days ago and is feeling better.

I had a good time at seminar. My favourite part was the boutique. Five different vendours had all kinds of threads, fabrics, patterns, beads and books available for purusal and purchase everyday!! There isn’t a needlework shop of that magnitude in Halifax so it was a real treat and my only regret is not being prepared with a huge list of things that I wanted. I’ll take a picture of my stash haul later (camera batteries are getting charged up).

The two classes that I took were great. Carolyn Mitchell is a really nice person and a great teacher. She made sure that we knew how to stitch the more complicated / out of the ordinary stitches and talked about the design so we would be prepared to work on it individually after we got home. My second class was equally pleasant. Sylvia Murariu also made sure we practised the stitches and talked about the use of rayon threads. I would recommend both ladies as teachers, they definitely put thought into how to present the designs in a manner that will make it a good learning environment for students.

Here are the pictures of my class projects progress as of today.

Mystique by Carolyn Mitchell

Plumage Extravaganza by Sylvia Murariu

Back from vacation but…

melissabchris — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:33:35 +0000

I got back from my trip to the Kingston, Ontario stitching seminar a couple of weeks ago, but have had a bad sinus infection ever since and haven’t been up to posting. I’ve barely been stitching. I started being sick half way through seminar (not cool) and had to take a few sick days once I got back. I had to miss our guild’s last meeting for the 2008-2009 year. Despite the sinus infection I did have a fun time and will write about it later on in the week. My anti-biotics are working away at the infection and at least the pain has gone.

Free Needlework Carrier Pattern & Instructions

melissabchris — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:24:27 +0000

This has been added to our guild’s site. Please take a look, hope you like it.