Preparing for some witchy stitching

Today is one of those days where everything comes together and I can spend a few hours, if not the entire day indulging in some me time.

I am anxious to get some hand stitching on the Hocuspocusville blocks started so today I managed to trace 3 of the blocks.

potting shed

bubble and brew

My plan is to trace all the blocks for hand embroidery before I begin stitching so I can just do one after the other.

I did have a set back while tracing the patterns onto the tone on tone fabric, the fabric was so rough it wore down my micron pen nib so I decided to just use unbleached muslin, which I was originally planning because I can see the tracing on the fabric better, and I had enough on hand. I think if I went a head with the other fabric, stitching may have been difficult.

So anyway, the first 3 blocks are traced with 9 more to go, it takes about forty minutes or so to trace each block depending on the details.

Peace Square and the Four Goddesses embroidered

4 Goddesses

Another hand embroidery piece has been hand stitched, now onto pressing and adding a simple border.

My Peace Square stitchery is done and also needs to be pressed and trimed to size then mailed off.

Peace square

I love working small hand embroidery pieces, it keeps my fingers busy and my stitching improves with each piece.

Happy Summer Solstice to All

What I'm Stitching this week

Stitching on the Goddess hand embroidery piece was started over the last weekend, with 2 Goddesses to go.

I will put the piece aside for a short break so I can start embroidery this little Peace Square for the

Artists for Peace project, information can be found at this link.
https://obsesivcreativ.wordpress.com/

Oh and I finally replaced the Goddess cookie cutter that disappeared from my supply box a few years ago while I was teaching a class, this one is a little different from the original, bought 3, one to use for actual baking, one for clay projects, and one to adjust the bottom to resemble the original cutter.

Goddess Cutter

original Cutter

Greenman #2 completed.

All the stitching on the Greenman #2 hand embroidery is complete, I am quite pleased with the piece

now I just have to decide how I am going to finish it. I have been considering adding borders for a small wall hanging or altar cloth, a friend suggested a pillow and I have toyed with the idea of framing it. In the meantime I have been planning a few other hand embroidery projects.

On the 21st of May I attended another hand embroidery class at the local quilt shop, this class focused on fill in stitches.

Getting the chain stitch to curve at first was a challenge as you can seen by the cane shape stitches, I made improvements at the top and achieved the arc I was aiming for.  The chain stitch looks great in spirals which I need to practice.  The other stitches are the blanket stitch top in both dark and light purple floss, when they are flipped and stitched together they make a nice fill space.  The purple leaf shape is my fishbone stitch which I love and the heart is a randomly stitched long/short stitch.

A small hand embroidery I finished yesterday is this cute little motif a free download from: http://www.red-brolly.com/

I am selecting the floss colors so I can start the Goddess piece I have traced onto the fabric and added a backing fabric to stabilize my stitching. I plan to begin stitching during tonight's Full Moon.

Over the past few weeks I have been gathering a few new patterns for hand embroidery, many with a garden or nature theme, two of my favorite things, and since I didn't plant a spring garden this year I grow my plants with needle and thread. These two patterns are from http://www.birdbraindesigns.net/

Garden Sampler

Thyme to Garden

My love of the ocean and seaside had me buying this cute little pattern on one of my trips to the quilt shop, I am planning to get a few patterns on the lightbox for tracing so I have several things to work on.

I also have an old iron on transfer book of just seashells which I have used over the years usually

tracing the patterns in the book rather than cutting them out and ironing onto the fabric, I have an idea forming in my mind for a summer or ocean goddess altar cloth using some of the shell motifs. More about that in a future post I'm sure.

What I have been crafting this month

I finished the green Amulet bag as you can seen by the size difference I have a more confident hand on the small size 6 hook and crochet thread so my stitches are tighter than when I made the blue bag.

All the stitching on the Greenman piece is complete it was a real labor of love and I look forward to

my next one right now thought I am working on the last of the 4 Celtic Knots in the corners.

I started reading another Elizabeth Lynn Casey book this week its a nice break when my fingers are too sore to hold a hook or needle.

What I have been stitching this week.

I am putting the final stitches in the Greenman #2 piece then I'm on to the four Celtic knots in the corners, I am loving this project but can't wait to be done I need a break from all the green.

While posting this photo I noticed I didn't crayon tint the corner knots, I wasn't sure how I wanted to finish them.

 I said I wanted a break from green and here I have another green project started this one is another small amulet bag.

I have another Goddess piece to start and a few new hand embroidery projects to put on the light box so I can have a few different pieces to work.

Yesterday I placed an order with Crabapple Hill and Bird Brain Designs for a few patterns, floss and size 8 perle cotton thread, I like one stop shopping so I don't have to wander all over the state looking for this thread or that one.  Many of the Crabapple Hill patterns use Cosmo floss, there isn't a shop nearby that sells this brand, except for the quilt shop which only carries colors to a specific pattern available for a class or pattern and the conversion charts are not always dependable either you need to use 4 colors to 1 or there is no conversion for a particular color.  I don't want to work that hard to stitch a project.  Sure I could use my own color choices but lately I like the overall piece when I use the floss called for on the pattern supply list.

These are the books I am reading this week, both were mentioned to my by a friend and I thought I

would give them a read, both are y authors I have never read so they will count on my new authors to read goal. New, as in authors I have never read.