A Quaker Study: 30 hours completed

September 19, 2007April 19, 2011 KateLeave a comment

To the left, we have the latest incarnation of “A Quaker Study” by Carriage House Samplings, as stitched by yours truly. This is the sum total of my work to date, the whole piece so far, in all its Quakery glory.

Although it’s been a couple months since the end of my last ten-hour rotation (ahem! July! ahem!), I’d really like to emphasize how fast this project is to stitch. Once I started stitching on this project in earnest, I could really see the progress I was making.

This is also one of those projects that looks a lot better “in person,” so to speak, than in photographs. Or maybe it’s just my photography… Or the lighting… Yeah, that’s it–it’s the lighting! Also, for some reason, these photos have a kind of bluish tint to them, at least on my monitor. In real life, there’s no blue in this pattern at all. Oh, to have a professional photographer at one’s beck and call!

To the left is a photo focusing on the progress made from hours 20 to 30, basically everything below the first row of letters. If you want to see the last progress shot, taken after 20 hours of stitching, go here.

With any kind of luck, another ten hours ought to do it.

Sun and Moon Lettering

September 15, 2007December 25, 2013 KateLeave a comment

As promised in yesterday’s post, today I worked on finishing the lettering for the two Bent Creek designs I just finished. I wasn’t crazy about the lettering for the original designs for a couple reasons: first, they were backstitched (not my preference for lettering), and, second, they said “Full Moon Rising” and “Here Comes the Sun.” Yerp. And I mean that.

First, shouldn’t that be “Bad Moon Rising”? Second, could someone please get that Credence Clearwater Revival song out of my head? And, while you’re in there, could you take care of that Beatles song too?

So, I changed the patterns into mini-language lessons. And, since I only know a few words in other languages, and since there was limited space, here’s the new version of “Full Moon Rising,” which I am renaming “Lune Moon Luna” (the French, English and Spanish words, respectively, for “moon”) for reasons which should become obvious shortly:

And here’s the corresponding “Soleil Sun Sol” (to match the above, these are the French, English and Spanish words for “sun”):

I love these! And I can see them being hung up next to each other in a child’s room. Wouldn’t that be cute? Perhaps one of my future nieces or nephews…

Update 12/25/2013: Here are the Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works substitutions I made if no substitution is indicated, I used the recommended DMC floss colors):

DMC 221 — Weeks Dye Works “Brick”
DMC 420 — Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Brandy”
DMC 646 — Weeks Dye Works “White Light”
DMC 647 — Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Slate”
DMC 840 — Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Walnut”
DMC 924 — Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Brethren Blue”
DMC 934 — Weeks Dye Works “Juniper”
DMC 3362 — Weeks Dye Works “Kudzu”
DMC 3828 — Gentle Arts Sampler Threads “Brandy”

The Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night

September 14, 2007April 19, 2011 Kate1 Comment

About a million years ago–OK, really only ten years ago–I saw these two Bent Creek patterns in the June 1998 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine. They were called “Here Comes the Sun” and “Full Moon Rising,” and it was love at first sight. I can’t explain it, but I’ve always loved patterns with suns and moons. Pumpkins and sheep are my other faves. I went right out and bought the fabric for them and then they sat around in my stash for almost ten years.

But no longer! I proudly present the completed “Here Comes the Sun”:

And here, at long last, is “Full Moon Rising”:

Because the designs are so deliciously “primitive” (i.e. there’s not a lot going on), I decided to add a little visual interest by using variegated Gentle Art Sample Threads instead of good ol’ DMC. I don’t think they were calling for many hand-dyed threads back in 1998, but I really think, in particular, they make the sun and the moon look more realistic and colorful. If you want to know what GAST I substituted for DMC, let me know and I’ll post my suggested substitutions.