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Monday, December 30, 2013

Samplers & Margret Gatis 1711 - Day 2

As the New Year approaches I am currently focusing on what and which needlework areas and  projects I want to concentrate on.
Samplers are always 'fun' to have in the works - they provide a good break from other complicated projects and I do have a good collection of reproduction samplers in my stash that I have always wanted to stitch/finish.
I have decided that both Ann Scutt and Margret Gatis will be two of the 'new' Scarlet Letter samplers I will be working on besides finishing Elizabeth Harborne and two other samplers (still have to decide which ones) in 2014.

Still have to decide which projects will be on my list in other areas... good things to keep my brain occupied while I stitch on these samplers.
To make things more accessible to me and to decrease the pile of frames in my needlework area downstairs I decided to frame both Ann Scutt and Margaret Gatis together - this will give me a chance to work on both of them at the same time.  This is what they look like together :
Ann Scutt (left side) and Margret Gatis (right side)
- Framed together - hope this will work
The Song of my Needle

I was most intrigued by Band 5 of Margaret Gatis  and skipped over to that band and work on that yesterday - spent a glorious afternoon stitching after a very long time!  It felt really good to take some time out...
Here are some of the pictures of my progress so far - I decided to change the gold colored silk from the lighter color specified for the blackwork area to one of the others - I felt that the lighter color was hardly visible from afar.  So even though I thought I would work this exactly as charted I've made a change right from the start.  The stitch direction of the central flower is not specified nor is it very clear on the photograph provided with the chart so this is my interpretation of it... it was an interesting and time consuming area but fun.  I would have loved to have seen close ups of the original sampler though - it may have given me more insights into what the thought processes of stitchers in those times were.  I stitched this flower from the outside in but if stitched differently there would be a different profile/dimension... in this interpretation the central area is foreground and the outermost red petal satin stitch area is receding/background.  While I was stitching it I was tempted to use other stitches (fly stitch for example) but decided to stick with just satin stitch as specified and not make it too complicated.

Progress on Marget Gatis so far :

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

Margret Gatis - Day 2/Band 5
The Song of my Needle

mj - if this is the band/flower you were referring to let me know - perhaps this closeup above will help you figure it out (if you like my interpretation that is) ... these are just some of the pictures and I would be glad to send you others if you feel it helps.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Ann Scutt 1675 - Day 4 - & another new start : Margret Gatis 1711

Only had a little time to stitch on Thursday, Dec. 26.  I have been thinking about all the needlework projects I would like to tackle in the New Year as well as what I would like to focus on most.... still trying to sort through things in my mind.
          Anyway, here is the progress as of Thursday night...
Ann Scutt - Day 4


I have been thinking about all the stuff I would like to do in 2014 and after the past week of non stop activity and late nights I was too exhausted to do much else ... my plan had been to start Margret Gatis on Christmas Day because of the colors but then did not do so .... so I started just about an hour ago on a whim.   So here are the first few stitches into that sampler...   

Margret Gatis - a new start!



Margret Gatis
40 ct. Sandstone, AVAS silks 

 Hope to finalize my thoughts on my 'major' projects soon and also decide what new needlework adventures lie ahead in 2014!
   

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Ann Scutt 1675 - Day 3

So here is the progress after stitching for a little while this morning :

Ann Scutt 1675- Day 3 AM

And then tonight :

Ann Scutt 1675- Day 3 PM

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

A New Beginning - Ann Scutt, c. 1675 ... started on Dec.20,2013

Hi Everyone!
It has been a while since I have posted - things have been busy on all fronts.  My intention was to finish Elizabeth Harborne by Christmas but an error in packing things for the holidays necessitated a
change in plans.  I packed Elizabeth's linen and threads but forgot to pack the instructions... but I successfully packed all of Ann Scutt and Margret Gatis! 
So, I decided to start Ann Scutt ... got things ready and have stitched for just about an hour on Dec. 20 and then this morning.  I am using 35 ct. ivory linen, AVAS silks and at present Bohin Tapestry needle #28 (but I switch needles in different areas depending on the stitch and what 'feels' right).  Luckily I had packed all that along with a 'junky pair' of scissors and my Dovo foldable ones.
I know that all of you who know me also know of my love for my Dovo scissors (3set Anniversary model) - I am now not taking them along when I travel.  I am most pleased to report that the foldable Dovo scissors do not disappoint... I have used them now for a variety of techniques and so far so good... the 'junky pair' is for all purpose use (paper, metallic etc.)... so I now have a good TSA approved set for travel again.  The only other scissors that I love are the handmade professional Japanese embroidery scissors... there is such a big difference between machine made scissors and hand forged/ hand honed scissors.

Anyway, here is the progress so far...

As of Dec.20

Ann Scutt - 35 ct. Ivory linen, AVAS silks
The Song of my Needle 

Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle
 As of Dec 23 night....
Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle
 As of this morning, Dec. 24...

Ann Scutt - The Scarlet Letter
The Song of my Needle