Taking a break ... or gettting something off my 'to do' list....

Stash thanks to Elizabeth and adding to it "my own" birthday present

After receiving some of the items that have been on my wish list for a long time the other day
I have spent some time today looking at all the things I want to stitch "in the future".... reading/rather looking at the new books, looking at all the threads and possibilities and ideas in my sketch book makes me fully aware of the fact that no matter how much I try I will always have more ideas and stash for many lifetimes!

 So, after much deliberation
and putzing about, trying to be logical and practical and staying on my well thought out path....

AND even kitting one of the new samplers up (yesterday) .... but not starting :)

Margret Gatis - kitted with 40ct. Sandstone linen

and  trying to resist the urge to start something new all day -  I finally gave in about thirty minutes ago, got some threads together, a piece of linen and with lots of 'ideas ' just decided that it is time to start making one of the ideas a reality

a new start !!!!

..... this will be a project that hopefully will be a quick one (plan to work on it for the next week or two in the evenings) and will result in a good old fashioned "huswife" ... one that I can then use to tote my threads for Margret Gatis and Ann Scutt around in one place .... I will be taking bands from various places, inventing a few, adapting some, perhaps adding some  drawn thread, pulled thread, reticella... who knows what....to make this "happen"....and I will continue working on Elizabeth Harborne also... not too much more to go on that one anyway - just a bit boring when all the new ideas and stuff are flooding in again!   So, here goes... it will hopefully finally result in a huswife - I could just follow one of the charts I have but designing this is more fun ....
 

Elizabeth Harborne - Stitch direction and texture

I was quite surprised at all the interest my last posts on texture and stitch direction generated.
I am a bit short on time at the moment - too many other deadlines closing in again on me - most of these are this time self imposed ones - and it feels good to be back on track again.  I will try and take more pictures of my work and expand on this topic more in the next few months and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the topic too.

For now, I took a few quick pictures of some of the things I have stitched that happened to be close by.... stitch direction is important...and I know I am way too particular and critical of my own work... I know that that makes some of you who know me chuckle!  I enjoy thinking about these things and studying my stitching, books and photographs etc ... and I love to challenge myself ... critiquing my own work is a way for me to learn more on a topic.  Please do not get me wrong though,  I love to see other people's work and enjoy seeing their progress, hearing about their accomplishments and problems while they work through a project and I do not look at their work critically but rather supportively.  We all learn from sharing and I have learned a lot from others who have shared their feelings with me about a teacher, a project, a stitch or technique. 
Anyway, here are just a few examples of stitch direction and how it affects the piece... stitch direction lends movement (see free form petals in my last post), it can influence the flow of a piece (look at the Eliz. Harborne band below with the base petals stitched horizontally or vertically), it can emphasize a shape (see the acorns in the second picture below from another sampler) and it is all important in working realistic technique (last picture below of my pansies)

Elizabeth Harborne - stitch direction discussion - white petals
The Song of my Needle 

My Pansies - Japanese Embroidery - realistic technique
The Song of my Needle

THE main thing in all of this is that we enjoy this great journey and our hobby... so thanks to all of you for your interest and/or tolerance of my quirkiness! 

Elizabeth Harborne - Day 28

Continuing on with finishing the bands I had not fully completed yet...
Thanks to all of you who scrutinized my stitching and assessed the bullions... as  I was stitching them in hand they seemed a bit looser and more raised to me.  After seeing your comments and polling family I decided to hold off with a decision on this and just move to another area... I am so glad I did because after looking at them today I have decided that I will not take them all out and stitch them again in hand  etc. - I will just get all the other areas finished and then do the bullions last.

Now on to other areas that had given me reasons to pause - there were no notes on stitch direction so I wanted to revisit this issue after getting a feel for the whole sampler.  Notice how the stitch direction affects the reflections of the silk (this will also happen with cotton floss)... added different diagonals in the petals to lend the rather free form flower some whimsy in this band and I am not so sure about the smaller flower (charted in Double running all in white which barely shows up) - blue and white version on the right and just white with chain outline on left:

Elizabeth Harborne - Day 28
The Song of my Needle

Elizabeth Harborne - Day 28
The Song of my Needle

More on the topic of stitch direction in this band also... will continue with this later... too tired tonight to add all the pictures and details

Elizabeth Harborne - Day 28
The Song of my Needle