speedy stitching

We are in trouble as a species if people will refuse to believe
in things they couldn't actually do themselves.
--David Mitchell (not the author)

My parenting owl stitched up SO quickly. I have to wash him and then stitch a few more details, but that should be very quick.

In the meantime I decided to be totally crazy and just stitch up a beloved quote from comedian David Mitchell. I sort of feel bad, because I think maybe it's the kind of thing he would disapprove of/be uncomfortable about, but oh well. I can't go around worrying about what celebrities think.

Of course this is the time when my washable marker would completely disappear, so I stitched it without any guide whatsoever. It's messy (impossible not to be on that fabric and at that size, honestly), but not nearly as messy as I feared it would be.

The quote is from an episode of QI. They were talking about people who don't believe the moon landing happened. It's part of this clip.

Parenting

This is my next embroidery project, all laid out! Anyone is welcome to use the pattern. The owl is a medieval motif (that's pretty damn public domain!), the handwriting is my dad's.

I've got the pattern printed on my solvy and stuck on to my fabric, so I should be starting on him today. I've never done non-counted embroidery on evenweave before, so that's a new thing which is slightly freaking me out. The linen is higher than 28ct, but I haven't actually counted. I found it as a huge piece of fabric in a thrift store for $4, which was really awesome.


My cat is mad at me for letting my niece in the house. Sigh. My niece was adorable, though also full of herself. I said her drawing was nice and she replied "I know." Takes after me, I guess...

St. Trinian's

Well, here she is, in all her finished glory. Actually this piece needs to be watched in an actual washing machine (in a mesh bag and on delicate, of course) to get all of the printable solvy off so the thread isn't stiff, but it will be a while before I get that done (do not trust my building's washers).

I am having a rough time of it lately, in terms of depression. I think it's probably an every summer thing, since I can get out of the house even less now. The next project I want to do, with the owl, can't be made until I have the right handwriting for it. I've thus far been after at asking my sister to do some samplers for me. 

There's a cross-stitch pattern idea I have too, so maybe I'll work on that a bit. Right now all I want to do is eat constantly, maintain a slight alcohol buzz all the time (impossible for monetary reasons), and watch humorous shows I've seen 5 times already.

Hockey Sticks and Balls of Steel

First, let me say that field hockey is the best sport. They give you a big wooden club which is weighted with lead at one end! There's nothing that can make a teenager happier. Just for fun, here's a picture of our more laid back spring hockey team from my sophomore year. I'm the one at the back holding her stick aloft (with dark hair).


Second, I grew up with St. Trinian's comics. We used to look at the books when going to work with my dad, starting when I was in second or third grade. Those nasty girls were part of my life before I went to boarding school and became the terror of the field hockey field (right forward, if you must know). There's never been any other sport which I've loved playing more. I liked playing soccer, but it was for a bit of fun, whereas I was actually competitive with field hockey.

So I am now stitching some fearsome field hockey lasses from St. Trinian's (by Ronald Searle) and wanting to rewatch the recent St. Trinian's movie remake with everyone.

It's a lot more solid stitching than I've done before. I used satin stitch on the right side there, because it seemed like it would work better on the narrow parts. I've used long and short stitch on the rest of it and it's honestly looking better than I'd predicted.

I go back to feeling very childish with non-counted embroidery. I just think back to being shown how to thread a needle and make a stitch and how frustrated I felt at not being able to make my stitching perfectly neat.

Cthulhu!

Man, I've been so dozy lately. I'm sure it's partly just the summer, but I don't know, there's a serious case of ennui here.

In any case I finished Cthulhu, and I must say, I'm quite pleased with it. The pattern is for sale in my shop now. Getting the greens to work and be distinct but blendy was a fucking nightmare. Seriously, I hate the color green, I think it's worst for "Oh these look completely distinct unless I stitch them at which point they are indistinguishable."

Now I've started a small piece or St. Trinian's art, featuring field hockey players of course, but after/in the middle of that I have many plans for this thoroughly unimpressed owl.

The first one is for a parent friend, and will say "Yes, please tell me your opinions on my parenting decisions." Then I think one for me that says "Yes, I'm sure yoga will cure my neurological disease."

It's a concept with no bounds, I feel. Oh, the owl is from a medieval motif, which makes it even better.

Cthulhu

Geez Louise, guys. I have wanted to do anything but needlework lately! 

In spite of that I started the Cthulhu subverted "bless this house" piece, and it's looking good. Trying to choose greens that didn't just disappear into each other was really tough though. I sort of hate green now.

There's a bit of text in a large font that will go above Cthulhu, and I have to say, I think it will look pretty awesome.

After that, I'm going full artsy. Maybe. My real focus should be finding something truly awesome to stitch on the large piece of dark red linen I bought as a remnant. It's so gorgeous, guys.

I also bought a stamped embroidery tablecloth with a gorgeous floral design that I might start soon. If nothing else, stamped embroidery is just so mindless for me anymore, and that should help. I'm also mentally devising a cunning sort of harness for the q-snap frames to facilitate easier stitching, but SHH. We'll save that for Dragon's Den (I'll admit, I'm a bit tipsy right now, since I think that shows...).

While it doesn't need to be done until 2015, I'm also thinking about the wedding sampler I want to make for my sister (2015 will be her tenth anniversary). I think I either want to go pretty traditional with a few nontraditional elements or else completely nontraditional and crazy. In my mind's eye I see rows of beer bottles...

Vagina!

This is my late (though always relevant) tribute to women getting shushed for using the word vagina during political debates and such.

It's going to have the main parts of the female genitalia stitched repeatedly in reds, pinks, and browns. Then I thought I'd fill in the smaller spaces with slang words, done in blues. 

I've also started on a commission piece/pattern I've started for a friend. It's the Cthulhu one I've mentioned before, just still in such early stages that an in-progress shot seems silly.