Friday, August 31, 2012

WIPocalypse update #9? Well, at least it's a stitching update!

Hmmm, was I supposed to be working on old, unfinished projects this month?  Did I commit to doing that all year long?  Whoops, must have slipped my mind!

Well, it didn't really slip my mind, it's just that this month has offered quite a few distractions from stitching on old stuff, and I find myself at the end of the month with nothing WIPocalypsy (yes, I just made that up) to share.

But never fear, for my needle has been flying through the linen all the same, and I now have permission to share at least some of what I've been working on.  This month found me working on 3 models for Cherished Stitches, 2 of which will be released next weekend at the Baltimore needlework market.  Since they are so close to making their debut, I've been given the go ahead to share my not-so-professional snaps of the designs I stitched on.  First up is "The Sign of the Gravedigger".  This isn't the best photo, as my work is unironed and therefore quite bubbly, but you can get a bit of an idea of what she's created:
I love that name, "Berry Yew".  I just think it's too cute.  And perfect for this Halloween season that is so quickly approaching.  And speaking of Halloween, here's a photo of the other model I can share, called "Enter if You Dare":
A very quick and fun stitch!  The other piece I'm working on won't be released at this market, so I haven't been given the go ahead to share it, sadly.  And I think another design will be coming home with me on Sunday.  Good thing I like all these pieces she's got me working on, because they are taking up a good chunck of my stitching time!  : )

I did find the time to do some non-model stitching this month.  Lori of Notforgotten Farm shared a cute little freebie on her blog and challenged her readers to find a creative way of finishing the piece up.  I don't know how creative my end product truly is, but I had a ton of fun putting it all together.  I stitched the pattern on a piece of 36 count fabric from PictureThisPlus (the name escapes me at the moment) using a mishmash of various brands of overdyed cotton threads (so I totally jacked up Lori's color scheme).  Here's my finished stitching:
And here's how I finished it:
I've been thinking for a while that I would like to blend my scrapbooking and stitching hobbies together, and had actually been trying to conceptualize a Valentine-themed hanging piece for a while.  When I read Lori's challenge to come up with a unique finish for Tophat Jack, I decided to try out my hybrid banner idea with a Halloween theme first.  Here are closeups of each letter (sorry, I know they're a bit out of focus, I'm not really sure why I didn't notice that til after the banner was strung and my camera put away):







 Well, that's all for today.  I have that 3rd model to put the finishing touches on, a Halloween exchange piece to work on, and there are 2 or three Halloweenish pieces in my WIPocalypse pile.  Hopefully I can finish off at least two of them before the next update is due.  Oh, and I'm almost finished with my Aloha bridal shower mini album.  I hope to share photos of that early next week.

Til next time, I hope everyone in the US has a great Labor Day weekend, and the rest of you have a great, nonholiday weekend!

12 comments:

Miss Pants said...

Nice pieces! I can't wait to see more of "The Sign of the Grave Digger."

Margaret said...

Oh my gosh!!! First of all, I just love your spooky banner -- soooo cute!!!! Perfect way to combine stitching and scrapbooking! And then the models -- wow! I really want to see more of the Sigh of the Gravedigger! And the other piece is great too. So exciting! How did I miss that there was a market next weekend? lol!

Chris said...

Hey Robin!
You have been busy. What fun stitching Halloween pieces is.
I think that your banner is just fabulous. Thanks for sharing the close ups of each pennant.

primitivebettys said...

I love garlands! And I love yours! Your touch of the purple in the stitch is a zinger too! :-)

Anonymous said...

lovely stitching and your banner is great

Southpaw Stitcher said...

Robin, you are so creative! Love your banner! And Sign of the Gravedigger may be in my acquisitions future!

Ellen said...

Beautiful stitching!

Love that banner too, so creative!

Hugs,

Lisa Echerd said...

What fun Halloween projects. So much pretty detail!

Marcy said...

I love your spooky banner! What a fun idea for a finish.

Katri said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! What lovely stitching you have here and that banner is gorgeous! You know, I have reported all stitching, be they WIPocalypsy or not :-) (Btw, that's a nice word, WIPocalypsy :-)

Shebafudge said...

Hi,

Thanks for visiting my blog. I came to yours through your profile.

I love both models you stitched but think the top one is great! Your spooky banner is marvellous - I will look forward to a Valentine one next year.

BTW - I am now a follower.

(((hugs)))

Unknown said...

Both models look to be great Halloween stitches And, your Tophat Jack finish is very cute!