Followers

10 June 2010

Finish and WIP photos

Picture time!

I finished the center panel of Sleepy Hollow last night. The backstitching on the angel's wings was a PITA. It's so close to the colors of the wings, and the stitches don't always end at the corner of blocks, so it was pretty fiddly. It took me a good hour and a half to do it, and that is unusual for me. HTB thinks the backstitch adds something to the project, but I'm not sure. I think, if I were to have the courage to stitch this again, I'd use the glow in the dark floss for the backstitch.

I'm not going to start the side panels for now. I have other things I need to get finished first, so it will go back in its box to wait for a bit. This was a major accomplishment, and it feels like "enough" for now.

I haven't done an update for the M Designs ring pillow. I work on this sporadically, but it's moving up this week to the focus piece. It should go pretty quick. The floss color doesn't really photograph well, but it is a fairly close match to the bridesmaids' dresses, at least as close as one gets in GAST.

One issue that I'm trying to reason out to myself is how to do the back. As I've said, this will be a biscornu; I think that will make it more "fun" and it won't be the everyday ring pillow I see in catalogs, plus I'll get to practice my biscornu skills. I want to put our names, the wedding date and the name of the church on the reverse. My problem is, do I put the wording so that it becomes an outer point that straddles a corner, or make it so that it's an inner point of the biscornu and you see the names in a straight line? It's a hard decision to make. The inner makes it very proper, the outer makes it a bit "whimsical" Any feelings?

Lastly, my progress on the GTG kit. I like the Sullivan floss. Really I can't see a huge difference between this and DMC. But I wouldn't mix and match the two and I wouldn't sub in Sullivan for DMC if I ran out of a color. I always fret about the difference in "sheen" and the richness of color difference between Anchor and DMC, and it would probably be noticeable here too, but it's fun to have a new floss. I'm hoping to get this done pretty quick. It's charted for a standard frame, so I'll be framing it myself. We were looking at the frames Sue had for some other finishes at the GTG, and realized that it's not that hard to make those frames with gee-gaws on them, the rosettes and moulding. My father has a catalog to order the gee-gaws, and they're cheaper than the store, so I'll be using that. I'll post the name of it when he gives it to me.


I hope this week is treating everyone well. The theatre starts the second half of the season this week, so I have a challenging stretch here for the next few weeks. Uggghhh, it's hard to leave at 6AM, knowing I won't be home til 9. Especially this week--it's fireman's carnival week in my town. The ladies' auxiliary makes the best crabcakes ever--no filler, good Maryland crab, they're reasonably pricedand it's heaven on a bun with tartar sauce--and we usually get over at least once. I've been so busy, we haven't had a chance, and I'm not sure we'll get one. BOO HOO! HTB is consoling me with all I can eat crab legs at a restaurant, but there is something about a handmade crabcake that all the crab legs in the world can't touch. I've made some very hard decisions that I have to cut back my hours til the wedding, or things won't get done and I'll have a nervous breakdown. It's going to be a change, but I'm blessed that my new boss at the theatre (formerly the assistant manager) understands. After all, we spent 15 minutes one evening watching videos of the wedding march on YouTube and crying happy tears. She just wants to be sure that she gets some cake at the wedding, LOL.

And, it's summer! It's time to kick back and drink lemonade!

12 comments:

Annie said...

Sleepy Hollow looks wonderful. Love that design especially on that fabbie.

I like the idea of the lettering on the outer points of the biscornu. That would really be distinctive.

Here's hoping you have the energy for those 'long days'!

aprilmecheelesdulllife said...

Sounds like a great boss..Love Sleepy Hollow!! Makes me want to get my chart out and start mine. Great idea for to ring Pillow!!

riona said...

Sleepy Hollow looks grand ... but I am not sure how much I'd like glow-in-the-dark floss ... I've got Sleepy Hollow in my own stash ... when you decide to pick it up again, let me know ... we can do it together as a SAL. If you can chart the biscornu bottom so that the information [date - church] tracks around the outer edges and your monogram is in the center ... with an appropriately lovely button [I recommend browsing the Farmhouse Fabric site ... they have fantastic antique and designer and mother-of-pearl buttons] ... well, I think that would be lovely. I think the biscornu idea is fantastic ... makes it more truly your own instead of everyday run-of-the-mill!

As to the crabcakes: couldn't the HTB check out the carnival and buy one for you ... maybe even rush it to the theater for immediate enjoyment? Just a suggestion!

Lainey said...

Sleepy Hollow looks brill Rachel and I love the idea of a biscornu as a ring pillow. I;m sure it will be beautiful however you decide to do the lettering.
Good luck with your work schedule.

Daffycat said...

Wow, Rachel! Sleepy Hollow looks fantastic! Congratulations on finishing the center panel...that makes you about half way through, right?

valerie said...

Sleepy Hollow looks fantastic so far! Wow...perfect fabby! Great progress on the ring pillow and your new start. Hang in there. Remember to take care of you esp. as the hustle and bustle of the wedding plans kick in.

Blu said...

Sleepy Hollow looks great!

Since a biscornu is already a bit exotic for a ring pillow, I say go with the outside and keep it unusual.

Carol said...

Love the shade of blue in your ring pillow Rachel (which I suppose means I'll love the color of your bridesmaids' dresses!)... This is such a special time in your life--hope you are enjoying it and not getting too stressed.

Love Sleepy Hollow--that will be a very special piece each Halloween!

Nick said...

Sleepy Hollow looks amazing!

The ring pillow is coming along nicely as well. I remember when I was about 8, I was the ring bearer in my aunt's wedding. I had to stand up front with the wedding party and I was sooo tired of standing there! lol The wedding was outside in September and boy was it hot standing there in that suit!

Siobhán said...

Sleepy Hollow looks great! Neat idea for a biscornu as a ring bearer pillow.

Meari said...

I say go for whimsical since you want it to be fun :)

Love the fabric on SH!

Pumpkin said...

That's wonderful!!!! You've been working on SH for awhile now. I'm doing a HD for you :o)

I like the Biscornu idea and I would say put the names or words on the outer points.

I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped--Frederick Perls