Friday is our day of rest here and for some unknown reason I was up early!! Not like me at all - lol! Particularly since I am usually up till the wee hours the night before because I know I can get a sleep in the next day. However, I was up so I took the opportunity to come downstairs and hide away in the study to work some more on MTM. I sat in front of my laptop, loaded up The Sims 2 and played while I stitched :) I finished off the gold in the corners and the leaves on the flowers fairly quickly but the butterflies ... arghhh!!
I spent most of the afternoon stitching that lone little butterfly yesterday!! I don't have a problem with the over one stitching (love it in fact) but a couple of the silks were being particularly painful and kept knotting!! Of course I would only discover this after I'd finished that particular colour's section *sigh*! Frogging over one on 32 count is no picnic!! I was going to do all the butterflies at once but now I think I will stitch one then work on another section and so on until they are done. I know that if I take a break from this completely I will get enamoured by something else and then I will get even further behind on this project!! Sorry the close-up pic is a bit blurry - I've discovered the macro button on my camera but it still obviously has its limitations :)
I am currently using my 11 inch Q-snaps on MTM but it is getting to the point now where I need to go to something larger. With this in mind I ordered a 27 inch scroll frame from Sew & So in the UK last week so now I just have to wait for it to get here. I have ordered from Sew & So before whilst here but it was just a few threads. They are very good though so I'm sure my order will be here soon :) I also ordered the Stitchmaster Seatstand from them to try as well. My left arm is starting to ache and I think it's because of the weight and the way I hold my Q-snaps. I did consider a floor stand but I really don't have a set place I can leave it set up and out of the way. The seat stand is a bit more portable too so I can pretty much set myself up anywhere in the house to stitch :) I shall also be able to stitch with one hand on top of my project and one below which, once I've had some practise, I hope will help speed up my stitching!
I do have a scroll frame back in Aus which would have been perfect for MTM and I did intend to bring it back with me after we'd been back there for Christmas. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, it would not fit into any of our suitcases without it getting damaged. So it, along with some other stuff I wanted to bring back, stayed there. We will probably head back to Aus during the summer here so I will try and figure out a way to bring it back then. It will also be perfect for Egyptian Garden :)
I also thought I would post a pic of my progress to date on Fire ACEO (Original artwork by Sara Butcher and charted by Michele Sayetta of Heaven & Earth Designs). Some of you will remember me blogging about starting this piece about a month ago. There is definitely not a month's work on it though as I have not stitched on it for the past couple of weeks. I was so tempted to put a few stitches in it this afternoon but I was good and put it away again after I'd taken this pic :) Since I am a Capricorn my element is actually Earth (which I also have the chart for) but I was drawn to Fire more. Under Chinese astrology I am a Horse but because of the year I was born in my element is Fire. Maybe that is why I decided to stitch Fire first? :) I really, really want to get back to this but I am determined to get MTM caught up first!
Before I go I must mention Carol's wonderful first finish for 2006 - Celtic Winter by Lavender & Lace. Katrina also finished hers on the same day!! Go and have a looksee - they are both beautiful!
I was also really pleased to see that Karen (of Dragonfly Dreams fame!) has a new blog. Karen also has a first finish for 2006 - An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread. It too, is beautiful!!
Speaking of An Open Heart ... Carol, if you are reading this, I plan to start mine on March 1st ... which doesn't leave me much time to get caught up on MTM - LOLLL!
Once again I'd like to thank all of you who leave comments. I enjoy reading them and in turn visiting your blogs :) In the past I haven't been so good at leaving comments but I'm working on that and I think I'm getting better :) I hope so anyway!
Now, I think I might go and finish back-stitching the flowers and grasses on MTM :)
4 comments:
Hi Mel, thanks for stopping by my blog :) I've been reading yours for awhile now, and just wanted to say hi! Katrina in NZ
Hi Mel,
Thanks for the sweet words about Celtic Winter :-)
Here's a tip that might help you get through those butterflies - I stitched mine one color at a time - I started with the dark brown bodies and did all 8 of them... then on to another color... on all 8... then the next color, etc... Somehow it worked! I did them all in about a day and a half. I was wondering if it might help you :-)
MTM is coming along nicely. I just love the colors in this piece.
Everytime I come to your blog I seem Emerald Mermaid on your side bar and it makes me want to pick mine up again. :) Mmmmm maybe today.
I'm sooooo behind on my blog reading, sorry - I'm trying to catch up on everything today :) Your MTM is making huge progress - you're really doing great! And I loved reading about your trip to Abu Dhabi ... sounds wonderful! The last time I got Mum to bring over my floor stand with her (which wouldn't fit in the suitcases), I just got to to put a bit of bubble wrap around it, then broke up a big box we had lying around and packed cardboard around it and taped it up well into a sort of flat-ish parcel ... survived the plane trip fine :) Isn't it a pain when you have all that stuff sitting at home, when you could really do with it "here, now" :P
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