Halloween link up 2024

 Usually at this time of the year I join in the Trick or Treat Blog hop hosted by Jo over at https://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com/  but organising the hop is a lot of work for Jo and this year life is busy so instead of the hop it is a link up.

I like to try and do something new for the hop each year and happily had something finished ready so it can be added for the link up.

It is a modification of a design in issue 350 of The World of Cross Stitching. One of four designs by Fiona Baker, intended  to be a coloured cross stitch with a blackwork frame.

For speed I decided to just do an outline of the central image and added a little bit of gold blending filament  I have a little bit of that to use up

after the picture there would normally be the letter for the hop and a link to the next blog. If you did not come here from Jo's blog then use the link at the top and see what other themed stitches are about.

If you are still craving more Halloween themed stuff  you can link to previous years hops click on the Halloween label link at the bottom of the page.

Oh and I have shared this particular Forestella song before but as a ghost story it fits

BFF 14 Nearly almost

 but not quite.

I have all of the blackwork completed. What a relief that it all joined up where it should. I was a tad eager to finish and made a mistake adding a bit that was not in my plan, so that had to come out. That little bit of reversal did not impact on where I finished for the evening.

Int the original pattern there is a further element to the edge in the original pattern in a different shade and full cross stitches. I was never sure about doing that and now the blackwork is done I am happy with it the way it is. So no more will be added.

Mine is on the right and the picture in the book on the left.

I did contemplate the inner truth here, do I like it better without or do I just not want the bother of stitching it? I like the more open and lighter feel of it like this so it is a decision I won't suddenly regret.

For an update on my BFF's Click HERE

And for todays Forestella link 

BFF SAL 14 a slight pause

 in working on this, a bit more of a pause than I had anticipated as for some reason this year I am late getting started with my stitching for the Easter Hop, so as my BFF was feeling a little behind on the SAL I started this evening stitching my hop piece which will be getting posted later.

Then I went onto the SAL for the last little bit of the evening.

I finished outlining the edge as I had black in the needle from the Hop stitch and having the edge in did feel like it speeded up the blackwork.

I even managed to get a bit of blackwork in.

My BFF made good progress and there was much laughter over a mutual friend's issue with her car alarm going off, stopping and resetting during the night. At 3 a.m. she could not stand it any longer and told her husband to get up and go to work (he has his own business with an early start but not that early) so at the least the faulty alarm would be ringing at an industrial estate and not in a residential area disturbing her sleep and that of the neighbours. 

So up he got and off he went and she snuggled back down to get a few hours more sleep......and the car alarm went off!

Yup, it wasn't their car after all. She did call her husband to let him know but he was halfway to work by then.

So in the end neither of them (nor the neighbours) got much sleep.

For my BFF's update CLICK HERE 

And the Forestella song for this post?

Well I went with the Background of the video for the link rather than the song title. This is the first one I came across and it is rather jolly. Although I must admit to not speaking Spanish  and originally having no idea what they were singing. 

Don't forget to pop by over the Easter weekend for the hop.

Blackwork underskirt take two

first attempt unpicked time for a rethink. Something smaller but the question about regular or random. It is amazing how truly difficult random is to do.

So regular, did I try it out first or just do it..you know I just went for it. 

The new plan teeny tiny cross stiches at the point the squares in the Aida join.

And shading a little bit of shading with my teeny tiny cross stitches in three shades of grey. 

I did the darkest shade first, just  let it flow then the mid and the teeny bit of light.

I did it to binge watching The Watch on the BBC I Player . I like Terry Pratchet and have read all the Watch related books..and had to suspend 99% of that to watch the inspired by, variations on a theme, embellished version, an appropriate watching choice for my variations on a pattern stitching.

Much happier with this and so all of the fill is completed.

Well there is the hair. People have been waiting for the hair to take away the alien look of the Needlewoman.

and her gold needle of course, she had been looking for that needle for weeks and now she has it to hand.

If you visited earlier you may recall that I had a frame in mind and I extended the sides by two stitches and the top by twelve to fit in the mount which came with the frame.

Now that mount was just the paper one and I was quite OK with that in this instance. So ironed the piece and ready to frame, stretched it on a back card all ready and a draft of air into my work space and the paper mount wafted up, dropped down caught on the edge of the frame and ripped!

At least it was not the glass giving me grief (click here to link to my BFF's glass issue) but I did not have anything to hand to cut a fresh mount so it has just gone in "self" mounted. Maybe at a later date I will get some mount board and re-do. Maybe white as originally intended, perhaps black.

But at least she is framed and up on the wall and not languishing in the almost but not fully finished pile.

Blackwork underskirt take one

 I have been prevaricating this for two lots of wallpaper and a floor. There is no more putting it off.

So the underskirt was the first bit of need something more that I wanted to do but I had not settled on a fill pattern.

It was whilst looking for that I came across the fill for the lower section of wall paper in The New Anchor Book of Blackwork which I then amended for the upper section of wall paper.

None of the fills in the book felt like they fit. Then I thought perhaps if I did just the goldwork sections from the over dress but in dark grey that might work.

I rather enjoyed sewing in the little crosses and stars. That I like doing the blackwork and find it soothing is one of the reasons that this pattern has been getting its additional fills. However, much as I liked sewing this I got to this point with the bits of the skirt under the chair still to do and decided I did not like it. Too big, to solid just not right at all.

So out it had to come. Now I will be honest the thought of unpicking it did give me pause and I gave it several hard stairs trying to convince myself it was just fine or maybe would be with something in the middle of the squares to break up that big space. And then I clipped the threads at the back and pulled it all out. 

Once the decision was made the unpicking was oddly therapeutic in its own right, as the grey fluff  pile grew. 

An once it was unpicked, well back to contemplating.

Blackwork

time to do something with the floor.

I drew an outline of the fire place bottom and the edge of the table and skirt and I tried to work out something pattern based with diminishing sizes..nah! Currently and possibly for some time yet to come that was beyond my skill level.

As was anything that would attempt perspective on the vertical plane.  So horizontal it had to be.

Initially I thought I would transition from the very light grey, to light grey to a darker grey as it moved to the front.

I changed my mind as I sewed.

I changed from stitches that covered one square in the first rows to covering two squares then three then four before I increased the space between rows and continued increasing the stitch length. only the last two rows closer to the bottom were in the mid grey stage.

I rather like it which is a relief. Added a few little stitches  in the mid grey at the feet of table, chair and lady stop them floating around.

I also filled in the fire place.

Just a quick reminder( or if you are visiting with me and this project for the first time) the starting point for this is Holbein Embroderies Blackwork design BW131 The Needlewoman. There is no comma in Emboideries on the pattern and as it is their company name I am not messing with that, I have messed with or embellished or added to whichever way you want to put it on the wall and now the floor.

Next in line for my meddling is the underskirt, which funnily enough is the bit I had thought of doing in  extra to the pattern in the first place.  But I am still not quite sure what...back to the graph paper.

Blackwork mirror mirror

 on the wall,

is done, metallic as per the pattern( well almost as I used a different one for the dress to the frame), with a bit of an addition for the glass.

So that is all the metallic as per the pattern done.

from the pattern all that is left is the hair. However, I have not been following the pattern exactly as you may know, I added the wallpaper and have extended the sides by two stitches and the top by twelve so it will fit the mount for the frame that I plan on using. I still feel that the underskirt needs something, what that something should be I have not settled on yet.

I wish that I could think of a way to do the floor that would give it depth.  Maybe something will occur to me soon. No rush this is for me so I have no deadline.

Blackwork more wallpaper

The top section this time, I have modified the pattern I used for the bottom of the wall (which was from The New Anchor Book of Blackwork) into something with a more vertical theme.

Now it is not finished as I have not quite decided on the height of the finished piece. I will settle that once I have the frame picked out.

The gap to the left is for the mirror over the fire place. There was a wall sconce with a candle to the left of the mirror, but both the scale and the design of it did not appeal to me so I have left that off.

Still not settled on the fill for the underskirt. I will mull it over some more then hopefully it will pop into my head what will be suitable.

I will note that soothing as blackwork is, during a football final may not be the best time to try stitching it. I had to take out sections three times whilst doing this. I would otherwise have finished it in the match time (even with out extra time or penalties) but as it was the last two panels and a bit to the right had to wait just that bit longer.

This is cropped roughly where the frame will go. The pattern has a stitched frame, I am not sure I want that I might just have the design go to the edge of the mount and let the mount frame the image.

Blackwork

 a lighter shade of pale and the wallpaper starts to make an appearance.

Funny that I found a fill to use for the wallpaper and I am still contemplating what to use for the underskirt which was the fist of the "unfilled on the pattern" sections that I felt needed something more.

I chose a very pale shade of grey and at first, thought perhaps it was a bit too pale but all in it has the effect I wanted. It helps define the table and the chair but still sits back from the figure and managed not to become too busy.

I like it so much I think that the top half of the wall may get some fill as well, something a little more vertical. Not seen a fill as yet to use and might have to come up with something myself. (which nay well be something someone somewhere has already thought of but I've not found).

In the meantime there is still the underskirt to be contemplated and a dark grey still calls to me for that.

And my mother is waiting for her to "get some hair" and stop "looking like an alien" however I think the hair will be going on last. 

Additionally I think I need  to choose a frame just in case I need to extend the pattern to fit. The original only goes eight stitches above the sampler and that feels a bit squashed to me. So still lots of planning contemplating fun to be had with this.

Fill Stitches

 on my blackwork project.

The fill is set for the overdress and is in black and gold.  I have completed the black part and am pausing to contemplate more fully if I want to deviate from the pattern at this point.

I am wondering if a small fill in maybe dark grey on the underskirt would look good and also if  some fill on the wall in a lighter grey between the swirl sections would work.

Or possibly something on the embroidery cloth.  Either, or for those options or even all three. (that might be a bit much but contemplating is fun)

A little band sampler

and I do mean little. 

This is just 23 by 32 stitches, and that includes the edge. Do you think those middle figures look like ducks.  I like ducks so I think that is what I will consider them. I don't have to do anything about framing this, the  edge is the frame and the moment it was finished it was on the wall.

Well, it was on The Needlewoman's wall.

I am hoping the next update will see me working of the fill stitches. There is still a mirror over the fireplace to do but as that is to be in metallic thread and some of the dress fill is also metallic I think I will leave it till later.

Running Stitch

 or backstitch?

I vary between the two depending on how clear the pattern is and how confident I am feeling about the count on a blackwork piece.

This is the scroll work done as running stitch in one direction and ready to go back the other way, looks like something cryptic or alien. 

And on the back of the chair.

I like watching the way it makes different patterns working in the running stitch, I like figuring out where to start so that the there and back will leave me in the right place to start the next section.

I think it is one of the reasons that I like blackwork.

I much prefer where I can to do it in the running stitch, it feels that it flows better for me that way. 

And yes the lines still look "bent" and I still anticipate that once finished pressed and blocked that will be resolved. The pattern recommends using a hoop but I rarely do for  cross stitch unless I am working on a very very large count and need the hoop to help keep the holes open.

Ok A little update, whilst looking in one of my blackwork books and pausing in my search for fill patterns to read the "history of" bit at the front it tells me that what I do , the running stitch there and back again, is double running stitch or Holbien stitch (after the Tudor painter who most famously painted Henry VIII) so there you go been doing a fancy named stitch for years without knowing it!

A trick of my eyes

 So doing the fireplace surround, mantlepiece and grate was very soothing and easy to stitch as running stitch , the key pattern was also delightful to do and completed as running stitch. I had meant to pause and take a picture of that at the half way point but I was having too much fun with it (there are a few more sections to do so perhaps then)

Now I have checked, and checked and checked again and the height of the skirting board on the left is the same as on the right.

I have even run my needle hole by hole from one side to the other (yes more than once, there and back) and it is right.  Now if I could just convince my eyes of that as each time I glance over at it, pick it up and stare at it my eyes say that it is not level.

I do hope that feeling goes as the stitch progresses or at the framing stage! It will be annoying otherwise.

Indeed having added the picture it still looks so out I have had to go and check it again, it is driving me mad...(definition of madness, doing the same thing multiple times expecting to get a different result) perhaps it needs a mid stitch press and block just to settle it down.

And so time for the chair back, more straight lines trying to be curves (not that she is making use of the back of her chair) getting closer to the fill stitches and looking forward to that.

Happiness is

 lines meeting up in the right place.

And the back of the dress met the chair exactly where it was supposed to.

Which gave me the lift I needed to go back and figure out what was wrong with the sections of overskirt as it reached the table. Took the sections out and put them back in and more happiness it is now right.

Which of course led to more stitches. If that had been backstitching , all those straight lines would have been irritating...on this it was soothing.

 

The speed at which this is growing is in part due to it being just the one colour of thread  that makes it easier to pick up when I have a few moments rather than having to plan a set period of time to make getting everything out.  My she has tiny feet and I am sure that sewing position can't be good for her back.

Now for a small update, the diamond painting was just not for me, my BFF got it in the hope I would find it relaxing, after several goes at it I had to accept that it was in fact having the opposite  result. It has therefore returned from whence it came ..well to my BFF who will give it a try and see if she likes it.  She may post about it on her own blog at some point in the future.

And before I go a quick reminder that the "follow by e-mail" option only has one more month to run and then it will be gone.

Aliens among us and they sew

 well my mother thinks that this stitching figure looks like an Alien, not the kind Ridley would have recognised but the little grey men type with the large head.

of course it is still just outlining and that large cranium is her hair in an updo, but pointing out the oddities in a design as it develops is something that amuses her.

So the table, hoop, material and top half here all meet where they are supposed to, it will be interesting to see if the back of the skirt will meet up with the chair in the correct place. if it does then I just need to fix the sections of skirt coming up to meet the table as that appears to be where I am out by a stitch.

Blackwork a little bit more

 beginning to think I can't count more than two on this one !

I am out by one somewhere...so that the table top and the skirt are not meeting quite as they should.

So....as I cant quite figure it out I am going to work from where I am and then fudge it! Probably.

A tentative new start

 this is a new blackwork piece. It is a progression in blackwork for me, My First and subsequent small pieces have been fully charted, out lines and fill.

This one has charted outlines (with strand count) and then instructions for the fill pattern.

Watching the scoring for the Eurovision Song Contest was perhaps not the best time to start something new and occasioned two false starts.

I am not 100% sure even now that I am getting it right, the outline charting is somewhat challenging and not what I am used to.

The design is from Holbein Embroideries and is the same basic subject as my previous on, just a different time period and size. This is called the Needlewoman.