When You Run Out Of Thread....

....You take the opportunity to work on

other (and thank goodness smaller) commitments.

Small 10" squares for a show

"East Meets West"

organized by

SOFAAR

To my surprise I think this one is finished

despite the fact that it is not covered in stitch

from edge to edge.

Minimalist!

On the other hand this one is certainly

stitched to the max.

....Then you move on to start new work.

I have saved all the small offcuts from "Stone Pathways".

This break from stitching has allowed me to organize them

into colours and....

 ....and arrange them onto 2" squares....

....then sew them together

into what could end up as a stone or cobbled pathway?

And with time to breathe this week

you sit and appreciate wonderful linens

given to you by a friend.

Thank you Andrea!

Winter seems to have arrived in Spring this year!

I am freeeeezing

Perhaps next week the snow and the cold will go away.

Eagerly awaiting my thread order

needed to finish "Stone Pathways".

Tiptoeing Around Some Old Favourites

Three done

Nine more to go

I am enjoying rediscovering old favourites

as I stitch around them.

Love this colouring in between the lines

Need to explore this style further I think.

Silk allows tiny stitches

and takes the natural dye so deliciously.

Last year with the birth of our second granddaughter

pink started appearing in my work with more regularity.

But, I am having problems with my eyes

and Handy Hubby assures me this one is actually peach!

Perhaps I had better start working in black and white!

This one makes me smile.

I imagine it as creature of some sort

wearing a sweatband.

Brings back the sixties in a flash!

Now I need to rush out and find some more

embroidery floss.

Each 'pathway' takes a bit more than two skeins!

I hope you can stitch to your hearts content today.

Drawing with Dots in Ink and Stitch

 On Saturday I took a break from wrapping the edges of Stone Pathways

to take a dot drawing workshop at University Sainte Anne

with John Browning.

Learning how other artists approach their work

and how they view the world around them

enriches my world.

By the way this 'drawing' is teeny tiny!

I found this way of drawing to be very meditative

and really enjoyed getting lost in the process.

Just like stitching

On Sunday I tested another background filler

with one of my old favourites....

....row upon irregular row of stab stitch.

Too busy for this particular piece.

Us stitchers use dots too!

I tested row upon row of lumpy dots

using the backstitch as opposed to running stitch.

I like how the backstitch sits proud of the fabric layers

as opposed to running stitch

which sinks in.

That's more like it

now, when I run my fingers over the cloth, I feel tiny little bumps

just like gravel on a pathway.

I think I have decided how to stitch the background

but, boy oh boy, that is a lot of stitching!

I found that wrapping the edge of each pathway

takes three hours.

Many, many more hours to go!