Author: sympatheticthreads

cross stitch · events

Art is everywhere you go!

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

While enjoying the Village of the Arts Artwalk on July 3rd I commented to my companion that some of the artwork at Divine Excess looked similar to folk art pieces I had seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in DC (one of my favorite places in the world, btw). And, sure enough, I found several pieces by one of the featured artists at Divine Excess (Mr. Imagination) on the SAAM site!

I was also highly impressed by several of the other artists displayed at at Divine Excess, including the amusing assemblage figures of Melissa Menzer. You can see some of her delightful artwork here. 🙂

Entry converted from Blogger.
cross stitch · WIP

Starting Mary Wigham

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

I am very pleased to have started stitching on the Ackworth School “Mary Wigham” sampler today. Situated near Pontefract in Yorkshire in the North of England, Ackworth School was built to be a foundling hospital, but in 1779 a school was founded there by Sir John Fothergill. Mary Wigham was a girl from the region who attended Ackworth between 1788-1791. Her piece is important for the history of the samplers as it is the first known with medallions.

Mary Wigham worked her sampler in 1790 – almost 220 years ago! Her sampler is under the care and conservation of the School, and Needleprint is releasing a section of the chart every week via download so that needleworkers everywhere will be able to complete Mary’s breath-taking sampler for themselves. Six of the nine sections have been released thus far, but I am only just starting it today, so I look forward to happy stitching for many weeks to come!

Entry converted from Blogger.
cross stitch

Home of a Needleworker finish

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment
IMG_5669Finally completed my own “Home of a Needleworker” this weekend. The birdie is a plump little chap now, as I frogged and restitched him so that he would fit and balance better, and I added a couple of bumblebees “just because.” I’ll have to set this aside until I can make a frame for it, but I’m pleased to have finished at last.
IMG_5671
Little House Needleworks “Home of a Needleworker”
22-ct. Off-white Aida, DMC floss as charted
Stitch count: 193W x 97H
Start 6/21/09 – finish 07/11/09
Entry converted from Blogger.
cross stitch · WIP

July Stitch-A-Long (SAL)

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

Joined the July SAL on Facebook just for the heck of it, and in hopes that participating will motivate me to finish my sampler which is almost, but not quite done. I only have a little bit more to do and then I can start on my next project! So, barring any additional CTS problems I hope to get some serious stitching done this weekend.

Entry converted from Blogger.
ramblings

Taking a little break

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

Still haven’t finished Home of a Needleworker yet. Promised myself to finish this past weekend, but despite my best efforts (or perhaps because of them!) my carpal tunnel problems kicked in a somewhat and I had to give my hands a rest yesterday. As soon as I get back to normal I hope to finish up this little project. It has taken me rather longer than I thought it would to stitch, but I have enjoyed every minute.

Entry converted from Blogger.
events

Village of the Arts Friday ArtWalk

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

Some photos from yesterday’s ArtWalk in Bradenton, FL. The first shows my friend Vicki Rollo in her beautiful Heart’s Desire shop with encaustic mixed media artist Carolyn Campeau. Vicki is a fabulous jewelry designer whose work incorporates semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, Bali silver and beads from around the world. Her shop also carries a marvlous assortment of women’s fashions and accessories, ceramics, paintings, fused glass, and metalwork from local and national artists.

My friend Sandy and I visited several shops in the Village and I took snaps of some of the various eclectic shops in the Village, including Clay in the Garden’s artist Jo-Ellen Gorris, who sculpts whimsical three-dimensional clay characters (those are her ceramic chess pieces and her very friendly kitties!), and Bits & Pieces quilt shop owner/artist Linda Bronkema. And the colorful animal-adorned bricks were lining the the walkways of the very funky and fun Divine Excess shop.




Entry converted from Blogger.
cross stitch · WIP

Slow but steady progress

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

I stitch a little bit on “Home of a Needleworker” each night, but what with all those tiny stitches building a house on 22-count is slow going. I am determined to finish it this weekend, though.

I do not have a multitude of WIPs going at once, because I hate having unfinished needlework laying around. I find that too overwhelming. I know other stitchers like working on several things at once, but I prefer the sense of accomplishment that I feel when finishing one project completely and moving on to the next one to starting a dozen things which I may never finish or lose interest in along the way. I may be wasteful in plenty of other areas, but never if I can help it with fabric and thread. Each project is like a puzzle to me, waiting to be solved. And I have always preferred forging ahead to a solution, and not meandering along the way.

Entry converted from Blogger.
cross stitch

Words are completed

sympatheticthreadsLeave a comment

Lots more progress this weekend, and I’ve been thinking that I’d also like to add a few other small touches here and there, such as repeating some hearts or flowers just before and after the little bird. And I always like to stitch in a tiny bee or two somewhere, as that is my “trademark” on personal projects.

Entry converted from Blogger.