Heathwitch’s Stitchcraft

[wip] Autumn #3

I’ve been working some more on Vervaco’s Autumn this week. I’m a bit further on compared to the last time I posted an update about this WIP…

Excuse the wonkiness of the scan :p

I’m really liking the way this is coming together, and I’m pleasantly surprised by how addictive a project this one actually is. I originally thought that I’d get bored with all the different browns, but that’s not so. If anything, I like the way all the shades are coming together nicely to create a lovely subtle texture. :-)

[finish] Bumblebee

Further to my last post, I managed to find a bit of time this afternoon to sit down with my little Bumblebee WIP — and finished him :-)

Here he is just before I started the backstitch:

Now I bitch and moan a lot about backstitch, primarily because it’s so fiddly, but I really do love it for the amount of detail it adds to a design. Look, he is all finished:

In all, he took me about three-and-three-quarter hours, which isn’t too bad I don’t think — nice and quick. Might have been quicker still had I not forgotten how to stitch the French knots for his pupils. X-| … But he’s so cute, I think I’ll forgive him!

[wip] Bumblebee

Last night I found another small freebie kit from a magazine (Cross Stitch Crazy #7, May 2000), and, as it’s only tiny (c.5cm x 5cm), I decided to quickly stitch it for a respite fromVervaco’s Autumn.

In the end, I only managed to stitch for about two hours, but the end is in sight:

All that I need to do now is his head and tail, and the backstitch. He’s certainly a nice, quick cutie :)

[finish] Bless This House & [wip] Autumn #2

Tonight I found an old WIP and decided to finish it. As it’s a tiny piece (approx. 6cm x 6cm) and all I needed to do was the border, and add my initials and the date, so it didn’t take too long. It was originally a kit from an old (1999) magazine — and the good news is that I found the mount for it, too! So at some point I’ll be looking at framing/hanging it. Now I wish I had a nice hallway or something … :p

Then I continued with Vervaco’s Autumn. For those following the status of this, I decided to work to the right. Excuse the scan, it’s not that brilliant:

I could quite easily continue this into the night… But I’m sleepy and need to get some rest, so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

[wip] Autumn #1

I suddenly realised that I have not posted anything about my current WIP since completing the Lughnasadh square of the sabbats wallhanging.

Well, before I start on the Mabon square (a basket of harvest vegetables), I decided to take a break from sabbats and work on another WIP I’ve had on the go for some time. I started Vervaco’s Autumn last year, but didn’t get very far — only a few stitches! — so I was drawn to continue with it.

I’ve lost count of how many hours I’ve spent on this so far — it’s at least ten, possibly twelve, but here’s where I’m currently at:

I’m actually quite enjoying this piece… Now all I need to determine is which direction to go in now — left, right, up or down. *grins* But one thing I really like about it is — it has no backstitch! And that’s a good thing, because I’m terribly slow when it comes to backstitch…