The Hazards of Stitching

Being laid up is giving me plenty of stitching time. I'm probably averaging 10 hours a day. I've already completed many smaller things---witches hats and a mummy, a witch and a dracula 3D sitters---complete with beaded dangly legs. I've already sent them for finishing without taking photos, so I'll have to wait and photograph the finished projects when I get them back. It won't be any time soon because I told the finisher to not worry about my things until after Christmas. After all, I won't be enjoying them right now anyway. It's always more fun to stitch holiday related things during the holiday season. I don't want to stitch Halloween at Christmas, or Christmas during the summer. That means that you have to wait a full year to enjoy the finished project during the appropriate season. I'm okay with that. Usually, by the time a year goes by, I've forgotten all about the project, so it's all new and exciting again. Little things make me so happy!! Plus, by delaying my finish work, some people that did not meet the Christmas deadline of October 1st, just might have a chance to get their things before Christmas after all.

I'm completely caught up on my latest class---a 5 panel Halloween piece that will make a 3D cat. Here are the panels that I've finished:

Each panel is about 10" tall and about 5" wide at the bottom. When it's all put together, the little spooky cat will be about 8" tall. It actually has a name---I think it's "pudgy cat." The stitch on the gables took me three times to "get." After seeing Connie's, I realize I still didn't get it right. One thing I've learned through the years with stitching---even if you do it wrong, as long as you do it wrong consistently, it will look okay!

Those spiders on the background drove me insane! First, I spaced a row incorrectly which threw off the pattern. I couldn't live with it and had to tear out a row and a half. It takes LONGER to take out than to stitch. Since that's a metallic thread, it just shredded and was nearly impossible to remove.  I have to use tweezers. Then, once I did that and re-stitched it correctly, I forgot to stop midway for the bottom part. I had both rows on the left go all the way down to the edge. That gave me another evening of "take out." The spiders are so cute, I just had to use them. 

It's hard to tell, but the pumpkins are solid beads. We learned a new beading technique, so they were fun to do. Mostly beading used to be just tedious. The cats are done with a fiber called "fuzzy stuff." You stitch it and then take the needle and "rough it up" so all the fibers stick out like fur.

I wasn't able to finish this one because I ran out of the threads. Our class is on Tuesdays, but I'm not able to go right now. Since there are only 3 of us in the class, the teacher/owner was more than happy to push the class out another week. The woman is brilliant, but not very organized. When we get there, she doesn't have our assignment ready. She's typing and printing as we go along. Connie is going to run by and pick up what I need to finish this one. The witch and broom are not stitched yet. We haven't been assigned that yet, so I have no idea what we'll be doing there.

This is the final panel---actually the front/face of the cat. You have to picture cat eyes on the face at the top. There will be little black felt ears coming out of the top. The most fun thing about projects like this is if you do not like a particular stitch, you do not have to do it for very long. Everything is in small sections. Plus, if you don't like a stitch, you can change it all together and not do it all. It's all the decorative stitches that make these projects look so rich.

When we were at our class last Tuesday, I fell in love with this! I just love that spider perched on top of the jack-o-lantern. I'm so glad I bought it because little did I know that the very next day would put me down completely!!

 I'll be having this made in to an awesome pillow. I already have a vision.

 So far, I've completed the entire checkerboard table top.

I've done all of the black on the jack-o-lantern too. I did a double brick stitch inside the mouth with a sparkly fiber. I really like how it turned out---so much texture. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use "very velvet" on the spider for that feel and look. The owner is going to recommend a few other stitches and the fibers to do them with for me. She said she has a lot of wallpaper patterns for the purple background. I can't wait to see what she comes up with. I even thought about those spiders, but I don't think I want to do that many!

And now we come to the reason for this post. What's wrong with this picture?

 Look a little closer...

I drop needles all the time. They blend right in with the carpet. Sometimes I'm aware that I've lost one, but most of the time---not. 

They are supposed to be parked on the magnet. But sometimes they escape. I try to remember how many needles I have there, so I'll notice when one goes missing. But my brain is just not "sharp" enough to remember. A little stitching humor.

Actually, I keep myself in stitches in more ways than one!