My First Ornament

I've always looked at other stitchers' finishes with envy. They all look so pretty with the nice fabrics and trims, those cute little buttons and beads that give it that special touch. It made me want to do my own.

So with Gelati al Cioccolato I finally got my chance to try it out. I actually had no reason not to seeing as it came fully kitted with everything I'd need to do the finishing. It didn't stop me from procrastinating A LOT. So I did things in increments, a day at a time until it was all done.

For a first try it came out good, a little off center but I'm not complaining. Note to self: don't put so much glue for the batting, the batting lost it's fluff and the board slightly curved because of it.

Will I do more finishing? Maybe, probably not ornaments. This one is hanging in my room right now, but we don't celebrate Christmas, so there isn't a lot of use for them around the house.

Since I finished this class kit, I've pulled out the next one, Karen Dudzinski's Pulled Thread Miniature Ornate Carpet.

Update 2015/04/29: Elfie of Elfin Stitches suggested using acid-free double-sided tape instead of glue for the batting, so that it won't distort it. Thank you for the suggestion Elfie :)

One Lovely Blog Award

I've been writing this blog for about 3 years now and I still get a jolt to the heart every time I see my blog name mentioned online lol. This time I was nominated for a blog award by Shelly from http://shelly-anarizonastitcher.blogspot.ca/. Do check her blog out! She mainly cross stitches samplers and her finishing skills are beautiful.

This is copied from Shelly's blog post:

The purpose of this award is for bloggers to nominate fellow, mostly newer, bloggers that they wish to recognize. The goal is to bring attention to blogs that we think are "lovely" and enjoy reading. We hope others will enjoy reading these blogs also. In order to accept the award, the nominated blogger must follow these rules:

     *Thank the person who nominated you and link back to then in your post

     *Share seven facts about yourself

     *Nominate 10 other bloggers for the award

 So here goes nothing:

1. So my blog name is D1-D2 and the reason for that is there was supposed to be two D's using this blog: Me (Dima) and my sister (Dina). I'm the eldest (of four) by the way. It was originally going to be about the two of us recording our projects, my embroidery and her artwork. That didn't happen in the end, but I kept the name.
2. I am a voracious reader since high school. I was the girl that carried a book (sometimes two) everywhere she went. I still do, but that's been replaced by a tablet/e-reader. So if I'm MIA for a while you know why. I'm probably off on a series marathon because there was a new release.
3. My favorite part about my hobby is that it allows me to combine it with something else I love: Movie/Season marathons (yes, it doesn't stop at books). I can never watch the Mummy and stop there, I have to watch the Mummy Returns right after :)
4. I love listening to K-pop. How did that happen? Well it started with Manga (Japanese comic books), which in turn brought me to Manhwa (Korean comic books), then to a Korean drama adapting one of those Manhwa's, ending in listening to the music. I have a few favorite singers/groups (IU you'll always be my favorite), one of which is Akdong Musician.
5. The smell of bananas make me nauseous. I can smell one from across the room. If you've eaten one, please keep your distance.
6. When I was younger, we lived in Sudan. I even did first and second grade there.
7. I have an Engineering Degree, Software Engineering to be exact. Which explains why everything I do has to be researched and planned. The structure I learned in Engineering fits my personality, but it also means I have a hard time lettings things flow naturally. I'm hoping needlework will help me with that.

Enough about me! Let's hear from other bloggers:

http://mrsmilkybarkidstitches.blogspot.com/

http://hokkaidokudasai.blogspot.ca/

http://kerrykatiecakes2.blogspot.ca/

http://prupertgirl.blogspot.ca/

http://moviemuse.blogspot.ca/

http://mrsxstitch.blogspot.ca/

April TUSAL

This month's TUSAL is obscured by scraps from my first ever ornament finishing. It's not actually finished, I only did one side of it. I just haven't been feeling up to it. I caught a cold last week (stupid airplanes) and just haven't had the energy to do much except re-watch Wives & Daughters.

WIPocalypse 2015 – April

I think I've re-written this post at least three times. I was planning on publishing it early, then I was going to schedule it for April fourth. None of that happened obviously as this post is now a week late. The reason for that is because I was away in CUBA! It was my first trip down south and I had a lot of packing and organization to do. A friend of mine was getting married and decided to have her wedding there. The wedding was AMAZING. They had it on the beach and the pictures look gorgeous. I was actually worried that I wouldn't enjoy it as I was going alone and I don't like sitting all day doing nothing, but I really enjoyed it. I was never alone and everyone was really nice. I met a lot of people I hope to stay in contact with :)

So onto WIPocalypse. This month's topic: Which specialty stitches do you love doing on projects? Which do you dread? I think my favorite would be the Satin stitch, I love how it looks and feels. Which stitch do I dread: French knots. Although I am getting better at them, so I don't dislike them THAT much. What I do dread are stand alone specialty stitches. You know the kind, where there is nothing around it to anchor and hide the thread. I'm OCD about the back of my fabric. If I can't figure out how to stitch something neatly I start fretting and procrastinating. It's one of the reasons Castle in the Air took so long to finish (and why the beading still hasn't been started).

No update on Bramble and the Rose. This is normally my travelling project, but I decided not to take it with me to a humid climate. Especially the dyed thread and fabric.

	No Update
Ink Circles - The Bramble and the Rose

I did more stitching with the Caron Waterlilies. I'm now stitching with the paler green thread.

Mirabilia - Tree of Hope

The dragons have still not made an appearance.

	No Update
Teresa Wentzler - Tracery Dragons

I got more work done on Donna's Fantasy Lace. I've finished the four corners and will be starting the outer border soon.

Satin Stitches - Donna's Fantasy Lace

SAL Dentelles is done and officially off my rotation.

Brodeuse Bressane - SAL Dentelles

All the stitching on Gelati al Cioccolato is also complete. I was going to try to do the finishing before I left, but after looking at the instructions... I  wasn't up to it. I'll see if I can do it this week.

Gingerbread Girl - Gelati al Cioccolato

Unless I break down and start my Ricamo Estense kit, this will be my next small to be worked on. But for now there is nothing new on it.

	No Update
Karen Dudzinski - Pulled Thread Miniature Ornate Carpet

I also added a new WIP. Satsuma Street's Pretty Little San Francisco. This is the project I took with me to Cuba. I didn't stitch a lot, I was only adding a few stitches every day. Too busy playing at the beach :)

Satsuma Street - Pretty Little San Francisco