Happy World Embroidery Day!

At the time when this post gets published, I won't be sitting in front of my computer. For the first time, I will be participating in World Embroidery Day.

Annie Penin and Lisa

Annie Penin who was my teacher when we took the ribbon embroidery class at Ecole Lesage in Paris occasionally comes to Montreal for visits. She actually used to live not far from my old house for years but now lives in Paris. When she comes to Montreal she offers bead embroidery classes. I obviously pounced on that opportunity and it just so happens that the class will fall on World Embroidery Day :)

Fleurs de Sakura is a bead embroidery project stitched with a needle (versus a luneville which she also teaches). It's stitched on white linen with beads, spangles, twisted bugles, tweed, raffia using Au Ver à Soie thread with some organza applique. Doesn't that sound exciting =D I'm going to try and post to Instagram during our lunch break. So you can follow along there if you are on Instagram, otherwise you can read all about it next week :)

(As I'm writing this post, there are 4 days left before the class but I couldn't wait to write the post!)

Weekend Blunders

Fandango is finally seeing some progress! Friday I put in the last satin stitch pyramid and I was able to start stitching the next round on the hem.

The second round is bars of 20 satin stitches separated by 8 fabric threads. I was diligently plugging away on Sunday, counting and double counting to make sure everything matched up. I had finally reached the end of one edge and realized things weren't matching up. After panicking and recounting everything, it turns out I didn't miscount the bars, but I was missing ONE stitch in one of the pyramids. It's the second one from the end so I figured that's fine; I'll either fix it eventually or completely forget about it.

I turned my fabric and started stitching the side. I reached the center and noticed the bars weren't centered with the star. And here is where I made my second mistake and kept going till the end. I say second because my first mistake was ASSUMING that the bars on the sides had the same count. And you know what they say about assumptions.

I went back to the pattern and realized that the first bar had 17 satin stitches. To not make a second mistake I counted all the bars. The first bar has 17 satin stitches, followed by 8 fabric threads, then 19 satin stitches before going back to the normal count. The entire side had to come out obviously, which is when I realized it was really time to break for lunch >.<

After those blunders, everything has gone much better. But there is still that fear that there will be a miscount somewhere. I will be glad when I'm done with this part and can get onto the next round.

WIPocalypse 2016 – July

This month's theme is: how is this year’s stitching is going for you so far, and if you’re meeting your stitching goals so far for the year? I think the year is going well so far for me. I've reached my two of my goals so far; finish one page on Bramble and the Rose and finish the beading on Tree of Hope. I still have to put in some stitching on Tracery Dragons and finish the eyelets for Fantasy Lace.

This month's update is a little discouraging stitching wise. I did finish two things, so that's good but there isn't much progress of many of my WIPS.

No update on Bramble and the Rose.

	No Update
Ink Circles - The Bramble and the Rose

Still hidden away poor dragons.

	No Update
Teresa Wentzler - Tracery Dragons

Nothing to see here either :P

	No Update
Satin Stitches - Donna's Fantasy Lace

At the end of last month I was doing some stitching on Fandango. I put in more work on the satin stitch pyramids in the border. There is one section left on the bottom left and then I can earnestly start working on the border.

I didn't touch Sfilati Fantasia.

No Update

FIBI the Fox

After two years of being in progress and in pieces in a bag next to my desk, I finally sat myself down and finished her. She's supposed to have a knitted scarf, which I will try to get done this fall/winter (because no way am I touching wool in this muggy weather).

FIBI the fox is a design by Lydia Tresselt of Lalylala and she makes the cutest crochet amigurumi ever. This is the second pattern I crochet by her (I'd previously made a rabbit) and I also bought DIRK the dragon and KIRA the kangaroo. I just went to her etsy page and noticed more patterns I would love to get.

This particular fox has already gone to it's new home. I had made it for my sister and she had even gone with me to pick out the threads for it. All fiber details are on my Ravelry page :) I'm not a particular fan of the wool I used in this because it's 100% wool and very scratchy. I would never use this yarn to make anything for a child. However, Fibi looks fabulous and my sister is very happy and that's what counts ;)

July TUSAL

This month my TUSAL jar is overflowing with fabric cuts and wool. The fabric cuts are from my finish of the Marly round box and... my attempt at finishing the Sardinian stitch mug mat which didn't come out all that great. I should do a post about it soon so I don't forget all the details. Although I really wish I could forget >.<

The orange wool at the top is from my amigurimi project which I've finally completed after two years. I will post something on this later today.

Just as an FYI, I did not get much stitching done this week and will probably get nothing done next week either. My aunt and two little cousins are visiting us from Sweden for two weeks and all my time will be spent with them. I even took next week off from work so we can go to Niagara falls :)