Dawn to Dusk - Finished!

I didn't post last week as I was so close to a finish, I decided to skip one week. Dawn to Dusk was just about done, all that was left was the outer border and the beading on the brocade. 

It took a full weekend to stitch the outer border. You can't see all the stitches, but I stitched around that border five times.

It took two evenings to complete the beading.

And it's done! I really enjoyed stitching this piece but I do admit that brocade was really tough to get through. Whatever you do, don't leave it till the end!

I tried taking pictures showing the sparkle of the piece but couldn't get it across. Still, you can appreciate the textures all the different materials give it. By the way, I didn't end up modifying the last motif. I was convinced not to change it, but I think by then I was ready to move on so it wasn't very hard to do. I also had to share a picture of the back, the brocade reminded me so much of tweed fabric.

For those curious about the kit, I purchased mine directly from Karen Dudzinski and she includes full skeins and reels of everything. I have lots leftover to bling other projects and way more of that ribbon than I'd like. I'm not a big fan of ribbon embroidery no matter how pretty.

As for Dawn to Dusk, it's going into storage with my other canvas pieces waiting to be framed. I'll probably frame it once the COVID situation is better. I normally say this will be the last canvas piece I do, but I learned my lesson last time. You never know what piece you'll come across and fall in love with. So I will keep an open mind.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 4-1, 4-2 & 4-3

Still pushing hard on Dawn to Dusk. I completed the last row of eight pointed stars. The first one went by so fast.

This one took a bit longer. I stitched every cross stitch one at a time so I don't get stripes from the variegated thread. You can barely see it.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

The third one is done, but I don't feel like it's done if that make sense. When compared to all the other motifs it feels like it's missing something. After thinking about it, I realized that this is the only motif that didn't use the variegated thread. I'm going to set it aside for now, but I will most likely get back to it later. Maybe fill in the empty corners?

(click on the post to see the animation below)

Here's an overview after finishing the last star. I still have one brocade missing the gold layer that needs to be finished.

I really should have worked on that brocade, but I couldn't stop myself from starting the padded border. Satin stitch is so satisfying to stitch.

By the way, I finally revisited the first motif. The center is supposed to be filled with French knots. I was thinking of filling it with seed beads, but it looked too bulky. I happened to have an extra flower bead in my kit (you get 6 in the kit but only require 5), which worked perfectly in the center.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 3-1, 3-2 & 3-3

I've been really pushing hard on Dawn to Dusk. I completed the third row of eight pointed stars and the third layer for 2 out of the 4 brocades that are left.

The patterns on this row are really pretty. I enjoyed the rice stitch on this one.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

The second motif looks like a clock.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I got to practice the buttonhole stitch in the third motif. This one took a little more time to do than the other as there were multiple steps. I did make a few changes, I replaced the French knots with Japanese knots and a copper bead from the kit to hold the charm in place instead of a French knot.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I'm really close to a finish. I'm going to aim to get the third brocade layer for the last two areas done by Monday. That means, I'll only have the last row, beading and the border left to do.

Dawn to Dusk - Brocade

I wasn't planning on sharing an update on this piece until I finished the first row of brocade. However, progress has been very slow as I've been in a slump. It's one part me and one part brocade. I'm sure you'll understand when you see the cheer amount of repetitive stitching and layers involved.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

The brocade is made of up 4 layers: lines in white going vertically and horizontally to form squares, a sort of pop corn stitch in black inside the white squares (you'll have to enlarge the picture to see them), this is then surrounded by stitches in gold thread and finally beads.

I haven't reached the beading yet. I've been stitching each layer on both areas at the same time and I just completed the third layer on one of them. After working on the brocade, I understand why they would be treated as their own row. If you didn't they would never get done. I will have to rethink my strategy if I want to finish this piece before end of year.

Now onto the me part of the slump. I've been thinking about it for a very long time and I think it's directly related to the fact that my stitching area and my "work" area are sharing the same space. It's not very conducive for any relaxation, especially as our work days have been getting longer. I can't move either of them out of my room as I like to have my computer for playing videos while stitching and I need the quiet space for all those meetings we have everyday. What I can do is re-organize the layout of my desk.

I didn't take a before picture to share, but believe me it was a disaster. I forgot how wide my desk is, as I had things piled on both ends of the desk. The screen was also moved from the corner to the center, so all in all it feels like a brand new workspace. There are still a few things that need to find a new home but I already feel much better.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 2-3

Dawn to Dusk is progressing nicely, I completed another motif.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I'm halfway through another. I just had to give a sneak peak of this one, the color combination is just too pretty.

Once this row is completed, I will have reached the half-way point on the stars. I think it's time for me to start filling in the brocade. I've been following a stitcher on Instagram and she has been treating the brocade as it's own row so it's not left till the end. I think it's a good plan and will do the same.

The brocade might make a good filler piece for evenings after work, because my other piece, Bramble and the Rose, is almost done. One more evening should do it! Still can't believe how fast this piece progressed during COVID.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 1-3 & Motif 2-1

I originally planned to only spend one day on Dawn to Dusk but once I started I didn't want to put it down. 

The previous weekend I had started motif 1-3 when I realized there was a mistake in the foundation for the interlaced Maltese cross. I found myself constantly flipping back and fourth between two pages: One page showed the steps for the foundation and the other showed placement. I went back to the instructions and retraced my steps, having decided to merge both diagrams into one, and found a mistake in the weave of the center on one of them. Once I understood the flow of the stitch I was able to complete the stitching.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

The first eight-pointed star of the second row had a pretty bargello design. This is a technique I've always wanted to try as I've seen examples stitched with a beautiful range of colors.

I was half-way into the another motif before I realized I made a mistake. This is becoming a habit on this project. It's also a sign that I should slow down as the mistakes always happen towards the end of the day when I'm close to finishing a motif. This time, I stitched the center stitch sideways. Easy mistake to do as working on the piece sideways and am constantly rotating the chart. I just need to be more careful in future.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 1-2

Quick, short update. I completed the second eight pointed star on Dawn to Dusk. There was lots of laying of thread in this one. I wanted to make sure nothing was twisted. I keep looking at it and I must say it's not my favorite so far (and I'm still only at the beginning).

(click on the post to see the animation below)

Not much else to say on this except I've already started the third star. I was very close to a finish until I realized I made a mistake in the foundation of the center motif. I'll share more of that later.

I also did some Japanese embroidery this weekend. Despite my hard earned win last month on those cherry blossoms, I'm back where I started. I've made the decision not to try again until I have at least a 3 or 4 days stretch to work on completing them. We were discussing this during our stitching meeting that unless we can stitch for a few hours every day, our bodies need time to adapt back to stitching with the silk. So I figure with 3 or 4 days, the first day will probably be a waste and by the second and third I should be back into the swing of things and knock those flowers off my check list. I did at least make some progress, I stitched the left side of the green leaf.

Dawn to Dusk - Motif 1-1

I've been steadily working on Dawn to Dusk for the last two weeks. I've completed all the eight pointed stars and diamonds that go in between. Now to start filling them in.

I made my first Jessica stitch in this piece. It's a beautiful stitch, especially using the Rainbow Gallery knitted ribbon, that took some thinking to get used to. I made a few mistakes at the beginning but after the third or fourth I got the pattern down pat. One thing about the knitted ribbon, my needle kept shredding it as I pulled the needle out while putting in the surrounding stitches. I got around that by pressing the stitches down with my finger nail as I pulled the needle through the canvas. This kept the ribbon from shifting.

The first motif uses 10 different threads and beads. It's amazing how much is packed into such a little area.

Here's a little animation, I love making these when I remember to take pictures.

I don't stitch canvas pieces very often, it's been five years since the last one. So as I was stitching this piece, I found myself reaching for tools I haven't used in a very long time. 

The first is a really big needle. I normally use this one for finishing off wool threads when I crochet, but the blunt edge makes it an excellent tool for enlarging the canvas hole to help pull the threaded needle through. Hopefully, this time around I won't get a stitching injury.

The second is a needle trolley. I use it the same way I would an awl or tekobari, to lay threads nice and flat. The nice thing about the needle trolley is that it's attached to my finger and I don't have to reach out for it. I bought this tool when I stitched my very first canvas piece and didn't own an awl. I probably wouldn't buy one today, as I have my tekobari. If I didn't own one, any large needle or even knitting needle would do the job.

The first motif is completed except for the center. It's supposed to be filled in with French knots. The one time I did French knots on a canvas, I really didn't like the look of it. So I'm going to leave it alone for now while I decide what to do for the center. I received many suggestions to use beads instead. I probably will do that, just need to think of how I will fill in the space.

Dawn to Dusk - New Start

If you follow Fiber Talk, you'll know they're doing a SAL right now. They are stitching Karen Dudzinski's Dawn to Dusk. It's a counted canvas design that I happened to have in my stash, having purchased it after seeing the stitched piece in person back in 2017. The design is available in multiple colorways, but the one I really loved is the cream and gold desert sands on black canvas.

It didn't take much to convince me to pull it out, I just needed something to stretch the canvas on. I didn't want to purchase a set of embroidery stretcher bars as I don't really use them very often. Instead, I visited my local art supply shop and got a pair from there. They're also called stretcher bars, but they are used by artists to stretch their own canvases. A little thicker than I need but that's okay.

I've been working on the piece for the last few days and made some good progress on stitching the eight pointed stars. I have one more row to go. I like to do things in order and so it will take me a bit longer to get to the fun stuff which is filling in the stars. So far I'm loving the geometric shapes. It has a middle eastern feel to it, which is also why I went with the colorway I picked. It reminds me of the seashell boxes made in the middle east. 

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I've also been using this piece to practice stitching two handed. It's a great technique to practice on as the canvas holes are very big and the needle is also much bigger than usual. My aim is getting better, I just wish the needle was a little shorter. I've gotten so used to the smaller needles, it's been a while since I've stitched with a no 22.