Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 01

In 2007 I was hoping to finish up a lot of my works in progress, projects where I'd gathered the supplies but hadn't yet started, and projects where the stitching was done, but they needed to be finished and made ready for display. This seems to be a perennial goal of mine which never quite gets done.

The Wayback Machine showed me that I started off 2007 with four small finishes in January.

Centipede Bookmark

At the beginning of 2007, I started participating in a challenge where each week I'd learn a new stitch and incorporate it into a small project. I didn't stay with the challenge very long, but here's my first week's attempt.

I couched a strip of orange ric-rac in yellow floss, tying down the stitches with a light shade of green. Next I added some fan stitches, as centipede legs, using a darker green. I found a button in my stash with a funny nick in it that sort of looked like a mouth and sewed that on as the bug's head. Finally, I gave my bug some antennae and added French Knots for eyes.

I backed the bookmark with a green fabric that has leaves on it ... as if it's the bush where this bug lives.

I don't think this was a very successful project, but I did learn some stitches. That was the intent.

Skating Reindeer

This is a pattern that I stitched just for fun because I saw it in an old volume of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts and loved it. It stitched on a fabric that has silver glittery threads running through it.

I eventually turned it into an ornament that was donated to charity.

Rose Lady

This is one of the projects I had all the materials for, but hadn't started. It's the first I completed that year going towards my personal goal. This design by Just Nan had been awaiting my attention for about nine months.

I bought this kit because it had a finishing technique that I'd never tried before. The little satin frame came with the chart, the padded center to attach the stitching to, and the cording to go around the edge of the stitching. It's called an Easy Easel. Unfortunately, this easel is no longer available for purchase.

I like the design, but wasn't all that thrilled with the finishing technique. The padded center, covered in the stitching, didn't want to tuck into the frame as the directions indicated it should. So instead, I used hot glue to adhere the center in place, as well as hot gluing the cording around the edge.

The finished result is pretty and I display this piece each Spring.

Georgie

This happy flower design by Bizzi Creations was stitched for a charity quilt with the theme of "Flowers."

The silver metallic thread used in this piece caused a bit of trouble. It was twisting and knotting as I pulled it through the fabric. Once I shortened the length of the strand in my needle, it worked much better. 

The lavender half cross stitches in the background allow the flower to really "pop." It's a great effect.