More Stitching....

 

Small Progress....

You Might recall, Dear Readers, that I ambitiously started a couple of new petit-point embroidery projects a few weeks ago. Because it is Winter and I am indoors, I have managed to make some progress on them! I apologize in advance for any blurry photos... it is also unrelentingly dreary and dark, making it difficult to get good photos here in my dark old (under-lit) antique house. But you can see in the above picture that I started to add the blue background to the central section of this carpet. It is one of Janet Granger's kits, on 18 count canvas, stitched with wool thread. I do just love the way these wool carpets feel... and they look wonderful in the dollhouses too. The reason I have not made more progress on this one  (besides the now completed Christmas Card project) is that the frame is a bit too small for the 9" square pattern of the carpet. I have not made any progress solving that dilemma. So instead, I have focused on the Other large carpet I started, the Chinese blue and white carpet kit from Phyllis Stafford. And you might recall, I had decided I needed to design a better central motif for it, adding dragons of my own design.

I am not sure what I last showed you, 

but I have been working out the scale pattern for the

body of the dragon.

 

 

Because I am designing it myself,

 I mark up my chart for a small portion,

 then stitch it to see how it looks. 

Here is the chart ... so far! 

I am only drawing one half of the central design, 

I will flip it and stitch the other half in reverse.

Here you can see I have started the outline for the second dragon...

 they are chasing each other around the sun!

I needed to be sure the two are spaced correctly

 and don't infringe too closely on each other's space.... 

even one stitch differences can make a problem! 

And it is soooo easy to get off by only one stitch...

 (already happened on the dragon's tail...!)

Here I have added a little of the sky blue

 background for the central medallion... 

just to see how the dragon looks against it...

Here I have stitched the scale pattern a little farther.

 It is quite challenging at this thread count (40 stitches per inch),

 so I have to be sure to not try to stitch it at night!

As for the Baktiari Carpet kit, Dear Readers, 

I have nearly completed the main carpet.

 

The instructions say that if you want to add a fringe (which I do)

 then you must stitch another row of the garnet color

 on the top and bottom, plus a row of the fringe color,

 before you take it off the frame and bind the edges.

And that reminded me that I wanted to try

 to stitch a couple of "cushions"

 using the extra canvas at the right

 before I removed it from the frame.

So I made a start

.

I made a start....

 and I made a few mistakes!

(Sewing it at night.... 40 count canvas...)

I didn't plan ahead for the border pattern repeat...

But I figured it was too late to change it....

So I'm winging it!

 

The border doesn't repeat exactly....

 but I think it will work anyway.

And I realized I did not make the shape of the cushion square...

But that can be fixed for the next one....

'cause there must be more than one cushion!

 

And that's as far as I got, Dear Readers,

Lots of stitching.... 

and very Small progress!

A Cloude (With an "e") Day....

 

And The Christmas Card....

You Might be Surprised to learn, Dear Readers, that "Cloude-With an 'e' " who spends most of his Time hanging out at The Cloud Palace way up on top of the clouds, was tired of being always above the clouds! It was plenty cold enough that he never had to be concerned about melting away, being a Snowbeary of modest proportions, but there was only so much to see from way up there. It was Winter down below, and he was restless.... he wanted to be Under the Clouds... where all the action was! It had been a long time since he had ventured far from the Cloud Palace, and since he had no wings to carry him gently to Earth, he had to make use of a Wishing Star to get there....

Wheeeeee.......!

It was quite an exciting ride!

He rolled and spun and swirled through the sky

 and landed a bit inelegantly with a "thump"

 in the snowy yard of The Folly dollhouse!

Oh, My! he thought... 

That was better than a roller coaster!

He sat up and wondered where he had landed....

 it had been a while since he had "toured beneath the clouds"!

"I say" he said to no-one in particular....

 "I think I remember this place!

Last time I was here there were some

 'Little Snowfellas' .... with hats!".... he thought.

"Hmmmmm".... he said, "I seem to have lost my hat!"

"I wonder where it got off to....?" he said as he climbed up

 the snowdrifts toward the Folly.

"Are you  talking to me?" muttered Mr. Gnome 

from under the snowdrift.

"Oh, hello!" said Cloude-With an 'e', 

"I didn't see you there under all the snow!"

"And you would be......?" asked Mr Gnome a trifle rudely....

"Oh! Said Cloude. "I'm Cloude. Cloude-With an 'e' " He said cheerfully.

 "I've just dropped in for a visit in the snow!" he added helpfully.

Meanwhile, the "Little Snowfellas",

 Mr Red, Mr. Green and Ms. Blue

 had ventured out to investigate 

what all the thumping noise was about!

"There's something out there!" said Mr. Red, sounding alarmed.

"Perhaps you should have a look...?" suggested Mr. Green helpfully.

"Of course... of course," said Mr. Red bravely.

"Well...? What do you see...?" said Mr. Green warily.

"There's a Huge Snowlump up there!" said Mr. Red, clearly agitated.

"A Snowlump...?" asked Mr. Green. 

"Where did it come from..?" he wondered.

"You should go ask it what it's doing here...!" he declared.

Mr Red climbed back up the snowdrift

 and from there he could hear voices ....

"Hey !" he called out....

"Who are you talking to...?" he hollered bravely.

"What...?" said Cloude turning to look behind him.

"Oh!" He said..."There you are!

 I was just asking Mr. Gnome If you Little Snowfellas

 were around anywhere!" he added happily!

"Oh, Hi!" said Mr. Red. 

"I didn't recognize you without 

your hat, Mr. Cloude!" he added politely.

"Ah, yes...." said Cloude... "I seem to have lost my hat in the wind....

"I have no idea where it got off to!"

"Maybe you should talk to Mr. Gnome about a Hat...." said Mr. Red helpfully. 

"They are really good at Hats!" he added.

"Ah!....... Mr. Gnome...." said Cloude thoughtfully... 

"What do you know about Hats?" he added.

"Hmmmmph!" declared Mr. Gnome. 

"Hats!" he added cryptically.

"What were you thinking of?"

Cloude paused for a moment, a funny look on his face....

Then.... Poof!!

A tall red hat appeared on his head!

"Whoa!" said Mr. Red, alarmed....

 

 "That is..... red!" he added.

"How does it look....?" asked Cloude.... a little nervously.

(It wasn't as though he tried on new hats every day!) 

"Red, is it?" he added. 

"I'm not sure....." he added.... "Maybe red isn't my color...." he said.

"I was sort of thinking something... 'Cloudy' " he added.

"Hmmmph....!" declared Mr. Gnome.

"Cloudy...?" you say, he added grumpily.

Then.... POOF!

"Ah!!!" said Cloude happily....

 

 

"That feels..... more like Me!" he added.

 

"Well... what do you think....?" he asked Mr. Red.

 "Definitely an improvement...." said Mr. Red cheerfully.

"A little easier on the eyes!" he added quietly.

 Mr Green and Ms. Blue had come to look too.

"I think it makes you look like a 'Gnomeman'....!" said Ms. Blue giggling.

"A 'Gnomeman' ?".... says Cloude thoughtfully....

"Hmmmph!" he added. "I suppose I can go with that!"

"Thanks for the Hat, Mr Gnome!" called Cloude.

"I think it fits me perfectly!" he added cheerfully.

"Hmmph!' declared Mr. Gnome....

"Gnome problem....!" he added 

with a twinkle in his eyes.

Well, Dear Readers, I have taken much of your time

 with little to show with this "Cloude-With an 'e' " Tale.

 It has been snowing more in RL 

and the Cold came with it so nothing is melting.

But that is as January should be in these parts!

And I finally completed "The Christmas Card"!

I know.... 

why do I even bother calling it a "Christmas Card"?

But ready or not.... here it is!

Once again, I apologize for the poor photo...

 it is difficult to get a good photo of the printed card

 which has a slightly glossy surface.

As always it is pen and ink and watercolor on watercolor paper. 

It is drawn full size at 8.5x11 inches 

and features vignettes of my life from the past year.

I know this year's version is a bit "dark".... 

but I wanted to honor the dark time of year....

This is the 41st year in a row that I have drawn a card at Christmas!

And I hope that even your darkest days

 are filled with Illumination!

Snow....!

 

Just A Touch of Winter....

I Hope you will Understand, Dear Readers, that it has to happen at least once a year, or all the effort would have been wasted! I refer here, to pulling out the "Snowy Lilac Bush" and creating a Winter Wonderland in the yard of The Folly dollhouse! As you can see above, it snowed quite a lot! As some of you remember, this lilac shrub was part of the Epic series of Lilac Shrubs that I created, one for each season of the year (sort of... there is no "Autumn Lilac" because they just drop their leaves overnight at the beginning of Winter), but four Lilac bushes were created and the "Snowy Lilac" was actually the first to be completed, being the easiest one to complete having no leaves or blossoms. I put it ahead of the "Bare Winter Lilac Bush" because I was so eager to see if the snow would look okay on the stems. And if you have ever spent time in the North with Lilac bushes, you will know they spend many months with bare stems, and only a few magical days "dusted" with snow! 

 

Of course, it is Winter, and gloomy so you will have to

 excuse the dark and poorly focused pictures...

 

As you can see, nobody has come out.... 

Nobody is going anywhere in this weather!

Oh, beg your pardon, Mr. Gnome, 

I didn't see you under all that snow!

"Hmmph...!" declared Mr. Gnome, grumpily. 

"Don't know where else I'd be. It's not as if 

anybody was building me a Home or anything... 

Not that I'm complaining mind you," he muttered.

"Ah, yes," I replied.... "about that home thing... 

I still have a few tasks ahead of that in the list...!

 The Tree House isn't quite done and there is a Rhododendron

 or three in the process...you might have to be

 patient a little longer..." I added apologetically.

"Hmmph" replied Mr. Gnome.

 

"I'm sure you could hide in "The Glass House".... 

I added hastily, "I'm sure nobody would mind!"

But he was no longer talking to me, Dear Readers, 

and I have other things to see to....

So I hope you don't mind if I rush off now.... 

the Christmas Card is not quite finished...

But I thought you would like to see just a touch of Winter...

Snow!

And yes, we had a touch of Winter in RL too!

This fell on Sunday, although it is going to pour rain all night tonight.

A Brief touch of Winter!