More Of The Same.....

 

 

 

Stones and Stitches.... 

You Might recall, Dear Readers, that I was needing to unstitch a good portion of my work on this Medieval Ladies Tapestry. It is another kit by Janet Granger. I have indulged my current passion for Petit-point stitching by purchasing a whole bunch of her kits. As I am gradually moving on to stitching larger items that require a Real embroidery frame (I feel so Grown up!) I have at last also purchased a stand to hold the heavier frames. It does take some getting used to! But more importantly, I have to confess that I am also altering her kit design just a tiny bit. (I have done this a couple times before now as well.) In this case the Lady on the left had a hairstyle which I thought was too modern looking.... I wanted to emphasize the Medieval nature of the project, so I changed the hairstyle a little bit. I will show you the details later. For now you can see that at least I have positioned her correctly in relation to the Lady on the right! You would be surprised how much difference one row to the right or left can make in the end! I am double checking my "counting" constantly with this one.... and "reverse stitching" quite a bit too! But progress is being made.

Here you can see a bit of the stand that holds the frame.... 

I will have to take a better shot of it.

And the ladies are beginning to look like themselves!

I have already identified a place where

 I missed just one stitch of the brown thread....!

 Just one stitch!

I have to figure out how to get just one stitch in where it is missing.

As for the Stones.... progress is slow.

I thought for sure I would get the arch supports

 in the Stables all finished this weekend... 

 

 

but then I ran out of the lumber I was using....

just two "stones" shy of completing one of the arches.

I thought I had lots more of the same material,

 but the dimensions turned out to be just a tiny bit different!

They were even labeled as the same size "stock"

 but when placed side by side you could clearly tell

 they were not the same!

 

I went back to the local Home Depot to get some more

 if I could find any the right size,

 but I couldn't find any more.  

When I got home I found one more piece in my stash that was the right size!

I swear I had looked five times and not found it!

So I was able to complete the arch with the same size stock after all.

And I have enough to make the arch on the remaining wall as well.

As you can see, none of the "grout lines" have been painted yet.

And once the Vault support stones were in place,

 I could continue with the door surround stones.

 These will need to be fitted carefully against the Vault support arch.

I still have not added the door handles to these doors!

Here is the Stables as it stands today.

The left side Arch Support stones still need to be added.

And the stones for the Door Surround in the side door too.

And all the grout lines will need repainting.

But, Truly, Dear Readers, I can't tell you

 how happy I am with all this Stone Work!

I turn the Castle lights on at night and just sit in front of it

 and move from room to room

 admiring the sturdy Castle-like feel of the structure!

Doors.... Windows.... Shutters..... Vaulted Ceilings...... 

it is just so Wonderfully Medieval!

And here is a better (sort of) picture of the Embroidery stand....

It has a whole series of adjustable joints

 so you can position it in a great variety of ways 

to suit your every need!

And the Tapestry as it now stands....

I still have a long way to go.

But that is the Fun of it, Dear Readers!

It might be just More of the Same....

But Stitch by stitch and Stone by stone

It adds up to a Whole Castle....

And I am Loving how it is turning out!

Maps....

How Do You Know Where You Are.... Going...?

I Hope you will not mind, Dear Readers, if I take you on a bit of a Ramble while I show you what I have been working on recently in the Lord's Council Chamber in my Castle Dollhouse. Above you can see the Chamber as it has recently developed, and I am sure some of you would think it is nearly finished. It has the fireplace, the floor, the glass windows and the ceiling is even showing the base colors of blue paint. But Alas, the longer I look at all those details, the more there is another detail that stands out in my mind as a step Not taken when it should have been! I am referring to the lack of three-dimensional stonework around the windows and doors. The What? I hear you ask. Well, let me show you what I mean...

Here you can see that the door surround in the Lord's Council Chamber

 has only "faux painted" stones to frame it. 

While in the Great Hall, all the door frames and window frames

 have a three dimensional "stone" framework, 

which you can (sort of) see in the above picture.

(I apologize for the dark photo!)

When I started building the Castle all those years ago,

 I hurried past a couple of these steps... 

because they use a great deal of time.

And it has bothered me ever since! 

(But do you have any idea how many window and

 door frames we are talking about...?)

Now that I am working on the Lord's Council Chamber, 

it stands out too much to ignore....

 or rather, it doesn't "stand out" enough!

I decided that it is not too late to correct this oversight...

 especially in the Lord's Council Chamber,

 while I am still "building" all the details.

It requires the slow process of cutting and fitting the "stones"

 and painting them individually before gluing them to the wall.

I was having difficulty finding wood stock of the right dimensions... 

not too thick, but wide enough to make good big "stones" ....

I realized that I have many old paint stirring sticks

 that have a great dimension....

Here I have started to add them around the doors.... can you see them?

I know it is subtle... but it does make a difference!

It is slow going.... but I am sure it will be worth it in the end!

And along with the framework surrounding the doors

 (and eventually the windows too)

I have also added a "carved stone" rail across the middle of the wall, 

which will frame the painting....

Which will cover most of this wall....!

"What on Earth could she be thinking... ?" you are wondering.

Well, Dear Readers, I am so glad you asked!

Because many many years ago

 when I was traveling in Europe

 as a college student, I stumbled across

 the Gallery of Maps in The Vatican.

I was completely unprepared... 

had not known they were there... 

and I've never really recovered!

I have always loved maps.... and Oh My what amazing Maps!

And of course, when designing my own Castle.... 

I thought "shouldn't my Little Castle 

have some Approximation of such maps adorning its walls?"

It is taking many coats of primer to whiten the wall 

sufficiently to cover the "stones".

And there needs to be an upper framework added as well....

here being braced while the glue dries.

And while I am slowly adding the stones that will frame this painting, 

I am pondering the problem of the Map itself....

Those maps in the Gallery in the Vatican 

were painted in the late Fifteenth Century.... 

the very end of the Middle Ages...

And a Medieval Map was a very different thing!

I know this.

And This Castle is supposed to be an Early Medieval Castle.

So Exactly what sort of Map will be on this wall...?

Ahhh.... that is where the Adventure starts!

It is much harder than one imagines to "unlearn"

 the perspective that is currently known....

To try to see the World as it was seen

 when nobody could really see it all...

I will fail over and over as I try.....

But sometimes you just have to jump in and start....

Please don't judge this beginning too harshly, Dear Readers,

because it will undoubtedly change....

As I try to find my way... 

mapping a World that has never been...

 and probably never will be....

I have no Map to show me the way....

How do You know where you Are..?

How do you know where you are Going...?