Happy Dance! Bee Merry

Design: Bee Merry

Designer: Victoria Sampler

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 25 count lugana, white

Embellishments: 2 small brass bee charms, embellished mat (not shown)

This is a companion piece to the one I posted about yesterday. There are now six of these little designs all waiting to be framed. I think I'm going to ask Darren and Jamie - the lovely framers at InFrame Gallery - about framing them as two sets of three. They have very sweet little mounts and I'd like to show those off, but don't want to cram them into a 6" x 4" off the shelf frame as I could damage them if I do them myself.

Happy Dance! Bee Joyful

Design: Bee Joyful

Designer: Victoria Sampler

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 25 count lugana, white

Embellishments: 2 small brass bee charms, embellished mat (not shown)

This little design only needed the bees sewn on for a "finish". I bought the series on eBay over a period of time, and they helped get me back into stitching after a period away from it when I was very low with clinical depression, which basically took away my ability to concentrate. It was an awful time, but I came through it, and I have these little cheerful pieces to remind me that I don't have to make huge and complex works of art to have fun and to make something I'm happy to share.

Finish or Fling? - Bee Merry, Bee Joyful

I stitched these after a spell of not stitching for a very long time. And then didn't add the charms! These are part of a set of six designs by Thea Dueck of The Victoria Sampler, and the other four designs are all finished and mounted in the cute cards that came with the kit.

Pros:

• Only need the charms adding
• Have  four others in the set completed

Cons:

• Can't think of any - even the frames should be fairly cheap as they are a standard size.

Finish or fling?



Verdict: Finish

The Busy Bee - Free Cross Stitch Chart!

Today is the poet William Blake's birthday. He was an amazing man - poet, artist, mystic - and he is probably my favourite writer of the Romantic era. His engravings are fantastical - not to my taste, but I can admire them...

I guess nearly everyone knows The Tyger - or if you are a WI member, Jerusalem - but my favourites are in the Songs of Innocence and Experience. Blake was unusual for the time in that he believed strongly in sexual and racial equality, rejected oppression in all its forms, and although a very spiritual man, he rejected the teachings of the Old Testament in favour of the New.

This quote is taken from part of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, where Blake produces a number of proverbs. These proverbs are provocative and designed to stimulate thought, and I find I often think my best thoughts while stitching :o)

I hope you like the design. If you would like a copy, please leave a comment below with your email address, as this is a little too big to display as a jpeg.

If you do stitch this chart, I'd love to see a picture - and there will be a prize for the first one I get! 

Edited to add: If you feel so inclined, a donation to the MS Trust for this chart would be appreciated. Pennies will do - and you can make payment via the link in my sidebar or by clicking here.

This pattern is offered for personal, non-commercial use only. Items made from this pattern may be sold on a small scale basis such as on Etsy or at craft sales. Sales for charity are positively encouraged! This pattern and the text and photos contained within, may not be copied or reproduced for any purpose other than personal use. Please direct people to this blog rather than forwarding the pattern, thank you! Copyright 2009 N M Wray

The Bees - Eventide Designs

Design: The Bees
Designer: Eventide Designs
Threads: DMC and GAST Clover
Fabric: 28 count linen from Silkweaver

This piece was originally framed, but it dropped off the wall and the frame broke! Rather than re-frame it, as nice small square frames are hard to find, I made it into another pinkeep :o)

Honeycomb Sampler - Meinick Designs

Design: Honeycomb Sampler
Designer: Meinick Designs
Threads: DMC 310 and 113
Fabric: 28 count evenweave, cream

This project that I've finally finished was originally a round robin which came back to me incomplete. It's been mouldering in my UFO pile for about three years...

Originally designed for metallic gold highlights in amongst the blackwork, I changed the colour to a varigated gold stranded cotton as I wanted a more subtle effect - and also I'm not keen on working with metallic threads and didn't want to inflict that on other people too!


I changed the lettering on the verse (although not the verse) because to be honest, the initial lettering look rather amateurish and blocky - and I felt it really spoiled the quality of the whole design. I've noticed that on a number of charts - there's great care taken over the design, and no thought seems to be given to the lettering, especially back stitch lettering. The one I chose was the general one Victoria Sampler uses - it was the right size and the style seemed to fit. (Picture is a bit yellow, it was taken under artificial light)


This will - eventually - get framed and the decision to whether to hang it on my 'wall of bees' or 'wall of blackwork' will have to be taken :o)

Buzzing Around Biscornu - Barbara Ana Designs

Design: Buzzing Around Biscornu

Designer: Barbara Ana Designs

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 14 count aida

I stitched this for the Monthly Finishing Challenge and I'm so proud of myself, because it all assembled really nicely, and worked!

I was a little worried that the colour fabrics I'd chosen were too dark and gloomy, but I think they look okay, they are a bit more "me" than a really clear blue would have been - not that I don't like the finished biscornu I've seen stitched on that, but it's not a fabric I have in my stash.



I charted my own design for the underside based on elements in the original because I didn't want to stitch for ages and not have it seen - the lettering says "buzzing around" but by the time I'd graphed the flowers and letters, I didn't really save much time.



I can see more biscornus in my stitching future :o)

June - Shepherd's Bush

Design: June

Designer: Shepherd's Bush

Threads: DMC, Gentle Arts Sampler Threads, Dinky Dyes

Fabric: 28 count linen, antique white

I think this was another chart from my friend - and arch-enabler - Marci - which I have finally stitched. See, it may take a while, but I get there in the end :o) Marci used to be a demon stitcher, but over the last few years has been bitten by the bead bug - she has some nice earrings in her etsy shop, but that's only the tip of the iceberg as to her lovely creations! Marci, not only did I find the bead shop in Nottingham, I've found one that I didn't know existed in Chesterfield ... it's a conspiracy I tell ya!

It was a pretty quick stitch, and relatively trouble free. Because I didn't have the overdyes called for in the pattern, I substituted ones I had to hand, and the purples are slightly darker, but I like the effect.

I don't know whether to frame this to go on the "wall of bees" (which I really should photograph) or to make it into - yes, you guessed - a pinkeep!

Bee My Honey Bee - 4 My Boys

Design: Bee My Honey Bee
Designer: 4 My Boys
Fabric: 28 count linen
Threads: GAST and DMC

Not the best photo - but there will be another when it's "finished" finished! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet though - because of the blue fabric, it doesn't really go with the rest of my bees and beehive projects on the "wall of bees" ...

This was a lovely quick stitch, worked in a combination of Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and DMC, on a hand dyed linen oddment - I think it's a Silkweaver one.

I think the designer has now retired, which is a shame. The cross stitch world seems to be shrinking all the time :o( Knitting and card making are the "big things" at the moment in the UK. I can (and do) knit, but cross stitch is my big love...

Edited to add: If anyone would like the chart, please say so in the comments!

Buzz - Bent Creek

This has actually been finished for a while, but I re-visited it to replace the original buttons I'd used. When I first made this, I used ordinary shirt buttons - they didn't look bad but they weren't quite right. So, once I had buttons of the right size and colour, they got replaced. And yet I say I'm not a perfectionist LOL!

I stitched this design on aida band which I tea dyed prior to stitching. I think it's such a nice design I might break my own rule and re-stitch it - probably on a bigger count so I can either frame it or make it into a pillow.

Bee Treat - The Trilogy

This has been languishing for a year or so on my "finished but not quite pile" as I was waiting to get some bee charms of a suitable size. Once I had them, it was the work of ...ooh...minutes... to get this finally to the framing stage - and I have even framed it in a lovely frame bought in a charity shop :o)

I can't find the chart at the moment, so design details will be put in later!

Bumble Bee - Penelope

I changed my mind about framing this, and made it into a mini pillow with some of the lovely bee print fabric that's been sitting my stash! I hate cutting into a new piece of fabric, but really, what's the point in having it if I don't use it? This was finished as part of my finishing frenzy yesterday - I sat and stuffed it watching The Remains of the Day on DVD :o)

Bumble Bee Needleroll - Lorri Birmingham Designs

Whilst I was in a finishing mood last night, I also finished off the Bumble Bee Needleroll - one of my goals! The seam is a French seam, stitched by hand, so all raw edged are enclosed.

Stuffing needlerolls always takes longer than one would imagine, but I think it's important to tease out the stuffing, stuff firmly and evenly, and have a nice cylindrical shape! After all, what's a few minutes when one has spent several hours on the stitching, and is going to have the joy of looking at the finished piece for years? The trouble is, I'm torn - I'm impatient so I just want the thing finished, and have to curb my tendencies to cram all the stuffing in willy nilly but on the other hand I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I want to do things properly! As I get older, the perfectionist side is coming out more, but the advantage to age is more experience, so I can achieve the results I want almost at the speed I want! LOL

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far on my blog - it is appreciated! I hope I don't ramble too much - I tried at first for a very factual blog, but then I found pieces had stories to tell, and I have to tell them! :o)

Bumble Bee Needleroll - Lorri Birmingham Designs

Ages ago, I stitched the scissor fob which matches this needleroll, so at last, this will be joining it in my basket of smalls!

The design calls for the bee's body to be stitched in French knots, but when I stitched the fob, my French knots left a lot to be desired (they can still do so...) so I stitched the bee in cross stitch - so I chose to do this for the needleroll too. It makes the bee look less "fuzzy", but the colour changes are more visible, so it's swings and roundabouts I guess.


Design Details

Fabric: 28 count linen band, white
Threads: DMC stranded cotton
Designer: Lorri Birmingham
Chart Details: Bumble Bee Needle Roll Item # 271K - Lorri Birmingham Designs
Stitch Count: 48H x 48H
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Fractional Cross Stitch, Hem Stitch
Threads Used: DMC stranded cotton in white, 209, 827, 937, 3799, 3820, 340, 470, 725, 745, 317, 801, 828
Embellishments: Four Czech Fire Polished Crystal beads
Modifications Made: Hem Stitch done over four threads, not two. Cross stitches used in place of French knots on bee's body.

Bumble Bee - Penelope

This was a small kit I picked up at a car boot sale for the princely sum of £0.50 - and it kept me entertained for several hours, which is good value in my book! That's what I like about stitching - one might feel guilty at the cost of buying stash, but when it gives hours of pleasure when stitching, and then on-going pleasure having the finished item around, it really is a value for money hobby! There are people I know who spend more on a mass produced print than I do on a cross stitch project, and that baffles me a little :o)

Anyway, the project - small and sweet. I wasn't sure about the oranges for the honeycomb at first - they are much brighter than on the kit front - but they seem to work okay. I'm going to put this in a tiny pine frame and secret it on one of my bookcases along with the honey jars and other small things.

Design Details

Fabric: 14 count aida, white.
Threads: Anchor stranded cottons.
Designer: Not credited.
Kit Details: Bumble Bee - Penelope "Momentos" from Coats Craft UK
Stitch Count: 26H x 25V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch.
Threads Used: Anchor 295, 302, 298, 304, 355, 235, 236, 403. Two strands used throughout for cross stitch, one for back stitch.
Embellishments: None.
Modifications Made: None.

May Our Home Be Too Small - Design Works

Another kit bought from eBay, and another one which I substituted out the aida! I think evenweave or linen looks more attractive if there are large areas on show.

The message is appropriate, because our flat is tiny! My DBF wondered if I was going to change the message to read "stash" or "books" - both of which would have been equally valid - but I stitched it as charted!

The design was straightforward to stitch, despite some very close colours, as it was virtually all whole cross stitch, with a little back stitch outlining. There was a generous amount of thread included, so no problems there! I really like working with golds and yellows, I find them both soothing and cheering! There's a little more blue in this design than I would normally like, but it sets off the golds beautifully - the scan doesn't really capture the vibrancy of the piece.

The finished article will be framed and added to my "wall of bees".


Design Details

Fabric: 28 count evenweave, cream
Threads: unknown stranded cottons
Designer: Joan Elliott
Kit Details: Our Home - 9757 - Design Works Crafts Inc
Stitch Count: 68H x 86V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch.
Threads Used: Unknown stranded cotton in 20 colours. Two strands used throughout for cross stitch, one and two used for back stitch.
Embellishments: Mill Hill beads
Modifications Made: Substituted beads for black French Knots. Substituted evenweave for aida supplied in kit.

Bee Mine - The Victoria Sampler

Design Details

Fabric: 25 count Lugana, white
Threads: DMC
Designer: Thea Dueck
Kit Details: Bee Mine - The Victoria Sampler (c) 2001
Stitch Count: 16H x 30V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 745, 223, 932, 3347 3371, 3345. Two strands used throughout.
Embellishments: Two bee charms.
Modifications Made: None.

Bee Happy - The Victoria Sampler

Design Details

Fabric: 25 count Lugana, white
Threads: DMC
Designer: Thea Dueck
Kit Details: Bee Happy - The Victoria Sampler (c) 2001
Stitch Count: 16H x 30V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 437, 3777, 3347, 3790, 3371, 3345. Two strands used throughout.
Embellishments: Two bee charms.
Modifications Made: None.

Bee Gentle - The Victoria Sampler

Design Details

Fabric: 25 count Lugana, white
Threads: DMC
Designer: Thea Dueck
Kit Details: Bee Gentle - The Victoria Sampler (c) 2001
Stitch Count: 16H x 30V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 745, 437, 223, 932, 3042, 3347, 3790, 3371, 3345 Two strands used throughout.
Embellishments: Two bee charms.
Modifications Made: None.

Bee Kind - The Victoria Sampler

Although the kits in this series are designed for beginners, and I left that category some time ago, they are so sweet - as well as being my favourite theme - that I collected the lot over time through eBay.

I did a couple last year when I was feeling really low and struggled with them - that's how I knew how bad my depression had got - but this one and it's three companions were all stitched during a 20/20 cricket match - so they took maybe 45 -50 minutes each.

The instructions in the kits were a credit to Thea Dueck's teaching skills - I'm going to keep them for when I get the chance to teach my niece (15 months) to stitch!. The fabric was cut to an adequate size, and there was plenty of thread included in the kit - as well as the bee charms and pretty mount/greeting card!

I haven't yet mounted this properly in the card yet, as I want to back them with interfacing, but I popped them in to scan them, as they look so much more effective like that!

Design Details

Fabric: 25 count Lugana, white
Threads: DMC
Designer: Thea Dueck
Kit Details: Bee Kind - The Victoria Sampler (c) 2001
Stitch Count: 16H x 30V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Back Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 745, 223, 932, 3347, 3371, 3345 Two strands used throughout.
Embellishments: Two bee charms.
Modifications Made: None.