A New Start and More Quilt!

I've made a new start:




"Kindred Spirits"
by
Primitive Needle


I'm using the recommended fibers and linen, though I may change the cat's eyes as they call for Belle Soie, but are the only use of that color in the piece. Do I really need to buy a whole skein of BS for 4 stitches? It's a yellow-green not suited to a monochrome piece, either. I am having SO much fun stitching the border--it's all I want to do! I wonder if I'll still love it so when I have to "re-do" it by filling in the orange, lol.



Squee! I was so thrilled when I "turned" this tabletop quilt--I think it looks SO good and I have to hunt to find the imperfections. You can see in the foreground where I need to blind-stitch the opening closed. I have a document (or is it a link?) saved to show how, but I use this stitch so infrequently that I always have to refer back to the tutorial when it's called for.

I'm pretty nervous about doing the quilting, however. The open-toe darning foot I ordered arrived in the mail yesterday, but the instructions are quite sparse. I'm entirely unsure about how to attach it to the machine. Also, I should probably test it on a scrap first, but I don' wanna! :P I am so excited to have this done. I also feel anxious that I'll spoil the perfection I'm so admiring. lol!



This potato salad was so good. It was included in the method for assembling a packed lunchbox shown here. I substituted peas for corn, however.



Recently I tried a new Menu item on our visit to Mitsuwa. This is Mapo Tofu "soup" with fried rice. The flavor was okay, but I found it to be over-starchy with the thick corn-thickened soup. The best part was the shredded daikon topped with mayo and seaweed salad. Yum! (seriously) The cup contains savory broth.

Hope everyone's enjoying great weather and,

See you soon~
Berit

Quilt Tops & Crochet

My first quilt top, which was the first "Scrap Lab" offered by Fig Tree is finished! Now to buy a thin batt and umn, quilt it. Yikes. This is supposed to be "turned" (like a pillow) rather than have a binding.



At last I let myself try out making a few crochet edgings from a book I got a few Christmases ago. These have yet to be blocked. I love white crochet. :) So reminds me of eyelet lace.

From the Bay of Evil, a rare treat for me~



This is an animation cel of the cat Luna from the Sailor Moon anime. I just love it. I can't recall the last time I bought a piece of original art--FAR TOO LONG.



The cel is only the black cat; the other elements are on heavy stock and behind the cel.



I'm so glad I treated myself, something I NEVER do. :)



Another Spring treat I forgot to show you last time; this is an avocado milkshake from the Vietnamese restaurant up the street. It may sound crazy, but if you love vanilla milkshake you'll at least like this!



This shot *almost* captures the soft green color.

In other news the model for my first design is ALL FINISHED all that remains is to wrangle my working draft into something publishable. From my experience with MacStitch 2009, I would advise any interested party to never buy ANY iteration of that software. Not entirely objective considering I've only used one version, but there it stands.

Quilts & Kylie

Lately I've been having fun with the Scrap Lab Fig Tree recently introduced...



Some days (like the one on which these photos were shot) are dim, but with these fabrics it's ALWAYS spring in my studio!



I'm making the table-top quilt Joanna showed because I like it and I've never pieced a quilt before. The directions are found in the Summer volume of BH&G's "Quilts & More" Magazine. (I'm planning to list my copy for sale when I finish jic anyone wants it/can't find it when I finish.)




The print in center here is my favorite (though maybe not my favorite colourway). I'm also loving the overblown poppy print when it's cropped up tight like this--I love poppies and recently planted some seeds Edgar gave me for California poppies on my terrace. They are in containers and only planted a week ago--wonder if they'll sprout? :D

Thanks to a kind friend, I was able to attend one of the performances of Kylie Minogue's Aprhodite tour. It was held in the city at the Hammerstein Ballroom. (We went to the second of three nights, Tuesday May 3rd.) I am such a fan, so I cannot resist at least some comment here. :)



Kylie rose from the floor in a gorgeous gilt shell as the incarnation of Botticelli's famous Venus.



Creating the necessary materials for this stage spectacle cost 25m. D&G is reported to have created all the costuming--not entirely sure about how much of the dancers' and backup singers' wardrobe they contributed.



Aprodite, which shares the name of the album it promotes, is Kylie's second tour in the US. I actually attended a performance of her first (For You, For Me) in Oct. 2009, but never mentioned it here because it proved a heart-wrenching experience. Our tickets were the closest to the stage available--general admission to the ballroom floor. While Kylie is much beloved overseas, here her small but devoted fanbase is quite homogeneously comprised of homosexuals. Which proved problematic for me, because....

MEN ARE TALL! You've never been engulfed in a thick crowd until you've been stranded in a sea of unrelieved men. Tall, tall men!

Oh! I saw Kylie for a grand total of 4 seconds as entered the stage from above that night...and the stage itself never. They were forever just beyond the reach of the eyes in my 5'4"-5" frame.

This time, I made sure the tickets were in the small balcony! So, I did see the show! I also learned that though the balcony LOOKS close, an opera glass or other binocs are a necessary item. I'm so glad friend Tak took so many pics b/c I get to "see" the show again... up close! Marc saw a sign posted advising attendees that they consented to filming by being present, so I do hope this will be a video release. :D I also hope Ms. Minogue will tour here again.



These winged earpieces put me in mind of Valkyries and the PS2 game Odin Sphere.



All of the music on Kylie's show is live--a band performs the music and backup singers sing accompaniment which was tracked on the album. No lip-sync with dance here!



I do have quite a regard for this most famous of Kylie's Fine Assets. ;)



The "Bathing Beauty" costume for the finale.

Overall, I feel her shows have not been as "fun" as they were before her Showgirl tour and cancer battle, but I still beyond enjoyed it.

Thanks for everything, readers--I so appreciate you and your comments, too. I feel that I must apologize for being somewhat absent online. I'm still "keeping on" and cooking up something good which I hope you'll enjoy. I had a few more "spring things" to put in this post, but will save for next time as it has run long already! Hope you saw something you enjoy!

Yours,
Berit

Two Spring Finishes!

Last week I visited a nearby park to get some photos of the budding Cherry Trees:











Some not-so Spring-like lighting on these; but isn't that Spring after all?



This is a really delicious concoction: Lemon gelatin made with one cup hot water (and the zest and juice of one lemon) and after it cools to room temp you mix in another cup plus a few tablespoons extra of plain yogurt. I used half lowfat (1.5%) and half whole (3.5%) This is divine!~ And perfect for spring/summer.

I had TWO FINISHES THIS WEEK! They were even on the same day!



The Bunny Biscornu is now a rectangular pillow, and Sweet Bird's stitching is done!

Yes, the Pomander balls are still there. I do love them, but they may need a trip to storage at least until the Summer. ;)



I love the pearlised glass shank button I used for the cinch on this side. :)
I also thought the Clove Bits were fine at the time I took the photo, but...



The back is some seersucker I got in NYC. And the button from W***-M***. :D



I used a blanket stitch to secure the seams before I whip-stitched the two sides together. I intended to take it out, and still could, but left it because I felt it gave a sweetly whimsical prim touch.



Here is Sweet Bird, a spring freebie from The Sampler Girl, posted to her blog Spring 2010. I had a bit of a time picking fibers for it, but in the end I'm satisfied.

Now I'm stitching on my November Prairie schooler! I am longing for a lighter stitch, BUT I ALSO want PS and don't want to add another WiP, so~

I'm also working a bit on the Halloween freebie! I'm so nervous about it that I have to take it easy so I don't get overwhelmed. :P

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Stitching Tragedy and a Sneak Peek~*!

Yesterday evening, I defrosted some cookie dough batter I'd made, sliced some Dove Dark, pressed the shards into the sliced dough, and baked:





Mnn! Because they are "well-done", you can taste the fresh ginger I grated into the vanilla extract.

Why I so-enjoyed those cookies:

I have so little stitching mojo. Yet, I SO wanted to own this darling leaping rabbit biscornu. Ever since I saw the one Myra made, I've dreamed of having it. Now, I've pretty much learned that I don't like to stitch biscornu. Particularly Floss Box's Biscornu. They look small, but they are huge (don't laugh, all your Ann, Mary, Elizabeth stitchers. They're totally larger than they look finished, so that makes them big. ;) Also, it's the same thing 4x!! Whether I stitch each quadrant to completion for variety, or do the duplicate parts all in sequence for assembly-line efficiency, it's still a chore to slog through. Particularly for all those fiddly little color changes. (All you in the HaED Peanut Gallery can keep your opinions to yourself. :D).

My point: This is most definitely not Process Stitching. Oh, no, it was all about the Destination. Which now can't be reached because IT'S NOT SQUARE!

I checked it. Oh, yes. Because it came from an LNS who-shall-not-be-named who always sells me the wrong count of fabric. They are forever miss-marked. It SHOULD have been 32, but my check showed me that it was 28. I pondered, b/c I wanted the finished product smaller, but went ahead b/c the fabric was cute. BUT, I didn't check that it was square. :( Gah!

Not sure what will become of these bunnies now. We shall see.

Weather Report: When it isn't raining this week, it's snowing, and last night we even had hail and lightning!



Yet today there's my favorite clear sky with puffy, fluffy cloud combination. :)

These tracks on a neighboring roof keep getting washed away or snowed over, yet someone keeps making them again and again. :)

~***~

Now, a sneak peek of my first design~




~"Fence-Cat's Hallowe'en"~


The colors are not quite showing true (the linen is more of a rich plummy brown), but enjoy, nonetheless! This will be a freebie design once I rustle up some interfacing, dye some trim and do some model-finishing!

Happy Spring (and Halloween) All,
Berit

Can it be that Spring is coming?

Previously, On Jenny Bean:





And, after Saturday:





Yowza, WAY more than I thought even though it's been so long since I posted! :o

As I close in on the verse I'm pondering what it should be. I decided to change the verse almost before I began stitching; I get that it's Shakespeare, but somehow it smacks of starvation and poverty to me. :/ How Festive.(Love's Labor's Lost isn't numbered among his work's that I've read, so I likely don't *get* it, but...)

I looked into other Christmas quote-ables, but most of the ones I liked were too snarky to be sampler-suitable.

In lieu of inspiration, I considered enumerating the ingredients of a tin of tea I had, as they appeared in French. French is *so needlework*. Names of fruits and spices--it could work!!!

But, this week It struck me that I could just use the lorem ipsum! This seems like a fabulous idea to ME, but that might just be my graphic design roots and lack of sleep talking. lol! Hey, I can even argue that the source text (which was by Cicero, and argued that no healthy person enjoys "pain itself" for its own sake) offers a counterpoint to my interpretation of the original text! :D

But, no-matter-what, the "gingerbread" stays. Because I love ginger and spiced sweets, and the word looks awesome in the font used. :D And it'll all be fine, because the lorem ipsum is gibberish, to begin with! yay!





I've been all about clearing-out and cleaning up lately: I shuffled and un-displayed some things in the bedroom with the result that I was able to eliminate a useless piece of furniture in the bedroom--seems like we have LOADS more space now.

Then, Marc and I celebrated the 6th Anniversary of our First Meeting (on the 20th) by adding this white ikea bookshelf to the living room. Hey, assembling cheap particle board-overlaid with laminate does it for some people, lol! :D :D :D

I am so thrilled to have the PS3 OFF of the should-be-clear shelf beneath the TV!! And, the wires for it (it takes 4! Yes, Four! Can now be stashed behind as intended. I still need risers for the DVDS there, but am thrilled. :)





I don't have a "before" pic, but it was a tall, thin shelf full of those same DVDs, and this Tower of Plastic Power in that corner before.

You probably already knew this, but these plastic drawer bins are hideous: squeaky-creaky, and I'm CONVINCED that no matter what you put in them they'll look horrible--like a pile of JUNK that stays suspended by some mysterious power in compacted cubes instead of falling to the ground in a heap. I don't think there's anything you could put in these drawers which is so pretty it won't look like clutter! The Must-be-accessible wires and accessories I'll put underneath the PS3 in some pretty fabric bins (yeah, gotta make those), and the others are destined for decluttering or the closet! Seriously, don't fall prey to buying these Expensive plastic drawers!

Okay, some spring Needlework stuffs:





Started this biscornu from The Floss Box which I've wanted to do/had kitted up since Myra showed hers last year. I changed the vine and flower colors so far. (Not that it matters to let you know with this picture quality. It's been a Storm-n-sunshine day, but the storm has returned like it means it now!)


It's stitched on some white-running-one-way, pastel-green-the-other (warp or weft, not sure which is which). The other fabrics I'm trying to show are all seersuckers I piced up for myself during the supply run to the city I made for the rumored Original Freebie. One is a natural/neutral tones and the other two pastel (no, really!). I do love a good seersucker. Or a bad one. I think the only other in my heart is a nice eyelet lace. These, and the finishing fabric for Original Freebie came from B and J Fabrics in the city. I first heard of them when my trim store gave me their card, and boy am I glad I did! :o Their site isn't much, but the store is amazing! The backing for my freebie is pretty "normal" considering it came from a store that offers "chain mail", but it's woven not printed and "works" with the design. :)

A scattering of books from my nightstand...





...to accompany my Test Results.

Some of you may remember me rambling and fretting from about the summer on over a language exam which I took at the end of last year. After taking it, I said that I'd done HIDEOUSLY. I predicted I'd have to raise my score to even fail!

This week, the scores arrived, and while yes I did fail, it's HOW that counted with me.

The exam is divided into 2 sections: "Listening" and "Everything Else". Now, you must score 80/180 or higher cumulative to pass, and since I didn't make that (I scored a "60") I failed.

But, there are also minimum requirements for both sections. "E E" required a 38, which I scored EXACTLY, and "Listening" 19 pts--here, I scored a whopping 22! :D SO, I'm feeling (absurdly?) happy that I "passed" the minimums for both sections, even though I failed overall. It seems that the score requirements allow for a weakness in a section as long as it's balanced by strength in the other.

I'm really quite pleased; maybe I'll even try again next time! :D

~*~

I'll leave you today with a sneak peek of the previously mentioned "Spider's Web" Trim which will be used in the Freebie kit:



I haven't dyed it yet, but it's going to be fab, I hope! I'd wanted to offer a peek of the stitching, but the light did not cooperate! :D

Happy Weekend, All!

Berit

A-Stitching We Will Go!~

This week, I "partied" from my stitching basket. :)




from the November Prairie Schooler Booklet, Before:



After:



Running into some issues with the color changes I made; I feel like working on a PS these days, so rather than fret over choosing more overdyes from within the limits of my stash, I'm going to mix in the recommended DMC. The gourd is 2/3 DMC, and it looks fine so I think it won't be any problem.

I do hear other PS designs calling to me, though. :D I wish I could pick (preferably from stash1) a linen for my "signature" PS design, Fox & Grapes. This is seriously my favorite one ever, as I am fox-crazy, but I have SO many ideas for sizes/finishes/fibers whirling in my head that I never get down to it. I wonder if I could stitch it more than once. It DOES have a beastly quantity of vine, after all.

JB Christmas Before:



After:



Whew! This week's shots are decidedly un-blogworthy

I'm not putting in the Holly Berries or the Snow yet, and I'm hoping I don't regret it. I'm not a huge fan of stitching little bitsy single exes scattered across the field.

...

Freebie Update:

The stitching is finally complete, and I think it looks great (hoping you will too!) but I've run into a snag.

This chart will be offered as a freebie with no specific material recommendations to make it accessible for everyone, but I liked my picks SO much, and had access to some extra of the rather unique linen I used that I began plotting to offer some kits in case any readers were really besotted with the model.

*Non-Stitchy Whining-Ahead alert; skip if desired :)*

Really, it started with some awesome "spiderweb" trim I bought in the City, and planned to hand-dye and put on a little pillow. Then this design grew out of that. So, what's the snag? A corporation who decided we could live for 5 weeks on 75% of one week's pay, that's what! :P (Marc's changing his employment status from a paid-weekly freelancer to that of a Salaried Company Man paid every 2 weeks. So, due to their pay-cycle this means that we can expect 1 week's worth of pay 3 weeks after the last time we were paid...then another 2 weeks before we are paid again--but for a full 2 weeks at that time. This is the week we were *supposed* to receive the 1-week check-- but it, again, wasn't in today's post.)

*end Whine-Fest*

So, It means (among other things, of course) that I just do not have the "venture capital" for a yard or two of backing fabric plus the extra linen for the kits right now. But I'm not giving up! Instead I'm trusting that if it's meant to be the the trim and linen will remain available until I can procure them :D If the gridlock continues for too long, I will re-think offering the kits at all and just blog the design, but I really think some of you will want them because they combination is beautiful, easy (yup, it's possible to affect the "ease" with fiber choice on 32 ct! :D) and Fun! And that's not something I say about "filling-in" previously! Also, I'd hoped to debut with a complete-package type design. :D I've also been having fun calculating ways to make it less expensive so that it would be easier to pick it up! :D I do love a good deal on stitching.

So, I really want to thank my loyal and kind readers and friends for your patience and continued interest in my sight-unseen project. I am so touched by your interest. Also, I have heard (and been excessively flattered) some requests for a ~sneak peek~!

I do want to show one, though I'd hoped to have the finishing done first, and I've been waiting for some good light on these Winter Days for photographing.

Well, Please continue to look for Good Things soon from me, and

With my Best to You,
Berit