Biscornu-copia!

Kathrin's 15 sided biscornu SAL
Basket of Biscornu
And this is just April - look around! These are really creative!
Le petit coin de debbie
This is a 15-sided Biscofleur - a blackwork pattern and enough pictures to see how it is assembled. Nice work!
90 posts of assorted little pillows
Au pays de biscornu
This is a nice one and there are pics of the original 15 panels.
And if you still crave more, here are more blogs to explore.
Scroll down this page and you will find a biscofleur being assembled with beads.
Here are several biscornu patterns from Kincavel Krosses including a 15 sided gem mentioned above.
This is a different style of 15 sided bisco with good pictures on how it goes together

Awww this is so sweet

This is an October giveaway from Bearbits
Just post a comment to enter.

This little bear is so sweet with her little spool doll.
I wish I could share the picture, but blogger doesn't like that.

More Beading....

I guess this is getting serious. I have a number of people asking to buy lanyards. I work in one of those buildings where you need to carry your ID and keys with you everywhere. I have made a half-dozen or so for my co-workers. Word of wear? Anyway, I have requests. I did some exploring to see what sort of price these things were fetching. Maybe I should say what sort of price people wanted these to fetch. It looks like barely break even at retail prices for the supplies. So, I ordered an EIN, applied for a VA tax ID, made a name for myself - a business name. But what would the cabs go for? I guess these are rather unique.

I've been BEADING!

This started when my building ID lanyard broke. A good friend made it for me. There were beads everywhere. Beads went down my shirt and when I walked around, I was leaving a trail of little seed beads. Like Gretal. Or was it Hansel. Whatever, you get the picture.
Now I have little #15 beads all over the house. Fairy dust for old women who can't see so well, which seems to bring me back to the Hansel and Gretal story again.
Lanyards (3 of them)










Necklaces (by request)







Three Chevron stitch bracelets, 3 bezeled cabachons, one of those necklaces made so the bead thread looks invisible.
(And a partridge in a pear tree?)


I have made two of these onyx cabachons. This is #2, the other one I gave to my division manager - she's into jewels and she got the cab for free.
Not sure what is next - I have a bunch of crystals calling. Don't know what to do with them. I have a few large faceted stones to try bezels (and a couple of rivolis to practice).

Stitching - sort of

Besides a parade of house guests and visitors (plus 10+ hour days at work), I actually have been doing some stitching, if beading counts. I will be posting a pick or two of more lanyards. I need to figure out how to make the wire less susceptible to breakage where it crimps - it seems to want to part on that curve around whatever is at the end. Hmmmmm......
And for my next project, I am going to try beading bezels around cabochons.
I am enjoying the change, but I don't know whether this is going to be any substitute for stitching. It sure isn't any cheaper!

April 11

DH lost his mother on April 3. We have been out of town attending the funeral and spending time with family.
I have done a little beading - and some work on Gleneagle, although I don't have a picture for the stitching.
This is Easter weekend and the house is full. DS from Wisconsin now and his GF, DD and her friend. Fun!

MGM Lion

 This is Penny doing her best imitation of the MGM Lion.

ggGGGRROOOOWWWLLLLlllll..  snort

Good kitty

March 30

This was a bitter sweet weekend. We wished a dear friend our last goodbye on his final passage on Friday. We will see you on the other side, Charlie.

DH celebrated his 57th on Sunday.

I was able to do a couple of things. This is a Just Nan piece, the 2008 Winter Tin.

And the beaded doodad is a badge leash I made for a friend since she broke hers. It was beads unleashed!

That's all for now. I am looking forward to getting the flower gardens ready for spring. The weather is finally cooperating.

Gleneagle 3-22-09

I am liking the silver and red metallic thread. I am not enjoying working with it, however.

From Still Stitching

Gleneagle 3-15-09

This is the "real" one on 18ct. I am still working on the 14ct one, playing with color. For reasons I don't understand, the colors on this pic look faded and kind of orange. However, they look fine in Picassa, so I'm not sure why the change. Oh well, maybe it will look better next week.
By the way, Papillion Creations new mystery was announced.

Gleneagle 3-2-09

Since I have decided to do this on 18ct instead of 14ct, my 14ct is my practice piece now. As you can see, I am playing. I really need to go get bars for the new canvas.

What are those little gold walnut looking things?

Little Gold Walnut Things

Two of them are etuis with thimbles really too small to be useful and with the barest essentials for maybe sewing on a button or pinning a hem up in an emergency. But they are cute. The third one is a tape measure - perhaps more practical. The etuis show up pretty regularly on ebay.

Thank you Front Range Stitches for asking.

And thank you and Deb for encouraging me on Gleneagle. I used dark red with 3 strands of copper DMC metallic for houses and it looks pretty kewl.

New project WIP

What's this about?

It is Gleneagle by Jean Hilton

Yup, needlepoint, canvas, pearl #3, 5, 8 and floss that must be carefully laid.

This is the second time around,
I finished one in 1998.




I started this on 14 count which is what it was designed for. Last time, I did it on 18 count, with pearl 5, 8 and 12. I like 18 count a lot more, so I have ordered that plus 3 different colorways because, of course, you can't get #12 in colors like you can with 8.

What is new this week:
finishing a little tape measure by
I'll cross that stitch when I come to it

In how do I stitch
Johanna's needlework stitch diagrams

In finishing
Violarium heart shaped pinkeep
Tintock Tap for 15 sided biscornu
Banukarotti SAL
Stitch Creations

In Mystery
An important flower by Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks.
And a word of advice: If you see it, like it or find it useful, save it or print it. I have found two very good resources for conversions are gone - just can't keep up with updates. I wish there was a place for such orphans that maybe we could keep up to date as a community. Oh well, life goes on.

Happy Valentines Day and little pins to decorate

Happy Valentines Day!
I hope you celebrate in whatever way you like most.
If you have been looking at the new releases from the Nashville wholesale show, you have probably seen a few designs from a certain designer that use cute little figural pins as accents. In my travels this week, I found an online store, The Threadbasket, that has quite a few different pin designs you could incorporate into your needlework smalls, ornaments or sewing basket. I am showing just a few, go check them out!
Fancy Pins

Photographing Needlework

This was the poll winner for what you want to see next. I have the document completed, I just have to figure out how to make a link in Blogger and host the pdf somewhere. I know it can be done, just need to read how. Meanwhile, it looks to be a beautiful sunset here on the river, and I have a dinner date. More later...
Well, I have been trying for over an hour to upload a 2.5 MB file to Google docs. To no avail. I think my IPS is throttling me. I give up, it is well past my bedtime.
The fifth time is the charm, I hope. If this link doesn't work, please let me know - comment does work. Again, sorry for the delay....

Just a little thing done

This is a design from Aury's blog. I used a fat quarter to finish the log-cabin style frame and back. It has iron-on quilt batt on both the front panel and the back panel. Maybe I should go ahead and quilt it.
It is just sitting on the frame to hold it up.

Here is a link to the designer Aury's blog

Pulled Thread Techniques

There is a pulled thread discussion group at stitchinfingers at ning. The moderator, Lorilei Terry Halley, has a great tutorial and teaching piece. I have asked to link to it from here, however I believe you need to join ning and stitchin fingers to access the information. No big deal, no cost and a great resource. Besides Take A Stitch Tuesday is there now. Anyway, it's a great segue to this picture. This is one of four hearts that is the center of a very old Shepherds Bush piece called Winter Hearts. There are a few pulled thread techniques in it, the one I remember is upright Greek cross.
I will update the How Do I Stitch entry if I get permission.
Yeah! Pulled Thread Tutorial
Thank you Lorilei

Tools of the Trade

The feel of a really good pair of scissors

Snipping through linen,

Cool in your hand,

Crisp in their movement,

Pleasant to the eyes.

"Who made this wonderful tool?" I think.

A craftsman, like me, working with silver, steel, heat.

What harsh material to become -

Scissors sublime.

Only to be lost in the depths of the couch.

What's your theme?

I notice that people have favorite subjects (chickens), styles (quaker), colors and themes. Besides my sewing smalls preferences, I like the color blue and peacocks, among other things. So this is a set of smalls that happen to go with Gingher scissors and a Kelmscott needle keep. They are by Textile Heritage. I hope you enjoy.

Tantelizing!

The first couple of months in the new year always bring some new designs. I'm still "lusting" after a few from a year ago (2008) but I digress.
This is from Reflets de Soie, probably available from European Cross Stitch.
Le Marquoir de Madeline

Yummy!

If you have a moment, wander over to Drawn Thread and check out Morning Glory and Moonlight Garden.