Tuesday, 21 November 2006

WIP - Faience




The Castle by Teresa Wentzler.

SAL for BAPXSCastle group

68 comments:

Claire EJ said...

We're getting ever closer to that mythical SAL date....yikes. Good to have your photos up here.

Donna Williams said...

Isn't it though! I still need to get out and buy the floss and probably a new set of Q's. I think I have decided to stick with the original dragon colours and just add sparklies with Krienick stuffs. Lordy, I need to get busy....

Claire EJ said...

Still gotta find mine.

I started to add sparklies on the top layer of a stitch with some Kreinik and it worked so well, just the top leg, made it so much faster.

Donna Williams said...

Dear heavens.. seeing those colors on the light blue makes me wonder if mine is going to fade away or stand out... hhmm.... You have a good start here, Mel. Why is Jan 1 looming huge in my mind???? LOL

Claire EJ said...

Once the b/s is done, it'll stand out. It's one of those charts which really loses out until the definition is added.

Last Jan 1st we were stood in my street watching fireworks and then during the day headed for Finchingfield. Sigh, sniff.

Melissa Hicks said...

Yep that's what I was doing with mine before the re-start. Just do up the floss as normal and then go over the top with one strand of blending filament in the direction of the top leg. It was easier, simpler, much less mucking around and gave a better finish.

Either that or I'm stoopid and its the only way *I* could get it to work :) :)

Melissa Hicks said...

Yup - that's why I've put my photos up - I now have progress pics of all current WIPs and those I plan on working on in the five slot rotation starting in January. As I finish them and include other UFOs, then I will add their pics up :/

Claire EJ said...

I think having the B/F on the lower "\" is a waste of time, it just didn't show up at all and it's so much easier to just use it on it's own afterwards rather than trying to combine it with regular floss.

Karen R said...

That's how I plan to add them in, too. It seems like it would take time to go over the stitches a second time, but not having to deal with the metallic and DMC in one needle actually makes it faster, especially only doing the top leg.

Donna Williams said...

I know... was just talking about that this morning at the store. I was trying to figure out why I'm off on our Thanksgiving, since it's a Thursday and I normally work. Seniority was the answer. Told him since I don't have kids and it's just Mom and I, plan on me working Christmas. Since I've already told Mom I'm off on Tday, she's planned cooking, so can't change it now. They were trying to remember why Anna had worked so many days in a row... I had to hide my head and then mutter "because SOMEONE we know was across the pond"... abd yeah, sigh,sniff....

kay jones said...

Well done Mel. I did a bit today too. I'll take a pic and put it in my Multiply tomorrow.

Happy New Year
KaY

Donna Williams said...

Good for you! I'm still in the attempted organizational stage... Seems I've mislaid the bag with the fabric, chart and floss.... imagine that...

Claire EJ said...

Yeah, imagine that.

Claire EJ said...

I stitched a touch on mine on NY eve and today, Steve took the magazine to work to get a working copy for me. The hand drawn chart is just a nightmare to work from. All I have to do when he gets it home is re-number/label all the symbols on my lo-ran cards and go for it!

Karen R said...

I have a start on mine, also - I'll post a pic sometime today, if the boss will just stay out of here for a few minutes :) Man, I didn't work on it for very long - 1-2 hours, maybe, but it sure seems to go so much faster than my SQ. I really want to pick up hte slightly abondoned Castle Triptych now and work on it, too. I guess I need to try an actual timed rotation - one a week. But I only have 3 WIPs right now - gee, do I dare start a 4th, to round out each month?? LOL

Donna Williams said...

Ouch! Found everything, worked on trying to organize it, but discovered that I have got to do something about lighting in my cave.

Mel, is that tower the center or just where you chose to start? I absolutely hate starting in the center, but I suppose it's the best way with such a complicated (compared to what I normally do) chart. I much prefer starting at the top and working down, but I can't quite figure out how with this one.

Jamie Vander Eide said...

Looking good! I did a little on mine yesterday, too, but not too much because I'm still working on trying to finish Rapunzel. I will try and take a pic and post it tomorrow.

Melissa Hicks said...

Sorry Teegs, for some reason I didn't see your post until now :(

The base of that tower is the middle of the design. I always start from the middle due to an irrational fear that if I don't then I will muck up and run out of space on the edges ...

Paula Hubert said...

You're almost back to where you were with your second start, Mel - great work! On TW's with borders, I like starting with the top border and working down so I can split the repetition of the border with working on the inside bits... but I started in the middle on this one, too - but I went down and to the right; wanted to get those rocks out of the way!

Melissa Hicks said...

That was the aim of this week Paula! As I'm home from work for all of this week and my Dad didn't end up visiting - I'm spending a lot of time in front of the Cricket stitching madly. I wanted to finish on Sunday having completed as much as my second restart. I don't know if I will accomplish that - being out while the car is being serviced today and then working and visiting DK tomorrow. So we will see.

I also am looking at the rocks - but seeing as both my first two starts were on the Castle I figured I'd better start on that and get that bit out of the way first, because I might resent it later :)

Paula Hubert said...

That makes sense to me, Mel. It's part of why I decided to do the rocks first; I hated the rocks in The Castle Sampler with a true passion, so I decided to do these first. I'm not minding them; I think the difference is the size of the rocks in the two pieces. I truly believe TW used just as many colors in the rocks on TCS; but they're crammed into a much smaller space!

Claire EJ said...

Aren't the rocks just the absolute pits to stitch?! I really hate them.
The blends of pinks and greys are a real PITA.

Karen R said...

You know something I've noticed? This is the 3rd castle of hers I've done, and the colors used in this one are very different from the colors in the other two; each time I look at this one, I am amazed by the pinks. I need to get a whole wall section done to see how they work together, but I'm just so used to the grays and gray/browns she used in the others. Maybe that's part of the division between the earlier and later designs...? To look at the picture, this castle looks like the others, but up close - not so much. Must be stone from another country :)

Claire EJ said...

Stone does vary from place to place LOL. Maybe this is a castle at Sunset when you get those gorgeous pinks in the sky which refract off of everything below!

Karen R said...

Maybe from the same place the blue stone at the 'henge came from??? If they have blue, surely they have pink? LOL

Claire EJ said...

You mean Stonehenge? the big one? very grey, very grey. I would love to see it at sunset but it gets so packed down there at that time......hard to get in or near to it.

Claire EJ said...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elron6900/133023558/

Best photo I could find and just look at the blues in this one....gawjus

Karen R said...

Great pic! I wish I'd gotten there when I was over there; actually, I got to see very little the 2 years I lived there. The exchange rate was prohibitive to sightseeing, once we got rent, insurance, and utilities paid. If I'd been able to live on base, I would've seen much more :(

Paula Hubert said...

Great picture! I didn't get to see Stonehenge, either, Karen. I plan to on my next trip! I thought it was just me wondering about the colors in the castle walls here. (I also wondered if it was some of the whole mysterious change in dye formulas from DMC!) But the sunset thing might be right.. and maybe why the author of the metallics list used just a bit of sparkle in some of the castle walls?

Melissa Hicks said...

Nope - I can categorically bust that myth :) I started this project the first time *before* DMC did its major colour changes - yes I am a dinosaur on this project :)

And the colours are the same - how do I know because I still have some of the floss bobbins I wound for this project back in 1994 !!!!

Frishawn Rasheed said...

Your Castle is the cat's meow!))))))

Melissa Hicks said...

Awww thanks Frishawn :)

Laura Landis said...

It's looking great, Mel!

Melissa Hicks said...

Thanks Laura :) I can't wait for February to roll around now :)

Debbie Lord said...

Looking lovely, Mel!

Jamie Vander Eide said...

Wow, good progress, Mel!

Melissa Hicks said...

Thank you so much ladies! Can't wait for February now :)

Karen R said...

Wow, you're not kidding we did the same bits! Well, I did some backstitching, but you have a couple of bushes started (I think), so same difference, I guess :) That's too funny! Are you rotating to something else, or are you continuing with this? I'm going to pick up Castle Triptych tonight, for the first time in 7 months.

Melissa Hicks said...

I'm rotating - was supposed to start back on Dutch Beauty last night - but was distracted with setting up messenger and didn't get a single stitch put in. Not back to The Castle now until February - I have a five piece rotation going :)

Good luck with the Triptych - I think one TW at a time is enough for me :)

Claire EJ said...

Wow honey, you really are back to where you were before....have you really been stitching or is this just a sneaky clone?? !

Just teasing!

Melissa Hicks said...

{gasp} I've been found out!!!! Yes I really did find restart number 2 and spent the rest of the week reading books and laughing at you all slaving away over your needles !!!!!

{snort} I WISH !!!!

No my sweet, that's a heck of a lot of sweat for me to get that done in one week!

Why did I have to go back to work!!! Do you know how little computer *or* stitching time I've had this week ????

Claire EJ said...

ROFL......did say I was teasing :) {giggles}

I know you said you would get back to that place after a week or two, but good grief Charlie Brown, speed stitching or what!!!

Melissa Hicks said...

I really loved having that week to myself last week and getting this done (and having the chat time on the Net). Someone want to send me a winning Lotto ticket and I'll keep doing it :) Might even get this and Dutch Beauty done this year if I didn't have to go to work - I'm sure I'd be happier and less stressed too :)

Unfortunately my stitching has slowed to a crawl now I'm back at work :)

Paula Hubert said...

Ugh - Mel, I feel your frustration! I'm actually looking forward to the fact that this year 1) I won't have to go to the DMAT conference - and use a week of vacation for that and 2) with J in school and the bills for tuition and books, we won't be doing a vacation this year; which means that I can take time off and stay home and STITCH!! I am *so* looking forward to that!

Suzy Hewitt said...

It's looking great! I'm not sure I would have the been able to motivate myself to start the design for the third time. Good for you!

Melissa Hicks said...

Thanks Suzy - I didn't motivate myself - it was fear of retaliation by someone else in the group - I'd conned her into working on hers after a long break - she'd never forgive me if I didn;t work on mine - even if he did fly the coop during my recent house move.

Claire EJ said...

ROFL....poor Suzy...you'll scare her away from us before she even gets to know us! Just what kind of retaliation could I manage from England to Australia??
looking fwd to working on Heartwood tomorrow but tonight, it's back to the knitting!

Melissa Hicks said...

Tracy's a bit like that - you get ah;f way through a chat and she drops out so you don;t know if she means, yes, no or I'll think about it ..... then she comes back later offering you some work ... so I figure now that if I don;t get an instant response its a case of "i'll think on it and get back to you" even if she hasn't said that.

Melissa Hicks said...

That's what I didn't want to find out :) :) :) :)

Natalie Mikesell said...

That is really looking great Mel! Happy to hear that you were able to work through the PITA threads :)

Kimberly Fawn said...

It's looking fabulous!!

Paula Hubert said...

Yep - you made progress in spite of the threads.. good work!

Claire EJ said...

Great progress! Wonder how much static was in the air the last few nights? Glad you got some done and feel you achieved something!

Debbie Lord said...

Looks lovely, Mel. Maybe I might get some more done with the cricket today

Laura Landis said...

great progress, Mel! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Melissa Hicks said...

Thanks Debbie - wasn't the Friday cricket match great ???? I drove to mum's that day and I haven't picked up a needle since !!! But yeah - some progress is better than no progress!

Stephanie Flynn said...

Beautiful progress....hope you had a great weekend!

Michele Anderson said...

Well it looks like you are way further than me!! 5 hours is more than I got - none. But then again, I was very nicely told NOT to stitch on mine! LOL!

Chele

Debbie Lord said...

Looking gorgeous!!

Mariann Mäder said...

Very nice progress, Mel! I love your fabric choice, makes it so airy!

Lyne-Elizabeth Blodgett said...

Coming along great!

Jamie Vander Eide said...

5 hours is better than nothing! At least you got some more of the castle done. :)

kay jones said...

Good work Mel. You really did a lot of noticeable work this month.

Laura Landis said...

It's looking good, Mel!

Shawn Medrano said...

Great progress Mel!!

Kayle Jensen said...

Mel, this is looking just beautiful! Keep up the good work.

Carol =^.^= said...

This fabric is fabulous! It makes the picture stand out so well.
Carol =^.^=

Terri England said...

I still have to restart this one.

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