On dyeing

Thank you for the comments on my dyed thingies. There are some little details I'd like to let you know:

1. I am an artisan of textile designing and manufacturing (my 'major' was weaving (designing and manufacturing) though) by education and therefore dyeing was part of my education. I have spent good part of three years in the dye 'lab' (there was only one place I spent more time in and that was our 'weavery' (hall of looms)).

2. I won't write a tutorial, even Angela asked for it, because the process differs between brands and between colour types (there are hot dyes, cold dyes, machine dyes..). Only advices I give you are: prewash the item and trust yourself. (The dye will attach the fiber even if you made a mistake. The result just may be something you never expected it to be - and sometimes it is a good thing.)

3. Dyeing is actually very, very easy, you just need the courage to try it. Dye packets contain very good instructions (at least Dylon dyes do) so if you know how to read you know how to dye.

At this moment I would love to experiment with painting the fabric with the dyes, but as it is winter and I don't have a backyard I can't. Some day...

 

Why I don't use subtitles?

Recently I have been watching DVDs while stitching, and today I realised once again why I disable subtitles every time... I do it because it seems to me that translators don't either speak Finnish or English fluently (and some of them don't seem to speak either..). For crying out loud even I could do better translations with my elementary school English... but then, they provide form of entertainment.

Speed testing

"Never forget: the higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly."

Anyway, as you know I am bit twisted and while I was enjoying myself at sauna yesterday (interesting choice of words) I got an idea:

"I really should make a test and find out
1. How fast I stitch?
2. How fast I stitch with right hand vs. left hand?"

And I did it. 10x10 square, on 28 count Jazlyn (I hate that fabric, it's too soft), result:

Right hand	Left hand
~39 minutes	~67 minutes

Now... I stitch right-handed, and I have never stitched more than couple of stitches (~5) with my left.
Interesting part in this is that I recall Cross Stitcher claiming (I may be wrong though) that average stitching speed is about 100 stitches per hour. I admit that it's faster to stitch single blocks, but still... my speed is ~150 stitches/ hour and I could reach that 100 easily even with my left hand...

And question considering English

What's the difference between words "inquiry" and "enquiry"? Or is just like that famous tomato-tomato issue?

Linky

Beneath the waves of Archipelago Sea. Take the slideshow, it's beautiful.

Ah, designer blogs

I've been reading Pamela Kellogg's blog since I found it trough Angela's blog, and even I'm not fish person myself I saw something absolutely stunning today... Go and see it yourself. Makes you want to try crazy quilting, doesn't it?
And btw, her 100 Details In 100 Days project ('fillers' for crazy quilting) is still going on, and series in question has some beautiful cross stitch and blackwork designs. For free. O_o

When it comes to blogs...

It seems to me that 800th entry will be written during coming weekend, and not in September. I've been bit chatty lately, haven't I?
Though, I think it has to do with coming autumn, and of course to the fact that there has been few things I've needed to clear up with myself.

At the moment I feel fabulous, though a bit tired, and my sleeping rhythm has normalized from from 3am to noon to from midnight(ish) to 8-9am (Actually I seem to be in such a good shape that my heart keeps its mouth shut even if I drink coffee a bit more than I should (as I can't find completely decaffeinated in reasonable price I use brand which has about half of the caffeine compared to normal coffee). I am not complaining.) and that means I can't be very messed up as insomnia and/or other problems with sleeping are the first things which refer to problems with my psyche (though I wouldn't call heartaches and scarred soul problem of a psyche in that sense, but my aspect of psyche may be a bit different..).

When it comes to autumn...

It smells like autumn outside, evenings are getting chilly (it's still over 20&#186C in daytime) and I drink tea in the evenings. All these factors equal autumn.

I don't drink tea during summer, see. Or I do, but it's rare occasion if I do.
Anyway, I've noticed that I apparently may become tea enthusiast as I dug my teapot out from the wilderness of cupboards and I use it for braising my tea. Something I've never done before as I've always thought it's too troublesome to clean...
And I'm planning to make a tea cozy for myself (and one for my mother, but that has nothing to do with autumn. She'd use one), and that's an idea which came completely out of the blue.

Now I just need few good brands of tea so I can enjoy coming darkness in an orthodox way (which is: candles, good tea, good music, sleeping cats).

Using 'waste linen'

I can't use waste canvas because of it's starch (I'm allergic to most of it's sources), and therefore tried even weaved linen one day. It worked and since I've used waste linen.

It works fine, in fact I think I may be even better solution than waste canvas, as waste canvas is stiff and linen isn't. Therefore I thought that I could write short tutorial for using waste linen:

Preparations:
• Cut linen piece which is about 5 cms (2 inches) wider and taller than your desired design.
• Stitch horizontal and vertical gridding lines in the exact center of your linen and to the actual fabric.
• Be careful with placing waste fabric, and double-check is it in it's right place - gridding lines are there to help you.
• Baste linen well on it's place.
• Remove gridding stitches from actual fabric (In case you forget them, it may be very difficult or even impossible to get them of when you're finished)

  Stitching:

• Make sure you do not split any threads of your waste fabric.
• Pull your stitches bit tighter than you're used to do normally - otherwise your stitches may end up loose after you've removed linen.
• Finish cross stitching and backstitches.

  Finishing:

• Get yourself pair of good tweezers.
• Do not hurry when removing the strands.
• Linen is more durable when it's moist so in case you have problems when removing it dampen it a bit. (In regular waste canvas you dampen it to make it slippery, with linen you may have to dampen it to make it more durable)
• Do not use excess force if it seems that some strand of linen is not getting off. Leave it be and continue with some other area. Some strands just need to be left last.

In the end it doesn't differ that much from using regular waste canvas.

In case there's something unclear (or I have forgot something), do comment on this post or email me. (You're free to link into this post, but not copy it without my permission - as I like to take all the honour. )

Cross-posted to cross_stitch

And in case you're interested how well it works:

Celtic bookmark

Devil Bear

NOTE #1: Regular evenweaves won't work due the softness of the fiber.

NOTE #2: Only linens with slippery fiber apply (such as these).

SBQ

Todays

Stitching Blogger's Question

was suggested by AngelSan and is:

"Do you have rules in the way you stitch? (i.e., Do you start in the middle? Do you determine which blocks to stitch first? Do you always start from the top or the bottom? Do you have special paths to prevent wasting thread?)"

I've changing basic rules which are more or less dictated by design and my own mood and quirks.

To be more specific my rules are these:

• I use vertical and horizontal grid lines.
• I start from the middle if possible (usually it is).
• I stitch colour areas instead of rows (though I stitch areas row by row - I hope you get the difference).
• I start with lightest shade and end with darkest one. There have been few exceptions though.
• I prefer to stitch from right to left.
• I start from right side of vertical center line.
• I always stitch \\\ and then ///, which doesn't seem to be very common way when you're officially right-handed (In fact I'm more or less ambidextrous).
• I use loop start if possible.
• Thread goes trough the needle's eye.
• Needle goes trough the holes of the fabric.

I think that there are most of my stitching rules. I'm boheme artist as you can see...

Magazines.

Ok, I promised myself I wont buy anything stitching related in this month after Silkweaver order... Wrong!
I bought latest issue of Cross Stitch Gold because it had some designs I'd really like to do. Main reason was Moonlight Fairy by Lesley Teare (This). I just saw it and then I saw it in my mind stitched on hand-dyed fabric... I think people looked at that drooling crazy lady at the magazine stand and felt sorry for her...

And those great art nouveauish cards by Maria Diaz gave me even better excuse to buy that issue - not to mention Egyptian Cat by Vivienne Powers... And it seems to me that I've to buy next issue of CSG too as there's another cat design from her. (Black cats, and I've one...)

Misc.

Talking about cats: my siamese has decided that I'm her teddy bear and hot water bottle. She sleeps in my arms nowadays. From that moment I go to bed from that moment I wake up. I'd like to know does she really sleep whole night with me.

It's interesting how exercising affects to me nowadays: I actually feel good after quite harsh training. Not to mention that I walked four kilometers after it, and I feel good still, bit tired though.

And btw, over two months without actual migraines (have had some occasional slashes, but nothing worth mentioning).

About natural dyes.

I thought it'd be wise to save this post of mine (from this thread at EMS BB) about my dye experiments, as you can never know when it'll be victim of pruning:

"Greetings from my kitchen.

You can have beautiful, natural colours with spices. I tried paprika (curry powder and turmeric would be great too, I think) last night and got beautiful results. (Pics in here.)

I had small piece of (soft, I don't know why it is that soft...) ecru aida and bigger piece of regular pure white aida.

Results were:

• Ecru = peach
• white = light latte.

How?

• some excess time
• kettle
• 1 litre of water
• ½ dl of salt
• 2 ts bicarbonate (that thing used in baking)
• 4 ts paprika.

Add salt, bicarbonate (It'll foam a bit. ) and paprika to boiling water. Add moist fabric pieces (I had about
10x 40 cms (~4/ ~16 inches) all together) and let it simmer about an hour. Remember to stir(?) them frequently.
After an hour put 1 part of vinegar and 2 parts of water to suitable container and move fabric piece(s) to it and let them be a while.
Rinse.

This colour stands washing. I tried it yesterday. Though I don't know
will it take machine washing, but I made instant washing machine from jam jar (jar, hot water and washing powder) and spent some time shaking it.

Fabrics lost some colour but at least they should be more or less colourfast now.

It was so fun, I want to do more of that.

Btw, some may ask why I used bicarbonate? I'm used to as when I studied we used professional dyes and used bicarbonate (or some it's derivative) among salt. I don't remember how it should affect to colours. - - -"

Hoop.

I'm shocked. I use hoop with 'Devil Bear' and... I like it. But I can't help being worried about hoop marks... Though it'd be pain to do this without hoop or frame of any kind. I tried and my hands got tired very quickly. Apparently it has to do with weight of that canvas.
I've spend this day stitching and frogging, stitching and frogging... there's one part of that linen which just didn't wanted to be stitched correctly. Now it seems that I won that fight.

DB's WIP pics.

Hunger.

21 hours without eating anything. Why? Because I wasn't hungry. In fact I'm still not hungry, but I had to eat something because my head is hurting. (Something... two rice cakes.) Once again, I should eat more, but if I'm not hungry I just can't remember...

Funny thing is that week before my periods and during them I ate more or less normally. So, apparently it's hormonal, but what has changed?

SEBE.

I got my bookmark today, and it's so great. Thank you Lynne.

Presented here with it's current 'location' (Douglas Adams' "Mostly Harmless").

About rotation.

I should be stitching, but I'm wondering few things.

I've read about rotation system from few stitchy blogs and it seems to be something I should try also, but I've small problem with it: I don't have enough frames. I'm not in good terms with hoop so that option is not an option in the end (though it'd be solution to my problem). At least not before I figure out how I can get even tension with it, and how I keep it even.
I have only one scroll frame, and I'm planning to buy Q-snaps when I get that '10 euros off' gift certificate from LNS, but before it I'm more or less tied to that one big project which takes my only frame. Fortunately I can stitch neatly even without frames so I can do smaller projects in between, but it's bit cumbersome to keep your work in your hand - as I'm quite worried about crease of my skin. I do wash my hands every time before I start to stitch, but anyway...

And then there's problem with space. So, in the end I can't use more than one scroll frame because it gets way too difficult to store those projects otherwise. Q-snaps would be solution, but what if it's not my thing either?

Why it has to be so difficult to be cross stitcher?

Success.

My first SECE card is in it's destination. And my SP liked it.

Here's a pic, lousy one once again as my cam is what it is... (It really looks much better IRL)

Pattern is a freebie from Grace Designs, stitched with two different shades of DMC's variegated thread.
Attached with double-sided tape to violet hand-made paper (English instructions for paper making). Card base is basic white base.

Other things.

I was reading fellow stitcher's blog and found this link from there: No Sew Cube. (Warning. That page takes a while to load.) I think that's something I could try some day.

G'day.

As we all see, I kind of flooded my blog with test results yesterday and today. So, now it's time for some 'decen't blogging again.

Metallics.

I've found new love: DMC's white metallic floss.

I bought one skein of it from my LNS and last night I stitched few snowflakes with it to SEBE 'Winter' bookmark. It looks great.

Little tip: When you've divided your lenght of floss to six parts, take one divided strand of that floss, divide it (as it's made of two filaments) again. First of all it's easier to stitch as it's more flexible, and it looks great. IMO it may look even better than if you were stitching with one complete strand.
In fact I think it'd be good bleding filament replacement stitched with regular mouline. I have to try that some day.

SAL.

Well, in a way it has been suggested that I'd organize one SAL (Stitch-a-long) at EMS Cross Stitch Board. I suggested one design (serie in fact) in one thread which has to do with SALs and it seems that there might be people who're interested of doing this particular pattern.

Design is a freebie and still available, and I checked yesterday that it isn't even very big. One part of design in 45x60 stitches so 2700 stitches per part (minus corners which are unstitched in pattern (though I think I'll stitch them too)), and on 14 count finished design is about 8,2x10,9 cms (~3.2x4.3 inches).

There isn't even that many colours needed, so it's almost perfect. Even beginners could participate.

Looks good? I think so. Anyway, I've to think this a bit (as I'm not sure when I've time, after DBF moves I don't have free time that much as there's piles of bureucracy related stuff to take care of.) and if I think I could organize it I think I should contact to that boards staff and ask what is their opinion of organizing and what would be 'wisest' way to handle it.

[*insert topic here*]

One of these mornings. I miss him. In fact I haven't had this kind of mornings in ages. Things have been bit mixed between us lately, and now they seem to get better so it's obvious that I miss him easier as I let myself miss him.

Stitching.

Haven't stitched anyting in days. I'd like to but for some reason it feels that I've nothing I'd like to do. Though I should finish that Mill Hill's 'Icy Blue Snowflake' kit I bought some time ago. It has beads in it, and it's quite nice to do (looks much better than in that pic), but I know that I got to have enough time when I work with that as it's just way too fun.

Then there's that Hello Kitty. It'd be nice to do, but all those white stitches, and different shades of white. I just should accept that I can't finish anything like that fast, even it should be quicker to do large areas of one colour. For me it's just way too boring and that makes me slow.

Complaining and other things.

It's really freaky: I'm idling in my regular cross stitching forum and I just noticed that there's new user with nickname which is also name of Sonnenschein's (In fact his first name.). Ok, it's quite common name, but it's freaky anyway. At least in this time of night. (Maybe I've to tease him about that? )

Home page.

It's back online about 10th day of October. Which is great as I miss my link list, and it's horrible to use my HTML editor when it can't find background pics etc., which makes it awfully slow. It seems to make check-outs every frigging time I change mode from writing to preview and vice versa.
I'm just bit annoyed as HTML coding would have been great way to spend night. I can't sleep because of migraine, and I need something to do.

Migraine.

Still having migraine attack. I haven't got headache every day; day before yesterday I almost vomited (I don't vomit unless I'm very sick or I've terrible hangover - but I haven't drank any alcohol since August. (And I can't even remember when I've been intoxicated.)) suddenly and yesterday my stomach had it's opinion about things. But mainly I've had headache more or less.
At this moment I've 800mgs of ibuprofen in my system and it doesn't really help very much. It makes sharpest parts of pain duller(?), but still there's this aching in right side of my brains.

I think that this came because I ate all those carbohydrates earlier in this week. I don't know. It may be excess cheese consuming too, or drinking too much coffee or... There's millions of possibilities, unfortunately.

Bookmarks, part gazillion.

Yes, more about bookmarks.

I had this idea today when I made that Halloween bookmark. At first it sounded bit odd to me, but then I tried... and yes, beads do go to bookmarks if they're small ones (In this case Mill Hill's petite glass beads). I wont tell what was their actual use before that bookmark is in it's destination, but I'm quite happy with that solution. In fact it was great that I decided to spend 1,8 €s to those. Only thing I miss is that blending filament as I really could use it now...

My first SBQ and bookmark finishing problems.

Yesterday I read fellow stitcher's blog and found out about SBQ. It sounded like fun, so I joined in. And here comes my first:

Stitching Blogger's Question.

   "Have you ever just quit a project while in the midst of it? (We're not referring to UFOs here, rather projects that you know that you'll never work on again.) Why? What did you do with it - throw it out, give it away, put it away?"

I have. When I first put it away I ment to finish it some day, but then I found it 2-3- years later (which was this summer) and decided that I'll never finish it because

• Fabric in that kit was aida, and about 12 HPI.
• It was white aida.
• Design was way too simple to my taste
• I don't use table runners which are 80x 30 cms.
• Flower design. (WTH had I thought?)

When it comes to aida, it has to be at least 14 count, preferably 16 or 18. And I don't like to use aida in big projects (though I'm currently working on one big project on 14 count aida, but that is my first and my last big on aida. Period.).
When it comes to table runners I have similar principles as I have with table cloth: they have to hang down from edges of my table (120x 80cm) at least on one direction.

I have to admit that I cut stitched part off and threw it away. I've used those scraps of non-stitched part to my dye experiments, and floss is in my misc. floss' box and I use them when needed in small projects.

I'm bad person, I know.

Thoughts about bookmarks.

I've been wondering how I'll finish those bookmarks I'm currently working on. I've decided winter one's finishing technique, but as I like to try different ways of finishing I want to try every possible way I can imagine.
In fact my main problem is how I'll finish spring bookmark as only nearly wise techniques seem to be in this case

• Leave it as it is after stitching.
• Use iron-on interfacing.
• Buy piece of felt and stitch it to bookmark's back when doing edge's backstitching.

I've to fray it's edges, and for some reason I think it'll be good way with that. Anyway, I've to see.

Then there's other 'problem' (I think it's mainly problem to me): Maybe I'm just too PC, but I'm not sure would it be good idea to stitch whole pattern without leaving text off from it. Because it's 'peace' (שלומ) in Hebrew and I've heard enough anti-semitistic *** from people - though it seems to me that fellow stitchers are quite nice folks, and it's very much possible that I'm afraid for nothing.
I just think that alephbets are beautiful themselves and none of us can't deny that we could use some peace in this world.
And it'd be part of me in that bookmark as I do study Hebrew (Not to mention my general symbathy towards Judaism and Jewish people, or my intention to be one of them some day... ).

Bookmarks

Haa, first BM is almost finished. I've now done all I can do before getting that filament. (Addition: LNS doesn't have it in stock, so it takes some time before they get it in stock again. I just hope it comes in time - otherwise I just have to stitch that snow without it.)

Good replacement for frenchie: Colonial knot. That is clear enough explanation even to my stupid brains.

And... I know what pattern I'll use to that spring bookmark. Ok, it has flowers in it, but... I've wanted to do it for some time - I just forgot that I've that pattern, and I've wanted to do it.

Activity levels.

I don't know why but I've been almost surprisingly industrious today. No sign of any kind of tiredness, even my brains are working almost well.
Don't know what causes it. Either it's autumn and darkness it has brought, or then it's that Hillel Tokazier's CD I've been listening half of the day.

DBF.

It wasn't long, but we had very interesting conversation once again. It's always nice to read things from between lines. It really seems that I'm some kind of winged, benevolent creature to him. (It has to do with my surname, nothing else can explain it... "--- a beautiful and benevolent supernatural being or fairy ---")

...maybe we're just angels to eachothers, and demons to everyone else?