Comforting Crochet

The last few weeks have been very tough for me and unfortunately I haven't felt able to do many of the projects I had planned for my two weeks off work.

I did however manage to finish this crochet blanket I've been working on for my nephew's upcoming birthday.

 

I like the fairly simple repetition of crochet; unlike cross stitch, where you need to stay alert or risk a major error in the pattern; crochet allows you to relax and let your fingers do the work.

The Pirate King

I stitched this patch for my other half as he is a big fan of the One Piece manga and anime series. Straw Hat Luffy is his official favourite (I suspect buxom Nami is his real favourite though!)

I used soluble canvas so I could stitch it straight on to felt, it's fairly easy to use but you need to give it plenty of soaking time in hot water to dissolve the canvas afterwards or it ends up very sticky.

 

Yatta!

 

I plan to do a few more characters soon; if not the whole of Luffy's crew; at least Chopper as he's super cute and my personal favourite Nico Robin.

Finished and Framed (Finally)

After months of on off stitching and lots of pricked fingers along the way, I've finished my Goddess of Prosperity cross stitch kit by maia (anchor).

I fell in love with this kit as soon as I saw it, I'm a big fan of Chinese wuxia films (lush, epic, fantasy drama, usually with lots of death defying martial arts, magic swords and doomed tragic lovers,) and this image really brought those films to mind. In particular, a favourite of mine, I first watched when I was around 13, it's called 'A Chinese Ghost Story,' and the goddess here reminds me of the beautiful heroine, a tragic ghost spirit enslaved by an evil tree demon, seeking redemption (check it out, it's quite silly but very pretty.)

 Here are a few close ups of the work in progress, she's such a big piece that it's easy to loose the details when I try to take a picture of the whole thing. I was filling in the backstitch here, which in many ways is more fiddly than the cross stitches that make up the bulk of the picture.

Here is a close up of some of the lovely floral details which really came to life when I started on the backstitching..



Here she is just before I took her off the stitching frame and went to get her stretched and framed. It was the first time I've ever had something professionally framed, I usually just do it myself but the finished piece was long and thin and I couldn't find a frame that really fitted so I decided to take it to a framers as they could custom make the frame as well as stretch out the work and make sure it was straight etc...

I think with big pieces that take up a lot of time and that you want to last; it is worth the extra expense but I felt pretty nervous leaving her in the shop as the process took about a week and I was anxious about whether I would like the finished frame. Thankfully, I did.

The finished project on the wall...

 

 

 

 

For Fox Sake!

 

A cute little felt fox I stitched.

 

Here's hoping this iconic critter, synonymous with the British countryside and these days, our litter filled cities too; is left in peace and that the government doesn't go through with their crazy notion of making fox hunting legal again.  

The Wishing Chair...

Once upon a time there was a girl who read a book called 'The Wishing Chair,' and after she read it, she decided she wanted her very own rocking chair. If it also flew her to magical places, that would be a bonus...

Well as rocking chairs were hard to come by back then, being decidedly "not on trend," and the girl had little means of her own, being very young and without the magic of the internet, she had no luck finding such a chair.

Many years passed and the girl grew up and became distracted by many other weird and wonderful things, but in the back of her mind was always the childlike desire to possess her very own wishing chair.

Finally there came a day when the girl realised that rocking chairs were finally "trending right now" but she realised to her dismay that they were either terribly expensive or cheap on eBay but many miles away and with "collection in person," as a condition of sale.

The girl almost gave up hope...

Then one day she found herself wandering  through a car boot sale when lo and behold, there amidst the dust and the dirt and the all pervading smell of fried onions that always seems to invade car boot sales, the girl spotted, at last, a rocking chair.

 

It was a thing of joy to her although up close she realised it was a little battered and most definitely what could be described as "pre-loved."

 

But no matter, armed with a trusty brush and a tin of so very purple paint, she was able to transform it in to a magical bohemian wishing chair of wonder and if it isn't quite able to physically sprout wings and fly her to mysterious places, at least she can curl up in it with a good book and imagine she somewhere far far away.

 

 

The End

 

Not just for Valentines...

Hearts! Who doesn't love hearts? They're such a pleasing shape, unlike the real thing...

 

I stitched this folk art inspired heart the other day on to a wooden pendant.

I like the contrast between the (literally) soft embroidery floss and floral motif; against the hard background material of the wood.

 

 

Bilbo and the Butterfly

I took a stitching project with me when I visited my parents the other day. Their little foxy dog was intrigued with my wooden butterfly pendant.

Stitching on pre perforated wooden objects is fun because you can immediately utilise the project without having to frame it or stitch it on to something else. This makes it especially good for jewellery and other accessories like key chains etc...

It can present different challenges to stitching on fabric though as there is no 'give' with the material. You cannot manipulate your needle and thread in the same way as you would with fabric. Starting off and finishing off can be a bit more of a fiddle and I think overall, you have to sacrifice a bit more thread to the project.

I'm very happy with the end result of my colourful butterfly pendant though.

 

 

Totoro To-to-ro

The end of 2014 saw some big changes for me, biggest of all, moving house. Amidst all the upheaval of house moving, house unpacking and work being the busiest it is all year, I didn't find time to work on all the stitching projects I had planned.
However, with the year still fresh and currently rather sunny where I'm sitting, in spite of the rain, I've felt the urge to start crafting again.

What better way to be seduced back in to stitching than with this adorable little guy?

 



I'm a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki films and I love the sweetness of 'My Neighbour Totoro;' it may not be as sophisticated or dynamic as some of the later epic tales like 'Spirited Away,'  'Princess Mononoke,' and 'Howl's Moving Castle;' but it retains an understated charm that bears repeat viewings.
Totoro himself of course has gone on to be the definitive Ghibli icon and regardless of whether or not you buy in to internet rumours of dark, tragic implications throughout the film (denied by the director,) it's hard not to fall for the mountainous ball of fluff.