Stitching Update

I wanted to share that in additon to the Santa stitching that I already posted, I also got some work done on the hollyhocks. I had ordered this chart after seeing it in a catalog. Later I stumbled on a picture online of the original art and noted that the colors in the original piece were more muted than on the cover of the chart. The colors of the original art would be much more appropriate for the room in which I want to hang the finished piece. For the first time ever I can say happily that it appears the final colors on this will not match the picture on the chart, but appear to be the more subdued colors of the original.

I have to tell a funny on myself. One of my xstitchinprogress friends posted a link to a wonderful site called Passione Ricamo. Such romantic designs! The designer offered a delightful fairy as a freechart and, being a fairy collector I, of course, downloaded the free chart. It was done all in one color like a silhouette, and the more I looked at it, the more I could see it as the center medallion of a frilly pillow. However, in my vision I saw the design not in cross stitch, but in filet crochet. Last week I bought a little how-to book on filet crochet, some thread (size 10 as recommended) and a hook (size 6 as recommended.) First I let the book teach me how to do the craft, then set out to start this little pillow sized filet crocheted fairy. I figured out that, to follow the technique in the book, I would need three times the number of boxes on the chart as a started chain, so I started chaining... and chaining... and chaining. And giggling... and chortling ... and guffawing. By the time I had that chain long enough to complete the chart in filet crochet, it was almost five feet long!!! I was going to have to mortgage my house to buy all the thread in the county for this QUILT-SIZED piece of filet crochet. Since then I've bought Cebelia and a MUCH smaller hook and have started a new rendition. It will still be larger than I'd wanted (I think it will fit on a standard sized bed pillow) and I'm thinking of trying to find my tatting thread and my REALLY small hook to see if I can make it smaller). I got such a laugh watching this chain grow and grow and grow.

I finished the handwork on the little quilt for my Mom. Next week I'll go find something to bind it with and get that done.