Are you there?

More than a year has passed since my last post, for some reason I had the feeling that there was no longer much interest in those who read me so I lost my blogging mojo and also the increasing use of FB did the rest..
Now I realize that it was a pity to have abandoned this space of mine where many experiences were shared and that represents and summarizes all my journey in this world made of needle, threads, ideas and a lot of research.
Last July I have also lost my dear Mom so has been not an easy time but...here we are and life goes on. 
I've been stitching, yes ! my love for historical embroidery is no more the same, I'm now mostly enjoying canvaswork, crewel, samplers and also cross stitch, specially some Chatelaines.
 Made some progresses on any WIP's, started new projects and had three finishes ...one, after long time,  is the Elizabethan panel ! 
Soon I'll take some pics about what's boiling in the pot :)

Thank you for looking and I'd love to hear from you !

Ambrosia Honey, counted canvaswork.

Dafne Reborn by Stitchplay Designs, counted canvaswork.

A finish and many WIPS

I know, long time without posting...it's that I'm becoming lazy in taking photos and also a bit Facebook fault.
Anyway, I have a finish ! It's Winter is Past from Blackbird Designs, a really nice sampler to stitch and of course I have replaced the called cottons with Soie d'Alger. How can I resist in changing something ?

And here is one of the many works in progress...I'm in love with the Jenning sampler published on the Goodhart Collection book so had the crazy idea to make a my own sampler similar to the Jenning's one but much simpler in the whitework/reticello middle section. There are some charts available today having similar bands so I'm using two from Scarlet Letter where the motifs are the same and doing my own where there isn't anything ready. The colours are a mine adaptation, all filament silks.

A new 2018 start, Dorcas Haynes from Scarlet Letter, here too many colour changes at my own taste.

Have some progresses on the Talliaferro Royal Persian Blossoms too.

Also the Elizabethan little panel is very near to be finished:

In 2018 I have also started:
HATS Jane Vaughan
HATS  Hariet Hartland
BBD Merrily Merrily We Welcome Spring
SL Sarah Dutnel
LHN Melicent Sampler
CHS As life wears away
Chatelaine Medieval Cloister Herbularius
Chatelaine Tinctorium
Chatelaine Classizism Mandala
A counted canvas work, Mystere
A needlepoint cushion, Berlin Roses

and I'm carring from long time ago SANQ Susan Rambo sampler, Jane Baxter 1838,
1864 EF Sampler, Country House from Sampler Company and a Berlin Woolwork sampler.....

I will also have to take a decision about the stumpwork mirror destiny and the Morris panel as really have to face the reality of having just one life available :)
So let's see what the 2019 will bring hoping to have at least another finish...until next time !

Royal Persian Blossom design - crewel embroidery

Have been thinking on this design from Talliaferro for long time because the colour range used in the model was not fully near to my own taste so finally decided to make some changes.
So the greys are now warm browns, the dull blues are here a more green toned blues and the yellows are still the same of the model.
In the making of long and short stitch as soft shading, have also added and extra shade to the blues and browns to achieve a better and smoother colour transition.
Here are my progresses so far...hope you like it !

A finish !

I'm a busy bee this year and I have another  finish ! It's a counted canvas work design, Arabesque from Laura J. Perin.
It's my first counted canvas work and found it really interesting again for the use of many different threads that where new to me.
Could not resist to make some little changes to the original pattern, so the beads are gold plated ones as well as the twist cord embellishment and the Swarowsky crystal in the centre; also didn't stitch all the pink backround between the central square motif and the outer edge to make it "pop" a bit more and used Sandstone canvas colour instead of the Santa Fe green called for.
Love the result, do you ?

Work in progress.

In the last post I showed the citrons hand painted canvas I did after a Giovanna Garzoni artwork and, after any months here  it is, halfway done.
It's so funny to use so many different materials like metallics, silks, cottons, wool and beads. I love the texture that the various stitches create and the painting still showing under the stitches that gives a very nice tridimensional look to the whole thing.
I'm hoping to have it finished soon ! Hope you like it :)

Facebook users can also see a short video here:
https://www.facebook.com/francesca.van.5/videos/vb.100003758721018/1004319983036616/?type=3&theater

Ex umbris ad lucem.

Many months without blogging, life has been not gentle with me and my family recently that's the reason because have been "away" for a while.
All happened in October, my black October, and started with my 86 old Mom health problems as she lost all her capacity to be self-sufficient in a couple of hours due a cerebral ischaemia; I had to find very quickly a solution not being able to menage her in that condition and the only possibility was a nursing home for old persons, a hard decision to take as I was used to see her every day and help when needed. And in a short time also had to empty her home that was leasehold having to decide what to keep, very little,  and what not without having the possibility to ask her anything...all her things... it's terrible believe me !
Then just a week after, my brother in law passed due a heart attack, he was looking healty but obviously he wasn't and I let you imagine what a tragedy this has been for my sister, nieces and us.
And last but not least, on the following week my 21 old cat Holly passed too after 18 months fight against her sarcoma, still today I look around trying to find the missing fifth one....

Now after a couple of months I'm trying to have a normal life, have stitched too as this has been a real saver for my soul and mind; still doing some canvas work as this is the only tecnique where I don't need to think too much and find it easy and flowing.
The white house is a new project, the parrot and the Berlin sampler are two old friends, one finished and the other still in progress.

So "ex umbris ad lucem" is from Latin and means "from the shadows to the light", slowly...

P.S. This one is for the future, my version  after a Giovanna Garzoni artwork handpainted by me on needlepoint canvas.

Summer ending.

Tomorrow will be my last summer holiday day  and this means that my time for stitching on the large mirror slate frame will be now very little. In my spare time at work I'm able to make only detached parts and, being the frame so big, I can't keep it in the middle of the room all time as who knows what cats can do when I'm away from home all day ! I did my best to finish another two elements, the snail and the green-blu tree.
Snail was fun to make, not so much was for the tree that is all long and short stitch in fine silk threads, worked reversed because I can't reach the top of the frame from the right direction.
This makes the stitching process slower as the floss is pulled away from the stitcher and one has a very different prospective so you don't really know how it looks like until you don't reverse the frame and look from the correct side. Anyway is done and think it looks ok, what do you think ? Here it is :

What's next ? I should put the word "end" to the Elizabethan panel, that small stuff is just never ending...only have two leafs and a lot of chain stitch in gold passing thread  that really don't like to do and spangles to be attached, but those are fun....will see if I'll get inspired :)

Have a lovely weekend and please leave a comment, love to hear from you  !

Summer stitching.

Well, it's summer again..where time flyes ? I'm home  until the beginning of September so I've been able to do a bit more of "serious" embroidery, the stumpwork mirror is mounted on to a very large slate frame which is not handy and needs to be replaced every time I stop working on it to keep it safe from my cats who always seems to dedicate it a very special attention, sigh ! So having a bit more of time, the pear tree is finished ! My initial purpose for this summer was to finish the Elizabethan panel but could not resist to those tiny pears, leafs and details waiting to be attached so it came as first. Here is the result.

The bird tail has real feathers !

A side view to show the depth given by all the detached elements.

And here a detail on how I did the pears, the form of the fruit has been made by needle felting some wool, then I applyed on the finished form a coat of water based acrylic varnish to give it a bit more  body and to stop the fuzzing of the wool. Forms made this way makes the covering process easier because it's possible to start and stop threads into the form and also stitches does not slide on the surface being it a little rough.

Then those where covered in corded buttonhole with Au Ver  a Soie 100/3 silk thread  in various colours.

Now I think it's really time to give some attention to the Elizabethan panel...maybe I'll have another finish ? :)