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So the other day I wasn’t in the mood to knit (mostly because the hours and days I’ve been knitting as of late put something of a strain on my metacarpals and thumb) but as you probably know, I’m not content to sit and watch SG1 (which is what I’ve been doing lately) with no craft projects. So I dug out some embroidery. A couple of hours later, I had a finished piece, stitched, ironed and framed:
It’s mostly backstitch and some french knots cause that’s what I know how to do. The lettering is kind of wonky since it’s just stitched in my handwriting (I just wrote the words with a disappearing ink pen and stitched over them). This frame came with a piece of glass, so I had the brilliant idea of wrapping the cloth around the glass and fitting it inside the frame with the cardboard backing instead of using a separate piece of cardboard. It worked quite well if I do say so myself.
The punnerific statement and elephant design is based on a similar embroidery piece I found and pinned onto Pinterest:
I appear to have regained my knit mojo, so I’m back at it, but rest assured, I’ll be doing another punnerific embroidery soon. This one and the “alot” one I made before have very similar frames and style, and I have a couple of similar frames. I’m thinking of doing a set and hanging them together (y’know, when I have a place of my own to hang them in), so if you have any suggestions for further pieces in the same vein, do let me know.
Also, you know I’m gonna embroidery something SG1/Stargate-related when I’m through the series cause I’m totally hooked. Especially on McKay. Ohh, I love McKay. (I watched Stargate: Atlantis first and quickly became enamored of him and squealed ridiculously when I came upon an SG1 ep he’s in.)
Everyone, right now, regardless of if you’re familiar with it or not, read this blog post from Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half. It’s hilarious and great. I’ll wait.
Everyone back?
Now, if you don’t know me, I’m sort of obsessed with grammar and punctuation. So when people misspell “a lot” as “alot”, I have to take Allie’s advice and picture an alot (so my blood pressure doesn’t skyrocket and I have a stroke or something).
So it was fitting, when I was bored with my knitting the other day, that I embroider up my own alot.
I used mostly back stitch and a couple of french knots (cause that’s how I do) in two colors of DMC floss with a tiny bit of crayon shading. I found the frame yesterday at the thrift and picked it up along with a couple others, similar vintage and size, for future embroidery projects.
I love this alot. And I like his face:
So remember people. It’s “a lot”. Unless it’s “alot”.
So my partner recieved my Whedon swap package the other day, and I have to say, I am EXTREMELY pleased with what I made. It’s been a while since I’ve done a proper swap cause I’ve been busy, but this swap was just the thing to flex my themed-crafting muscles. Plus I’m totally obsessed with the Whedonverse, so this was perfect!
In addition to the Willow doll I made that I showed you last week, I made two other things, both involving the same craft (plus another one). The first thing I made after Willow was a cross stitch:
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! Plus dinosaurs (which I just sort of made up as I went). I used a font generator (I used the Amsterdam font) for the quote pattern, and I have to say, I love the look of this font in cross stitch.
I did some coloring in of the dinos with pastels as I did not want to fill them in with cross stitch (that would take FOREVER) and I didn’t want them to just be white. I think it came out pretty well.
The last thing I made, which took me til Tuesday to figure out and til Wednesday night to finish making (and the swap deadline was Thursday) was a zipper pouch:
With a cross stitched Kaylee from Shindig! I used this pattern for Kaylee and did the same pastel shading for her face cause I didn’t have white girl flesh-colored thread. Though I did pick some up at Michael’s the other day.
The lining is just some polyester muslin-type stuff I pulled out of a thrift store curtain.
I super love how this came out, cause guys? THIS IS LIKE QUILTING. I notoriously lack the patience for quilting because you need like, straight lines and corners and constant pressing. Who has time for that? I’d rather just crochet an afghan. But I managed to piece the front of this pouch together without too much trouble (and I did press everything often). I also actually used my zipper foot to install the zipper which made it approximately a billion times easier to do.
Still working on the giant man socks. I’m almost halfway up the leg. The end is in sight!
I received my package for the Whedonverse swap (on Craftster) from FiberAlchemist today! It’s the best thing ever and she’s great! Seriously people, have your wisting fingers in the upright and read position.
She sent me magnets!
Dollhouse! Bufffy! PUPPET ANGEL.
She sent me a hooped embroidery!
This is my favorite thing Cordelia Chase has EVER said in all seven seasons of Buffy and five seasons of Angel. She says it in the Buffy pilot.
She sent me paintings of the Scooby Gang!
They look amazing! Just like the characters! AMAZING.
And finally she sent me the best swap thing I have ever been sent EVER:
It’s a pillow! With Wash! And so many tiny stitches! And so many words! And SHADING. And soft soft dinosaur fabric.
So basically, FiberAlchemist is the best thing ever! Hence all the exclamation marks! YAY.
The above courtesy of my favorite thing on the internet, Teen Girl Squad, episode 12, I think. It’s basically the best thing ever.
So today is Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day! Not that I need a special commercialized holiday to celebrate my love for my SO, but I did anyway, in the form of presents! I posted a teaser a couple days ago, and here’s the finished embroidery piece:
It’s stretched around some cardboard, framed, and everything. I think it came out super well and my boyfriend loved it. : ) The quote is from a They Might Be Giants song called “Birdhouse” and it’s completely adorable, and you should listen to it:
CUTE. Here’s a close up of my bird:
I also made Joe a pretty pretty card:
It’s frilly and lacy cause that’s what I like, damn it!
Joe wrote me a jazz ballad for Valentine’s Day, cause he does that, and it’s wonderful and romantic and pretty. It also uses rhythms and melodies from the Valentine’s Teen Girl Squad, which I linked above (and you should have watched already, but I’ll wait while you do so now) and I wish I could share it with you, but I can’t. But know that it’s great. : )
So yes. Happy Valentine’s Day! Go forth and say lovely things to people you love.
Sorry I’ve been rather quiet on the blog front recently. I’m still working on the red socks from the last post (except now they’re just twisted rib socks because I apparently can’t read directions). I’m also making shark mittens. Nothing that fascinating.
I did recently finish a thing, but I can’t show you yet because it’s a Valentine’s gift for my boyfriend and it’s meant to be a surprise and he reads my blog sometimes. I can, however, show you a couple teaser pics cause he knows the general category of thing that it is. I’m super proud of it, but more on that after the 14th.
I received today what is posssibly the greatest OWS thing ever. bergman claimed me for oven mitts and a wisty surprise. The oven mitts are super pretty, and will get lots of use:
The wisty surprise she included is the greatest thing in the history of ever and something I’ve had on my wists for a while:
Dear Bergman,
Here is all of my love.
– Brinn
I recently participated in a swap on Craftster themed around bookmarks. It was a group type swap–you’re put in a group of five, and you craft four bookmarks to send to your groupmates and receive four different ones in return. It took me a while to decide what I wanted to make, but in the end, I decided on embroidered corner bookmarks:
(If you recognize the book, I’ll love you to death. It’s my favorite.)
I really like how they came out. I used a dollar store flour sack towel for the base, and the embroidery took next to no time at all. The sewing up was also very simple. Cute. I like ’em.
I also really like the bookmarks I received in return:
The one with the key is currently marking the correct week in my planner. The beaded one was residing in the novel I was reading (And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer), but I finished it and started re-reading HP & the Deathly Hallows, and that’s a big book, so I’m going to replace it with the green corner bookmark. The other ones will probably take up residence in my various school textbooks–one will probably mark the current reading in my Norton Anthology for my British Literature class, at least.
So I don’t remember if I ever told you guys this, but I’m totally obsessed with the tv show Battlestar Galactica. The boyfriend and I watched all four seasons over a couple of months over the past year, and I got HOOKED. It’s a very gripping show.
Anyway, I joined a swap on Craftster that was Battlestar themed! I had such fun making the items for my partner AggiegirlKatelyn:
First, I dyed up some wool I harvested from a thrift store sweater:
Now it’s my Eye of Jupiter yarn! I dyed up two skeins: one for her and one for me to keep. : ) Not sure how it will knit up, but I do like the dye job. The blue part is a little purple cause my blue dye was a little light and I wanted to darken it up (which happened to debatable success). I like it thought. : )
Next, I embroidered a panel and turned it into a tote bag:
Guys, I totally love this thing. I have a ton of tote bags, but I desperately wanted to keep this one for myself. I didn’t though, and sent it off to my partner, who specifically requested something with “Frak off” on it. This is probably the closest to quilting I’ll ever get (I had to center the panel in four bars of the grey fabric) cause I totally lack the patience and precision, but I LOVE how this bag came out. It looks great and totally professional. Even my line of top stitching around the top is even and wonderful.
I also made her this kickin’ card:
I cut out all the yellow pieces then glued them on, did the detail work in black pen and applied a layer of mod podge. YES. It’s bitchin’. I know.
Seeing as I don’t have anything finished to show you (yet), I thought I’d show everything I’m working on. There are several things, none of which are particularly close to being finished, unfortunately.
First, there’s a cross stitch project:
I’m working on filling the background with a million little black x’s, and they’re taking forever.
Next, there’s a knitting project:
That would be a beautiful turned hem (god, I love turned hems) for a pair of Lakeside socks for a trade on Ravelry. They’re knit in Fleece Artist Nyoni and in return I received:
a skein of DIC Knitsophy (bottom) and a skein of STR Silkie (top).
Last is an embroidery project. Just a little teaser of this one:
It’s for a Battlestar Galactica swap I’m doing over on Craftster. I’m really pleased with how it’s coming so far, and I can’t wait to show you all when it’s finished.
Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I’ll have pictures of a finished sewing project to show you. Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway!!
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 