Kimsophia's 2021 list

[kimsophia]

1. Sue Spargo wool applique

2. Kaffe Fassett pea plant needlepoint project -DONE

3. 3-D cottage cross stitch

4. Finish stitching Erica Wilson autumn needlepoint

5. "Trick or Treat" embroidery Victoria Sampler

6. The Happy Childhood cross stitch motif sampler

7."Silk Wisteria" silk ribbon embroidery Victoria Sampler

8. Country Diary/Wildflower embroidery

9. TBD

10. TBD

11. TBD

12. TBD

After having been in these groups for a few years I am just going to bow to reality and leave blank spaces, since I can't predict what projects will pop up, but I do want to do more embroidery than needlepoint this year. I've been watching a stitcher and cross stitch designer on YouTube for inspiration.

[Hillbillyhike]

I just started doing some embroidery this year, i hope to do more. I'm curious about your Kaffe Fassett project!

[kimsophia]

Well, allow me to bore you with TMI, but Kaffe Fassett is kinda important to me as an artist and I have a lot of his books. I learned about him from his quilt fabrics that Missouri Star sells. He also designs needlepoint for a big English needlework company called Ehrman's. They sell kits of his stuff and his designs of cauliflower and broccoli became hugely popular. He also has one of swiss chard that I am itching to do. He sometimes takes old Victorian seed catalogs and botanical prints and turns them into some fabric or stitching project, sometimes with wild coloring. Actually that's sort of an Andy Warhol kind of idea to think of it...anyway, I want to do his pea plant pillow, because I have a free pattern of it from a book, but he used almost all green. I want to include some purple because there really are purple pea pods. I'm assembling the yarns for it.

Here's a link to some photos of his needlepoint: okay, apparently the link didn't work but if you go on Google Images and enter Kaffe Fassett needlepoint you can see photos

Online shopping has been a great blessing but not being able to see fabrics and yarn in person and their true colors and how they interact has complicated my life. I can find no local store that carries needlepoint yarn...

[Hillbillyhike]

The link doesn't work kimsophia, but it sounds awesome. I will check it out the slow way lol.

[kimsophia]

I managed to sprain/dislocate my left thumb while I was sleeping which has pretty much ruled out stitching since I can't thread my yarn through the tapestry needles :P

[toggpine]

On no!
I hope it recovers quickly and you can get back to stitching.

[SuzanneOrleansOntario]

Ouch -- I can feel that. I hope it recovers quickly.

[kimsophia]

Thanks for your concern...I still have to keep it taped but I did manage to thread a needle and stitch one leaf yesterday. It's slower when working one handed but it's nice to make some progress.

[kimsophia]

I timed myself to see how much I could get done in 17 minutes. One and a half leaves was the result. I had the outlines stitched so I was filling in those. I was sure I'd get four done. lol I'm overestimating my abilities once more

[chelea]

I was aware Kaffe Fassett created with other fiber arts but never paid much attention. Those vegetable needlepoints are amazing!!

[kimsophia]

It's interesting to read about everyone's projects...here my left thumb is better and I am wearing my wrist brace that I use when my right hand carpal tunnel is acting up. It's hard to hold a needle when your hand is all numb so it helps! Today I've gotten a corner of the pea plant project filled in with stitches. I am substituting an off white yarn for the dark green background in the original. It looks more like a botanical drawing that way, I think. I have fun personalizing my projects. And background filling is a complete no brainer, so there's just the pleasure of stitching. We are in for a frigid week below zero here in Iowa so I'll be running the gas fireplace to make the living room cozy. The cat has already settled in the chair closest to the heat! The sky, roofs and ground are all white and the driveway snow pile is up to the bottom of the mailbox. It's a good time to be stitching.

[kimsophia]

I'm down to filling in the last of the background yarn on the pea plant needlepoint. Since my left thumb healed up I've been working quickly and steadily, although I seem to have some bursitis in my right elbow now...good grief, it's always somethin'! Anyway if I don't put any pressure on the elbow like leaning on the the mattress or chair arm, it feels okay.

I read back to my list and said I wanted to do more embroidery this year but mainly I'm fired up to needlepoint a Kaffe Fassett swiss chard in crazy colors. I'd like it to match the Cayenne quilt of his that I made but I'm not sure I have matching shades on hand for that...hmm....

[kimsophia]

[SuzanneOrleansOntario]

Wow -- you have the patience of an angel.

[kimsophia]

I couldn't get the above photo to upload if I had text with it in the reply box, so all I was going to say was that I'm blocking the pea plant needlepoint now to square it up. I hope to put the swiss chard on the back side of this pillow eventually.

[Hillbillyhike]

That looks great! So much patience needed. I tried years ago to crosstitch but had my SIL finish mine lol. She offered.