And now she has two!

Yes, all, that's right.  My fairy finally, finally has two wings:

Fairy Second Wing

You can see the work in progress here (WIP in stitcher's terms) with all of the many veins that a wing as gossamer-y as hers should have.  And as I've mentioned in other posts, the blank areas in the first wing are going to be filled in with beads.  I do hope I have enough!

And yes, I have muttered under my breath these past few months how much I dislike metallic threads.  "Dislike" being the public word, since I do carry this product on my website and should probably stand behind it.  But it is a pain to work with it, every stitcher knows this, and it lends a shimmer to this project that these photos just do not show.

So as time has progressed this year (and I see I'm repeating myself in lapses of January-June), I have almost totally completed the second wing:

There she is, in all her glory.

It's times like this that I can't believe I've stitched something this intricate and beautiful and just gaspingly gorgeous.  Really.  I can't.  I only have a brief time on weekends to stitch this piece, in part because evenings are taken up with reading and making dinner and other projects.  And truth be told, even if I sat down in the evenings and worked on this piece with the magnifier, I know I would not have the patience to finish anything metallic.  Not.  At.  All.  In fact, this morning, while drinking coffee out of the new mugs DH bought for our wedding anniversary, I had a new piece of thread + metallic that I had just switched to the double-ended needle, and wouldn't you know, it snapped.  Not the DMC thread, mind you, but the filament around which the metallic glorious-ness is wrapped.  Imagine what would happen if that took place while I was ignoring dinner preparations around 7-ish on a work night . . . better not.  Leave it to say that I would not be a happy camper.

So I should have both wings finished by next weekend, beads excluded, and shortly you will see the continuation of these pretty vines and flowers and berries behind her.  Then when those are finished, my fairy comes off of her frame and I will stitch the beads with the fabric in-hand.  I do have a frame that attaches top-and-bottom, rather than on all four sides (called a Rolaframe), guaranteeing not to smush the glass beads, and I'll use that set-up if the fabric begins to get wrinkled or too difficult to handle with the bead container and needlework.  Pick up a bead with the needle, try not to spill the beads . . . that sort of thing.

Enjoy your summer, and happy stitching!

She finally has a wing!

Yes, that's right, you saw it here first:  my long-time stitching project, a Mirabilia fairy from the mid-90's, finally has her first wing!  I'm so proud!

My fairy's first wing!  I'm so proud.

You'll notice that there are still some areas that are unstitched in the photo.  These are the veins of the wing, and beads will go there.  Pretty, shiny, sparkly beads.  This will look gorgeous when complete.  All light and airy.

Another thing that lends this wing an ethereal nature is the selection of colors.  Yes, the primary part of the wing is white, but the shading is done with 3 different shades of floss and one strand of metallic thread.  So you have a gradual changing of color rather than a sudden drop off in the shading.  You can see the contrast between the white part of the wing and the darker parts, but to determine one darker shade from another is not that easy to do from a distance, and even when stitching it the lack of contrast leads to more counting than normal.

The wing, as you may not be able to see from this photo, is stitched with 1 strand of DMC floss and one strand (it only comes as a strand) of Kreinik Blending Filament.

Which is a bear to work with.  Just ask Webmaster Bill:

"What do you have to listen to every time I sit down to stitch?"
 
"I hate metallics!!"

He's right:  I do.  They're difficult, they're cranky, and they drive me (and almost every stitcher I know) around the bend.  Why?  Because the Blending Filament, the first metallic on the market from way, way back, is simply that:  a teeny, tiny strand of a floss with a teeny bit of metallic wrapped around the filament.  So as you stitch, the metallic comes away from the thread filament and the entire piece begins to shred.  Has to do with friction.  One of those laws of physics.

There are a few suggestions on the market for dealing with this shredding of metallic.  The first, from the manufacturer, is to stitch with smaller pieces.  I find that method to be, well, unworkable.  Just as you begin to find your way on the pattern and really make some inroads, it's time to end your thread and start a new one.  And you find that you use more thread than you would if you stitch with a normal length of thread.

The next suggestion, also from the manufacturer, is to make a loop knot at the end of the thread where it comes out of the eye of the needle.  This is an excellent suggestion and really deals with the problem inherent in the product.  With a knot (not a double knot or anything really tight, just a simple one-over loop knot), the friction between the metallic thread and the fabric is greatly minimized and there is less fraying.  Granted, it takes a little longer because once you thread your needle, you have to take the time to make the quick loop knot before you can begin stitching.  But it saves a great amount of time on the stitching end, and all that you need to do is check your loop knot from time to time.

What I've been doing while I stitch is closer to the latter suggestion.  Since I'm using a frame and a lap stand, I can use a Twin-Pointed needle that really makes a world of difference.  The eye of the needle is in the center of this looong embroidery needle, and the eye is in the center.  Having the eye in the center means that you can rest one hand on the top of the frame and the other hand at the bottom.  No more turning of the wrist!  No more one hand only working!  Both hands work, the stitching (except for metallics) goes much faster, and the top hand uses a laying tool.  I truly like having a laying tool, as it allows my stitches to all look even, and prevents the top of the "x" from all going in one direction.

So, off to finish the second wing in the new year!

Three Days of Music, Trees, and Camping

OK, so the title isn't exactly the Woodstock "Peace, Love, and Music," nor was the time of the year, nor was the weather . . . which would all explain why I took such liberties with it!

For nine years, the HemlockFest has been putting on a three-day music festival in Dahlonega in order to save a species of tree called the Hemlock.  This tree forms the basis of much of the Eastern Appalachian ecosystem and is part of the last old growth areas in the Eastern US.  An insect called the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) made its way to the Eastern US from Asia and has devastated much of the Shenendoah Valley and the Eastern Carolinas with its voracious appetite for the Eastern Hemlocks.  Thank to the good folks at the Lumpkin Coalition, who put on the HemlockFest, work and research is going forward by breeding predatory beetles or bringing them over from the Western US Hemlock forests (if that is in fact a good idea - that's being tested, too), working with chemical agents in a safe and effective manner, and seeing in what areas the HWA is or is not feasting on our native hemlocks to track the devastation.  There are dedicated people who are marching through the North Georgia mountains doing this work, both foresters and volunteers alike.  I don't know whether the Georgia Conservancy is at work on this project; it sounds like something they might become involved in through their volunteer network.  Might just have to make that inquiry myself.

Back to the music.  For eight years, starting in 2004, Webmaster Bill and I have heard about this festival, have thought of going to this festival, and have not gone.  Yet.  At the beginning of its existence, the first weekend of November was the height of my shop's winter season and there was no way that I was going to be able to spend three weekend days away from my business.  Besides, it was November and it was cold and we didn't have any camping equipment.  That all changed by 2009's festival, but then we decided it was too cold and we were having too much fun learning how to be at home and doing home-centered projects.

But this year we decided we had to go, and so we packed up several wool blankets, a warm sweater each, hats, arm warmers, and nice, warm sleeping bags, and a small load of firewood.  We hoped that the music would be good and the weather not too cold and that we had brought enough home cooked food and beer to enjoy the weekend.  Turned out we did have to go into town for a few things but there you have it.  Ice melts even in cold weather and sometimes batteries die at the worst times.

We had heard there were some pretty big crowds and that everyone kind of parked their chair or blanket on the field in front of the stage and that was their "spot" for the day or the weekend, or even just for a single act.  That spirit of camaraderie, of "We're all in this together for a common good," permeated the land and the people living on it for the weekend.  And the music was everything we hoped for and a little more.

The organizers brought bands in from all walks of musical life:  blues, mountain music, coffeehouse music, local bands, and straight up rock and roll.  There was young (like, teenage young) Lara Polangco who sang on Sunday morning a strong combination of her own compositions, guitar-inspired playing from her hero Stevie Ray Vaughan, and pulled off Billie Holliday.  Really.  The Goddess of Blues herself.  There was also one of our favorite bands, Emerald Rose, who helped open the program on Friday afternoon with their combination of Celtic-American folk rock (I know, that's right from their web page, but that description says it best).   We stayed up late Friday night wandering the grounds of Starbridge and listening to an impromptu folk session around a campfire that included ukeleles whilst stargazing in the cold mountain air.

Saturday we listened to Gibson Wilbanks, who won Eddie's Attic Songwriter's Open Mic competition in late 2011, and were blown away by the strength of their voices and the variety of music.  Blues, folk, and a mean electric guitar.  Later that afternoon was Lil Al's Soul Funk Revival that included some real soul music (as in, honest-to-goodness Motown soul), great guitar playing, and damn if they didn't launch into Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner."  Yes, we stood, as did several people on the field; you're supposed to stand for your national anthem, you know.  And they pulled it off, getting the sounds and feedback that mark this version.

And friends had mentioned that we HAD to be present for Ralph Roddenberry, a straight-up rock and roll band.   Man, they weren't kidding.  I had not heard rock and roll played with such professional sounds, especially original rock and roll, in a long, long time.  It was a little hard to see the stage by this point in the evening, since everyone was up in front of the stage dancing (which the crowds all weekend had asked them to do!), but we eventually found some space in between bodies just as the band, with some guests, launched into a slow riff that sounded vaguely familiar.  Webmaster Bill and I looked at each other as recognition dawned, and we said to each other, "They're going there!"  And they did.  And it was awesome.  And do you know what the riff was?  "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin.  We heard it live!  We heard it performed live, and slow (and it's a slow riff - listen to the song next time it's on the radio), and we heard it performed by master musicians who were jamming and paying homage, all at the same time, to this old, revived blues riff.  Cuz really, that's what it is.  But to hear a strong voice with all of the talent of Robert Plant, and a strong guitar player re-birthing Jimmy Page's turn of phrase, took our breath away.  We felt connected to music again in a way we haven't in a long, long time.

So if your life's journey takes you to the North Georgia mountains the weekend after Halloween, camping being optional, day passes available, and you just want to hear some music to revive your soul, to renew your hope that good, original music is still out there but you don't know who the bands are any more, then reserve some space on next year's calendar for the Hemlock Festival.  You'll leave knowing you helped save the hemlocks and spent some time rejuvenating yourself.

And while you're rejuvenating, there's plenty of time to work on your needlework projects.  In my case, I wanted to get farther along on the Iris Needlepoint and I did.  In fact, I was worried that I might finish it before the Festival was ended!

Iris Needlepoint, almost completed!

My Little Fairy is Getting Her Wings

First, of course, she got her face.  I promised you a while back that she had a face (at least on the paper design), and this fall and spring I have stitched her face and hair and accompanying bits of vines and berries.  Here she is with her face (not yet backstitched, as I prefer to do that in-hand and not on a frame):

Fairy Flora with long-anticipated face

It was interesting coming back to the face tones - I found them more challenging to stitch than the bottom parts of her gown, intricate as they were.  Or maybe not; the gown sections were blocks of color and if you stitched one side of a color, it was easy to add in the additional colors to the side of your first block.  I've included a re-print of her skirt detail below:

Skirt detail with "blocks" of color

So you can see that once a color went in place, the remaining colors went around it and above it and filled in with it.

One would think it would be easy to stitch a face with the same detail and stitching abilities, right?

Not really, no.

Maybe it was the length of time I was separated from my fairy.  They are, after all, amoral creatures and don't take too kindly to neglect.  One always gives the Wee Folk bits of cream, shiny pennies, and the like so as not to fall out of their good graces.  Perhaps I should have taken this advice when I returned to stitch her face after an absence of about a year?  Because you see, I had to stitch her neck twice in order to make her neck swan-like and not boxer-like, and to ensure that her face lined up with other stitching points of reference.  Like her hair.  Or the vines around her brow.  Or . . . you get the picture!

And no, I did not take pictures of said ooopses!  I'm sure many of you reading this blog have had your share of rips outs, starting with the realization that your neck doesn't look right . . . then the bargaining that you do to see if your face will align anyway . . . then the denial that it really won't matter if someone sees it . . . then the anger that, in fact, a delicate fairy does not need a boxer's bull neck . . . and finally the acceptance that results when you pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage that you need to take the edge off, and begin to rip all that work out.  Yes, there are phases to ripping out; and don't they closely look like the ones that accompany the steps of grief??!  I mean, you put all that time, thought, counting, and care into your work, and one (or three) tiny miscounts means that you come to grief and all its stages.  A little adjusted, of course, but still, grief (and some feeling of foolishness) all the same.

Now that my fairy has her little face,  I am about to venture into the scariest part of this entire stitching adventure next to beginning such a project:  the Kreinik threads.  Ah, the Kreinik threads.  They are a boon to the beauty of counted cross stitch, needlepoint, scrapbooking, and even fly fishing (think about it), but they are also a bane to the stitcher.  You see, you have to be very, very careful when you stitch with them.  I am using one shade of Kreinik Blending Filament with three different shades of DMC thread (not at the same time, thank goodness!)  And her wings are enormous - they are easily 1/3 of the stitched area at the top of the fabric.  At least.  And when they are finished, they will, together with all of the beads that will adorn her wings and her hair and her gown and make her magic wand, add a touch of magic and whimsy and not-quite-there-ness that really makes her a fairy.  (Let's face it:  I grew up reading and re-reading different editions of Grimms' Fairy Tales and am currently reading Lord Dunsany, so I'm allowed a little imagination in my stitching realism!)   But all that is in the future.

I remember through all of the trade shows I attended I learned the same advice that I passed onto my customers to make stitching with Blending Filament easier:  use shorter lengths, knot the end of the BF to itself near the eye of the needle, and use a large enough needle to "open" the fabric.  All of which I'm doing (well, maybe not the shorter lengths part, because that means I have to begin and end threads more often and I don't like doing that:  it wastes thread and valuable stitching time), but let me tell ya:  knotting a bit of metallic thread together with a bit of stitching filament to itself near the eye of the needle ain't an easy thing to do!  The thread has a will of its own and wants to just float off into space, on the wings of a fairy.

Using the twin-pointed needles I'm using, like these shown to the left, still involves the extra step of using a regular needle to weave the end of the thread in the back (not knotting it), stitching a cross stitch, then unthreading the regular needle and re-threading the threads through the eye of the twin-pointed needle (I use a needle threader).  It makes the actual stitching a whole lot easier, it really does, and I think it makes the stitches much more even. They don't tend to slant in one direction or another.  But the whole starting and ending of stitching is going to be an interesting endeavor.

I must confess, I did start stitching her wings as soon as I finished taking pictures.  I found 2 of the three DMC colors that I needed in my stash bag, not in my project bag, which is OK.  The needle-geek part of me even knew what those colors look like:  it's 451, 452, and 453.  They're kind of a greyish mauve.  Not quite grey, but not mauve-y either.  They'll make a great color on top of the Twilight Blue linen my fairy is stitched on, with a lot of subtlety and shimmery-ness, too.  And thank goodness I only have one color of Blending Filament to use!  I've got 2 spools, and I hope that will be enough for her wings.  Like I said, they're enormous!

And with all that metallic thread to stitch on my fairy, maybe I ought to take a page from old Irish folk tales and leave a penny on my stitching stand to make my metallic stitching experience enjoyable!

After the metallic thread comes the beading, at which point my lovely fairy will come out of her Q-Snap frame and will go in-hand.  If you look at the frame (plastic PVC piping with plastic bits that snap on the top), there is no way to move her around for beading purposes.  So maybe I'll start with the beading and then if I have to move her I'll take her completely out of the frame.  But the bottom of her gown gets beads, too, and any snap onto the bead will, obviously, break it into many bits.

Will keep you updated on her progress . . .