french sentiments

After last weeks pep talk from you my crafting mojo is completely back and I have begun cross stitching French sentiments that will go on the sides of the coloured squares.

I’m using a nostalgic alphabet from this French cross stitch book that I bought a couple of years ago …Love it when I find small pattern treasures in my own books.

Since the book only contains the alphabets and not the sentiments I needed to write the letters together into the actual words to see if they would fit into my strips of pink linen. To do this I downloaded a free trial version of PC stitch 7. This is a software that allows you to design your own cross stitch patterns.

Actually I downloaded several free trial software to do this, but of the four different softwares I tried I would recommend PC stitch. It was easy to understand and use right away. I also liked that I could decide the size of the “canvas” both in stitches and in inches, and most importantly the software lets you centre your motive (perhaps the other programs do too, but I never found out how). Centring the motive helps you know where to start stitching which is nice if you have a predefined size of fabric to stitch on.

If you do download PC stitch you should know that the free version will not let you save or print your motive. But if you do a couple of print screens you can save and print as many motives you like for the free trial period. I actually ended up buying the standard version since I have several cross stitch projects in mind for this year.

Now I’m going to stitch some more. Have a nice week end everyone!

i can see clearly again

Thank you so much for the support, the encouraging words and the good advices you have given me over the last week! Reading your comments was just like having you here with me in our living room. I could here tea cups being put back on the table, coffee zips being taken and cookies being eaten, while all of you contributed with your insights and your two cents. I had so much fun reading your comments because I love good company and I love to learn new things.

Some of your advices were things I hadn’t thought of, other advices confirmed my own thoughts, and yet others made me see more clearly why and why not. Like for instance Rani’s comment about blue and brown fabrics competing. When I read her comment I had actually already separated all the fabric squares into two different bundles and without knowing why separated the blue and the browns. It wasn’t because I knew they were competing it was just gut feeling. Rani’s comment however made it clear to me why, and I feel I learned something. Yaaayy! From now on there will be no more competing colours…or at least less competing.

Thanks to you my quilt work has taken a whole new direction. There will be two quilts instead of one. Brown and blue fabrics have been separated into two different quilts (although the second quilt will not be begun in quite some time). There will be more white, and some embroidery or cross stitch, we will se which of the two. Right now I have finnished the center piece with the colourful patches. Next is to decide what I will do on the sides. The tingle is back. I feel I’m working in one direction, with a goal, I can see clearly again. I can breathe calmly. Thank you!

... frustration in Yonder

Since the very first day I found out I was pregnant with Astrid I wanted to make a quilt for her (…well I didn’t now her name back then, but wanted to make a quilt for the baby). This last week with my arms out of knitting function (or any other function for that matter) I started smelling at the fabrics I showed you in the previous post. I have taken inspiration from other fellow crafters who have made beautiful quilts like this or who I think are good at combining patterned fabrics like this.

After chewing a while the cutter wheels have been turning and turning in between Astrid’s naps. And this morning I finally lay all the squares out on the floor. I rearranged them a few times, got up on my feet and took a step back to look at the glory, when I realize that my heart doesn’t tingle when I see it. All these fabrics which I love and I have looked forward to combine… well it just doesn’t’ look right… (even the photo turned out bad). Too much going on and no feeling of belonging tigether... Do you know what I mean? I usually get a good feeling when I think something is working, but not this time, and it is frustrating.

Why doesn’t it look right? What should I have done different?

And then I ask myself: what was I thinking?

So far I have made quilts with natural white fabric mixed with a few squares of printed fabric. This time I thought I’d do something different, something out of my comfort zone. I wanted to make a juicy quilt like the ones I have seen so many times on flickr. I thought it was going to be fun and easy, but I realize I have no clue. No clue what so ever on how to combine patterns. Is this something you can learn or is it just a talent that some crafters are born with? I say it again: What was I thinking?!!

And now what do I do? I am the self proclaimed queen of cutting anxiety and here I am looking at 36 squares that I don’t know what to do with. Do I stitch up the quilt anyway and hope that it grows on me? Or do I burry it completely and wait for a sunny day and a brilliant idea that will let me use the cut squares? I am so bummed… I really wanted to make a quilt today…

…I think I got up on the wrong foot this morning.

Choosing takes time

While I’m waiting for my arms to recuperate or at least become better I have been digging out stash and buying some new fabrics for a quilt I want to make for Astrid. I have thought of a thousands themes and colour combinations for her room. Somehow I seem to come back to these fabrics and colours no matter how many rounds I take with myself. Now I just need some days to chew on which fabrics to choose, how I’m going to make the quilt, what size, how many squares (no triangle nightmare for me), and what fabric to use for the back side. Se you around soon!

Chewing, chewing, chewing…

Mrs. Snot sucker

Not much crafting in Yonder this week. Instead I introduce you to Mrs. Snotty our new friend and life saver. Together with salt water nose drops and books to tilt Astrids bed, Mrs. Snotty has been a great help at fighting Astrid’s stuffed nose. My arms however have suffered from carrying her hours after hours and I have now fully bloomed inflammation in both my arms. Yet another reason for why there has been less crafting.

This is how far I got with the jacket before the arms protested and forced me to take a crafting break. So far I am in LOVE with this pattern; I am actually experiencing flow while knitting! That is a first. Finally a garment besides scarfs where my skills matches the knitting challenge.