Caw

Stitch watch: Mushroom

A few weeks ago at the drawing class I attend, we did mushrooms. I traced my sketch with a transfer pencil, ironed it on to a piece of cotton, and made this:


The brown marks are where the iron burnt the masking tape glue -- next time I'm using pins to hold it all together. The pink marks are the transfer pencil -- I gather they'll wash out, but I'm a bit wary of trying this... Better luck next time :-)

Stitch watch: scissors case

This is a scissors case from Sue Hawkins' range. I've never done much canvas work before, and this little project was a very pleasant introduction. I love having something pretty that I know I'll use, too. I particularly liked the nubbly rhodes stitch (left side of the front of the case).

The colours glow much more in real life -- I'm not sure if the warmer picture shows this better than the cooler picture of the back of the case. The satin stitch (top of the back) feels lovely.

Stitch watch: Buttercup Lane

This is Buttercup Lane from Rowandean. It was great fun to do -- even all that straight stitch grass. I need to work on my stem stitch, though, as it looks a bit knotty, as you can see in the close-up below.

Things which are only pleasurable because of the unpleasantness which went before.

• The burning tingling of cold fingers warming up.
• Feeling better after throwing up.
• Once back at home, thinking about eating a tangerine and drinking very cold water from a rinsed-out milk bottle while sitting on a stone behind a low wall, the only shelter from the wind on the top of a cloud-bound mountain.
• Waking up with no headache after falling asleep while ill.
• The engineer has visited, and now it works.
• Coming into a cool, dark building on a day when the light and heat burn my head.
• A stuffy warm office after a walk on a morning when a knife-sharp wind is blowing.

Twenty Things That Stimulate Creativity

1. A vegetable box
2. A walk
3. Something that needs repair
4. A list
5. A new stitch
6. Planning an outfit I've never worn before
7. Having a clear out
8. Writing in my notebook
9. An art class
10. Listening to a radio play
11. Walking round a market
12. Following a how-to of a craft I've never tried
13. Doing a writing exercise
14. Art galleries and museums
15. Reading a few art or craft blogs
16. Sitting and thinking
17. Reading or looking at a source book
18. Setting a goal
19. Thinking about a problem
20. Trying a new recipe

A list of countries appearing in the stats for 3BT

Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darusslam
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Islamic Republic of Iran
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mexico
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Republic of Ireland
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russian Federation
Russian Federation Tatarstan
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
St Kitts and Nevis
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam