bk_forever | Bee Cross Stitch

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Bee Cross Stitch - and a WiP

I finished another set of small designs for cards, this time some bees and honey. The two small ones were stitched on 14 count and and the four larger ones on 16 count, because that was all I had that was easily accessible. Most of my fabric is stored in a big old chest that currently has a lot of stuff piled on top it and I didn't feel like moving it all to get at my stash of 14 count.

This last one I plan to post pics of as it progresses. On the left you can see the design as it should look when it's done, and on the right... Well, I've started it, the first part of the cross stitch border is done!

This is tougher than the other designs I've been stitching lately. It's bigger for a start, but as I want it for a card (possibly), I'm making it smaller by stitching on 20 count fabric - that is, 20 squares per inch - with one strand of thread. I cut and prepared the fabric for this and another large design years ago but never got around to stitching them. The design is 96 stitches each way, and will measure 12 x 12 cm when it's done. I'll be stitching other things while I work on this because I need good daylight to see the holes... o_O

Wish me luck!

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Definitely. The chef they filmed used like four types of cheese and bread so thick that it honestly could have been a meal itself. I was hungry just watching her cook. :)

Maybe garden clutter in the good weather and indoor clutter in the bad? I know what you mean though, there's always so many projects that it seems more than impossible to do anything.

I'll try and get a picture next time I see one. They like the garden at work. We have a nice sized lake, ducks, catfish, koi, and a bunch of other critters hanging around.

I saw the Christmas set and the other ones you posted up. I wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything when you posted this most recent set. :)

Sounds so good... I love simple cheese on toast though.

It's too hot outside to do anything at the moment, so I'm starting to do a bit of indoor sorting. I get too hot doing anything though, so... I'm roasting, but there are clouds in the sky... I'm hoping for rain.

That would be cool. Why is that the wildlife in other countries always seems more exotic?

Yay, glad you saw them. I'm quite pleased with them!

I finished the first of the fiddly designs yesterday, and it looks so pretty. I've started the second one, but I'm trying it differently. I figured if I tried doing the leaves first, one colour at a time, running the thread across the back instead of starting and stopping all the time, it might not be so frustrating. So far so good. The next one I might try doing the flowers first.

I have to be careful with cooked cheese. Sometimes the “bad” protein I’m allergic to will show up. I just had pasta and cheese for dinner though.

I’ll hope for rain too. Wish I could send you some of ours. I can hear thunder grumbling outside again. I know what you mean about too hot to do anything. I always think melting would be the better option.

Maybe because no matter how exotic what we grow up with is, it’s common for us to see it, so we’re used to it and can’t always see what others do.

I normally managed to bunch the fabric at least once running the thread, but it’s definitely easier than starting and stopping and changing threads all the time. I’ll look forward to seeing them when you have them done. :-)

That's sad. Cheese on toast is one of life's little luxuries when it's cold out.

Still no rain, just more heat. I've had enough. There's a breeze today but it's not helping much.

The designs are small enough that I can avoid bunching. Normally I don't like running the thread across the back unless it's going to get stitched over, because it tends to show through, but I'll just have to put with that this time for ease of stitching.

Me sending you anything from down here wouldn't help you any right now. We're at about 89F with 88% humidity. Summer is definitely here. >.<

I think if these go on cards, it'll be a bit harder to see the running over the back. Definitely sounds like it'll be easier on you no matter what. *nods*

That is serious heat! We're around 80, so a bit cooler than you, but still too hot.

I'm actually enjoying stitching the second one, so my new strategy is working ;) Most of the threads at the back should get at least partly covered with stitching. Shouldn't be too noticeable.

It is, and this still isn't as hot as it could be for down here. I'm just glad I don't have to be outside in my uniform right now.

That's awesome news :) I'm glad the stitches running across the back will be mostly covered. Plus, maybe when you mount it, it'll be hidden depending on the back color you use. :)

I'll just keep hoping your weather doesn't get too hot, especially when you're working.

Each one is still taking quite a while to stitch, but I'll get there. Finished the border on the rose yesterday, but the designs I want to stitch are piling up - I'm going through all my magazines and I keep finding ones with the fabric tucked inside already cut and prepared for certain designs... I'm looking for suitable designs for my sister and Collin, both of whom turn 60 on their next birthdays. o_O

We need bosses with a sense of humor so we could do the "I'm melting" routine from the Wizard of Oz. *grins* We had to do parking enforcement this morning because of new hire orientation - Rich turned away 42 and Dennis got around 20 - so they were outside for hours. Fortunately in the early part of the day, but at 1330 when Rich left, he was dreading the walk his wife was going to be dragging him on.

And the thunder rolls. Loudly.

On one hand it's good you're prepared and have marked out the ones you liked and want to attempt, but it's probably getting a bit overwhelming. You should do a garden something for Collin. *giggles* Seriously, I know you'll find something that will work for them. I'm sure it's in there somewhere.

It's a shame your bosses seemed to have had their sense of humour surgically removed =(

No one needs to be walking anywhere in those temperatures.

Oh, I've got boxes filled with fabric cut and prepared for stitching, but I'm surprised by how many pieces are inside magazines that were in storage for 6 years! Several are for designs I was going to stitch for mum =(

I'm thinking Collin might be wrong, he might not be 60 until next year - he gets mixed up with his age sometimes - but I know I have a nice cowboy and cowgirl design that might work well. We used to dress up in our western gear and go out to country clubs. If I change the hair colour... I'll find something floral for my sister, probably. I think she's had enough elephants.

I think that it's a requirement to become a boss. No sense of humor at all. >.<

Rich's wife, Lisa, is obsessed with losing weight and drags him along on a minimum 5 mile walk no matter what the weather. So I'm quite sure that she dragged him out into the heat tonight.

Aw, that's sad. :(

That sounds like a cute one. :) Cowboys are always good no matter what. Flowers are good, too, although I think elephants are more fun. Maybe and elephant holding flowers? *giggles* I think the heat is getting to me. I'm getting silly.

Bosses are bosses because they're not smart enough to do the jobs their employees do. True fact.

While losing weight is an admirable goal, thee must be better ways of getting exercise in hot weather than taking long walks out in the heat...

Yeah, I stitched some lovely ones for her, and she loved them, but there were so many more I planned to do. We just thought the stuff would only be in storage for a few months...

Cowboys are my weakness, as the song goes!

If I had a chart for an elephant with flowers I might do it, but I haven't seen one. I've got one with an elephant blowing bubbles... I don't think it's quite good enough for a 60th birthday card though.

Very true, and also the reason for this icon. :-)

I told Rich you agreed with him about the walks in the heat and he started laughing before agreeing with the both of us. I honestly don’t know how Rich manages it. The heat would be the death of me. It almost is some days anyway. Rich often jokes that Lisa is just after the insurance.

That’s how it always goes with any sort of repair and storage. I’m glad so many of your magazines survived storage. Did I ever tell you I framed the little pug card you made me for my birthday a few years ago? It’s on one of my movie shelves in my bedroom.

Mine too - at least for four certain cowboys. I love my Riders. :-)

I wonder if google would have something if you just can’t find anything you really like for her?

Poor Rich, I feel for him!

Thankfully I put all my magazines in plastic bags before boxing them up so they came through okay. Don't know what I would've done otherwise! I have hundreds, and still a big stack to go through. I'm sure I'll find something I like. Trouble is, most I've looked at and considered possibles have got fractional stitches, which I don't do. I have trouble seeing them on the charts and on my stitching so I lose my place and get in a mess.

Disaster struck with my cross stitching tonight! I'd just started the third of the designs when I dropped my yogurt... It went all over part of my stitching, the magazine, my desk, and my trousers *headdesk. I cleaned it off the magazine as best I could and I'm hoping that won't go moldy. I rinsed my trousers but they need washing and I don't have anything else dark to wash. Also rinsed my stitching but I'm not sure I got all the yogurt out of it, so I had to cut another piece of fabric and start again. Wasted over an hour of stitching time! =(

I do, too.

I'm glad the plastic didn't leak on you. That would have been horrible! I know what you mean about having trouble seeing stitches. I can't do a counted cross-stitch at all, my count is always off and ends up a bit like a Dali painting. *sighs*

Oh for...and yogurt to boot. >.< It's probably safer in the long run to start it over so you don't end up with mold or worse showing up later on, but that sucks. Is this one of the fiddly designs that you've been battling with?

Counted cross stitch is all I do, but I have to be careful with the counting, and I do make mistakes that require unpicking from time to time.

Yes, it was, although I'd only just stared the third one. Would have been far worse if it had been almost finished. As it is, I'm making good progress with the new version. Finished the leaves and some of the flowers today.

Also found a possible candidate for my sister's birthday, an art deco lady's head in profile, with a rose and butterfly border. It's very pretty, and made even more desirable by the fact that the fabric is already cut and prepared, tucked in the magazine. It's another on 20 count though. Then again, her birthday isn't until April next year, so plenty of time! I sill might change my mind if I find something I like better, I have lots more magazines to look through, but we'll see.

Sorry, went down with a migraine last night. That's five days with a headache and I don't know what to do.

It sucks when random stuff ruins our projects. I think ink might have been the only thing worse I can think of to spill on a cross-stitch - or notebook.

That sounds pretty. :) And dignified, which would work well for a 60th birthday. Sounds like if you can start it by January you'll be okay to get it done in time for her birthday.

I might stitch it before then, but I have to do Collin's first because his birthday is December.

He helped me put the last lot of wall shelves up yesterday and I have them half full of books now, just got to un-bury the rest of my boxes of books and see what else will fit. I've also, this morning, dug out the rest of my cross stitch magazines to look through for things to stitch. Plus I'm still in the process of clearing so my blanket box full of cross stitch fabric can be put at the end of my bed so I can get at the contents. So much to do.

We had a bit of rain last night, but today should be dry and quite warm so I've got a load of laundry out. I washed my yogurty piece of fabric. It frayed at the edges, but if I can flatten it out I should still be able to stitch it =D

Have you come across anything fun for his birthday that you want to stitch?

Oh, yay on the bookshelves!!! That'll bring the clutter down a small bit on the inside. It sounds like you've got good, solid plans in mind that you can put into play. It's always good to be able to get to the important things quickly.

I'm glad the yogurt came out. :) That's one of those things that just come out of nowhere and annoy us horribly.

There's the cowboy and cowgirl design. I might do that one. Got a few more magazines to look through, maybe 70 or 80, so I still might find something I like better, but I'm not counting on it.

Trouble is, it all involves so much moving stuff around. The blanket box is currently in what I'm still hoping will eventually be my craft room, but there's lads of stuff piled on top of it, plus stuff all over the landing that I'll have to shift out of the way... *sigh* And I can only do a little it at a time.

Yeah, I'm glad too, but I might have to iron the fabric, or wet in again and lay it out flat to dry because it's got a crease across the middle now.

That one does sound cute. :) You never know, there might be one lurking just waiting for you to find it and fall for it.

Yeah, I know what you mean. But even that little at a time gets there in the end. I'd say as Collin, but given how he is in the garden, I don't know about shifting things inside.

It might take both. Those creases can be stubborn depending on the exact type of backing you're using. I'll hope one or the other works out for you though.

It is nice, and I think he'd like it, though he never shoes a lot of enthusiasm for anything. Just the way he is.

Collin will help with heavy moving, he's okay if I tell him what goes where, it's when left to his own devices that the problems start!

Think I'll dampen in again, lay it flat, and once in dries a bit, put a weight on it. I've nearly finished the replacement, some back stitch and some lettering to do.

Sounds like my kid brother. It's always hard to shop or make things for men (and women) like that.

I'm glad you've got someone to help with the heavy lifting. That's me for our house, and has been for the last ten years or so.

Sounds like a good plan. *nods* So is that three of the four fiddly ones done? I'll admit, I've lost count.

He opens something and just goes "Oh!" *headdesk*

Yeah, I'm not physically strong, I have really skinny arms with very little muscle, so I really need someone to lift heavy stuff for me.

Yep, this will be the third once I finish it. I did a little more backstitch yesterday, but it's very complex and I couldn't work on it during the auction.

I know what you mean. My biggest problem is that I never know if my brother likes what I've sent him because I never get a note. *sighs* I take pride in finding the perfect present for my friends and family, but I need a bit of feedback on whether or not they actually like it.

That's Mum. She tries, but she's going to hurt herself if she's not careful. Which is why she usually leaves the lifting to me.

It's hard to do anything during the auction. I know what you mean.

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