Lavinia (PlatinumWarlock) attacks her "to-be-stitched" pile in 2024

Hello! I've been doing even more stitching than reading recently, so this thread might see more action than it did last year.

I returned to stitching last year after years away doing (mostly) beading, and my horizons are expanding dramatically. A cross-stitcher since I was young, I discovered blackwork embroidery and stitch-a-longs (SALs), and am thoroughly obsessed. I joined my local chapters of the Embroiderers' Guild of America and the American Needlepoint Guild and somehow got volunteered to be the Vice President of the EGA chapter - I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. Regardless, I'm excited to learn more about different kinds of needlework and sharing my projects here. Updates on existing projects to follow soon...

Looking forward to seeing all your projects from the SALs, Lavinia!

>1 PlatinumWarlock: FlossTube can really get you obsessed with SALs, WIPGO, and much more!

>2 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! There will be lots more this year. :)

>3 thornton37814: Right??? I remember the good ol' days before the Internet when stitching was just stitching, but now... YouTube!! Crazy!!

This is the first stitchalong I've done with which I'm actually current! (Big thrill. 😃) It's The Steady Thread's 2024 SAL, and I'm doing the "vases" layout on 14 count antique white Aida using Sulky 12 wt; the vases are in black, the stems in a green I can't remember right now, and the flowers are in a variegated called Tropical - so far I'm happy with the outcome. I was a little concerned the Sulky would come off as too heavy (this is my first time using it), but I like how it makes the colors pop.

That's beautiful, Lavinia. How long is that SAL?

>5 PlatinumWarlock: Nice! While I don't necessarily mind backstitch, I don't like it enough to make me want to do blackwork. I do like that that piece has a little color to it!

>6 MickyFine: Hi Micky, and thank you! It's just under a year... she releases one of the vases or the other pattern each week and there are 49 of them. Very manageable, especially if you're doing the vases layout since it doesn't have a border.

>7 thornton37814: hi Lori - yes, I hear you... I like the end result of blackwork more than the process, but fortunately I don't mind the process too much. And I've seen some amazing colors that people select for different projects - it brings a nice variety to it!

Progress on (respectively) Cliffside Stitches' 2024 Stitchalong, The Steady Thread's 2024 Stitchalong, and Dees20Stitches' (Instagram link) Stitch4Pride Stitchalong. Satisfying!

I've also started a separate Instagram for my stitching work only - please do feel free to follow me @obsessively_stitching if you'd like.

I pretty much only use my Instagram for cross stitch. Your projects are looking good.

nice work!

>10 thornton37814: and >11 al.vick: Thanks, Lori and Alison! It's been a week of obsessive stitching and learning, to be sure... more images to come!

>9 PlatinumWarlock: What is the symbol of the third one? Is it a culture symbol? I will check your instagram.

>13 mnleona: I don't specifically know, Leona - however, the purpose of that particular SAL is to honor various 2SLGBTQIA+ artists, and the artist who is running the SAL and who created the images (@Dees20stitches) said January is inspired by Keith Haring, whom you can learn a little about here, if you're interested.

Most of my work this week was on this piece, which has been languishing in a drawer for A Long Time. It's stitched from #5 pearl cotton and one of the Caron Collection's Watercolors on mono canvas and is a design by Laura J. Perin from her "American Quilts" Collection, called Ozark Trail. I've only finished the inner blocks - there's a bit of border left to do, but I needed to take a rest! 🤣

On a different note, yesterday I attended a Zoom lecture by Cissy Bailey Smith of Gentle Pursuit Designs about Scottish samplers; she was speaking to the Northwest Sampler Guild, which I expect to join in the next couple of months. I've never stitched a sampler and haven't had much desire to, but I was really taken by the artistry and the meaning woven into the samplers she showed us. I am not a religious person, so I haven't found the (often) religious content of samplers to be appealing; however, as I've browsed the Internet since yesterday, I've found quite a few patterns of reproductions of samplers that have little or no such content.

I'm also preparing to start teaching myself surface embroidery beyond the very simple stitches I've known so far. Technically, cross stitch and blackwork count as surface embroidery, but I'm talking about the kinds of work that is comprised of a variety of different stitches. It's a slightly steep learning curve, but I belong to my local chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America, so I have a number of friends who are more than happy to enable me into broader skills. 🤣

>13 mnleona: and >14 PlatinumWarlock: I was just going to say, it looks very much like Keith Haring figures, as much as it can while being cross-stitch.

And wow! on >15 PlatinumWarlock:. Very cool.

>15 PlatinumWarlock: - That's lovely work, Lavinia.

>16 PlatinumWarlock: - When I met my best friend of 50+ years, both of her grandmothers were living with her family and one of them did the most gorgeous embroidery work. When she felt that the pillows she had were getting old, she had them taken apart and framed which was nice. I look forward to seeing what you'll be doing.

>15 PlatinumWarlock: oh, i like that a lot.

I have a similar mixed relationship with samples. I have this one on my wall, she's an ancestor (I forget exactly where she fits). I like the idea that in 195 years time, someone, somewhere would have a piece of mine on their wall too. Although I am a bit more than 7 years old at time of writing >;-)

that quilt stitch project has such lovely colors!

>17 PawsforThought: Thanks, Paws. 😀

>18 dudes22: Thanks, Betty! What a gift it must have been to your friend to have that artistic influence. One of my two grandmothers did every craft under the sun, but she died when I was 21... I wish I could pick her brain now!

>20 al.vick: Doesn't it? 😀 I know a lot of crafters use the "recommended" materials - and I'm one of those, because I figure the artist knows more than I do - and in this case, I think they were great choices!

>19 Helenliz: Isn't it astonishing what LITTLE girls were creating back then? It blows my mind. How wonderful that you have a piece of that history. 😀

Progress on the Peppermint Purple SAL border... it feels like a little bit of a slog right now, even though I'm going to love it when it's done. Realizing that part of the reason it's a slog is that I really don't like stitching with a single strand of embroidery floss... I want a little more "oomph"!!

Edit: wow, this is not a great picture. I need to work on those skills. Anyway - you get the idea.

>25 PlatinumWarlock: It's looking lovely. I know some people do stitch with 2 strands on 36 count, but I'm usually happy with the coverage. I have used 1 strand on a very tight 32 count, but I usually wait until I get to 36 count before I move to a single strand. Of course, I prefer stitching on 36 count, but I've got a couple of projects going that are on lower count right now.

>26 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. :) I'm trying to decide how much I love blackwork... another couple of WIPs are traditional cross-stitch and I'm having WAY more fun with those. It might turn out that I enjoy the RESULT of blackwork more than the CREATION of blackwork. :)

Gee, and I thought I was having trouble with 16 count Aida. No way could I deal with anything smaller. The old eyes aren't what they used to be.

Back from the framer! Really happy with how this turned out. 😀

That's gorgeous, Lavinia! I really like that style of needlework (blackwork, right?) and the framing makes it look even more professional than it already did.

very nice!

>29 PlatinumWarlock: that's lovely.
Is it the same thread throughout and just the density of stitching that gives the different colour effects?

Beautiful work, Lavinia!

>30 lauralkeet:, >31 al.vick:, >32 Helenliz:, >33 MickyFine: Thanks, everyone!

Helen, it's the same thread throughout, but you're seeing both blackwork (single-thread backstitching) and cross-stitch (double-thread x's), so that contributes in part. Also, there are five different shades of red... darkest for the border and the center, then progressively lighter as you move to the outside, so that's also leads to the different effects.

That. Is. Gorgeous! Well done, you!!

>35 scaifea: Thank you so much, Amber!! ❤️ It was really enjoyable.

>29 PlatinumWarlock: That's a great final finish! It's lovely!

>37 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! 😁

So happy to see all the blackwork! I love the look of it so much, and I really enjoy stitching it as well. I think that's partly just me being cheap and feeling like I'm making a savings on floss or time spent (probably not usually the case, but it's what my lizard brain believes). I hate doing single color fills of cross-stitches, so that's also part of why I love blackwork so much, I'm sure.

>29 PlatinumWarlock: Oh, that’s very cool. I really like the labyrinth style in the corners.

very nice.

>39 mabith:, >40 PawsforThought:, >41 al.vick: Thanks, everyone. 😁