Finished - A Day at the Beach (and Some New Frames, Too!)

Hello, readers, and welcome to AUTUMN!

I finally finished my last summer-themed cross stitch piece for the year, and it's about time!  Here is "A Day at the Beach," designed by Nikki Leeman.

"A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman

Close-up of seagulls

Close-up of seashells

Close-up of seashore panel

Close-up of sailboat panel

I stitched this piece over two threads on tan 28-count Monaco fabric.  It measures 6" x 11.5" (15.2 cm x 29.2 cm).  The panels were stitched with three different kinds of embroidery floss: DMC floss, hand-dyed Crescent colors floss, and hand-dyed floss by The Gentle Art.  The hand-dyed threads are variegated, so they give the stitching wonderful depth.  The pattern and floss are available from Stoney Creek.  It may be a little late to start this one this year, but if you are looking for a fun summer piece for 2013, I recommend this one because it stitches up so quickly, and it has a very charming, nautical feel.

I was a busy bee this weekend; I also framed some pieces I had finished previously!  I used the method I posted on Daily Dose of Handmade a while back.  The framed pieces give my Etsy shop a very finished look; it is probably easier to sell something that is "ready to display," as opposed to selling something that people have to frame themselves before it can be hung.  Here is an "after" shot of each piece.

"Twilight Angel"

"Bee-Wildered Cat"

"Butterflies on Nine Patches"

Each of these frames was only $1 from Goodwill, and they are solid pine and include mounting fixtures.  The last piece I had custom mounted and framed cost almost $30, and it was only about 6" x 12".  If you are framing a piece that is a standard size (4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", etc.), it is really worth it to track down an inexpensive frame and frame it yourself.  Unfortunately, "A Day at the Beach" is not a standard size, so I will probably have to make a frame for it myself.  But that is a blog entry for another day...

Until next time, happy crafting!  Thank you for reading and for commenting.

-Erin

A new James Herriot-inspired veterinary embroidery project!

Well, my last post - the free squirrel monkey pattern - was a rollicking success!  My blog had been averaging anywhere from 20 to 40 page views per day, but on both yesterday and today, I got over 150 page views each day!  A couple of sites, including Ellen Maurer-Stroh's cross stitch forum, picked up the pattern and listed it for their readers, so I got a lot of traffic through those avenues.  Hooray!

So, where does that leave me now?  I think it's time for an update!  I designed a new embroidery pattern inspired by the Anglican hymn "All Things Bright and Beautiful," the lyrics of which were made popular by the James Herriot veterinary books.  It is stitching up pretty quickly, so here is a picture of how it looks right now:

"All Things Bright and Beautiful" embroidery piece.  (c) Erin E. Turowski, 2012.

The finished size will be about 8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm).  It is stitched on 28-count white Monaco fabric.  The little orange kitty on the right is the first of six animals surrounding the poem.  Here is a close-up of him.  He was inspired by my own orange kitty, Julius!

The orange kitty from "All Things Bright and Beautiful."  (c) Erin E. Turowski, 2012.

The other animals will include a brown Laborador-type dog, a blue bird, a light brown Jersey cow, a black horse, and a pink pig.  I can't wait to finish it!  It is really hard to find veterinary-themed needlework, so I am glad to finally be making my own.  :)

Naturally, because I have been busy with this piece, I haven't made a terrific amount of progress on "Celestial Dragon."  Nonetheless, I have made some headway - I filled in some dark blue and gold on the dragon's body, and I (mostly) finished his feet and gave him talons.

"Celestial Dragon" by Teresa Wentzler

I had to keep my needlework away from my very delicious and saucy dinner tonight.  I tried a new recipe for cauliflower pizza crust (you know, the one that's all over Pinterest).  The appeal of this recipe is that the whole personal-sized pizza crust has under 150 calories!  I topped mine with red pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, sliced Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil.  It was delicious!  Here is a picture to whet your appetites.

Cauliflower pizza crust, margherita style!

Now, next week may be a bit slower for my blog.  I am traveling to the Outer Banks with my fiancé, my sisters, their husbands, and my parents.  We are going to spend a whole week with each other - I can't wait! I love my family very much, and as time goes by, we all just get closer and closer.  I am very thankful to have a great relationship with them all.  :)  So, I will try to hijack my fiancé's laptop and post an update or two (maybe some beach pictures!), but if I am a little quiet, please pardon my absence.

Oh, and after reviewing the feedback from my previous entry, I will maintain the current frequency of my e-mail updates for all of you who are subscribed (approximately 2-3 e-mails per week).  Thank you for your subscriptions, including the new readers who joined this week!

I will leave you today with this lovely little piece, "A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman.  I bought it to stitch while I am on the beach!  I am hoping to have it finished by the time I am back in Boston.

"A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman

Thank you all for reading and for your thoughtful comments!  Have a fantastic day!