I've really got myself on a roll with the Goldfinches piece, look at all this progress in just two days! I'm really pleased that it's coming on so well and I expect I'll be able to put in all the rest of the plant life over the next few days. Being home with yet another pesky virus helps a lot to get on with stuff like this!! It has it's advantages, although I really ought to be in bed....=( It's 'my' exam on Friday too, (i.e. the class that I take as part of a whole module has its exam - an hour long Chinese listening test), so I'll have to do as I did yesterday and go out when I ought to be home resting, but at least then that's it for this academic year, (save about an hour helping to mark any resit papers in August). It's been a really awful year too, so I'll be glad to see the back of it!One good thing about having to be out and about yesterday was that I was able to go to Taylors and get a few things needed for the Ornamental Pool cushion. I got the backing fabric and stocked up on iron-on interfacing (needed for anything other than the lightest of embroidery on relatively delicate fabric, so anything thin or silky) in both black and white as well as got a zip for the finished product and some fabric that may do to back COS, although I'm not sure about that yet. Can't seem to find something I'm happy with! Perhaps I should root around in the market on Friday after work.
Anyway, here's the 'floss toss' for the Pool design (an expression I learned from Veronica's blog) -> As you can see, I've selected mostly Anchor stranded cottons, but there are 4 each of Anchor Marlitt (for the foreground damselfly and fish, to make them really glow) and Pearl Cotton #12 (for the 'rougher' looking parts) plus 2 Kreinik cords. The next move on this piece will be, after getting the fabric pressed and backed, to get the pattern transferred on. This is always a bit of a pain, but this one promises to be a bit challenging as I'm going to gave to stretch it vertically a bit. I need it to be square, and it's ever so slightly wider than it is high. So, I'll elongate the leaves at the side or something. Will probably have to use two pieces of tracing paper put together as well, which will be tricky too. Don't like this bit!It feels good to be back stitching and really enjoying it again. I can't think why I just lost momentum for a while, but I guess it happens to most of us at some point. I've read other stitchers lamenting about their lack of umph at times!!
