So, I took my Grade 3 Theory of Music exam this tea-time and was pleased that, amongst all the kids doing that grade, there was another adult - a 40-something looking chap who sat behind me and who I was sorry not to get a chance to have a post-mortem with afterwards. I managed all the questions OK, but realised on the way home that I'd wrongly identified one of the performance directions in the last section. Not badly wrongly, I got some of it right, but not right enough for full marks, so I doubt a 100% score will be mine this time either. I got 98% for my Grade 2 and DH said I might have to take Grade 1 if I want to get 100% on one of them!!
My desk partner, (were we cramped together in that room, or what?), was a kid doing his Grade 5, but he didn't really seem to know many of the answers and did more fidgetting than anything. I saw a few of the questions on his paper and felt glad that I'd decided not to take any more theory exams for a good while yet! There seems quite a jump between Grades 3 and 4 and I really have too much on - esp. being so behind with college work - to take on anything more at the moment.
No stitching to showcase at the mo as I just haven't done any lately. I tried something with silk paints last week - working on a college sample I was keen to do as it was a nice idea and one I could do without needing to ask for any more details etc - but it went horribly and irretrievably wrong. Basically, both the silver and clear guttas (resists) that I'd used let paint through and the whole thing was just ruined beyond repair! The bottles of gutta had way too large openings to be able to apply direct to the fabric (silk habotai) and the clear one even had a sharp bit on it that would have ripped the silk! So, I had to use a small paintbrush to apply it, which I did with great care and making sure there were no gaps. After it dried, I started to wet the sky area as I thought to dilute that a bit, but noticed that it was bleeding badly into the main design - the Taj Mahal. I let the fabric dry again and painstakingly and plentifully re-applied the gutta only to discover that I may as well have not bothered with it at all as every single line bled! I was livid! I haven't sent them yet, but the 2 bottles are going back as they don't work and the applicators are very poor quality, and I'll include my ruined work as proof. Over 2 hours work there totally wasted!=(
Post Zusammenfassung in Deutsch:
Kürzlich hab' ich meine Musiktheorie Prüfung gemacht. Es geht so. Ich nicht es 100%-ig richtig gemacht, aber soll ziemlich gut sein. Es war die dritte Stufe und für die zweite hab' ich 98% gekriegt.=)
Keine Stickerei hab' ich auch gemacht, aber im Moment hab' ich eine Virusinfektion, oder so was, und hab' ich natürlich keinen Bock irgend etwas außer lesen zu tun. Mein Stickereikursarbeit geratet mehr und mehr in Verzug und hoffe ich am Donnerstag etwas mit meiner Lehrerin zu arrangieren. Vielleich könnte ich das Texturmodul nächstes Jahr fertig machen. Ich würde sehr gern bald mit einem Hardangerkissen anfangen und auch einige einfachen Kreuzstich und Bandstickerei Bilde sticken. Hoffentlich....
Goldfinch happy dance!
Yippee! I finally finished something! First 'proper' stitching finish of the year. Actually, I don't think I finished any C&G pieces yet, did I? Can't remember. Suppose I might have.... Yes! I did one on 2 Jan, according to previous posts. Anyway, here are the goldfinches. Started 24 March 2008 in Amstersdam airport and finished last night at about 11pm 18 February 2009. It was the least 'important' of all the things on the go at the moment, in that it's for us rather than an either overdue gift or an overdue C&G sample, but it feels good to have something finished. I plan to have a go at washing out both it and four other XS pieces that have got browned around where the frame was, or have got funny marks on. There's a really yacky, oily looking mark on the bluetits pieces.=( Anyway, let's see how well Ecover's hand washing liquid deals with those.=) Pattern etc has gone into my 'For Sale or Trade' folder on Webshots, if anyone's interested. 'Bluetits' is still there too, although I sold 'Chaffinches' on E-bay a while back.Nothing done really on the C&G front. I meant to put in full days on in Monday and Tuesday of this week, but ended up under the weather again, (a colleague asked yesterday what the weather had done for me to be under it, but I suppose we all are, in purely logistical terms, aren't we?) Anyway, feel better now and should be able to get on today and press further forward tomorrow as well as next Monday and Tuesday. The substitute teacher we have at college at the mo, (ours had an accident on the ice, poor thing!), recommended that both I and another student whose just come back from 7 weeks in New Zealand where her daughter lives (and has recently had a baby!) and is as behind as I am on balance, just get on as quickly as we can, work small and simple and start to enjoy it again when we're caught up. I certainly agree with her small and relatively simple idea, but I do want to enjoy it as far as I can, even though I'm pretty clueless on most of what I'm doing, so I might take it a bit slower, but it won't matter greatly if I do. So, I want to get the bits of bobs of the old line and colour modules finished ASAP, do the sample from last week's class (today is half term, so no class - phew!), and finish the project I started last week by the time we go back next Thursday. It's quite a lot of work, but it may be possible - IF I get on with it!!!
Had a funny experience the other night. I was wasting time answering silly questions on Yahoo Answers. Later on I found one had been selected as the Best Answer, so I went back to look at it. The poser of the question had been really insulting and stupid in his response saying something like, 'I'm only doing this for the points anyway' and then putting some insulting quote, (that made him look a far bigger prat than he intended me to look!!) as his reason for why what I said was dumb. What cracked me up was that he said he only wanted the 3 points he got from selecting a best answer, but he had to pay 5 to ask the question in the first place. I earned 2 from answering and 10 for being voted as best. So, he ended up with egg on his face both by publicly proving himself narrow- and small-minded and by losing an overall 2 points whereas I gained 12!! HA-HA-HA!!! In yer face, pal!ROTFL! Hope he realises too..... I'm not at all a vindictive type, but I enjoyed this one!!! Tee-hee!=)
Postzusammenfassung in Deutsch:
So, mein Kreuzstich Distelfinken sind endlich fertig. Ich hab' diesen Projekt am 24. März 2008 angefangen (im Flughafen Amsterdam!) und gestern hab' ich es fertig gemacht.=) Schön, nö? Es ist auch schon gewascht und wartet jetzt auf einen Rahmen.
Musikstudium geht ein bißchen besser. Der Bach ist ein bißchen besser geworden (ich lerne Bratsche zu spielen) und die verbunden gespielte Tonleiter auch. Aber die Theorieprüfung ist am 5. März und hab' ich noch nicht genug studiert. Morgen, morgen!!=)
Hab' kürzlich überhaupt keine mehr Berufschularbeit gemacht und momentlich interessiere ich mich nicht so viel für das. Ich liebe Stickerei, aber wenn ich malen und sticken muss, dann ist das ein andere Sache!!
中文：
刺绣课程最近作得不好。因为最近常常生病了，所以没办法画画，设计和绣等。
我把金翅雀十字绣绣完了。我已经把全3个这个系列的飞鸟十字绣洗好了，等买框锯。
刺繡課程最近作得不好。因為最近常常生病了，所以沒辦法畫畫，設計和繡等。
我把金翅雀十字繡繡完了。我已經把全3個這個系列的飛鳥十字繡洗好了，等買框鋸。
Frustration!
Oooof! I feel really fed up with my art and stitching stuff right now. Well, the C&G part of it anyway. I don't seem to feel comfy doing any other when there's outstanding C&G work and I am just so horribly behind at the moment, that I feel overwhelmed with it. I've lost most of this year so far to winter bugs etc and have been to college only once this half term - next week is the mid-term break! I'm also really fed up that the course just charges through so bloomin' many techniques and so on. I'm certain not even half of them - esp. the art side of things - are required by the syllabus and I feel dangerously close to quitting altogether.=( I need a good talk with the teacher tomorrow. In the initial stages, I was planning on fast-tracking and doing it all in 1 year, but things have gone anything but according to plan, I'm easily the farthest behind in the class and feel really embarrassed about it.
Lots of college work done
Spent much of yesterday and some of the evening before getting well on with my C&G work. It's often just 'getting around to it' that's the problem here. Yes, like someone commented, some of the stuff isn't to my taste, but I just bear in mind that I'm learning techniques that I can apply to things I do like in the future. I don't really count much of the C&G stuff as stitching, so to speak, it's just college work!! Stitching is the projects I choose to do!! Yes, I have been known to get sick of gifts as well, although I never make and give something I personally don't like. I can be quite particular about designs, (although I find that less now that I've moved away somewhat from the cross-stich world, with all its holiday and patriotic designs that all leave me cold), but I do like a lot of things and can always find something nice to do for someone. If not, I can design it!=)Anyway, here's what I did all clumped together in one photo for the time being as no one piece has been completed. There's work on 3 samples/designs here - artwork for all of them (I did one drawing, which isn't finished yet - I want add more detail and make it more 'mature', one pastel picture and 2 collages, although one of these has as much gouache painting as anything!! And I spilled my dirty painting water all over it....) and fabric preparation for 2 - one painted and one bonded. Both of these came out a bit brighter than I really wanted, but it's supposed to be a learning process, so I don't mind that much. I'm more concerned about getting the dratted stuff done, to be honest!
Post Zusammenfassung in Deutsch:
Gestern und vorgestern habe ich viele Arbeit für mein City & Guilds Stickereikurs gemacht. Nichts ist jetzt fertig, aber ich habe der Design und Kunst für 3 Sache fertig gemacht und der Stoff für 2 vorbereitet. Ein ist gemahlt and ein zusammen geklebt.
Ich studiere diesen Kurs bei Harrogate College (eine Berufschule). Es macht mir viel Spass, aber manchmal gefällt es mir nicht so was wir tun muss - zu modern für mich. Ich hab' tradionelle Stickerei am liebsten und fühle oft, dass ich sticken muss was ich nicht besonders mag. Tja, so ist es eben! Ich lerne viele neue Sache die ich später für etwas schöner nutzen kann.=)
中文:
我昨天和前天作了很多学院的事。这种事算是‘功课’吗？=）我读的是刺绣课程。挺喜欢，可是有时候太现代式。我更喜欢的是比较漂亮的东西。
这张照片是最近作的艺术事（设计部分）和准备快要绣的布。
我昨天和前天作了很多學院的事。這種事算是‘功課’嗎？=）我讀的是刺繡課程。挺喜歡，可是有時候太現代式。我更喜歡的是比較漂亮的東西。
這張照片是最近作的藝術事（設計部分）和準備快要繡的布。
Goldfinch update
This is what the goldfinches look like right now. I've finished the background half-cross stitching and put in the top stitching on the birds. There's just the top stitching on the thistles to do now - a few details on the leaves and then the old gold thistledown details. Should have that one done very soon now.=) It'll be nice to finish something. When you have such simple WIPs hanging around for months on end, you feel like you're never doing anything, despite having done all sorts of other things.My college work (C&G stuff) is horribly behind and I don't seem to be able to find the uumph to get on with it, despite how much it stresses me out! I'll no doubt feel much better once it's done, but I just don't want to. Oh, how contrary we can be! I've been lusting after a C&G course for years and now I'm doing one.....
Actually did some viola practice yesterday and will do more today. Something is moving forward at least and, well, I do have a nasty cold! Thanks for all the kind well wishes and, yes Von, I will try and be sensible and recover fully. Nothing really strenuous (except a bit of housework) or demanding this week, so shouldn't be too bad.
Hier sind meine Distelfinken - fast fertig! Es gibt nur ein bißchen 'Langstich' übrig, dann ist dieses Bild endlich fertig.=) Ich bin im Moment stark erkältet, aber lebe noch!!
我快把我的金翅雀十字绣绣完了。这个画是在3月开始的，可是挺简单绣的。可以说学院的事阻止我早一点把金翅雀绣完。 我现在感冒了，很麻烦啊！
我快把我的金翅雀十字繡繡完了。這個畫是在3月開始的，可是挺簡單繡的。可以說學院的事阻止我早一點把金翅雀繡完。 我現在感冒了，很麻煩啊!
我快把我的金翅雀十字绣绣完了。这个画是在3月开始的，可是挺简单绣的。可以说学院的事阻止我早一点把金翅雀绣完。 我现在感冒了，很麻烦啊！
我快把我的金翅雀十字繡繡完了。這個畫是在3月開始的，可是挺簡單繡的。可以說學院的事阻止我早一點把金翅雀繡完。 我現在感冒了，很麻煩啊!
Cut-back appliqué sample done
I actually did this sample on Friday night, but had no chance to take a picture in daylight until this morning. I've had a busy weekend, but a very encouraging one and, even though I feel rather under the weather (a bit buggy and very tired), I've made a few important decisions and that feels good!=) I really must get up to date with my C&G work though.... Decided not to apply for the job I was interested in as I'm still very run-down following the burn-out type episode in autumn 2007 and a very demanding 2008, and that I'm not going to use up my precious energy on work when I need it to get better and to devote to more important things.=) I also want to have time and umph for my hobbies and interests instead of just getting in feeling fit to drop.
Anyway, you've seen the acrylic painting I did (2 posts ago) which was prep/design for this sample and here is the photo it came from:
And here's the finished sample, which was stitched with machine rayon thread (yes, on the machine, which was an interesting experience as the feed dogs won't drop, but I found I could move around freely anyway with the darning foot on!!), then cut back to the relevant layer to get the right colour. The green layer is one of the pieces of fabric I dyed a few weeks ago.
Hope to be able to be able to get on with the manipulated techniques sample this week, but I have quite a lot of domestic things to catch up with, so no promises! Haven't done any more on the goldfinches yet, but I might well do over the next couple of days.
I was asked about my music. Well, I haven't really touched my poor viola recently! In fact, I've palyed her about twice in the last month and one of those times was my lesson! The other I did a few scales and exercises and nothing more. I did cut my nails this morning though, so I hope to get some prac in later today. In my last lessons, we did get to the end of Book 2 at last, so I hope to be moving on to Book 3 this year and getting both it and Book 4 under my belt.=) My playing is a lot smoother than it was at the beginning of last year and pieces that looked really hard to me then are now much less challenging. I haven't made great strides, but I have progressed and enjoy it, and that's what matters most.=)
Goldfinch progress report
Here they are as they are after quite a lot of work on them over the past couple of days. I finished the actual cross stitching on 31st, I think, then spent several hours listening to audio dramas and doing much of the background half stitching. There's just the left hand area, a bit to the left of the top bird's head and a layer over the top from the right hand side of the top bird over the back of the right hand one. It's hard to tell the 2 blue shades apart, but the one I'm doing now is slightly lighter than what's in place in the top and right areas. Should be finished with it very soon as there isn't much backstitching to do beyond facial features and then there are the thistle bits that look a bit like shuttlecocks to do!!! What's the proper name, someone?Nothing else to show or report. Haven't touched my C&G work, or wanted to. I'm wondering if the fact that I'm rather conscientiously avoiding it is contributing to the horribly unsettled feeling I have at the mo...=( Oh well, C&G's loss is the goldfinches' gain!!!
