Update Time: Finishes, WIPs, and Framing

Hello, world! It's so nice to be back. I didn't intend to take such a long break but it needed to be done, because life got in the way. I was busy with family matters and taking care of a plunge in my mental health, I suppose due to Covid and the fact that spring tends to make me very anxious anyway. 

We've had a very strange summer as I'm sure you all have as well... After one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, Spain opened its doors back in July and places have been overloaded with people. Masks are obligatory everywhere except for the beach, and unfortunately the whole country seems to have flocked over to the coast (which is understandable I guess), so there simply wasn't a safe spot to hang out around here, and we've stayed home a lot.

Obviously the numbers of infections have skyrocketed and our area is now a hotspot... Right in time for back to school! As you may know we are both teachers, so we're not thrilled. I'm lucky enough to teach online, but my husband's back to work armed to the eyebrows with mask, eyeglasses, face shield and gloves... Let's hope it's enough and that everyone is safe.

As for cross stitching, I've got some progress and a finish to show you all! My pace slowed quite a bit during the summer, but I still got some things done. So without further ado, here we go:

Charming Kitten by Dimensions

That's right, I got a finish! I don't know how, but this adorable little kitten kept me pushing through. It must've been his soulful eyes! Not only did I finish it, but I had it framed too. That was an odessy, but I'll talk about it at the end of the post: if you want more detailed pictures on the kitten piece, click here to go to its dedicated page.

Sea Flora by Nora Corbett

During the summer, I stitched up this beautiful mermaid and nearly finished her:

Imagine my surprise when among my fabric stash I found a piece of 14 count Aida, hand dyed by myself last year: a failed attempt from trying to get the fabric just right for Mermaid Azure! I thought I'd thrown all the rejects away, but apparently I'd kept this one, and if you'll believe it, it was the perfect size for this project. So it was a no brainer! When I finish her, I want to frame and hang her next to Mermaid Azure so that they're facing each other, as companion pieces. I hope to have her ready to go soon!

Wintry Wolf by Dimensions

This is my latest start, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. If you remember, I talked about this rather special kit in this post , because I was very surprised to find pre-printed fabric! And it's not even Aida. And the pattern is worked in 3 threads throughout. I mean... Let's just say that I was intimidated. However, with the start of autumn my patience and concentration came back, and I was ready for a challenge. So here we are:

I'm marking the pattern as I go, which is a first for me as I see marking a book or leaflet or anything paper as sacrilege, but... Well, it had to be done. You'll be seeing my progress on this one this fall!

Framing

Finally, a word about framing. This one has been complicated this year. By the time our lockdown ended back in June, our one and only framing shop in town was closed for good. It was very sad to see, especially because the owner was such a kind and helpful lady; another example of how Covid is affecting everything. 

So I decided to frame the pieces myself. I went into our local carpentry/housewares shop and picked out two white frames, and then two small bottles of paint; then I set about laying the frames down on some paper out on our small balcony and painting them carefully.

 And this is how they came out:

A deep, Mediterranean blue for Charming Kitten. I wanted a really strong blue to bring out the color of his eyes, and I only put one coat of paint to make it look a bit rugged. Very pleased with the results!

And...

For my pixie, this beautiful, gorgeous, guilty-pleasure, deep popping Barbie pink:  

I could not be happier with this one. I was like a giddy child putting paint onto the wood, just enjoying the deep unapologetic pink to my heart's content. Just looking at this piece now makes me smile: it really pops! And have I mentioned it's pink? My inner child is pleased.

And finally, I also framed Guardian Spirit with a sturdy wooden frame which, while it's not perfect, at least it's done:

And that's all for now! I think we're all caught up on my stitchy news. How are you all? How are things in your side of the world? I hope you and your family are safe and sound, or as much as one can be right now. Wishing you all the best of weeks! Happy stitching :)

White Clover: Finished!

I have a finish for you guys!! Here she is!! White Clover!!

I mean... Isn't she beautiful?? I love the colors on her, all those cool greens mixed with lilacs and pinks. Every time I look at her I can't get over how gorgeous she is! I'd like to take her to a professional framer when this quarantine is over and find her the largest, most delicious guilty-pleasure-so-sue-me-Barbie-pink frame to make her colors pop even more!

As usual I used my own beads, I think the pink ones may be a bit larger than called for and a bit more pink than the dress itself... Buuuut I love pink so I ain't even sorry. Here are some close up pictures:

I can't get enough of this project!

How is everyone doing today? I hope you're all keeping busy and safe! I've decided to limit my news consumption because it's been making me feel so anxious and sad. I used to think that limiting the news would be like burying my head in the sand, but I've come to the conclusion that if I'm going to be holed up at home for goodness knows how many weeks, I have to take care of my mental health. So I'm now watching/reading the news once a day, and the rest of the time I'm either working, doing housework, stitching, or keeping in touch with friends and family. I have to say, my mood and anxiety levels are so much better... And that's not nothing.

I hope you guys are doing OK wherever you are, until next time... Happy stitching :)

White Clover & Coronavirus in Spain

Hi everyone! Just a quick stitchy update and a few words on the state of things here in Spain. First, here is White Clover, looking absolutely fabulous:

As you can see her skirt is really coming along, and I'm loving all the soft pinks and lilacs, as they are my favorite colors. The stuff of dreams! Absolutely beautiful, I couldn't be happier with this project or enjoy it more.

COVID-19.

Alright guys, I hope no one minds me digging into this topic, but... do you even live in 2020 if you don't talk about the Coronavirus? Here in Spain the situation exploded overnight. To be honest I've been very worried by the lack of action from our government, seeing how Italy has been doing for the past few weeks and we were following right in their footsteps. Things seem to be changing though.

As in stands right now, we have more than four thousand infected people and the healthcare systems of the main affected areas are completely collapsed. The government has declared a state of emergency beginning tomorrow, schools are closed and, well, it just feels like we're living in a dystopian movie right now. We expect the number of infected to rise to 10 thousand, especially now that people have begun evacuating Madrid (the most affected area) and moving to their secondary homes all over Spain. I'm quite worried about my two grandparents, who are both in their late 80s... I hope they don't catch the virus.

The president announces state of emergency in Spain

Grocery shops here are pretty much ransacked, as everywhere else, but we have still been able to obtain some necessities. My brother (who lives in Barcelona) says everything is empty though, and he hasn't been able to buy anything. Hopefully the panic buying will stop soon. It remains to be seen what measures will be taken tomorrow as part of the "state of emergency", but since we have already been told to stay at home, at the rate things are going I won't be surprised if we're in full-on lockdown like Italy.

How are you guys doing? Is there panic-buying where you live? Are your areas affected? Wherever you are I hope you're keeping safe! Until next time, happy stitching and remember to wash your hands ;)

White Clover: Week 2

YOU. GUYS. Look at this beauty!!

I absolutely, completely love this pixie! Look at those popping colors! Look at the swirly curves and all her little details! This is my favorite project in a long time. I have achieved Stitcher's Bliss :)

Speaking of details... If you notice, there's something different about her wings. I didn't use the Kreinik called for, opting instead for a cool green metallic thread that I had lying around, but I really like the effect. You can't see it in the photo, but her wings are very glittery! (Also, note to self: don't stitch with metallic thread under a strong lamp, unless you want to feel like you're staring into a thousand tiny suns. Use natural light instead!).

So, what's new with everyone? We've been down with a flu over here but are now feeling much better, we're settling into our new place and making use of our more central location to take sunny walks everywhere, including the beach! It's lovely. I hope you're all well and keeping busy with all things stitchy!

Happy stitching :)

White Clover

Alright guys, big stitchy news: I've changed projects. I was very bummed out about having had to leave our old place, and the flowers in the Baby Bluejays project were reminding me too much of our lovely almond tree beside my sunny stitching spot... that, combined with the intricacy of the pattern, were making me quite blue and frustrated. I obviously needed an easy, small design to take my mind off of things.

So, I picked up White Clover by Nora Corbett and I went nuts. Here it is so far:

I love, love, love that crown. It's so swirly and pink!

This pixie is part of Nora Corbett's "Poison Pixies" collection. I didn't understand why it was a poison fairy and I guessed that maybe white clover is poisonous, but as I stitched her I realized that actually, she does look poisonous! I mean, just look at those wings: they're full of sharp angles and changing, mesmerizing colors. If you saw that out in the wild you'd think twice before touching it! I have to say, Nora is very clever with her designs.

Some WIP pictures and my cats napping around:

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments on my last post- they were very encouraging and sweet, and I really appreciated them. And don't worry, I absolutely want to finish that Baby Bluejays piece! I'm just not in the right frame of mind for it right now, but I'll pick it up again :)

I hope you all have a great week, happy stitching :D