raphael

Done with shows. Time to concentrate on designing. 

Finished today, Raphael of the SnowAngelz

63w x 64h over two threads on Dusty Green Jobelan from Wichelt 

Uses DMC floss and Kreinik #4 braid

Next up, another of the Whiskerkins Collection, Patches

2013 right around the corner and there are already too many thoughts in my head.

Time to start sorting all of that!

valentino

Introducing Valentino of the SnowAngelz Collection. Stitched over two threads on 28ct. African Daisy hand dyed Jobelan using DMC threads and Kreinik's #4 braids for wing and heart and Val's rosy cheeks. Finished count 77w x 84h.

SnowAngelz Gabriel

Finished today! The newest in the SnowAngelz Collection. 

Introducing, Gabriel. 

Stitched over two on 28ct. Summer Sky hand dyed Jobelan from Wichelt Imports using DMC threads and Kreinik #4 Braid for that sparkle! 79w x 65h. 

all tangled up

Yay! Finished this up last night, All Tangled Up.  It has been awhile since our Flakey Friends made an appearance. I had a lot of fun returning to them.  I stitched this piece over two threads on 28ct. Lavender Mist hand dyed jobelan from Wichelt Imports using DMC threads and Kreinik #4 braid, moonstone. 

Next up?  Another SnowAngelz piece, and further work on the quilt for Irish Quilting Magazine, with some storyteller blanket cloth stitching tucked in between. 

winter branches

The snow fell on the branches yesterday, stitched with winter white and a shimmery Kreinik braid; adding a pale blue just to make all the white pop a little more. I have another spool of silvery-blue braid in my basket that might still find its way worked in. Decision to be made once I have my coffee!

Now on to spring things, the first pastels of the season, a little shimmery sparkle that is both winter and the promise of summer to follow. Moving right along, hope to have this completed by the end of our long weekend! Also finished yesterday, (and needing a good pressing!) Autumn.

This was a lot of fun. It reconnected me with my spontaneity; with free stitching and working from images and ideas in my head rather than those already put down on paper, giving me permission to change things midstream even if there is a pattern in front of me. It is definitely an exercise I will visit again. 

autumn

The branches are finished, and now the leaves hold on as tenaciously as they can but they fall and tumble none the less.

I added two Kreinik metallics for the leaves. The camera caught a little of that sparkle.

 

Reworked the roots...

And now, moving on to winter!

The snow dripping off of the branches is done with DMC winter white, and there will be metallics in the falling snow. Either blending filament or a #4 braid. I've not pinned myself down on that just yet, I just know there will be a metallic or two in each season.

Winter Blessing

I finished up the first of the SnowAngelz collection today,  Winter Blessing.  I stitched my piece over two threads on blueberry hand-dyed jobelan from Wichelt Imports. This one finishes up at 68w x 98h, and uses DMC floss and Kreinik #4 braids and blending filaments for the wings and snowy sparkle.

I'm not all together sure what I want to work on next. I've a few ideas in my head that need sketching, and the weekend's random stitching has me turning a few other concepts around, more for upcoming fall craft and artisan shows than commercial cross stitch. I might just take a few days off right now too as we ready to move my son to North Dakota this weekend and then seriously dig in next week with the new stuff!

snowangelz

Today I started working on the first of my SnowAngelz collection.  I'm in search of more snowy-angel quips -n- quotes for the other designs that are in various stages on the drawing board. This first one will be stitched on Wichelt's blueberry hand-dyed jobelan, 28ct. over two threads. I am also going to get back into using some sparkle and shimmer, using Kreinik's blending filament in a blend with DMC winter white for the wings, and the other sparkles are going to be done with #4 braids to add some dimension.

I am almost done with block #3 of 5 for the Irish Quilting Magazine submission. Now I am rethinking the other blocks, which will be strictly fabric, traditional blocks of some sort. I have the fabric I would *like* to get, just waiting to see if I can get my hands on it.

Looks like I got more done than what I thought I was going to at this time yesterday. A nice rain last night cooled things down some, and an early night to bed cleared my noggin' enough that I was up early and working slmost an hour before the Golden Girls reruns started.

It's been a good weekend.

Now for a good, productive week!

done!

Finished this morning...finally!...The Dryad Tree.  I stitched my piece on 14ct. hand dyed jobelan aida, Sandcastle, from Wichlet Imports.  The piece uses DMC six strand flosses and one Kreinik #4 braid for the tree trunk and branches.

I have also been researching and experimenting with Irish lace, something that is a departure for me as I have always struggled with small crochet hooks!  But I decided to give it another go around as I have a lot of  crochet thread and perle cottons.  Here is my first attempt!  I worked this flower off the top of my head.

I still need to work a little bit on my tension, but overall I'm happy with the feel of this and am going to make more. This one started as a doily, but as I started working around, it wasn't laying flat, so I just went with the organic feel of it, let it curl where it would.

Next up?  I need to sketch.  Yes, believe it or not, I am out of designs to stitch!  I went to the list of "suggestions" from those who follow my work, and I think I'm going to work on some cute little chubby birds, probably bluebirds and cardinals.  (Thanks, Jackie!)

wool for felting & other randomness

So I have this image in my head combining my love of needle felting and needlework in general. I ordered some wool from a wonderful shop, Headley Grange , and it arrived today!

(Image from Headley Grange Etsy Shop)

It is just yummy and the colors are beautiful. It is going to work perfectly with what I have in mind. 

More to come as I get working! 

Almost finished up Of Mice & Snowmen , the next in the Snowballz Again series, and I finally got all the things beside my Stitching Chair sorted.  Feels much better, although I still need to get all my floss sorted so I know what I need to pick up besides the usual white, winter white, black and brown-black! 

There are also some new Kreinik threads that I simply need to order, and I have come to realize that my fabric stash has become seriously depleted! Time to trot off to the Wichelt site and put an order together!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Walking the Cat

Finally! Completed! Walking The Cat, the 2011 installment in the Halloween series featuring Walking Jack 2009 and Walking the Bat 2010.  Finished size, 106w x 88h, stitched over two threads on 28ct. Antique Copper hand-dyed Jobelan from Wichelt Imports using DMC floss and Kreinik #4 braids. 

CM Designs: Bug Bungalow

Finally! Completed! Bug Bungalow, the newest release in cross stitch. I used several of Kreinik's new candy-themed #4 braids in this one, along with DMC six-strand flosses, both regular colors and the Color Variations for rock and leaves to give some dimension. The fabric is Wichelt's 14ct. aida in Butterfly Blue.

Bug Bungalow

Aida 14, Butterfly Blue 

132w X 166h count

It took awhile to complete, as my life had been taking a lot of twists and turns, but I am really happy with the way it turned out. While I really love my snowmen, (and of course will return to them!) it was fun to switch gears and stitch something bright and full of life.  I am thinking about doing a coral reef soon, with lots of beads and embellishments, and I have several birds on the drawing table too, trees and flowers, to take advantage of all these pretty fibers and fabrics I am seeing out there!

introducing 'three frosty stooges': the popsicle collection

Three Frosty Stooges: The Popsicle Collection

The first of the new Popsicles Collection finished tonight!

'Three Frosty Stooges' finishes at  97w x109h. I stitched my piece over two threads on 28ct. blueberry jobelan from Wichelt Imports.  The piece uses DMC floss and Kreinik blending filament.  I will be including a small white button with each pattern, and as is typical for me in all my recycling ways, the buttons will vary in each pattern pack, carefully selected from the fruit jars filled with buttons that I have in the studio.

Next up, the first of the Snowflakes Collection. They will be similar to the Snowbugz and Lil Flakes, but just a smidge bigger, and there will be three different patterns in each pack. I started sorting through embellishments for these lil guys over the weekend.

Walking the Bat

Started working on new Halloween designs now that I have wrapped up the Little Snowballz line. Some of the very first designs I ever had published were ghosts, and last year  I ran across a file of several that I had started the charting process but had not finished. 

"Walking Jack" was last year's ghoulie.

This year I did what I suppose you could call a companion piece called "Walking the Bat". I stitched the 2010 installment over two threads on Wichelt Imports Orange hand-dyed Jobelan. The finished size is 107w x 88h. 

"Walking the Bat" uses the new Kreinik holographic braids as well.

"Walking the Bat"  Carolyn Manning Designs 2010

Summer Meditation: First of the Seasonal Mandalas

I finished the first of the four miniature mandalas I have designed for cross stitch. This is Summer Mediation and is stitched over two threads on a lime hand-dyed jobelan from Wichelt Imports. I used DMC floss and two of Kreinik's new holographic blending filaments.  I am going to start Spring Mediation next. This piece was intended to be Spring, but once stitched the colors spoke much more to me of summer and the sun, the vibrant blooming of flowers once they've worked past sprouting and first buds.