monk from uncle update

I have finally finished with all that blue!

here is the detail on the gold work outlining the water at the bottom, I think I will not outline the lily with gold as well. it stands out well all on its own merits.

 while i love how it turned out, split stitching the whole thing was a trial

I'm still not sure I like how the satin stitch came out on the cross run at the top I may have to pull some of that and do it differently.

If anyone has any suggestions there I would appreciate it!

 

although the crosses themselves came out nice, the Franciscan, the notre dame and the "law" cross

I also found some excellent braid to outline the whole blazon with.

once I put that on the whole thing started looking more "official"

BJP- february spirit doll

 This spirit doll I have named Dance me,


after a song called dance me to the end of love by Leonard Cohen.

 Kate Gibson sings this very soulful version.

January has been busy, happy and traumatic.



In as much as I don't like rushing things, I can't wait for it to be OVER.




so here's to February may it be calmer.

Pearls and lace update

Since I didn't work on this block until the absolute last minute I "threw" on a lot of lace, gimp,and other stuff to fill in space.

but I have always wanted to try doing a beaded bug

so here is my attempt
and truth be told I rather like the critter






 he sits at a rather crowded crossroads



though something needed to go there

to send the eye around mine kept getting stuck at Donna's, rather lovely, SRE


 the big ol' purple flower is there to do the same thing, move your eye around.

I still have some beading and finishing of the two seams I started 4 weeks ago



I feel rather guilty just getting to this now  but well I was a little distracted last month  ;)

with a little help from the audience

paisley#1

I am coming up on 300 posts!

Paisley#2

who knows when I will get there

             BUT


 As a celebration of this milestone I would like to host a giveaway.

Paisley#3

            Which to give away?

 I leave it up to you all in bloggerland, to tell me which of the following goodies you would most like me to gift.

 the Paisley to get the most votes will be the one I give away when I reach my 300th post..



where I will then ask for names to pull out of a random hat
                                                             to pull out of a hat randomly?
                                                      randomly pull names out of a hat?
Whatever
                                     Nothin up my sleeve......Presto!

                                                                                           

home again, home again, jiggity, jigg, jigg

so after 2 weeks in chicago, all the running around and planning before hand the running around visiting in indiana

and what-not while there, oh yeah and the getting married.
I got home to a cat who isn't at all happy to see me.
poor neglected baby!

Pictures are forthcoming and there is a vid one of my uncles shot on you tube here and here

now on to the thankyous and unpacking

I am feeling supremely unmotivated to do anything but sleep

secret revealed

See, I told you I had a good reason to be ignoring my cq!

I promise to have some pictures later.

and yes I know there is an extra l in celebrate! I didn't catch it when I ordered them.
and if you saw what kind of spelling mistakes I usually have, you be impressed that that's the only one that got by me! ha!

I am getting some champaign now......cheers!

Happy Yule!

may he touch you with his noodley appendage

wedding belt and vest

 I have finally finished both of these
 and just in time too

 I started them so long ago now I have forgotten the last post i did of them.

 here's a better picture of the peacock
the last one was yellow and dark




and I finally found a white vest!
you'd think there would be more of these things lying about in stores
but no.
I had to order it special after I found it on line.
Its a lovely white linen

I added a few things to it

And so it's christmas

hello all! and a happy holidays to you all!

I have decided this year, as I do almost every year, to forgo the mall crawl mind numbing sameness of the "traditional" shopping season and stay home making Christmas presents from parts bought at local businesses.

I hate this time of year, not for the reasons you think ( though there are those too!).

the rampant commercialism and ruining of this years thanksgiving peace, was the last straw in a growing list of grievances with the walmarts and targets of the world.

at this point I'd rather pay and extra dollar at my local store than go to any one of them for anything.




anyway, I put the tirade at the end of the post, for those who simply wish to enjoy the eyecandy without the vitriol.

 I have been working on these little beauties for a month now and have gotten it down to a science!

I can do 2 1/2 in a day if I put the radio on.

so far I have made 20 phew!

 obviously not all of them are here some have been sent off to their new homes.

I have also been working on and off on Uncle the Monks coat of arms. I am in, various shades of blue split-stitch hell, right now and will get pictures when there are any new developments because it looks the same as last time just more blue.

 the other projects I am currently ignoring in favor of the holidays are Skellie, my faerie project and the lace and pearls rr which we all decided to ignore for the holidays.

so you understand why I have been inordinately silent, there will be big news (for me anyway) in the new year, which I am currently obsessing over and will let you in on when it's all done.


and yes, here is the end of my aforementioned soapbox tirade.  I felt the need to unburden.


I'm not going to go on about corporate greed and their willing minions in congress, form the gist of this post I think you already know where I'm going and either agree or don't so I won't bore you here.

Except to say, I vehemently disagree with the way the season is being used, by all parties to fleece on of the hard earned and paltry scheckles we have left at the end of the year.
This includes the church, who lost my interest, with their treatment of the abused children and their adamant refusal to do the right thing in dealing with the priests.
then there's  congress who can't seem to get out of their own way to get anything done.
I didn't agree with the GOP before but at least they could get their jobs done.
Now it seems they revel in the fact that they don't do anything and are being paid quite well for it thankyou.
PTHHHH! if there is any justice in the Universe they will all be out on their collective hinies  in 2014 and 2016.

WTF??!    If any of us behaved that way at work we'd be fired tomorrow. why can't we apply the same metric to them? I could go on and have at length I will stop now.
grumble, grumble, fuss, fuss, fuss..............

the munk from uncle part deux

These are the colors of trebizond silk I chose for uncle Carl's coat of arms.

I haven't decided yet to do the outer rim in goldwork or not, would it be too much or just enough?
would it clash or diminish the big maltese  or enhance it?

decisions, decisions.....

 to help the silk lay flat you need to give it an under layer of thread or felt, depending on the loft you want to give it.

I chose to give the blue waves minimal loft and used a neutral DMC floss for the under layer

 the stem and leaf of the lily came next

I used a cross over leaf stitch for the leaves as it looks stunning in the finished  product









and here are the lilies finished in satin stitch and french knots

I have started the underlay for the crosses and the arms that go with the first cross.
though I need the anchors for the second cross before I start that part of the project.


I have started the background of the shield in a lighter blue I am variegating it because I haven't decided if I want to add a slight gradation of darker blues going up to the top. this was depicted in the initial picture but I'm not sure I want to do this.

I also need to add another layer to the book on the right side I want it to look like an open book before I set the lettering 

also just received the flur de lis
for the corners  when I get to that part they will look lovely!

The monk from "Uncle"

 Let me preface this by saying,
My family is weird.

I know we all have pockets of odd in our families but I have one branch that is entrenched in it's strangeness.

I also know some of you will try to tell me I'm the one that's weird and well,

That's Ok because I embraced my peculiarities a long time ago and am comfortable with them.

Franciscan cross

One of my Uncles has become (ordained?) as a monk of the knights of Malta at the rare old age of 79 (or so)

and I have been asked to make him his very own personal coat of arms

and for anyone who knows me, this is funny af all by itself.

but that's not why, I feel my family is so odd

Notre dame cross

I am the logical person to ask, as I am the one with those skills.

It's that I was asked to do so by my uncle the Buddhist.

cross representing philosophy and the law

 I am an Atheist BTW just so you understand why I'm giggling through all this.

I thought you all would like to see the process I go through to design and map out a large sewn piece like this.


I will also take you through some of the imagery and why it's so personal to my Uncle.

 the three crosses represent the religious orders in which he was taught the first for the Franciscan order who taught him in grad/High school.
 the 2nd and 3rd are for Notre Dame where he went for collage and  graduate school.

the lilies represent Mary, the script on the left the hosanna, uncle has sung in the church since he was a choir boy, and LEX CHRISTI< LEX CARITAS, for the law as he was a lawyer for 40 years

 the three waves are for Lacrosse where the three rivers come together, the black the snake and the mississipppi.

all on a large maltese, the rosary all around and the maltese cross dangling to a banner (not yet drafted) at bottom reading OBLITUS MEI

I drafted out the whole thing on a large sheet of drawing paper in pencil,

then traced over this with black sharpie,

then transferred this onto the 18"x18" piece of ecru linen, I will be using for the base, with a blue water soluble pen

as this is going to be mostly sewn in trebizond silks and stretched on a frame it should be safe from disaster but one can never tell at this stage.

 I am hoping to start on it soon and show my progress as i,
                          well progress.

I don't know how long it's going to take I also don't know if i actually have the skills and patience to get this all done in a timely manner.

so it's an adventure in sewing possibilities for me and I hope you all come along with me