The Passion of my Needle

New Stash

2012-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Heritage Stitchcrafts Elegance Series. I guess I have an affinity for beautiful faces. Do you think I will get around to stitching any of these this year...I hope so.

A Lovely Face

2012-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

Lanarte Lady with Lilac Flower

This project is coming along very slowly for me. There is a lot of changing of the floss/needle which I am not a fan of. Seeing her face now though is inspiring me to work on it more.

Lanarte's Lady With Lilac Flower

2012-01-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

My first progress photo. I started this piece on January 6th, 2012. Now that I can see something of a face, I am feeling more inspired. This is much different than stitching the Mirabilias. For one thing, it uses only 1 strand of floss. Secondly, the fabric is much different and thirdly, each color of floss is scattered around in no particular order which makes stitching in a methodical fashion nonexistent.

Mediterranean Mermaid Framed

2011-10-18T13:08:00.001-07:00

I am really happy with how Mediterranean Mermaid's frame and mats turned out. It has 2 mats, the top being suede and has a specialty cut in the corners. The frame itself is a silverish tone with embellishments on it. I love my framer, this only cost me $106...seriously, no joke. (I always choose from the less expensive frames and always choose regular glass so I save money there).

On October 15th I started Venetian Opulence. This one is being stitched on 28 count Crossed Wing Collection's lugana, the color is Blueberry. Unfortunately, there is no opalescent in this one. I waited so long for Silkweaver to correct their error on my other piece of fabric meanwhile waiting to start MotD and nothing ever showed and since I am not sure if I want to use the original fabric they sent me or not and not wanting to wait a long time for a fabric order, I decided to order something from 123stitch. Their service is incredibly fast, I received this order in 2 days. They don't have any opalescents though, so there you have it. This piece, Venetian Opulence, is going to be a portrait and not the entire design.

Fairy Flora

2011-07-02T16:20:00.001-07:00

This is 3 more weeks of progress since the last time I posted Flora. Most of that time was spent stitching variations of pink on her fairy gown. There is still a long way to go but I am going to take a break from this piece for a while until she inspires me again. Please visit me at The Mirabilia Stitcher.

A Start on Lady Hera by Mirabilia

2011-06-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have some progress at last. Here is my start on Lady Hera by Mirabilia. I actually started this one on May 26th but was working on Fairy Flora until two days ago when I got up the motivation to change the colors of the yellow dress to gold. I kept the ribbons the same color, I hope they will work with it. This one is being stitched on Silkweaver Reflections, 32 count, Starquest. If you would like my conversion for the dress, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. Next week I will reveal my progress on Fairy Flora, I am about half way complete with it. Please visit me at The Mirabilia Stitcher.

Fairy Flora by Mirabilia

2011-06-09T13:22:00.001-07:00

I don't have a lot of progress on Fairy Flora but wanted to share the little bit that I have made since the last post about her.

I Started Morning Fae

2011-05-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Morning Fae

Passione Ricamo

This is another large start for me this year, however, I doubt I will finish it this year. I am really enjoying stitching the wings which have quite a lot of metallics (Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid) which are easy to stitch with. I have been working on it over the past week. This is being stitched on 32 count Picture this Plus Lugana (Legacy). I plan to leave out the mountain scene because I had a quarter yard piece of fabric and that was not enough for the mountain scene; it would be nice if fabric could be ordered to size to eliminate having to buy a half yard when a tiny bit more than a quarter yard is needed. I also noticed that sometimes when buying fabric the piece is slightly smaller than the dimensions posted.

Here She Is

2011-05-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

South Seas Mermaid by Mirabilia

(For the specifics see a previous post)

The Wings are Completed!

2011-05-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Fairy Flora by Mirabilia

I am so relieved and happy to have the second wing accomplished! Although it is hard to tell in the photo, the wings are filled with a metallic blend along with the floss. The blending filament used in the wings caused this part to be a bear. Word of advice: find an alternative to kreinik blending filament anytime it is called for in a chart you are stitching. Almost every strand of blending filament breaks whilst stitching with it, even short strands and threading the needle with it is a test of patience. Even the beading was a breeze in comparison. Now that this part is accomplished, the rest is going to be smooth sailing.

The fabric is 32 count Silkweaver Reflections on lugana. The color is called Enchantment.

Completed South Seas Mermaid!

2011-05-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Design: South Seas Mermaid

Designer: Mirabilia

Stitched By: TJ

Started on: March 05, 2011

Completed on: May 06, 2011

Fabric: 32 count opalescent lugana by

Silkweaver Fabrics

Fabric color: Spring Garden

Fibers: DMC,

Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid,

DMC variations, Gentle Arts Sampler Threads,

And Mill Hill Beads

If you would like a copy of the changes I have made, e-mail me and I will reply with the info.

Sneak Peek

2011-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek at the progress that I have made on South Seas Mermaid. I should be finished with it within a week. I have documented the changes that I have made if anyone is interested in it send me an e-mail and I will reply with the info. In the meantime, I will also be starting Morning Fae by Passione Ricamo:

I was inspired by The Enchanted Burrow.

More Progress on South Seas Mermaid

2011-04-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

"South Seas Mermaid" MD-92
by Nora Corbett

Release Date October 16, 2006

Stitched on Silkweaver's 32 count opalescent lugana Spring Garden

She lives in the warm seas of the South and watches over her precious aquatic garden. Her tail shimmers in the reflective light of her coral castles. When she plays in the azure water, you may catch a glimpse of her pearly veil.

Progress of Fairy Flora

2011-04-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

I completed a wing. I used petite seed beads instead of the regular ones as called for on the chart. This is being stitched on silkweaver 32 count opalescent lugana called enchantment. Before I attempt the second wing, I will take a break from her for a while and return to South Seas Mermaid.

Letters by Nora

2011-03-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

I turned Nora's Letter R...

into a "D" for my niece, Daisy, she is 17 so I hope it is not too juvenile for her. I changed a few other things too. The colors are some wdw, and some dmc, the letter is done with Thread Gatherer SNC. I changed the design of the wings too. The fabric is 32 count Iris Garden opalescent lugana. My intention was to do a little at a time spaced across several months but I just got addicted to it as I was stitching it and it took me about a week to start and finish. I hope she will like it.

An Adventurous Journey

2011-03-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

I'm at the halfway point now. Mirabilia's mermaids do not have so much stitching that it takes long, I have only been stitching this one for 18 days. For me stitching this one is like reading a good adventure novel, seeing a great play or even an adventurous journey because it is so colorful and exciting. I love so much seeing the image emerge as I add more and more stitches.

A Week with South Seas Mermaid

2011-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

has produced this:

I loved working with the different colored floss and beads so much that I kept stitching more than I usually do. I changed a couple things about her too.

Working on two Miras this Week

2011-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

I love the colors in Fairy Flora and got a good start on the wing but I had to take a break from it because working with Kreinik Blending Filament is like a nightmare, it frays about half way through a strand everytime. These wings have a lot of blending filament so I will have to pace myself on it. I like the way it is looking though.

In the meantime...

I started another beautiful Mirabilia. Can you guess which one this is? That's right, it's South Seas Mermaid and she has a lot of colorful fibers and embellishments to make this project so much fun.

Both of these are on Silkweaver opalescent fabrics.

Started Fairy Flora

2011-03-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

Fairy Flora

New Beginnings are always very exciting

Summer Queen has been Framed

2011-02-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

I also finished The Queen Bee by JBW Designs:

Summer Queen is Finished!!

2011-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

I am finally finished with this one!! I am so relieved. This was one of the largest pieces I have ever accomplished.

A Mirabilia for 2011

2011-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Onto my next Mirabilia, this one, Fairy Flora, is just too tempting with all of the sparkle (I have seen some images of this completed on google images and just love it especially on a blue fabric). This is going to be stitched on 32 count Enchantment opalescent from Silkweaver. I was inspired by someone on facebook, see here.

Another Milestone

2011-01-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

I have made what I consider another milestone achievement on Summer Queen by completing her royal robe. This part took me 2 1/2 weeks to accomplish. I also got a start on the strings of beads that hang down her robe. I expect to be completely done with this in approximately 3 weeks.

Summer Queen on the Home Stretch

2010-12-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here she is on the longer extender bars. These are 24 inches from the bottom rod to the top rod. This is what makes it possible for me to put the beads on as I go and not wait until the end to add them all, I prefer doing it this way and this way the beads do not have to get rolled up.

Last week I calculated roughly 9300 more stitches left to do so if I can get 300 stitches done a day then I can be done in about a month.

Seven Finishes in 2010

2010-12-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

In years past, I used to have a lot more finishes but this year I have only completed 7 projects and 1 that is almost finished (Summer Queen). A few of these are quite large so it makes sense. Here is a recap of all that I have accomplished this year:

Mother Earth

Charmed Hearts

Summer Queen Wip

Deepest Love

Alphablu

Isabella's Garden

Queen Bee

The Gathering Room

One Mirabilia at a Time

2010-12-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Slow and steady progress has been made on Summer Queen over the last month though I have not put in as much time as I would have liked and it seems to be dragging on and on. I am tempted to give up. Most of the remaining parts are very dull and I am not usually anxious to work on it. Another week and I will have reached the bottom of the extender bars (assuming I keep plugging away on it) and will be changing them out for longer bars and this has been my focus for the last month but there is so much to do still after that and I keep asking myself why I am doing this. I feel like this is going very very slowly and I have 3 other Mirabilias kitted up; again, why do I do this to myself.

^progress from Nov. 22 - Dec. 17^

^Previous Progress from Nov.21^

Royal Splendor

2010-11-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

^previous progress^

Summer Queen Progress from Nov.11 - Nov. 20

Interesting facts:

Summer Queen was released in 1996.
Summer Queen uses 7 packs of beads in 4 colors.
Her satin gown consists of 6 colors of blue, 3 grays and white.

Summer Queen's Tiffany-Blue Gown

2010-11-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

^Previous progress ^

Another 17 days of progress on Summer Queen (Mirabilia).

Summer Queen's Graceful Writing Plume

2010-10-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

The above image is progress from August 19th, 2010

The above image is progress from August 24th 2010 (1 week of progress)

It isn't much but this is the progress I have made on Summer Queen by Mirabilia over the last 2 weeks since I finished Alphablu. She is being stitched on 32 count opalescent linen in a lavender color using 2 strands of dmc floss and mill hill beads.

My finish of Alphablu by Courtney Collection. To see all the details go to my gallery.

Deepest Love by Mirabilia is Framed

2010-10-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Deepest Love
Mirabilia
Stitched by TJ
Started on: July 11th, 2010
Completed on: Sept. 26, 2010
Stitched on 32 count Silkweaver
Iris Garden Opalescent
2 over 2 with DMC floss

Framed at Nick's Frameshop

Completed Deepest Love by Mirabilia

2010-09-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Deepest Love
Mirabilia
Stitched by TJ
Started on: July 11th, 2010
Completed on: Sept. 26, 2010
Stitched on 32 count Silkweaver
Iris Garden Opalescent
2 over 2 with DMC floss

Love Knows No Boundaries

2010-09-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Progress from Sept. 1 - Sept. 11

Silkweaver Fabric

2010-09-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

I got my silkweaver fabric today. I ordered it on Friday, August 20th so this was a really quick fulfillment of the order. I was fearful at first to order from them because I heard several stories of orders gone wrong and/or not received so I called the company first and talked to the manager. He assured me that the previous mix-ups were due to complications from the previous owner and that all of the past orders had been satisfactorily fulfilled. He also informed me that one of the items that I wanted to order was in stock and that the other two were to be dyed the next day and that my order should be out to me the next Friday (Aug. 27th). I felt very confident about my order after speaking to the manager who was kind and very helpful. I ordered 3 pieces all opals, all 18 x 26 and all 32 count and all luganas.

Here is what I received. The correct fabrics, the correct colors ,the correct sizes and the correct counts. In addition, I received twice as large of one piece and two stitching magazines (I did not know I would receive these bonuses).

All three fabrics + mags

My piece of Starquest

Starquest on their website

My piece of Enchantment

Enchantment from their website

My piece of Spring Garden

Spring Garden from their website

I am very satisfied with my order and so glad that I took a chance on ordering Silkweaver fabrics since they are one of the best.

Need to know info: Silkweaver fabrics is now handled directly through Zweigart fabrics and is sold through Needleworker's Delight website.

In conclusion, if you are dying to try these hand dyed fabrics, give the manager a call before placing your order, the number is on the silkweaver website.

I did not receive any compensation whatsoever for this review.

Mirabilia's Deepest Love

2010-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Current Progress for the week of August 24th - 31st

Deepest Love Mirabilia

Summer Queen's Golden Chignon

2010-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

I decided to work on Summer Queen this week. My goal was to get her hair completed along with all of the beadwork there and I accomplished this in less than a week, woohoo.

I keep my beads in a little tin with double sided tape inside the tin. This makes it super easy to have control of the beads while stitching with them. Tin: $1.99.

Started Summer Queen

2010-08-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Summer Queen's face

With Jewels and Regal Bearing

2010-08-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my progress for the last week. This is the only thing I have worked on since last Thursday. I reached my goal on it for the week and came to a good ending point for now. When I pick it up again, I will start on her scales. I really love how it is coming along. I started this one on July 12th, 2010. I received my supplies for Summer Queen so I will be starting that one soon; I already have the fabric on the scroll rods and all of the floss pulled.

Princess From the Deep

2010-08-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here is more progress on Mirabilia's "Deepest Love". My last progress post was 3 weeks ago and I think I have made a fair amount of progress considering I have also been working on other pieces during that time. This is being stitched on 32 count iris garden by silkweaver over 2 fabric threads.

I guess her hand looks amphibious the way it was designed. I did consider trying to change it but decided to leave it; she is a mermaid after all.

I have changed the colors from greens to a purple/blue tone. I hope it turns out o.k. I have never converted my own colors on a Mirabilia before.

It has been over a year since I have stitched a whole Mirabilia design. I had forgotten how much I love working on these. It is not only the anticipation of an exquisite finish to hang proudly on my wall, each stitch and each bead is truly enjoyable to put into it's place in the developing image.

I have decided to start working on the queen's next. I am already committed to stitching summer queen and am considering doing a second one after that. Once that has been decided, much, much later (next year sometime), then I will consider doing all 4 of them.

First Progress for Deepest Love

2010-07-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is my first progress photo for Deepest Love by Mirabilia. I am stitching her on 32 count opalescent Iris Garden from Silkweaver with 2 strands of DMC embroidery floss over 2 fabric threads. There are also Mill Hill beads and there will be a small amount of Rainbow Gallery's Petite Treasure Braid.

My next project will be Summer Queen by Mirabilia when DL is completed.