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Sunday, May 19, 2019

Swan Stitch-a-Long, part 12

Hi everyone! Another three weeks, and -- there's progress! I was happy with the last session's results, having gotten most of the background done, and finally started stitching one swan head:


My goals for this stretch were to get the background and the necks, heads, and wings of the two swans stitched. I didn't do all of that, but I did do a lot! Much of the background is done, both heads and necks are done.


And much of the wings are done, including the longest of the longstitch sections:


I was really worried about those -- the stitch length is really long, and I didn't feel like there was enough coverage with one stitch each, but two stitches each was too bulky -- so I settled for an informal one stitch, two stitch, one stitch, two stitch "pattern" and they filled in pretty well. And I've decided that I like the slightly unkept look -- I'm choosing to see it as "texture" in the feathers.


The background is really close, but I was enjoying filling in the swans. So I've gone from this:


to this:


I'm going to wrap that up first, and then get back to the swan bodies!

Left swan needs slightly more work than right swan:


But because I finished the heads and necks and wingtips, I was able to roll the canvas in the frame -- that's almost like a mini finish, right?


Still so much to do, but despite the imminent arrival of family from across the pond, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the blue background done, the longstitching in the wings and tail feathers, and maybe even one of the swans done? We'll see!

In the meantime, check out what my fellow stitchers have accomplished on their amazing projects -- you're sure to be inspired!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, LindaHeidi, Jackie, Hayley, Megan, CatherineDeborah, Connie, Clare, Mary MargaretRenee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, and Sharon.

23 comments:

  1. Wow! That's a lot of progress. I really like the textured longstitch you've invented :-)

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    1. Thanks Avis! It's been such a fun (if loooong) project!

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  2. Fantastic progress! Those swans really popped once they were filled in :)

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    1. Thanks Christina! It's fun to see them "get their feathers".

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  3. Wonderful! You have really made good progress, with many well-kept details! I am happy to come to inspire me!
    Carmela

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  4. Oh my goodness, you have been on fire this round! Happy dance just around the corner!! The swans look magnificent once stitched, I didn't guess they would look so different, but wow!

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    1. Thanks Kathy! That corner still feels a long way away :) And then I still need to design a new top and bottom border... but first things first, getting those swans fully feathered!

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  5. Wow, that's a lot of progress! Do you have plans for what you're going to tackle next? Because at this rate you'll be done in no time! I suppose family visiting will tend to slow you down a bit, but what's to stop you from completing this before they even arrive?! ;-)

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    1. Ha! Sue, I hadn't even begun to think about "what's next" ... I have a Japanese sashiko kit that I'd like to work on -- I've never done sashiko, so that seems like it has potential. I also have a "rescue embroidery" that I picked up at my local Goodwill that just needs a bit of love to finish. So maybe one of those "smaller projects".

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  6. I enjoyed reading this post...and getting close ups of what you were describing. There is quite a lot of intensive stitching here. Kudos to you!

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    1. Thanks Jocelyn -- this is really stretching my stitching skills!

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  7. looking quite magnificent
    claire93

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  8. Looking great and progressing well. I know you want to get so much more done but there will be plenty of time after your family go home so take time and enjoy them whilst they are with you Sunny.

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    1. Thanks Helen -- I have a few days to stitch before they arrive, then I'll take a break. :)

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  9. Looks great! You are really letting your creativity shine with this project. I love the stitch you chose for the darker blue background.

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    1. Thanks Suz! I can't believe this stitching is more than halfway done. Just twenty years in the basement, and eight months on the frame (well, so far!).

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  10. Wow! You have really done a lot and it´s looking great!

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    1. Thanks Gun! Still feels like a long, long way to go, but I'm really happy where I am.

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  11. My goodness, this is really coming along. For stitch coverage you could always add a few strands of embroidery floss in the same colour.

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    1. Thanks Deborah -- and that's a clever idea. I might try that in the tail feathers and some of the wing feathers.

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  12. Wow! You have made fantastic progress. The swans heads filled in beautifully. Lovely work!

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