Advice Needed!

I have been attempting to get this project stitched out on my embroidery machine for about a week now.

Fierce Dragon (Lace) by Urban Threads

It is still missing one of the wings because every time I try to stitch it, I get a birds nest underneath the stitching, my embroidery machine jams up, and then there is crying and screaming (from both me and the machine).

I have tried everything from a new needle to fresh wound bobbin, two layers of stabilizer instead of one, rethreading, adjusting the tension, and cleaning the machine of all lint particles. Last night and tonight I decided that I just wasn't going to deal with it and I didn't even bother. Any other ideas that my brilliant readers have that could help would be most welcome. I have an embroidery project for someone else that has been sitting for seven months because I can't count on my machine to be reliable enough to attempt to stitch it.

Embroidery Machine Play

Now that Ragnarok is over, I decided to settle in and do a few new things with the embroidery machine. The first thing I wanted to do was make myself and Maeve medic belt flags.

My first attempt looked more like a waffle fry than a red cross.

The next two were better. I like the gold, but it doesn't really specify "Medic."

Then my brain kicked into gear and I realized that I had software for this. Why on earth was I stitching out every color scheme?

Now we're talking. I haven't really decided which one to go with, but it will probably be the silver crosses or the all red and white one. I like the silver option, because it relates to our House Heraldry (which is also the reason for the Jerusalem Cross instead of the standard red cross). I also learned a few nifty things that my software does, such as aligning various elements and how to change the background to view the embroidery on different colors.

After playing around with that for a while, I felt brave enough to attempt to embroider a knit t-shirt. I rounded up my supplies, watched a couple tutorials, found a old t-shirt I didn't care about and discovered that I had purchased the wrong type of water soluble stabilizer for a topper. Oops.

But it was exactly the RIGHT type of water soluble stabilizer to experiment with free standing lace... and voila! Meet my little mini 3D patriotic butterfly, carefully stitched while I worked on one of my quilts.

This one will go into the stockpile of accents and accessories that will make it onto my crazy quilt some day. I expect that I will have several more of these to show before too long - it is just too much fun to make them!

WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday and time for a WIP Update.

Camp Nano: Going well at 4295 words out of my 30,000 word goal. So far there have been two days without writing and today I only wrote ~200 words on my lunch break. I'm also trying to step up my reading of urban fantasy novels. I've made it through two, one that I liked and one that I didn't. Lessons learned both ways.

Cross stitch projects: I heard back from Dimensions and they will be sending my threads out soon, meaning I *might* be able to finish Butterfly Profusion this month. In the meantime, I put The Might Samurai on my frame for those TV nights.



Not much new to see here yet, just a little bit of the trees on the left were added this week.

Quilts: Kona sunset was squared up and the border fabric ironed. I didn't cut and stitch the borders yet and here is why:

When I ordered the stonehenge fabric for Jack's quilt, I overpaid on shipping and the Etsy seller sent me that charm pack to refund the extra shipping. Pretty awesome, yes? It's full of a rainbow of colors and I know EXACTLY what quilt I'm going to make with it.

Only instead of all low volume backgrounds, I'm going to use whites, grays, and blacks, with the whites closest to the colors and fading to blacks. That means that I need to get the current quilt off of my design floor, where it had been since early May.

I blame Ragnarok for making this project long term and saying prayers of thanks for a wonderful husband who doesn't mind it when I leave a quilt on the floor for days months.

What are you working on this week? Linking up to WIP Wednesday@ Freshly Pieced and Let's Bee Social@Sew Fresh Quilts

Ideas!

Today, the loot I ordered for Jack's medallion quilt came in the mail.

Gray gradations from black to white and copper gradations from very pale yellow to dark brown. All in Northcott Stonehenge fabrics. I ***LOVE*** stonehenge fabrics and would work with only those and batiks if I could afford to do so. Squee! If they ever come out with a complete set like Fossil Fern did I would happily buy them all.

I'm hoping to achieve something of a 3D effect with these fabrics.

The arrival of such exciting loot sent me scurrying to my computer to research quilts and now my head is so bursting with ideas.

Celtic Medallion I by Scarlet Rose

8 inch quilt block pattern by Creative Quilt Kits

Venetian Tile Inspiration from The Floor of Venice

Baltimore Allbum Applique

Gosh, the possibilities are endless. I've mentally drafted the center medallion of the quilt at least in part. It will be the Baline Cross, set in celtic knots, and I'm pretty sure I can work in some embroidered Akron dragons as cornerstones. MUST NOT START NEW QUILT....

YOTA & July WIPocalypse

The Great Ragnarok Cleanup continues. I had family over for Independence Day yesterday, so things moved a little bit faster this year than last. The house is now functional again and I'm hoping to spend some time during the rest of the month taking care of some dejunking and organizing projects that are is desperate need of attention. 

True to my plan, I've stuck to only a few projects so far this month. Most notably, I've made it as far as I can on Butterfly Profusion. I am short in two colors of thread, the green for the leaves and the yellow for the last of the final butterfly wing.

I've submitted a request to Dimensions for the missing threads, and in the meantime, I'll move onto the other projects on my list.

I've worked on my Nano Novel four out of five days so far. It isn't coming along quickly, but it is coming along. I am currently sitting pretty at 2064 words. Smiles!

Linking up to YOTA@Pulltheotherthread and WIPocalypse@Measi'sMusings.

As for the WIPocalypse Question: "Reality or Fantasy. Which do you prefer to stitch? Figures or Abstract? "

I prefer fantasy, as I'm sure you can tell from my current projects and my stash. I also seem to prefer figures, although I do dearly love Aimee Stewart's scenery art, such as The Jade Gates, Journey's End, Foxglove Ball, and The Magic Grotto. If the Jade Gates is ever made into a cross stitch pattern, it will be the next one I purchase. Number One on my wishlist right now is Guardian Angel by LA Williams.

Guardian Angel b LA Williams

 I'm waiting to buy it until I request a larger size. Right now it is being sold as 400 X 280 stitches and super sized, and I would really prefer to stitch it somewhere in between.