Planning and Charting

I spent most of this week playing with a book I found at our library.  It's by Lesley Wilkins and called Blackwork Made Easy: Techniques, Patterns, and Samplers.  The illustrations are gorgeous and I've always had an intellectual affair with blackwork.. meaning I've thought about doing it, kitted up a couple of charts, but never did anything with it.

Now I've made a chart, which will probably get kitted up and set aside for when I decide I've finished enough UFO's (unfinished objects) and played with a couple of things I've already been promising myself I would do.  Like the previous blackwork chart I kitted up for myself.

I fell in love with the dragon design in the book and just had to sketch him out before I returned it.  Then he looked sort of sad and lonely on the page, so I gave him a friend.  Then I doodled with some border bits that I thought were interesting.  The next thing I knew, flowers had appeared and I decided he was in a garden.  So more flowers and creatures were added to make the picture filled out.

As I was working, it occurred to me that my best friend would really enjoy this piece, so I personalized it with her surname.

All of the motifs are from the book.  I really had fun playing with it.  I doodled out a few other things, but they haven't turned into anything fun like the dragon did.  I do believe I will be purchasing a copy of the book though.  There are so many gorgeous designs inside.

I've also been playing with designs for two charts that each feature a piece of my recent poetry.  Neither of them are finished though.   I keep changing too many things.

I also found the fabrics I'm going to use for the sashing on the appliqued table runner.

The purple was so seductive... I bought a full yard even though I only needed one third of a yard.

I wanted to get more done on the runner this week, but the sun was out on more days than not, so I wanted to be upstairs where I could see it.  And the stitching designs had my attention anyway.

Thanks for checking in this week.  See you next time!