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Sunday 12 February 2017

I Did It, I Only Went and Did It!

What did I did?

Here's a clue:


And another one:


And the next day:


And today:


Close-up to give you a better idea:


Bit of an angle:


Any guesses?

Regular followers may have noted my profile in the side bar gives a clue.  "My ambition is to stitch a Chatelaine...one day!"

Well that day is here!  Was here, last Friday to be exact.  I have finally started my Chatelaine.  So why has it taken so long?  I've been stitching for 24 years (big anniversary next year) and have done all sorts of complicated designs, speciality stitches and fibres.  I've done BAPs and tiny intricate pieces so why not a Chatelaine?  

Two reasons - One is indecision!  How do you narrow it down to just one design?  They are all so wonderful.  I knew I wanted to stitch a Mandala, I knew I wanted all the sides to be different, I knew I wanted it to be meaningful to me, somewhere I had been or wanted to go.  When Gardens of London was released a couple of years ago I knew I had found "my" design, it fitted all the criteria and was beautiful.  So why didn't I start it then?

Reason two - price!  Chatelaines are stinking expensive.  The charts are expensive, the fibres and beads even more so.  Yes, you can stitch them in DMC but isn't it nice to use the silks and the special threads?  Last year I was celebrating a special zero Birthday so I decided it was the perfect time to splash out on the design.  Martine was having a flash sale in the Summer and I managed to be there the one day she put Gardens of London on 20% off.  I suggested to people that they "sponsor" a thread so several of the speciality fibres have a person's name in the bag.  The DMC were all provided by Susan who is a real enabler!  The fabric and chart came from Birthday money my family gave me.

The fabric, incidentally, is 32 count Belfast linen in Cotton Clouds by Crafty Kitten.  Dawn and I joked about choosing a stormy grey but this is prettier and London does get sunshine too.  The colour in the first photo is probably most realistic.

So far I have stitched 3 DMC colours.  I plan to stitch as much of the DMC in the centre to make sure I get the placement right before I start on the Dinky Dyes and metallics.  I don't mind frogging and binning DMC!

Talking of metallics, there's a lot more on 12 Days of Christmas:


Close up of last night's section:


You can see I am stitching ////// then \\\\\\\ rather than each stitch individually.  You can also see I made a start on the second Herald Angel.  I decided that each time I stitch a block I will stitch the next day on the top part of the design to hopefully finish it by the end of the year.  The border will continue to be my evening project.  For ever....

Day 43 of the Ten-a-Day challenge:

Just Nan - Spring in the Square

Finally, what is the best Birthday present ever if you are 8 years old?  A helium balloon.  The Small Boy has played non-stop with his helium balloon.  Best £3.50 we ever spent!

28 comments:

Nic said...

I can't wait to watch your progress on Gardens of London. It's on my wishlist - but as I have 2 WIPs and another being kitted up it might be a while before I purchase it. I will live vicariously through your progress instead.

Kaisievic said...

Woo Hoo! You did it! I am not game to start mine - as I think I told you, I looked at the pattern and got totally bamboozled but I cannot wait to see yours grow. Lovely!

Justine said...

Hurray for your Chatelaine start!

Ariadne said...

Good luck!It is such a great design, as a lover of the UK I adore it.But I just found out there is a Greek mandala, so I start collecting money!LOL!AriadnefromGreece!

Linda said...

Love your new start Jo. Nice progress on the others.
Did you see my reply to you on your last comment to me.

Linda

Susan said...

Congratulations on joining the Chatelaine family. Enjoy the journey. 12 Days is looking great and I love Spring in the Square (I have it in my stash and keep hoping that it's number gets drawn for the Just Nan slot in my rotation).

Barb said...

Isn't it funny what children fond amusing to play with. I still remember my grandson on his first birthday just playing with the boxes. Good luck with your new project.

Preeti said...

Great to see you working on your long awaited project. You made good stitching progress.

Brigitte said...

Oh great to see that you have started the Gardens of London. It's such an excitement when you have waited for such a long time and then finally put needle to fabric and start stitching it. I felt the same when I started my first Paula Vaughan piece many years ago - my very first BAP. I'm looking forward to seeing this wonderful piece grow.

Mini said...

Congrats for taking the plunge. They say the best things have to wait.Good progress on other projects.

gracie said...

Looking forward to London updates.

Mii Stitch said...

Great start, looking forward to your updates :)
I used to love helium balloon!!!!

KimM said...

WOW! You're courageous - and the stitched finish will be gorgeous, I'm sure. You GO, Girl!
xxx

Leonore Winterer said...

You finally started! I am very exciting to watch while I myself remain in your first dilemma: So many pretty patterns, which one to chose? But for now, I will be very content to just watch this beautiful design grow and grow and grow :)

Kerryp77 said...

Hurrah for the chatelaine! I'm really looking forward to watching this grow. It's such an amazing design.
I do /// then \\\ on borders like that. It's so much easier. Nice start on the other Angel in 12 days too.

D1-D2 said...

Congrats on starting your first Chatelaine. One day I hope to join you :)

butterfly said...

Congrats on your chatelaine , I shall be watching to see how it grows .
All your stitching looks so lovely.

Tiffstitch said...

Wow!! I'm so glad you've started, that's wonderful, and I hope it's been enjoyable. Lovely work on 12 Days too and good plan to hopefully have a finish for your Advent hop? ;)

Mouse said...

yeahhhhh doing a wee dance for you ... happy birthday small boy ... love helium balloons too :) ooooo i have been stitching for a wee bit longer than you ... scratching behind my ears thunking ....did my first binca around 6 years of age and started stitching properly around 15 years old ish ....eeeekkkk ..lol love mouse xxxxx

Beth in IL said...

Good for you! I love seeing other people stitch those lovely designs. I have too much stash to even think about it.

geeky Heather said...

Oooh, exciting that you got to start a Chatelaine!! I should really get back to mine.....

deb said...

Congratulations on that very special start! Will look forward to updates.

Christine said...

Ooh, your Chatelaine start is lovely!
Has SB discovered the delights of inhaling the He yet?

Lili said...

Great start on the Chatelaine design!

Katie said...

Wohoo Congrats on your very exciting new start. I look forward to cheering you along. Great job on your other two WIPs.

Julie said...

Happy Birthday to small boy.
My son played with a box for 2 weeks once.....
Hooray for the Chatelaine start.

Sarah in Stitches said...

Woohoo!! Congrats on starting your Chatelaine! I can't wait to watch this grow. It must be so exciting! Lovely stitching on 12 Days too :D

Heather said...

Yay congratulations! It's a great start so far! Do you still need me to help with beads?