Travelling in the Right Cercles

As I work on filing my state taxes this morning (yes, I know they are due today and that procrastination is bad,) I realize what a small fraction of my business is actually conducted within Washington State. It's truly a wonder of modern technology that I can participate in global commerce.  It is also a wonder and a blessing how the language of the craft transcends the language barriers; graph paper filled up with little symbols means the same thing everywhere.  I realize that not all stitchers have access to the same materials I used, but it is also true that not all stitchers would choose the same things anyway.  That in itself is a beautiful thing.

So let me present to you, two version of Cirque des Cercles completed at far ends of the globe. The first CdC is by Michelle in New Zealand.  She used Moonee Ponds silk from Dinky-Dyes. Such a lovely range of blues and purples.

And from Tanya in Kharkov, in the Ukraine, this elegant version done in metallic DMC on 18 count black Aida.  The beautiful framing job really makes this one sparkle. I'm not sure about that date in the corner - as I said, I procrastinate - but not THAT much. In any case, I'm so glad she shared it with us.



I offer a full-on Snoopy-style happy dance to Tanya and Michelle for their fabulous finishes.  Great job, ladies, and thanks for sharing these pictures!

Thinking Outside the Box

An overused expression, perhaps, but the target idea is always a welcome one - some fresh way of looking at things. In this case, Becky has been thinking outside of the box, specifically on top of said box's lid.

She's stitched up two of the seasonal mandalas that were featured in Just Cross Stitch last year. She stitched the Summer Mandala (top) on 22 count hardanger fabric and found it fit perfectly into this 4" display black box by Sudberry.  Autumn (below) was done on 32 count fabric and fitted into one of their larger oak boxes. Both were stitched up with DMC, which goes to show how nicely something can be made from our favorite ubiquitous cotton floss.  Becky says she's finished the Winter Mandala and the JCS Ink Circles Christmas ornament too. Looks like someone has put their JCS subscription to great use this year!

Thanks for sharing these great projects with us, Becky!

A Bead Off

My mailbox has been overflowing with great photos from stitchers all over the world! 

I've been accused of being a bead off on occasion, but this is a whole other category.  These two I want to share with you are beaded versions of Cirque des Cercles. I am in total awe of these masterpieces.  The upper piece was stitched by Karen, done with 100% beads! The lower model was stitched by Maria, who used some lovely iris-finish beads to accent the motifs done in an overdyed thread.

Here are a few closeup shots:

Let's close this post with my saying how sorry I am I to those people who had just about made up their mind on how THEY were GOING to stitch up their Cirque des Cercles.  It's such a double-edged sword - being inspired vs. now more choices to pick from.

Thank you to Maria and Karen for sharing their fabulous photos.

Join Me on a Free Cruise

Close your eyes and let's take a trip together.  We'll be travelling by tall ship, and the weather should be quite tropical, so pack lightly. Bring your stitching, your knitting, and few good books. Our destination?

I had never guessed such a place existed, but my friend Alison Whittington has sent me a map, so therefore it must.  She ought to know, after all, she is the Chief Mapmaker for the Interimaginational Institute for Fantastical Exploration & Cartography.

I stumbled across Alison's site when I was doing some research on antique maps for a little cross stitch project (I'll have more on that someday to share.) She draws and paints the most lovely imaginative maps, and I must say this one is more charming in person than I could even have imagined. Alison and I became friends when we recognized that the ink levels in our blood was enough to make you legally drunk in some states.  Weapon of choice? Dip pens and India Ink.

With a new baby and I'm certain a large number of Christmas and custom orders, I don't know how she found the time and energy for this gift, but it makes me feel like a Queen in my very own country.  Thank you and big hugs, Alison!

BTW, she has some wonderful prints and originals of all sorts of creative maps in her Etsy shop. I can vouch that they make very happy gifts.

Surviving

Minnie shared a picture with me of a pillow she made for her older sister. Sometimes a stitched tribute doesn't make it into the hands of the one we care about, but Minnie and I are happy to report that said sister kicked cancer's butt.  Eva has this beautiful pillow to remind her that she is indeed a survivor and also that she has a loving sister.

Minnie did a great job of setting her stitching into a pieced pillow top, making it big enough to be pillow sized. The setting reminds me of a jewel.  Eva probably already said something like this to her, but I think Minnie is a treasure. Thanks for sharing your story!



The Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon Mandala is a free chart that can be downloaded from my site. It's also fun and useful to note that the ribbon colors are easily interchangeable to represent different awareness causes.  If you scroll back through the blog, you can see some lovely examples.

Giving Thanks

I don't have to struggle too much to recognize how lucky I am. I'm extremely thankful for my family and friends, good jobs, good health, decent jobs, nice house. Knowing that I play a part in helping people make beautiful things is such a rewarding pleasure.  I realize that cross-stitching is definitely something that falls in the luxury category, rather than one of life's basic necessities, but it's the type of thing that makes life so much more enjoyable.

I'm thankful that I've been a part of your lives and lift my cup up to you today.  I hope the holiday weekend (for those in the US, anyway) brings you a little stitching time.

Tara, my friend in Portland, sent me this pictures of her Bramble and the Rose.  She used three colors of Gloriana silk on 40 count Navy Bean linen by Lakeside Linens.  This pattern is technically a monochromatic design but it lends itself well to adding additional colors for the flowery and leafy bits.  Tara maintains that she just likes "Green and Yellow" and that the Oregon Ducks had nothing to do with color choices.

So, a toast to Tara and to all of you on this day. Go Ducks!

The Show Goes On

It's been a rough few weeks in the Ink Circles IT department.  My main computer suffered what was later diagnosed as a hard drive controller failure while it was repairing/recovering from a pesky virus. The tech I took it to thought the two issues were unrelated, which I hope is true, as hardware eating viruses would be a scary thing. So, I need to send it back to the mothership (Dell) for repair. I couldn't wait weeks to be back online, so I did the thing any other red-blooded American with a Costco card would do. :o)

It was more of a speedbump than a brick wall.  Most files and things were recovered from an external hard drive backup, but some things are M.I.A., like the emails in my inbox.  So... if any of you stitchers had sent photo finishes that I hadn't posted yet, please accept my apologies and shoot me another copy.

Meanwhile, the band played on.  And Cristin stitched.  She's sent me this photo of her Twisted Heart finish. She added some initials and a date to personalize it.  She used the recommended colors for thread, but worked in on a lovely shade of lilac Belfast linen.  Cristin has another version planned that promises to be even more creative and colorful, so I'm standing by!

Thanks again for everyone's patience during these past two weeks. Keep on Stitchin'