Framed and ready to go!

Gifts of Love by Sharon G is framed and ready to be delivered for my sister's birthday.  A matching blue mat and simple gold frame set off the elegance of this design.  Happy Birthday to you!

The final three

I finished the last three hearts on the bottom left.  One is entirely beaded--in the corner, and the other two were done in Rhodes stitch--one in Gold Fyre Werks and the other in Neon Rays.  So, this one goes in the completed column.  It will go to one of my sisters and she is having it framed for her home.  I will make sure we get a picture after it is framed.

I took it outside to photo so you can catch the glints of all the glitz!

Believe it or not

Believe it or not really.....I spent all my stitching time today on these two hearts.  I was sure I could finish all five, but these are a lot more detailed than I anticipated.  I started the top  right one by doing the blue in Silk Lame Braid, followed by the Frosty rays in white and then added all of the Mill Hill Petite Beads.  Then on the lower left one, I did all the Kreinik Gold outline and center design.  Then the Silk Lame blue in the middle design followed by the white areas in Kreinik 12b efore finishing the blue bands and Rhodes heart in Christopher!  Imagine that was almost three hours!

Five to go

Working from the top down, I added more beads around the heart in the center of the top row to finish filling it in with the Magnificas.  I then used Kreinik to outline the large heart and filled in the center pattern with Frosty rays and the final blue beads to finish that one. Laid Flair and Fyre Werks fill in the one next to it.  A Neon Rays Rhodes heart filled in that one on the edge below it.  To the left of that one, I used Flair and Christopher to basketweave that design.

7 more

I started on the big heart in the bottom row on the left.  I did a padded satin stitch heart using Flair and then did a Van dyke stitch using two shades of Fyre Werks for the vertical stripes.  The last one next to the center is done in Neon Rays Rhodes again.  Then on the right, I did four Rhodes.  The top is Fyre Werks gold, Two in Sparkle Rays and the bottom one is Frosty Rays.

Several more

I started out with the large gold and blue heart by adding Kreinik #12 gold and then laid in Sparkle Rays to complete that heart.  Moving down, I did Neon Rays Rhodes stitches in the next two hearts and then surrounded the left one with gold Mill Hill beads.  The three little gold hearts are yet another shade of gold Fyre Werks done in Rhodes also.  I filled in two blue hearts with Silk Lame braid, one large and one very small.  The last one finished is a Neon Rays heart surrounded by Magnificas in gold.

Christopher was in my stash and is a rayon/metallic fiber that they call braided and that braiding is done with what looks like silver blending filament with a size a tad smaller than Kreinik 12--thanks for asking!

Hearts

Today, I concentrated on the hearts in the lower left quadrant.    The top most left one is a Rhodes heart stitched with Fyre Werks.  Then I worked the blue lines in the second row, large heart, with a single strand of Christopher.  I then did beading on the  next row left heart, small tiny white one, and then dropped down next to the blue Rhodes heart and alternating blue and white Mill Hill beads on the one and all blue on the little one.

Let the fun begin

I worked on all the fun stuff today!  I did white Sparkle Ray Rhodes hearts on both sides of the bow loops and down.  I then did Silk Lame Braid hearts too.  I did one white heart in Frosty Rays and Kreinik #12, and then I got into the beads....gold, petites, white and Magnifica's.....I hope you can see the glitz on this!

The ribbon is done

I finished the rest of the ribbon down the middle with the single strand of Marlitt!  So now the fun begins....all the hearts to be filled in.  I did two on the left side closest to the bow in a Rhodes heart stitch with Sparkle Rays...more tomorrow!

The paper

The paper on the package is stitched!  Yippee!  I also started down the center band of the ribbon and the blue Marlitt is done and I am working on the cream. This is a single strand of Marlitt worked in basketweave to allow some of the beautiful paint which is opalescent to show thruogh.

Almost to the bottom

Today I am working on Sharon G's Gift of Love and worked on the blue Waterlilies Double Stitch background on the left side.  I finished one section clear to the bottom and then worked from under the ribbon down.  You can now see the little white heart there.  I will definitely finish this blue tomorrow and will start down the center ribbon section to get that completed.

A little bit more

I worked on the Double Stitch a bit more and can see the bottom along with finishing under the left ribbon.  A couple more sessions and this part will be done.  But tomorrow it is time to pull another project out of the tub...what will it be????

Back to blue

Time to work some more on the Double Stitch Background using the two strands of Waterlilies.  I am still working down the left side and got quite a bit done considering I am in an area of a lot of compensation.  This is going faster than I remember!  Yippee!

Background again

I worked more on the background on the left and did around the top and right side of the heart closest to the bow.  You can see the little white heart below it is worked in Kreinik white basketweave.

Two Gifts

The first gift is a another Christmas present.....this one from one of my stitching friends.  This book is full of darning stitch ideas and some of Suzy's quotes and comments which are good for several laughs while perusing the contents.  It is laid out well with lots of patterns and suggestions.

The second is the Gift of Love bow by Sharon G.  Tonight I finished the left streamer with the single strand of Marlitt.  I then started on the blue Double Stitch background on the left below the ribbon band and completed it above the top three hearts

A little variety

Rotation day brings back Gifts of Love by Sharon G and I decided to work on the left bow streamer.  Using a single strand of Marlitt, I worked on filling in this streamer.  I used both the blue and the cream and made quite a bit of progress on this section tonight.

The right side

I completed the right side tonight!  The background, that is!  I decided that I would do all the Double Stitch background before I did the hearts as they go so fast.  And, I am incredibly slow at the background!  I also have to basketweave the left tail of the bow and down the center of the package.  Decisions, decisions....which one to do first!

I made it....

all the way to the bottom on the right quandrant!  Woohoo!  Even though it seems slow going, I am making progress on the Double Stitch.  Using the two strands of Waterlilies, I am working my way down the right side
and have mad the decision that I will work the heart designs once all the background is done.  The heart designs stitch up very quickly but as you know backgrounds take forever!  I still also have to complete the bow streamer on the left side as well.  Progress is progress!

Another inch or so

I worked the Double Stitch in the two strands of Waterlilies again tonight and think it is just about an inch further down the right side all the way across.  Maybe?.  Way down at the bottom is a basting row of black thread, so I can tell when it is done- the line is level with the bottom of the bow.

Compensating Background

I continued working on the background on the right side of Gifts of Love Bow tonight.  This entails a great deal of compensating around the hearts but it is almost down to the end of the right hand ribbon tail.  I am using two strands of Waterlilies Ice to do the Double Stitch.