A few confessions, firstly...
I am stitching this piece on 28ct. Irish linen evenweave tea dyed fabric that I bought at the Michael's with a 40% off coupon. It cost $4.80. My thinking was that I didn't want to invest twenty or thirty dollars in a gorgeous piece of hand dyed linen, and then have it languish in a drawer if I flaked out and stopped stitching this. Can I just tell you that I am now a properly chastised linen snob? This is absolutely lovely and perfectly suited to both the size and thread.
See that Sharpie? Well it's a retractable Sharpie, and in a million years I never would have imagined how much of a difference such a small thing could make. But I need to apologize to the Flosstuber who gave me this brilliant idea, since I was too stupid to record your name and channel, and now I feel like a genius for remembering to buy this at the Target, but I can't give you proper credit. You did a video about the tools you use, and you basically explained how a retractable highlighter is invaluable...and you were right on the money, sister! Something about being able to click the thing and mark the chart without having to fuss with a cap, etc etc is amazing.
Finally...my cheaters. They, too are a Michael's purchase, and they too were cheap and bought with a 40% off coupon. I think the original price was $4.99... so the end price was...well...cheap! These are 2.5 magnification. Normally I use 1.5 or 2.0 for canvas work, but I found that the little extra really helped by the end of the evening.
So all in all a very happy first session indeed. I managed to watch two movies and a few Beachfront Bargain Hunts and left the ipad over on the dining room table to avoid distraction. Both Bosco and Stewey settled in for the long haul and approved of my progress before we turned in for the night.
Today is all about getting a few things done so that I can get back to this. I'm so glad that I decided to get it started yesterday...it is exactly what I needed!
Happy Monday, dear friends! Hope your current piece is making your heart sing!
I know the cap is a pain but I use Frixon highlighters -123 stitch- because they are erasable!!
ReplyDeleteExcellent progress. Looking forward to watching her come to life.
ReplyDeleteGreat progress!! And I love those retractable highlighters!
ReplyDeleteYou are off to a good start, Coni. Do you always start your cross stitch projects at the bottom?
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see this piece again! I look forward to watching you stitch it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are so much enjoying this Angel.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see more of her.
Give Stewey & Bosco a pat-pat on the head for me. :)
Marilyn
I have admired this piece of needlework for years. Can't wait to see your progress.
ReplyDeleteOoooo, retractable Sharpie? On my way to the store......
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteLovely start, I wish cheaters were enough to help my aging eyes. Astigmatism makes them useless as images dance through those charts and the weave of the fabric dances too. Keep on enjoying the insanity.
ReplyDelete