A bit more of cloud two

The second cloud is coming along slowly.  It's not been helped by the light at the moment, but then it is November in Yorkshire!  My plan is to have the bottom half of this sampler done by Christmas - so finish off this cloud, the sky in the first cloud, and all the hemstitched borders.  Let's see how it goes!!

Cloud two

After some serious procrastination, I got started on cloud two.  I decided to start on the sky (lost my light grey thread....long story...), and it has gone in fairly quickly.  I'm keeping it mostly one colour so the sky looks quite flat in the background and the cloud will be more shaded.  I have also used full squares and not put half squares to the edges.  I've done this in a few of the blocks I've completed so far and I quite like some of the patterns that have emerged.

Cloud one done!

I finished some stuff!!  I feel like I've been in the middle of doing things for a while now, so it's been good to reach some sort of closure.  This cloud feels like it has taken forever to get to this point.  I have learned a lot in the process, so I think the next cloud will look better for it.  I have finished the canvas stitches, and I think I'm going to move on to the other cloud and leave the pulled work sky to do later.

I have also finished the EPP I was working on.  It was really lovely to be working with something with so much colour while I've been stitching with the whites, greys and blues.

Byzantine block and the bigger picture

The byzantine block is finished.  I enjoyed stitching this one and really like how it's turned out.  I decided to use only full stitches, and I think it gives it an interesting edge.

I have chosen another cloud block, and stitched the outline, but that's about as far as it's got so far.

The bigger picture!  This is the bottom half of my 16 block grid.  I have plans for the two empty blocks, and I really need to get to work on the cloud blocks.

Finished panel

I think this project is done now.  I'm pretty happy with it. Now I need get back to the wallhanging...

Finished?

The fifth dome is done now.  It took two or three attempts to get right, and I'm still not sure I have the curve right - should the stripes curve inwards towards the top?  Possibly, but I'm not sure how many more unpickings the canvas can take!  All the domes are stylised versions of the original patterns, and I'm pretty happy with how it looks. Now just the mounting to work out.

Not sure about this one

One more done but I'm not sure if I like this one.  I'll sleep on it and see how I feel about it in the morning.

Lots of rhodes

Another dome done. This one is quite 3D, although the picture doesn't show that very well.  I think it might be my favourite so far!

Difficult dome

The third dome took twice as long as it needed to.  I had to unpick a lot because I kept getting the pattern wrong.  Maybe it was just a bad day!  I had hoped to get more done, but after wrestling with this one I thought it wiser to call it a day.

Background and first domes

I think the background is about done - I keep seeing gaps I want to fill though.  The first two domes are filled, just four more to go.  Then just the mounting to worry about...

Dome outlines

It's been a while since I've posted an update and there has been some progress. I've painted the background areas on the canvas, marked the edges of the stitch area, and stitched the outlines of the domes in a florentine-ish stitch.  The outlines took a few attempts to get right - and made me remember why I hate working with metallics...

Background

I have been experimenting with more contemporary canvaswork for the background of the St Basil's panel.  I'm thinking of the domes being very traditional, and the background contemporary, and based on the colours of the rest of the building - mostly orange, green and white, although I may simplify this, I don't want the background to overpower the domes.  

St Basil's

I'm taking a break from the wallhanging project and looking again at the other project I have in progress.  This one is an embroidered panel, based on the domes of St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.  I have already started looking at canvas work stitches that will work for the onion domes, I still have a few more to work out.

Slow, slow progress.

I'm getting nowhere fast!  I think I've pulled out more than I've stitched because I just can't get the swirly curve right.  Still, I've finished the day with more canvas covered than when I started so that's a positive.

Swirly sky

It's been slow going for a few days, but there is some progress to report now!  I was pretty happy to have completed all the edges, I just need to fill in the hole in the middle.

Church, sky and big black tree

Got lots worked out in class today.  Tracy rescued the church, we came up with a plan for the big black tree and the remaining sky.  I now have two weeks to get it all done...

Finished the land

Apart from the bits I think need unpicking!  I'm really not happy with the church, or the bricking under the big star.  Going to leave them for now though, and get started on the big swirls in the sky.

The church, some fields and village

I don't think I'm happy with the church. I like it better than the first attempt though. I'm going to leave it for now and see if it blends in a bit.