The prettiest girl I have ever seen ... Florentina and Coral Charms

A friend started a new blog today and it was a great reminder that I have some catching up to do.  This post brings me up to my 2016 finishes.  I didn't finish many projects in 2016. In fact I only finished two and it should come to no surprise that they are both designed by the impeccable Nora Corbett. 

The first project may be one of my favorite pieces that I have ever stitched.  I love a lot of my finishes, but this one I really connect with. 

Florentina - Mirabilia by Nora Corbett

Florentina is a pattern by Nora Corbett under her Mirabilia line.  I stitched her on this gorgeous piece of Enchanting Aurora 32 count murano by.... you guessed it... Crafty Kitten.  This is one of the most delicious pieces of fabrics I have ever worked with. So beautiful.

Tina, as I called her had an elaborate back story that I weaved in my mind while stitching her.  Tina was a free spirit - a bit of an odd ball compared to her dignified family.  She loved nature, flowers, animals and most especially the wind in her hair.  She loved to run off and hide in the gardens where she could breathe and just be herself - away from the drudgery of social life. 

I added to this piece some mixed materials that I had picked up at Bead FX in Toronto.  I added the irredecent butterflies in her hair, the silver flower - and my favorite touch - the feather earring. 

Her lovely cat was a joy to stitch.  I added a special little Swarovski crystal fish.  This cat is pampered but also loves to run free in the garden - much like his Mistress Tina. 

If you notice Florentina has a huge rock on her hand.  Don't worry it is her right hand. It is a family heirloom.  She is a little too spirited for married life yet. 

The dress on Florentina is huge.  It was a lot more than I had anticipated and it took awhile to finish up. I did enjoy working with the colours - they were very calming.  

I have a frame for this. I need to pin and stretch it and get her up on the wall. I just think she is perfection if I do say so myself!

Coral Charms - Nora Corbett

I also had one other finish in 2016. That was Coral Charms from Nora Corbett's La Petite Mermaid Collection.  This was one of those patterns that jump out at you one day. I wanted something bright and quick to counter Florentina and Coral won out.

This fabric is Fairies Meadow by Sunny Dyes Fabric. My guess is 28 count.  I did not stitch the long tendrills that flowed from her tail. I used beads called dragon scales at the ends of her hair. I added additional bicone beads and more to her head dress... I blinged her out as per my usual.  She was a fun stitch and didn't take up too long.  

Thank you for reading through my post and I hope you enjoyed these pieces! That is all I managed to finish in 2016.  I actually started 2 other larger pieces towards the end of 2016 that only were finished in 2017.  More to come on those soon! 

At The Met and Letters from Mermaids:K

I am just going to go ahead and pretend it hasn't been three years since I made a blog entry.  I am sad that I let it go for this long without updating things.The truth is that I still get inquries about things I posted a long while ago. It is nice to see that people do still come upon my blog.  So thanks to anyone that is still out there reading.

So what have I been up to for the last three years? Life is a lot of the same goodness. I live in Moncton, New Brunswick on the East Coast of Canada.  My two kids and 2 step kids are growing like crazy. I have two kitties; Bella and Zoey.  I just celebrated five amazing years with John.  Life is beautiful.

I think I am going to share some of my older work and try to work my way up to current day.  I will try to remember as many details as possible.

Let's start with a piece I showed as a WIP (work in progress)....

Mirabilia's At The Met

At the Met, or Maddy as I call her is such a gorgeous and elegant piece.  I stitched her on 32 count murano on Hint of Autumn by Crafty Kitten. I called her Maddy because she had a touch of regality that reminded me of my Great Aunt Maddy. Aunt Maddy was always the aunt that bought us our fancy dresses for school concerts and such. To this day a fancy little dress is an "Aunt Maddy" dress.

I did make a few minor changes to this pattern.  I mostly added more beads.  Again, having access to Bead FX once or twice a year in Toronto has really changed my stitching game. Every project is an opportunity to add embellishments. I know I added a few to her head dress and extra crystals to the beads draped over her arms but the main change was that I did not stitch the tassels.  I used an interesting flat glass bead. Oddly, when I saw this bead I knew it was perfect for this project.

This design is just dripping in oppulence and I do really love her.  She is the first piece I have ever had someone offer to buy from me... for A LOT of money, but I honestly couldn't part with her and I know I wouldn't be able to restitch her. For me each piece is such a snap shot in time and trying to recreate just wouldn't work for me.  

Letters From Mermaids: K

Letters from Mermaids is a series designed by Nora Corbett of Mirabilia fame. I decided to stitch this design for my daughter Kailee.  The Mermaid series was released after the Letters from Nora fairy series (of which I stitched the C for Chelsea). When I stitch a piece for my daughters I allow them to choose the fabric. Wow - Kailee certainly chose a perfect piece! 

This is Glacial Ice on 32 count opal linen, by...you guessed it... Crafty Kitten.  This design fits nicely on a fat eighth or a 13x18" piece.  As per usual I changed a few things.  I added the sea horse and the pink Swavorski in the shell.  I changed the hair colour to match closer to my daughter's hair. I also chose to stitch the skin over one. I like this because it gives the piece a lot of demension.

These letter patterns are not only gorgeous - they are fun to stitch.  The make great gifts for anyone.