What's going on here?

Well let me tell you there is nothing creative going on that's for sure.
I have spent 10 days sorting out stuff in my "studio" and I use that term very loosely at present.
I was looking for something--I can't even remember what it was anymore--but like what usually happens one thing lead to another and the next thing that I knew I was cleaning-sorting-tossing out-rearranging, you know what I mean---a bit like shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic just shifting things around.
Well I now can see the desk and what's more I can see carpet again.
The recycle table at the Guild will make a huge profit on all the stuff that I took in there.
Then Stephen decided to re-cover the back yard area with new mulch---and I decided to help.
You girls would have been proud of me--shovelling all that lovely mulch into the wheel barrow so that he could spread it around.
There was almost 100 wheelbarrow loads full and I was on a roll.
Then we decided that we wanted to take Ebony on her first plane flight--to Melbourne.
So I was on the internet booking the tickets and the accommodation--got that all sorted out--but then realised the next day that I had booked the flight for one week and the accomodation for the next week.
Geez how many senior moments can one person cope with.
Anyhow it is now sorted out and the dates finally coincide and I have made arrangements to meet up with our dear friend Dot (of Dotee doll fame who no longer has a blog).
Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep the secret from Ebony until closer to the time when we leave.
Next I need to get back in that lovely tidy room and make a new mess.
Yee-haw.

Finished--Done--No More

That's it--no more--I am happy with what I have achieved so you don't have to put up with my rabbiting on about Creative Canvas samples anymore.
I have made two scissor keepers (fobs) which I am going to donate to the sales table at the annual exhibition(minus the scissors of course) and I have one to finish for myself and that's it.
I am glad that I persevered with this but I now know that it is something I had to try and I have satisfied the burning desire that I had for learning how to do it--but I don't want to do anymore.

I don't know if you can see the beads and gold thread or not but they are there.

A few more

I have been sick for several days with a cold/flu like lurgy so I have been doing a few different patterns to keep myself amused.
I am coping very well at present with these designs--as long as they don't get any bigger I should be ok.






I have made a small tassell and some cord to go with this pink/purple one

And I rather like this one made in Variegated thread----with a tassell--now I have to make the cord.

All I have to do is add some beads to them and I will be able to make them all up----whoo hooo.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures but my scanner was not behaving itself tonight.

By George I did it

Well I did a small sample anyway.
Firsly I would like to thank those who commented on my last post--you all got me thinking about why I was going through the frustration of trying to learn how to do Canvas Work.
I realised that I wasn't trying to be good at it -I just wanted to know how to do it.
I have admired this form of embroidery for a long time but I was always daunted when it came to doing it.
Finally on Monday I had a lightbulb moment---I realised that it was the size of the piece of canvas that was terrifying me not the working of the stitches.
We have all had that experience whether it be a piece of fabric or a sheet of artist paper--when we have a big blank object in front of us where do we start.
On Monday at the Embroiderers Guild someone gave me a bundle of offcut pieces of tapestry fabric about 6cm wide which I imagine had been trimmed off the edge of something that they had worked on.
I brought some of these pieces home with me to practise on and voila I could do it.
No problems -no fears just happy little stitches smiling back at me---well a couple of them got in the wrong holes but I managed to see them before I got too far along the row.
These little blocks are only 3 cm square and I think I will make them into a scissor keeper.
I will add some tiny beads in the centre and make a cord to go around the edge and also form a loop to attach to the scissors plus I will make a small tassel to hang off the end.

I think I will try another design and see how that goes.

What's my problem?

This year I decided that I would attempt to learn new techniques in embroidery and several things have been offered at the guild that I thought I would try.
First there was the Japanese darning and you have seen the results of that class.
Next it was Long and Short stitch---well I haven't shown you that because I am embarrased.
I hate doing Satin stitch--when I did Sharon Boggans first TAST online challange it was the only stitch that I did not do a sample of--hate-hate-hate it.
Long and Short stitch to me is another name for Satin stitch-I know you are saying to me under your breath "No it isn't" but my tiny brain is telling me otherwise.
Well we had a 3 hour lesson and all I came home with was a design drawn on a piece of fabric with holes in it where I had stitched and unpicked so many times that it looked like a seive.
Are you still with me?
So on Saturday at our Creative group we were shown how to do Creative Canvas work by one of our Guild members who is brilliant at it.
OK -below is the photo of how far I got.
Nothing -zip-zilch.
I threaded the needle and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get it to go through the fabric.
Oh it would go through it but my tiny brain was at work again-planting the seeds of doubt again.
I always struggle with counted thread work---but all I have to do is count in lots of four I hear you say.
I know-I know but it terrifies me.
When we had childrens classes at the guild there were several times where the lady who was the leader decided to teach them some canvas work and I thought "here's my chance" but I was humiliated--the children had all of there 3" x4" samples finished and I was still unpicking mine--oh the shame.
But I have decided that I will not let it beat me this time I am going to master it.

I know I can --I know I can--I know I can.:-(