Miss Clawful's Cross-Stitch Projects

[La Ptite Bete]

It looks so bright, so colorful on black aida... I really love what you do !!

[QueenBex]

These recent pics are truely amazing! Absolutely brilliant ideas for the minimalism challenge, done so well too! I really struggle with black aida, but your pieces are so wonderful i'll have to give it another go! Any tips for working with black aida?

[acidMiasma]

Any tips for working with black aida?

I'll take some pointers too! I just started a project on it, and it's a little more daunting than I had anticipated.

I love how neat your work is. And I especially love that doll face.

[Miss Clawful]

Sorry haven't been around for a few days, my mom and I (and our doggie) just made a huge move...we are now living in Austin TX!

We moved from Edenton NC where we had lived for a couple years following homelessness, which eventually caught up with us again which is how we came about making such a leap across the country. We took a plane, my first time on one in 30 years, yeah, I don't get up in the air too often, but talk about an adventure, but whew, glad its over. We arrived in Austin on the 12th and I tell you I'm already so comfortable as to call this place home, unlike Edenton when we first got there I thought, "what the hell did we get ourselves into?!" My mom already started her new job, which is working for the lady that got us here. If there is someone that could be an angel it is her. Here she is with cancer (first breast cancer, had a mastectomy, but then it went to her lungs...that sucks!) and she's helping us! My mom met her some time ago on Youtube via a common interest, dolls, reborn dolls to be specific and they built up a close friendship. Our family tossed us out twice, first time 3 years ago (my sister and her husband), and again just a month and a half or so ago (they tried to make us get rid of our dog), so we were living in our car for some time until Laura (this angel's name) helped us, giving us a motel to stay in while still back in Edenton, paying for it all, and then in trying to get us to move out to Austin, she got us an apartment, cosigning, paying for the deposit and first month rent and giving my mom a job as a caretaker for her. What?!!!

My first morning waking here I thought I was dreaming, was disoriented thinking I was still back at the motel in Edenton. Took my dog, Snickers out for a walk around the complex early, saw two deer, next morning 9 deer all together on the lawn right down the hill from our place, and it is so beautiful here, lots of trees...but not pine trees! And hills here, lots of varied terrain, not boring flat land and nasty swamps. At the leasing office now as I type this since the got free wi-fi here, then later like I had yesterday, going to be doing some more exploring (I walked so far yesterday, I think I pushed myself a little too hard, legs and feet are so sore, but I feel great!), and we got a lot of great stores nearby in walking distance (interestingly, unlike other places I've lived, supposedly none use plastic bags, so you have to bring your own to carry out your stuff purchased be it groceries or other. And while in Edenton not a single apartment was pet friendly, most of them in Austin are. There is so much I could say, I could keep on talking, but seriously I gotta cut it short, got some things to do today, address changes, laundry, get some more food, check out some other stores to see what each offer for shopping (we need some clothes!). My mom is working very long days, 12 hours each day, but I think its a work 2 days, then get 2 days off kinda deal, but at least she's amongst friends (I went over there early, on the 13th and even I felt comfortable around them, Laura as well as her mom-can you believe her mom is going to be 90 years old soon, and a few of the other ladies assisting Laura, but also me being there too long confirmed my allergies to cats, I was a mess the rest of the day) no more minimum wages with pain in the butt customers and terrible bosses. Okay, gotta cut off now, as is if I don't I'll just keep rambling and after a while it could be an incoherent mess.

Thank you all for the kind words on my cross-stitches. I look forward to getting back to stitching again, gotta get me an iron first though. As for tips with working with black aida, I dunno, for me its not any more difficult to work with than lighter colors, I'm not actually stitching in black floss so that could be one thing. I guess just make sure to have plenty of light while stitching, I never did. Someday when I'm able I'll have to pick something kinda small and record my stitching, on black aida of coarse. But right now my focus needs to be on finding a job for myself, and being able to get there (Burlington Coat Factory called me last week while we were still in Edenton at the Coach House Inn [oh, must put out word, even though a very basic motel, the place was clean, and the staff there were wonderful!] to come in for an interview, but I had to tell the guy that I wasn't there yet, he just told me that once we get to Austin to give him a call - I have to figure out the public transportation first though since its 5 miles from our place).

[blackmageheart]

Sounds like an adventure! I hope you and your mom are settling in at your new home.

[RMDC]

I'm so sorry you had to deal with the hard time, but I'm really happy to hear things are looking up! I've done my own stint living in a car - blessedly brief, no more than a week - so you have my utmost sympathies.

[m4pl3g1rl]

That sounds like quite the adventure. Isn't the ability to improve our lives amazing? A homeless man becomes a millionaire, a recently-fired waitress becomes a business CEO and sells her company for billions. We get married (or get single, depending on the situation), we get a different job, a new place, develop friends from around the world via the internet and a website.

Life. Is. Awesome.

And Miss Clawful, I hope life is turning out amazing for you.

[Miss Clawful]

Thank you everyone for the kind words, on my stitching as well as my adventure. Ugh, I feel like total crap, I haven't been this sick in years, so I haven't been getting out much. But, I did get another cross-stitch done, and it is yet another for the minimalism challenge. Currently doing laundry, picking up on the internet from the leasing office nearby so I can do some things while washing clothes. Can't wait till I'm over this cold or whatever it is, been so congested and my body aches everywhere, I feel like somebody beat me up. We are totally moved into our new place now, got all of our stuff (which wasn't much--the rest of our clothes, blankets, my dog's toys, and some miscellaneous items, 5 large boxes total) yesterday--I had shipped them to myself prior to us travelling here, via through the mail with the post office (made it a lot easier than having to drag luggage around through the airport and risk something getting lost or stolen), so one less worry. Anyway, on to the cross-stitch!

Adventures of Bayou Billy - Hand grasping at life



PATTERN:
98h x 70w pixels = 5"w x 7"h

Spoiler

note: Started work on another cross-stitch piece, another one for the Sprite Stitch Minimalism Challenge (I really like this challenge, makes me put my imagination to good use), this time a hand reaching out from the darkness. I took this hand (and lower part of arm) from a game over screen from the Adventures of Bayou Billy. I was inspired, was seeing something scary in it once I removed the rest of the sprite, making it appear to be either a hand reaching out from the dark to grab you, or perhaps that is the one that is being pulled into the darkness by some unknown thing, frantically reaching out for help, soon to be swallowed up like the rest of the body, never to be seen again, at least not alive.

MATERIAL USED:
Black Aida (14ct) cut to 5" x 7"

COLORS USED (DMC):
Dark Rosewood (#3857)
Very Light Tawny (#3770)
Medium Mahogany (#301)

total colors: 3

DATE & TIME PROGRESS LOG:
Started stitching: March 16th 2013
Finished stitching: March 18th 2013

Spoiler

3/16/2013
10:50am-12:30pm
1:10pm-2:20pm - got dark rosewood done

3/17/2013
9:45am-11:30am - got very light tawny done

3/18/2013
1:50pm-3:45pm
4:15pm-5:15pm
6:15pm-7:15pm - done!

TOTAL STITCHING TIME FOR THIS PROJECT:
510 minutes = 8 hours 30 minutes
TOTAL STITCHES:
924

[Miss Clawful]

Been so busy lately looking for a job that I hadn't done any cross-stitching for over a week. But finally got another done, some little thing I put together from an old favorite, hated by most, loved by me, Deadly Towers.

Deadly Towers - Splendid Little Trooper



PATTERN:
98h x 70w pixels = 5"w x 7"h

Spoiler

note: Created this piece when looking for more things to cross-stitch for the Minimalism Challenge at Sprite Stitch. I was playing through Barbie on the NES and collecting snapshots and had picked out a possible collection of sprites to maybe stitch at a later time, this being the boss that is made up of nothing but clothing articles floating around: a hat, gloves, blouse, and dress, and a pair of shoes that bounce around trying to stomp my Barbie girl with their pointed heels. Well, a later day I was playing Deadly Towers for the same purpose, collecting sprites to stitch and while looking at the gear my prince had in the sub-menu I was suddenly inspired by that Barbie boss. So I took each of the pieces of armor made up of the Hyper Armor and helmet, Shield of the King and gauntlet, as well as the boots and Splendor Sword and arranged them to make them look as though there is an invisible hero wearing it, or like as to be living armor. How cute! I just had to cross-stitch this one next! Turned out quite splendidly I say.

I did add more to it, such as a necklace and key, as well as some treasure before him, and a set of torches in the background, but found simplicity to be better and stuck with just the Hyper gear and sword. But here is what the other pattern looks like:



As my mom said, and I do agree, even though I wanted to represent more, its too crowded, also kinda takes away from the focus being the character. But it was an idea and gave me something to do for a bit.

MATERIAL USED:
Black Aida (14ct) cut to 5" x 7"

COLORS USED (DMC):
Light Old Gold (#676)
Medium Blue (#826)
Dark Electric Blue (#995)
Chartreuse (#703)
White

total colors: 5

DATE & TIME PROGRESS LOG:
Started stitching: March 27th 2013
Finished stitching: March 28th 2013

Spoiler

3/27/2013
2:20pm-3:20pm - got old gold done on armor
3:35pm-4:15pm - got old gold done on shield
6:05pm-6:50pm - got old gold done on helmet
7:10pm-7:50pm - got old gold done on gauntlet and sword (this color is done)

10:30pm-11:20pm - got medium blue on boots done
11:50pm-12:00am - got dark electric blue of belt, and chartreuse buckles on boots done

3/28/2013
10:00am-11:20am - got all of the white done (our splendid little hero is completed!)

TOTAL STITCHING TIME FOR THIS PROJECT:
325 minutes = 5 hours 25 minutes
TOTAL STITCHES:
684

[blackmageheart]

The diversity in your subject matter never ceases to amaze me. A fabulous job on all your recent work!

I was wondering...are you ever tempted to try a a coloured aida? I know you like the black, as do I, but there's some nice coloured aidas out there that I'm sure you could put something awesome on