Miss Clawful's Cross-Stitch Projects

[Miss Clawful]

Thank you. Last night I decided I couldn't live with it as is, I could not keep looking at it without seeing it as a major flaw, so spend 5 hours removing all that was on the right side, the very dark royal blue, feeling that since it seems impossible to find a match for it that perhaps it'd be better to go with the dark royal blue instead. My mom saw me getting ready to rip it out and she reprimanded me, and we kind of got into an argument about it, she was upset with me because she thought it looked fine as it was and I just could not help myself, it has to be perfect otherwise it'll just keep nagging at my mind. I'm currently restitching what was #820 on the right with the #796 that I had used for the left. Oh, and I ran into a bit of a problem with that color as well since I had to use another skein to keep going (because obviously for that much water one skein just isn't enough; I'm going to always dread this now), found a newer skein of that color to be slightly darker and a tad more blue, just a tiny bit, but because of the location around the splashing area I was able to stitch it without it appearing any different. I have confidence this time it'll work. Should have it done (again) by sometime tomorrow.

[starrley]

I think it looks amazing the way it is. In fact, check out the Sprite Stitch main blog tomorrow, Wednesday the 4th. I'm featuring both The Joker and Octo the Huge! Fantastic work!

[RMDC]

Man, I've been waiting for this one! And while I hate that you have to do even more work on it, I'm glad you'll feel at ease when it's all settled.

[BigDaddyWiz]

I never played StarTropics and now you're project featuring Octo the Huge has made me wish I had! I love the colors and how they stand out on the black. Wish I knew the context of the scene but I'm sure it was a great battle. Also, if you don't mind me asking, how do you keep track of all the time and whatnot for your projects. do you use a program or just keep a journal? Anyway super neat!

[Miss Clawful]

12/1/2013
Last night I decided I couldn't live with it as is, I could not keep looking at it without seeing it as a major flaw, so spend 5 hours removing all that was on the right side, the very dark royal blue, feeling that since it seems impossible to find a match for it that perhaps it'd be better to go with the dark royal blue instead. My mom saw me getting ready to rip it out and she reprimanded me, and we kind of got into an argument about it, she was upset with me because she thought it looked fine as it was and I just could not help myself, it has to be perfect otherwise it'll just keep nagging at my mind. I'm currently restitching what was #820 on the right with the #796 that I had used for the left. Oh, and I ran into a bit of a problem with that color as well since I had to use another skein to keep going (because obviously for that much water one skein just isn't enough; I'm going to always dread this now), found a newer skein of that color to be slightly darker and a tad more blue, just a tiny bit, but because of the location around the splashing area I was able to stitch it without it appearing any different. I have confidence this time it'll work. Should have it done (again) by sometime tomorrow.

12/2/2013
Done!! Perfect!

Old:

New:


Can't really see any difference, not in pictures, but take my word for it, it is much better now. Actually if you stand back far enough from your screen you may be able to tell in the first image where the color change is, I can, but then I also know its there. The second image didn't come out so well as there is a circular shadow in the water but the water is all the same color from the same skein in that spot, there is no change until halfway through the ripples and because of how slight it is and also being broken up it comes out looking natural opposed to that vertical line I had before.

Currently I'm working on a Christmas gift for a good friend of my mom's. Its another one of those mixing game sprites to create a unique picture thing, much like how I did for the Hello Dolly one some time ago. Hope I'll be able to have it done by end of next weekend.

[Miss Clawful]

I never played StarTropics and now you're project featuring Octo the Huge has made me wish I had! I love the colors and how they stand out on the black. Wish I knew the context of the scene but I'm sure it was a great battle. Also, if you don't mind me asking, how do you keep track of all the time and whatnot for your projects. do you use a program or just keep a journal? Anyway super neat!

Its a good game. It is kinda like The Legend of Zelda but more linear. Only the control takes getting used to because there is a slight lag when turning and moving, once you get that down its a fun game that should have had more sequels. The second game, Zoda's Revenge played better but lacked the originality as well as the whole tropical island hopping theme, using time travel instead. Zelda: Windwaker should have been StarTropics, in fact from what I ever saw of that game everything about it says it is, only difference is the story and characters used, the islands and ocean is what StarTropics was about, but companies tend to stick to what is popular and safe. The battle with Octo the Huge wasn't as exciting as that one ending image but as exciting as any boss battle would be.

I get my work ready, pattern up on my laptop in Paint (fully magnified and with gridlines on for easy counting) and Windows Photo Viewer (if I need to zoom in closer), material in front of me, get my next color ready to thread, check the time on my laptop, log down in Notepad my start time to the nearest 5 minute mark then start stitching. Each time I stop if I think I'm going to be away from stitching for more than a couple minutes then I log down when I stopped (again, to the nearest 5), then next time I start back up once again log down my start time. Its all very easy, very convenient since everything is right there in front of me. I do the time for every 5 minutes because its much easier to add up at the end then trying to figure out more varied numbers (my math isn't that good), plus gives me some flex time for readying floss, threading it, counting Xs, and other miscellaneous tasks that may take a few seconds here and there. One thing I don't factor in on my total stitching time though are mistakes because I'm counting how long it takes to complete the cross-stitch project as if no mistakes were made (no tearing out of floss or restitching; I make separate notes for those), with each X done only once, this shows a pretty close example of how long it should take to complete the project mistake-free. On average I tend to at least get two whole X's done per minute, sometimes not quite, and rarely more since even though I want it done fast, well my hands aren't so nimble (even worst when cold, like is has been for the past few days, frozen fingers don't function too well).

[RMDC]

On average I tend to at least get two whole X's done per minute, sometimes not quite, and rarely more since even though I want it done fast, well my hands aren't so nimble (even worst when cold, like is has been for the past few days, frozen fingers don't function too well).

That's 1/3 of a BMH.

[HornyPig]

Can't really see any difference, not in pictures, but take my word for it, it is much better now.

I know that feeling...
when i spot a flaw, all i can see is the flaw.. lol

love your work

[starrley]

OMG, Miss Clawful!!! Jamie posted your work on Mr. X Stitch!!!
http://www.mrxstitch.com/page/3/

[Miss Clawful]

Cool! Feels good to see others appreciate my work other than myself, and my mom of coarse who loves 'em.

Got a new one finished and this one is composition work just like I'd done with the Hello Dolly cross-stitch some time ago.

Dreaming Angel





PATTERN:
140w x 112h pixels = 10"w x 8"h

Spoiler

note: Sometime during the Hello Dolly cross-stitch project my mom had asked me about possibly doing one for another good friend of her's, I took it under consideration, afterall these things aren't easy to just pop out of my mind in an instant, it takes time and inspiration. I have to search through many NES games, looking for sprites that may be able to work together to create a unique picture that I feel would be perfect for the individual I would be making the cross-stitch for. Even once I found all of the pieces and start assembling them I go through a lot of revisions, sometimes minor but sometimes the picture may become something quite different from what I began with.

I didn't really get started on this project until sometime in August and even then it was only sprites. When I first started out I had went with the idea of a stork after having stubbled upon the intro of a Famicom game My Life My Love - Boku no Yume - Watashi no Negai. What I had in mind was something kinda like the intro from the SNES game Yoshi's Island. I went on a cloud hunt trying to find the best clouds for the picture I was to make. I originally went with the smaller clouds from the intro of the NES game Wizards & Warriors III and grabbed the crescent moon from the intro of the Famicom game Moon Crystal. It was a nice simple composition, but then something caught my eye that didn't at first, the shadows and light cast by the moon onto the clouds was wrong, that won't work at all. So, I rearranged them but still wasn't happy with it. I went searching again for other ideas, this time using the clouds and full moon from the intro of the NES game James Bond Jr. and actually did get started on stitching this one but part way through it I realized it just wasn't doing it for me, I wasn't excited about it, it just didn't click, it was too simple, too easy, I needed it to be so much more. But, I'd put the project on hold for a bit until I was ready to get back to it.

I got back to the project again in November, still trying to center it around the stork theme.I kept the original images trying this with each the Wizards & Warriors III clouds as well as the James Bond Jr. clouds and big bright moon. What I wanted was to show the stork far up above a town as I had found one that I thought would be so right for this, from a cut scene in Moon Crystal. But, what else? Ah, I got it! I found some pine trees from the Famicom game Rod Land that I'd use to border the town. I really liked where this was going, it told a story. But still there seemed an emptiness in the background, it needed something like mountains. I tried mountain ranges from several games from snow covered peaks to rocky ones, but still I felt there could be something more. What if someone were to be looking out from a window, expecting parents perhaps as the stork flies over and passed the town, perhaps making its way to them? I copied the window from the intro of Little Nemo the Dream Master over top my composition and with just a little bit of adjustments had what I thought to be the perfect picture. I had even thought of going as far as putting it within a shadowbox and using making actual curtains on the sides within. Perhaps that later idea was too grand though. What stopped from stitching before I started is that my mom kept telling me it was too much, that all that other stuff was unnecessary, that it kind of takes away from the stork, it was all too distracting. She got me to ponder it more and while it did make a pretty picture, maybe she was right.

Okay, a week or two goes by, I get up another idea, but have yet to do anything outside of what's in my head. I was thinking about the Dreamworks Pictures intro that they always do in movies with the crescent moon and kept that in mind for if I come along the right sprites that maybe something like that would be the way to go with this project. It wasn't until I got a Herrschner's catalogue in the mail and was looking through it one day that I knew how I'd want it. There was this one quilt block in there that was of a baby covered with a blanket sleeping on a crescent moon with the word "Dreamer", this is what I wanted! So I got to sprite hunting again.First I needed a baby, Famicom games tend to have a lot of those and I found one from the intro in the game Tao. Next, I needed a crescent moon, but all the games I could recollect seeing one in none were anywhere near as big as I needed, but then it hit me right in the face with the title screen of Ai Sensei no Oshiete - Watashi no Hoshi. Okay, so I got me a baby and a moon but where the heck will I find a blanket? I knew finding a blanket would be something of a challenge, maybe impossible, at least the way I needed it to be, so while sprite searching it occurred to me that maybe I could edit something to look like a blanket. I did just that with a sprite of a flag from level 2 of the Famicom game, Gimmick.

I had my baby all comfy, warmly cuddled up on a nice, caring crescent moon. How about some angels? First game that came to mind, Kid Icarus, the angels from the ending. I chose to use just one of them, tucking the baby in. The centerpiece is done, but I needed some background so it wasn't just floating in a black void. I gathered some clouds and stars from Kirby's Adventure. Very nice! But still, per is me, I'm always looking to add more. How about a shooting star? The NES game Golgo 13 II - The Mafat Conspiracy had in the intro a missile coming down out of the sky to explode in some mountains, I chose to use this arrow-like streak to represent a falling star in my composition. While I liked the shooting star my mom didn't much care for it, said it looked too much like an arrow, not an actual star. Okay, maybe not then. But still I needed something to fill the large space that was much of the upper left side of the picture, but my mind kept going for the whole shooting star thing, until I thought to combine my original idea of the stork cross-stitch with the sleeping baby on the moon one. I put my stork in the sky filling that mostly empty space that was bothering me, but didn't wait for myself to say yay or nay on whether I'd go with it or not.I started stitching, I'd figure it out later once I got the baby, blanket, angel and moon done.

I started stitching the baby first since its head wasn't too far down from the center of the pattern. Next the blanket, then the angel. Then stitched in the outline around the moon, but shortly after when I was stitching its face I ran into a problem. Originally I had used salmon as the original sprite would have been stitched, but once I stitched in a little bit of very light mahogany that would be the shadowy details these two colors blended so much together I could not differenciate them, the moon's nose and upper lip looked like nothing but a blob, actually a glob of sherbet. I tried several other color combinations that were also close to what the sprite used but still none looked any different. Later I ended up having to remove all of the salmon outline I stitched but had me an alternate color idea that should work, infact would be so much better, red copper. This turned out to be so much better than the original sprite's color choice as it made the features of the moon's face stand out so well. With the centerpiece done I was finally on to the background, the stars and clouds. I got started on the lower clouds that I had craddling the moon, but after stitching them in I had me a better idea. I'll keep the Kirby stars but didn't much like the hard edges that were the dark clouds. So once again I'm looking at James Bond Jr.'s clouds and again messing with sprites, afterall this cross-stitch must be perfect that once completed I would love it, not look at it and frown. Since there is already a great big moon in the picture obviously I don't need James Bond Jr.'s full moon nestled in the clouds, so erased it. I took the bits of clouds, rearranged them on my composition to where I think I'd like them. With how the clouds were shaped it certainly needed something there in place of that full moon that I removed and so I thought to make it look as if the stork was either just emerging from behind or from within the clouds. It looked nice.

There are a lot of different sprites from a bunch of games represented but it doesn't look cluttered and still tells a story. You can interpret the story literally, but here's the most vivid one that came to me after completing it: the moon represents a mother's womb (the baby inside it), the angel is how the baby sees its soon to be momma (its momma has short hair, it doesn't know this, its just I got passed that it looks like the sprite of a boy angel), the blanket is her extending her love unto her soon to be born baby (caring for it, comforting it), the clouds are dreamland (I suppose babies must dream too), and the stork is the dream that the baby is having as soon it will be carried (born) into a new world, delivered to its new earthly momma (perhaps daddy as well) eagerly awaiting its arrival. The stars are just there to fill the blackness, perhaps they are future babies in the waiting, lights of souls not yet in form, or maybe they are outside sources that are merely just a presence around the baby, soon to be father, brothers, sisters or other family in its momma's life. Awe, how sweet. Yeah, I know, it sounds like it'd be a maternity gift, but its not. Its actually for another reborn baby doll lover like Laura was, as well as my mom is, and her Youtube user name as with the Hello Dolly project is what took and shaped this Dreaming Angel cross-stitch. The End... almost. Once this surprise gift is received by my mom's dear friend will this story conclude, hopefully with complete utter joy. I am so excited to be giving it.

Games represented:
Tao (growing baby from intro)
Gimmick (flag - edited to look like a blanket)
Kid Icarus (angel from ending)
Ai Sensei no Oshiete - Watashi no Hoshi (crescent moon from title screen)
Kirby's Adventure (stars)
James Bond Jr. (clouds)
My Life My Love - Boku no Yume - Watashi no Negai (stork from intro)



A very odd mix, but hey, it works. Sometimes you just have to explore the stranges places to find what you are looking for.

MATERIAL USED:
Black Aida (14ct)

COLORS USED (DMC):
White
Light Turquoise (#598)
Red Copper (#919)
Salmon (#760)
Ultra Very Light Dusty Rose (#963)
Dark Rosewood (#3857)
Very Light Mahogany (#402)
Tawny (#951)
Dark Royal Blue (#796)
Very Light Yellow Green (#772)
Dark Baby Blue (#322)
Medium Blue Gray (#160)
Pearl Gray (#415)
Light Sky Blue (#3761)
Ultra Very Dark Baby Blue (#803)

total colors: 15

DATE & TIME PROGRESS LOG:
Started stitching: December 3rd 2013
Finished stitching: December 13th 2013

Spoiler

12/3/2013
6:30pm-7:30pm
7:45pm-8:50pm - baby finished
9:20pm-10:25pm

12/4/2013
6:45am-7:30am
3:55pm-5:45pm
7:10pm-7:25pm
8:15pm-8:40pm
10:25pm-10:40pm

12/5/2013
3:10pm-5:25pm
5:50pm-6:35pm
6:55pm-7:20pm - blanket finished
7:35pm-8:00pm
8:20pm-8:45pm
9:40pm-10:10pm - finished angel

[685 minutes on baby, blanket, and angel]

12/6/2013
11:00pm-11:35pm

12/7/2013
12:00am-2:15am

12/8/2013
10:30pm-11:50pm

12/9/2013
1:10am-1:40am
2:50pm-5:05pm
6:00pm-7:15pm
8:05pm-10:40pm

12/10/2013
7:40am-7:55am
7:45pm-10:30pm

12/11/2013
4:15am-4:30am
3:30pm-5:00pm - finished the moon

[930 minutes on the moon]

6:15pm-6:40pm
7:25pm-8:25pm

12/12/2013
8:35pm-9:15pm
9:35pm-10:30pm

12/13/2013
2:45pm-4:45pm - stars and clouds finished

[300 minutes for stars and clouds]

6:10pm-7:20pm
8:00pm-8:20pm
8:55pm-9:40pm

[135 minutes on stork]

TOTAL STITCHING TIME FOR THIS PROJECT:
2050 minutes = 34 hours 10 minutes
TOTAL STITCHES:
not yet available