MY EBAY FIND

A picture story of my ebay treasure find.

A few months ago, I won a blind bid. 2 binders were up for auction on ebay. Patterns inside unseen. All it said was that it had 100++original patterns inside and some unused kits.

I bid and won. And these are some of my finds. 

These I don't really know what to do with. Manually making my own pattern? Gasp... not within my powers. LOL!

There are a bunch of Lavender & Lace (and here I thought they were Mirabilias) and Haeds, some Christmas patterns and kits. And a lot of pages from magazines.

I scored big time. Woohoo!

Now to figure something out... I don't like those haed patterns. I'm not into wicca or goth. Would anyone want to do some kind of exchange I wonder? Either buy them off me or trade me with RAKS from my wishlist or original Mirabilia patterns?

My little stitchy set-up

My latest cozy little stitching set up.

Yes, I found my little bed 'couch'.  Told you if I want it, I'll find a way to get it. And I gotta say, I LOVE it. My back loves it too!!

You see, unlike so many others who like to sit in chairs or sofas while they stitch, I am most comfortable sitting cross-legged on my bed. Sitting in front of my laptop. There's a big TV beyond my laptop so I can watch that if ever. But mostly, I just like using my laptop and stitching happily in front of it.

That's because I skype with my Panda while I stitch. He tinkers with his personal projects on his side of the world, I stitch. And we can talk while we do it.

If you look closely... do you see that antique cabinet? That belonged to my lola (grandmother). It was old, dull and was just wasting away in the back corner of our house. It almost got destroyed in the Ondoy flood (think water almost to our roof). But when we started renovating, I claimed it as mine and had it restored.  Now it houses my stitchy goodies. I'll take a picture in another blog along the way. :)

And on it's left is my floor stand frame. It used to stand in front of it but then I had to battle my way into the cabinet so... I moved furniture around and it found space on the left. Sorry though, can't take shots of that area yet. My floor in front of it is a mess. Haven't finished fixing stuff around. Slowly but surely.

My room is small and I have to "fit" in it. I can't go bringing my stuff to the living room and stitch there though. I dunno if most of you realize, the Philippines is HOT. And the aircon systems in our house is just in our rooms. Can't stitch in the heat. I'll go nuts. PLUS, I don't think my parents would appreciate all my 'mess' invading our common spaces like that.

(whispers: at least this way, since all my stuff are in my room, they can never ever tell me "your stuff's all over the house". It used to. Pre-flood. But now, anything messy out there? Not mine. It's either Mama's or Daddy's. Hahaha!!

Anyway, there. My little stitchy set-up. I like small cozy places. I'm like a mouse that way. Holing up in my little corner.

MIRABILIA MADNESS

I'm mad. MAD I tell you! Mad for mirabilia. At least for the moment.
I think I'm setting aside my collecting HAEDs (for the moment) and taking up collecting Mirabilia patterns... since I'm handing my Fairy Idyll (which is a Mirabilia) and because of the Mermaid SAL I'm in (and most of them are stitching up Mirabilia mermaids), I suddenly want to make a collection of mermaids and fairies and ladies in poofy gowns. (How else will you describe Mirabilias?)

So... as my usual practice of "if I want something, I get it", I dove head first in searching for patterns. Now, I live in Manila. Where the scarcity of patterns is sickening. (Downright appalling). But my handy-dandy lappie and the omniprescent internet didn't disappoint me.

As of right now... I am awaiting the arrival of the following Mirabilia patterns:
THE FEATHER FAIRY, ENCHANTED MERMAID, MERMAIDS OF THE DEEP BLUE SEA, SHAKESPEARE'S FAIRIES, SABRINA, JANUARY GARNET FAIRY, THE COTTAGE GARDEN FAIRY, CHARLOTTE, SEPTEMBER SAPPHIRE FAIRY, PIXIE COUTURE: FERN, VIOLET, LADY OF THE MIST, THE STAR GAZER, LILY OF THE WOODS, CHRISTMAS WISHES, JULY'S AMETHYST FAIRY, THE SCENT OF OLD ROSES, ENCHANTED DREAMER, DEEPEST LOVE, ASHLEY'S ROSES, SAVANNAH'S CURTSY, MIDSUMMER NIGHTS FAIRY, SANTA'S MAGIC AND FAIRY MOON.

And for the heck of it, I'm also waiting for these Lavender & Lace patterns:
ANGEL OF LIGHT, ANGEL OF FREEDOM, ANGEL OF HOPE, ANGEL OF AUTUMN, FAIRY DREAMS, IN THE ARMS OF AN ANGEL, FIREFLY FAIRIES, ANGEL OF MERCY 1 & 2, ANGEL OF DREAMS, SWEET DREAMS AND ANGEL OF GRACE.

There goes my budget. POOF!

Oh well, I figured, I might as well get all these now. Sometime in the future, I might find myself in an even harder market for cross stitching AND more expensive too!! I figured, if I get these all in nice binders and keep them... it'll lessen my shopping expenses in the future.

Or at least that's how I'm rationalizing this crazy shopping spree I just did.

I'm still on the lookout for someone to give/sell me their Pixie Couture: Lily of the Valley, Holly Pixie, Bluebell, Sweet Pea and Elizabeth at a cheap price. I'm way ok with 2nd hand patterns-- so long as they're clear and without marks.

Sigh... oh well. It'll come.  I have to believe in the power of the threads.  The patterns will find their way to me. NOW to shop for a nice binder to house the incoming patterns.  (yes, I TOLD you I'm OC. I want my stitching collection looking nice and organized...and pretty!!!)

Anyway, here's an update on my QS MERMAID's TREASURE.

Taken March 8, 2012. There's no mermaid to be seen yet...but it's getting there.

Getting a groove on

Ok, I've been stitching every night on my QS Mermaid's Treasure. And I have to say, I am LOVING it. I guess it's because I love the color violet and all its shades. Plus, I found a 'groove' or 'flow that I'm liking.

I am doing waste knots to start.  Happily snipping away when the threads have been stitched over, underneath the fabbie. And, I finally figured out a nice way of stitching by color.

I choose one symbol on my pattern, then I highlight it on my paper (pattern). Then on my fabby, I use my washable marker to 'dot' the places where those stitch/symbols are. So after I've done that for all of "that" symbol on my page, I just stitch away without looking at my pattern. There's basically a little prep work before every color but hey, I'm making improvements!

Right now, I like marking the fabbie either in the morning or early in the evening so that when it's time to chat or settle in front of Skype to talk to my Panda, I can just stitch away without bothering to "count" squares and figure out coordinates on my cloth.

Hope that makes sense to somebody other than myself. Haha!

I do have to admit that I seem to have jumping needles... they jump from my hand or project a lot. I think I lost 3 within the past 2 weeks. So.. I've developed a new system for me. 

Another tip for some of you... I bought a few magnetic strips. (thinner than a usual ruler and pure magnet.) It's really cheap. You can get it from your local penny store or craft store. I've double sided taped it to areas I like to stitch at... the side of my table nearest my bed... on my floor stand, on my thread boxes. They're very handy when I want to park my needles.  AND!!! I just realized that my lamp is made of metal. LOL! So I've attached my little black round magnets to it too. So I can park needles there as well. Heck. Now all I have to do if I need needles is look at my magnets. I'm sure to have parked at one of those places. 

Beats me having to sit on one of them. 

Update on QS Mermaid's Treasure as of March 3, 2012

Update on Fairy Idyll as of March 3, 2012

Here's a sample of me with my marked fabby. AND using double sided needles. 

Speaking of my double sided needles (as shown in pic above). I remember being so excited when I ordered them. And I have to admit, while your thread is FRESH. Meaning, you just started stitching with that particular batch (threaded on your needle), it's amazing how fast you can go! BUT!!! before you reach more than halfway on the length of thread you have on your needle, the thread has frayed so much it separates. Literally falls apart. The idea behind double sided needles is smart. You do end up sewing faster. But it plays havoc on your threads. VERDICT? Don't waste your money on them like I did.

QS MERMAIDS TREASURE

Confession time. I have to admit, I found The Chess Match daunting. Maybe it's my 28ct fabbie. I swear my eyes were straining to death. Anyway, I have decided to put it down for awhile. (Take note... for awhile...not permanently). And instead, I am going to tackle Sara Butcher QS Mermaid Treasure.

So far, I've had 3 nights to stitch on it... and it's going good. Relaxing even. So long as I remember not to stress about the back.

A group of local stitchers here in the Philippines decided to do a MARIMAR SAL. Basically, you get to pick ANY mermaid pattern and stitch it. I picked the QS Mermaid Treasure. The rest are mostly doing the mirabilia mermaids. I wasn't going to join until my Panda encouraged me and said joining a local group might help me improve. And so I did.

My QS Mermaid Treasure is being stitched on a 14ct white aida, 2 over 1, full cross. And I've decided to use my Qsnaps since my Fairy Idyll will remain on my floor stand. I intend to visit her every weekend. So basically... I'm doing rotation between the two.

Trying to use this technique... I tie a knot on my threads... enter my cloth from afar.. and start stitching... effectively stitching over the travelling thread underneath and so I can snip off the knot after a bit. Does that make sense?

I would usually start with a loop which I tug under then with my end threads, I would turn the scroll/qsnap over and insert through the rest of the backing. But this time, I decided to try the other way. Is there a term for what I'm doing?

I'm also stitching by color. After I've gridded the cloth, I decided to stitch by page, by color. So now I'm stuck on lavender. I just realized this pattern has a LOT of purple shades. Thank heavens I like the color!! And I'm using different highlighters to mark my pattern per day. So I can see how much I've stitched by the day.

Am I anal enough to count the number of stitches I make in a day? No... I don't think I am. I'm just happy to see the days color spread... meaning, I stitched a lot.

Well, good luck to me! Hope I can stick this one out. I was really going to put down Chessmatch and was eyeing my Flying Swans storykeep....but then this SAL came along. So... Mermaid's Treasure it is.

HAED QS Mermaid Treasure by SARA BUTCHER

As of Feb 23, 2012

Joining the cross stitch facebook groups has helped me a LOT in improving as a stitcher. Heck. Prior to facebook and the HAED site, I only knew ONE way of stitching. That's 2 over 1, full crosses. Whatever my elementary teacher taught me and whatever DMC Phil taught as well. Now, my scope is wider. And I'm less scared to tackle big projects.

All I have to remember is ONE STITCH AT A TIME and... F*CK the back, just ENJOY.

And I am.

TRANSORM!!!

Here's my set up. I just recently got a nice magnifying glass that clamps on my frame as well as a magnifier bar. Still, as much as I liked using the clamp, I need to shake things up a bit. I wanted to share with you a detailed description of how I did it...just so I can possible help those who feel challenged about doing stuff like this. :) 

The stitching world is not that big... every little tip helps.

Here are my materials:

A white board (that magnets are attracted to. There must be tin/metal core in it).

Lots of little round magnets from the local 2 cent store (here, we call them DAISO or JAPAN HOME STORES).

Double Sided Tape. (I prefer 3D...they're more sturdy).

Super Glue.  Might Bond or Epoxy would work as well.

THE START OF TRANSFORMATION.

Took off all the patterns and clips.

The Sponge pin cushion is screwed into the board. Time to unscrew the sucker. 

The back of the whiteboard had magnets at the corners. They're weak, so off they go. 

Turns out the magnets came with this little round tin things. Hmm... I'll make use of them.

Decided to double-sided tape the round things onto the board. This way, if I don't like to use the whiteboard anymore, I can just pull it off. 

Stuck magnets to the back that will 'stick' to the tin round things stuck on my wooden board.

TA-DA!! Instantly extends my board. :)

This is what it looks like on the back.

I had a pincushion with a wooden base that I double-sided taped to the edge of the board. I moved it 3/4 off the board to create more space. See...it extends to the side. 

Close up of my pincushion that I used to extend my board.

Side view of my magnifier bar. 

See? It works. Makes tiny letters bigger.  Now how to stick it on my board without it falling off?

Magnets!!! I stuck tiny magnets underneath...all around the edges. 

Special thanks to Michelle Almendras who gave me the inspiration to do this. :) I modified things but the original tip about magnets came from you. :) THANKS!!!

Hope this helps some of you! :D

My Stitchy Haul

Two binders full of original Mirabilia, HAEDs and other patterns bought from EBAY USA. Bid and won them last year and they finally arrived via my uncle!!! Woohoo!! I struck GOLD!! There are at least 4 original lavender&lace patterns and some HAEDs in here! I wonder why they sold it? It was for a charity thing.

Magnifiers. One clamp type for watching my stitching and one "bar" type to enlarge my patterns. I plan on putting magnets under it to 'stick' to the board on my floor stand (which I'll stick magnets to too).

9 pre-cut aida cloths, 4 aida ribbon bands, 2 spools nylon thread, 1 modern look stork scissor, 1 washable pencil for dark fabbies, 1 magnetic needle case, 1 sliding ruler, and 2 pattern kits (the Lord's prayer and The Lord is my shepherd).

1 fabric scissors, 1 pin cushion with wooden base (that I intend to stick to my floor stand board).

Trimming for my future xmas ornaments. It already has a sparkly bead attached to it!!

Christmas text cloths for the backing of my future ornaments. :)

I spent the past 4 days in singapore hunting down and going on a treasure hunt. And these were my finds. :)

I just thank God I have an understanding boyfriend who patiently brings me to the hole-in-the-wall places and waits as I go berserk amongst the shelves, diving into baskets and digging into bolts of cloth.

(** Thank you lovey for my magnifier bar **).

Ok, I think this is enough stitchy-shopping and collecting for now... I must buckle down and do some stitching.  :)

Lotsa kinky stitchers out there

Sigh... I have NOT been able to stitch. Almost a month now. Too many things going on. Work, holidays, travelling. I've yet to pick up a  needle and stitch.

BUT! I have spent my spare time organizing my stitchy goodies. I've been organizing my pdfs in my lappie and backed them up in my hard drives. Still winding floss unto my bobbins. My Panda and I call it BOBBINIZING. So for the past few nights, I bobbinize while he tinkers with his own project at his place. Of course, we're on Skype while we do our individual stuff so it's always nice to be able to look up at the screen, see him staring intently slightly off camera and be able to make a comment or two and get a reply back.

10 days more and I see my Panda again in person.

Anyway, I just HAD to make another post... y'see, I have this insane humor that maybe I'm the only one who can relate to it (as there are no other stitchers within reach). But I thought some you would appreciate my ongoing hunt for stitchy-related humor.

New thing that made me giggle. Someone posted on a facebook group that her goodies arrived. And she posted "THEY CAME!"

Ok, ok... that shouldn't be funny. But I found it to be.

If you're the one who posted that...please. No offense meant. :) I just have this ongoing mirth over how stitcher can be so.... green.

Basic rundown of my favorite stitching funnies:
1 over 1
2 over 1 (I mean, really?)
frogging (hmm... )

This is me. Sitting on my bed and BOBBINIZING. This is how I sit when I stitch or use my lappie. I've not used a chair yet since I started stitching.
Please take note of my scissors... they're PANDA themed! Black and White with a paw-print design. Couldn't resist getting them from maped.