Stab and Go Blind : Cross-stitch and Crafts

AOL Upcycled CD Coaster Sets I spent the holidays making these...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:27:13 -0500

AOL Upcycled CD Coaster Sets

I spent the holidays making these sets for my Etsy shop. Considering how warped the cork was from spending untold years in the garage, they turned out REALLY well. I have two more sets that I’ll add soon, so if you don’t see this post immediately, check out my store anyway. You might like the blue AOL or orange Earthlink set better. :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dtrubel

I’ve also marked down most of the parrot feathers because it’s the last month for those listings.

Luigi and Daisy Wow, it’s been almost two months since my...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:47:23 -0500

Luigi and Daisy

Wow, it’s been almost two months since my last post, and I’ve only been working on this little gem for a friend of mine. It’s 22 count cloth but damn! In my defense, I’ve been listing vintage toys and early original art on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/dtrubel and everything else that’s not nailed down on eBay at http://www.ebay.com/sch/unxeroxable/m.html So, it’s been a busy couple of months. I’ve also been sorting and organizing piles of Raw Material for future projects, so I know I’ll have more up on Etsy soon.

So glad I finally got a decent alignment within the frame. It’s still bugging me a little but I don’t think I can do any better. Pattern from spritestitch.com

Totoro Bookmark Another pattern from spritestitch.com with...

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 12:22:09 -0400

Totoro Bookmark

Another pattern from spritestitch.com with lettering added because the bookmark is so small otherwise. Sending this one to a certain someone! ;)

Now, I’m starting a Luigi and Daisy piece for another someone’s Christmas present.

Nyan Cat Bookmark Of course, I found the base pattern for this...

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:00:27 -0400

Nyan Cat Bookmark

Of course, I found the base pattern for this on spritestitch.com and yes, it’s a little messy. It started to unravel at the bottom right after I finished the red, so I had to tack down the bottom and left side IMMEDIATELY. Ideally, I would’ve centered him properly, so the bottom stripe of the rainbow isn’t truncated, but I did what I had to do.

I will make more of these for sale soon. This one is for my former intern. Hopefully, she won’t mind the evidence of my inexperience.

Oregon Trail Cross-Stitch (Unframed and Framed) I think...

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:48:31 -0400

Oregon Trail Cross-Stitch (Unframed and Framed)

I think I’ve spent the better part of two years sewing this piece, and I am SO glad to finally get it framed and done. I’ll admit the frame job isn’t my best work because I can’t seem to get some of the wrinkles out, but it’s DONE!!!

I started this project thinking I could fit it onto a medium-sized bag for my friend that Christmas. Once I realized how massive it was, I begged people on spritestitch.com to reduce the pattern for me to no avail. So, I made her something else that year and kept plugging away at this on my own. Each little square in the photo is actually a 5 x 5 square of tiny 18 count Aida squares, so I went a little blind working on it too.

If you’re subscribing, you should see more updates from here on out. I’m already cranking on a Nyan Cat bookmark for my former intern. So, don’t worry, I am going to be sticking to small gifts for my holiday list this year, which means much more content for you!

No, I’m NOT In Play — Bib Model Credit — Baby...

Mon, 31 May 2010 15:51:26 -0400

No, I’m NOT In Play — Bib

Model Credit — Baby Brite

And, no, I have not stopped cross-stitching. I’ve just been busy cobbling together part-time and contract jobs into a full work week. Plus, I was supposed to have this bib done a week ago because a friend of mine commissioned it for her friend’s baby shower, which makes more behind than usual.

So, I’ve spent the holiday weekend finishing it. She gave me the phrase, which (according to her) has been printed on many t-shirts that fellow SCA members wear because people often mistake their Medieval garb for costumes from a play. “Have you just come from putting on Camelot?” is, apparently, a common question put to SCA members in garb. (I do not know because, despite my father being an active member of the organization after I moved out, I have not felt any interest to re-enact the Middle Ages. Sorry, but I like indoor plumbing and electricity VERY MUCH.) She also gave me the supplies, which included the infant bib, some black (610) and Barbie pink (600) floss. I added the baby pink from my store, but I can’t remember the number for it.

Now, if anyone else wants to commission work from me, please drop me a line. Meanwhile, I’m probably going to start knocking out small presents for Christmas to get some momentum built up before tackling the Aqua Teen Hunger Force project.

Purple Lady with Flowers and Apples It’s finished! Okay, I...

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:15:14 -0400

Purple Lady with Flowers and Apples

It’s finished! Okay, I could’ve found a better frame, but my thank-you present is DONE! And it looks much better than I anticipated, so I’m feeling good about it. Now, to get it to the deserved recipient, the aforementioned former coworker who gave me a TON of cross-stitch supplies.

Now, I’m debating between sewing up a couple of Precious Moments graduates to make a few bucks on Etsy or creating an Aqua Teen Hunger Force cast piece because, well, I love Aqua Teen Hunger Force. If I do the latter, it’ll be on solid black cloth and I’m going to try to find a big group shot of all the characters, but I haven’t had much luck with cross-stitch software to date. But I also haven’t been this inspired to make something for myself in a long time either. :/

What I’ve been working on instead of job applications....

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:51:00 -0400

What I’ve been working on instead of job applications. Plans are to finish it tonight, including a painted frame. It’s 85% done right now, including backstitching. (Sorry for the bad photo.) Good news - the bulge I was worried about in the center disappeared or was smoothed out as I worked that area and the backstitching doesn’t look as bad to me as when I last updated. Now, to whip out a couple of job applications, so I can get back at it. Anyone need a librarian?

WIP My latest project on 22 (or perhaps smaller) Aida. I got...

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:05:04 -0400

WIP

My latest project on 22 (or perhaps smaller) Aida. I got the cloth and most of my floss and TONS of patterns from a friend that gave it up because of her eyesight. So, I wanted to thank her by stitching this piece. Unfortunately, I decided to use a single thread but fully stitch each square instead of using four squares per double threaded stitch. (This means that all the squares are REALLY tiny and I’m already distorting the piece a bit using too much tension on the thread. The backstitching is helping lessen this problem slightly, but it too is one thread thick, so sometimes it competes with the squares instead of merely outlining them.

Anyway, I’m hoping this turns out well and that I can finish it soon. I’m already getting fed up with counting all these little squares!

Pimp Your Comcast Remote! Dan’s best friend brought us...

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:27:35 -0400

Pimp Your Comcast Remote!

Dan’s best friend brought us this Comcast remote cover he recently repainted and we both thought it looked pretty slick. The texture is from wrapping it with a mesh bag, like the kind onions come in, and spraying the paint over it. He and Dan made some solid blue ones for the TV and the other Comcast remote while he was visiting, which I’ll post later if I get a response to this one.

DigDug — Bookmark One more project I didn’t know the...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:53:59 -0400

DigDug — Bookmark

One more project I didn’t know the recipient for when I began. I ended up giving this one to my snail mail pen pal, Felice, because she always sends me such lovely ephemera treasures. Unfortunately, after trying to match the color of the orange, which looked right in the store and was the right DMC number, I later learned that the color was different after I finished that section. D’oh! I decided it was too late to turn back though and I’m glad that she doesn’t mind the slight difference.

This is also the first pattern I designed myself with some research. I didn’t graph it out though, so if you want to make one yourself I recommend getting good screenshots of the sprites and counting the pixels in each tunnel.

All right, I’m all caught up!

Tetris — Bookmark I made this one for my boss last...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:48:35 -0400

Tetris — Bookmark

I made this one for my boss last Christmas based on a Sprite Stitch pattern that I adapted. It was incredibly fun to make though it took me an entire weekend to do it because you have to go brick by brick. I also made another one for another friend’s birthday that I mailed to him a week ago but I forgot to take a scan of it before I sent it. Long post short, I really enjoy making these, so if you want one please get in touch with me.

I’m Significantly Not Normal — Plaque Yet another...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:44:44 -0400

I’m Significantly Not Normal — Plaque

Yet another Christmas present, but a funny math geek one. I bought this pattern from NausicaaDistribution on Etsy not knowing who I was going to make it for last year and then one of my friends reminded me that she was a math geek. I also really enjoyed working with the electric blue thread. It reminded me of being young in the late 80s because that color was my favorite as a kid.

Medieval Dragon — Coin Purse This is from a pattern in...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:40:00 -0400

Medieval Dragon — Coin Purse

This is from a pattern in Cross Stitch Techniques and Designs, which a friend gave me when she learned I was getting into it. Unfortunately, instead of following the directions to make a coin purse out of black Aida, I decided to use a pre-made coin purse and quickly learned how tiny I could make my little hands. This was also my first experience with waste cloth, which went remarkably well considering the issues I had turning the needle inside such a small area.

Om nom nom nom nom — Bookmark Another Christmas present...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:35:39 -0400

Om nom nom nom nom — Bookmark

Another Christmas present for a friend featuring Pac Man! I was running low on time though so I half stitched this one instead of doing full cross-stitch. (I was also having a hard time with the smaller size cloth.) I think it came out pretty good and, yes, this one is from Sprite Stitch.

Question Authority — Plaque Another pattern I bought from...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:27:44 -0400

Question Authority — Plaque

Another pattern I bought from radicalrags on Etsy. I gave this to a friend of mine this past Christmas and she LOVED it. The plastic frame was a bit hard to paint with acrylics, but I tried matching the thread color and, aside from being prone to chipping, I think I did a good job.

Feminist Bookmarks I bought this pattern from radicalrags on...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:24:00 -0400

Feminist Bookmarks

I bought this pattern from radicalrags on Etsy before I found Sprite Stitch, but I am still glad I did because they’re easy to make and they look great. Both of these were for friends last Christmas, one of which is done in UM colors.

First Project - Good Luck Care Bear Bib Welcome to the new...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:09:35 -0400

First Project - Good Luck Care Bear Bib

Welcome to the new cross-stitch blog! I’m going to catch you up quickly with all the projects I have done and then I’ll update with my current one.

First is the bib I made for a friend of mine who recently had a baby boy. (By the way, why are all my friends only having boys? Can someone please have a girl soon because I have SO many cute patterns? Thanks.) It was a screen printed kit, nothing fancy there, but it got me started. I was also a bit curious about cross-stitch because my mother used to do it, and then I found Sprite Stitch and everything changed. But, I don’t want to label myself as a geek crafter either because I like doing more traditional patterns too.

So, this is not my best work, but I think it’s pretty good for a first project.