WOYWW 803/23

Here we are for another round of WOYWW hosted by Sarah at Sarah's Craft Shed - she who has ably taken over the reins from Mrs D. Started 15 years ago, it was an opportunity for a good snoop at the reality behind all the beautifully staged shots of finished crafting.  And for a fair amount of enabling of course.

So what gives at Morti Mansions this week?  Well, we've stalled a bit l while I ponder next steps.  You see, I did actually sit down to start tidying the craft room up, and in doing so discovered that the entire north west corner of the house has terrible mildew. We had to pull everything out and clean the walls off, and while it dries I'm contemplating how to battle this going forwards.  So the desk currently looks like this:

Our north wall suffers terribly (to be fair, so does the west but the east is a party wall with the neighbours) and we have dehumidifying tablets in special containers everywhere.  We also have a mini electric dehumidifier that does a sterling job in the sunroom when I remember to switch it on, so I'm contemplating buying something a bit beefier for the craft room. I think I'd better go out and check the gutters next time it rains heavily too.  Everyone thinks Cornwall is this idyllic, Caribbean-like part of the UK but in reality it rains 9 months of the year and this year it was only hot for 8 days.  Still beautiful though.

As part of the tidying up I corralled all the stray embroidery floss knocking around and now have a bag full to bobbinate, as well the muddle Mum left (fear not, LLJ, I intend to keep all flosses - silk or otherwise - that I got from Mum's place) and that should keep me busy for a bit. Not that my hands are ever idle though.

I won't share my stitching this time, just to be a tad different LOL but there'll be plenty to talk about next week.

Happy Hopping!

Morti x

WOYWW 802/22 - Dismal, damp, and dreary...

Greetings, fellow deskers!

Short and sweet (and late) from me this week.  Circumstances as ever conspiring against me to get me here on time.  One day I may even be early.

So, no desk from me because nothing happened to it.  I did however start the inexorable task of going through the boxes that came from Mum's and we've managed a whole two.  Well, one and a bit to be precise.  The trouble is they're full of small things and treasures that were either too good to let go, or two useful.  Rulers and stencils, a box full of Windsor & Newton inks, this little witchy poo diorama...

One treasure was a box full of embroidery skeins that had been wound onto home-made bobbins (probably made by Dad) and which will turn out to be their very own nightmare.  You see, (and as some of you know) there's more than one brand of floss.  And did Mother write on the bobbin which brand it was?  No - she only numbered them.  And each brand bar a couple have different numbering systems. Jeez..... I will need to go through, unwind each floss and rewind onto an acid free bobbin, then work out what number it's meant to be and which brand. What a task, eh?  Some would say I'm crazy, others that I'm frugal.  LOL

Mum was what we call a promiscuous stitcher - she used lots of brands in one piece.

Not sure what we have going on here… yikes

There's also been some amazing finds - vintage British silks which I think are from the late 40's/early 50's, and some imitation silks which were lurking in Mum's stash.

Such beautiful colours!

It's a shame you can't zoom into the photos - you used to be able to but now you can't and I will need to work out how to fix that.  So, for the time being, here's a close up of the moons on the Cryptids piece.

I rolled the scroll frame down, and last week was mostly about frogging (unpicking) the border that was in the wrong place.  A whole 919 stitches had to come out but I feel much better for it.  Some folks think I'm crazy.... oh, I said that already.... 

Before

After

I've put it to one side to do my other WIPGO for this month, Nevermore, and I've finally picked up Siren's Lament after 9 months' break.  And after two days have realised exactly why I took a break - I was struggling with the basic stitching.  It gets hard work when there's lots of "confetti" but we have some progress. You can just about see the masts of a ghostly ship to the right of the mermaid's head.

Mary Anne asked last week if I have all my stitched pieces up on the wall.  I have one my Mum did, and then eight, I think, I stitched (including two of my own designs, tralala) myself and two that David did. There's a further 7 (2 mine, 5 his) waiting to be framed, and one which my best friend stitched for me currently at the framers.  We have plenty of wall space though.  Once the 7 waiting to be finished are done I'll share those ones here.  I think the others may have already been shown at some point. I don't sell them, but I have gifted some in the past, and so has David.

What was that about short and sweet?

Happy Hopping!

Morti x

PS - I was offered the job, which I've accepted, and Jeanette I think has an interview for hers.... yay!

WOYWW 801/21 - Where did that week go?

Blinked and missed it, that's where.  How is it Wednesday again so soon? I didn't get round anyone's desks last week either (shame...shame....) but I have every intention of doing double duty this week to make up for it hehehehe.

WOYWW - currently hosted by Sarah at Sarah's Craft Shed - is a fascinating blog hop across the desks of many crafters, a warts and all look at what's actually going on.... hehehe.... rather than the pristine display conditions you often see when folks display their beautifully made cards.  Well, not such pristine display conditions here!  Lots of mess and plenty of stitching. instead.

This week's desk is.... same as the last two.  In fact, I dare you to play spot the difference.  Go on, do!  I know that something has changed there but I'm not telling you what... hehehehe

Second desk is looking a little tidier but that's only by dint of the fact that it's normally where my sewing machine lives.  As the machine is not currently there, there's a little encroachment going on (no I did not make the project bag you see, that's a purchase from Big Stitch)

Stitching wise, I've not done an awful lot in a week to the World of Cross Stitching SAL, but the first skein of thread in the right hand box is now complete.  3 to go, and the border, then I can move down and work on part 9.

(By the way, any weird grid/mesh effects or whatever disappear if you click into the pic!)

WIPGO called Cryptids for some love, for the second time this year.  You last saw it week 790/10, and now it's out for another 5 days.  I've done 2 days so far and definitely moved it on - Nessie is now complete and I'm working on the border.

Zoom in and you’ll see pale cream moons down the right hand side - they need an outline, I think, though they’re more obvious in person.

Busy Busy Busy....

Good news - gosh, how things can change in a week - is that I have had a verbal offer of a permanent, part-time role with one of our existing clients, starting Feb, and several others have expressed an interest in retaining my services on a formal basis going forwards.  Watch this space to see what happens!  Even my colleague Jeanette is in talks with the same client and may have a job out of it too.  Just so happens that they have a couple of leavers themselves, who are in roles that would suit us.  Yay!  Fingers crossed it all pans out.

Happy Hopping everyone

Morti xx