Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Dragonfly sampler

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. It was quiet for us. We just had a small celebration with my Mom and Dad here at our house in Central New York. Luckily we had nice weather the entire weekend--an unusual occurrence for New York!

I did manage to complete another project--my Dragonfly sampler! I love how it came out. I  found it on a free website that offers downloadable versions of old Victorian charts.  I used my own color choices which included some lovely colors by Weeks Dye Works including Blue Topaz, Dried Sage, Peoria Purple and Lilac.

The website where I found the pattern is http://patternmakercharts.blogspot.com/2012/05/working-on-updating-blog.html




 

I can't help but love it since it includes many of my favorite colors! And of course--I used metallic and iridescent threads in the dragonfly--another obsession. Although I admit, even though I love the effect, I usually dread using specialty threads because they often knot and fray. This piece went without a hitch though!

Tonight I worked on something different, a drawing of an old colonial house in Salem Massachusetts. My husband and I took a vacation to Salem a few years back and I took a fancy to the old architecture. I started work on this drawing a couple of years ago but abandoned it for some unknown reason. But I just got it back out yesterday and have made some progress.

I'll post pictures as it progresses. Once I'm finished with the inking I'll use watercolor paints to color it. That's the fun part to me. It's the using the ink for shading and depth that takes the longest time to do-- in addition to being a stressful process because I'm always afraid of making a mistake. Surprisingly, it's relatively easy to correct mistakes!







And one more picture of my goofy cat Ruby!  She's such a sweetheart. We adopted her from a local no-kill shelter a few years ago. She has been a treasure!

Have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting!

Brightest Blessings!

Beth B.
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4 comments:

  1. twinpeakprimitivesMay 31, 2012 at 7:56 AM

    Hi Elizabeth,
    What a finish, you've done a wonderful job. The other project which is inking now is just stunning. I look forward to seeing its progress.
    Ruby is just a beauty!!!

    Greetings from Istanbul,

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    Replies
    1. Elizabeth BrothertonMay 31, 2012 at 6:15 PM

      Hi Nurdan!

      Thank you for your kind and encouraging comments! I love hearing from you!

      I will post a pic of the companion piece (that is finished) to the current work in progress. It will show how color makes the inking "pop"!

      I love painting and have forgotten how much I miss it. I have to set aside some time to devote to it!

      Ruby is a sweetheart! She has such a vibrant personality!

      Thank you for stopping by!

      Brightest Blessings!

      Beth B.

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  2. JennyMay 31, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    What a beautiful sampler - I love the border and the alphabet and you are right about the colors too.

    The drawing that you are working on is spectacular! You are very, very talented!

    Love the black on Ruby's paws - what a sweetie.

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    Replies
    1. Elizabeth BrothertonMay 31, 2012 at 6:23 PM

      Hi Jenny!

      Thank you for stopping by! I have enjoyed following your blog immensely. Although I'm ashamed to say I haven't started the EMS Antique Sampler yet..sigh...but I did get the fabric!

      The drawing is coming along although I find the inking tedious. Once I start painting with color I really start to have fun!

      Ruby's markings are very interesting. She's the only bi-color cat I've ever had that has almost symmetrical markings. She also has extra toes. I'm told she's called a Hemingway cat because the writer had a lot of polydactyl cats on the island he lived on.

      Thank you for visiting! I love hearing from you!

      All the best,

      Beth B.

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