Ladybug Lake Update

Here is the latest and greatest pix of Ladybug Lake. I am going to compare the last one with the latest one, which was taken with my little Canon camera.

Taken with my old iPhone

Taken with Canon camera

The Canon pix has the colors right, and there isn't a distortion of the fabric color like the iPhone. Now my iPhone is an old hand me down from my husband, who is more taken with phone technology than I am, so he gets the newer phone and I inherit the old. It's a good working arrangement for the two of us. However, an older technology means that there are discrepancies to be put up with, i.e., the difference in color from the phone camera to a real camera. You can see here too that a bit more progress has been made on the design.

So now with this great upgrade to provide better quality pix, I can feel confident that what I put up on my blog is true to what I am actually seeing, and that is what I want, a better experience for those readers of my blog.

Hopefully the next time I give you an update, I will be at the bottom of the stitching as shown in the pix, and will be starting on the last twenty or so rows beneath it.

In the meantime, I have been experimenting with my Shiva Paintsticks for the next project. I am thinking about painting the background with either the Paintsticks or Jacquard fabric paints to match the stitching, that way I won't have any white background show up. This will take some time to get the fabric ready if I do this, since I have to wash the fabric to get all the sizing out of it so it will take either the oil or acrylic paint and then letting it set up after I paint it. I may even use my Martha Stewart's. I'll have to see how the matching goes. I have also been looking at fibers for it too. So it has been busy here at Pear Blossom Designs, which is okay, because the weather outside has been sweltering. Summer truly is here in Oklahoma.

Stay cool, comfortable and serene until next time.
Debbie

Getting Framed

Since Ladybug Lake is moving along so well, I have begun thinking about how to frame not only it, but future projects. The pieces I am thinking about for the near future I believe would look best matted, and it seems to me that having them done in a simple mat with a black frame will suit not only this one but also Ladybug Leaves when that gets underway. For a different one I started a while ago but put on the back burner, probably a more traditional frame would fill the bill.

There is a local frame shop that I'm interested in contacting about doing the work, since I pass it by frequently and it has been in our town for a while now. However, I know from experience that it is hard to find a good needlework framer. I think I have "framing anxiety" from a piece I made for my daughter and wanted framed. A friend of mine suggested this place that actually was a photography studio but she told me also framed needlework. Trusting her that they were good, I gave them my piece. Now custom framing is not cheap for needlework, and this probably holds true for any framing job, but I figure it is worth it to have it look professional. After paying for the job and then getting to see it afterwards, I was shocked how poorly it was done. Even worse, when I pointed it out, I was met with this incredulous look, like I had just told them an alien landed in their parking lot. Fortunately they were agreeable to try to improve their work, and the second attempt looked better but was not what I was looking for.

I could take my work to my closest needlework shop, but they are quite a distance drive from me, always charge more than regular storefront framers, and take forever, and this is all contingent on if they have someone they can farm it out to. The stars all have to perfectly align which seldom happens for me. So at this point I will talk to my local frame shop and see if they even do needlework framing, and if not, I'll probably have to slog out to the needlework shop and hope the stars are in my favor.