Brummie Blogger

Firefly is finished

Once I'd got Firefly back out again, with only three of the characters left to do, I couldn't resist finishing it off. I love it to bits, I really do. I can't believe how they look so much like the characters when they also look like something from a very early console game.

Look at Jayne's hat! It's perfect. I love that hat.

So, with Shepherd Book, Kaylee and Jayne done, the chart was finished. I wanted to add one more thing though. I loved it as it was, but I felt some text would just be the cherry on top. I didn't want to put something obvious like Firefly or Serenity so I went with something that would be obvious if you're a fan of the show, but is probably meaningless otherwise. 

All I need to do now is get it framed, and for now it's joined the pile of unframed finishes in my 'needs framing' drawer. I may need a bigger drawer soon. Either that or some frames.

I've got several more of these Pixel People charts to do from Wee Little Stitches. I can't help myself. Every time I go over there, I end up with one or two more. I've got The Big Bang Theory, a Harry Potter, The Eleven Doctors complete with Tardis, the Doctor's Companions and my latest aquisition, which looks absolutely amazing, The Fellowship of the Ring. Must crack on with one of my SALs next though.

Firefly - three more people stitched

I managed to get some more done to this before starting on the next Cottage on the 1st. I've finished the right hand side now with Simon and River. Simon has a blingy gold waistcoat and looks perfect.

River is right on the end so once I'd finished stitching her, I went back to the middle and started to the left of Mal. That meant I got to do Inara and her pretty dress. She has a blingy gold trim on it. Unfortunately I had a choice of using the recommended DMC metallic, which wasn't going to happen, or I had some Madeira which I hadn't tried yet. I've discovered that I don't like Madeira metallics either.

Still, the results are ok and I love the way Inara turned out.

I finally gave in and fetched down the boxed set of Firefly DVDs and have been watching them while stitching. I'm pretty sure I'd have got rather more done if I hadn't but I've really enjoyed seeing the show again. I'd forgotten just how good it was. I'll get the DVDs out again when I do the last three characters, and maybe finish them off when I do some more Pixel people designs. I've got a couple more in my stash box and there are some more that I have my eye on over at Wee Little Stitches.

This is what it looks like now with them all in a row.

I've an idea for some text to backstitch underneath it when I've done the characters, just to finish it off. I need to put it into a Cross Stitch program to see if it'll fit into the spacing allowed first. Fingers crossed.

A little bit of Firefly

I started my Pixel People Firefly cross stitch last week and managed to get three of the characters stitched before putting it away to start on March's Cottage. It was great fun working on it and I almost kept going on it for a little longer. Considering how little detail is in it, you can really tell who the characters are and it stitches up so nicely, I can't wait to get back to it.

This is how it looks so far.

It's giving me the strongest urge to rewatch the whole series of Firefly though. I may just whip the DVDs out and give in to temptation.

The Great Escape - Rhodes stitch

Part ten is the mouse, who is attempting to make his great escape from the clutches of the owl, who has mouse's tail under his talons. Mouse is made up of Octagonal Rhodes stitch, Heart Rhodes stitch and an adapted Ray stitch. There's some backstitch forming his ear, paws and tail too.

This part wasn't difficult at all. Rhodes stitch is simply a case of making sure you start in the right hole and then following the chart exactly. As Abi provides very good instructions and an excellent chart from which to work, you can't really go wrong with this, as long as you get the placement right.

This is how the whole thing looks now.

I used a slightly different colour for the mouse and to give just a touch of texture I used silk. I had some left over from a coffee design that I stitched and one of the colours just looked mouse-like. It's Crescent Colours Belle Soie and the colour is Cinnamon stick. It's very pretty.

I rather liked the height you get to the stitch with Rhodes. I took a close up at an angle to show it better.

I'm caught up with this again now and won't be starting the next cottage until March 1st. That's all prepped ready so there's nothing left for me to do to that, leaving me with almost a week to do something else. I have four other WIPs so you'd think I'd be getting on with one of those, wouldn't you? That was the plan but when I was rummaging last week, I came across the Pixel People charts that I have printed off. I've been wanting to make a start on one of those for a while. I do really like them so today, instead of cracking on with an existing WIP, I've started a new one.

Yes, really.

It was a toss up between The Eleven Doctors and Firefly but Firefly won. I spent a very happy hour earlier stitching Mal from his boots up. He's missing his coat until I get the right brown though. I may go shopping later...

Pixel People

Etsy. I'd heard of it. I'd even been to look at it occasionally. Nearly always in response to a link posted by a friend. You know the sort. The look at this, isn't it fab/cute/pretty sort of link. And I'd dutifully click on the link and agree that yes it was fab/cute/pretty or whatever. Assuming it was, of course. I'd never actually bought anything from Etsy, or even registered or joined or whatever they call it.

All that changed at the weekend. There was this discussion, you see. The type of discussion that persuades you to idly reach for the mouse and start Googling. Mmm, that type. They never end well, do they? We were discussing TV, mostly cult TV and cross stitch and would we stitch or had we stitched our favourite shows. It suddenly popped into my head that it'd be an amazing idea to stitch something to do with Firefly. Yeah. And, before I knew it I was Googling Firefly and Cross stitch. A few photo realistic ones that didn't do much for me came up and then I found this on Wee Little Stitches.

 
How cute is that? Look at Jayne in his hat. And Nathan Mal in his brown coat. And there's Inara in her pretty frock. You can clearly tell who each and every character is. It's just perfect. I fell in love. I may just add "Cowboys in Space" beneath the characters, just because I can though.

And obviously I didn't stop there. There was so much more to look at. Ferris Bueller's day off - I love that film. Pretty in Pink too. Lots of Star Wars stuff. And then I spotted this next one. Another must have as it's one of the funniest things to be aired recently and I can't wait for it to come back on.

 
Words almost fail me. Just look at them. Sheldon...

So I had those two in my basket and was resisting Ferris Bueller when I spotted this last one. Oh my. I nearly fell off my chair with excitement and that's not easy as it's a big chair with arms on it.

You know I like Doctor Who, due to the slightly enormous task that I've set myself in Starry Night with Tardis. Well how on earth could I resist this, considering that I grew up watching some of the earlier Doctors from behind the sofa. Hey, Daleks were scary when I was a child. 

 
All eleven Doctors plus the Tardis. I love it to bits. And needless to say it got added to the basket with the other two and was purchased.

My charts were emailed the next day. They're of excellent quality with detailed instructions. I'm very impressed with Wee Little Stitches, and there's a chance that they may be pixelating Red Dwarf at some point as apparently I'm not the only person to have asked about that possibility. Yes, I had to ask. Oh, come on, can't you just see Cat done in this style? So, fingers crossed and with a bit of luck, I may even find time to stitch all of these charts that I'm piling up.

I am just so chuffed to bits with these though. So cute!