July: Week 1 - Is it the sea?

It's hard to believe it's July, but I guess since people have been setting off fireworks at all hours every day for the last week, it's definitely July. Do some people have a fireworks budget? I hate them. 

July's item is a fun polka dot dress I got at Old Navy in maybe 2018. I love polka dots and this color blue. I don't always wear body con-ish dresses, but this one fit really well and was nice for work. It doesn't fit as well anymore, but I love it so I decided to make it July's piece. 

I didn't have a plan when I sat down on the first day of the month. I knew I wanted to use two stitches I haven't used recently, feather and coral stitches, but that was about it. I had the idea that maybe I'd do something about water as well. I focused on a water theme during July 2021 and it was one of my favorite months of that project. This month's piece is inspired by the water and it's shaping up to look like an underwater something. I've always lived near a major body of water (not on the water, near it) and I love being close to the water. I'm not a fan of going in the water or being on a boat, but I love sitting on the beach or near a lakefront and watching and listening to the water. And the sea air - magical!

This week and next will be focused on the top portion of the dress. The feather stitch looks a lot like seaweed or some other underwater plant. The coral stitch does too, but in a different way. I'm thinking of using some tete de boeuf stitches as fish (individual ones look like fish). I may also use cast-on stitch to add more dimension. I haven't decided if I'll do the same on the bottom half of the dress. I probably will, but I like to leave my options open. 

Here's this week's recap:

July 1

July 2

July 3

July 4

July 5

July 6

July 7

July 8

Week two will focus on filling out the two sides and the possibility of a new stitch getting added to the mix. Maybe even two new stitches (new to the piece, not new to me).

The back looks like confetti.

Updates and Other Projects

Iconic #17 and #18 are done! I'm getting closer to the end of part one of this series. It's been so much fun to bring these quotes to life and I'm really excited about the last two entries. 

When I was working on Iconic #16, I tried a different shade of blue before settling on the darker color I landed on for the piece. I realized the first color was pretty close to the color of the cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so it worked perfectly for Iconic #17. 

I've only made one recipe from this book, but I love Julia Child and had to include her in this series.

I love this quote from Michelle Yeoh when she won the Oscar earlier this year. She deserves all the stars and love in the world.

Going along with my sea theme, I started working on a free pattern from BadAss Cross Stitch. The creator, Shannon Downey, is one of my favorite artists. It's because of Shannon that my own work has been seen in a few museum exhibitions since 2021 and Shannon makes delightfully subversive embroidery. There's a great free section on the website if you're interested in making something. 

I fully support the ocras.

I was able to finish this today while waiting for my car. It's fun to embroider at the auto shop! The fabric is one of the remnants I picked up on Thursday at the upcycle place.

I went to see Tori Amos in concert on Wednesday and smart me, took Thursday off since I knew I'd be tired. If you have the chance to see Tori on this current tour, do it. I saw her for the first time in 1996 and it was everything to see her again this week. 

Since I took Thursday off, I decided to go to the Upcycle Creative Reuse Center. I haven't been to shop there since they moved. I got a ton of fabric remnants and upholstery swatches to use for upcoming projects. I also found some needlework thread and am excited to try it out. I also bought some yarn and crochet needles. Yes, I'm teaching myself to crochet. I'll share more about this in a future post. I thought I'd practice before jumping into this one. 

Keely really liked what I brought home from Upcycle. 

If you're someone I send actual mail to, keep an eye out for Keely on your next letter/card/postcard! This Keely stamp is the greatest thing.

No thoughts, just vibes. Thanks Anita!