Sunday, February 14, 2010

Camo Tap Pants Done! Stars Started!


The SharonG tap pants are done!  I finally finished the last few rows of t-stitched background yesterday.  Hurrah!



Here is the set unframed.  It is supposed to be sunny today so I should get a good photograph of them framed for tomorrow.

I put my Stars for the New Millennium canvas on Evertite stretcher bars last night and recounted the border to figure out where I stopped working this several years ago and where I needed to start to work on Stars again.  I realized after reading the instructions I have not finished the right hand corner yet.  I am undecided whether to do the corners before I work on the top row of borders or not.  I guess I'll make up my mind tonight.

It struck me again sorting through my threads (which I have in labeled floss bags and arranged on large rings with Color A on its own ring, Color B on a ring together, etc.) that Stars is a threadaholic's delight.  I know I worked out what the thirty-six different threads cost for this project before but I don't remember the totals.  So I used Needle in a Haystack's and Alex Paras' Needlearts sites to look up costs for each skein in each of the four sets of colors, using Tony Minieri's own colors as an example.  (The other colorways in the book use various brands, depending on what is available in those colors and types of threads.  But Tony's set is a good benchmark.)

Color A threads total (without tax or shipping charges if you have to mail order) $33.20,  Color B threads total $25.65, Color C threads total $19 and Color D threads total $10.40.  I know I'll need several skeins for some threads but I didn't take that extra cost into consideration.  The total for threads if you buy everything new for this project in Tony's colors will top $88.25.  The Stars booklet itself is $55 or so.  I would think budgeting $150 for the project is reasonable.

But I bought very little new myself for this project. My friends Linda and Mimi sent me some threads and I had most of the colors necessary already.  I even have about 20 other skeins of other thread types in reserve in the basket that holds the Stars threads in case my choices don't work out.

Bottom line:  this is not a cheap project, which is even more reason to stitch each quilt block as separate ornaments in various colors from your stash.

But I'm working the entire project.  It is just too beautiful to take account of the thread costs.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

8 comments:

NCPat said...

Do post if you need something one of us might have also....the pants and bra are delightful...can't wait to see the framing! Congratulations!

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

Thank you, Pat. I'm glad you like the camo lingerie set. I think it looks great myself. As for helping with threads for Stars, I'll ask if I need something but you should know there is no way to get it to me. No mail here for the last i days! Anyone got a private plan you'll fly over CH and throw stash out of? LOL

SharonG said...

Jane, I absolutely love the bra and pants. Hail to the bead queen!!!

PS, the snow will melt eventually. We are supposed to get a clean layer of 8 or so inches on the mountain. Make sure next time you put coffee on your list to back up.

NCPat said...

Hmmm.....maybe....LOL....we are supposed to get another 1-3 inches again on Monday!

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

And we are to get either 1-3 inches or 2-4 inches. It's too bad because if we have 3 more sunny days in a row, I thought we'd get otta here! Looks like we'll be stuck two full weeks. Sigh.

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

Good idea, Sharon. Actually, I did have enough coffee for two weeks when the snow started but my husband has been drinking it non-stop! We will run out around Thursday I think. Oh, well, we drink too much caffeine. This is weaning me off it.

Sara Leigh said...

My group averaged around $100 for the threads, plus or minus $5, depending on what they already had in their stash. Fingers crossed that we'll get to meet on the 28th, as snow has foiled us so far. We're all plugging away on the border or sashing or whatever so that we can all work on the first square together. One stitcher proceeded with the bottom left square. We're all also awaiting the JL Walsh threads that should have been shipped around the time it snowed ... the first time.

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

Thanks for the input, Sara Leigh. It is interesting to see how everyone tackles this piece. I hope the JL Walsh threads arrive for you soon. I was able to score some in violet (and perhaps black, can't remember) but this is pre-Vineyards Silk and pre-Planet Earth Fibers. I bet either would substitute. In fact, I might wait to do the outer border until I go visit Woodlawn and the shops in March to see if any Vineyards Silk is available in the color I want for my outside border....