December ends

Happy New Year World!!!

I've hit the bottom!

First:  Complain, complain, moan, groan, whine.

Now that’s out of the way, it’s time for my 2^nd qtr. Blog post. J

There are finishes to report:

 

The first one took ages. The other two took days. Figures.  The designs are by Heart in Hand from a leaflet called Christmas Triplet.

New Start!

 

You guessed it.  I started Death by Cross Stitch.  The winning color was sapphire by Carrie’s Creations.

After many years of not trying, I’ve finally hit the bottom.

 

Yes, that’s the bottom of the Ballroom picture.  I haven’t worked on it since of course. Still overwhelmed by it I guess. J

Happy Stitching World.

A Pretty Good Start

Stitching wise, the year is off to a good start.

 

 

 My first finish – Summer Blackout by Heart in Hand.  The fabric is a piece of damask, slippery stuff.  The floss is some blue Threadworx.

Inspired to look for other things in my stash, I did this.

 

The chart is from a booklet called Fab ABC Chartbook that came with an issue of World of Cross Stitching.  The design is by Rhona Norrie.  The floss was included too.  Curious colors, but I really like the design.

 

And there’s progress on the camper kit.  I’m easily distracted, of course, or there would probably be more.  I’m a collector too, which is why I caved and bought the fourth kit in the set when I found it on sale. J

Here’s to more progress and finishes in February.

Happy stitching World

Happy New Year!

I’ve decided on my goals for 2017:

Stitch more.

Blog more.

Keep it simple right.

Christmas was fun. J

Then I got a cold for New Years K

So my new start was put off – for a day. J

 

This was in my stash.  When I got 2 more in the set for Christmas, J I thought it was time to start.

I have to admit, what I really thought would be a great start was this.

 

This was a birthday gift.  It will get started sometime this year. Right after I finally decide on a color.  Or colors.  Could you see this in more than one color?  I can, which only adds to my confusion.

No new finishes to show.  But I did put some older pieces to work.

 

This was the first time I tried this.  I can see it making a return appearance next Christmas.

As for me, I’m off to do some stitching so I can have something to show next time.

Happy stitching World

July Catch Up

Not enough stitching going on around here.

Some other happenings:

There was a flood, which could have been much worse.  Happily the person on the 3^rd floor came home for lunch.

We went to the local Comic Con and gazed upon Haley Atwell, John Barrowman, Sean Pertwee and the one and only Stan Lee.

The rest of the gap was just life.

Has anyone bought the JCS Halloween issue?  I saw it the other day but didn’t get it – yet.

Stitching stuff:

Because it seemed like a good idea, I bought a piece of fabric to start the “To the Beach” series by Hands on Design.  Here’s what it looks like so far.

 

My current plan is to cut them apart when done, but this piece should hold 6-8 designs so that could take awhile.

My other recent start was this.

 

A Jody Rice/Satsuma Street design that was in Cross Stitch Crazy.  I think she has it out on Etsy now.  It may also be proof that not chopping up that other piece was a good plan.  I’m not completely sure if it’s centered yet.  At least I know my sewing machine still works. J

This is not shaping up to be one of those weekends where I don’t have to go out and no one wants anything.  Surprise right.  But my new starts still seem fun and colorful so I’ll just have to fit them into the schedule.

Happy stitching World

An Update at last

Hi there!

Where have I been?  Who knows?  Blink and it’s the end of April.  I can tell that it’s Spring though; it’s been snowing more often than not this month.

I have some stitching to show.  January was finished (in March) and now the whole set is done.

 

This series is from the book “Sand, Sea & Cross Stitch” by Anna Field.  April is mostly a pillow now too.  It’s been sewn, turned and displayed all month.  Just not stuffed and closed.

 

Like many (every?) other thing I start, I had visions of this one sewing itself while I wasn’t looking.  And like every other project I could show you, there has been some progress.

 

This is the Disney Opening Ceremony Poster by New York Needleworks (Etsy).

That’s all for now.  I just wanted to get this post in before another month got away from me.

Happy stitching World

So it's like this...

Last year I joined the Frosted Pumpkin SAL.  I ordered the fabric straight from the maker and it looks like this.

 

The mat underneath is 12 ½ x 18 ½.  The fabric is marked 13 x 18.  To add insult to injury, when I took this picture, I decided my feeble attempt at starting might be on the wrong side.  Figures.

Just to prove I never learnJ, I signed up for two SALs this year, Frosted Pumpkin and Cloudsfactory.  This time I ordered the kits.  I thought the fabric company would take more care with the pieces they sent though them.  Apparently I was wrong.

 

This is the Frosted Pumpkin piece.  A little closer, but still not 13 x 18 according to my rulers.

 

Here’s the piece for the Cloudsfactory SAL.  I don’t really have a complaint; it’s more of a question.  How is it that the design area, which the pattern tells me is 13 x 13, comes out to be 11 ¾ on the fabric?  I pinned it out every 10 squares down one side to make sure it fits.  All I really did was confuse myself more.

These look like really cute patterns.  So once I finish pinning them out I look forward to starting.  And I’m sure I’ll buy more patterns from both.  I just won't buy fabric.

Happy stitching World

January's Over?

I don’t know where the month went, but I do have something to show for it.

There are two things I don’t normally do.  Metallic floss and beading.  I made an exception to the bead part for this.

 

An Ursula Michaels design from the book, “A Cross Stitcher’s Countdown to Christmas”.  I still won’t be going out of my way to do any beading on a regular basis, but I was pleased with the results.

Did I mention that everything I finished this month I meant to finish last month?  You know how that goes.  The first thing I actually completed was a Lucie Heaton pattern from Cross Stitch Crazy #209.

Someday it will make a perfect coaster. J

And because I do intend to complete this set, I give you

December.  That just leaves January to stitch and 10 months to finish into pillows.

Happy stitching World

December 31

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smalls SAL - November

The holiday season begins.  Happily the stitching continues.

 

Lots of plans for December.  We’ll see what happens.

Happy stitching World

October SAL Update

Stitch from Stash

Spent $0

Earned $4

No progress on any large cross stitch projects this month.  But at the last possible moment, I did finish this.

 

The wedding gift I’ve been working on for my nephew.  From the story I heard after, they seem to like it. J

Smalls SAL

October is finished.

 

Next: November and a Christmas ornament.

Happy Halloween!

Happy stitching World

September SALS Update

Smalls

Stitch from Stash

Spent $12.00

Earned $4.00

There was stitching this past month.

I finished September.

 

I put together a biscornu.

 

Plus, I started on October and put a few more stitches on my HAED SAL piece.

There was a detour to crochet land.  It proved to be more distracting than entertaining.  I think I have my problems about worked out now.  This would be a good thing because I need it for a wedding present next month.

Oh yeah, I got the world’s greatest birthday present.

 

Happy stitching World

SAL Updates - August

It’s one of those “never seems to fail” moments.  Again.  When I should be working on my SAL projects, I’m busy stitching on anything else.  As a result, my stitching progress looks like this:

Stitch from Stash – August

$ spent $14.80

$ earned $8.00

Biscornu Days here at the Tiki Hut.  I’ve finished ½ each of a green one and a purple one.

 

The green one goes with the part I had done before.  The purple one still needs the bottom.  The designs come from Au Pays des Biscornus, a fabulous blog with hundreds (really) of biscornu patterns.  Also worked on (but not pictured here) were the Retro Cat, Santa’s House (Country Cottage Santa’s Village #1), Christmas Presence (HAED SAL), and A Day at the Beach.  The beach picture is a kit I won in Crafty Rahenna’s giveaway earlier this year.  The rules were that it had to be started, not stashed.  My excuse for not starting sooner is that the kit came with a nice piece of linen, which I don’t work with much.  In honor of Disneyland’s 60^th Anniversary, I bought a pattern on Etsy, which I started.  It’s the Opening Ceremony poster pattern from New York Needleworks.  So far there are two (nearly complete) red lines.

 

 

 

 

 

My other purchase was this:

 

Pretty sweet right?  Especially at 60% off.

Smalls SAL

This one is coming along well.  August is done.

 

Only 5 more months to go!  I have to go back and finish/do January at the end.

So on to September.  May it be full of progress, finishes and not too many new starts.

Happy stitching World

YOTA August 2015

I told myself I was going to make this post yesterday.  Before it becomes tomorrow, here it is. J

 

Admittedly, most of the progress on this happened Friday night and Saturday, but there is progress.  I’m hoping by the time I get the large fireplace section done, I’ll have decided on the color for the little stones.  Hmm, maybe light and dark, I’ll try to keep that in mind.

Check out Pull the Other Thread for more YOTA posts.

Happy stitching World

July SALS Update

Christmas in July Sales.  I’d be so much richer without them. J  Still, I did pick up these.

 

The Halloween issue I got a discount on by signing up for the Christmas issue.  The Santa’s Village patterns finish off my set, so it seemed like a good investment.

London is starting to break out in words.  Either that or it’s the top of a train that’s making a trail of white puffy clouds. J

 

I didn’t finish a Christmas piece for the Smalls SAL but there are these.

 

The palm tree design is from the book, Rainbow of Stitches.  I used some old stash floss.  This is J & P Coats Pastelles #557.  Good thing I didn’t run out of floss because I only bought skein way back when.  Next I have my eye on a floss color by Six Strand Sweets called Chocolate Covered Cherries.  So the big question is – cupcake or ice cream design?

With a little luck and a lot more stitching, I’ll be back on Saturday with a YOTA update.

Happy stitching World

June SAL Updates

Here we are at the end of June.  With an epic burst of speed stitching and an extra day off, I have something to show.

Stitch from Stash
Spent $25                                                                                                                           Earned $6

Yes, I picked up the two magazines I was after.

 

So now I have the 3^rd part of the dollhouse Maria Diaz did for CSC.  I also have this cool beach picture she did in Gold.  Jeez, you’d think I was a fan or something.  But just to prove it, I stitched down to the start of the letters in London! (M. Diaz, CSG USA Issue #37) And the center top is finally finished.

 

I was so pleased; I almost kept working on it.  But then I never would have gotten this post written.  As for what I earned, it came from these.

Smalls SAL

 

The sun piece I finished earlier this month.  June I finished earlier today.  Then I started on July.  I may try to do a Christmas piece next month too.  If I can decide on one in time. J

CSC SAL  

 

Not breaking any speed records with this one, but there is progress here too.  More on the fireplace and above.

That's all for now.  Hope it's a good week for everyone.

Happy stitching World

 

 

 

YOTA June 2015

Look, more fireplace:

 

I think I’ve found one of the many reasons I don’t get more stitching done.  Or maybe, just the newest reason on the long list.  Board games, specifically, The Settlers of Catan.  At least I won tonight. J  Who knows what will happen when we get Pandemic in.

Happy stitching World

May SALS Update

This was a month full of good times and shopping.  But not a lot of stitching. 

I did finish May.

 

This keeps me current and gives me $4 credit towards this.

SFS – May

$100 spent (!)

$4 earned

Seriously, I did not think I had that much to spend.  But when it goes out in smaller chunks I guess you don’t notice.  And no, I’m not sorry because I ended up with this.

 

The balance was floss to start some of the patterns in them.  Possibly Baked Alaska as well, if the Threadworx floss I ordered looks half as good in person as it does on the computer.

Speaking of new patterns, Mother’s Day was nice.  I got 4 patterns total.  Two from Artecy : Hawaiian Beach and Space Rocket.  The other two were HAED: In the Sunshine and Get Your Kicks from Route 66.

I’m off now to gaze at my patterns, sort through my floss and see if I can stitch any faster.  Have to try to fill in the hole I dug a little.  There are two more magazines I want to look for next month. J

Happy stitching World

YOTA Anyone?

Too little, hopefully not too late.
Does Free Comic Book Day count as a good excuse?
How about seeing the Avengers. (twice!)
How about I just show you that there's a little more fireplace.

Happy stitching World

SALS April Update

Stitch from Stash
$42.00 spent
$10.00 earned
After I bought Baked Alaska, I kept looking for the other pattern I “needed” Rainbow Parfait.  Thanks to one of those magical EBay moments I found it.

 

And along with it I got these.

 

For the price of two patterns.  Like I said, magical. J

Now I haven’t started any of these – yet – but there has been some stitching.

 

My stitching fingers led me to work on the left hand side while the rest of me wondered why I wasn’t finishing that middle section.  No matter, sooner or later it will all get done.

There was another purchase.  I bought this issue of Cross Stitch Gold for the Italian picture by Maria Diaz.

 

In addition to the little bunny I finished earlier and the Smalls piece below there was one more finish.

 

This is the First Doctor as designed by Dork Stitch.

Smalls SAL

I have a finish!

Cross Stitch Collection

A few more columns on the fireplace.  Moving along. J

Happy stitching World