my August WIPocalypse Update

Napping Kitten

It's time for another WIPocalypse update!   These are projects that I have been working on and hope to finish before the world ends.  My stitching time has not been as plentiful the past couple of weeks, but I did manage to work on a few of my WIPs.

I put some stitches into "Napping Kitten".  Shown below is where I left off last time.

I also stitched a bit more on my "Cow Sampler".  I hope to have this finished by my next update.

I put a little bit of time into "Victorian Charm".

And last but not least ... I managed a few more rows on my latch hook rug, "Monterey Sunset".

 

I guess that covers my WIP stitching progress for the month.  

Question of the Month – How do you get yourself out of a stitching drought?

I guess I don't worry too much about having a stitching drought.  Most months I am too busy to find enough time for my stitching.  If I get 15-30 minutes a day I am happy!  All I need to do to feel the urge to stitch is to look at my WIPs page and I am ready to go!  

See ya' next time.
 

my January Gifted Gorgeousness update

Time for my first Gifted Gorgeousness update of the year.  Gifted Gorgeousness projects are projects that were made to be given as a gift -or- in some way or part received as a gift. 

Shown above is my first finish of the year.  I stitched this cute little bear from a chart by Durene Jones, which I found in Cross Stitch Crazy magazine.  The magazine was a gift to me from my sweetie -and- I turned the stitched bear into a "get well card" for my Great Aunt.  

I took a little bit of time off over the holidays and was happy to have more stitching time!  So ... lots of updates this month: 

I had neglected my "Butterfly Forest" all year, so I put some stitches into it.  This was a kit I received a few birthdays back.

I worked on both of my "Pooh" kits (gifted to me by a non-stitchy friend).  Say hello to Piglet (finally)!  I also completed all of the back stitching in the central image of my "Too Much Honey" sampler.

I gave Pooh some feet and finished his back stitching, as well as filling in the rest of the fence  color on "a Chirpy Sort of Place".

I pulled out my "Rose Lap Quilt"  (gifted to me by another non-stitchy friend), and finished stitching the central motif - where the 4 panels are stitched together.  This section was stitched with lazy daisy, french knot, and stem stitches.

I put some stitches into my beautiful "Hummingbird and Fuchsias" project.  This was a gifted kit from my Mom.  It is a printed cross stitch/embroidery project. 

 
I also decided to reboot my "Spanish Sampler" (floss and fabric were purchased with a gift card from my Mom).  I  started over with a piece of "even" evenweave.  "Ta-Da!" Now it is square, as it should be.  

And finally, I added several rows to my "Monterey Sunset" latch hook rug. (Purchased with a gift card.)  This is a great cold weather project - it keeps my lap warm while I am hooking it.  This rug project measures 50" across and 30" high.  It has 98 rows - each of which takes me about an hour to complete.

I think that covers everything!  Whew!  It was so much fun to have time to work on my projects this month.  I hope to continue my progress throughout the year and have several more finishes.

Happy Stitching! 

my May WIPocalypse Update

It's time for the May WIPocalypse update and I have some finishes this month!

My first finish is "Cottage" (freebie by Gazette94).  It turned out lovely and soft. (When do I move in?)

I also stitched "Jack-A-Rachnid" for the Halloween Ornie SAL.  The chart is by Deborah Dick of Tempting Tangles Designs, and was featured in the Sept/Oct 2013 issue of Just Cross Stitch.

The final finish I have for the month is my "American Eagle" latch hook rug.  I am happy to have this finished in time for Memorial Day, as I have so few patriotic decorations.

This brings my old WIPs list down to 47 from the start of 2016 when I was at 51!  

I put a few stitches into other projects, but will post those when I have made more progress.

Question of the Month:
What were you stitching this time last year and have you finished it? (via Jo) 
Last year I posted progress on 5 projects during my May WIPocalypse update: "Nature's Alphabet", "Orchid Intrigue", "Multi-Coloured Alphabet", "Quaker Flower" and "Autumn Heart".  I am happy to report that I did indeed finish 4 out of the 5 projects!  
 
Happy Stitching!

my March WIPocalypse Update

A little late this time ... but I have been a bit under the weather. March was a busy month for me, but I did manage some stitching.  In addition to my "gifted" projects (shown in my last post) ...

I worked on "Simple Blessings" by Sandy Orton.

This was my previous progress:

I stitched this little Irish Elf for the Christmas Ornie SAL:

"Laddie McMirth"

The chart is from the book "100 Cross-Stitch Christmas Ornaments" by Carol Siegel.

I also added a few rows to my latch hook "American Eagle":

The discussion topic this month is: Do you use hoops, stretcher bars, lap stands or Q snap frames and why?

I use both hoops and Q-snaps, and sometimes I stitch simply in hand.  It really seems to depend on the fabric.  Smaller projects or stiffer fabrics I usually stitch in hand.  With medium sized projects or printed projects such as pillowcases - I usually use a hoop.  Larger and more complex designs will go into my Q-snaps. 

That's all for my March update. 
Happy Stitching!

my February WIPocalypse update

It's time for another WIPocalypse update!  Since my last WIPocalypse update, I worked on "Dutch Sampler" by Sandy Orton and I finished "Good Morning" (both are shown in my last post), which brings my WIPs down to 50.  I also finished 2 ornaments for the Halloween and Christmas Ornament SALs.  They can be seen on my 2016 finishes page.

I have made some good progress on "Quaker 2011" by Gazette94 (shown above).  I am stitching this piece with variegated DMC threads on 18 ct aida.  It is pretty much an experiment in color - I haven't seen any other Quakers stitched in blues and golds ... so we'll see how it goes.

Here is where I left off the last time I worked on this piece:

I put some stitches into "Multi-Coloured Alphabet" by Gail Lawther:

 You can see my progress from the last update:

and I added a few rows to my "Monterey Sunset" latch hook project:

That's all I have for my update this month!  I plan to continue working on my WIPs and will hopefully whittle down the list as the year progresses. 

a Small Finish and my WIPocalypse update!

It is time again for a WIPocalypse update.  So here is what I have been stitching lately:

I just finished stitching this piece for the Hallowe'en Ornie Stitch Along.  The pattern is Shake, Rattle 'n Roll by Pam Lewis and Susan Rohm of Praiseworthy Stitches and is featured in Just Cross Stitch magazine's Oct 2015 issue.  I stitched this pattern on a piece of 32 ct. tea stained fabric.

I skipped around my other projects and stitched a little here and a little there.

I am close to finishing Nature's Alphabet by Sandy Orton:

Another Sandy Orton project I worked on was "Simple Blessings":

I still have quite a ways to go with this one.  Here is what the complete design looks like:

I stitched a bit on Gazette94's "Quaker 2011":

And a bit on my "Multi-Coloured Alphabet" by Gail Lawther:

And I did a little latch hooking, which brought my progress up to 30/50 completed rows on my American Eagle rug:

That's all for this month.
Happy Stitching!

WIPocalypse Update : July (part 2)

Time for another WIPocalypse update.  First, I have a small finish (yay!):  Cross Stitch Sampler by Marika Bel (freebie)

I worked on several projects this month!  Here they are:

I finished the maple leaf on my Autumn Sampler.

I made more progress on Multi-Coloured Alphabet by Gail Lawther.

I am moving right along on Good Morning by R. Lanser.

I finally picked up the sadly neglected American sampler by Sandra Sullivan, which I started as one of my DUCJC 2015 projects - and hadn't touched since January.

And last, but not least:

I completed several rows on my American Eagle hooked rug.
   
I am happy to be making progress - but I currently have 54 WIPs (what?!?), so I had better get stitching!  

I almost forgot - this month's topic: 
It’s a blue moon today. Show us your favourite WIP that features a lot of blue!

It has to be Sandy Orton's Winter Sampler. 

Happy Stitching!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
add-on: Oops!  somehow I posted on the wrong monthly topic ... (hee-hee) 

this month's actual topic:
What makes you pick up a long-abandoned UFO rather than beginning a new piece?

guilt!  no, really I just pick up whichever project strikes my fancy at the moment.  If I have just a little stitching time, I will grab whichever project is closest.   If I am up to a challenge and have an hour or two, I will pick something complex.

OK.  Now, I think I have finished my post. 
 

WIPocalypse Update : July

Spell of the Moon by Blackbird Designs

Hooray!  I have a finish! I started "Spell of the Moon" by Blackbird Designs in January, when I was gifted the fabric and chart by Jo.  I really love the way it turned out, and I plan to make it into a small pillow (or large ornament).

Other projects I stitched on this month are:

Good Morning by R. Lanser

I have never seen an image of the finished piece. I have chosen to stitch this pattern on 14 ct. oatmeal Aida fabric using DMC #115 dark red variegated floss.

 Multi-Coloured Alphabet by Gail Lawther

Managed a little bit of progress on this one.

I also started a new latch hook project.  I don't have many Patriotic decorations ... Michael's had a sale ... I had a coupon AND a gift card ... need I say more?

It seems that the newer latch hook kits are printing a 10 x 10 grid on the canvas, instead of printing the entire design.  I actually prefer this.  I follow the charts & have found in the past that the printed canvases seem to drift off a row or two from the chart ... so fine by me.

Here is my current progress:

Question of the Month:  
Reality or Fantasy. Which do you prefer to stitch? Figures or Abstract?
Answer of the Month: 
I don't have a preference.  I enjoy stitching all types of designs.
 
Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans!  Have a safe and happy weekend.

Wrapping Up 2014 and Looking Ahead to 2015

My final finish for 2014! I received this 12" x 12" latch hook rooster kit as a gift.  I started it on Christmas day, and just finished it this afternoon.  I haven't decided whether I will make it into a cushion or wall hanging, yet.

I will be starting DUCJC2015 (Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge) tomorrow.  I don't have a list set in stone, so I will decide which project to start each day as I go and I will post my updates daily on my DUCJC2015 page.

I made some good progress on my "Nature's Alphabet" sampler this past week.  The entire bottom half is finished, and I only have one more row of letters and the top of the border to complete.  Looks like this one will be a finish in 2015!

I have also joined a few other SALs (stitch alongs) : Gifted Gorgeousness,  Halloween Ornies, and WIPocalypse, so I will be keeping busy. 

Have a Safe and Happy New Year's Eve!



  

WIPocalypse Update for November

I made quite a bit of progress on my Autumn Sampler this month. I finally finished my apple girl's face and all of the crazy back stitching that went along with her. I stitched the red crayon, started work on the schoolhouse, and added a bit to the maple leaf. Still a long ways to go, but I enjoy working on this a lot more since I finished the apple girl.

Autumn Sampler - Sandy Orton

previous progress:

goal:

I had a small finish this month: "Majestic Cat" (Halloween ornament - shown in my last post).  I also finished 3 ornaments for my felt advent calender, which has been a WIP (or more correctly a UFO) for about 15 years.  They are all hand stitched with felt applique, a small amount of embroidery, and sequins.  The only problem with this project is that my stitching has improved so drastically in the last 15 years ... the first ornaments I finished look just terrible.   I'm not sure if I will restitch the old ones or not.

Last, but not least ... I added a few more rows to my latch hook rug project, "Monterey Sunset".  This project measures 50 inches wide by 30 inches tall.  

Here is what it will look like when completed:

Hooked rugs are always nice to work on after the weather has turned cold.  An extra layer on your lap to keep you warm as you work.

This month’s topic is:  What are your favorite and least favorite materials to use in your stitching?  That's a hard one for me ... I stitch from kits quite a bit, so I have done very little experimenting.  I've never used any type of floss other than regular DMC (or similar).  I don't think I've ever even been in a needlework shop, so I haven't seen any special fabrics or flosses in person.  I use both hoops and Q-snaps, depending on which works better for each project.   I love to stitch on everything: evenweave, or linen, and prefer aida with a count higher than 11.

That's all for this WIPocalypse update.  Click here to see what the other WIPocalypse stitchers have been up to.

Happy Stitching!