Wipocalpyse 2021

 The less said about 2020's goals the better. Let's just pretend that whole year didn't happen. 

I am joining WIPocalypse 2021 which is a blog hop and the brain child of Measi's Musings. This is the second time I'm participating and I love the idea of keeping track of the progress on my WIPs and following along with everyone else's progress.

I am Amy. I live on the East End of Long Island, New York. I learned to stitch as a teenager but stopped stitching during graduate school and when my children were little. In 2015 I picked up a kit on Amazon and later discovered the vast array of amazing designers and new fabrics and floss. I've been stitching non-stop ever since.

I am participating in WIPGO 2021 on Facebook. You can find all the information about it on Jessie Marie Does Stuff on Youtube. Essentially one constructs a BINGO board out of WIPs or new starts and determines a goal for each square. I intend to work 10 hours on each project called. I feel that this is a reachable goal. 

WIPGO 2021 Board

Squares 1 through 6 are new starts. My plan is to start a new ornament every other month so that I'll have them by the time we put up the Christmas tree. I will work on the ornaments below and from the Just Cross Stitch 2020 Christmas Ornament magazine.

Square 7: Herbularius by Chatelaine

Square 8: Halloween Fairy by Nora Corbett

Square 9: Christmas by Renato Parolin

Square 10: Hanukkah Table Topper by Dutch Treat Design

Square 11: Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs

Square 12: Antique Celtic Sampler by Elizabeth's Designs

Square 14: Winter Snow Owl by Blackberry Lane Designs

Square 15: Harriet Hartland, 1782 by Hands Across The Sea Samplers

Square 16: Mother Nature by Kathy Barrick

Square 17: Fa La La Llama by Satsuma Street. This will be a Christmas stocking for my granddaughter.

Square 19: A Stitching Shelf by Aimee Stewart, Heaven and Earth Design.

Square 20: Give Thanks by The Drawn Thread.

I love this pattern so much. The specialty stitches are a blast.

Square 21: Susannah Walker, 1848 by Modern Folk Embroidery

I started this on Christmas day and I've been obsessed with it. 

Square 22: A new start: Pretty Pumpkins by Glendon Place

Square 23: A new start: Sister Suffragette.

Square 24: A new start: Yvonne Leclercq, 1905 by Reflets de Soie

And I left the final square, 25, to work on any new start or WIP.

Thanks for checking out my plans for the year. I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year. 

Finished page 1 of Hariet Hartland by Hands Across The Sea Samplers. Loving every stitch. 

I’m stitching it 1 over 2 on 40 count Cream linen by Zweigart. Using the called for Soie d’Alger.

Hariet Hartland, 1782

Weekly WIP update 1.17.20

I only had a few days of stitching this week. I worked on Spring Robin for Mill Hill Monday SAL which takes place on Facebook. I stitch on it every Monday so it always gets a little love. 

Spring Robin by Mill Hill 1.16.20

I had a new start this week. Hariet Hartland, 1782 by Hands Across the Sea Samplers. I am stitching on 40 count cream linen by Zweigart with the called for threads, Au Ver à Soie d'Alger. 

Hariet Hartland, 1782 by Hands Across the Sea Samplers 1.16.20

This was supposed to be my 'New Year, New Start', however I couldn't decide whether or not I should stitch in hand or with a frame. I was concerned about having to wash it if I stitched in hand due to transfer of oils from my hands to the linen and silks. It was suggested that I wash the reds and see if they bleed before starting in hand which I haven't, yet, done. Like a lunatic without a care in the world I went ahead and started stitching in hand. I am still not sure if I should continue or put it in a scroll frame or Qsnap. Sigh. I am open to constructive suggestions and opinions. What do you do?

Both of these projects were used in the School of Magical Stitches and Literature challenges. Spring Robin fit a challenge and I used Hariet Hartland for penalty stitches. They are also adding to stitches in the Landmark Challenge in Semi Sane Stitchers.

This weekend is International Hermit & Stitch Weekend and the timing is perfect as we are expecting a little snow this afternoon so I'm going to rush through my chores so I can have some extensive stitching time. A girl can dream, right?

WIPocalypse 2020

I am joining WIPocalypse 2020 which is the brain child of Measi's Musings. It's the first time I'm participating and I love the idea of keeping track of the progress on my WIPs and following along with everyone else's progress.

I am Amy. I live on the East End of Long Island in New York. I learned to stitch as a teenager but stopped stitching during graduate school and when my children were little. In 2015 I picked up a kit on Amazon and later discovered the vast array of amazing designers and new fabrics and floss. I've been stitching non-stop ever since.

I've picked 8 WIPs and 3 new starts that I'd like to focus on this year.

1. Herbularius is one of my oldest WIPs. It requires that I'm not too tired in order to work on it. My goal for 2020 is to work a minimum of 4 hours per week. It will be the first piece I work on during the week to guarantee that I make that goal. I also bought some scroll rod fabric tensioners to help with the side tension making it more pleasurable to work on.

Herbularius by Chatelaine 1.09.20

2. I'd like to finish Give Thanks by The Drawn Thread in 2020. The specialty stitches in this piece are a lot of fun to work on.

Give Thanks by The Drawn Thread 1.09.20

3. I'd like to make significant progress on Halloween Fairy by Nora Corbet. I might even get this done by Halloween!

Halloween Fairy by Nora Corbet 1.09.20

4. I'd like to make significant progress on Christmas by Renato Parolin. I'm hoping for a finish by Christmas.

Christmas Tree by Renato Parolin 1.09.20

5. My goal is to finish Spring Robin by Mill Hill.

Spring Robin by Mill Hill 1.09.20

6. My goal is to make significant progress on Antique Celtic Sampler by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs.

Antique Celtic Sampler by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs

7. I think I can finish Winter Snow Owl by Blackberry Lane designs in January. I need to make it into an ornament before Christmas 2020 :)

Winter Snow Owl by Blackberry Lane Designs

8. I would like to finish Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs. I did start this but I'm not home and I don't have a picture with me. I'll add it as soon as possible.

9. I will start Hariet Hartland, 1782 by Hands Across the Sea Samplers. I hope to start it next week.

Hariet Hartland, 1782 by Hands Across the Sea Samplers

10. I will start HL's Moth by Kathy Barrick in 2020. I have a gorgeous wine color fabric for this. I think it's called Napa and was hand-dyed by Silkweaver. 

11. I will start A Stitching Shelf by Aimee Stewart through Heaven and Earth Designs.

So those are my goals for 2020. I would really like to reduce the number of WIPs although adding three new starts (and one of them a HAED) might be a little self-defeating.

Happy stitching!

A Perfect World

I haven't been a monogamous stitcher since I picked up stitching again in 2015. Even with pieces I love stitching on I'll get tired of it and swap it out with another project for a little while. Well, that has not been the case with "A Perfect World" by The Scarlett House.

I have been working on this sampler almost every day since the end of July. 

I am stitching on a 40 count linen called Blush by Silkweaver Fabrics; one over two. I'm using the suggested DMC colors not the called for overdyed threads and I'm loving the way it looks with the DMC.

The little bird on the fence is stitched one over one. It required a lot of magnification, light, and concentration. Frankly, it was exhausting but the bird came out beautifully so it was worth it. I'm waiting for when I have a chance to stitch in the afternoon when I'm well rested to stitch the other one over one black bird on the other side of the fence.

Please excuse the wrinkles. This is the first piece that I'm stitching in hand, no frame or hoop, and am happy with the results. Actually, I did use a Qsnap when stitching the letters and the one over one bird, but everything else was in hand stitching.

I'm very close to a finish on this piece and look forward to sharing the final result.

Winter Snow Owl Ornament

There is so much going on in my life right now.

My daughter is expecting our first grandbaby in late November. We are so excited!! Since she and her fiancee live with us we decided to find a mother daughter house where they will have their own apartment. We found a lovely house a lot faster than I expected. 

I'm still waiting on a closing date but I foolishly started packing up weeks ago. Now we are living surrounded by boxes and it's starting to get a little stressful.

I felt the need to get away from our house o' boxes for a day and on Saturday we visited Needleworker's Delight in Metuchen, NJ.  It was just what I needed. I was able to sit and stitch and visit with other stitchers. The owners, Jim and Kevin, create a very warm, nurturing and inviting environment. I felt completely recharged after my visit.

In early October we were at a retreat in Pennsylvania and I bought the pattern for an ornament to make for our soon-to-be-here granddaughter. It's "Winter Snow Owl" by Blackberry Lane Designs.

I am using a 32 count linen from Silkweaver Fabrics called 'sterling silver'. On my monitor the picture is showing very close to true color. It's a gray blue and I love it. I intend to stitch with the called for DMC floss. There is some one over one stitching around the eyes and beak.  I think I'll finish it with the feathers but the chenille is also an option. I'll keep you posted.

P.s. If you are ever in northern NJ I highly recommend stopping in at Needleworker's Delight. It's a cross stitcher's dream come true. They have a huge selection of cross stitch patterns, tools, and fabric. It's also home to Silkweaver Fabrics.

Back in the saddle - Herbularius

To my shame I have not posted here since September of last year. I'm not sure why that happened other than I got busy with work, kids and home and more likely due to my perfectionist tendencies getting in the way: if the lighting is wrong, or I need the space for a picture, or it's not quite ready yada yada yada....

So I'm jumping back in with all my imperfections :)

I think part of the issue was that I moved most of my stitching to the office upstairs. I have Chatelaine's Herbularius on a scroll frame on a floor stand with the supply cart next to it all set up in the office which is great as it keeps the living room tidy, but it's less handy.

Here's where I am on Herbularius:
The center square is parts one and two completed except for beading. The dandelion and mallow on the right are part four.

Here are the dandelion and mallow. 

The cross stitches and backstitching is complete. As you can see the Petite Treasure Braid vines on the bottom are not complete. That is because they are not fun. I love the way PTB looks and it will be gorgeous when I'm done with the vines, but I am not enjoying that part. So now I've taken to bribing myself. If I finish one length of PTB vine I can do one length of specialty stitches. Sigh. It's the only way I can make myself do it!!

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you here again soon!

Almost there!

I have finished all the cross stitches on Simple Gifts. I have to put in the wedding date above the family and do the backstitching and french knots. Then I have to decide whether to finish as a bell pull or frame it. 

It's still a little wrinkly as I just took it off the q-snaps but I couldn't wait to share.

Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden

Happy Stitching!!

Simple Gifts - 5th block

OMG Guys! I made a huge mistake on the 5th block.

I made a working copy of the pattern and there was a dark line on the copy where the fold in the pattern was located and I thought that was the bottom of the blue frame when I placed the people and now they are placed too low. :(

Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

There is supposed to be some grass or bushes under them, but now there is a big space above them and the proportions aren't right. After fussing a bit I had an inspiration to include their wedding date and/or initials over the people. I think that will be sweet because they blended two families on the day they were wed and the people, to me, represent that. 

Since I was moving qsnaps and my husband was available to hold it open for me I took an 'in progress' shot. There is no backstitching or french knots.

Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

Happy Stitching!

Four down and two to go

I've completed the fourth box, excluding back stitching and french knots, for Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden. I've been working on this project since mid-June and I'd like to finish it soon as it's a wedding gift.

4th panel, Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

Simple Gifts - Third Block

Quick update. I finished a block, excluding backstitching and french knots, on Simple Gifts by Marylin Leavitt-Imblum. Three blocks complete and three more to go! 

Simple Gifts

by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

Summertime Stitches

Hi!
It's been ages. I have been stitching almost daily but between my kids being out of school, my home garden, my community garden, visiting mother-in-law in Minnesota and now my mom visiting us it's been difficult to get a quiet minute to share here. Plus....I am working on a wedding gift for a friend so I didn't want her to see any pictures - but she hasn't discovered the blog so I'm going to go ahead and show you what I'm working on.

It's Simple Gifts by Told-In-A-Garden, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum. So far I've finished two of the six panels.

It's a charming little stitch and I'm really enjoying it.

While I've been keeping up with many of you on Facebook groups I am behind on blog reading. I take my daughter to college next week and I hope to catch up with everyone by then.

I hope you are enjoying August!!

XXXXX
Amy

Spring is a lovely time of year and it's very busy in the garden. Still, I've managed to get 10 hours of stitching on Window Garden during the last week of May.

Window Garden by Tiny Modernist as of 5.30.16

Next up in the rotation is Herbularius by Chatelaine. Actually, my goal is to work on Herbularius then a WIP in rotation - then back to Herbularius. Here's my starting point this week.

Herbularius by Chatelaine as of 5.30.16

I had to frog 2 hours of stitching. If you look closely at the top of Herbularius you'll see that I made the right "void" three stitches wide and the left "void" four stitches wide when it should only be three. Sigh.

I'm hoping to get lots of stitching in this weekend. We are expecting  a lot of rain on Sunday so that will keep me out of the garden and give me time to stitch. Fingers crossed.

A couple of WIPs

After picking up my daughter last week from college it's just been nuts here. I had to make up the chores I missed while away and take on some of my husband's responsibilities around the house because he hurt his knee while playing softball and is on crutches. Add to that my son's end of school year projects and his high school spring concert we've been busy. And, of course, it's spring here and I've been busy in my home garden and the community garden. So....not a lot of stitching is getting done.

I love working on Herbularius, but I took a little break from it to work on some simple stitching during this hectic time.

Here's my progress on Window Garden by Tiny Modernist. 

Window Garden by Tiny Modernist

I had started this on 16 count Aida but wasn't loving it so I restarted it on 28 count evenweave and I'm much happier with it.

I recently completed Kitchen Gadgets by Tiny Modernist and I have Gnome Sweet Gnome in my stash.

I also worked on Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs. The linen is a little fiddly; it's a very loose weave. 

Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs