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!

Haul from A Stitcher's Garden

I dropped my daughter at college in Rochester on August 20th and on my return home I stopped at A Stitcher's Garden located just outside of Syracuse. The store had a large selection, was well laid out by subject and new patterns, and there were lots of beautiful samples. My reception was very warm and welcoming. I felt like I was with old friends in no time. The proprietor was patient and very helpful. If you are ever out that way I think it's definitely worth a stop. 

I had no business buying any more projects. If I'm ever stuck in a winter-long blizzard I'll be all set.

Butterfly Garden by The Drawn Thread

Here is Butterfly Garden from Drawn Thread. There are specialty stitches and it looks like most of the pattern is 1 ply over two threads except for the butterflies which are 1 over 1. I'm very excited to start this project but I still have to find some Threadworx colors that the shop didn't have. I'm stitching it on 32ct Belfast Linen in Platinum which is a little lighter than the "Natural Undyed" the pattern called for, but it's still a warm color. I'm using all silks but there are DMC options for most of the thread.

Where Hearts Rest by Brenda Gervais

Next up is Where Hearts Rest by Brenda Gervais. I had seen this pattern a while back and liked it and was delighted to see it in the shop. It is kitted up as called for in the pattern: 36 count Dubloon by Picture This Plus and a bunch of lovely over dyed threads.

Random Threads by Erica Michaels Needleart Designs

I was very excited to discover this pattern. I have always loved the look of petit point and this is the first time I've ever stumbled across a pattern. It is stitched on 40 count silk gauze. I'm using The Gentle Art: Simply Shaker 'Parchment' and Sampler Threads 'Dark Chocolate' and 'Cinnamon'. I'll let you know how it goes!