WIPocalypse 2014 - November Update

Well, I didn't do any stitching all summer long. In early October, I started to get back into the swing of things, though, and here are the results:

I did a little Halloween stitching of ornaments for my Halloween tree, but I never got them "ornamentified". Maybe next year! They are: RIP (a freebie from The Stitcherhood), Halloween Cross Stitch #10 (The Floss Box), and just a few of the monsters from Monster Conga Line (by Reliquary Arts on etsy).

Autumn Mystery, by Pamela Kellogg. I finished stitching kitty's face, and started work on the red grapes.

Not Forgotten, by Dragon Dreams. I finished the roof peak, finished the first unicorn, added the second unicorn, Noah's crook, and some background, and backstitched the unicorns and part of the dragon.

WIPocalypse 2014 Update - June

Autumn Mystery - Worked on his face a little.

Not Forgotten - Started the roof on the boat and started the first unicorn onboard.

Clearly, I didn't get much stitching done this month, but it's summer, after all!

WIPocalypse 2014 - May Update

Not Forgotten, by Dragon Dreams. This month, I added the first creature onboard the ship - a dragon!

Autumn Mystery, by Pamela Kellogg. I pulled out what I had done on the lower plum (one stitch off - story of my life), stitched the plums, filled in kitty's ears, and started working on the middle of his face (lots of shades of gray).

WIPocalypse 2014 - April Update

Lo, How a Rose, by Better Homes & Gardens - finished! I may try my hand at framing this myself, but I'll hold off till closer to Christmas. (Note: I took this picture outside - the blotches are just shadows.)

 

Nuthatch ornament by Crossed Wing collection - finished! (but not finished-finished.)

Not Forgotten, by Dragon Dreams. Finished backstitching the sea monsters and bottom of the boat, and stitched the water. Now I can finally move to the critters on deck.

Since I had 2 finishes this month, I'll rotate in another oldie I had started and then put aside: Autumn Mystery by Pamela Kellogg.

Oldie, Resurrected

Here's a piece I finished a couple of years ago (after it was MANY years in progress). When I washed and pressed it, darned if some of the brown floss didn't bleed, which caused me to put it away for months, then try to get the dye out of the fabric using an ammonia/dishwashing liquid/water mixture idea I found online, then put it away for months again. Finally, I got it back out and decided it doesn't really look all that bad. I think I might get it framed, after all.

WIPocalypse 2014 March Update

My daughter is leaving on a band trip to Washington, D.C. in the morning and taking my camera with her, so I thought I'd do my progress post a little early. Sadly, I didn't get much stitching done this month...

Here's my progress on "Lo, How a Rose", by Better Homes & Gardens. It's starting to come together, I think, but I noticed that yet another DMC shade has changed from what it used to be - from a more subtle grayish-green to one with a lot more blue in it. Since there are so many similar shades in the design, maybe it won't matter too much.

And here's my "Not Forgotten", by Dragon Dreams. I finished the right side of the boat, and did some backstitching.

This is the beginning of my little nuthatch ornament by Crossed Wing. I have more to do on the branch, and then some backstitching left to do.

WIPocalypse 2014 - February Update

This month, we're telling about our style of stitching and how many projects we feel comfortable working on at one time. Sadly, my attention span is far too short for me to be a one-at-a-time stitcher. I think I'm more of what you'd call a "goal-based rotation stitcher" - i.e. I will have a smallish goal in mind when I pick up a project (for instance, "finish stitching the pond" or whatnot), and an idea of what part of the design I'd like to start work on after reaching my goal, and I'll stitch on that until I'm tired of the project and ready to move on to another one. Three largish and one small project at a time seems about right to avoid boredom and give me a finish every now and then.

Here's what I've accomplished in the last month:

The Victoria Sampler New Hampshire heart. My goal for this one was to finish it, and I did! The bird's head looks flat on top, and I'm tempted to add a couple of stitches.

Dimensions Early Snow Cardinals Stocking. Goal this month: finish stitching the male cardinal.

Lo, How a Rose, by Better Homes and Gardens. Goal: reach all 4 sides.

Dragon Dreams Not Forgotten. Here, I wanted to finish stitching the sea monsters and the left side of the boat's hull.

And this will be my new "small" for the next month - Crossed Wing Collection nuthatch and bluejay ornaments. I think I'll start with the nuthatch, because I think they're charming little birds!

So, overall, I did pretty well on meeting my modest goals for the month. Onward to March!

Valentine

I also deviated from working on my WIPs to stitch a valentine for my mother:

This was a freebie I found online, but I'm not sure who designed it. The watermark says haft.blox.pl. After I stitched it, I very inexpertly made it into an ornament. Maybe I'll do better next time. :-)

Happy Groundhog Day!

In honor of Superbowl Sunday, I took a break from my WIPs and finally got around to stitching this little freebie:

Ground Hog Day freebie by Bent Creek

Here's Pirate Santa all framed and ready for next Christmas. I wanted to keep it simple, and I especially like the black core to the red mat! Sorry about the dust (I didn't notice it until I looked at the close-up.)

Additions and Changes to WIPocalypse List

Since I had a small finish and a "postpone until I decide what to do" large project, I'm going to rotate in a couple more things to work on:

This is a long-stalled version of Not Forgotten, by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams,

and this is a smallish unfinished project, the New Hampshire heart from Hearts of America, by Victoria Sampler. I lived in New Hampshire when I was small, and still remember turning in a circle and seeing snow-covered peaks all around.

Now as to my goals for the year, I'd like to finish a few things and just enjoy the process. I'm a slow stitcher (the little pirate Santa took me 2 years plus to finish, since I only worked on it just before Christmas until I realized the end was in sight), but I find it relaxing. I mostly stitch in the mornings after I get lunches made for my husband and daughter and get them off to work/school and finally sit down with a cup of coffee, but I sometimes get a few stitches in after dinner, too. I really enjoy looking at other stitchers' progress, so I thought it would only be fair to share a few pictures of my own. I'm looking forward to making the WIPocalypse rounds later this week to see all the amazing work everyone has done!

First WIPocalypse 2014 Update

Cardinal Christmas stocking, by Dimensions. I added some to this cardinal, then had to pull out most of what I'd already done (one stitch off - aargh!), but I think I'm back on track now.

Lo, How a Rose, by Better Homes and Gardens. Made the most progress on this one because I enjoyed it the most, I think because there are so many little finite things to do - a letter here, a motif there - lots of positive reinforcement!

Yo Ho Ho Ho, by Post Stitches. I just had backstitch left to do on this one. First I had to pull some of what I'd done out (wrong color - hand, wrong placement - left side of beard), then I redid that and finished the rest. Here he is washed, pressed, with treasure map charm attached, and ready for framing!

13th Colony Bay, by By the Bay Needlearts. I added some water to this one, but my new skein of DMC 503 is a LOT bluer than the old skein. I checked a bit of old floss in my stash, and it isn't as blue, then bought another new skein - blue again. I'm not sure what to do about it. Might put this one aside for a while.

WIPocalypse 2014

Cardinal Christmas Stocking, by Dimensions

Lo, How a Rose, by Better Homes and Gardens

Yo Ho Ho Ho - Post Stitches, by Sue Hillis

13th Colony Bay, by By the Bay Needlearts