Thursday, January 30, 2014

Close...but no Cigar

   I have a small happy dance to report, I finally finished the last floral band on AW 1662 a few minutes ago!  It is pretty colorful but looks nothing like the picture!  Or should I say what I can make out of the picture!  The photo is really not very clear.  Anyway, this is where we are now.



And I even managed to bury all of my loose threads and cut off my knots!!



   Now it is on to the last section which is alphabets and other lettering.  This should go pretty quickly.  I don't think I will finish by the end of the month like I had hoped, that is just tomorrow after all.  But I should be able to call it complete by the time the Olympics start.
   Last Olympics I selected a piece to work on during the entire games. I'm sure that my husband wouldn't have 272 Words yet if I hadn't done that! I haven't decided if I will do that again for these game or if I will just continue with the WIPs I already have started. I still have some time to figure that out.  What plans have you made for Olympic stitching??

Saturday, January 25, 2014

January Stitch from Stash Report

   I have to admit that when I joined this challenge, I did it because I needed to not necessarily because I wanted to.  I have so many things in my stash that I really want to get stitched in my lifetime and continuing to add just because I like something at the moment seems ridiculous!  I am trying to be more selective about what I buy and I am keeping a list rather than buying as soon as I see something I like.
   I confess that it has been harder than I thought it would be.  Checking the shops online for new things had become such a habit!  Now I am getting my fix from the Facebook groups and blogs, seeing what others are stitching right now and so far that is keeping me in check.  But I read some designer blogs too and hold my breath each time they come out with something new, hoping I won't fall in love!!   So far, I have managed to get away with spending nothing!  I know, it's only January and we have  a long year to get through yet.  But we have to take these small victories where we find them!! 
    I have managed to resist new starts as well, with the exception of a couple of SALs I joined the end of last year and that started on the first of January.  I am keeping to the schedule set by the moderators on both of those and I have posted pics of those already so I won't bore you with them again here.  But, I have been working for the last week solid on AW 1662 and she is really coming along!!  Got the 2nd bargello section finished and am well on the way with the last big floral band. Once again, please excuse my knots!


This is all just filling in now!  Hope to make some real progress on that over the weekend!!


After, this band, there is just alphabet which I thing goes pretty fast so I should have a finish with this on in no time!!  I was shooting for the end of the month but we will have to see about that.  This will be a busy week so I don't know how much actual stitching time I will get. Like I always say, it always takes longer than you think!!  Good luck with finding your time to stitch this week!

Monday, January 20, 2014

January 14 IHSW Report

   Well, the kids wound up sick and weren't able to come this weekend so I had more time to stitch than I thought I would.  I spent most of my time working on AW 1662.  It is getting near the bottom and that's when I really get the urge to concentrate on one piece.  Who doesn't love a finish!!
   I managed to get it this far. Please excuse my away knots as I haven't taken the time to bury them yet!


I finished up the bargello band at the top of this section, got the checkerboard band in, and even managed to get about half of the bargello at the bottom in.  I had a hard time finding a thread for the white in the checkerboard section.  The thread it called for didn't show up on my linen AT ALL and neither did about 4 other colors I tried.  In the end, I went with a silk perle in blanc that looks like it does the trick.
  I also worked on a piece I am basting for a friend.  I know, don't have any idea how this happened!  I don't even like to baste my own stuff!! And, it is for the Amy Mitten Mermaid Mirror so the linen is divided into about 4 sections of 14 1/2 inches each making it over 4 feet long!!! Then each section has it's own basting instructions.  Way too much prep work for me!  I'm hoping to wrap it up this afternoon.
  I'm feeling pretty good about what I got accomplished over the weekend and look forward to the next IHSW!  May it be this productive!!

PS: The kids are feeling much better and even went to a wedding planning convention over the weekend.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

SAL Crazy!

    I joined Facebook in the fall and have been overwhelmed with the number of needlework groups and SALs available there.  I never thought of myself as a joiner,  preferring instead to do my own thing with my stitching and working on pieces that caught my eye at the time.  I don't know if this is a change in me or if I just didn't know myself as well as I thought I did  but I have now joined 5 SALs hosted by various groups on Facebook!!
   I have started some new pieces within those groups so I guess there is some enabling going on  but  I'm hoping to finish some of my UFOs in  a couple of them too.  Several of these started the beginning of the year.  Within the confines of Sampler World I'm working on the Snooty Parrots Sal and have completed the assignment for January.  It is stitched on 40 ct. Lakeside Vintage Exemplar with GAST.


Then, I am also working on the Quaker Medallion SAL and have now completed the January assignment for this piece as well.  It is stitched on 40 ct. Lakeside Meadow Rue with my conversion from DMC to GAST.


The third SAL is Dorothy Walpole.  Since I was ahead of the schedule on that one, from the Scarlet Letter SAL, (yes, I guess you could call it Double Dipping!!) I haven't worked on her yet but here is a pic of where I left off the last time she saw the light of day.



Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I worked on her!!  I makes me glad to have her back in a rotation again. I would really like to get this one finished this year.
  The other 2 SALs I've joined haven't started yet.  One begins on February 1st and the other doesn't start until March so I will post about those when the time is closer.  I my defense, I would like to add that I only joined these last 2 because I have projects already started for each of them and I'm hoping the SAL will motivate me to get them finished!!
    So that brings us to AW 1662.  I was reading the Scarlet Letter Year blog the other day and I saw a post by someone who is working on this one too.  She had just finished my favorite band and it really got me motivated to get back to work on mine.  This is a pic of where I left off:




And this is where it is now:



I am currently working on the top edge of the checkerboard band (my favorite) and I hope to be able to make some real progress on it this weekend.  It is the January weekend for IHSW and I would love to just sit and stitch for the long weekend but my son will be here and I don't know how much time I will be able to spend on needlework.  You want to spend time with the family when you can!!
   Well, that's about all for now.  Hope you all have a good long weekend of stitching!!



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A First Finish of 2014

   Hope you are all enjoying the start of the new year and are managing to stay warm during the awful weather most of us have been having.  Even here in the burg the weather has been a challenge and I skipped the EGA board meeting yesterday due to our extreme wind chill advisory.  Hadn't seen one of those here in the 15 years we've been in this area!!  I did utilize my time well though and I will tell you about that a little later.
   I wrapped up the Christmas piece I was working on last time on the 3rd of January but haven't had time to show it!  I have been working slavishly to get the house 'undressed' and back to normal.  It took me several days to get all that done. Then I hosted stitch group this week so there was prep for that, cleaning, baking, etc.  but 'normal' has returned and now I can show my finish!!

Jarden Prive  Christmas
40 ct. Lakeside Parchment
w/ suggested DMC
   I had been carrying this as my stitch group piece (not for very long) and one of my friends said 'Oh,so you're working on my Christmas gift for next year.'  Everyone laughed  and we moved on and later we drew names for next year's exchange.  And didn't I get her name??!!  So I think I am going to give this to her next Christmas.  Not only will she be totally surprised but it puts me ahead of the game already for this year!!
   As you can see from the new button on the sidebar, I have joined the Stitch from Stash Challenge for this year.  I really need to do this.  My stash is ridiculous!  I was going to take a picture and show it to you but I think I will save that embarrassment for a time when the temptation is really getting to me.  Lets just say I don't need to buy another thing!!  I have so many things already in my stash that I want to stitch  and if I don't get started soon, I will never get to them! I can't guarantee I will last the whole year but I will give it the old college try!
      I have been doing some major stitching planning though and have a very optimistic list for this year.  Between stitching for friends, things I want to get  finished, and new starts I have 22 projects on my list.  Keep in mind that the list is subject to change at my whim since I do have SADD!  I did manage to complete 19 pieces this past year and several of my UFOs are pretty far along so I have hope of making a serious dent in that list.
    I have also joined several SALs on Facebook this year all within the Sampler World confines.  The Snooty Parrots was one I was trying to resist but eventually gave in to. Those parrots are just too darned cute!!  A lot of other people started this on New Year's Day but I didn't get mine started until the 4th. I got the vine in (the part for this month's assignment) but I didn't like the color of the dye lot I had for the vine and changed it to something a little darker. (Surprise, surprise!!) That meant a total rip out and re-do. I worked on it most of the afternoon and evening yesterday and this is my progress as of  last night.  I need to put in a few more letters and the section assigned  for this month will be finished.

Snooty Parrots Sampler by Barbara Ana

    There is also a C Street Samplerworks Quaker SAL that I joined since I have the chart, twice, and thought it was a good time to stitch that one. I will probably start this one next since it also had a new years day start date. And let us not forget Dorothy Walpole which I have already started as part of Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year.  Thought I could kill 2 birds with one stone with that one. And a little extra motivation never hurts!!
    So you can see I have no lack of stitching to play with over the course of the year.  I know I will be tempted by new samplers, and pretty soon since spring market is just next month.  But I am going to do my best to resist the sirens call and keep to the lovelies I already have waiting patiently for my needle!