OhSewCrafty

2024 WIPocalypse: March

Hello, friends!  March wasn't the greatest stitchy month, but I managed to address most of my goals.

Let's begin with my focus WIPs.  The month started with Fairy Wind, which had 4.5 days love and 4,000 stitches added.  I would have liked to start backstitching, but I needed some new Kreinik colors for that.  So I started cross stitching the upper half.

Previous:

Now:

Feather Fairy had 3 days attention and 2,600 stitches added.  The feather skirt is growing, almost done with that bit! 

Previous:

Now

Winter robin had 5.5 days love and 2,800 stitches added, some that of that backstitch counted for half, and a lot of the pale green feathering around the edge of the circle.  That is done with 1 thread over 2, so it's a little faint, but it does create a nice soft effect, like watercolor paint almost. Previous:

Now:

Smaller goals were met, Father Christmas had 2 days attention and 1,200 stitches done.  Miles of red, but it pops on the blue and I'm loving it.  

Poltergeist Pirates had 1 day action and 1,200 stitches done.  I adore this piece, the ship looks 3-D, Glendon Place charts are fantastic.  I filled in more of the mast, stitched more sails, and started on the deck of the ship with the railings.
Mickey Stained Glass had 1 day love (equivalent) and 1,200 stitches done.  Markup R-XP is a big help, even if it's a little wonky.  It doesn't capture all the characters and fails to distinguish between some.  But it still assists with all the crazy confetti.  The first page is nearing completion.  (it's 9 pages in all).  The orange / brown bit on the right is the beginning of Mickey's shoe.  I'm really looking forward to stitching his red robe!  

St. George and Dragon had less than 1 day love and 1,000 stitches added.  I worked mostly on the horse and its fancy outfit.  The horse has less fractional stitches, thankfully!  
Making a Brew had 1.75 days action and 1,200 stitches added.  This piece is great fun with all the Halloween colors.  I'm not sure what those egg-shaped things are supposed to be...cream and sugar, perhaps. 
I made a new start, small full coverage, Aloha Banana by Jenny Barton / World of Cross Stitching.  It had 1 day and 1,400 stitches added.  Kind of a weird choice, but I think it's terribly cute and would make a cute easel finish for my summer mantle, and I needed something with sand for the WIP warriors road trip.   I was upgraded by the admins to a higher tier after I finished Leg 1 early, but I had less stitchy time in March and keeping up with Leg 2 is a challenge.  Also, it has words (well, one word) and the Daily 30 weekly challenges frequently include wips with words.

Another new start, also full coverage, is an ornament, Gingerbread Row by Laurel Susan Studio from the JCS Ornaments 2023, so it counts as a SAL piece, which I also need for the Daily 30 weekly tasks. And being full coverage, this will take many weeks to finish in 300 stitch sections (and grant me some breathing room, in terms of stitching SALs).  This one had a half day and 600 stitches added.  

Yet another new start, Easter Parade by Brittercup designs, from deep stash, on an equally dated Strawberry Milkshake Belfast (Silkweaver), had a quarter day (1 hour) and 300 stitches done.  I really wanted to participate in the Semisane Spring Start to Finish challenge, and this project is small enough to finish in a couple months.  Another cute mantle decoration, perhaps a dimensional rectangle.

Finally, last but not least, Decorating the Tree by Judith Kringle / JCS Ornaments 2023, had 1.75 days and 975 stitches and it's finished!  (well, except for the star button at the top of the tree, but I had nothing appropriate in my stash).  Anyway, it's basically finished, on Spellbound 32 count jobelan (Under the Sea Fabrics).  Overall, it required 2.25 days and 1,575 stitches.  

Question of the Month: What color and brands of floss do you love using?  DMC is my jam.  It's (relatively) inexpensive, widely available, and good quality.  I also enjoy Weeks Dye Works variegated cotton and Caron Waterlilies (silk).  Recently I'm using a lot of Colour & Cotton variegated cotton for my Easter Parade and that is lovely too.  (I went stash diving for that project).  

Now for April goals.  April is my birthday hope and I'm hoping it will be "my" month and include lots of stitchy time.

Finish: Winter Robin, Christmas Kitten

Focus WIPs (4k each): Fairy Wind, Feather Fairy, Making a Brew, Poltergeist Pirates

Secondary (1.2k each): Father Christmas, St. George and Dragon

Tertiary (1 k each): Mickey Stained Glass, Easter Parade, Gingerbread Row, Aloha Banana

New starts (1 k each): 4th of July, Halloween train or Halloween party?

Stitching HD: Christmas Angels

• Design by Sandy Littlejohns / Cross Stitch Collection December 2005
• Materials: White Cashel, DMC, Gold Kreinik #4 braid, Gold and Silver Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hill Beads
• Time to stitch: 15.25 x 8.5 inches
• Time to stitch: 18 days, March 2022- December 2023

Here is my last finish of 2023, on New Years Eve no less! 

The pattern is fine, Cross Stitch Collection magazine is no longer published, a grave loss in my opinion.  This chart has everything, a lovely extensive color palette, fractionals, backstitching, metallics, beads, French knots.  Charts of this complexity aren't published much in modern magazines, to the detriment of the craft, if you ask me.  The piece is a good size overall, and there is plenty of dense stitching, as well as negative space.  My only issue is the beads attached across from the middle of one stitch to the middle of the next, fine for the star in the center (empty fabric), but kind of impossible over the dress.  

Though it's not exactly spelled out in the chart, some of the beads are attached with large metallics cross stitches (over 4 stitches), using the metallics.

As for materials, I chose Cream Cashel rather than white because I think a little warmth suits the scene.  The model was stitched on Aida, but I think it's a lot easier to work all the fractional stitches on linen.  About 20 colors of DMC are used (and you need 2 skeins of the 797 medium blue), plus gold and silver Light Effects are charted.  I don't enjoy Light Effects, so I substituted Kreinik #4 braid for the cross stitches and Petite Treasure Braid for the backstitching and beading.  As for the beads, 3 colors are used: gold, silver, and crimson.
My favorite feature is probably the verse from Rosetti's poem, I love her work.   The huge gold star in the center really brought the design together, and the the shading in the dresses is beautiful.  The side bands and capital "L" box evoke an illuminated manuscript.  The blue angel's dress is encased in filmy silver, while the red angel has an extensively beaded, gold belt.  The ribbons floating behind them enhance the flying aspect.  

Overall, I'm really happy with this finish. It wasn't the easiest project, but immensely rewarding in the end.  

HD: Happy Haunting

• Pattern by Maria Diaz in Cross Stitcher October 2019, also on designer's website
• Materials: Ale opalescent Cashel by Picture this Plus, DMC, RG Petite Treasure Braid, Kreinik, DMC Diamante
• Size: 8.5 x 12.5 inches
• Time to stitch: 7 days since November 2023

Presenting my first sizable finish of the year!  I am thrilled to have it done so early in the year; I made it a focus for the first quarter, doing 4,000 stitches in January, and ~3,600 in February was enough to finish.  

The pattern is really well done, the verse is cute, the font is fun, and all the elements are lovely.  I think a few more fractional stitches should have been charted though, "messy" backstitch is my pet peeve.  I added some quarter stitches as I went along. As for backstitching, there's over a thousand between the words and elements.  But the backstitching on the pictorial elements is limited and used to great effect.  The project is rather quick stitch, 42 hours it claims in the magazine and I think it took me a little less, with the equivalent of 7 stitchy days to finish (I generally stitch less than 6 hours in a day).  In any case, my total stitch count was 9,320 (backstitch counted for half).  I typically get around 300 stitches in an hour, so that would be 31 hours.   

As for materials, I chose to use opalescent Ale Cashel, a medium brown.  All the colors popped, and I think it's prettier than the "Dirty" aida that was used in the model.  The fabric was considerably shrunken, and it was a little difficult to see the threads at times with all the sparkle.  The chart called for DMC light effects, which aren't my cup of tea.  I substituted black Kreinik #4 for the text, white Kreinik for the eyes, white Petite Treasure braid and black Diamanté for the backstitching.    About 20 colors of DMC used, including 2 colors of Etoile.  Actually I only used 1, the 725 (orange).  Black Etoile is also on the key but I didn't see it on the chart.  My magazine was a digital copy from Zino, and the picture quality could have been higher.  The chart was in color and it was difficult to discern some of the dark symbols, they all looked very similar.  No big loss, I think my project is plenty sparkly between the metallics threads and the opalescent fabric.

My favorite element is probably the haunted house with the door slightly ajar; how ominous. There's quite a collection of avians, between the vulture, the bat, the raven, and the massive owl.  And I adore the black cats with their glowing eyes, some stretching sinuously, ready to pounce, with others looking out.  The poison apples are colorful, the apples would be delicious but for that dangerous poison spilling all over!  The smiling jack o lanterns are welcoming and the witch hat is an artful nod to the supernatural; the spiders are suitably creepy.  The overall effect is clever and cute, rather than scary.

Overall, it was a really fun stitch, nothing too fussy, a lovely color palette and many engaging details.  I love the aesthetic, and need to stitch more designs by Maria Diaz.  

2024 WIPocalypse: February

February was a cracking month, despite being a little short, the leap day helped! 

I started with my ornament finish goal, Polar Night Sighting by Stitch Sprout / JCS, with a bit more than 1 day, 395 stitches, and I finished!  I admit the beads are not the "proper" ones, however the ones from my stash were one digit off, and looked like aqua crystal to me.  I think the beads add a lovely sparkle to this little full coverage piece.

Father Christmas came out to play, 2.5 days and 1,300 stitches.  I've been filling in his dress, and inching close to the midline.  The long bands of color are so soothing.  Hopefully I will finish the bottom half before he becomes a focus in the 3rd quarter.  

Making a Brew had a half day love and 1,105 stitches (lots of backstitch counted as half).  Though spiders aren't my favorite, I think these guys are absolutely darling, Durene Jones is a genius designer.  I finished the little ornament and made a tiny start (100 st) on the large one, figured I'll finish with the medium so it will be a downhill slope. And this project will become a focus in the second quarter (April), so it will be nice to have the large piece on the go. I can really sink my teeth in!  

I got an early start on Mickey Stained Glass, because this stitches slow with all the confetti.  He had 1.75 days and 1,206 added.  I fixed the border and stitched another diagonal, the first page is over half done now.  It went okay, but I am happy to report that I got Markup R-XP, and it seems to work, so maybe future progress will be a little quicker.    I was prepared to buy an Android tablet to run Pattern Keeper, but the designer informed me that the file isn't compatible with PK.  I decided to try Markup R-xp since it's free and works on my phone!  

Now for my big goal pieces... Happy Haunting had 3 days, 3,616 stitches done (including 966 backstitch counted for half), and it's finished!  Last time I was a bit hung up on finding fibers to use for backstitching since I'm not fond of DMC light effects.  I was lucky to find some white petite treasure braid on sale at Drema's (Needlecraft Corner in Parkville, MD), I had just enough leftover black Kreinik #4 braid from Bellatrix for the words, plus black DMC Diamante in my stash, that worked for the small black blackstitching.  I'm so happy with the first of my Halloween goal pieces, 1 down, 3 to go, not bad for the second month of the year.  I really need to stitch more designs by Maria Diaz.  FO post forthcoming.

Before: After:

Feather Fairy got 3.75 days love, 4,000 stitches and the feather skirt is coming along. Maybe I can finish the skirt in  March and stitch the legs.   I adore this piece, the colors are magnificent, it feels like a dream;  Mirabilia charts never disappoint.

Before:
After:

Fairy Wind had 6.75 days attention, 4,000 stitches and I've started working on the top half.  I should probably do the metallics and backstitching on the bottom, maybe I'll do that before proceeding on the top.  I filled in a lot of DMC 317, which I had been missing for a while, stitched tons of periwinkle and purple.  Her dress evokes a hurricane and I find beauty in the danger.  

Before: After:

Winter Robin had 4 days love, 4,000 stitches, and 3-4 k next month might be enough to finish.  I made it through a large chunk of the chart, the circular portion is about 2/3 complete and what remains is mostly background, not as fussy as the leaves and flowers with all their fractional stitches.  Of course, everything must be backstitched and the border done, too.  But the border is pretty simple, a single stitch around a rectangle with several of the green colors.  The backstitching will be fun, I think.  I don't mind backstitching a small piece like this with all the fractional stitches, it will make it pop.  

After:

St. George and the Dragon came out for 1 day, 1,010 stitches (much of those tiny fractionals), all on the horse and it's tack.  The first page is coming along.  The pattern came on one huge piece but I made a working copy on about 8 or 10 sheets of regular paper.  

I made 2 new starts, Poltergeist Pirates by Glendon Place had 1 day and 1,200 stitches.  I started in the center and I'm thrilled with the shading on the ship, I think it will look three dimensional in the end.  And the colors pop on the Bang! linen by Crossed Wing, created specially for this chart.  It's perfect, I will love working on it as focus in the second quarter.

Lastly, I started another JCS ornament, Decorating the Tree by Judith Kringle, with a half day and 600 stitches.  I had flagged this chart when I first got the magazine, and I needed a "D", as well as something to work for the Daily 30 weekly SAL challenge. As it turns out, I think the colors are actually prettier than in the magazine photo, and I love it.    

Question of the month: What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?  So far, just the JCS Ornament SAL hosted by the lovely Jo of Serendipitous Stitching.  Another one I've considered is the Dragon Field Guide by Climbing Goat Designs (etsy) , but I'll need to see more of it first.  So many times, I've been interested in a SAL, but then I don't fancy the finished project for whatever reason.  I only stitch what I love, life is too short.  I do have the Tiny Modernist Santa House Cut-through (2018 SAL) if I tire of the ornies.  

Now for March plans: : 

Focus WIPS (4k each): Fairy Wind, Feather Fairy, Winter Bird

Secondary WIPs (1.2 k each): Father Christmas, Poltergeist Pirates, Mickey Stained Glass

Tertiary WIPs: (1 k each): Making a Brew, St. George & Dragon

New starts: 4th of July (3k) and Peace on Earth (300?)

Finish: Decorating the Tree (1k?)  

Happy Stitching 

 

2024 WIPocalypse: January update

Hello friends, I have some stitching to share.  I didn't get to all my goals in January, as I made them without consideration to being away for a week, plus some health issues.  But I still learned that concentrating my effort on certain pieces seems to be working out!  

Let's start with my focus wips.  Fairy Wind by Joan Elliott, my oldest WIP, had 2 days love and 4,000 stitches added.  No, I didn't exactly do 2,000 stitches x 2 days.  Actually I did 1,000, 600, 900, and 1,500 on different days when I also did additional stitches on other projects, some of those days.  As far as I'm concerned, it's 2 days total effort.  So I worked with the parked threads at the center, stitching the lower left quadrant from the bottom up.  It's a little patchy since I'm missing a certain color of DMC and had no luck finding it locally.  Nevertheless, I'm really enjoying working on this, adore these colors.  

Before:Now

Happy Haunting by Maria Diaz was another focus.  4,002 stitches and 2.5 days effort. I finished the top panel, minus the backstitching, and started working down.... I'm over halfway done now!  The backstitching is on hold until I can get a few Kreinik and PTB colors.  The chart calls for DMC light effects, which are my not my cup of tea.  I do love working on this, though the opalescent Ale Cashel is a little hard to see, at times.  I think another 4k in February might be enough to finish!  

Before:Now:

My third and final focus was Feather Fairy by Mirabilia.  She was a new start January 3, had 3.5 days love, and 4,003 stitches added.  The colors look a bit different from the pattern photo, and it makes a difference. (I prefer green to yellow).  I started in the middle, working the bottom left quadrant first.  I think I'll stitch all the feathered skirt and do her legs later. She has darling bare feet!  

Several more pieces had smaller goals.   Father Christmas by Joan Elliott, started last November, had 1 day love and 1,000 stitches done.  I worked on the bottom of his dress/robe, filling in some of the lighter tones, the snowy ground, the white fur trim on the right side, and did more red.  This chart has a lot of red!  But it's several different tones, so it's not boring.  

Making a Brew by Durene Jones, which I started January 1, had 1 day and 1,000 stitches.  The small ornament is about half finished and it's quite fun to stitch.  It was a WIPgo call for January, so I'm playing catchup and hope to finish the small soon (there are 3 parts of increasing size).

Winter Robin by Lesley Teare was started January 9, also had 1 day and 1,000 stitches.   I started in the middle, worked to the right, then left again. I would have liked to have given it more effort, but at some point I realized I was going away for a week, had to dial back expectations.  Which means I probably won't finish this project until March or maybe later.  But that's fine, no rush.  

Mickey Stained Glass by Neni Designs (etsy) was started January 24, while I was in the House of the Mouse. Well, it was a fabulous vacation, but stitchy time was limited.  And I forgot my light, which didn't help.  Anyway, 3 days total and 1,200 stitched.  But then I had to frog a couple hundred since I messed up the border.  I started in the bottom left corner and I'm trying to work diagonally but true diagonals aren't working for me with so much confetti.  I dislike constantly switching colors or having dozens of needles in play.  So I'm doing a block at a time, on the diagonal.  Aside from the border, the first block is finished and the blocks above and to the right are getting there.  Once those are done, I'll work on a 3 box diagonal, and so forth.  And i'll do the same thing, on a larger scale, with the pages.  Hopefully it will be more interesting and engaging this way. 

Last but not least, I started St. George and the Dragon by Donna Vermillion Giampa on January 31st and did 1,000 st in a half day, despite falling asleep twice with needle in hand (I was burning the candle at both ends trying to meet my stitchy goals the last 4 days of the month).  I started in the middle, with George's calf, did a bit of the saddle and stirrup, then started on the golden dragon wings. This chart is chock full of fractional stitches, but I expected that, and it's going alright.  My 36 count evenweave (Fabric Flair) is quite easy to stitch on and the quarter stitches work well as a tent stitch, in most cases.

And now for my little ornies!  Three of these wips were also a January WIPGo call, so I worked on all of them and managed to finish 2.  Bewitchin' Stitchin' by Cindy Lash had 1 day, 812 stitches, and is finished!  Lil' Christmas Angel by Sweet Annet had 2 days, 1,821 stitches and is also done! 

Continuing WIPs Polar Night Sighting by Stitch Sprout had 2 days and 2202 stitches, while Christmas Kitty by Kreinik had 1.5 days and 1,107 stitches.  

I had zero ornament starts, though I was tempted at the beginning of the month when I saw all the monthly stitching challenges for Fandom Stitching Central.  But now, I'm glad I resisted, because if I had done 1,000 stitches on a train, 1,000 on a car, etc, I probably wouldn't have made my 4k goals on my focus pieces, with consideration to my vacation and other issues. I managed 22 stitchy days in January, which wasn't great, but nothing unexpected with a week away.  I ran out of time to start my Fourth of July by Petite Croix de Lucie, or Halloween party by Shannon Christine, nor Halloween train by Natalia (etsy),  but it's okay, I have 8 wips now, plus a few ornaments, so that will suffice for now.  

Question of the month: My oldest WIP? Fairy Wind by Joan Elliott was started August 2023, on a piece of custom dyed Cashel by Silkweaver.  She's the third in what I consider to the "weather" series (I stitched Fairies Rainbow and Rain already).  She's a lovely lady with a voluminous dress, and I adore the sense of wind & motion in the chart.  Ms. Elliott is an amazing artist.  It would be nice to finish by midyear, perhaps.  

Now for February Goals: 

Focus projects: 4k each: Fairy Wind, Feather Fairy, Happy Haunting, Winter Robin

1.2 k each: Mickey Stained Glass (February WIPgo), Father Christmas, Poltergeist Pirates (new start)

1 k each: St. George and Dragon,  Making a Brew

Finish: Polar Night Sighting, Christmas Kitty.  I might start another ornament, or maybe not, we'll see.

Happy Stitching

 

2024 WIPocalypse: Intro

Hello again, it's 2024 and time for yet another WIPocalypse!  My name is Stephanie and I like to think of myself as a "serial finisher".  Indeed, I finished so much stuff as the year waned, that my wip count is rather anemic at present.  However, there are a great many projects I plan to start over the next few months, so I'll include those, too.

1. Fairy Wind by Joan Elliott is my oldest WIP, was started August last year.  I hope to finish her by May, and intend to stitch 4k on her each month until then.  Joan Elliott very helpfully provides a stitch count (for each color) in her chart, the total stitches to do, (less the stitches I did last year, and the 1k I did earlier this week) is 16,278.
2. Father Christmas, also by Joan Elliot, was started November last year.  December is the finish date in mind, with 1k or 4k goals, most months.  So that would be 22k and hopefully enough to finish. (my copy of this chart is from Cross Stitch Collection magazine and doesn't have the stitch count information likeFairy Wind.)
3. Happy Haunting by Maria Diaz was started in November.  I'd like to finish it by March, with monthly goals of 4k for the first quarter.  12 k will enough to finish, most likely. or actually 10.2k, since I did 1.8k a few days ago!
4. Making a Brew by Durene Jones was started January 1st.  The goal finish date would be August, with 1k or 4k goals most months until then,  20 k total.
   
   
5. Feather Fairy by Mirabilia was started January 3rd.  The goal finish date is July, with 4k every month until then.  28k total will probably be enough.
6. Winter Robin by Lesley Teare will be started this month, with a 4k goal for January and February.  I think 8 k is enough to finish this small piece.  
    
7. Halloween Train by Natalia / etsy will be started this month, with a nominal effort, then 1k or 4k goals through the year, totaling 14k.  Will that be enough for a December finish, we shall see.
8. 4th of July by Petite Croix de Lucie is planned start for January, with 1-4 k effort planned most months from now to July, 11 k total will likely be enough to finish.
9. Halloween Party by Shannon Christine is a planned start for January, with 1k effort planned most months, hoping for an October finish.
10. Mickey Stained Glass by Neni (etsy) will be started in January, and with 1 or 4k goals each month, for a total of 32 k, with a November finish goal.
11. St. George and the Dragon by Vermillion will be a January start, the plan is to work on it every month for 1 or 4 k stitches, a total of 24k, which will not be enough to finish, but it will be a large part! As a secondry goal, I'll try to finish at least two sides of the border.
12. Poltergeist Pirates by Glendon Place will be started in February with 1k or 4k goals each month, 28k total, I think that should be enough to finish in November.
13. Sumer Chaffinch by Lesley Teare is a planned start for May, with 1 or 4 k goals to total 8 k and hopefully finish by December.
14. Christmas piece TBD, leaning towards 1 of 3 charts: Yes Virginia by Bygone Stitches, with 1 k or 4k each month, total 11k.  Depending on the pattern chosen, that would definitely be enough.
    
    
15. Ornaments: I have 4 on the go, wips from last year, and intend to start and finish 10 more.  So 14 total, and yes, that is less than 1 per month (if I finish the 4 wips this month). Some will be Christmas, but at least one will be for Halloween.
16. As you may have noticed, I have 14 ornament goals, but and 14 larger projects listed above.  But one (St. George & Dragon), is not a finish goal.  So there will be one more finish goal, likely small, but bigger than an ornament.  My goal is to achieve parity between ornament and larger finishes, or finish more larger pieces than ornaments.

I'm really excited about all these new projects!  And there is some room in my rotation later in the year, so there will definitely be room for a couple more.  For Semisane Stitchers, I had to lay out all my goals for the whole year.  For each month, you are allowed a max of 10 goals; I tried to "schedule" no more than 20-23 k stitches or so, per month.  Well, I might get more than that, so we'll see how it plays out!  

Stitching Plans: 2024

As my I knocked out most everything at the end of December, January will be a crazy start-fest!  My category based rotation works well for me, I like the variety and the number, so I will continue with that stratagem, though I will changing up my tactics a little, more about that below.  So my categories are:

1. Mirabilia / Lavendar & Lace: Feather Fairy on French Vanilla Swirl Belfast by Silkweaver, as a gift, was started January 3.  If and when Feather Fairy gets finished, I'm considering Fairy Idyll and/or Secret Santa.
2. Joan Elliott/ Bella Filipina: Fairy Wind is on the go, started August 2023.  I hope to finish it by July or so, and start something new, perhaps Greta Goldbroom or Amphrite.
3. Fall/ Halloween: Making a Brew by Doreen Jones was my new year, new start. Another planned start is Poltergeist Pirates by Glendon PLace and on Bang!!! hand painted linen by Crossed Wing Collection, specifically made for this chart. I "must" start Poltergeist Pirates since I declared it as a D30 yearly project.  I didn't think that one through properly!  Oh well, after I have earned my first"bookmark" (15x400stitches), I  will switch out Poltergeist Pirates for Fairy Wind or something.  The 3 projects I declared are Father Christmas, Poltergeist Pirates, and St.George & Dragon.
4. Christmas: Father Christmas by Joan Elliott is on the go, a recent start on Jay Belfast (Picture this Plus).  A possible new start could be Girl with Candle by Petite Croix de Lucie (on Herald Cashel from Picture this Plus).
5. History / Literature: I'm kind of excited, kind of trepidatious about my plan to start St. George and the Dragon by Vermillion.  Yes, it's finally time to stitch the companion to Maiden & Unicorn, on 36 count even weave.  (not the ideal fabric for this chart full of fractionals, but I stitched Maiden on 36 count linen, so I must use 36 count again.  Hopefully the even weave will be a little easier than the linen, which was not the nicest. This is one of my 3 projects for the Daily30 yearly challenge,so I do expect to work on it regularly.
     
6. Flora / Fauna: This category is empty since finishing Autumn bellpull.   To finish the series, I would need the Stoney Creek Winter Bellpull, but maybe I need a break from those bell pulls, they are huge and a little fussy.  Another possibility would be Winter Robin, Autumn Wren, & Summer Chaffinch, all by Lesley Teare, I've done the Spring version and these 3 need to be stitched!
7. Sampler: When Black Cats Prowl / Happy Haunting (as it was titled in the magazine) by Maria Diaz on Ale Cashel (Picture this Plus) is a band sampler and a recent start. Another possibility would be Newborn King by Stoney Creek.
8. Wildcard: Another empty category since finishing Christmas Calendar. But I'm planning to start a large-ish full coverage design (9 pages), Mickey Stained Glass by Neni Designs (etsy).  

9. Extra: Ornaments / Smalls: I adore the Just Cross Stitch 2023 Ornaments issue, so the "problem" will be narrowing it down to 12, I plan to stitch one, most months, for the JCS SAL (FB).  I really will try to simmer down my ornament stitching this year.  I'm hoping for 16 ornament finishes (half as much as last year!).  Having started the year with 3 wips, that would leave me 13 to start. 

Now, for tactics.  Last year year, I worked on almost everything, all the time.  I would choose focus pieces and aim for 2 or 3 k, (in a a month), with smaller goals on the others.  That was fine, but I still ended with finishing most of my big projects in the last two months of the year.  And it got to be a slog, rotating from backstitch and beading, to more of the same.  So next year, my plan is to identify 3-4 pieces each month to really focus on (4k-5k goal each), other wips will get a much smaller effort, like 1 k, or nothing at all (for that month).  So far I've identified certain wips to focus on for each quarter.  I hope this will enable me to stagger my finishes more, we shall see.  

As for the challenges and stitch alongs, I love the JCS Ornament SAL, as mentioned above, and will continue with that.  The Daily 30 group challenges (on FB) are so fun, and I love that group.  Fandom Stitching Challenges is also interesting and next year is a Disney theme, so Mickey Stained Glass will receive attention, regularly.  Another I joined recently is WIP Warriors, I'm opting for the 24 in 24 challenge, I don't have 24 at present, but I may get up to that number with new starts (unlikely, but anything's possible).  So if I do, I'll be capped at 24 wips, and no new starts allowed unless I get a finish. Magical Stitches & Reading has caught my interest again, since this year seems to be fantasy theme (January's book is Tithe by Holly Black), which floats my boat more than the cozy mysteries of last year.

Overall, I'm aiming for:

8 med/large finishes, non specified (Fairy Wind, Feather Fairy, Mickey Stained Glass, seasonal birds, new starts)

4 med/large finishes, Halloween (Happy Haunting, Making a Brew, Poltergeist Pirates, new start)

2 med/large finishes, Christmas (Father Christmas, new start)

16 ornament finishes

This is a lot fewer than last year, but there are some BAPS in there, so these goals are on the lofty side.  Wish me luck! 

2023 Stitching Final Report

Let's have some stats!  I love my numbers.

In 2023, I did a total of 261,049 stitches over 295 days, with an average stitch count of 886 /day. In January 2023, I had 20 WIPs, and ended December 31 with 7.  

I am most thrilled to have started and finished several large-ish pieces in 2023.

Minecraft by OKCrossStitch (etsy) was started in January and finished in November.

Autumn Bellpull by Stoney Creek was started in March and finished in December.

Christmas Calendar by Tiny Modernist was started in November and finished in December.

Merry Christmas by Victorian Motto Sampler (heavily doctored by me) was started in July and finished in November.

Halloween Memories by Sue Hills was started in June and finished in November.

And several smaller pieces as well.  Hello Summer, Irish at Heart (both by Shannon Christine), Trick or Treat by Nicole Young, Night Peony Tee (well, that last one was a WIP from 2022)

Plus I finished all those (10) WIPocalypse pieces! (more details here)
And a ridiculous number (32) ornaments, both Halloween & Christmas.  (more details here)

So, to sum up: 51 finishes.  Let's have pie!

As you can see, 2/3 of my finishes were ornaments.  I'll try to lean more into the larger pieces for 2024.  But overall, I'm satisfied, since I did accomplish all my finish goals.  

Happy New Year!

2023 WIPocalypse: December & Wrap up

December was different, I got sucked into the Semisane Advent calendar challenge, started (and finished) the Tiny Modernist Christmas Calendar, stitching on it most days of the month.  And there was a lot of sickness in my house (Influenza A was a beast despite being inoculated with the flu vaccine!), which threw a wrench into my plans.  But after Christmas, I buckled down and got several finishes, which will be covered in the WIPocalypse wrap up below.  So, here is my Christmas Calendar, on Aerial Crystal lugana (28 count) by Picture this Plus, it took 21 days and 14,855 stitches! (Happy dance post forthcoming)

Now for the WIPocalpsyse:

Goal 1. Fairy Rain by Joan Elliott was finished on February 15, she only required 4 days this year.  

Goal 2. Alice SAL by Amanda Butler was finished on May 8, with 6 days love.

Goal 3. Fata dell' Aurora by Passione Ricamo was finished May 19, after 16 days this year.

Goal 4. Easter Bunny House by Tiny Modernist was finished March 1, with 4 days effort.

Goal 5. Santa's Workshop by Jim Shore / Mill Hill was finished November 4, with 18 days love. (Happy dance post forthcoming)

Goal 6. Bellatrix by Bella Filipina was finished December 28, after 24 days this year. (Happy dance post forthcoming).

Goal 7. Renaissance Mermaid by Mirabilia was finished August 10, with 14 days love.

Goal 8. Scary Apothecary by Hand on Designs (3 wips and 2 new starts), the entire series was finished July 5, after 5 days this year.

3 wips now finished:

2 more started and finished this year.

Goal 9. Witches Werewolves by Glendon Place was finished February 18, with 3 days love.

Goal 10. Christmas Angels by Sandy Littlejohns was finished December 31, with 16 days this year. (Happy dance post forthcoming)

Goal 11. Ornaments, I started the year with 9 wips, finished all those:

I started & finished 16 more Christmas ornaments:

I started and finished 7 Halloween ornaments:

Finally, I started 4 that remain wips into the new year:

So, to sum up, 32 ornament finishes, 4 undone, in a whopping 60 days this year.  I love my little ornies, but 60 days is a lot and I could have finished another big WIP (or 2) in that time.  

Goal 12. Framing, well, I cut mats and assembled 2 pieces, but they aren't closed up yet, nor on display.  Overall, a middling effort. Sorry, no pics yet.

To sum up, it was a fabulous WIPocalpyse, I completed all my goals and and adore all my finishes!  I also started and finished several new things: Autumn Bellpull, Minecraft, Trick or Treat SAL, Halloween Memories, Merry Christmas Victorian, Hello Summer, Irish at Heart, Night Peony tee (well that was a carryover WIP).  This post already is quite lengthy, so I'll share those in my 2023 final wrap up.

 

2023 WIPocalypse: November

Hello friends, November wasn't the greatest, stitchy bug struggled some, but I did get some good progress and finishes so let's dive in!

My major focus for the month was Autumn Bellpull, with 2.5 days and 3,028 stitches added.  Alas, that was not enough to finish the panel.  But it's getting there and maybe another thousand should do it!  I will be so glad to put this one in the rearview, tired of brown. 

Trick or Treat SAL had 2 days love, 1,421 added and it was finished!  This was my Semisane Autumn Start-to-finish piece, roughly the size of 2 ornaments (total 3 stitchy days to finish since October), and I think it will make a lovely flat fold, maybe with some black lace trim. The free design is by Nicole Fortier Young, stitched on "Impressive" Cashel by Fortnight Fabrics, which I love so much, perfect moody grey for Halloween.

Bellatrix also had 2 days love, 2,000 added, I started beading and backstitching from the bottom.  It's still a little patchy since I'll do the pony beads last. I stitched most of her face and beaded up to her chest area.  I ran short on time, since I only got 21 stitchy days for November, but I should be able to finish her in December with another 600 beads or so.  

 Christmas Angels had 1.5 days, 1,855 stitches added, unfortunately not quite enough to finish.  I worked out the metallics (Kreinik #4 028 for the cross stitching, petite treasure braid PB 26 for the backstitching & beading, petite treasure braid ph 02 for cross, backstitching, & beading. All the backstitching is done except for a bit on the big "box" letter L.  Also, I ran short of the Mill Hill gold (00557) beads and don't have the red ones specified.  Oh well, more will be ordered and this will be a lovely finish for December!

I made a sizable new start, finally!  Father Christmas by Joan Elliott / Cross Stitch Collection magazine, on Jay Belfast (Picture this Plus). My new love had 1.5 days and 2,001 stitches, all in red for the Fandom Stitchers monthly color challenge.  No biggie since his outfit is all red anyway. I adore this design!

Santa's Workshop had 1 day, 619 added, and he's finally finished!  More pics and details in a forthcoming happy dance post, after I figure out what to do with the corners.

Halloween Memories had 1.25 days love, 1,525 total, and it's finished!  More pics and details in a forthcoming happy dance post.

Merry Christmas had 1.25 days (several short sessions of embroidered wheel berries), 302 stitches, and it's finished!  I've ordered a frame too.  More pics and details in a forthcoming happy dance post.

Minecraft had half a day, 680 added, and it's finished!  I'm so happy to have this finished, and I ordered the perfect frame, it will be wrapped under the Christmas tree for my kiddo. More pics and details in a forthcoming happy dance post.

Another new start, When Black Cats Prowl by Maria Diaz on Ale Crystal Cashel (Picture this Plus) had a half day and 900 stitches done, I worked all on the yellow moon for the Fandom color challenge. I do love a good band sampler!

Last but not least, my little ornies.  I worked on several, and even got 3 finishes!  Continuing WIPs Bewitchin' Stitchin' got 1 day (400 stitches), and Stitch Witch had half a day each (400 stitches each).  New starts Lil' Christmas Angel and Little Reindeer had half days and 400 st, each.  Finishes Yuletide had 1 day and 765 stitches, Jolly Elf had a quarter day and 362 stitches, Nevermore (also a November start), had a half day and 666 stitches. 

Question of the month: What is your favorite way to finish ornaments and/or smalls? I tend to lean towards the flat finish because they are easier to store. The round ones are more pleasing to my eye;  my biscuit cutter set is great for tracing circles of different sizes on acid free mat board. 

Now for December goals: 

•Finish: Bellatrix, Christmas Angels, Autumn Bellpull

•Finish ornaments: Ireland Santa, Stitch Witch, Gingerbread House, Nutcracker King, Lil Christmas Angel, Little Reindeer

*Progress: Christmas Calendar new start (12.5k), and Father Christmas (3k), minimal progress on anything else that comes up during WIP Wranglers (Semisane challenge)

Happy Stitching