OhSewCrafty

2018 WIPocalypse: October update

My October rotation started, a day late, with Water Goddess.  As for tardiness, what can I say, diamond painting is addicting!  Then I made it up with it several finishes in short order.  Anyway, I gave Water Goddess 4.5 days and that was enough time to finish .

Trick or Treat Fairy got a bit of time to finish the beading.  I found a significant dye lot difference between the new beads and the ones I used before, but they were used in different areas and I decided it wasn't worth frogging.   So, I finished her October 7th.

The next day, October 8th, I finished the October edition of the Mini Mandala (bottom left of piece) along with approximately 1/3 of the border.  Yes, I decided to add a border this late in the game, which is not my practice.  It took 3 attempts (with different patterns), but I finally got it on the go... this old DMC pattern is titled "Blacwork Oriental".  I will stitch it in the different shades of grey-black as I go around, to match the mandalas.  
I spent some time with the Mill Hill Village, to finish the Bakery with beading and backstitch, as well as extend the border and grid to prepare for the last row.  So I finished Bakery on October 10th.  

Then it was time for the first Stitchathon weekend, which I devoted to Fall Fairy.  She got 8.5 days of love in all, which was enough to finish page 4 (lower right), add in the half cross, and do the extensive backstitch on that page (2 greens, dark brown, orange-brown), with the exception of the metallic backstitch.  The pattern calls for 3 strands of the gold metallic filament type stuff that was kitted (sigh).  I'll probably give it a try, but may end up using #4 braid instead.  Backstitching that page took 2 days.  3 more pages to go, and Page 1 (upper left) is partially backstitched already.  I think a finish is within reach, probably another week or so; it will definitely be a November goal.

Then it was time for my retreat, StitchFest in Herndon, VA.  I contacted the wonderful lady behind Cross-stitchRetreats.com to organize it after my local friends asked me to do it and I realized I might be in over my head.  She did the heavy lifting but I pitched in where I could, with publicity mostly.  Also, I created a retreat t shirt, and self published my first cross stitch pattern (based on the t shirt graphic) as retreat swag for everyone.  Anyway, the retreat was fabulous and I can't wait to do it again next year.  I brought 3 projects, Fall Fairy (above), Boo Club, and Charmed Santa. Boo Club got one day to finish the Monster line.  

Charmed Santa received a half day.  I stitched the gold metallic border around the upper left quadrant.  Easy peasy stitching while talking and laughing, having a grand old time!  I also started the holly leaves on the upper left.  Every stitch counts and this bit of progress is pleasing.  It will be a December finish goal.

Spooky House got 4 days.  I finished the regular cross stitch on page 3, and completed all the kreink on the bottom half in two colors, silver and citron.  I also started backstitching, from the left side.  I finished the black on that first page, and moved on the center page, which is about half done.  There is more backstitching to do, in various colors.  The grass is charted with long stitches in a DMC variegated thread that I don't have in my stash.  My plan for this is to keep it on the frame and continue backstitching through the rest of October, then put it on hiatus until January.  

Discussion topic: Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time? I definitely prefer to stitch on a rotation, mostly because I like larger patterns and I think it would be boring to stitch monogamously long enough to finish a big piece.  Also, my WIP quantity is sufficient to make a rotation necessary, if I want to work on the various pieces with a degree of frequency. That said, as of the end of October, I have been successful this year at dialing back the serial starts, and I'm in position to maintain a lower wip count for the next year, at least.  With fewer projects in rotation, each one will come more frequently.  My rotation for 2019 should be simple, each month (28 days), I plan on 5 x (5 day rotations), plus a 3 day rotation.  So that's 6 projects each month, out of 8 WIPs.  Every project should get a rotation, at least every other month.  

My plans for the rest of October include Spooky House, as I mentioned, plus a bit of effort on Winnie the Pooh (I'll aim for 500 stitches or so).  I may do some diamond painting too.  As for November, my finish goals are Fall Fairy and We Do Disney.  I'll also work on Boo Club, Mini Mandala, and Charmed Santa as time allows.  November is going to be an interesting month with lots of travel, the Thanksgiving holidays, and a big sewing project on deck, so we'll see.  For now, I hope everyone has a happy Halloween!  

Stitching HD: Village Bakery

• Pattern: Mill Hill Buttons & Beads kit
• Materials: DMC, Mill Hill beads as kitted
• Size: 5" square
• Time to stitch: 4 days

Here's my 8th building in the Village and last one for 2018!

Bakery was a quick stitch.  The pattern is simple, not too many details.  It's also slightly smaller than some others.  Stitching & beading took an equal amount of time.  My favorite detail is probaly the lamppost, wound with garland and glowing at dusk (or so I imagine).  And the little path carved in the snow is such a clever effect. The cakes in the window, one chocolate and the other vanilla, are super cute.  I prefer chocolate, how about you?  The sign and its awning are heavily beaded, so much that I was afraid the backstitched letters would get lost.  Nevertheless, the shop name is still legible.

The materials as kitted are fine.  I pull the DMC from my master set and wind the cut strands from the kit onto my stitchbows.  The beads included are more than sufficient in quantity, though I had to toss a few due to malformation.  So, there are a lot of beads on this one, 7 colors: red, petite bottle green, petite ginger, pewter, Victorian gold, petite green velvet, and petite white.  Most are attached with full cross.  The pattern also included an adorable gingerbread man button that will go on the hanging sign but I won't attach the buttons until the village is otherwise complete.  

The red beads are also used for swags all along the graduated roof line.  As always, I tacked them down in the middle to create the draped shape.  The wreath on the left side stitched up cute and sparkly with green and red beads.  Let's talk about the entrance way. I love the steps, the narrow wrought iron railing, the mounted light, and the cute little sign on the door. It's so inviting, I'd be happy to stop by for a holiday treat. 

After I finished the Bakery, I spent another day extending the border down for another row, I also did some gridding to prep for the next few buildings.  Next year, in the bottom left corner, I'll start the Queen Anne house which I fancy could easily be a bed & breakfast.  Next door will be the Palace Theatre.  I'm so excited that the village is 2/3 complete and the end is in sight!  

Stitching HD: Water Goddess

• Pattern: by Joan Elliott
• Materials: 32 count "Whirlpool" belfast by Picture this Plus, DMC, Kreinik, Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hiill beads
• Size: 14" x 10.5"
• Time to stitch: 34 days

At long last, here is my 4th elemental goddess!

The pattern is fine, though I worked with the magazine version which was a little annoying at times.  A color chart, with = and ~ both in peachy skin tones, tiny fractional stitches, colors not really distinguishable... stitching the hands was quite difficult.  I started at the center and worked down to the bottom first. Her skirt is huge and goes on for days, I'm pretty sure that 75% of the time I spent on this project, was stitching the skirt, lilypads, with all the backstich, etc.  Of course the backstitching is extensive.... a few different colors of DMC, plus the Vatican gold Kreinik.  The skirt is heavily beaded too, mostly the clear beads but also blue beads along the trim of her overdress.

I love Picture this Plus fabric and this one was no exception.  It's a watery mid blue, difficult to capture the tone in a photograph.  The pattern calls for 3 colors of Kreinik, I subbed Petite Treasure Braid PB10 (white) for the Pearl Kreinik because I had a bunch on hand.  The PB10 is the main color for the moon, which has an awful lot of stitches and the PTB has better yardage, anyway.   The blue beads (Mill hill #2088) are such a beautiful blue, new to my bead collection and used to great effect here as watery swirls.     

The Vatican Gold kreinik is used to backstitch the zodiac water symbols, for Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces, on the moon, along with water symbols. The water symbols are also backstitched on her darker blue underskirt.  Another lovely detail is the series of water droplets floating upwards from her face.  This section is also heavily beaded; both the blue and clear beads are used to form her jewelry, a bracelet and necklace.  A swirled tattoo on her bicep is backstitched in Kreinik, and adorned with more blue beads; it's a little hard to make out in photographs though.  

That face!  Eyes closed in gentle repose, with sophisticated purple eyeshadow.  Deep raspberry lips accomplished with lots of tiny fractionals and delicate backstitch.  Nobody designs faces like Ms. Elliott.  Emotion, peaceful relaxation, is evident and I love it.  Purple waterlilies crown her long, wavy, dark brunette hair, which is accented by the clear beads.  The dragonflies floating all around feature a bit of kreinik for their bodies and bead(s) for their heads.  

It's hard to believe the series is finally finished, after starting Air Goddess in January 2016.  Here are all 4 together.  I have a frame picked out and plan to double mat them all.  With a bit of luck, I should be able to get all the framing done next year.  

Stitching HD: Trick or Treat Fairy

• Pattern by Nora Corbett, available in pdf from Herrschnerr's
• Materials: 32 count opalescent belfast "Midas Touch" by vintage Silkweaver, DMC, Kreinik, Mill Hill
• Size: 8" x 12"
• Time to stitch: 9 days since September 2017

Just in time for Halloween, presenting the Trick or Treat Fairy!

I had this pattern stashed for years, in a vintage Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine (September 2008).  I think the amount of bling was a little intimidating at first.  She calls for 5 colors of Kreinik #4 braid, as well as several Mill Hill beads of various types and sizes.  Sometimes I think the smaller Nora Corbett designs are more expensive to kit up than the larger ones, compared to size.  Once I started, the pattern wasn't difficult.  The color pallette is limited and she doesn't take long to stitch.  All the details really jazz her up.  The owl came out super cute.

I chose to stitch her on a rather wild opal belfast from my stash.  Normally I prefer more subtle fabrics, but I thought this one was perfect for the chart.  The opalescence made it a bit difficult to count at times, when the sparkle obscurred the threads.  Adding all the Kreinik was really fun.  The Trick or Treat text is in Garnet, while the dress details are in Ruby.  The pumpkin stems and vines are done in a dark Emerald.

The spiderwebs and astral trail in the sky are sparkly cerulean.  The moon and the fairy's headdress are done in a pale icy blue.  

She is extensively beaded and fitting some of the beads was a challenge since the fabric is a bit smaller than 32 count, shrunk in the hand dyeing process. Nevertheless, beading was a lot of fun.  She has seed beads in red, orange, purple, and dark blue, as well as larger beads in pale blue and black.  I adore how the sprays of beads extend from her gloves, like she's creating them by magic.  

I'm quite chuffed with the finish... it's lovely to have another Halloween piece and she could be a good size if I add mats.