OhSewCrafty

2018 WIPocalypse: November

In November, my stitchy bug went off to play and sulk, alternatively.  I did work on several projects, and diamond painting, at least.   

My rotation started November 4 with We Do Disney, it took 2 days and I finished. 

I also worked on the mini Mandala for 5 Days, I stitched the November Mandala and worked another significant chunk of the border.  I should be able to finish in December, maybe 3 days will do it.

On the 17th, I was lucky to visit Needleworker’s Delight in Metuchen, NJ.  I saw several stitchy friends from the NY/NJ area that day and I was encouraged to sign up for Arlene’s retreat next August.  And I met one of my favorite designers, Joan Elliott!  It was lovely to stitch and chat, the day flew by.  Joan is wonderful, gracious and charming.  I started her Fairy Delights biscornu, which is precious but not really my cup of tea, so it’s not going into my rotation.  On the way home, we stopped in Berlin, NJ to visit "Diggerland" which was super fun.  I floated the idea of moving to the Philadelphia area.  Husband was not entirely disagreeable to the notion.  

Fall Fairy got 3 days, to complete the backstitch on the bottom left page.  So much for being a November focus & finish goal!  But hope springs eternal and I am very close now!  

Boo Club also had 3 days.  I took one evening to stitch the ghost line then realized almost the entire piece was spaced incorrectly.  Fudging it was impossible.  So, I decided to frog the entire border, which took hours.  Then, I started from the top and restitched it.  Now, the Spooky Line is too far right; all the others are centered. I think I can live with one line askew, just not 11.  Maybe 2 more days to stitch the last line and finish the border? 

So I had 14 stitchy days of 25 (so far).  There were 2 awesome trips,  sickness and general malaise, and the Thanksgiving holidays.  Hopefully next month will be better since I have a small model stitch to do as well as my personal goals. 

Question of the Month: What new stitches or techniques did you learn this year?  Rien.  Nada.  None.  This year was all about getting my WIPs under control, which basically meant not starting things all the time.  Back to basics in a way.  

My plan for December is to finish 4 pieces.... Fall Fairy, Charmed Santa, Boo Club, and Mini Mandalas.  Santa is the heaviest lift so I’ll start with that one.  As for my model stitch, I’ll start it ASAP and see if I can finish in the last 5 days of November (it’s small). If things are going well, I may start Celtic Winter on Solstice.  Perhaps there will be time to work on Winnie the Pooh and /or start the Queen Anne house on my Christmas village after Christmas.  I also have framing goal(s), sewing projects, and an Elf on the shelf which I may or may not take out of the box.  Happy holidays, everyone! 

Stitching Plans: 2019 Preview

Sometimes I love planning just as much as actual stitching!  Extensive plans for this year definitely helped me reach my goal, to wip down.  So, 2019 will have fewer WIPs in rotation, hopefully quicker finishes and perhaps more new starts.  I would like 8 WIPs, as that is a very comfortable number for me.  Ornaments and other tiny pieces may be an exception to the rule, however.

I will start 2019 with 5 WIPs... Winnie the Pooh, Spooky House, Christmas Village, Bird of Happiness, and Celtic Winter (planned to start this December for Winter Solstice).  At least this is true if I manage to finish other WIPs as scheduled this year!  

So I'll have 3 new starts in January, or technically 4 because I need to start a new house on the Village, all planned for the first 15 days of January so I can spend the back half of the month on my older WIPs.  Pattern photos belong to the respective designers.  First up is my "new start, old stash"... Teresa Wentzler's Fantasy Triptych which I've had in my stash at least 10 years along with the 25 count white monoco that is suggested.  My husband loves this piece and I finally feel ready to tackle it, with its insane floss list, after completing the TW Castle in 2017. 

Then I'll start Joan Elliott's Christmas Teddy, and I can't wait!  Since I finished Water Goddess in October, I've missed having a JE in my rotation.  

After that a major project is on deck... Save the Stitches by Elizabeth Almond of Blackwork Journey.  After stitching the Brodueuse Bressane Mini Mandalas, I feel like I need more blackwork in my life and Save the Stitches is the sort of huge project I can really sink my teeth into!

Last but not least, the Mill Hill Christmas Village will return with the Queen Anne House. I love this pattern so much (it's pretty much my dream house), it should be a joy to stitch.

Other starts planned for the year mostly revolve around my "Series Killer" goal.  The Mill Hill village is a big part of that, I'll hopefully stitch the Palace Theater, US Post Office, and the Firehouse, along with the bottom border.  Then it will be time to sew all the buttons on and finish this monster project which is 3 years in the making.  

Ana by Nora Corbett will go on the same fabric as Gigi (which I stitched and finished as Fleur Delacour).  Plus, I have an additional 4 of the bewitching pixie patterns which I intend to stitch in pairs.

 

The Seasonal Bellpulls by Stoney Creek were started with Summer, so I have still have Spring (pictured), Fall, and Winter to do.  I do have a bellpull cut of cotton Anne Cloth stashed.  These are big pieces so if I start and finish one, I'll be happy.

The Seasonal birds by Lesley Teare were started with Spring, so I still have Winter, Summer and Autumn (pictured) to do.  The fabric is stashed.  These are small pieces but very detailed, so the goal is to stitch at least 1.  

It would be great to have another full size Mira in rotation, since I finished Enchanted Mermaid in August.  Perhaps it will be Stargazer.

I'd love to try a new-to-me designer next year.  It might be Glendon Place with her Gingerbread Village.  I have the 28 count cashel stashed... Haven by PTP is my favorite sky blue.  I'd love to start this after finishing the Mill Hill Christmas village.  

For Maynia, I'm planning to start several ornaments, however many I need to rotate 15 projects in 15 days.  Hopefully I will finish at least a few of the ornies during that period too!  The Mill Hill vintage sleigh kit is in my stash and I'd love to stitch it!  I have a long list of ornaments projects, most of which I did not get to in 2016 when I participated in a monthly ornament challenge for awhile.  

 

 

Stitching HD: We Do Disney

• Pattern: by Stitchline (Emma) via Etsy
• Materials: 28 count jobelan, DMC in various colors of my choosing (see below)
• Size: 9.5" x 14.25" inches
• Time to stitch: 11 days

Presenting the piece that commemorates my son's first trip to Disney World!  

The pattern, by Stitchline (Emma) on Etsy is very well done, easy to read, printed on 4 pages.  The pattern is monochrome and I chose my own colors to represent the movies as quoted.  The colors used, in order, are: Blanc, 334, 721, 906, 3837, 725, 995, 817, Blanc, 554, 3846, 414, Blanc.  It was pretty quick stitch as letters tend to be.  I enjoyed the various fonts and the little extra flair, like the snowflake and mouse ears. 

The materials are basic.  I choose black because it's neutral and makes color pop.  For the longest time, the idea of stitching on black fabric intimidated me.  I figured a simple pattern like this, mostly text, would make it easier.  To my happy surprise, I found stitching on black quite easy under my Ott light and even under the little mighty bright hammerhead book light that I use for travel.  I messed up on the placement when I started too close to the top, but it doesn't matter in the end since I am planning to mat it quite close to the stitching.  I have a plan of exactly how I want to frame this and I can't wait!   

I finished the piece on my second day in Florida and was happy to get some pics by Cinderella's castle in the Magic Kingdom.  That is where we spent the bulk of time on our trip, since my son meets the height requirement for every ride and and was enthralled with all the fantasy.  The Magic Kingdom holds a special place in my heart too though my favorite park is Epcot.  It was an amazing vacation overall, but quite tiring!