OhSewCrafty

2020 Wrap up: Finishes & Pie

2020 was a stitchy extraganza, or the year I spent entirely too much time sitting around with my projects, you decide.  I started the year with 10 wips and finished with 5, so that was a good WIP down.  I also completed several model stitches.   I got 33 finishes, excluding models.  My total stitch count for the year is 234, 127.  Now for pie:

Ornaments take up more than half of the pie chart, and usually I prefer big projects, but ornaments seemed just the ticket for this crazy year.  Besides, all those big projects got finished, too, so I'm satisfied.  Now for all the pretty pics:

3 Fancy Ladies: Rapunzel and Fairy of the Rainbow by Joan Elliott and Cathedral Woods Goddess by Mirabila.  

2 very tall BAPs: Spring Bellpull by Stoney Creek and Save the Stitches by Elizabeth Almond

2 wide BAPs: Gingerbread Grove by Glendon Place and Fantasy Triptych by Teresa Wentzler 

Full coverage of good size: Twilight Bridge by Dimensions, plus Lemonade freebie by Sapphire Mountain Handcrafts and the tiny American Eagle by Mill Hill.

Spooky pieces of medium size: We do Harry Potter by StitchArea (Etsy) and Harvest Witch by Stoney Creek

A couple Christmas smalls: Comet and Prancer, Christmas Eve Couriers by Nora Corbett.

5 more smalls and minis: Batty Belinda by Brooke's Books, Cock A Doodle Boo by Tempting Tangles / JCS, Coffin Paint and Bat Balm, both by Hands on Designs, I'm Here for the Boos by Nancy Greenberg / JCSFour Christmas ornies of mini to small size: Stained Glass Angel by Leisure Arts / "Charms of Christmas", Father Frost Bauble by Joan Elliott, Merry Christmas Love by Tempting Tangles / JCS, Toys by Better Homes and Gardens, "Cross Stitch Christmas, Needlework Treasures".  

Another four Christmas ornaments: Santa Hat & Boots by Keslyn's / JCS, Celtic Cross freebie by Teresa Wentzler, Nutcracker by Donna Kooler / "A Cross Stitch Christmas", Holly Jolly by Tiny Modernist / JCS

Yet another four Christmas ornaments (sensing a theme?): Noelle by Brooke's Books / JCS, Winter Bird Home by Little Stitcher / JCS, Tree Tuffet by Lynn Bruce / World of Cross Stitching, Snowman Mitten by Ursula Michael / JCS

Last but not least, 2 more Christmas ornies: Blue Ocean Star by Stitchora / JCS, and Silvery Lace Snowflake by Works by ABC / JCS

So 33 finishes in all, 8 large, 2 medium, 6 small, and 17 mini.    As for next year, I do expect the trend to continue somewhat since I've decided to participate in the JCS ornie SAL with Jo the Serendipitous Stitcher on FB and my goal is to complete 12 throughout the year.  I do have 4 big WIPs on the go to finish, though, and another 3 that I intend to start in January.  It would be nice to skew the ratio more towards large projects next year, but we'll see.  

Thanks for reading and your support all through the year.  The stitchy community is the best!  

Happy New Year!

Stitching HD: Fantasy Triptych

• Pattern by Teresa Wentzler
• Materials: 25 count white Monoco, DMC, Mill Hill, Kreinik as charted
• Size: 18.25" x 12.25"
• Time to stitch: 66 days over 2 years

Oldest WIP no more!  

So this pattern took a while to stitch; I started it per my husband's request.  Actually he wanted me to stitch it a long time ago, but it took a while to work up the gumption, with the 3 page floss list and all.  The pattern is fine, it's simply a lot.  A lot of colors, a lot of blends, crazy confetti, repeating patterns, simple borders, copious backstitching, quarter stitches galore, the faces charted over 1, even some speciality stitches and beads, mostly in the borders.  I quite enjoyed the diamond eyelets; the plaited cross stitch (square stitches in the border) was a bit fussier, but I do enjoy the result.  

I made a few modifications; adding a blue sky for the background (stitched in DMC 3753, 1 over 2 full cross).  The sky added a few thousand stitches to the pattern, but it was worth it, the color is subtle, and it adds a lot, even making other parts of the pattern visible, like the snow capped mountains behind the knight.   Also, I did my own thing for the backstitch on the girl's face since the charting was crazy. It may be possible to split an over 1 stitch, but it isn't pretty.  

The materials are fine, I went with 25 count since that's what the pattern called for, and (2 x 2) coverage is fine for the most part except in a few spots.  And 25 count was a boon with all the quarter stitches and backstitching.  Lots of tiny details in this chart, and all are visible, thankfully, on the 25 count.  Overall, it's a good size on 25 count, and I think that's appropriate; there's a lot going on in this project.  I used 2 Pako organizers to sort all the blended threads; that was a big help.  

My favorite details are probably all the architectural ones in the castle, perhaps modeled after the Chateau de Samur in the Loire Valley, as Instagram stitcher Matilida, from that area, informed me.  The castle was so fun to stitch, probably the easiest section of the chart, besides the borders.  The barding (armor) on the horse is quite special, and I like the knight's sword in the hilt too.  As for the girl, I love her red hair, floating in the wind as the unicorn canters along.  Her blue dress and fuschia cape are lovely.  The floral garland reins on the unicorn are a nice touch.  

In the castle section, I like how the trees, castle walls, and a bit of sky, are reflected in the water below.  The big trees in the foreground, and the small trees in the background, are lovely, though it was a bear to stitch with all the backstitch simply shown as black lines on the chart despite using several shades, depending on what you're outlining.  I tried my best though I truly have no idea if it's right (the model picture is no help).

This finish leaves a big hole in my rotation, for sure.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to start another TW right away, though I do have the Camelot Sampler on my radar.  

2020 WIPocalypse: December

It's the end of the year and goodbye, good riddance, to 2020!  Here's hoping 2021 will be better.  Also, goodbye to an awful lot of WIPs that were finished this year!  December stitching basically revolved around ornaments, Christmas pieces (Cupid reindeer & Victorian Carolers) and model stitching.

Cupid was a new start on Nov 30.  I worked on it about 3 days and for 1,409 stitches, it's definitely coming along.  I plan to work on him a little more this week because tis the season!  

Victorian Carolers was loved for 4 days and 2,739 stitches.  A good part of the second (full) page is stitched now.  The other 2 pages are partials, so I'm feeling good about finishing next year.  

As for the ornaments, Noelle by Brookes Books is stitched on perforated paper and took 4 days in all.  Of course it stilll needs extensive full finishing.  Snowman Mitten by Ursula Michaels / JCS 2005 is on 36 count silvery moon Edinburgh linen and required 3 days to finish.  Blue Ocean Star by Stitchora / JCS 2020 is on 28 count white opalescent Cashel and needed 4 days to finish.  Merry Christmas Love is by Tempting Tangles / JCS 2015 stitched on Golden Promise Belfast by Silkweaver, took 3 days overall to stitch.  Silvery Lace Snowflake was a new start on December 6, chart by Works by ABC / JCS 2019 on Winter Solstice Belfast from Hand Dyed by Steph, and it took 4 days to stitch.

And now for the review!  

I had 9 WIPs in my initital list, 8 were finished.  We Do Harry Potter by StitchArea (Etsy) on Vintage Smoky White Cashel, 5.5 days attention this year (and I framed it too!).  Toys Ornie by Better Homes and Gardens "Needlework Treasures" on 28 white opalescent Cashel, less than a day to finish.  Batty Belinda by Brooke's Books on 14 count perforated paper, also less than a day.  Spring Bellpull by Stoney Creek on 18 count Anne cloth, about 8 days love this year.  Gingerbread Grove by Glendon Place, on Haven Cashel by Picture this Plus, needed 13 days.  Fairy of the Rainbow by Joan Elliott, on Silkweaver Blue Diamonds opalescent Belfast, took 19 days.  Save the Stitches by Elizabeth Almond on 25 count Stormy Clouds lugana, needed 24 days.   Finally, Twilight Bridge by Dimensions Gold, on 18 count aida, had 29 days this year.  130 days total.

The 9th WIP, Fantasy Triptych by Teresa Wentzler, was loved for 29 days this year and that would have been enough to finish if I hadn't run short of beads.  So, its 99% finished, but no pretty pics just yet.  It's on my list for this week; certainly by Thursday I should have it done.  

Besides the wips, I had several new starts in my list, they were all finished.  Rapunzel by Joan Elliott on Heather Belfast by Picture this Plus, 36 days.  Harvest Witch by Stoney Creek on Silkweaver Lapis Lazuli Cashel, 16 days. Scary Apothecary, I actually stitched 2, Bat Balm & Coffin Paint on 32 count antique white belfast, requiring 2 days each (4 days).  Cathedral Woods Goddess by Mirabilia on Silkweaver Ametrine Cashel, 17 days.  Comet by Nora Corbett on Picture this Plus Pewter opalescent Belfast, 8 days.  81 days total.  

So that's a total of 211 stitchy days to finish all my WIPoalypse stitchy goals, not bad at all, and of course I stitched more than that, so visit me again soon for all the pretty pictures and pie!  

The other goals on my list were to frame 6 pieces. In the end, I framed 9, 4 of the ones I had listed, and several others too.  Here are the 4: 

I also fully finished a few ornaments recently.  Penguin by Stoney Creek on white Monoco, Winter White Sleigh on Ruby Wine Belfast by Fire Side Originals / JCS 2019, and Gingerbread Boy by Medina Originals / JCS 2019, on white opalescent Cashel.   All 3 are finished flat, with various trims.It was a really successful WIPocalypse overall.  There wasn't much else to do but stay home & stitch, due to the pandemic, so I got busy.  As productive as it was, I'm hoping that 2021 offers more variety and less stitchy time.   Thanks for reading, happy holidays, happy stitching, and 

Merry Christmas 

Framing HD's: Mirabilia / Nora Corbett

I'm happy to share 2 more pieces I framed recently.  First is Enchanted Mermaid by Mirabilia, on 28 count monoco that I custom dyed with Rit in 2 colors.  She is stitched with a hair and extensive bead conversion, details available here.

The frame is muted gold with a smooth, curvaceous profile.  in my opinion, it's understated and elegant, ideal for this rather sparkly and elaborate piece.  (and the moulding color is similar to her hair).    The frame was about $42, custom cut from pictureframes.com outlet shop.   

The other piece is Nora Corbett's Halloween Fairy, which was originally published in a magazine and is now available as a pdf download at Herrschnerrs.  She's stitched on Midas Touch opalescent 32 count Belfast from Silkweaver.  

The wood frame has a brown finish with silver distressing all over the irregular spiral textural design.  It complements the various beaded and metallic swirls on the piece.  As Halloween Fairy is rather small, and the moulding is a little busy, I wanted to double mat her.  The bottom mat is a subtle lilac "Sweet Tart" and the top is a rich brown "Espresso", both by Crescent Select.  The Espresso mat board was in my stash and and I got the Sweet Tart one from Framemasters.  The frame was about $35, custom cut, from Pictureframes.com outlet shop, if memory serves.  (I bought it a few years ago) 

Framing HD's: Christmas

The first new thing I got up on the wall this year is Spirit of Christmas by Lavender & Lace, stitched on Dwarf Belfast by Picture this Plus.  The bright gold, slender square frame has floral detail, it was about $15 (a steal!) from the Pictureframes.com outlet shop.  

I cut a double arch mat but combining circular and straight cuts (circle first, of course).  The top mat is Red Sky Suede, the bottom Gold Metallic, both by Crescent Select.  I actually framed this last year, but I wasn't completely satisfied with it.  I decided to stop letting perfect be the enemy of the good, put the backing on, and hung it up.  No glass on any of these because they only stay up about 5 weeks, not enough time to get dusty.

Next is Joyful Teddy by Joan Elliott, stitched on 28 count white opalescent Cashel, by Zweigart.  The antique gold frame has a flat surface and dark brown distressing feathered in at the edges, it was a bit under $30 from the Pictureframes.com outlet shop.  The moulding is remarkably similar in coloration to the teddy bear's fur.

No mat on this one, it might have been nice but I didn't think it was necessary and I could save a little money by using a small frame.  A little piece for my little boy!  

Last but certainly not least is the Mill Hill Christmas village, my original compilation of Mill Hill Button & Beads kits with Kreinik snowflake border on 28 count stormy grey Jobelan (Wichelt).  The antique white with pewter frame has a raised swirly design on the outer edge, carved in the pewter, that reminds me of blustery winter weather.  The main body of the frame is antique white with a bit of light pewter distressing on the inside edge.  

The moulding is 2.75" wide.  The cost for this huge frame was was $60, which I consider to be an excellent value with consideration to the style and the size (23.5" x 20"), from Pictureframes.com (Renoir collection, with a 30% discount for black Friday).

I have one more Christmas piece I wanted to frame this year, I ordered some mat board for it and it shipped, but tracking hasn't updated since December 15, when it was in New Jersey, so I don't have high hopes to receive it any time soon.  I probably will eventually, but maybe not until January.  In the meantime, I have 2 things I framed yesterday (not Christmas-related), plus 3 more framing goals to address, likely after Christmas, they were WIPGO goals for this year and I have all the materials stashed, and we're all enjoying a stay-cation, so why not?   

2021 Preview: Stitching Plans

It's probably not the case for everyone, but I set some stitchy records in 2020, what with all the cancellations of most things and sheltering in place.  As such, I started a ton of projects, the higher WIP count (up to 25 at the beginning of July) feeling acceptable with more stitchy time.  Next year, on the assumption that normal life will resume sooner or later, I want to keep a lower WIP count, and continue with the category based rotation that works for me.  

No 1. is Mirabilia / Lavender & Lace.  This category is vacant (except Cupid reindeer), since I finished Cathedral Woods Goddess in September.  I'm leaning towards Stargazer, on Winter Solstice Belfast from Hand Dyed by Steph.   Another few possibilities are Portrait of Veronica on Barnwood Belfast by Picture this Plus and Renaissance Mermaid on Willow Wisp Belfast from Hand Dyed by Steph.

No. 2 is Joan Elliott.  I'll continue working on Fairy Rain, with a finish goal by midyear.  New start possibilities include Christmas Blue Angel on Hamlet opal Belfast by Under the Sea Fabrics, Fairy of the Wind on a custom dye Cashel by Silkweaver, & Father Christmas on Christmas Tree opal Cashel by XJudesign. 

No. 3 is Fall/Halloween.  It's another vacant category since finishing Harvest Witch.  A definite new start will be the Glendon Place spooky panels on PTP Flash Cashel, that I want to frame and hang with Spooky House.  I'm not sure how long the 4 panels will take and how keen I will be to work through the series.  More Scary Apothecary charts by Hands on Designs, Broomstick Fuel, Bitter Brew, and Cackel Lozenges, are in my stassh, to be stitched on antique white Belfast along with the rest of the series (3 finished, 3 more on order) .  I might start another large-ish piece like Glendon Place Sleepy Hollow on Dusk Belfast by Steel City Stitchers, or Halloween Quaker by Lila's Studio on Rock Quarry Cashel by Silkweaver.No. 4 is Christmas.  I'll continue working on Victorian Carolers, with a finish goal by the end of the year.  It's not huge, but it is full coverage.  I definitely need another big Christmas wip on the go.  A few that I have ready to go with charts & fabric are the Joan Elliott pieces mentioned above, Yes Virgina by Bygone Stitches on Ruby Wine Belfast, and Baby Flake by Jeannette Crews on Sand opalescent Belfast by Picture this Plus.

No. 5, Samplers, is also vacant since finishing Save the Stitches.  A definite January start will be Alphabet Inspirations by A. Fox Original, and I will continue working on it throughout the year as part the upcoming Semisane SAL "Alpha-My-Bet", but it's small and I'm considering ditching this category in favor of something fantastical, like a chart by Bella Fillipina or Nimue.  More or that below.  Let me know what you think, should I keep the sampler category to maintain the variety in my rotation or do more in the fantastical genre, which is my true home?

No. 6 is Flora & Fauna.  I'm currently working on the Gryphon, with a spring finish goal.  A birthday finish would be nice then I can make a new magical menagerie start for Maynia.  But Maynia serial starting may not be on the table at all, we'll see.  Possible new starts include Dimensions Spring Fairy, Autumn bell pull by Stoney Creek, and Winter Robin by Lesley Teare from Cross Stitch Collection magazine.  

No. 7 is History and Literature.  This category is vacant after finishing Fantasy Triptych.  I'm planning to start the Alice SAL by Amanda Butler for Cross Stitcher magazine, with some personalization (I want to swap out 2 of the panels, and I already did some charting), on Biscotti Cashel by Colour & Cotton (more yellow than the picture shows).  I might actually start this sooner than January, if I finish my model stitching this week.  

No. 8, last but not least, is Wild Card.  Currently I'm working on Toy Story Cast, and that is a definite finish goal for next year.  Another possibility is Morning Fae by Passione Ricamo or Porcelain Belfast by Silkweaver, that would also count as an old stash new start for my SFS group SAL in January- both the chart & fabric are OLD. 

Beyond the 8 categories, I'd like to keep stitching Christmas ornaments, a minimum of 12 throughout the year.  I'll be participating in the JCS SAL via FB, which is 1 per month from the 2020 issue.  In January, it will be the Poinsettia by Punochka, which is not on the cover unfortunately.  It's a beautiful little flower with snowflakes and beads, I'm looking forward to it.   Some of the others that I plan to stitch are on the cover, like the Polar Bear (top left), Angel (top right), Snowman (below the Angel), Snowman Juggling (center near bottom), Santa, Gnome, and Lollipop (all on bottom). 

I'll probably also do a few Mill Hill or other ornament kits in my stash.  While not exactly ornaments, I did start collecting the Leisure Arts Nativity stand up charts and even got a piece of 36 count evenweave so I can start a few whenever.  

So, as you can see I'm basically spoilt for choice!  I'm looking forward to making some new starts in January.  Next year I'm planning to switch up my rotation a bit, work on stitch count goals rather than days.  I'll still track my days, because it's useful data, but instead of planning to spend 5 days on x project, I might plan to stitch 2k on that project.  Since I rotate so frequently for all the challenge stitching I do, hopefully a goal-based rotation will make more sense.

Framing HDs

So I'm starting to chip away at my extensive stash of framing materials.....

Elevenses by Fiddlesticks AU "Hobbit Menu" is stitched with a partial color conversion, by me, on Salem Cashel 28 count linen by Colour & Cotton.  

The frame is a light wood, with a sheer whitewash and curvaceous profile. I like the contrast with the dark grey fabric and think it plays up the blackboard effect. 

This one will go in the breakfast room.   I stitched it for my son because he used to eat like a hobbit, several times a day.  He still eats more than I do!  

I am a Stitcher by Cherrywood Design Studio, full color conversion by me, is stitched on Haven 36 count Edinburgh linen by Picture this Plus.

The frame is brushed gold, with the curved profile and a built in linen liner featuring an antique gold inner frame & filet.  I really like the linen liner for a project that celebrates stitching (Linen is my favorite fabric), and I think the glowing gold sets off the rainbow colors.

I plan to hang it the den over my stitchy spot.  Expect to see some more framing posts soon, since have two Christmas pieces framed and ready to hang, plus another several more on my to-do list, pending acquisition of materials on order.  

WIPocalypse: November 2020

November included a lot of model stitching, which I can't share at this point, but I did work on some of my own things....

First, Victorian Carolers got a turn, 2 days and 1,419 stitches.  I started the second page, across the top, because I didn't feel like dealing with all the color changes, fractional stitches, etc for the people, the most detailed part(s) of the chart.  Page 2 has a decent start now.  

Harvest Witch had 2 days of love, starting with the backstitch, metallic, and ninja stitches, and ending with 3 very special buttons.  1,948 stitches done and dusted! 

Fairy of the Rain received 2 days of attention, 1,023 stitches, working her skirt downwards.  I so enjoy stitching these colors.  

Fairy of the Rainbow got 2,276 stitches and 4 days to finish the cross stitching on the top half, backstitch the top half, and bead the whole piece from toes to top of wings... and I finished! 

Gryphon had 1.5 days of love, 1,040 stitches all on the wings.  I think this project is about 75% finished, it won't take much time to finish (next year).

I also worked on various ornament projects.  Winter Bird Home by Laura Rimola (Just Cross Stitch Ornaments 2018) got a partial day (a few hours), 534 stitches, and a finish after 1.5 days in total, stitched on 28 count Haven Cashel by Picture this Plus.  Noelle by Brooke's Books gained 351 stitches in a half day.  Nutcracker by Kooler Design Studio had 1 day of love, 792 stitches and a finish after 2 days in total, stitched on 28 count white opalescent Cashel.  

Finally I gave 2 days to Comet, 761 stitches (mostly beads), and I finished! 

Last but not least, I worked on Toy Story Cast for 2 days and got 631 stitches, mostly on the Prospector, but I also filled in little missing bits on Bullseye (the horse), Slinky Dog. I'm closing in on a second page finish, and when I do, I'm going back to fill in all the ninja stitches and backstitch everything, and I do mean, everything, this chart has extensive backstitching.

Discussion Topic: What new discoveries did you have in the stitching world this year? Gosh, not too many.  Looking at my spreadsheet, I think the only "new to me" designers that I purchased this year are Petite Croix de Lucie and Stitchworks.  My tastes never seem to change.  Also, I really loved stitching ornaments this year.  Normally I favor bigger projects but little ornaments seemed just right for the craziness of 2020.  I finished 16 (insane!) ornies this year there's 4 more ornie WIPs on deck, hoping to finish next month.   Another ornie start is planned for December, too!  

Plans for December

•Model stitch

•Finish ornaments: Noelle, Snowman Mitten, Blue Ocean Star, Merry Christmas Love

•Finish 2nd mitten of Frost Tapestry set

•1.4 k stitches on Victorian Carolers

•Start and do 1k stitches on Silver Lace Star ornie  by Arlene Cohen / JCS 2019

•Start and do 1k stitches on Cupid by Nora Corbett 

Happy Stitching