So it's summertime for a few more weeks at least. It's been about 2 months since my last post, but my stitchy bug was dormant all the while. WIPocalypse is a super flexible SAL, thankfully. Anyway, June started with Victorian Carolers. I gave it 3.5 days overall and 2,104 stitches.
Alice in Wonderland came out to play and got some good effort. First, I completed the cross stitch on the Mad Hatter and finished the panel with backstitch and borders. Then, I started working on the hookah smoking caterpillar (my own design, based on Tenniel). Ultimately, it was 3 days and 1,489 stitches (backstitch counted as half).
Aladdin got a little love, less than a day and 500 stitches. Aladdin is starting to appear, but his head will be huge (Chibi style).
I worked on Toy Story Cast quite a lot (3 days & 1,473 stitches), and got a finish!Stargazer got some love, about 2 days and 1,532 stitches, and she's ready for beading! I did a hair conversion because the dark brown as charted wouldn't pop on my fabric. I did a slight conversion on the bodice as well, it's still dark grey, just a slightly different shade that contrasts more against the fabric.
Easter Bunny House got a fair amount of time, a day and 958 stitches, for some extra credit with Enchanted Stitching (FB group).
Bats Bugs came out late one evening and I did 440 stitches to finish it.
Fairy of the Rain was another focus piece with a 2 k goal, which I knocked out with 2.6 k over a few days. Alas, not enough to finish, not even close.
Fata dell' Aurora had a nice long day of attention, 824 stitches added.
Last by not least, I gave about 2 days to my beloved little ornies, 873 total stitches and both are finished. June and July ornies for the JCS SAL (wildcards). Polar Bear by Natalia Luneva / JCS Ornaments 2020 on Winter Soltice Belfast from Hand Dyed Fabric by Steph.
Snowman & Friends by Carolyn Mannning / JCS Ornaments 2020 on Sea Spray 32 count linen (Wichelt).
June Question of the month: Half Year Recap.
- Toy Story Cast is finished as of June 17. Yay!
2. Riolis Gryphon- finished in April
3. Fairy of the Rain- goal to finish in June. Nope, not yet. She's at least half done! (pic above)
4. Victorian Carolers- goal to finish in July. Nope, didn't happen. December is a feasible finish date though. The bottom area needs filling in, then backstitch the whole thing. I'm hoping the backstitch won't be too bad, it's mostly the people and some of the architectural details. (pic above).
5. Cupid Reindeer- finished in February
6. Alice SAL-goal to finish in December. Well, it's almost half done. And my self charted hookah smoking caterpillar worked out great (though it still needs backstitch), which has renewed my confidence in the piece. I won't be stitching the Duchess, she's fairly grotesque in my opinion, which I know is sort of the point, but I'd rather have the caterpillar. There are only three other large pieces left in my rotation with significant stitching to do, so maybe I can spend more time with Alice. (pic above)
7. Stargazer- goal to finish in December. I'll probably finish her a lot sooner. She's all ready for beading! I made her a red head. Lord Libidan is a great resource for skin (and hair) conversions. (pic above)
8. Fata dell' Aurora- goal is 50%. I'm fairly confident about reaching that. (pic above)
9. JCS Ornament SAL , 12 throughout year. I'm keeping up, assuming I can finish my August ornie within the next two weeks.
10.Glendon Place Halloween panels, finish by October. Well, I have finished 2, so perhaps I'd better pick up the pace a little.
11. Alphabet Inspirations, finish by December. I'm behind schedule, but it shoudn't be hard to catch up within the next few weeks. This one is not a heavy lift.
12. Large Halloween piece, TBD. Well, it's still TBD. Maybe inspiration will strike when Halloween is closer.
13. Large Christmas piece, TBD. I'm leaning towards Father Christmas by Joan Elliott, but I need to floss toss.
14. Scary Apothecary, 3 pieces. Only one is finished so far, but these are pretty quick stitches so I should be able to do 2 more.
15. Vixen, goal to finish and frame by December. It's started and I should be able to do that. (pic above)
Goals 16-21, Framing of TW Castle, Celtic Winter, Winnie the Pooh, Lord's Prayer, Boo Club, Charmed Santa. I haven't framed anything so far this year, oops. But last December, I framed several pieces. I should be able to do the same this year since we're still dealing with the pandemic and holiday celebrations will be at home.
July Question: Have you ever attended a stitching retreat? If so, tell us about your experiences.
I've attended about 8 or so since my baby was 2 (2016). They are so fun, a great way to meet new friends, get inspired, enhance your stash, and stitch to your heart's content. I really miss retreats; I was registered for two in 2020 which were both cancelled and my local retreat (StitchFest) is not happening this year, either. Even if it were, I wouldn't attend unless everyone in my house were vaccinated (kiddo is too young).
As for the next few weeks, my August goals include:
•Finish Chris-lolly (JCS ornie SAL)
•Catch up Alphabet Inspirations (L,M,N,O,P,Q,R)
•Stitch 2k on Victorian Carolers and/or Fairy Rain, and/or Alice SAL.
Happy Stitching
That's quite a nice amount of stitching for a dormant stitchy bug! Congrats on the Toy Story finish and I love the conversion on Star Gazer. I'm confident you'll still meet a fair amount of your goals for the year!
Posted by: Leonore | August 26, 2021 at 04:37 PM
Great recap. I agree that there is a lot done considering you've had a sleepy stitchy bug!
I love the auburn hair for Stargazer too.
Looking forward to seeing which large Halloween piece you choose. Have you got your JCS mag yet?
Posted by: Joanne P | August 28, 2021 at 03:02 PM
I love your updates. You get so much done on a nice variety of projects. Great finishes
Posted by: Cathy Broome | August 29, 2021 at 09:55 AM