February is a short month but I made the most of it, stitching 27/28 days! Apologies for the late post, but I attended the Nashville Needlework Market (as a helper for Ingleside Imaginarium), and last week was crazy.
I started with Easter Bunny House, ultimately giving it 3 days and 1,848 stitches. First I stitched the painter bunny on the ladder, the second story and its occupant (Mom and kids decorating eggs), and the sign on the right exterior. Then I started backstitching, in the same order. There is still quite a bit of backstitching to do for this level.
Things that Go Bump was called for WIPGo, so I made it a finish goal. It took about 4 days and 2,893 stitches and I prevailed!
Continuing with Bellatrix as a my Semisane monthly calendar piece (what can I say, I like creepy stuff, all year round), I gave her a little more than 2 days and 2,230 stitches. Her dress is definitely coming along.
My lovely Alice SAL, my albatross. Not really, but this project is fiddly. First, I gave it 1 days and 424 stitches to finish the March Hare panel with the border. Then, I started Painting the Roses, which had 2.5 days and 1,663 stitches (I worked ahead a little on the border too). I'm actually quite proud of myself for keeping up the pace with this one, after it languished so long last year. Hopefully I'll have a finish by midyear. And I've been eyeing the new around the world SAL by Amanda Butler in the Cross Stitcher magazine. Oh dear, at least that one doesn't have the border backstitched to the 9th degree.
Speaking of finishes, I got another! Victorian Carolers had several 30 minute sessions (Daily 30 challenge) and I finished it the equivalent of a partial day this year! 326 backstitch, 205 French knots, 30 ninja stitches (734 stitches total).
Fata dell' Auroroa was a surprise focus, since I used her for the Semisane BAP-along "Fantasy edition". So I did 1,064 stitches one week (Actually one stitchy day). And then she came up again the next week for "Sprint to the Finish" (more about that below). Weirdly, I did another 1,064 stitches again on another day. So, a total of 2 days and 2,028 stitches.
Santa's Workshop came up next, that was one of my personal monthly goals, and I did 1,344 stitches over 2 days. I continued on the border and will be doing so for some time. Progress is a little weird and patchy since I was doing a color challenge at first.
Aladdin et la Lamp Magique had just one day this month and that was enough to finish with backstitch, ninja stitches, and 2 french knots (for the eyes), with 736 stitches.
Toward the end of the month, I made a start on Cackle Lozenges because I needed a typography design for the Daily 30 weekly challenge, and besides, I have 3 Scary Apothecary pieces on my WIPGO board. It got 1.5 days love and 1,228 stitches. I started backstitching and it's ready for the Kreinik, too.
Not to forget my precious little ornaments. 3 were finished! Triangle Treat was finished with about 1 day and 820 stitches, Chris-minty got a partial day and 202 stitches. Santa Claus Coming to Town had around 1.5 days and 545 stitches. Penguin Greetings remains a WIP but I added 402 stitches in 1 day.
Now for the WIPocalypse Decathlon. I opted to partipate in the 10 wips by 10 different designers, 200 st each. I did this in conjuction with the #stitchthewinterolympics daily themes on Instagram, hosted by Katie @thenaptimestitcher. Those 10 pieces are mentioned above, excluding Victorian Carolers (that one had the bulk of work completed before the Olympics). It was a great success, most projects got considerably more than 200 stitches and several became finishes (Aladdin, Things that Go, Santa Claus and Chris-minty ornies)
Question of the Month: What SALs are you participating in this year? A Bella Filipina SAL with my friend Becca, and the JCS Ornaments SAL hosted by Jo, sometimes. As for mystery SALs, they aren't my cup of tea. How can I stitch what I love if I don't know what I'm stitching? However, I'm not completely averse to a little mystery. I'm doing the "Sprint to the Finish" game with Cross Stitch Finish Line (FB) and every Sunday they spin the dice and I move around the board, land on a WIP, and make a goal for the week (the board was provided and I filled in the blank spaces with my WIPS). Oh yes, and the Daily 30 SAL; most days I'm dedicating goals 30 minutes to whatever project. It's not supposed to be counted, but of course I do (I like my data).
Now for my March goals
•1k each on Easter Bunny House, Santa's Workshop, Fairy Rain, Bellatrix, Fata dell' Aurora, & Alice, or 2k if the mood strikes.
•500 st each on Witches Werewolves & Waiting for Christmas (new start)
Maybe you'd like to know a little about the Nashville Needlework Market? Well, it's wholesale only (not open to the public). The Embassy suites in Franklin, TN hosted it and the market was spread across 4 floors (2 - 5). If you aren't famililar with Embassy Suites, every room is actually a suite with a living area in the front and the bedroom behind. So all the designers had set up their shops in the front areas. We moved furniture, brought in lights and decor, covered certain features, and the space was unrecogizable by the time we were done. It was Ingleside Imaginiarium's debut at the market, though her designs have been available as pdf for several years. She had many new releases for the market too, which was exciting. I was mostly working sales, serving as backup as necessary, but I did find time to wander around a little and I met many designers and shop owners. It was fun to match faces with people I've "known" online. And all the models were gorgeous, of course. Plus, after market hours there was a little time to socialize with designers and stitchers I've met before at retreats or "know" from Flosstube. Overall it was a lot of fun, and tiring too. I hope we can do it again next year.
Fabulous work this month. I love the colours in Bellatrix.
How exciting to go to Nashville with Brittney too. She was the first youtuber I ever watched. I would love to meet her and the cats. Although I guess she left them at home!
Did she record anything for a video?
Posted by: Serendipitous Jo | March 09, 2022 at 04:25 PM
I'm loving the Alice piece. I can see that the border is quite detailed but it adds a lot to the design. I'm working on Inspiration by Rosewood Manor and the Alice border reminds of the vines I'm currently stitching on Inspiration. Glad you enjoyed Market - it would be wonderful to see all the models!
Posted by: Susan from Canada | March 10, 2022 at 03:22 PM
Wow, great stitching for a short month, and so many finishes! I love the Easter Bunny House, it's very cute.
Posted by: Leonore Winterer | March 18, 2022 at 09:22 AM