July/August Goals

Here's the progress I've made on my Hawaiian quilt ornament.

I ran out of WDW Turkish Red, so it's on the back burner now until I either make a trip to Raleigh or place an order online. I'm a little worried about getting fiber from a different dye lot, but we'll see what happens.

I really wish you could see the sparklies in the fabric because that's my favorite part of this piece! :)

On to the goals...

July Goals

1. Complete, finish and mail little Nemo. Check!

2. Work on my sadly neglected BAP. Technically, I did work on it. Since I restarted it, I'm actually behind where I was before, but I'm still considering this goal met. :)

3. Start and complete one Hawaiian Quilt ornament. I would have finished this if I hadn't run out of thread. So, unmet but with good intentions.

4. Start, complete and finish a surprise project for a mysteriously unnamed recipient. Check! This was the needlebook I made for my friend Alicia.

5. Take a few more babysteps in the direction of an actual rotation. Check! I definitely have been rotating projects. Not with any set schedule, but rotating nonetheless.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my first month's goals! Now to set more...

August Goals

1. Complete and finish the first Hawaiian quilt ornament.

2. Complete the stitching on my co-project with Alicia.
3. Catch up to where I was on my BAP.

4. Finish Gecko number 1 as a patch.

5. Stitch Gecko number 2.

SBQ July 29, 2007

To answer stitcherw's question - My BAP is a pattern from Solaria Galleryfor my Dad. Click here to see the many starts and restarts of this BAP. :P

Today's SBQ was suggested by Dani and is:

Have you ever thought of getting a rider on your household insurance to properly cover your stash (some of us have quite an extensive stash that an average household policy wouldn't fully cover) in the case of some sort of damage to your house that would destroy/ruin charts, fabrics, floss, etc?

I don't have anything approaching the amount of stash I would feel needed insurance protection. But it's a fabulous idea to consider for the future. For now, I'll content myself with envy over those of you who do have such copious stash! :)

A Finish and a (Re-)Start

I missed a question from Kathryn in an earlier post. Yes, I'm switching to an evenweave for my BAP restart. The gridded Aida came with the chart, but I've never really been partial to it.

Also, thanks to teageeare for schooling me on my flower. :) I feel much better knowing that I haven't taken my plant killing abilities to new levels. And it has bloomed a few more times already!

I finished the stitching on gecko #1! I'm going to make him into a patch for my son's backpack and then I'll get started on gecko #2 to hang here. I'm glad they sent me enough fabric to stitch him twice!

I also got a small start (or should I say restart) on my BAP. It took me a while to get it all kitted up - which I hadn't done the first time around - so I haven't put much stitching in yet. I'm doing it on a tea-colored monaco since it's a solid pattern that I intend to mat and frame so the fabric won't be visible anyway. No sense wasting a pretty hand-dye!

My Very Amateur Needlebook

First, to answer a question. Chiasmata - I'm using 3 strands of black on the gecko, per the instructions. I think they're right that 2 might not be enough coverage.

Here are the pics of the needlebook I made for my friend Alicia. This was definitely a learning experience! I didn't measure accurately enough which made the front and back designs offcenter. And, I handstitched the hem around three sides and then turned it right side out. I *should* have used a slip stitch along the last side, but I thought it would look bad against the lining fabric. I didn't realize backstitching along the last edge would totally flatten that edge! Argh! Oh well. I'll make a nicer one next time. :) Oh, and poor Alicia had to sew the seam down the "spine" of the book herself. lol I really need to get a sewing machine and learn how to sew...

I really like the chart I used for the cover, though. I think I may do it again for myself as a redwork piece!

Ornaments and Geckos and Lilies Oh My!

Thanks to all of you for the great tips and tricks in my last post!! I'm a self-taught stitcher and most of the time I'm just winging it. :P I'm learning so much reading all of your blogs and your comments here! So...thanks!! :D

I've made some progress on my Hawaiian quilt ornament. I decided to try the spiraling thing with the overdyed thread and I really like the look. I can see how stripes would be better for certain things, but for this I like the spirals. I'll just have to flip the design so the stripey corner is (hopefully) not very noticeable on the bottom.

I think for the next ornament, I'll stitch around the outline and then confetti the insides, just to see how that looks. I'm running out of Turkish red, so I'll need to order a few more skeins!


I also got a start on my tribal gecko. I'm loving this little guy! I'm having to be very careful of where the thread sits on the back of the piece, but other than that the little guy is easy peasy. And so cute!



We also planted a few lilies in the yard and one of them bloomed! And then promptly died the next day. lol I think I need to move them. I'm not sure they're getting enough sun where they are.

A question and an SBQ.

I'm looking for advice on stitching with variegated color threads. What I've been doing is finishing each stitch at a time, rather than working in rows. And, I've been stitching the rows back and forth, meaning I stitch one row left to right and then the next one down goes right to left, etc... And, of course, I've been trying to match colors when I anchor and start a new thread.

I'd love to hear how you all work with these types of threads!!

This week's SBQ was suggested by Ish and is:

Which project (finished or in progress) are you most proud of? Explain why.

I don't know that any one jumps out at me. But, I guess I would say I'm pretty proud of my very first piece, as simple (and probably poorly done) as it is. My husband was away in training for 5 months and my son had just been born. I was all by myself and looking for a new hobby, and wanted to make something for my son. I stumbled across some cross stitching chart books at the craft store and combined a few different charts to make this one. So, I guess I'm proud that I found and taught myself something that I've grown to really love. :)

Catchin' up, catchin' up!

It's been a few days since I posted, so this is going to be a little long...

I got my fabric order from Silkweavers! I got two small pieces of opalescent fabric - Dew Drop (the green one) and Treasure Trove (the bluey/purpley/taupey one). They are SO pretty! And I love the sparklies, though I'm not sure you can see them in the pic. The linen is also nice and soft and seems really even. Definitely worth the wait!!

I started a project I'll be working on with my friend Alicia. I'm stitching the name, and she'll be quilting a wallhanging for a mutual friend's daughter. I think I should have used my WDW Bubblegum, but I picked up DMC 107 because it seemed darker and closer to the color we wanted. I'm not really happy with the DMC - seems like each color goes for a long time before a change, and the changes are rather abrupt. Just makes me appreciate my WDW fibers even more!

I also started one of the Hawaiian quilt ornaments. I'm really happy with how this piece is coming so far. I love the WDW Turkish Red! I love the Silkweaver Dew Drop linen! I love the Christmas-y contrast between the colors! I love the shape of the design! It's really nice to be working on a piece that I love everything about after feeling so meh about the last couple of smalls.

I guess I've been busy, I even put in a small section on my BAP. I was really depressed about it at first. This is actually only the second piece I ever worked on. Why yes, I am completely insane - funny you should ask. :P I should have started with little fun pieces. Anyhow, four years ago when I started it, I decided to use 4 strands of floss (4!?!?!?!) and my stitches were soooooooo sloppy. It looks horrible. The entire time I was putting in the new section, I was totally bummed. After putting it away for a few more days, I've decided to go ahead and start over. While that means even more work, it's really a relief to make that decision. Now, I'm actually looking forward to working on it again! I'm including a scan so you can see just how totally ridiculous it looks. Click on it to see what I'm talking about in horrifying detail. :P

Another Finish, More Stash...

...la dee da. :P


First off, thanks for the nice comments on the last post! I'm feeling a little less obnoxious. I'm just really glad I didn't express my irritation to Silkweaver!!

I made an ornament out of the Mary Engelbreit kit my friend Alicia sent me. This is my very first ornament, and I'm afraid it shows. lol I think it's cute, though and I'm hanging it off a lamp switch at the moment. I thought about putting it on the wall, but I'm kind of digging the fact that it moves a little when suspended. Now that I'm posting this picture, I'm also really noticing how badly I need to paint these walls something other than white!

I also picked up yet a little more stash today. I've been on a serious stash buying jag lately!! Pretty fun... :P I was at the craft store picking up some polyfil and they had a basket full of stitching kits on the cheap! Most of it wasn't to my taste, but I thought this was kind of cute. Not totally me, but for $5 I'll figure out something to do with it! And the floss was already carded! Yay!

Ok, I'm a cad

I just got an email from Silkweaver that they are shipping my order tomorrow. They've had a sick child in the hospital for a week, and I've been whining to you all about my fabrics. I feel like the biggest jerk on the face of the Earth. Just wanted to set the record straight for them after I posted all these complaints here. :(

More Stash!

I received my order from Sparklies today! One week from order to receipt - coming from England!! Awesome. Silkweaver, take note. lol

I ordered two small pieces of dyed fabric and I love love LOVE the colors. I can't wait to stitch up this little gecko. It looks like I'll have to do it one over one for my son's patch, but it's only 28 count and all in one color so that shouldn't be difficult.

I've been working on a small token for a friend, and I sent it off today. I'll share pictures as soon as she gets it. Unfortunately, my finishing job was crap. But, the stitching is cute! :)

I had actually started on a different piece for her, but when I got about an eigth of the way through, I noticed that the designer had used the same symbol for two radically different colors. It was only about 55 x 45 stitches, and it had 18 colors. Very much a confetti stitching piece, and I couldn't manage to wrap my brain around figuring out which should go where. So, I ripped the stitches out and started a new piece. I actually like the second design better, so the dilemma turned out to be a blessing. :)

I'm done!

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm DONE! Yay!

SBQ July 11, 2007 and Stash!

Today's SBQ was suggested by The Wagon and is:

What do you love to do that many people hate? What do you hate to do, but do
anyway?

I used to hate backstitching - and I don't think I was alone in that - but now I kind of love it. I love watching the piece come to life, and it is such a tidy little stitch to do. I also like fractional stitches, now that I've learned not to do two adjacent 3/4 stitches. :P

I can't really think of anything I hate to do (and do anyway) right at the moment...

Yesterday, I received my Stitcher's Closet order! A few, bigger q-snaps and my first overdyed threads! The overdyes are just gorgeous! The colors are so pretty and vibrant and I love the variation.

I got a very small start on a gift I'm working on - really just so I could try out my 6" q-snaps. I love them, I love them, I LOVE them!!! Wow. It is really amazing how much easier it is to get the fabric taut, and that actually seems to help prevent the twisty stitches, too. Plus, they're so much nicer to hold on to than hoops, which tend to hurt my wrist after a while. Oh, how I love the q-snaps. :)

I'm SO almost done with little Nemo. I would have finished the stitching last night if the hubs would have tolerated just one more late night of stitching. Oh well. :P Hopefully, I'll finish up today so I can post a pic!

Grr... and Yay!

First with the Grrr.... I ordered some q-snaps and overdyed threads from Stitcher's Closet June 28th, and they just shipped my order today. When you're SO excited to get your stuff, eleven days seems like a reeally long order processing time.

Or, it seems long until you consider the fact that I ordered some fabric from Silkweaver also on June 28th, and they still haven't even charged my card. So, I'm pretty sure they haven't shipped yet. They did have a notice on their site that they would be on vacation July 4 - 12, and wouldn't ship in that time period, but I didn't realize they wouldn't ship orders placed 6 days before that period either! :(

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

Ok, enough of that. On to the Yay! I spotted this lovely kit on Stitching and Life in The Company of Pets and had to have it. I think I'm going to stitch it once to hang here at the house, and again for another patch for Little Man's backpack. So, I ordered it last night and Sparklies emailed me today to tell me they shipped it. Already! Yay! Here's a picture of it...

Even more tangibly exciting, I got a small stash delivery today! Elegant Stitch (which I learned of through Dawn) is just awesome. I called in an order on Thursday afternoon and it was here today! Monday! So, woot for Elegant Stitch and Dawn! I got my very first set of Piecemaker needles and my first q-snaps! I got a small 6" x 6" frame which will be great for ornaments. Here's a not terribly exciting picture of my teeny stash delivery.

I've made a little more progress on Nemo, but I'm waiting until I finish it to post him again. Here's hoping my stitching moves faster than certain stores... :)

All Fish, All The Time

I finally finished making Mr. Betamax into a patch for my son's backpack. I had a hard time finding velcro that was big enough (even doubled up). Him being out of school for the summer put a damper on my motivation as well. :) But, now it's ready to go for next year!

I let my husband talk me into using the sticky side of the velcro for the patch because that's how they are on his uniform. But, it has since occurred to me that this is only to faciliate washing the uniforms. Hand sewing the aida onto the back of the sticky side of the velcro was M-U-R-D-E-R. The floss kept getting tangled up in the little velcro coils and then it wouldn't lay right and just ARGH. You can see a couple of spots on the edging where the floss got all messed up and the stitch just looks bad. Oh well. Little Man is thrilled. :)

I've also made some progress on little Nemo. Shouldn't be too long now!

SBQ July 3, 2007

Do you consider yourself a floss "miser"?

Not exactly. I consider myself a thread-I'm-stitching-with-right-now miser. If I'm on the last few stitches of a color in the section, I will go until my floss is so short that I have to put the needle in, then thread the needle, pull through and do the same again. Really, it would probably be less trouble to anchor and start a new thread. But, what can I say? I'm stubborn. :)

So far, I've only stitched with DMC and Kreiniks, so I've never been all that concerned about wasting thread. I do seem to underestimate what I need when kitting up - so maybe that's a little miserly. But, I don't save floss or worry much about wasting it. I do have some WDW overdyes enroute to me, and maybe I'll be a little more miserly with those...

First Stash Wave and July Goals

My first bit of stash got here today! Yippee! I got a book of Hawaiian Quilt inspired charts that I'm going to use to make some ornaments for Christmas gifts.

I've never set monthly goals before, and the only stitching goals I've ever set have fallen sadly by the wayside. But, I'm going to take a shot and see what happens!


July Goals
1. Complete, finish and mail little Nemo.
2. Work on my sadly neglected BAP
3. Start and complete one Hawaiian Quilt ornament
4. Start, complete and finish a surprise project for a mysteriously unnamed recipient
5. Take a few more babysteps in the direction of an actual rotation

IIIIIIIIII. Can. DO ETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

My First Finish!

So far, I've framed some pieces, made some coasters, done some plastic canvas and made a LOT of pre-finished bibs. But, until today, I've never done an actual "finish". Here's my very first! I used a great No Sew Wallhanging tutorial from Focus on Finishing and substituted craft dowels in place of cording. I'm tickled pink with how this came out!

I haven't made a whole lot of progress on little Nemo, considering how long it has been since my last update. I let a couple of messy stitches slip by and seeing them was so disheartening that I couldn't make myself work on the piece for a while. Plus, we've had a busy weekend hosting two different barbecues. But, I plan to pick it back up tonight. I've got the fabric to finish it already, so I'm pumped to get it done and shipped out!

I have a bunch of stash headed my way and I can't wait to get it! I'll post pics as soon as it gets here. Also, I'm planning on setting some goals for this month, which I'll try to post in the next little bit.