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

I'm done!

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

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.

The Glass is Half Full!

And by half-full, I mean half-done! Yay! :) I'm really having fun bringing some of the brighter colors into the piece. I have to admit I was getting a leetle tired of a thousand variants of avocado green. I'm beginning to see the extra depth that the minutely different colors bring to the piece, though. So, yay for that.

Forgive the crookedness at top. I didn't lay the fabric in the scanner carefully enough. It's not crooked in real life. :)

I'm Actually Rotating :)

I'm almost done with my Fourth of July heart - a short stint of stitching and I'll be finished. I put some time in on the heart while we were driving on a day trip over the weekend. Stitching in the car was a little less fun than I thought it would be. :P Now I just need a slightly less crazy week this week so I can make it to the fabric store to pick up what I need to finish this as well as what I need for Baby A's quilt.

I haven't stitched the heart for a few days, though, because the baby I'm stitching little Nemo for was born a few days ago and I'm very motivated to finish his piece. His mom and I have been friends since we were 5! She's my oldest friend and I'm so excited for her and her new life as a mommy.

A New Heart

I've made a small amount of progress on Little Nemo. I can't wait to actually start stitching the fish. Orange is my favorite color!








But, I set him aside today to start working on a July 4th piece. This is a cute freebie that should stitch up very quickly. And, it will give me a chance to practice the no sew wallhanging finish before I do up Nemo for public consumption.

Re-Finishes

I've been itching to stitch little Nemo today, but I wanted to bear down and bead, bead, bead. I added the beads to the Mary Engelbreit kit, which is now an official finish. Now, I just have to find a frame that will fit well.

I also added the beads to the initials and now I'm all set to pick out some fabrics! I found a quilter who will piece and quilt for me for a really reasonable price, so I can't wait to get this rolling.

Finding Nemo

I wanted to get started on some Hawaiian quilt square Christmas ornaments for my mom, but I haven't actually ordered the stash yet. :P So, I decided now would be a good time to start on a project for a friend's baby who should be born any day now. I'm kind of over the bib thing right now, so I'm going to try my hand at this great no sew wallhanging from Focus On Finishing.

I'm working on a small clownfish piece from Artecy on a fun tea colored monaco. It's kind of odd in that it doesn't have any backstitching or fractional stitches at all. I'll have to see how it turns out, and maybe work some backstitching in on my own.



I've gotten a very small amount done so far. I never like having to leave off at such an odd spot, but Baby A wakes up when she wakes up. :)

I also ordered this cute Lizzie Kate Flip It from Stitches 'N Things and hope it gets here soon enough that I have time to finish it and hang it on the door by the 4th.

Once I order the Hawaiian Quilt squares, I'll need to pick up some fabrics and would love to hear recommendations. Since the quilt patterns are in single colors, I'm thinking of going with some hand dyed, marbled linens and a Silkweaver opalescent fabric (spotted here). Any suggestions?

Stick a fork in it!

I knew I should have just held out until I finished. :P Oh well, now I'm finished. When I started Baby A's initials, I decided to leave out the knots, because I didn't think they would hold up well in the washing machine. It turns out that was a good idea since I can't quite seem to perfect knots, anyhow. But, now that I've discovered beads, I think they should be ok. So, I need to pick up a few shades of beads and then I'll repost all three initials.

Then, I get to pick out fabric for the quilt! Yay!

I can taste it!

I was trying to hold out until I finished, because I'm Al. Most. There. But, I hate to go for days without posting. I've finished the backstitching on the flower and butterfly and am about a quarter of the way through the M. Should be done very soon!

With Father's Day being a nice chance to remember just how awesome my Dad is, I pulled out his piece and intended to stitch at least a thread length. But, it's quite big and the fabric is rather heavy and quite soft. I'm really not sure how I was stitching it in hand before. I'm planning on investing in Q-snaps very soon, so I'm going to wait until I get those before I start up again.

"M" Almost There!

I have a few more stitches to put in on the butterfly, the other half of the M and then the backstitching to go! Despite the many neutral shades with really similar tones, this one has been a snap. Much faster than the last two now that I bothered to read the directions and found out the initial designs call for 1/4 stitches not 3/4 stitches. Oy!

P.S. Why can't I consistently make my pictures clickable? Sometimes they work so people can click through to the actual size and sometimes they don't...

I "M" Making Progress

I've gotten started on the last letter for Baby A's quilt. I had to put a dark paper behind it when I scanned so you could at least sort of see the really light colored stitches.

With no tutoring scheduled this week, I've had time to fly right along on stitching! And, I *think* I've finally figured out how to put in a picture so you click on it for the full size shot. Crossing my fingers...

Another One Bites The Dust!

I got a burst of motivation and polished this bib off last night. Yay! The design originally had 2 flowers, but I decided to stop with one and make Baby's name bigger. Aesthetically, I just like it this way a little better. Besides, it was going to be a while before I finished a second flower at this pace.



Next up is a cute little kit that my friend Alicia sent me. I've carded the floss and will probably get started tonight. Is it just me or is this an awful lot of thread - and a lot of colors! - for a 5" piece?

Blooming Slowly

I've been working on the bib requested for a friend, and I've almost finished cross stitching the first flower. I think I'll backstitch it before I move on to the next flower. This is coming along very slowly as we've been very busy. It's definitely almost summer! BBQs and baseball games and bike riding galore!


Next up is a little kit sent to me by my friend Alicia. I don't think I've ever actually done a kit before, so I'm excited to dig in!!

Hook, line and sinker!

Well, I refused to post anymore on this stubborn fish until I was finally finished. So, it's been a few days. :) I actually finished the stitching yesterday afternoon, but haven't mounted him on his velcro yet. I have been deciding whether to wrap him over a piece of plastic canvas first, or not. I think I'm going with not. Now, I just need that illusive backpack...

I've also gotten a small start on the next project. My cousin asked me to stitch a baby bib for a friend of ours who just had her second baby. Baby's name is Sabine Magnolia (isn't that pretty?), so I'm stitching magnolia flowers.

Dunzo!

Well, I've decided that I'm done. The pattern calls for some french knots, but I don't think those will hold up well on a quilt. So, I'm leaving them out.

Next up, some patches for Little Man's backpack!

Come "N" Along

Yep, it's coming along. I've finished about a third of the backstitching so far. I don't know why I used to hate backstitching so much. I kind of love it now. :) I guess it was just a matter of getting the hang of it!

One Letter Down!

I've finished the Big Bad Letter A! Doesn't seem like I get two finishes, two days in a row very often. Or ever! So, I am one happy camper today.

The original design has a pink A, but it didn't mesh well with the M and N. I'm really happy with the substitute color I picked out. I agonized over the backstitch color choice and think it came out pretty well! Does DMC have a color wheel or anything that helps you find compatible colors?

Now, I just need to backstitch the N and start (and finish) the M. Guess I need to get cracking on the next step, as I'm skeptical these will just jump into a quilt all by themselves. Unfortunately.

Another Day, Another Bib

I finished this a month or so ago, and can share now that the birthday boy has had his day. This was for my nephew and his sports themed room. I *had* to get Boynton for this bib because Boynton for Brayden's bib just makes me happy. I ♥ alliteration. :)

I am also happy to report that the Double Secret Super Classified Oh So Mysterious project is officially a *finish*! I've snapped the pics, wrapped it up and will send it out tomorrow. I'm not 100% thrilled about the quality of my stitching, but it's not half bad for a first attempt at one over on 32 ct fabric ifIdosaysomyself.

BackStitching is BS

Ok, not really. But, I couldn't resist. :) I have a few more leaves to backstitch, some curlie-q's and then I need to figure out what color to use to backstitch the perimeter of the A since I changed the color from the chart. Then, I'm done!

I also realized that I'm not the sharpest needle in the pin cushion as it turns out I actually *do* have the colors needed to backstitch the N as well. I was just reading the chart wrong. So, there goes my excuse to buy the full set of DMC. For now...

And, I'm going to start working on a project for my son, who has been patiently requesting something anything just for him. That should come as a relief, since you all have to be as bored of these letters as I am by now!