WIP Update 11/5/2014

So here's my unicorn WIP.  Haven't gotten to stich hardly any at all this week.  Mom's not been well and we've had several appointments.... two last week and three this week..... so I've been on the road a lot. 


Here's what it looked like last week:

And here's what it looks like now:

 

 

 

 

The other WIP I've got going is one of those ones that I told you about from the auction.  I work on it when I'm in waiting rooms or over at my mother's at night while we get her night time dialysis going. 

 

 

Here was last week:

 

 

And here's this week.... have been in several waiting rooms this week so it shows:

 

 

WIP update

So, I don't get a lot of stitching in right now.... an hour or two at night .... so there's not a huge amount of progress but some and this is really the confetti section now so it's slower going.  I'm trying out parking on this area and I've tried it before and hated it but I have found that I just have to have something to weight or hold the parked threads out of my way to use and enjoy this method.  So..... took some super cute magnets that I found at Tuesday Morning and covered some ceramic magnets from Lowes with owl duck tape to make me some needle minders to hold those thread back.... perfect solution. 


So here's my week of progress on the Secret Gardens

This was last week

 

 

Here's what it looks like as of this morning .... the stitching isn't deformed.... just moved my magnifier for the photos and I pushed down on it so the middle looks a little weird.

 

 

I actually do have two WIPs going right now.  My DH went to an auction a couple weeks ago and brought me this large box.  I'll post photos of the stash from that next week after we get some of the renovations done in the house.  But one thing among the lot was unfinished kits.  This lady had several things going that she needed to backstitch to finish and one that still needs a corner stitched.  She did neat work, all the crosses go the right way, and nothing is sloppy looking so I decided to finish them as they all appeal to me.  The only issue I have with them is that she knotted on the back and I've run into a spot or two where that has pulled through as I backstitched but nothing that couldn't be fixed easy.  So I removed the sticky tape from the edges, sergered them, and washed them ...... after about three soaks, some gentle swishing, a soak with a little white vinager, and drying they came out looking great. 

 

I've found a few places she missed some stitches.... haven't we all done that .... but overall they are very nice.   I've decided to work these when I am doing my mother's manual dialysis exchange during the day and when I'm over getting her hooked up at night for her nighttime cycler dialysis.  A lot of that is just waiting while the machine ect. does it's thing and keeping an eye on it so I can get in an hour of stitching but Mom is often very, hmmm kind of like a small child asking what you are doing every few minutes so when I take something over there it really has to be something I can mindlessly do like large blocks of color or backstitching because forget counting or confetti stitching.   

 

Here's the one I started on.  The lady had just the small berry done on the top left area and I've gotten the rest of this done in about 3or 4 days so not too bad especially considering that one of those days Mom was a little bit of a goof and needed me watching her like a hawk and I found a section in the berries leaves that needed stitched.  

 

This lady was killed by her husband who shot her, their son, her mother, and her father before shooting himself.  Only the father survived.  I imagine, since it came out that she was abused for a long time, that her cross stitch was a retreat of sorts.  I know how much I depend on mine to relax me.  When I finish these I'll include her name as well as my own on the pieces.  Knowing what she went through and the tragic end makes me want these done even more..... one cross stitcher to another..... sharing the beauty of the pieces. 

 

 

There is a bit of the hoop mark and wrinkles in this as I just popped it out to take a photo. 

 

 

Here's the others that I will finish.... I don't have the packages in front of me but I do think that the sampler is probably a needle treasures kit, the Santa is a dimensions gold kit, and the other kit I just don't recall off the bat what it was.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Current WIP

Here's my current WIP.  I've been on this one for a long time.  I started it almost 4 years ago, then my mother got very sick, we had lots of doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, ect.  I was so busy taking care of her, the children, homeschooling, and keeping my business going that this got covered up and put away for over 3 years.  I pulled it out not quiet a year ago and started back on it.  This has 9 full pages and 3 partial pages of pattern and when I pulled it back out I was still 6.50 full pages and 2 partial pages from finishing.  I'm now down to the last 3 full pages and 1 partial page.  I'm now on a lot of confetti stitching which will drive you to distraction some days.  But I really love this one.  My best friend got it for me knowing how much I loved unicorns and these colors. 


It's called The Secret Garden and was put out by Cross My Heart...... design by Sherrie Stepp-Aweau
243 x 258 stitches

I'm stitching on lilac linen 2 over 2 ..... 32 count I think although I may actually be doing this on 28 count I would have to check.  It's quiet a large piece.  My daughter has given me a hard time on this one.  When she had a very large piece I told her she should grid it which she did and it helped.  Then I worked on this on and wasn't gridding.... then the light came on and so I started to grid it and of course she had to laugh a bit at me over it.  I use sulky sliver here in gold.  I grid only the columns and what I do is come up at 2...... down at 9.... leave two squares open then do it again.  I like leaving the corner areas open.   I like to leave it as one long piece over several columns and I loop it a bit at the top and bottom.  That allows me to have some extra to work with and so if I want to stitch under the grid thread it's easy then I can give it a little tug and tighten it back up a bit. 


My DH and I have a bit of a bet on this one.... if I can get it done by Christmas Eve I get any cross stitch picture I want, supplies included.  If I don't I have to purchase him a hunting pop up hut.  As busy as I've been lately with work..... he may get the hut. 

This is the only thing I'm working on right now.  I do have some partial ones that my DH got in a box of stitching stuff at an auction that I would like to finish off.... most just need to be back stitched and I actually like to do back stitch on a project. 

Joan Elliott's Angel of Love

This is one of the pieces I am most proud of.  She's done on 32 count white linen and I did modify the pattern a little.  She had tiny hearts all over the background but I just did not like the look of those on this piece so I left that off and just did the angel by herself. 







I started to delete this one but you can see how the blending filament adds to her so much here even with the horrid glare from the flash.

Past Work

I've done a lot of "hospital" stitching over the years.  I've sat at the hospital with several family members in the past and have often had some stitching in my hand at the time.  Here's one that I worked a lot of while sitting with family then finished it off at home.  It's also one of my projects I'm more proud of.  I am having to reframe it as there was a little bit of an accident when we moved things around during renovations. 



This one was a Better Homes and Garden leaflet called "Amish Life".  It could be done as three different pictures or as one continuous piece which is what I did.  I stitched this I believe it was 32 count linen, two threads over one, and it was a cream color but I don't remember anything else about the material.  I believe it had a border as part of the picture but that I tweeked something about it but don't remember exactly what.... maybe I added a row of border?  I don't know where the pattern is right now to check.

This one I stitched several years ago.... probably around 10 to 12 years ago.  It's been reframed a couple times, washed several times, and still looks really nice.  It is one of the few projects that I've kept for myself. 

 

 

 

Here's another one that I worked while sitting with family in the hospital.  This one came from a book called Let Us Pray.

 

 

 

 

 

This one also came from the book called Let Us Pray..... I know the hands.... I hate them but I looked at the pattern again not too long ago and that's how it's patterned out so I left it.  This one I did while my Dad was in the hospital and it's now on Mom's wall.  Sorry about the glare but she has this up way high and I didn't feel like climbing to get it down.

 

 

 

 

This one I did just as a quick stitch from a Leisure Arts Leaflet called Footprints in the Sand.  Mom wants this one so I need to wash it up and frame it for her.

 

This one I did for my DH.  It was a book that I can't recall the name.  I'll have to see what it is because I know I still have it here somewhere. 

 

 I also did a bald eagle from it .  It was in my son's room and he broke the frame, wadded it up and stuffed it in the closet under shoes.... yeah, I wasn't too happy about that and when he moved out it wasn't something he wanted to take with him so I kept it, it does need a really good cleaning and a new frame.  That's the piece that burned me out from making anything for anyone else as I spent many long hours on it only to have it mistreated terribly. 

 

 

 

 

These cute bears were from a book called Bears and Blossoms and I did those for my daughter's room when they were small enough to like this sort of thing.  Now it's mine again since my baby is now almost 18 and I like it :o) so I'm going to hang it somewhere but put it in a frame that isn't as little girly as what it was in so I've taken it out to wash and press then frame again. 

 

Love Paula Vaughn and here are two of the patterns she's done.  I will be doing several others of her's this coming year as I have wall space planned for them.  Just not sure what one I'll do first yet.

 

This is September from Quilts for all Seasons

 

 

This one is called Going to Church from the book called A Mother's Love

 

This little diddy was a take along in the purse thing when I needed something small to do.  I'm not sure if I want to turn it into a bookmark or frame it or maybe do a wall hanging.  It came from a mystery magazine..... as in it's a mystery to me which magazine I found it in.

 

 

Let's Talk Cross Stitch

Let's talk cross stitch

Recently I've discovered a great community of stitchers on youtube.  They post such lovely videos showing their stash, talking about their projects, and being not only an inspiration but also showing off the way they stitch.  It's like the quilting bees of old days but on the computer at your leisure. I plan on doing something like that as well but not until my house renovation is completed because it's consuming my life right now. But, until then, I thought I would share a little here about my cross stitching history, what's in my stash, and what I'm working on. 


There's often a tag on youtube that someone starts so we can get to know each other a little better.  I'll answer a few of those here:


~What are your five must have tools....
*clip on magnifier..... I've got one of those that I just can't live without because I like to work on linen and this makes it easy to stitch without straining the eyes.  If I have something small that the magnifier is too heavy to clip to then a trusted pair of reading glasses goes along with me. 
*scroll frame with stand..... when I got my scroll frame several years ago it was like a new world of stitching opened for me.  I had always used hoops previous and having the scroll frame was freedom to me.  My stand I purchased from one of those collections ect. catalogues for $20 and it's a floor stand which has enough adjustments that I can adjust it to a size that I set it on  my bed and stitch at night
*my metal needle threader from LoRain..... it's a great thing especially when using blending filament with thread.... love it! That way I can rethread as needed quickly as I keep it handy all the time.  But.... I've been known to be a floss licker :o)
*small super sharp embroidery scissors.... got to have a sharp pair of scissors always
*I used to say it was my magnetic board with the magnifying place marker that I clipped onto my stand but I've recently started using my kindle for my patterns in pdf form and that's got to be another one of those freedom moments..... love, love, love scanning in my patterns and using my kindle to mark them off as I stitch.  Now I do respect copyright and only scan into my kindle those patterns that specifically say I can make a working copy.  If it doesn't say that then I pull out the magnetic board and work directly from the pattern. 


~I think this was in December:
1. How did you start or who introduced you to cross stitch?
My best friend's mother taught us and I was 13 when I first stitched.  I've been stitching for 35 years now and still have the passion.  I did go through several times in my life where I didn't stitch at all.  I was so busy with family that by the time I got my day done all I wanted to do was drop into bed and it's a shame as I think on it, those were probably some of the times in my life that I need this to relax. 


2. Do you have a favorite theme or designer?
This just changes a lot.  I started out with Precious Moments and have really loved Paula Vaughn as well as Joan Elliott but now I'm branching out to lots of designers that I have fallen in love with.  I lean towards traditional pictures, like scenes especially of old houses or quilts ect.  primitive designs pull at me somewhat too.  It just has to speak to me for me to put in the time to make something.

3. What floss brand do you use?
I'm a dedicated DMC gal.  But I'm also liking the idea of the hand dyed and silks out there so I'll branch out a little soon. 

4. What is your fabric of choice?
Linen ..... definitely linen.  I picked up a piece several years ago to make a specific item and was hooked so that now that's about the only thing I ever use.

5. Do you use a needle threader or are you a "floss licker"?
Both but I find that I use my needle threader more now since I put it on a magnet that is right on my frame or in my needle keeper when I'm on the go.  Just so handy.

6. What kind of stitching frame do you use?
Scroll frame..... I will use a hoop for a take along small project sometimes and I only use the plastic ones with two that I have had forever that are my favorites as they really do a great job.

7. How many projects have you finished?
Oh my.... tons..... I've given so much away over the years.  I sat down and did a quick count and I know I'm short by several but as best I can tell I've finished somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 projects. 

8. How many completed works do you have currently displayed in your home?
Actually up and in my house .... none right now although I do have a few that are stored away till we get done working on the house.  I have plans for at least 4 things to go up and my current project is definitely got a spot when it's finished.

9. Do you do more stitching for gifts or keep them for yourself?
I used to stitch just for friends and my mother but am now starting to stitch for myself.  Mom's definitely going to get a couple more things this coming year but she's in a smaller space and her places to put things is limited. 


10. What is your favorite project or finish you are most proud of?
When I finish it I think what I'm working now will be my most proud accomplishment but until then it's an angel by Joan Elliott that is hanging in my mother's bedroom.  She was done on linen, had just tons of backstitching in her, and beads like crazy.  I finished her off while terribly sick.  I had just the beads to do so I sat while I couldn't do anything else and put on beads all day long one day from morning till late. 

11. What has been your least favorite or worst exp while stitching?
My worst experience by far is this one pattern that I've started three times.  I got off in my count or something and had to pull it all out.  Restarted it..... made a boo boo and had to pull some out..... went at it again and just gave up and trashed it.  But it's not going to beat me and I love the picture so after the first of the year it will be a new start for me and I'll get it this time.  This time I will grid my fabric and I'm thinking that will solve my issues.


12. What do you love and what do you hate about cross stitch?
That you are left with this beautiful art when you are done.  To me it's therapy.  I can be agitated and have a horrid day but I can sit down and stitch and it's a calgon commercial all over again... ahhhhh.  What do I hate about it ..... not having enough time to do it.  I guess if I had to pick something specific about cross stitch itself it would be using lots of white.  I don't know what it is about white but I detest using it. 

13. Have you introduced anyone else to cross stitch?
Yes, taught both of my daughters.  One doesn't have the patience to sit and do it unless it's something super small.... although she does lovely work.  The other still stitches but right now yarn arts are calling her name.  I feel sure they will both go back to it later in life.  I went through the same thing for different spells in my life when I couldn't stitch or another craft just called to me.



14.What was your first project and did you finish it, if not what was your first finish?
My first project was this ugly little ....something like one of those little dimension kits with the little plastic frame.... bunny.  I finished him although he's currently sitting in the drawer of the to be framed stuff.  I'm looking for a frame that says my first picture although I feel I'll have to hand craft that.  I will then proudly display him.  He's terrible.... I used cream where I was suppose to use white in part of him.  The stitches are not too bad but are not that wonderful either and he's not anything I would start on now.  But he's a great reminder of where I started and I can remember how hard I thought he was to begin with.  Now I could polish him off in the doctor's office waiting for an appointment.  So, he's going to have a place of honor just because he makes me smile.

15. How do you store your cross stitch floss?
Well..... funny thing..... I am a definite bobbin kind of person.  But, for extras I store those in baggies till needed.  I keep my bobbins in plastic containers that a fisherman might use and keep a good portion of my thread, some fabric, extra bobbins ect. all stored in this great soft sided tackle box.  My dh and daughters gave that to me several years ago when I broke the small tackle box I used to carry  my stuff around in and I've loved that thing for years.  It has pockets and zippers, and things zip off to take around with you.... great for storage.