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.