Good Bye 2017

2017 was a year of big occasions in my family.  The year started with a surgery (my gallbladder removal) and ended with one (The Hubs had his rotator cuff repaired on Thursday).  In between, my parents celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, DSon moved from Vermont to Michigan and started a new job, DNephew and DNiece were both married, DSis and DBIL celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and The Hubs' niece announced her engagement.  Phew! I'm ready for a bit of a rest.

As it's the end of December as well as the end of the year, it's time for the final  check-in for 2017.  WIPocalypse is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings and is a personal challenge, not a contest, to stay on goal and finish some of those WIPs that most of us have hanging around.  She gives us topics each month for discussion and December's is to recap what we've done through the year.  This is going to be long and picture heavy.  

So for 2017....  I had the same number of finishes, 12, that I had last year.  You can see all my finishes in the tab labeled "Finishes" but I am going to show them here too.  You can see all my small finishes in my last post those I'm not going to reshow.

So first up was wedding samplers. I finished To Have and To Hold Bridal Sampler and Sentimental Hearts both by The Sweetheart Tree.  There are changes made to both samplers - mostly color changes on To Have and To Hold  but a little bit of chart reworking as the names were a bit longer than would fit.  A verse and names were added to Sentimental Hearts.



To Have and To Hold

Sentimental Hearts



After the wedding samplers, I moved onto a Christmas stocking, A Glimpse of Santa from Stoney Creek:

And around those finishes, I also had Winter Wonderland from The Silver Needle which was my first finish of the year and Snowgirls from Country Garden Stitchery:

Winter Wonderland

Snowgirls

I had progress on my Heaven and Earth Design projects.

Shakespearean Fantasy

January 1, 2017

December 31, 2017

Santa and the Mouse

January 1, 2017

December 31, 2017

and It's About Time

January 1, 2017

December 31, 2017

The Enchantment of Winter was a new start:

And Santa's Magic made an unexpected appearance in December.

January 1, 2017

December 31, 2017

I finished his beard with about 5" of Wisper thread left - if anybody is keeping track it will take more than two cards of Wisper White to finish this piece.  Rather than put in another order for a thread that I didn't really like stitching with, I made an executive decision that any other areas that were charted for Wisper would be done in plain old DMC white.  If I were to do it again, I would probably use B5200 for the charted white and white for the charted Wisper.  I think that would give just enough shade difference to keep it from looking flat.  I got my order of Kreinik in today's mail, but I won't be pulling this one out until I finish my two obligation pieces.

After putting Santa away, I pulled out Japanese Zen Garden.  Yes, it's a little early to start my 2018 rotation, but it kept calling.  It went from here:

To here:

I needed the green border to hold those gold swirls in place.  As they are off center I kept thinking I was off on my count.  Now that everything is neatly contained it is going much better.  I had planned to work on this all day today, but my phone's battery has been acting up (not holding a charge, heating up while charging, etc.) and today was the first appointment I could get.  Word of advice - do NOT go to an Apple store at anytime around Christmas - it was mobbed.  Between the waiting and the fixing and the grocery store my afternoon was shot. I am not planning on going anywhere tomorrow so there should be more swirly bits by tomorrow night.

So those are my finishes and progress for 2017.  I will be participating in WIPocalypse in 2018 and will be back in a week or so to post my goals and hopefully show some progress on Zen and Goldie.

A Finish

This finish gets...

Yes, I finally finished

Tiny Tiger by Artecy Cross Stitch counts as the longest it has taken me to stitch something this small. The piece is 50X50 stitches and I started it in June 2016 and just dragged and dragged. I decided that it had sat around long enough and was determined to finish it. I finished the majority of the stitching yesterday and spent a good chunk of today filling in missing stitches.  

I have progress on a few of my other WIPs too.

It's About Time was pulled out after a few month's hiatus:

It has 100 new stitches and I was able to get a little bit of a rhythm going.  That rhythm passed over to Shakespearean Fantasy

I finished one column and started another.  Lots of black for the next few stitching rounds, but I am getting close to a page finish.

After I finished Tiny Tiger, I put Sentimental Hearts back on the frame and got it to here:

The little spider web rose was fun to do.  After looking at the picture, I think I need to redo the eyelet on the left as the center hole isn't the same size as the one on the right.  I still haven't made any progress on the name/saying decision, but need to do it soon as the vine on the right is close to the beginning of the alphabet section that I want to replace.

A MONTH?!?!

How in the world did a month go by without a blog post?  WOW!  Funny how the blog in my head is up to date and filled with photos and witty posts while this one languishes.  Ah well, let's forge ahead and I'll see if the photos remind me of anything.

First is this one:

For the first time in ages, I took a photo.  TUSAL is hosted by Daffy Cat at It's Daffycat and requires you to save all those bits and pieces of thread that you would normally throw out.  I'm using an old Yankee Candle jar to hold mine.  I have had to tamp this down a couple of times but I should be good through the end of the year.

The next photos are for my  and  check-ins:

It's About Time.  I finished another column and started the next since my last post.

Turns out that bit of gold in the lower right corner I mentioned in my last post is part of a bird

I am stitching a bit faster now that I have modified my key to this:

I took the three pages of the original key and cut out only the bits that were important to me: symbol; color number; and, color name and taped them onto one page and put it in a page protector.  I am surprised at how much time this simple change saves me.  I just have to do the same thing with my other HaEDS.

Santa and the Mouse is moving right along. 

This is a very messy stitch.  I do need to figure out a better way to start a round piece

 and finally Shakespearean Fantasy.  More black, more greens and almost another column finish.

I am looking forward to getting to a "clean" page as all this filling in stresses me and my hobby should not be stressful.

Oh yes, I mentioned Gifted Gorgeousness and WIPocalypse.  Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and gives us an opportunity to thank everyone that has been so generous with stitching gifts or to show something that will be a gift.  The patterns for It's About Time and Shakespearean Fantasy were gifts from Kate at A Kowgirl's Stitchin and Pull the Other Thread respectively.  Santa and the Mouse is a double entry as it was a freebie from Heaven and Earth Designs (now retired) and it has Santa giving a gift (or will once I get a few more columns over).

WIPocalypse is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings and is an incentive to tame the WIP monster.  I've been participating since 2012 and have cut down my list from 25 to 18.  I know, that doesn't sound like a lot, but given my limited stitching time and the fact that the majority of my pieces are BAPs, I'm very pleased.  Melissa provides topics each month and this month's is: What online stitching communities do you enjoy?  I remember my first foray into the online needlecraft world, it was RCTN.  It was slow and clunky by today's standards but oh my, I found people from all over the world that stitched and a few in my own backyard.  I was, and am, a fairly solitary stitchery because of location so to be able to talk about various designers and problems was amazing to me.  From there fancier bulletin boards came into being and I was able to see photos of others work - that was probably not so good for my wallet and it introduced me to the concept of STABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy), but a huge step forward.  I still read several bulletin/Yuku/Yahoo boards but most of them seem to have migrated to Facebook.  I do belong to two or three Facebook groups, but it is not my preferred platform, so I am not as active as I used to be on the bulletin boards.  My most used social media is my blog roll.  I can get lost for hours, clicking on not only my but others blog rolls. I enjoy seeing what others are stitching or crafting and I like that I is all in some order.  Facebook seems to one long stream of conscience and I have difficulty following one conversation.  I suppose that's a factor of being old and in the future, I'll pine for Facebook's simplicity.  I have also watched Floss Tube videos when I'm learning a new technique but I don't follow anyone.

A few more household chores and I'll be free to stitch through the weekend.  And just maybe I will get the post that is already composing itself in my head onto the blog.

A Good Stitching Week

Before I get to the stitching, I have to say "hello" and "thank you" to my new followers and a "thank you" to those of you that have been following for a while.  I appreciate that you take time out of your day to read whatever it is I am rambling on about.

First, the epilogue for some already finished pieces.  Friday was the opening day of the Virginia State Fair, so The Hubs and I headed out bright and early so we could start the annual junk food feast with breakfast, but also to see how my entries fared in the competition.  I'm thrilled to say:

Christmas Presence placed first in its division (cross stitch on other than Aida) and

Secret Victorian Garden placed second in its division (needlework other than cross stitch - if your piece is more than 50% specialty stitches it goes in this division).  First place went to a very pretty The Common Thread Sampler from Jeanette Douglas Designs.  Things were set up very differently this year, so I am not sure what piece took Best in Section, but there were some very beautiful and beautifully done pieces this year.  Lots of sunshine, lots of food and lots of walking made up the rest of our time there.

Now on to the current pieces.  Thursday evening I put It's About Time on the frame.  I didn't have a lot of time for stitching but I did finish a couple of blocks:



 After the fair on Friday, I worked on Santa and the Mouse for a while

I finished 3 blocks and a few stitches more.  This one is really messy due to having started in the middle and working out.  The circular shape is already forming.

Saturday I took a bit of a break from my rotation and worked on Shakespearean Fantasy for two NOVAs and The Fellowship of the Ring.  I put in right around 1,000 stitches and had another column finish. 

I finally put some decent time into the tiger head from The Sampler Life's SAL (The Two Towers).  I am, once again, not going to have a finish for the Smalls SAL this month, but I am happy with the progress and I think I fixed the error I found last time around.

And finally, I worked on To Have and To Hold Bridal Sampler.  Here's where it was before I started adding the names:

I completed DNephew's name and found it was one block off AGAIN!  Maybe The Return of the King isn't the best movie to have on while working on something that takes some concentration .  This time I put a pin in the starting spot, frogged his first name and restitched it then moved on to the rest of his name.  It is now centered.  I have finished the "and" between their names and part of his fiancé's name and feeling so much better now that the names are pretty much behind me.  They were much more of a chore than I expected.

A gifted WIPocalypse check-in

I am a few days late for the

and  the

check-ins, but given my track record the last few months, I am very happy with a few days late.

WIPocalypse is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings for some reason I can't get to her site today to link the address but will keep trying.  It started in 2012 as a tongue-in-check nod to the end of the world and an attempt to leave with as many WIPs completed as possible.  I've been trying ever since to complete mine.

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and is a way for us to thank all those folks that have gifted us with something stitching related or to show our progress on something that will be a gift.

I have two pieces that fit into both categories that I have progress on since my last post.  The first is Shakespearean Fantasy

This pattern was a gift from Pull the Other Thread.  I completed the small strip I think it was three stitches wide up to the blue line.  I know I've mentioned how I don't see the picture developing on these until I sit back, well with this one, I completely missed it.  Leonore and Justine both commented about the fairies in my last post.  I really could not see what they were talking about.  I kept seeing tree leaves, but kept staring at it with squinted and crossed eyes it always worked with those magic eye pictures that were all the rage in the 90s but still was not seeing it/them.  I'm not sure why but after stitching the last bit of that tiny little column, I sat back and they jumped out at me.  There is half, or so, of one at the bottom and you can see just a bit of wing forming there on the edge. NOW the weird color changes make sense!! After consulting the map/guide to the piece, this section represents A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

Fortunately, It's About Time doesn't have a lot of hidden bits and pieces. This pattern was a gift from Kate at A Kowgirl's Stitchin Blog. 

I am very happy to say that this is a page finish.  I'm looking forward to seeing what that blob of yellow/gold in the lower right corner turns out to be.

I spent a bit of time working on To Have and To Hold Bridal Sampler, but I had to frog most of it as I miscounted and the name wasn't centered.  No photo as I was a bit frustrated with myself and just set it aside, but I have now run a basting line down the center and will be stitching the names from the center out rather than thinking I've counted correctly to the edge. 

I'm back

I am back from my week in Philadelphia, but, since I have become such an erratic blogger, you probably didn't even know I was gone.  For all the time I have spent on the east coast, I had never been to Philadelphia and am very glad I had the opportunity.  I definitely want to go back to see all the things that were closed or I missed. 


In the time since my last blog post, I stitched on every piece in my rotation so lots of pictures.


Before I get to the stitching, Christmas Presence came back from the framers: 

Excuse the reflection of my head but I could not find anyplace in the house that didn't have some reflection.  I really like the way it turned out.  I would not have picked a black mat on my own, but it was the first mat the framer pulled out and I think it fits the mood of the piece well.


I started Santa and the Mouse

This is a round piece so I started in the middle and will work out from there too much counting to find the right starting place otherwise.  Practice does help with this style piece as it is going much faster than Christmas Presence ever did.


I worked some more on It's About Time and am a couple blocks closer to a page finish.

More black on Shakespearean Fantasy. 

I am close to a page finish on this one you've heard that before.  There may be some more green and blues added, but I think it's mostly black for the rest of this column.


I have done a terrible job of keeping up with the Smalls SAL that Heather at Stitching Lotus hosts, but I have been slowly but surely working on one.  Here's where I am  on the tiger

I decided to do this in 20x20 blocks as I made a counting error further down and will need to frog a few stitches. I am aiming to finish this for the SAL check-in this month it's good to have goals and I love the sound the deadline makes when it goes whooshing by.


I got to the names on To Have and To Hold  sooner than I thought I would, so I need to get out and get some graph paper before I can go any further.

I got into an organizing frenzy the other day and ordered enough bobbin boxes and bobbins for the thread for the HaED patterns I have stashed.  I don't anticipate stitching them anytime soon, but will be so much easier to find and use the threads if they aren't in gallon plastic bags in a basket.  I don't know when I will get around to doing it but sounds like a great winter project.

Gifted Gorgeousness and IHSW

It's a bit past the 15th, so a little late for the official  check-in.  Fortunately, Jo keeps the check-in open for a few days to allow us stragglers to catch up.  If you click on the Gifted Gorgeousness 2016 picture, it should take you to the official rules page.  The Reader's Digest version is - stitch with something, pattern, thread, needles or fabric, that someone else gave you and show it off to the rest of the world to say "thank you" or if you're stitching something that will be a gift, you can show it off here.

Stitching has been a bit slow but I do have two pieces that fit the criteria.  The first is:

Christmas Presence  This was one of the 2015 Heaven and Earth Designs SAL pieces.  As it was a freebie, I am counting it as a gift from the charter/designer.

I finished a column and got a good start on the next one.  I am debating whether to do the last column or not. The piece will be  a 4.75"X4.75" square once this new column is completed.  I like the idea of a square, but I also like the idea of having a bit of play for framing.

My second piece is another Heaven and Earth Designs piece, It's About Time. Kate at Needles and Haystacks gifted this pattern to me. 

I finished one more square in this column.

And that's all I have for Gifted Gorgeousness this month.  These are also the only two pieces I worked on for .  Not as much as I would have liked but time just got away from me this weekend.  I'm all packed for my trip.  The weather is supposed to be miserably hot in the central US this week and I've seen predictions for 101+ F for Wednesday - so glad we'll be inside.