Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – May 2026

30 May, 202628 May, 2026 Anne S

Thanks to Maynia I started to get a tiny bit of stitching progress this month – I named my challenge ‘Mix-it-up Maynia’, and the goal is to complete at least 100 stitches or 1 hour of progress on stitching projects. The projects could include existing WIPs, some new starts, or finish-finishing projects. Sadly I only lasted about 6 nights before getting distracted by other projects that weren’t eligible for the group running the challenge (it’s for cross stitch only). My stitching mojo definitely comes and goes, that’s for sure – I’m learning not to stress about it and to just go with the flow, and to embrace whatever craft is tempting my energy at that moment in time 🙂

Stitching progress:

Mill Hill – Conch Shell – as this was a new start I managed to get 300 stitches into, and it was a really enjoyable stitch. It’s nice to add some ‘new blood’ into my WIP pile, it keeps it fresh and makes me want to take the time out to stitch.

When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – This one has pretty much gone as far as I can go now until I rip all the dark theads out – there are basically three different shades of the thread due to dye lot issues that in hindsight really bother me. The only option to make me happy(-ish) is to rip it all out and replace with one dye lot, which has been ordered.

2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I’ve somehow managed to misplace my entire skein of Bermuda Reef silk, so I’m plodding along with the hair for now. It’s still an enjoyable stitch, made even more enjoyable by stitching almost entirely with silks, just lush …

Finch Song by Shepherd’s bush – I’ve been jumping around a bit with this one, partly because one of the challenge items at the end of April was to stitch with a pink thread so I scrolled up to start the quaker block in Dried Pink Roses. I managed to finish that in this month’s Maynia session, along with 9 other stitches in a tiny sampler spot near the tree. I think I’ll be returning back down to the border again soon, if nothing else so I can finish off all those loose threads 😉

Stitching question

Give us five projects in your stash right now that you’d really love to start – and why you haven’t yet.

Oh boy, how do we narrow it down to just five? I have sooooo many projects I want to start, and most of them are for the same reason … I despise kitting things up. Lots of people love selecting their fabrics and pulling all the threads, but for me it leaves me cold – I’m much more likely to start something if it’s already been kitted up, and more so if it’s been migrated over into Pattern Keeper – especially these days when lots of my challenges are based on stitch count, anything not in Pattern Keeper seems to take a lower priority unless I have a day or two spare to create a working copy manually in PC Stitch then exporting it for use in PK. But seeing as the question says to choose 5, let’s see …

Freshness of Cold by Leonid Afremov / Artecy. The overall size puts me off because I’m still just getting my feet back into water stitching-wise again and I worry I’ll never get it finished. Of course I never will if I never start, so there’s that … This one is actually about 70% kitted up, and just needs to have the fabric cut …
Walking the Water’s Edge by Diane Herrmann. This one is soooo high up on my to-do list, I really really want to get this one done and one the wall … and I have to admit I’m getting closer to starting. I don’t know why, but I’m intimidated by it for some reason. It uses stranded cotton floss with a laying tool, which isn’t my favourite thing in the world to do … but it will be so worth it I think – it’s a stunning project!
March Aquamarine Fairy by Mirabilia. The two reasons this isn’t started yet is 1) I want to rechart it a wee bit which means putting it all into PC Stitch to play with it, and 2) I can’t for the life of me decide on a fabric. But she’s another one I really really want to see up on my wall, so I really should make an effort!
Bright Bouquet by Sue Spargo. To be honest I actually bit the bullet a couple of months ago and started to cut out all the various pieces of fabrics etc that I need for this. And there it stalled again. I’m so far out of my comfort zone with this one, I really need to concentrate on it, and I’ve been struggling to do hand-sewing/embroidery lately … I just need to get out of my own head and ‘do it’, preferably before year end 😉
My Treasures Workstation by Judy Odell. I bought the finishing kit for this one years ago when it was first released, but I could never decide on fabric and threads to use for it. I just need to pull my finger out and make a decision – the stitching itself is really simple, and I know once my decision is made and the fabric is all marked out that I’ll whip through the stitching quite quickly. Seems such a waste to have the hardware etc sitting there unused …

Sewing progress:

As mentioned in my last post on 28 May I managed a few stitching projects this month – some are still in progress and some were fully finished … and I’m really proud of every one of them!

The finishes:

New starts, still in progress:

Quilting & Sewing, Sewing

A week or two of sewing bliss

28 May, 2026 Anne S

I lost my sewing mojo five years ago after putting Mum into care and emptying the family home – Mum taught me how to sew which made all efforts quite triggering for me. I’ve forced myself over the last 18 months or so to do a few projects, but my heart wasn’t truly in it. Fast forward to last week and finally sewing doesn’t feel forced anymore – I’ve had a few sewing sessions recently where my heart was truly joyful in the process. That also meant a few finishes that I’m super proud about – and I know Mum would have been too, she was always my greatest supporter.

Coriander Quilts: Border of the Month quilt-along – My sewing spree started with this year’s mystery quilt-along project by Corey Yoder and Coriander Quilts. I decided I wanted to push my personal boundaries and try creating a quilt using some fabrics that are outside my comfort zone. While it still has a mix of my usual preferred cool tones, there are soooo many pops of vibrant coral throughout this range and I have to say I’m seriously thrilled with the results so far. I’m using a 10″ layer cake called Garden Society by Crystal Manning and Moda.

ByAnnie: Call Me – this project is one of the free ones for beginners to learn the various techniques Annie uses in her larger projects. This is the 3rd project in the series, and one of my goals for this year was to complete all four. I’m well on track now with the 4th one also almost in the bag woohoo! The Call Me project has you installing zippers to create both vinyl and quilted fabric pockets, continuous bias binding around the edges and to also create the cord. It also has a mesh pocket on the back with folded elastic edging. I struggled a bit getting the bias binding to behave and had countless false starts on that part – it just means I need to do more now to reinforce the learnings and to improve more.

Tilda Club 33 – Stitching Companion by Larisa/Stitching Notes: This has always been one of my favourite Tilda Club projects and I love the choice of fabrics that we received along with the project itself. I’m the most proud of this one, I think – and it really boosted my confidence getting it finished. I did make a few very small changes, though – I changed one of the small bottom pockets on the right to be split into two narrower ones, I did a quick topstitch along the spine of the needlebook so it didn’t flop open, and I added three layers of smaller felt shapes to pad the needle book instead of using polyfil. It’s already filled to the gunnels with sewing supplies for me to take out and about with me to social gatherings.

Kitty Rose Cottage: Slumbermouse Pouch – This project was from a monthly kit subscription by Kitty Rose Cottage. I’d actually cancelled my subscription (I had too many kits in the backlog since I hadn’t been sewing for so long), but I just had to purchase the separate kit when Dawn offered it up for sale. It uses Tilda fabrics from their Hibernation range, and it’s such a gorgeous project. First time for me making Dresden points and also tabs on the zipper ends. It’s a lot bigger than I initially thought it would be so I think it’ll be a super handy item.

I also started three other projects, but they’re not finished yet – Duck Duck Goose quilt, Catch-All Caddy 2.0 by ByAnnie (as part of a slow-along on Facebook), and Easy Does It by ByAnnie.

Fingers crossed this is the start of many many more sewing projects to come … because I think that means that the healing process is finally taking shape 🙂

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, Tilda, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – April 2026

25 April, 2026 Anne S

Another month without a big number of projects being worked on, and after completing over 1,000 stitches on one big project I’ve decided to scrap it and start again … oops.

Sewing finishes

I managed one small finish this month as a practice piece for me … I came across two squares of ‘printing samples’ from a fabric order about 7 years ago and rather than try to find a home for it I decided it would be perfect to create a small basket try with Kam snaps. I still have two more squares to use up yet – I’m just awaiting inspiration for those 😉

My finish sewing finish for this month was completing an older (2020) sewing kit called the Little Box of Creativity by Kitty Rose Cottage. These monthly mystery kits contain all the fabric that you need for the project, and you just have to supply the sewing machine and thread usually. This project’s pattern was called Market Day Bag, and it’s an awesome size tote bag! I’m going to use this one for my crochet WIPs I think, but I definitely see myself making more of these, the size is awesome – of course my versions will use my favourite blue/teal fabrics, and I’ll leave off the lace and felt flowers in the next ones. Such a great project!

Next up I decided to put the final stitches into these two items from back in 2020 – the mannequin pomander only needed the bottom closure to be sewn up (!), and the lavender wardrobe sachet was waiting for the embroidery to be done before I could sew it all together. I still have one more lavender sachet waiting in the wings, but that’ll be for another day.

Stitching progress:

Sea View by Luca-S – I managed to reach 20% completion of this project before deciding I’m not happy with it, and really want to stitch it over-one on 28ct fabric instead of the Aida in the kit. So far now it’s been put aside until I cut out a piece of fabric and start again, then it’ll regularly continue to be my focus piece for the year. This is the stopping point for me.

Finch Song by Shepherd’s Bush – After putting Sea View aside, I turned to Finch Song for the remaining challenges for the month. While this hasn’t been my favourite one to stitch, thanks to not much variation in the green threads and the cream disappearing on the fabric etc, I’m already hankering to start another Shepherd’s Bush sampler kit …

Stitching is the Berries – I actually made some progress on this one in January, but forgot to post about it, so I’ve included it here for my own records. Those berries were taking me forever to work on so I decided to take a break from it – I really should get back to it again, because it’s sooooo close to a finish now, I think it’s just the berries, a handful of queen stitches, and my initials left to go.

2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I managed to work on a bit of her hair this month. I’ve managed to mislay my skein of Bermuda Reef silk so her hair is the only focus for now. I swear sometimes I live in the Bermuda Triangle, I’m forever losing things!

Stitching question

What is your oldest WIP? Tell us a little bit about it.

I’d probably say it’s Mediterranean Scene from an old magazine – started in 1998. I was never happy with the colours of the blue shutters etc and it just fell into the UFO basket. Now the projects are so much more realistic these days I wonder if I’ll ever finish it. Perhaps if I add a bunch of embroidery stitches to give it a little more depth and texture I might like it a bit more. I’m thinking if I did that perhaps it’d work as the front of a zippered project bag or a tote bag – not sure. Then again, another part of me just wants to just ditch it and use what time I have to work on other projects that bring me joy … I wonder which side of me will eventually win out?

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – March 2026

11 April, 2026 Anne S

My needles were on hiatus during March, so there’s little to show – I almost didn’t bother posting (hence the late publishing), but I think it’s good to remind me that at least I made some progress.

Sea View by Luca-S – I used this one as my focus piece for a Facebook group challenge in March. Not much stitching was done on it, but progress is progress 🙂

Stitching question

Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?

That would have to be Chatelaine’s Egyptian Garden Mandala. I absolutely detest the fabric I chose for it – the fabric is tightly woven with metallic threads in it, and it’s so difficult to see the holes for stitching. I’ve had to stretch it tightly on a huge cobbled-together Qsnap frame which worked for a while, but I stupidly added some treasures and beads as I went, assuming I could keep growing the frame and working outwards – I’ll never ever do that again! It’s such a chore working on this piece, I really struggle to give it any love. It’ll be amazing once (if ever) it’s completed, though.

Challenges & SALs, Prairie Schooler, Quilting & Sewing, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse February 2026

23 February, 2026 Anne S

Not much stitching to show for February due to a big mental health slump – I just couldn’t get overly motivated with anything, and when I forced myself to work on a sewing WIP that was almost finished I totally stuffed it up by lopping off the seam allowances by accident … that kinda sealed the fate of the remaining WIPs for February and I’ve been avoiding them all ever since in case I ruin anything else 😉

Sewing

Before my big sewing disaster I did manage to successfully complete one item at the end of January, though – a wrist pincushion that’s a free pattern by ByAnnie. I was nervous it would be uncomfortable to wear, but it’s an absolute dream to wear and use. So glad I made this, it’ll hopefully save me regularly sending my small tub of pins flying from my sewing desk (I’m incredibly clumsy these days, even more so that I’ve always been). I used Tilda fabrics from my stash for this … and had an unexpected furry model assistant in the background desperate for a cuddle 😉

Stitching progress:

When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – this is the only stitching project that saw progress during the last month. Surprisingly it just may get finished this year if I keep this up!

Stitching question

What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

I signed up for the HAED SAL this year, and for the second year running I’ve decided to opt out from the stitching because I have so many pokers in the fire that need dealing with instead. Also I do a lot of cardmaking each month as part of Instagram hops etc, and that feels like enough commitment for the year so I don’t feel overwhelmed. From a stitching/sewing perspective, the only items I’m participating in are some monthly blog and Facebook challenges:

WIPocalypse
WIP Warriors (private Facebook group)
52 week sewing challenge

Challenges & SALs, Finishes, Mill Hill, Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse January 2026

2 February, 20262 February, 2026 Anne S

Oops I missed the posting date last month – I haven’t managed much stitching throughout January, but I did manage a bit of sewing, as well as sharing the bigger finish of 2025.

The final (BIG) finish of 2025:

I finally put the final beads in place on 31 December, with just 20 minutes to spare before midnight! It was my biggest goal to finish this piece by the end of 2025 and I miraculously found the two missing sets of beads on New Year’s Eve – of course that was after I’d ordered replacements – I couldn’t believe my luck!

“Three Kings” by Mill Hill / Jim Shore
Stitched on recommended linen with purchased embellishment kit
Started 14 August 2018 – Finished 31 December 2025

Sewing finishes

The small drawstring pouch was finished on 31 December 2025 (before I found the missing beads for Three Kings), and the remainder were staggered throughout January. I’m determined to upskill myself to be able to tackle a larger ByAnnie project so I’ve been working through the beginner projects as they’ve recommended.

Stitching progress:

Sea View by Luca-S – this will probably end up seeing some monthly progress using some challenges, as I’d quite like to see this one finished by the end of the year (that could be a lofty goal, mind you, considering the small amount of stitching I achieved overall in January!). I managed 629 stitches overall, which I guess is relatively decent progress, as that takes me to 13% overall completion. I’m currently in the progress of stitching my way up to the top so that I can start working top-down. The colours make this a really pretty one to stitch.

When Witches Go Riding by Prairie Schooler – I managed 928 stitches on this one, because I used it for a few challenges. Once the main stitching is finished, I’ll need to decide which sections to rip out. Unfortunately when I converted the DMC threads to hand-dyed ones, I didn’t have enough of the dark chocolate thread – I then tried another skein of the thread from a new order and it was substantially different. I then reverted back to the DMC colour and that was totally different again … which means for me to get a consistent look I need to reverse stitch those of those dark brown colours pfffft Oh well, at least I’ve almost finished the rest of the stitching now, so then it may have to sit in the naughty corner for a while as I mull that challenge over for a bit longer …

2024 Mirabilia Retreat Mermaid – I worked on the hair during January, with a total of 410 stitches.

Finch Song by Shepherd’s bush – this was mostly stitched using white thread, so I took a close-up of the stitched area for the progress. I completed 219 stitches in January.

Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse 2026 – goals for the year

4 January, 20266 January, 2026 Anne S

I’m a ‘vintage’ crafter in Australia who’s been stitching for approximately 40 or so years and I’m never happy unless I’m learning something new and being challenged by my crafts. After a number of very stressful years, I’m finally getting back to regular stitching again, while also trying to juggle other crafts as well (sewing/patchwork, crochet and cardmaking).

My goals are relatively simple for 2026. The aim is to finish a couple of projects, but also make ‘some progress’ on other existing WIPs as well.

2026 Craft Goals:

Stitching:

Finish three stitching projects (at least one should be a current WIP)
Finish the stitching of a stitching small (eg needleroll or pincushion etc)
Complete at least 1,000 stitches on Chatelaine’s Egyptian Garden Mandala
Remain eligible to participate in WIP Warriors challenges by earning the necessary participation points each month (private Facebook group)
Participate in WIPGO (at least one hour or one length of thread progress on each project)
Make progress on one canvaswork project (WIP or new start)
Finish-finish at least three items in my finishing pile (make into pincushions, ornaments, framing etc)

Crochet:

Make progress on a crochet blanket or shawl
Make progress on at least one project from Crate Crochet or Crochet Society (WIP or new start)

Sewing:

Make a start on the Coral Reef quilt by Tilda
Make a start on the Sea Swept quilt by Laura Flynn
Make progress on at least three class/kit sewing projects (eg Tilda Club, Fee’s SALs, Kitty Rose kits – WIPs or new starts)
Finish at least one existing sewing WIP
Complete all 4 of the recommended free ByAnnie Basics patterns
– Petit Four Baskets
– Piecekeeper
– Call Me
– Easy Does It
Start a printed ByAnnie pattern item (eg Running with Scissors or Sewing Machine Cover)
Start to make a travel organiser (either ByAnnie, eg A Place for Everything 2.0 or Zip It Up 2.0, or Center Street Quilts, eg Atlas or Nightingale organiser)
Participate in 52 week sewing challenge with aim for one project per month

Other crafts:

Complete at least one cartonnage project
Make progress on at least one mixed media project
Start a Kit & Clowder colouring class

Here’s my stitching WIPGO board for the year – I also have another board for sewing projects, cardmaking products, and reading books (it lists all the authors I own the most books from, and I choose a book by that author each month).

Here are photos of most of my WIPs/UFOs as they stand now, just to keep track of any future progress I make.

Slumbermouse pouch by Kitty Rose Cottage

Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse 2025 – end of year recap of goals

28 December, 2025 Anne S

Thanks to moving a lot of WIP charts into Pattern Keeper this year, and using a tracking spreadsheet I purchased on Etsy, I can view stats for the year on all of my projects which I find absolutely fascinating. I didn’t actually meet all of my goals this year, but I’m still really happy with my progress, considering this is my first ‘real’ year back stitching again since 2020 yay! (I was also juggling with my main current hobby of cardmaking as well.)

2025 Craft Goals:

Stitching:

*DONE* ❤ Finish three stitching projects (at least one should be a current WIP)
1. Mini Sunflowers by HAED
2. All You Need is Love by Designworks
3. Almost Halloween by The Drawn Thread
*FAIL* Finish Mill Hill’s Three Kings – soooo close to a finish, though – I somehow mislaid the container with the final colour of beads to be done, and I sent one small star treasure flying by accident … so I sucked up my pride and ordered replacements – sadly the shop I ordered from won’t start shipping until 5 Jan. I guess this will be my first finish for 2026 – sooo disappointed, as I was so determined to finish this year waaahhhhh 😦
*DONE* ❤ Hit the 80% completion mark for HAED’s Mini Sunflowers – in fact I hit 100% and it was my first finish of the year
*FAIL* Finish six pages of HAED’s 2025 SAL Jellyworld (this might be a lofty goal) – Cancelled goal because I decided early on not to start it and instead focus mostly on existing WIPs for the year (I felt the timelines meant I would only be able to stitch on this one project all year, which I didn’t want to do)
*PARTIAL FAIL* Participate in WIPGO (at least one hour or one length of thread progress on each project) – managed to participate, but only completed 18 squares out of 25, 7 projects not touched
*DONE* ❤ Make progress on one canvaswork project (new start) – Colour Delights: Seafoam by Needle Delights Originals/Kathy Rees – I also managed to finish this on 15 September 2025
*FAIL* Stitch four Christmas ornaments – not a single ornament was started
*FAIL* Finish-finish at least three items in my finishing pile (make into pincushions, ornaments, framing etc) – not a single item was finished … although I did spend a lot of time thinking about it and planning 😉

Crochet:

*FAIL* Make progress on a crochet blanket or shawl – I didn’t crochet at all this year, so an epic fail on all three goals
*FAIL* Finish at least one project from Crate Crochet (WIP or new start)
*FAIL* Finish at least one project from Crochet Society (WIP or new start)

Sewing:

*DONE* ❤ Start a bed quilt (started the mystery block of the month quilt for Cali & Co fabric bundle by Coriander Quilts, but using my cool-toned Tilda stash instead)
*DONE* ❤ Make progress on at least three class/kit sewing projects (eg Tilda Club, Fee’s SALs, Kitty Rose kits – WIPs or new starts)
– Sewing Day Tote Bag by Fee Fee & Me (sew-along project) – fully finished
– Windy Walk project bag by Kitty Rose – fully finished
– Tilda Club, Issue 36 – fully finished
*FAIL* Finish at least one existing sewing WIP

Other crafts:

*FAIL* Complete at least one cartonnage project
*FAIL* Start at least one mosaic project
*DONE* ❤ Complete at least two cards per week

The actual progress stats for this year are followed by project photos.

I started 7 new projects, and finished 8 stitching projects (4 older WIPs and 4 new starts). I worked on 20 different stitching projects, and even though my stitching was a bit erratic during the year I still managed to complete 43,766 stitches! The projects that had the most stitches entered were Three Kings by Mill Hill, followed closely by Mini Sunflowers by HAED.

2025 Finishes

Stitching finishes

Sewing finishes

Some progress made on these projects during 2025

New starts in 2025, not completed

Works in progress not touched in 2025

Topiary Tree Bookmark by Textile Heritage

Finishes, Mill Hill

Cabana Beach

24 December, 2025 Anne S

This project has been one of the most enjoyable stitches this year – the easy to stitch blocks of colour, along with the beautiful bright hues of the threads made it such a joy to work on. I’m kinda sad it’s finished now, but on a positive note it means I can get it framed up to go on my wall for the new year! 😀

“Cabana Beach” by Mill Hill
Started 29 January 2025 – Finished 23 December 2025
Stitched with kit threads and beads, but I substituted the perforated paper for 28ct linen

Crafts - Needlework

Two finishes

20 December, 2025 Anne S

Woohoo, getting close to the end of 2025, and I’ve managed to finish two more projects over the last week or so.

The first one has a lot of sentimental memories attached to it, as I purchased it during a visit to Paris with my Mum. I rarely do surface embroidery, so I need more practice as this one really challenged me – I have more kits in my stash, though, so maybe I need to prioritise at least one of those for my 2026 new start stitching plans.

“Août” by Un Chat dans l’aiguille
Purchased as a kit from Le Bonheur Des Dames in Paris during a visit
Started May 2020 – Finished 10 December 2025

The next one really makes me smile – the Supernatural TV show has been a firm favourite of mine ever since I watched the first episode years ago, and I regularly re-watch the seasons over and over again. I don’t often gravitate to ‘character’ designs, but I just couldn’t go past this one … Castiel especially makes me smile in this. I think this may end up as a panel insert on the front of a project bag, as I have some fabric scraps with a Supernatural theme on it … time will tell.

“Supernatural” by Pixel In Stitches
Started 20 January 2025 – Finished 19 December 2025
Stitched on 32ct hand-dyed Boo! linen by Silkweaver using recommended DMC threads