WIPocalypse – March 2019

Yet again progress on my WIPs has been very minimal during March. Mainly due to feeling unwell for so long, and when I returned to work I just didn’t have any energy for stitching at the end of the day. I did manage to get a tiny bit of stitching done during the month, though, on an older WIP so at least I have something to post this month! 😉

This is the free chart we received at the 2018 Mirabilia Retreat on the Central Coast. I’m not entirely sure I like how the date appears so I decided to start my stitching session with unpicking the existing stitches. I’ve decided to stitch both sides at the same time and in the same stitching order, so the wings are going to turn out (hopefully) relatively symmetrical. Here’s the progress I’ve made so far, but I’m ready for a change, so I think it’ll be rotated out with something else in April.

Question of the month:

What newer designers and product creators (fabric or floss dyeing, etc) out there have you discovered and recommend?

Truthfully I haven’t really been looking for new designers or artisans, I’m a bit stuck in my ways and happy with the ones I already know – that’s not to say I don’t see the odd design that someone is stitching in one of the Facebook groups and might have a quick glance at their Etsy shop etc if I like what I see. I have to say, though, I haven’t found any so far that I’d add a “favourite” tag to. My favourite fabric dyer still remains as countrystitch.com, and my favourite designer this year is probably Needle Delights Originals (Kathy Rees) because I’ve bought a truckload of her canvaswork designs this year and kitted them up.

WIPocalypse February 2019

I’m very VERY late posting my WIPocalypse update for February (and January), due to illness and very little to share, so it’ll be a quick update …

It seems 2019 seems to be the year of the new starts for me so far, with the only WIP being worked on in February being Ladybug by Elizabeth’s Designs. The only thing that had to be done to this one was to add the little ladybird charm to the stitching … five minutes later and I had another finish under my belt 😉

Since then I’ve been doing a bit of stitching on another WIP, a free dragonfly design by Nora Corbett from last year’s Mirabilia Retreat in Sydney, Australia – but that update will come next week in the March WIPocalypse check-in 🙂

Questions of the month:

January: What SALs are you participating in this year?

Other than the WIPocalypse again, I’m trying to do the following primarily in Facebook groups:

– JCS Christmas Ornament SAL

– Hallowe’en Ornie SAL (although haven’t started any yet!)

– JK’s Groupies monthly theme SALs (managed to do Jan and Feb so far, with Mar not far away from being started)

– Gifted Gorgeousness SAL

February: What do you listen to while stitching?

I have to say I prefer to sit in front of the gogglebox and catch up on pre-recorded TV shows or rewatch movies I love, but I also love to listen to Audiobooks while I’m stitching too – it all depends on my mood on the day and how much I need to concentrate on what I’m doing.

A lack of crafty updates

Sadly I became quite sick in early February with some virus that has had me nauseous and wanting to be physically ill on and off for six weeks. Sadly that meant a few weeks of annual leave were spent laid up in bed or on the sofa apartment-bound. This all coincided with the final visit from my Mum, which sadly meant no fun road trips for us on this trip, and our all travel plans had to be cancelled. On the positive, though, we had plenty of girlie one-on-one time at home watching TV and movies and just generally chatting. Mum has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and these types of days will gradually become less and less, and she’s no longer able to travel on her own. It breaks my heart to see her memories disappearing, but I try to stay positive and just respond the same way for the 5th time I’ve heard the same story on any given day – I still treasure the conversations and the laughter that we always have 🙂

As for crafts, my gigantic plans for the year became scuppered very early on, and I’m very behind with blogging and crafting. I did eventually manage a bit of stitching while I was on ‘holiday’ though once the nausea started to wear off, and this has been the result so far …

Dimensions: Stacked Tea Cups

This kit was a gift from a dear friend in the US, and I’ve been itching to stitch it ever since it arrived. I decided the colours were exactly what I wanted to work on and made a start on it before Mum arrived for our holiday. This was also my chosen project for “New start January” in an Aussie Facebook group called JK’s Groupies. Eventually I managed to finish it during my recuperation. I really need to take a better photo in daylight without all those ugly shadows! I also want to stitch this one more time but on a 36ct linen next time with DMC – I’d love to see the comparison, because I hated stitching on that awful cardboard-like Aida and I have more Dimensions kits to stitch up.

“Stacked Tea Cups” by Dimensions
Stitched on 18ct white Aida (hideous kit fabric)
with kit threads
Started 12 January 2019 – Finished 15 February 2019

Elizabeth’s Designs: Ladybug

This was a WIP from 2018, and all I had to do was to stitch on the ladybird charm … five minutes later and it was all finished! 🙂

“Ladybug” by Elizabeth’s Designs
Stitched on 32ct natural Belfast linen (I think)
with recommended threads
Started ? 2018 – Finished 15 February 2019

Keslyn’s: Santa’s Hat & Boots

Next was the April Christmas ornament in a Facebook JCS Christmas Ornament SAL. I really struggled with this one initially because of my ‘fuzzy head’, but I persevered and managed to finish it eventually – but oh boy it wasn’t much fun, and it took me a fair few days to complete it!

“Santa’s Hat and Boots” by Keslyn’s
(from the 2018 JCS Christmas Ornament issue)
Stitched one-over-one on 28ct white Lugana
with recommended DMC threads
but I attached small bells instead of the ‘Bead Landing Sticky Gems’

Laura J Perin: Flying Geese

After I finished all that over-one stitching, I started a new canvaswork project – Flying Geese by Laura J Perin. I thought the larger threads and canvas would be easier for my head to manage. It’s been a bit slow going, but hopefully this will be finished over the next couple of months.

Sweet Valentines

The great thing about taking an extra week off work after Christmas is having more time to stitch and have a general overdue tidy-up at home. I came across this wee chart that has been kitted up for about 12 years as I was tidying up a pile of stitching ‘stuff’ – I figured rather than putting it back in it’s storage box where it belongs, I’d just suck it up and get it into the Qsnaps to get it stitched up. It took me two days to finish, but I really love it. And that also means another new start and another finish ticked off my 19 in 19 challenge for the year … bonus!! 😀

“Sweet Valentines” by The Sweetheart Tree
Stitched on 28ct white lugana (I think!)
Changed the red thread colours to be 309 and 816 instead of the chart colours (which were 316 and 3726)
Started 6 Jan 2019 – Finished 8 Jan 2019
Stitch count: 40H x 40W

Last finishes of 2018, and first ones of 2019

I’ve come to realise today just how woeful my online activity has been over the last 12-18 months or so, and my online albums are missing a lot of information and projects haven’t been added at all … my blog used to be the ‘source of truth’ for all my projects and chart information etc, but not any more. After spending an entire day today doing a bit of a tidy-up (nowhere near finished yet though), and trawling through a few years of photos on my iPhone (!), it’s prompted me to add the details of my last finishes from the end of 2018, and the first finishes of the new year. So, without further ado, here are the details …

“Joy” by Rovaris
from the 2018 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue
Stitched on 32ct Belfast linen with recommended DMC threads
Stitch count: 36 stitches high x 71 stitches wide
Started and finished 28 December 2018

“Special Delivery” by Pickle Barrel Designs
from the 2018 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue
Stitched on 32ct Belfast linen with recommended DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads (except using DMC B5200 instead of WDW Whitewash)
Stitch count: 51H x 55W
Started 28 December 2018 – Finished 29 December 2018

Finished – Glendon Place: City Sidewalks ornament

“City Sidewalks” by Glendon Place
from the 2018 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue
Stitched on 32ct Blue Sky hand-dyed Lugana by Hand Dyed Fabrics with Stephanie
Stitched with a mix of Weeks Dye Works and DMC, using my choice of beads because I didn’t have all the ones as charted
Stitch count: 78H x 68W
Started 29 December 2018 – Finished 2 January 2019

“Two Stags and a Star” by Blue Ribbon Designs
from the 2018 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue
Stitched on 36ct evenweave from Sew-it-all
Stitched with recommended Weeks Dye Works, except using B5200
Stitch count: 57H x 37W
Started 3 January 2019 – Finished 5 January 2019

2019 WIPocalypse and craft goals

It’s that time when we start to plan out the year and plot out all those wishlists of lofty goals for our crafts. Mine are no less mental than normal and I’m already laughing heartily inside at all the items I want to tick off my list this year. In a nutshell, though, it all comes down to wanting to whittle down some older WIPs/UFOs while still having the flexibility to add some new projects into the list to provide continued interest and motivation.

I’ve just created a planning document mapping out all my SAL due dates and details, and information for upcoming face-to-face stitching groups … all I need to do now is to not let life take over and to actually remember to fill them in each month 😉

Anyway, here are my lofty goals, along with piccies to make it more interesting (while also giving me a visual kick in the pants as to how long some of these pictures have been around for without changing in the slightest) {hanging head in shame}.

WIP start/finish stats:

Stitching/needlework:

45 = Number of WIPs/UFOs @ 1 January 2019 (!!!)

Crochet:

6 = Number of WIPs @ 1 January 2019

Cross Stitch goals

  1. Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor – I’d love to finish this one
  2. Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine – Entirely finish the stitching of at least one full corner (ie one full page of the chart)
  3. Red Lace Sewing Case by The Drawn Thread – add the felt/beads and do the finishing … and finally gift it to the intended recipient
  4. Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore – finish the three kings in the centre
  5. Quaker Christmas II by ByGone Stitches – finish the Let There be Peace on Earth motif in the centre
  6. Progress on at least three other WIPs/UFOs
  7. Ronald McDonald House charity XS
  8. 19 in 19 – Start a new HAED and stitch 19 colours on it
  9. 19 in 19 – 19 new starts
  10. 19 in 19 – 19 finishes
  11. 19 in 19 – some progress on 19 existing WIPs carried over from 2018
  12. Stitch a charity quilt block
  13. Stitch 12 Christmas ornaments

WIPs as they look today:

  • Egyptian Garden Mandala 24Nov2018
    Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine as at 24 Nov 2018
  • After: Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore
  • Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor
  • Quaker Christmas II by ByGone Stitches
  • Before: When Witches Go Riding by The Prairie Schooler
  • Mia mermaid by Nora Corbett
  • Before: Paris by Country Threads
  • Cottage Etui by CA Wells
  • Pyramid Etui by CA Wells
  • Apricot (Blue) Elegance by Cindy Valentine
  • Topiary Tree Bookmark by Textile Heritage
  • English Garden Sampler by Teresa Wentzler
  • Schwalmwork Pinkeep by Moss Creek Designs
  • Raphael’s Raspberries by Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches
  • Nature’s Resting Place by Stoney Creek
  • Noah’s Ark by Teresa Wentzler
  • Mediterranean Village Scene
  • Butterflies and Hearts Needleroll by Lorri Birmingham
  • Hussif by Martha Schmidt (class kit)
  • Before: Finch Song by Shepherd’s Bush
  • Frog longstitch
  • Bluebeard’s Princess Mirabella by Mirabilia
  • Before: The Tea Room by Country Cottage Needleworks
  • Before: Celtic Summer by Lavender & Lace
  • Sailor’s Valentine by CA Wells

Embroidery (non-XS) goals

  1. Travel Cord Buddy by Michelle Marvig – I’d like to finish putting this together
  2. Hearts & Berries by Marg Low – I’d like to finish putting this together
  3. Make a Christmas Wish by Marg Low – I’d like to finish putting this together and framed before Christmas
  4. Stumpwork – choose one old stumpwork UFO and make some progress
  5. Start a new project from Inspirations magazines
  6. Make some progress on one of the 2018 patchwork retreat projects

WIPs as they look today:

  • Make a Christmas Wish by Marg Low
    Make a Christmas Wish by Marg Low
  • Hearts & Berries by Marg Low
  • Berry Delightful Bag
  • Wool hot water bottle cover
  • Beaded Fish
  • Oriental Poppy by Jane Nicholas
  • Pomegranates and Beetle by Jane Nicholas
  • Honesty and Heartsease by Jane Nicholas
  • Stumpwork Goldfish (EGA Group Correspondence Course)
  • Dragonfly by Jane Nicholas
  • Stumpwork Thimblepip by Jane Nicholas
  • Goldwork Pea
  • Before: Hussif by Monica Hunt
  • Beehive needlebook
  • Summer Fruits pincushion
  • Bullion knot facecloth

Crochet

  1. Make a 1920s-style hat for the Napier Art Deco Festival
  2. Complete three crochet projects from “Crate Crochet”
  3. Start a shawl
  4. Finish my Atlanticus (mandala) blanket
  5. Restart my Spice of Life blanket
  6. Start a Briar Rose blanket
  7. Start a top (clothing)
  8. Start a crochet hook case
  9. Start a blanket for Brenda & Nigel
  10. Make a charity blanket for SPCA
  11. Start the Nuts About Squares CAL

WIPs as they look today:

Quilting/Sewing

  1. Make a small pincushion
  2. Start a queen-sized bed patchwork quilt for myself
  3. Start the Piece and Plenty BOM quilt
  4. Make a sewing machine cover
  5. Make a summer nightie
  6. Make a top (clothing)
  7. Choose three Pinterest projects to try (eg Project bags, Purses/pouches)

Stitchalongs/Challenges

  1. JCS Christmas Ornie Facebook SAL
  2. WIPocalypse
  3. Hallowe’en ornie SAL
  4. Gifted Gorgeousness
  5. Stitch from Stash on Facebook
  6. JK’s Groupies (AU/NZ) on Facebook – “19 in 19” (my choices are 19 new starts, 19 finishes, and use 19 colours in a project)
  7. JK’s Groupies (AU/NZ) on Facebook – monthly challenges

2018 WIPocalypse year in review

It’s been a year with less stitching done than normal, as my foray into the world of crochet has taken over my crafting mojo (but I’m not complaining). This post is a summary of my progress over the year, along with how I went with my 2018 goals.

WIP start/finish stats:

45 = Number of WIPs/UFOs @ 1 January 2018 (yikes!)
– 7 = Number of WIPs/UFOs completed in 2018
+ 1 = Number of new WIPs added in 2018
—-
39 = WIPs/UFOs balance

WIP finishes:

The seven WIPs I managed to finish in 2018 were:

  1. Mill Hill: Starfish
  2. Homespun Elegance: Starry Snowman
  3. Cindy Valentine: Bee Keeper Scissor Keeper & Fob
  4. Hardanger scissor fob
  5. Sue Hillis Designs: Spool Ornament
  6. Mirabilia: Red (done in blues)
  7. Ruth Schmuff Designs: Flight of the Bumblebees
  • Starfish by Mill Hill
    Starfish by Mill Hill – Finished
  • After: Starry Snowman ornie by Homespun Elegance
  • Bee Keeper Scissor Keeper by Cindy Valentine – Finished
  • After: Hardanger scissor fob
  • Red (done in blues) by Mirabilia – Finished
  • Flight of the Bumblebees by Ruth Schmuff – Finished

New starts in 2018:

Out of all of the new starts I had in 2018, only one remains a WIP at the end of the year:

  1. Prairie Schooler: Eeek from Bump in the Night (finished)
  2. Lizzie*Kate: Spooky time freebie (finished)
  3. Lizzie*Kate: Very Merry ornie (finished)
  4. The Little Stitcher: Warm Hands, Warm Heart ornie (finished)
  5. Blue Ribbon Designs: Frosty Friends ornie (finished)
  6. Needle Delights Originals: Double Delights – Charbleu (finished)
  7. Anna-Marie Winter: Medley Miniature (canvaswork kit) (finished)
  8. Laura J Perin: Holiday Square freebie (finished)
  9. Northern Pine Designs: Earth Spirit (finished)
  10. Laura J Perin: Seaside Blues (finished)
  11. Periwinkle Promises: Blueberry needle case (finished)
  12. Elizabeth’s Designs: Ladybug (finished – just need to attach the charm)
  13. Rovaris: Joy ornament (finished)
  14. Pickle Barrel Designs: Special Delivery (finished)
  15. Nora Corbett: Dragonfly (Retreat project) – WIP
  • Spooky Time by Lizzie*Kate
  • “Very Merry” by Lizzie*Kate
  • “Warm hands, warm heart” by The Little Stitcher
  • “Frosty Friends” by Blue Ribbon Designs
  • “Double Delights – Charbleu” by Needle Delights Originals
  • “Holiday Square” freebie by Laura J Perin
  • Holiday Square (freebie) by Laura J Perin
  • Earth Spirit by Northern Pine Designs
    Earth Spirit by Northern Pine Designs

Other progress on WIPs:

While I didn’t manage to get these projects finished this year, I did manage a bit of progress – not sure they’ll be finished in 2019 either, but I’ll eventually keep chipping away at them slowly but surely.

  • Before: Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore
  • After: Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore
  • Before: Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor
  • After: Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor
  • Before: Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine
  • Egyptian Garden Mandala 24Nov2018
    After: Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine as at 24 Nov 2018

2018 Goals

I didn’t want to set too many ‘goals’ this year because I have a tendency not to meet them … instead I thought of these goals being like the Pirate’s Code, ie more like ‘guidelines’ 😉 It was a lofty wishlist, full of my crafty hopes and dreams for the year – I managed to meet a fair few of them, but there were also many that weren’t touched …

Cross stitch and embroidery

Cross stitch WIPs:

  1. √ DONE Starfish by Mill Hill – goal was to complete it
  2. √ DONE Red by Mirabilia (in a blue conversion) – goal was to complete it
  3. √ DONE Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor – goal was 20 hours (ie two rotation slots) or two larger motifs completed, and I managed to completed the entire bottom section
  4. X FAIL Red Lace Sewing Case by The Drawn Thread – goal was to add the felt/beads and do the finishing – I didn’t touch it
  5. X FAIL Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine – goal was to finish the bottom half – but I did manage to make some progress on one corner
  6. X FAIL Quaker Christmas II by ByGone Stitches – goal was to at least finish the Let There be Peace on Earth motif in the centre – I didn’t touch it
  7. X FAIL When Witches Go Riding by The Prairie Schooler – goal was to finish this – I didn’t touch it
  8. √ XS DONE Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore – goal was to finish two of the three kings in the centre
  9. √ DONE Progress on three other UFOs/WIPs – 1) Spool Ornament by Sue Hillis; 2) Starry Snowman ornie; and 3) Hardanger scissor fob.

Other needlework WIPs:

  1. √ DONE Flight of the Bumblebees by Ruth Schmuff – finish this by adding the embellishments
  2. X FAIL Hearts & Berries by Marg Low – goal was to finish this into the bag – I didn’t touch it
  3. X FAIL Make a Christmas Wish by Marg Low – goal was to finish this and get it framed before Christmas – I didn’t touch it
  4. X FAIL Travel Cord Buddy by Michelle Marvig – goal was to finish this – I didn’t touch it
  5. X FAIL Stumpwork – choose one old stumpwork UFO and make some progress – I didn’t touch it

New starts:

  1. √ DONE Start and finish at least two canvaswork projects – 1) Earth Spirit by Northern Pine Designs; 2) Holiday Square by Laura J Perin
  2. X FAIL Start a new HAED (or maybe two – one mini/QS and one larger one) – I didn’t start one, although it’s kitted up ready to go
  3. √ DONE Choose a project (or two) that has specialty stitches – eg hardanger, band sampler – Blueberry Sampler by Periwinkle Promises

Crochet

My goals here were much loftier to keep the momentum up while learning so that the lessons I learnt at the end of 2017 were more ingrained into my brain cells! Surprisingly I didn’t do to badly here!

  1. √ DONE Finish my striped blanket
  2. X FAIL Make at least one (hopefully different) granny square or other blanket square every week – started this but became bored quickly … I did make enough to put together for a charity blanket, though, at some point
  3. √ DONE Complete at least three months crochet projects from “Crate Crochet” – I think I managed to complete five of the main projects and all of the small extra projects in the beginners boxes
  4. √ DONE Make a coffee cup cuff
  5. X FAIL Small granny square pincushion – the crochet is finished, but it still needs to be made into a pincushion, and I just realised the centre flower is wrong and needs to be redone, so it’s back in the “failure” bucket!
  6. X FAIL Make a shawl – I didn’t start one
  7. √ DONE Start an Atlanticus (mandala) blanket – this was my highlight of 2018, being confident enough to tackle this one, a lofty goal indeed! It should be finished in 2019.
  8. X FAIL Restart my Spice of Life blanket

Quilting

  1. X FAIL Make some small pincushions
  2. X FAIL  very simple goal here of starting a queen-sized bed patchwork quilt for myself
  3. X FAIL Maybe start my Piece and Plenty quilt
  4. X FAIL Maybe start my The Blue Collection quilt (but highly unlikely)

Stitchalongs/Challenges

I think the two SALs that I did do only lasted 2-3 months for me – my intentions were good, but life just got in the way this year. Hopefully 2019 will be the year where I do much better!

  1. √ DONE WIPocalypse 2018 – my favourite challenge every year, I didn’t manage to post every month, but I did still continue posting
  2. X FAIL Smalls SAL – I didn’t do anything for this SAL
  3. X FAIL Hallowe’en Ornie SAL – I only managed two months of the SAL this year, which is woeful
  4. X FAIL Stitch from Stash 2018 – I didn’t keep track of my spending this year, but definitely had some splurges in sales.

As expected my goal achievements were definitely not great … but I enjoyed everything that I did do this year. Having the goals helped me to focus during the year to see how I was tracking, so it’s definitely something worth doing for 2019 – it made me have a flurry of activity towards the last quarter of the year when I realised how few of my goals had been achieved! 😉