While I’ve managed to get a few finishes under my belt in the last six months or so, I’ve also chipped away a tiny bit at a couple more WIPs. The first one is “Quaker Christmas II – Songs of the Season” by ByGone Stitches. This is how it looked the last time I took a progress photo:
And how it looks now (or at least how it looked a month or two ago anyway – there’s only been a tiny bit more progress on the right-hand motif since the photo was taken, but I’m too lazy to take an updated piccie just for those few stitches):
After I finished off Lizzie*Kate’s 2007 Special Edition Christmas kit, I wanted to stitch on something easy to work on – my choice at the time was the “Paris” kit by Country Threads. I was fully intending to finish off the letter R if nothing else, but in truth I’m not enjoying stitching with it in the scrollbars I’ve got it in, so I’ve since shelved it for a while until I find something else to pop it into. As it is I’m having to stitch it sideways so I could get it on the scrollbars in the first place … that feels really odd in itself really. I’ve actually done quite a bit more than what is showing in the piccie – and I think with a concentrated effort I’d get this letter finished with a good week of stitching, except my efforts have moved on for a wee while to something else.
I did a bit of online shopping and bought some lovely (balsa probably) wooden crates from Briscoes online (Australian version of the NZ store). I thought they’d be great to put my UFOs/WIPs into to keep them in one place … except I found that in fact I could probably fill 3-4 crates once I included my older unloved UFOs. It has made me more determined, though, to get some more of those WIPs whipped into shape and into the finishing pile. I’d dearly love to get that pile down into just the one solitary storage crate … perhaps by the end of 2018 it may be doable … or 2019 … OK, 2020 if I’m truly realistic 😉 So yes, these are probably just half of the WIPs I have around the place, although they’re all on frames so they up a lot of room and it looks worse than what it is (that’s my excuse anyway).
In an effort to start whittling the contents of one crate down, I’ve opted to go back to working on a Christmas SAL I started in January, where we stitch a selected Christmas ornie each month from the 2015 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. I have all the fabrics chosen ready to go for each month’s project, and I’m way behind in the SAL, so I figured it could be quite a quick thing for me to go through and get those out of the way. Therefore my current WIPs will be, for the foreseeable future, various Christmas ornaments. I managed to catch up and stitch April’s ornament, and I’ve made a (very) small start on the May one.
“Very Merry Christmas” by Medina Originals
(from the 2015 Just Cross Stitch Christmas ornament issue)
Started some time in April 2016 – Finished 3 September 2016
Stitched on a mystery 32ct fabric that I can’t remember
with recommended DMC threads
Well I did say it was a small start … haha. I’ve actually done a wee bit more since then, although at my current rate of progress it’ll probably be another week away before this one is finished. It’s stitched on 36ct hand-dyed linen with one strand of thread, and I’m feeling my age when I’m stitching this one at the end of a long business day staring at a computer screen …
And that, I think, is all the stitching updates I have for now!
Feather Stitching 
I really want to do that Quaker Christmas – maybe when I retire in 36 months 15 days? I may email you to purchase the chart from you – so be warned you have that amount of time to complete 🙂
I’ve always admired your stitching, Anne, and your total devotion to it. I’ve been in a slump for several years, and my failing health is probably part of it, BUT! I’m getting better now that I’m on the right course of treatment and finally got a correct diagnosis. Whew! 16 years in the dark is way too long.
I have several blogs I’m going to start checking frequently for inspiration, and yours is at the top of my list. And I REALLY need to be inspired. Have recently dug out 3 lap stands and two big floor stands that I put together with a few plastic knobs, nuts and bolts. We moved 3 years ago and am just digging them out of storage. I have done some stitching during that time using only hoops and Q-Snaps, but I’m getting more confidence that I’m not going to croak and more serious about stitching. I have Quaker Christmas 1, and seeing your beautiful 2 excites me about going for it! The Paris design is intriguing, and I will be checking in on that project. However, I’ve made I’ve made myself a sincere promise (that is subject to being broken) to make significant progress on some UFOs that are hidden in the abyss designed to keep me from seeing them often.
Please wish me luck in borrowing your devotion to turning out the beauty and love of our craft, and I will be leaning on your work to keep me in the groove.
With Love,
Nancy xo
P.S. The blog WordPress has listed in my info is really not in operation since one post, but I leave it that way for now. It’s actually not for stitching anyway but was.
I recently went through and listed all of my WIPs in an attempt to get them under control…. it is scary how many there are now! And I keep having new starts!
I am also doing the JCS SAL on FB and was managing to keep up each month until 2 months ago – I didn’t want to do July so did a Wildcard and so far I haven’t finished August or started Sept… :o)
Hope you manage to tame your WIPs and bring that back into line!
Hugs xx
I like your storage solution with the balsa crates. I use Ikea cubes for mine, and seeing them all piled up certainly has made me want to whittle them down as quickly as I can! My “dream” is to get down to 6 WIPS, and I’m sure someday I will 😉
Your stitching is lovely and your progress is awesome.
I love the Christmas Quaker design. Good idea to finish some smaller WIPs too. I signed up for the 12 ornies SAL and haven’t stitched a single one! If you’re going to fail, fail epically LOL
I do like this little typography tree though,