Author: Anne S

Brightening my life one stitch or one card at a time, and sharing my joy of needlework and card-making.
Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

Final Challenge days

Anne S

I haven’t managed much stitching at all today as it’s been too stinking hot in the flat – I truly hate Sydney in summer, the humidity kills me, and it’s really not conducive to stitching (especially as we don’t have air-con).  Oh well, even with sweat dripping off the brow, I still managed to put enough stitches into the final three pieces over the last couple of days to qualify as a “start”:

Shepherd’s Bush – Happy Pumpkin roll

Moss Creek Designs – Schwalmwork Pinkeep
(one round of broad chain stitch and one round of coral stitch completed)

Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches – Raphael’s Raspberries
(a handful of queen stitches completed and lots of basting)

As much as I’ve loved starting all the new projects, I’m definitely champing at the bit to go back to some of the earlier starts and spend some more quality time on each piece.  I think the first one to be stitched will be Baby Bug Ball, followed by my canvaswork piece, then Autumn Harvest as that should be a relatively quick finish … plus I have one more Christmas ornie I want to complete by the end of the month.

Then next weekend I’ll be spending some time with the ‘old ducks’ downstairs (my elderly neighbours) – I spent some time today setting up Norma’s old sewing machine for her (it took me a while to work out where the heck the bobbin was hiding the machine is that old), then got suckered into potentially sewing Barbara a quilted toaster cover … I really should learn to keep my mouth shut and not discuss crafts down there haha.

And now it’s time to get back in front of the fan for another 1/2 hour or so watching the end of CSI 🙂

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch

Day 13 & 14

Anne S

I ended up chatting to my flatmate until almost 11pm last night, and felt too tired to start stitching at that point, so alas I didn’t complete my Day 13 challenge of a new start – I’ve got my substitute project all picked out, though, and ready to start tonight … I figure I’ll just start two different projects on Sunday and that’ll be OK for me to meet the challenge deadline of 15 projects in 15 days 😀

And I also have on my personal list of challenges this year a Schwalmwork or Hardanger project to be completed, so I’m thinking perhaps I should include one of those items into my final selection for the 15 Project Challenge, thereby offering great time management and hitting two birds with one stone! 😉

If I do decide to do that, then one of these projects may be my final project choice (unless I manage to pull my finger out on Saturday and sort out my fabric and threads for My Treasures Workstation of course … or choose Eiffel Quaker, which I’m very very tempted by!!!):

GCC Beginner's Hardanger

Anyway I just heard my flatmate walk in the door, so it’s time to hit the lounge for a DVD movie and some stitching!  I won’t update again tonight with any progress, so I’ll do a post tomorrow with my final 3 project starts 😀

(PS:  I had an informal follow-on chat to my boss this morning about the environment in the office – she is one of the very few people who don’t play the political card and is very trustworthy, I respect her a great deal – and we worked on some suggested strategies on how to handle the moaners, so we’ll see how that all goes … it helped me feel a bit more positive about it all though, so time will tell …)

In the meantime I MUST start organising a stitching day with my NSW pals (you know who you are!!) ‘cos that’ll help me to get my work-life-balance back again … they always cheer me up, and what’s better than a healthy dose of stitchy company?? 😀

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch

January Challenge – Day 13 is a washout

Anne S

I didn’t get to sleep until after 3am this morning, thanks to my mind tossing and turning with the work situation – I’m just so tired with dealing with the petty and power-hungry nature of some of the people I work with, that I think it’s time to start looking elsewhere … a job that I used to love is becoming an arduous one thanks to the political minefield that our department has become, and I don’t want to lose the thrill I have always had working for my employer.  It may be a while before I find something within the same company, but it’s definitely time to start putting feelers out and keeping an eye on what’s on the radar …

To be honest I’m feeling a bit exhausted to start a new project today, finding scroll bars or Qsnaps that will fit, measuring the centre etc … so I may just flake on today’s challenge day – partly because the remaining designs are not entirely appealing to my mood:

  • Raphael’s Raspberries – this one requires me to baste a heap of grid lines prior to commencing stitching, then the first stitches are queen stitches, so not exactly an ‘easy, make your mind relax’ kind of project, so not an option
  • My Treasures Workstation – I still haven’t decided on my final thread choices for this one, plus I just remembered I haven’t pulled fabric for it yet as I was waiting to choose my threads then match a fabric afterwards … as I’m feeling particularly non-creative, not a good idea tonight!
  • Christmas by Prairie Moon – my fabric still hasn’t arrived in the country (the parcel was sent at the beginning of December or late November some time), which means that’s not an option whatsoever

So, now I’m a bit stuck …

I do have a few other smaller projects already kitted up, so perhaps I’ll just grab some substitutes (they’re just small freebies and charts which is why I didn’t want to include them in the first place as I didn’t think they were significant enough) and start stitching as they’re ready to go and are real no-brainers challenge-wise.  Then I can stitch Raphael’s Raspberries as my final project on Saturday when I have more mental space to think about it – and I’ll continue to stitch the other two throughout the year once I haven’t all the kit contents sorted out … oh, decisions decisions, what to do … 😉

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Days 11 & 12

Anne S

I had a huge post underway as a vent about work due to some very hurtful things that were said to me today, but I have decided to leave it sitting in draft and just use it as an unpublished venting platform.  I am, however, in the process of removing pretty much all of my work colleagues from my FB friends list, with one particularly vindictive, childish, manipulative, power-hungry cow being the first one to be removed tonight … um, perhaps I should go back to the venting post, as there obviously appears to be more in here to unleash …

Anyway, after chatting to my flatmate and best mate here about everything for 4 hours, and mulling over how to handle the FB issue, I remembered that I was supposed to be stitching … so at 10.45pm I pulled one whole strand of thread out and put a few stitches into Bent Creek’s Winter Snapperland while K watched the final few overs of the cricket.

Plus I remembered to take a quick piccie of last night’s pitiful progress (although in hindsight nowhere near as pitiful as tonight’s haha).

And on that note I guess I really should hit the hay for the tonight – after I’ve culled a few more work colleagues from FB …

Cross Stitch

January Challenge – Day 11

Anne S

Yesterday I spent most of the day doing household chores and pottering around (in particular cleaning out accumulated bags of crap in my bedroom) – that meant no stitching done until about 9pm … I managed to put a couple of lengths of thread into Jardin Prive’s Christmas, but just realised I didn’t take a progress piccie … as I’m now running late for work, I guess it’ll just have to wait until tonight (when I think Bent Creek’s Winter Snapperland will be on the stitching menu) 😀

Christmas Ornaments, Country Cottage Needleworks, Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Day 10

Anne S

Today saw me undertaking a number of housekeeping tasks, including packing away all the Christmas decorations, cleaning half of the bathroom, vacuuming and even a little bit of dusting (shock, horror, I hear Mum utter) – after the vacuuming I decided I’d had enough of the rivers of sweat pouring down my back and opted to sit for the rest of the afternoon in front of the electric fan and watching Criminal Minds on DVD – which also meant plenty of stitching time today for Day 10 of the Crazy January Challenge, and some brown blobs that will eventually look like little teddy bears once a bucket-load of backstitching is added.

I’m absolutely loving doing this challenge, and like a few other people I’ve seen, I could continue all month doing these new starts, it’s very invigorating.  I will, however, need to think of a potential substitute for Prairie Moon’s Christmas chart if my fabric doesn’t arrive over the next couple of days – oh such hardship, having to find another project to start!!  I’m thinking perhaps Jardin Prive’s Eiffel Quaker … or JBW Designs’ Christmas Pudding … or … or … or … well, a number of other projects waiting in the wings to be started really … 😉

After completing two bears, I decided enough was enough of the revolting Lugana I was stitching on, and I picked up my previously started Christmas ornie and finished it.  I stitched this one a few years ago when I didn’t have the recommended Blue Moon by Crescent Colours, and this time I used the correct blue seeing as I now have that thread in my stash (I did, however, still continue to substitute WDW Kudzu with NN Olive Grove).  This completes one ornie for my monthly goal – but I’d still really like to finish one more, which I have kitted up ready to go (along with two more kitted up ready for next month).  I love, love, love this ornie, and the colours are just stunning … this is possibly one of my favourite ornies EVER!  But that’s a no-brainer really, ‘cos it’s BLUE! 😀

“Winter’s Eve” by Country Cottage Needleworks
from 2006 JCS Christmas ornie magazine
stitched on 32ct natural Belfast linen
with mix of DMC, Needle Necessities and Crescent Colours threads

And on that note I’d better hit the hay, ‘cos it’s now 1am and I need to be up and at ’em early tomorrow to make the most of my final day off 🙂

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Day 9 & shopping

Anne S

Today I left a little later than I originally hoped, but I braved the rush and headed out to Ikea on the other side of Sydney … I love wandering around Ikea but absolutely detest the crowds that are inevitably present.  I still managed to pick up a few things that I wanted, though, including the main item I went for, a small TV cabinet, and a tall foldable clothes airer.  A new table lamp also jumped into the cart when I wasn’t looking!  As well as surviving Ikea, I also picked up a couple of items from Howard’s Storage, including a contraption that sits over your doors and allows you to hang coats etc off it … well, I couldn’t resist it, and it’s now proudly holding two scarves that Mum knitted for me, along with my cross stitch WIPs that are no longer gracing my Qsnaps – at least this way they’ll stay nice and flat and won’t require multiple ironing jobs (although the one on the top escaped the iron the first time round!!) … I also picked up a steamed pudding tin and a drinking bottle for when I get my fat carcass back into the gym this week …

After cooking up a big batch of brown rice for dinner and the freezer, I sat down in front of the electric fan and did a bit of stitching on my Day 9 project.  I had to laugh at one point, because my stitching reminded me of a stylized gherkin sitting on the fabric …

until I added a few more stitches and turned it into a stylized little hill 😉

It is, of course, the centre panel on the lady’s dress … but alas it will remain looking like a hill for quite some time …

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Day 8

Anne S

I had a really bad night’s sleep with my throbbing leg (compliments of my buggered back), and ended up sleeping in later than I expected to today, which means I didn’t bother braving the traffic to go to Ikea today – I absolutely detest trying to find a carpark at that shopping centre, so I’ll go if I can leave early and arrive around opening time.  Seeing as I still felt a bit run over during the day, I spent the entire day sat up in bed in front of the electric fan with needle in hand with project #8 of the January challenge.  This is probably the first one I’ve been quite happy to put down after a number of hours working on it – the fabric is a standard Dimensions kit cardboard Aida, and doesn’t make the stitching particularly pleasurable (I should’ve tried washing it first, but didn’t think about that until it was too late!).  Anyway, here’s my progress from today:

After putting Tiger Reflections to one side, I started another new start, this one an old Christmas ornament by CCN called Winter’s Eve – hopefully I’ll get chance to finish this one over the next couple of days, as it’s relatively simple and easy stitching 🙂

And that’s it for me for the evening – time to get back into bed, although I can’t guarantee there’ll be much more stitching done this evening!

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Day 7

Anne S

Alas, I didn’t get to sit down properly tonight until 10.30pm, after catching up some FB gameplay and cooking a big pot of “Dragon Curry” (not actually made of Dragons, but my Mum’s curry recipe).  The outcome is not much stitching done yet again tonight – and now it’s half past midnight so not much energy to post an update … alas this will therefore be another “fly-by” posting … and here’s tonight’s paltry progress:

I’m now on a 4-day break after requesting 2 RDOs next week, so I should get a bit more substantial stitching done during the next 4 days – although I have some other plans as well, including heading out to battle Ikea crowds on the other side of Sydney, starting going back to the gym on Monday to start some exercise therapy for my buggered back, and taking down the Christmas decorations.  All-in-all I’m looking forward to it! 😀