WIPocalypse – Page 3 – Feather Stitching

I’m a 50-something crafter in Australia who’s been stitching for approximately 35 or so years and I’m never happy unless I’m learning something new and being challenged by my crafts. Stitching has continued to be an emotional trigger for me since my Mum’s decline in health and not being able to speak to her or hear her voice, so I’ve been cardmaking for the last two years instead of stitching. My mojo started to return a bit more at the very end of 2023, and hopefully 2024 will continue to see this side of my crafty endeavours return in strength again – and maybe I’ll finally dust my sewing machine off again as it hasn’t been touched in 2 1/2 years now.

My goals are very simple for 2024 – and that’s just to finish at least one needlework project by the end of the year. The aim is to also make some progress on other existing WIPs as well, but that’s not the primary focus. I don’t want to place high expectations on my needlework activities next year, hoping that my mojo will return on its own, and I’ll automatically increase activity without having it defined as a goal.

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

WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse 2024 – goals

7 January, 20247 January, 2024 Anne S

It’s been a loooong time since joining in with the WIPocalypse. Hopefully this year sees me back on track again with my stitching and I can finally see a few projects getting some love … and maybe even a finish or two? I’m going to try to keep my goals really minimal this year, though, I’ll be happy just to make any progress on WIPs – but it wouldn’t be a new year without setting at least some goals.

My crafting goals for 2024 are:

Progress on at least 12 WIPs (helped by the WIPGO challenge) – progress can be 1 stitch, 1 strand of thread, 1 day or 1 week, as long as it’s some sort of progress
Sew an item – whether clothing, quilting or finishing
Work on a crochet item WIP
Find a good balance to work on both needecrafts and papercrafts/cardmaking

To kick off the new year, I managed to pick up an old canvaswork WIP, Lahaina Breezes by Laura J Perin. I was supposed to work on my WIPGO projects in cells 9 and 22 but they didn’t call to me – I figured I can just swap my numbers around and work on any two projects each month initially while I’m continuing to get my stitching mojo back again … and Lahaina Breezes felt like it needed some love. Here are the before and after photos after a few days work. My thumb is sore from pulling the needle through the back of the stitches, and I’ve run out of the main thread, so it’s being put aside again for now … but gee I’m happy with the progress on this one!

I’m adding a gallery of all projects sitting on my WIPGO board and how they looked at the start of this year – hopefully 2024 will see them all get a bit of progress and love.

English Garden Sampler by Teresa Wentzler

Cartonnage, Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse Jan 2024

7 January, 20242 March, 2024 Anne S

Oh my goodness I just realised this was still sitting in draft!!

In January I managed to make some decent progress on Lahaina Breezes by Laura J Perin. I also finished my most challenging cartonnage project to date – a toolbox for my cartonnage tools!! I’m so in love with that box 🩵

2023 recap

Goals partially met for 2023:

Progress on 12 WIPs/UFOs

I only made progress on four projects, instead of 12.

Kathy Rees: Banded by Bargello (FINISH) – I made some decent progress at the start of the year before losing my mojo again, but ended the year on a high as it was the only project I wanted to work on when my mojo returned a bit. I’m so excited to show that this was 100% finished too, woohoo!

HAED: Mini Sunflowers – I really love every moment I spend stitching on this one, it’s a really good mix of confetti and larger sections of colour. It’s my first HAED stitched on 18ct Aida too, and I’m quite enjoying it.

Un chat dans l’aiguille: Août – I had to do a lot of frogging on this one, so not as much progress as I would have hoped

Rosewood Manor: Quaker Diamonds (I thought it was going to be a finish, but then realised I’d missed a couple of the over-one small letters, so it’s in the naughty corner until I can find a set of spare Qsnaps for that one section – it may end up being my first finish of 2024)

Progress on three canvaswork projects

I only made progress on one project, although it was a LOT of progress, as I actually finished it!
– Kathy Rees: Banded by Bargello

Goals not met at all for 2023:

Progress on a crochet project
I didn’t make progress on an older WIP, but I did start a new project and made progress on that one (Uptown Poncho) … which I guess will be a WIP for 2024 now
Complete 12 Christmas ornaments (as part of the JCS ornament SAL on Facebook) – not started
Sew an item of clothing – not started
Finish and frame the Ronald McDonald charity stitching – not started
Start a bed quilt – not started
Complete at least three sewing projects (eg pouches, pincushions etc – WIPs or new starts) – not started
Finish-finish at least 12 items in my finishing pile (eg Christmas ornaments etc) – not started

Cartonnage, Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse 2023 recap

28 December, 20237 January, 2024 Anne S

My mojo didn’t last long at the start of the year, so there’s not too much to recap for the year, but I’m super happy that at least there are a few projects that got some love, including a couple of big finishes.

Goals fully met for 2023:

Complete at least one cartonnage project

The first goal I met completely (and I realised I forgot to post about) – I finished two cartonnage class kit projects.

Progress on at least one project with specialty stitches

I’m using my progress on Banded by Bargello by Kathy Rees for this goal, which is constructed almost entirely out of specialty stitches (progress photos below).

Goals partially met for 2023:

Progress on 12 WIPs/UFOs

I only made progress on four projects, instead of 12.

Un chat dans l’aiguille: Août – I had to do a lot of frogging on this one, so not as much progress as I would have hoped

Progress on three canvaswork projects

I only made progress on one project, although it was a LOT of progress, as I actually finished it!
– Kathy Rees: Banded by Bargello

Goals not met at all for 2023:

Progress on a crochet project
I didn’t make progress on an older WIP, but I did start a new project and made progress on that one (Uptown Poncho) … which I guess will be a WIP for 2024 now
Complete 12 Christmas ornaments (as part of the JCS ornament SAL on Facebook) – not started
Sew an item of clothing – not started
Finish and frame the Ronald McDonald charity stitching – not started
Start a bed quilt – not started
Complete at least three sewing projects (eg pouches, pincushions etc – WIPs or new starts) – not started
Finish-finish at least 12 items in my finishing pile (eg Christmas ornaments etc) – not started

Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse for January

1 February, 20231 February, 2023 Anne S

I can’t believe it, thanks to my stitchy bug coming back very sporadically thanks to attempting WIPGO, I actually have a stitchy update this month … may wonders never cease!?

My first project called was for Mini Sunflowers by HAED – I loved stitching this one so much I kept going well after the 5 hours were up. Here are the before and after shots.

The next project called ended up having a bit of frogging to do, so reverse stitching ate up a lot of my 5 hours – most of what I put in on the first day had to be removed again … oops. Anyway, here’s my progress at the end of the goal. I think I’ll probably keep on going to get this one finished, though, as it took me a long time to find my groove with the various stitches and I think it’d make sense to keep going while I’m in the right headspace. I swear I’m the slowest stitcher on the planet when I’m working on this one!!

If you have been to retreats, what are your must-bring items and supplies?

I pretty much just bring along my standard stitching kit of highlighter or tablet (depending on whether I’m working on a paper or digital pattern for my working copy), scissors, needles, etc – and depending what type of stitching retreat either one focal project to work on or a number of smaller ones if I can’t make up my mind … more often the latter.

Challenges & SALs, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse 2023 – goals for the year

5 January, 20235 January, 2023 Anne S

I’m almost reluctant to set any goals this year, but what the heck … go big or go home, right? I’ve pretty much copied over the goals I set two years ago before my stitching hiatus, with a few adjustments and removals. I originally wanted to finish Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor and also Three Kings by Mill Hill, but I don’t want that pressure if my mojo doesn’t stay so most items are for ‘progress’ instead of finishes.

My needlecraft goals for 2023 are:

Progress on 12 WIPs/UFOs (WIPGO should hopefully help me meet this goal)
Progress on three canvaswork projects (WIPs or new starts)
Progress on a crochet project
Complete 12 Christmas ornaments (as part of the JCS ornament SAL on Facebook)
Sew an item of clothing
Finish and frame the Ronald McDonald charity stitching
Start a bed quilt
Complete at least one cartonnage project
Complete at least three sewing projects (eg pouches, pincushions etc – WIPs or new starts)
Progress on at lease one project with specialty stitches or non-cross stitch (eg stumpwork, hardanger etc)
Finish-finish at least 12 items in my finishing pile (eg Christmas ornaments etc)

The starting point for those projects on my WIPGO board this year:

Goals, WIPocalypse

2022 stitching recap

5 January, 20235 January, 2023 Anne S

My goodness, this is probably the easiest annual review I’ve ever done, as I only worked on two projects!

I started the year in January hopeful that I’d get back into my stitching again, but my mojo was short lived and only lasted a few hours – I did, however, manage to complete all the letters on this canvaswork cushion by The Stitchsmith called Aroha so it wasn’t all bad (even if I only had 1 1/2 letters needing to be stitched).

The next time I did any stitching was late last month in December, where I got a sudden urge to stitch some of the blocks of Banded by Bargello by Kathy Rees. I realised I hadn’t downloaded the final part of the chart before I flew to NZ to care for Mum, and no longer had access to the email address I’d originally used, but Kathy kindly helped me out by sending me the missing parts. I think working on this project has helped me to get my mojo back a bit. It reminded me just how much I love working on canvaswork pieces, especially when the blocks are small and easy to count. This is such a beautiful piece of work, photos will never do it justice, I think. Here’s the before and after. The ‘before’ photo is closer to the colours in real life. It was so nice to put needle through canvas again, especially on a project that was really calling my name loudly.

WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

May WIPocalypse

1 June, 2020 Anne S

As I’ve posted about previously, May has seen my mojo return with a vengeance, and my energy levels and confidence towards my crafting endeavours has been really positive. I even managed to do a few small updates to some of my WIPs (not to mention adding tremendously to my WIP list with all the new starts in May … oops). Here is a review of the WIP upates from May during IsoMaynia.

Raphael’s Raspberries by Forgets-Me-Nots in Stitches

Mia Mermaid (retreat project) by Nora Corbett / Mirabilia

Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor

When Witches Go Riding by The Prairie Schooler

Finch Song by Shepherd’s Bush

My goals for 2020 have seen some progress in general, thanks to being stood down from work three days a week throughout May and more free time to work on crafts. So far I’m stood down until at least the end of June, so I’m hoping this will continue for another month at least 😉

WIPocalypse

Mid-May craft update (Apr WIPocalypse)

16 May, 2020 Anne S

Wow, what a crazy year this has been so far – thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been stood down from work three days a week which stressed me out majorly when I heard the news … but in hindsight it’s actually been a godsend to me. I’ve been battling depression since Dad passed (I hadn’t realised just how much of a major toll it had taken on my health with Dad’s horrendous extended stay in hospital while managing Mum’s dementia at the same time – not to mention frantic and challenging work conditions back at home). Now the norm is working from home (which I love), and only working two days a week for a while. It’s not conducive to getting a great deal of work done each week, but it IS really conducive to me getting my life back on track craft-wise.

April WIPocalypse came and went – I thought about doing a post with my updates, but I looked back and realised there weren’t any! This month, however, is a totally different story – I have craft updates coming out the wazoo!!

We have regular stitching get-togethers with friends twice a month in real life here in Sydney, but due to the pandemic and lockdown all events have been cancelled the last couple of months … meaning we’ve resorted to Skype calls which have continued every Saturday. Three weeks ago I was joking that since being stood down my head is swimming with all the many things I want to do craft-wise – I just want to start everything at the same time and I felt really motivated. To sum it up we jokingly came up with the term of IsoMaynia – kinda like the major Stitchmania challenge every year, but just for while we’re in lockdown/isolation. My personal challenge was to attempt a different craft or stitching project every day in May – and to date that’s been working out well.

In the first two weeks of May I’ve managed lots of new starts, and progress on a couple of WIPs. Seeing as I’ve pretty much run out of Qsnaps now, I’ll likely be working on a few more WIPs for the rest of the month, but don’t hold me to that! 😉

I’ll post all the updates in weekly bursts shortly – but first here’s the April WIPocalypse stitchers’ question of the month:

Tell us about a piece that you absolutely loved stitching.
Goodness, there are a number of projects that I really loved doing, so it’s hard to pick just one … I’ll just say the first one that comes to mind, which is Mirabilia’s ‘Red’ done in a blue conversion. The whole thing makes my heart sing … from Nora’s amazing design itself, down to the amazing conversion and colours by Beth, and being so happy with the fabric choice for her. It’s probably the quickest I’ve ever finished a Mirabilia design too, so that’s probably a good indication of how much I loved doing her – although a deadline of getting her finished before a retreat that Nora was attending might have been a bit of motivation too 😉

Red (done in blues) by Mirabilia – Finished

Crochet, Goals, Quilting & Sewing, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – Feb/Mar 2020

4 April, 2020 Anne S

I don’t know where the year has gone already – I just realised I haven’t posted an update since the very start of the year. I wish I could say I was too busy progressing on my WIPs, but in all honesty I’ve been dealing with depression and a crazy time at work. After being stood down from work yesterday and being moved to working two days a week, it could be the impetus that I need to change my routine and kick me out of my depressive rut – or it will increase it, I guess – time will tell. I do know that I won’t be able to afford any of my bills or put food on the table some weeks for a while, but I also do know that I have a huge stash that is going to see me through these unprecedented tough times – as long as I have a roof over my head!

Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom – time to answer the year’s questions to date and work out if I have an update to show …

February:

In honor of “Leap Year,” tell the story of a time you had to make some sort of a “leap” in stitching – taking the chance on a new style of stitching, attending a meetup or class, etc.

When I lived in Auckland I used to attend classes all the time at my LNS – it took me out of my comfort zone all the time and I got to experience so many different techniques in a supportive environment. I miss those classes so very much! I’m very introverted so it was a big step for me to sign-up to classes on my own, but I’m so very glad I did. I managed to do classes on stumpwork, hardanger, surface embroidery and more … geez I really do miss that so much!

March:

Have you ever adopted a piece from someone else or gave up a piece to someone else? Which piece and why?

Yes, I adopted a Marjolein Bastin cross-stitched piece from someone who had fallen out of love with it. I still haven’t finished stitching it, but it will get done one day, even if it’s to donate to charity as fundraising for one of the animal shelter groups.

Progress on goals

Um, yeah … not so much really, considering we’re already a quarter of the way through the year! One or two items have been done, or started, though, so all is not entirely lost!

Make progress on three canvaswork projects (WIPs or new starts) – 1) I started Banded by Bargello by Kathy Rees as a Mystery SAL new start
Make progress on a crochet blanket – I had a new start of start of Marnie’s Garden by Hooked on Sunshine for a friend … not sure that was the intention for this goal, though, to start a new one 😉
Finish at least three projects from Crate Crochet – 1) February 2020 box is done – Emily’s Cowl
Finish at least one project from Crochet Society – a hexagon cushion is in progress, it just needs to be put together
Complete 12 ornaments for Just Cross Stitch ornament SAL (Facebook) – 1) January is in progress, and has been since well um early January, it’s kinda stalled ‘cos I’m not enjoying it
Make some bat wraps and joey pouches for wildlife rescue – Done, I made a heap of joey pouches and hanging bags (photo to follow)
Sew an item of clothing – Done … can’t believe I managed it after all these years of not sewing, and I was pretty damned chuffed with myself, I have to say!