Feather Stitching

Angel Stitchin, Canvaswork, Christmas Ornaments, Crafts - Needlework, Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches, IsoMaynia, Just Cross Stitch, Lizzie Kate, Periwinkle Promises, Sewing, The Stitchsmith, Un Chat dans l'aiguille

IsoMaynia – week one

16 May, 2020 Anne S

What an amazing boost to crafting goodness IsoMaynia has been for me. My engagement with my crafts has been through the roof, and it’s been wonderful to do some sort of creative endeavour every single day in May.

Here are the projects that were at the end of my needle for IsoMaynia through the first week of May:

1 May: Tilda Zippy pouch challenge

A Tilda Facebook group challenge, this was a totally new project to me, and got me back using the sewing machine and hand-sewing the binding on – first time using the plastic sheeting as well. The small one was the size for the challenge, and I chose to make a larger one as well for the designs I want to stitch each month for an annual Hallowe’en SAL challenge (of which I’ve been woeful at these last couple of years).

2 May: Stitching is the Berries by Periwinkle Promises

I’d actually started this one the week prior, so I’ve included a before and after shot to show how much I achieved on the day. The border is made up of lots and LOTS of queen stitches, and it’s using a different stitch technique that I’ve never seen before. I’ll be honest I struggled with it quite a lot, but after a while I grew to like it, and I ended up doing a few other projects using the same technique. It’s not my normal choice of colours, but I love the richness of the reds and it’s been fun to try some different stitches again. This is a kit that came with the fabric and threads and the finishing kit with the tin etc. Bought from a friend unloading some stash last year, it’s been fun to work on so far.

3 May: WIP – Raphael’s Raspberries by Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches

Oh my goodness this has been an unloved UFO for so very long – probably about five years now I think. I managed to get about six queen stitches done before throwing it in a corner for whatever reason. After the Periwinkle Promises queen stitches, though, I found I whipped through these ones pretty quickly. I think another full day of stitching and I just might have got all the main body of the stitching done … I think I’ll have to return to this one in June and get it finished. I have the matching sweet bag to go with it, so then I’ll set that up as a new start and a bigger challenge.

4 May: My other car is a broom by Lizzie*Kate

This was a kit put together by a LNS in Berry that has since closed down. In hindsight the fabric choice wasn’t great and the stitching disappears on it (the picture on the left is closer to the colour IRL). I wish I’d subbed the fabric for a darker one now, but it’s too late for that now (and I can’t be bothered unpicking the green and doing it again). I managed to start and finish this one on the same day, which is great – it was my first IsoMaynia finish 😀

5 May: Patch Coeur Août by Un Chat dans l’aiguille

A different challenge today doing surface stitchery. This is a kit that I bought on my last visit to Paris with Mum, so it was time I gave it a try. I always felt a bit intimated by it, especially as the instructions are all in french, but the stitch diagrams are clear enough to work out what the stitches are, and I managed to translate the key areas of the instructions to get me on my way. Thoroughly enjoyed this one, although I’ve now learned how sewing the ends in the back can pull on the front stitching and it stuffed up my buttonhole wheels in the lighthouse – I’ll just redo them later when I pick it back up again. It’s actually a lovely change not having to follow a chart and count for every stitch 🙂

6 May: Moose Joy by Angel Stitchin’

This was the January ornament choice by a JCS Ornie SAL Facebook group. I started it in January (so I’ve included the before and after photos), but just wasn’t feeling the love for it. I think it was more to do with my battling with depression and not having any mojo than anything being wrong with the design itself). I didn’t manage to get it finished on 5 May, but the next day I put the final stitches in place. Using my own choice of threads.

7 May: Aroha (Love) cushion by The Stitchsmith

Bought as a kit while Dad was in hospital last year, I started this one in February as my monthly stitching GTG project … mindless stitching while being able to chat and still make progress. Sadly February was the last GTG we had in person, so I figured I might as well give it some love for a short while. As this was a work-day, I only managed a short time working on it, but got the equivalent of one letter stitched – finishing the letter O and starting on the letter H.

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!

Challenges & SALs, Goals, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – Jan 2020

5 January, 20205 January, 2020 Anne S

Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year!

About me

I’m in my 50s and work full-time as a web publisher for an airline. I currently live in Sydney, Australia, which I’ve started to love thanks to having a great friendship network with fellow stitchers, but my home will probably always be Auckland, New Zealand where I grew up and spent most of my life.

I’ve dabbled in lots of crafts over the years, but cross stitch remains my one constant and which makes me the most relaxed at the end of a long work day. I love learning new things, so I like to dabble in specialty stitches and other techniques. I haven’t focused on this area of my crafts for a long time, though, so I’m hoping 2020 will be the year to kick-start my energy and enthusiasm for that again – I’m always happiest when I’m learning something new.

Goals for 2020

This year I’m kicking the year off with 56 craft WIPs/UFOs, which includes needlework and crochet projects. After last year’s pitiful efforts, I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and keep my goals simple (and hopefully achievable) this year.

Progress on 12 WIPs/UFOs (aiming for a different one each month)
Finish Quaker Diamonds
Finish Three Kings
Make progress on three canvaswork projects (WIPs or new starts)
Start a bed quilt
Make progress on a crochet blanket
Finish at least three projects from Crate Crochet
Finish at least one project from Crochet Society
Finish at least one project from KnitCrate
Complete 12 ornaments for Just Cross Stitch ornament SAL (Facebook)
Complete 12 ornaments for Hallowe’en ornie SAL
Finish-finish at least 12 items in my finishing pile
Stitch at least one charity quilt block
Finish and frame the Ronald McDonald charity stitching
Make some bat wraps and joey pouches for wildlife rescue
Sew an item of clothing
Make progress on/start at least three projects with specialty stitches or non-cross stitch techniques (eg stumpwork, hardanger, etc)
Start a HAED

I also intend starting a rotation again this year to keep me more focused. This year, though, I want to ensure I have a rotation slot or monthly time allocated to new starts for gifts – I have a number of projects I’ve been wanting to stitch as gifts for years now, so it’s time to start getting those stitched. I also want to ensure I give myself time to enjoy other pursuits and not just cross stitch and crochet.

And to kick off the year, here’s my list of current WIPs and their approx status (rounded up to the nearest 5%) – some of these I may scrap and start again, especially those at 5% for various reasons, and some may be offered up for rehoming. But for now, this is where they’re all at …

My WIPs – status @ 1 Jan 2020

Designer	Project Name	Main type	% Done
Ursula Michaels	Ronald McDonald charity	Cross stitch	95
Nora Corbett	Mia Mermaid (retreat project)	Cross stitch	85
CA Wells	Sailors Valentine	Cross stitch	85
Teresa Wentzler	English Garden Sampler	Cross stitch	80
CA Wells	Cottage Etui	Cross stitch	75
Rosewood Manor	Quaker Diamonds	Cross stitch	70
Stoney Creek	Nature’s Resting Place	Cross stitch	70
	Mediterranean Village scene	Cross stitch	70
Mill Hill	Three Kings	Cross stitch	60
Chatelaine	Egyptian Garden Mandala	Cross stitch	60
CA Wells	Pyramid Etui	Cross stitch	50
Prairie Schooler	When Witches Go Riding	Cross stitch	40
ByGone Stitches	Quaker Christmas II	Cross stitch	35
Teresa Wentzler	Noah’s Ark	Cross stitch	35
Shepherd’s Bush	Finch Song	Cross stitch	20
Country Threads	Paris	Cross stitch	20
Lorri Birmingham	Butterlies and Hearts needleroll	Cross stitch	20
Just Cross Stitch	Le Jardin Silk Sampler	Cross stitch	10
Anita Diamond	Quaker Flowers strawberry emery	Cross stitch	5
Textile Heritage	Topiary tree bookmark	Cross stitch	5
Mirabilia	Bluebeard’s Princess Mirabella	Cross stitch	5
Martha Schmidt	Hussif	Cross stitch	5
Lavender & Lace	Celtic Summer	Cross stitch	5
CCN	The Tea Room	Cross stitch	5
Drawn Thread	Almost Halloween	Cross stitch	5
Marg Low	Make a Christmas Wish	Non-XS	90
Monica Hunt	Hussif	Non-XS	90
Cindy Valentine	Apricot Elegance	Non-XS	65
–	Berry Delightful Bag	Non-XS	60
–	Wool hot water bottle cover	Non-XS	50
Inspirations	Summer fruits pincushion	Non-XS	40
Inspirations	Wool beehive needlebook	Non-XS	35
Moss Creek	Schwalmwork Pinkeep	Non-XS	25
–	Bullion rose facecloth	Non-XS	20
–	Goldwork pea	Non-XS	15
FMNIS	Rachel’s Raspberries	Non-XS	5
–	Long stitch frogs	Non-XS	5
–	Vicki’s cot quilt	Quilting	75
Jane Nicholas	Stumpwork needlework accessory – thimble pip	Stumpwork	80
Jane Nicholas	Dragonfly	Stumpwork	70
Jane Nicholas	Honesty and Heartsease	Stumpwork	70
Jane Nicholas	Oriental Poppy	Stumpwork	40
Jane Nicholas	Pomegranates and Beetle	Stumpwork	35
–	Beaded fish	Beading	50
Laura J Perin	Lahaina Breezes	Canvaswork	30
GCC	Ornamental Delights	Canvaswork	5
Crate Crochet	Beginners beanie (box 6)	Crochet	95
Lululoves	Granny Square pincushion	Crochet	90
Hooked on Sunshine	Atlanticus blanket	Crochet	70
Maria’s Blue Crayon	Coastal Indoor Rug	Crochet	50
Crate Crochet	Crate Crochet Hook Roll	Crochet	50
Crate Crochet	Ripple Tote	Crochet	20
Crate Crochet	C2C Bag	Crochet	15
	8-day kid blanket (blues)	Crochet	10
	Teal-coloured beanie	Crochet	10
Hooked on Sunshine	Phoenix blanket	Crochet	5

Goal tracking

To help me keep track of progress this year, I’ve updated my monthly craft planner (all just done in Microsoft Word) and created a checklist of all my 2020 craft goals with space for me to write in any details. These are now all printed off and about to get hole-punched to go into a dedicated ringbinder. Other than being disorganised and lazy, I have no excuses now for not tracking my progress this year! 😉

Challenges & SALs, Goals, WIPocalypse

2019 WIPocalypse year in review

4 January, 2020 Anne S

This post is a summary of my progress over the year, along with how I went with my 2019 goals. Because of personal circumstances (major project at work meaning extra-long working hours, and Dad’s hospitalisation and then passing away meaning 3 1/2 months of carers/compassionate leave), my goals were far from met this year, but as long as I managed to get some craft time in during the year I still think of it as positive progress.

WIP start/finish stats (includes stitching, crochet, quilting):

54 = Number of WIPs/UFOs @ 1 January 2019 (yikes!)
– 6 = Number of WIPs/UFOs completed in 2019
+ 7 = Number of new WIPs added in 2019 (ie started in 2019 but not finished)
—-
55 = WIPs/UFOs balance (oops – not my finest hour!)

WIP finishes:

The 6 WIPs I managed to finish in 2019 were:

Glendon Place: City Sidewalks ornament (cross stitch)
Elizabeth’s Designs: Ladybug (cross stitch)
Nora Corbett: Mirabilia Retreat dragonfly (cross stitch)
Marg Low: Hearts & Berries (embroidery and patchwork)
Michelle Marvig: Travel Cord Buddy (patchwork)
Simple ribbed beanie (crochet) (I can’t find the finished photo)

New starts in 2019:

Started and finished:

Blue Ribbon Designs: Two Stags and a Star ornament (JCS ornie SAL)
The Sweetheart Tree: Sweet Valentine
Dimensions: Stacked Tea Cups
Keslyn’s: Santa Hat & Boots ornament (JCS ornie SAL)
Laura J Perin: Flying Geese canvaswork
Knotted Tree NeedleArt: To All a Good Night ornament (JCS ornie SAL)
Cherished Stitches: Christmas memories (JCS ornie SAL)
Misty Hill Studio: Left Behind (JCS ornie SAL)
Elsa in a heart (charity quilt block)
Elsa with snowflakes (charity quilt block)
Crate Crochet: Spontaneous Shawl
Crate Crochet: Sweet Pea Mandala
Crate Crochet: Whimsy scarf
Dragon Dreams: What now? (JCS ornie SAL)
Elizabeth’s Designs: Under the Sea
Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery: Christmas morning goodies (JCS ornie SAL)
JBW Designs: Noel 2018 (JCS ornie SAL)
Leisure Arts, Big Book of Dishcloths: #32 dishcloth
Leisure Arts, Big Book of Dischcloths: #70 dishcloth
Rosewood Manor: The Heart of Christmas (JCS ornie SAL)

New starts that are still WIPs:

Out of all of the new starts I had in 2019, six remain as WIPs at the end of the year:

Maria’s Blue Crayons: Coastal Indoor Rug
Hooked on Sunshine: Phoenix blanket
Laura J Perin: Lahaina Breezes
Crate Crochet: Hook Roll
Crate Crochet: Ripple Tote
Drawn Thread: Almost Halloween
Ronald McDonald house charity piece (just needs personalisation to be added at the bottom)

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 2020 either, but I’ll eventually keep chipping away at them slowly but surely.

2019 Goals – Review

Cross stitch and embroidery

Cross stitch WIPs:

X FAIL Quaker Diamonds by Rosewood Manor – I’d love to finish this one – Update: I didn’t finish this one, although I did make a tiny bit of progress.
X FAIL Egyptian Garden Mandala by Chatelaine – Entirely finish the stitching of at least one full corner (ie one full page of the chart) – This was a major fail because I decided to scrap it and start all over again on different fabric.
X FAIL Red Lace Sewing Case by The Drawn Thread – add the felt/beads and do the finishing … and finally gift it to the intended recipient. Update: not touched.
√ DONE Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore – finish the three kings in the centre
√ DONE Quaker Christmas II by ByGone Stitches – finish the Let There be Peace on Earth motif in the centre
X FAIL Progress on at least three other WIPs/UFOs
X IN PROGRESS Ronald McDonald House charity XS – managed to stitch everything except for the personalisation for the retreat house. Now I’ve heard back from the NZ Head Office, I’ll complete this in January 2020.
X FAIL 19 in 19 – Start a new HAED and stitch 19 colours on it – didn’t start one
X FAIL 19 in 19 – 19 new starts. Update: I managed 18!
X FAIL 19 in 19 – 19 finishes. Update: I managed 18!
X FAIL 19 in 19 – some progress on 19 existing WIPs carried over from 2019. Update: I managed 4
√ DONE Stitch a charity quilt block
√ DONE Stitch 12 Christmas ornaments

Other needlework WIPs:

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

Crochet

X FAIL Make a 1920s-style hat for the Napier Art Deco Festival
√ DONE Complete three crochet projects from “Crate Crochet”
√ DONE Start a shawl
X FAIL Finish my Atlanticus (mandala) blanket
X FAIL Restart my Spice of Life blanket
X FAIL Start a Briar Rose blanket
X FAIL Start a top (clothing)
√ DONE Start a crochet hook case
X FAIL Start a blanket for Brenda & Nigel
X FAIL Make a charity blanket for SPCA
X FAIL Start the Nuts About Squares CAL

Quilting/Sewing

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

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!

√ DONE JCS Christmas Ornie Facebook SAL – yay, completed all 12 ornies, which is a record for me, I think!
X IN PROGRESS WIPocalypse – I managed to post some months, but not all.
X FAIL Hallowe’en ornie SAL
X FAIL Gifted Gorgeousness
X FAIL Stitch from Stash on Facebook
X FAIL 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)
X FAIL JK’s Groupies (AU/NZ) on Facebook – monthly challenges

Crochet, Mill Hill, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse November

2 December, 2019 Anne S

Belatedly adding my update for November, even though I only have one small update to share. I decided to keep on stitching on Mill Hill’s Three Kings until I got that third king finished … thus ticking one more item off the ‘to-do-list/goal’ for the year. It’s now being put away until 2020 again, unless I get an urge to keep going on the border – never say never!

Question of the Month: What new stitches or techniques did you learn this year ?

This year hasn’t been a great year for learning stitching-wise, however I just started doing a couple of older subscription boxes from Crate Crochet and learning some new stitches and techniques in crochet. It’s been a nice change learning something new, and not being too stressed at work to enjoy some decent down-time on evenings and weekends. I’m hoping next year will see me doing these projects on time each month again, seeing as I’ve just resubscribed for another 12 months 🙂

Here are some of my projects I’ve been working on this last week or two – I even managed a mandala finish that I’m super proud of!

ByGone Stitches, Canvaswork, Christmas Ornaments, Elizabeth's Designs, Finishes, Just Cross Stitch, Laura J Perin, Mill Hill, Prairie Schooler, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse October

6 November, 20196 November, 2019 Anne S

Belatedly adding my update for October, although it’s the first WIP update I’ve made for quite some time. I’ve gone crazy stitching quite a bit since my return home – it’s helped me to take my mind off Dad’s passing and Mum coping on her own. So without further ado, here are my WIP updates and some other finishes.

Just Cross Stitch ornament SAL

I managed to finish all the remaining ornaments for a 12-month long ornament challenge using the 2018 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue – I used my two wild cards to change out two of the ornaments where I didn’t like one or didn’t have all the required threads and nothing to substitute with. The ornies I finished in October were:

Works in Progress / UFOs

I dragged out a few older WIPs/UFOs that were in my to-do-list for the year but that I hadn’t touched yet … I’ve failed my goals this year miserably, but at least I’ve managed some progress on a few projects for the year, even if it’s really small progress …

Before: When Witches Go Riding by The Prairie Schooler

After: Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore

New starts

When I first came home I decided to start a new canvaswork project – I managed great progress until my fingers got too sore to keep yanking the threads through the canvas, so it’s been put into time out for a while, and I’ll probably pick it up again in 2020 to finish it off, if not before.

After I finished my JCS ornie SAL challenge, I decided to pick up a quick project that’s been kitted up for years – and finished it in a couple of days.

Question of the Month: Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time?
It depends on my mood at the time, to be honest – I work well with a rotation when I’m in the mood, it helps me to progress through projects quickly as long as I have them all set up together ready for me to work through the order of projects without having to hunt for items, or frames, or threads etc. I’ve been doing a screaming rotation of sorts for a while now – just stitching on what I feel like stitching on and not counting the hours at all. I’d like to get back to a formal rotation again, but I think I’ll wait until the new year for that.

Canvaswork, Christmas Ornaments, Finishes, Friends & Family, Laura J Perin, Rosewood Manor, Works in Progress

Back stitching after a personal loss

15 October, 2019 Anne S

Those that are friends with me on Facebook will know that I’ve just returned home after 3 1/2 months of personal leave back in New Zealand. My beloved Dad had a fall and broke his hip towards the end of June, and his recovery was far from smooth-sailing. He developed numerous infections during his time there, and was eventually sent home with an untreated infection in his system that took his body over a week later. After 3 months (minus that one week at home after 2 months) he lost his battle in the hospital and passed away on 26 September. It was probably a blessing at that point because he was suffering so much 😦 RIP Dad – I love you and miss you so much, and I’ll miss our weekly phone calls catching up with all of your news. This photo is from his first day home from hospital before he became unwell again.

Not unexpectedly, my craft mojo was pretty absent while in NZ – I tried doing crochet but lost the ability to count and after a couple of weeks of attempting different shawl patterns had to frog everything back again. I also struggled to see the fabric holes properly to be able to do cross stitch so most of the projects I took with me to work on in the evenings wasn’t of any use. I finally settled on a charity piece of stitching that was stitched on 14-count Aida cloth, and it became the piece that I could stitch on in the hospital room while Dad was sleeping or doing crosswords.

Since returning home on the weekend I’ve managed to get a lot of stitching done, and it’s actually helped to calm my mind and give me a bit of peace after such a tumultuous few months. First of all I did a bit of the canvaswork piece I was working on before I had the phone call from NZ.

Then today I finished the Christmas ornament that I was struggling to see the fabric on while in NZ.

**“The Heart of Christmas” by Rosewood Manor**
(from 2018 JCS Christmas Ornament issue)
Stitched on 32ct white Lugana with DMC 816 and 895, Kreinik #4 braid 002,
and Mill Hill beads 03049
Started 8 September 2019 – Finished 15 October 2019.

Not sure what’s up next – I really want to finish the JCS Christmas Ornament SAL on Facebook this year, so that’ll probably be my main focus for the remainder of the year, unless I throw in a larger WIP inbetween the ornies. Time will tell …

Marg Low Designs, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Quilting & Sewing, Stoney Creek, WIPocalypse

WIPocalypse – April 2019

28 April, 201912 October, 2019 Anne S

Progress on my WIPs had been very minimal during April until the Easter weekend. Still getting over that dratted virus (close to two months now it’s been hanging around!) – and at crunch time of a major project at work meaning some long hours and not much mental capacity left over at the end of the day. My poor old crafts have been neglected majorly, and I knew if I attempted any I’d just end up frogging at the end of it … then Easter weekend arrived and that all changed!

Over Easter I decided to have a binge weekend watching old movie DVDs and stitching. That saw me putting the final stitches into the Mirabilia retreat dragonfly from last year. I stitched this one differently to how I’d normally stitch – I did it as a rough mirror image, starting from the same starting point on each side for each strand of thread (particularly the overdyed silks). There’s a bit of variation in places, but it’s pretty symmetrical and I really like it. The darker silk actually has a heap of deep pinks and purples in it, but I managed to get a couple of strands of just the green and grey-blues and cut out the pinks.

I made a couple of small changes to the design as it was charted – I only used one strand of thread for the lettering and moved the lettering down slightly on the fabric. I also chose not to stitch the swirly date as charted so it didn’t take away from the dragonfly itself – instead I just added a smaller ‘2018’ in one strand of 310 to match the lettering above it. It’s a great memento of the weekend away, and the photos will never do it justice, it’s quite sparkly in real life.

This is how it looked at the start of the month, and in it’s finished glory 🙂

**2018 Mirabilia Retreat dragonfly by Nora Corbett / Mirabilia**
Stitched with kit fabric and threads
Started 10 February 2018 – Finished 22 April 2019

And I just quickly snuck in one other WIP update today before publishing my post! I recently had a small windfall from work, and my biggest splurge for myself was the purchase of a brand new Janome sewing machine. To christen it I dragged out a retreat project from 1 1/2 years ago that just needed to be turned into the actual bag (I finished the stitching a year ago) – one more WIP into the finish-finished pile, woohoo!!

**“Hearts and Berries” by Marg Low**
Project from Linen & Threads patchwork retreat 2017
using my own choice of fabric and threads

Question of the month:

Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO.
Ah yes, my oldest UFO … I have so little love for this thing, I’m not sure it will ever get finished. I have made so many mistakes, it’s not funny! The first time I ever attempted stitching on linen, and the first time I’d come across a chart that didn’t use two strands of cotton for all stitches.

I stitched the top in two strands instead of one, which I can live with … but then I made a massive mistake on the big tree log or duck at the front, and I think I pretty much need to frog the entire section. Add to the fact that it’s using old threads that have since changed during the dying process and I don’t have enough old thread to restitch that log again anyway … yep, it’s a hot mess! I suppose I could always start stitching from the top down again and try to fudge the bottom, but I’m considering doing the backstitching of the parts I’ve already stitched, and cutting it up to have the deer or something else the focal point in a wee frame instead, or add it to a tote bag pocket or something.

Either way, I’m not sure this design will ever see the light of day as a fully finished piece! I don’t love it enough to worry about it – and it’ll never be framed and put on my walls (my tastes have majorly changed over the years) … the poor thing is a bit of a lost cause! Mind you, I guess I could finish it and give it to the SPCA to fundraise or something – maybe someone else would love it … maybe …

Nature's Resting Place by Stoney Creek — Nature’s Resting Place by Stoney Creek

Canvaswork, Christmas Ornaments, Finishes, Just Cross Stitch, Knotted Tree NeedleArt, Laura J Perin, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett

Easter finishes

22 April, 201923 April, 2019 Anne S

Over the Easter weekend I had an exceptionally lazy and indulgent four days stitching my little heart out while watching old movie DVDs. The result was to finish three projects that I started in February/March during my Mum’s recent visit to Australia. The dragonfly was an earlier WIP that’ll be the subject of my April WIPocalypse post 🙂