WIPocalypse – Feather Stitching

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.

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

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

Goals, WIPocalypse

2019 WIPocalypse and craft goals

6 January, 20198 January, 2019 Anne S

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

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

WIPs as they look today:

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

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

WIPs as they look today:

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

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

WIPs as they look today:

Quilting/Sewing

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

Stitchalongs/Challenges

JCS Christmas Ornie Facebook SAL
WIPocalypse
Hallowe’en ornie SAL
Gifted Gorgeousness
Stitch from Stash on Facebook
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)
JK’s Groupies (AU/NZ) on Facebook – monthly challenges

Goals, WIPocalypse

2018 WIPocalypse year in review

31 December, 20183 January, 2019 Anne S

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:

Mill Hill: Starfish
Homespun Elegance: Starry Snowman
Cindy Valentine: Bee Keeper Scissor Keeper & Fob
Hardanger scissor fob
Sue Hillis Designs: Spool Ornament
Mirabilia: Red (done in blues)
Ruth Schmuff Designs: Flight of the Bumblebees

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:

Prairie Schooler: Eeek from Bump in the Night (finished)
Lizzie*Kate: Spooky time freebie (finished)
Lizzie*Kate: Very Merry ornie (finished)
The Little Stitcher: Warm Hands, Warm Heart ornie (finished)
Blue Ribbon Designs: Frosty Friends ornie (finished)
Needle Delights Originals: Double Delights – Charbleu (finished)
Anna-Marie Winter: Medley Miniature (canvaswork kit) (finished)
Laura J Perin: Holiday Square freebie (finished)
Northern Pine Designs: Earth Spirit (finished)
Laura J Perin: Seaside Blues (finished)
Periwinkle Promises: Blueberry needle case (finished)
Elizabeth’s Designs: Ladybug (finished – just need to attach the charm)
Rovaris: Joy ornament (finished)
Pickle Barrel Designs: Special Delivery (finished)
Nora Corbett: Dragonfly (Retreat project) – WIP

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
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:

√ DONE Starfish by Mill Hill – goal was to complete it
√ DONE Red by Mirabilia (in a blue conversion) – goal was to complete it
√ 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
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
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
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
X FAIL When Witches Go Riding by The Prairie Schooler – goal was to finish this – I didn’t touch it
√ XS DONE Three Kings by Mill Hill/Jim Shore – goal was to finish two of the three kings in the centre
√ 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:

√ DONE Flight of the Bumblebees by Ruth Schmuff – finish this by adding the embellishments
X FAIL Hearts & Berries by Marg Low – goal was to finish this into the bag – I didn’t touch it
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
X FAIL Travel Cord Buddy by Michelle Marvig – goal was to finish this – I didn’t touch it
X FAIL Stumpwork – choose one old stumpwork UFO and make some progress – I didn’t touch it

New starts:

√ DONE Start and finish at least two canvaswork projects – 1) Earth Spirit by Northern Pine Designs; 2) Holiday Square by Laura J Perin
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
√ 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!

√ DONE Finish my striped blanket
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
√ 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
√ DONE Make a coffee cup cuff
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!
X FAIL Make a shawl – I didn’t start one
√ 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.
X FAIL Restart my Spice of Life blanket

Quilting

X FAIL Make some small pincushions
X FAIL very simple goal here of starting a queen-sized bed patchwork quilt for myself
X FAIL Maybe start my Piece and Plenty quilt
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!

√ DONE WIPocalypse 2018 – my favourite challenge every year, I didn’t manage to post every month, but I did still continue posting
X FAIL Smalls SAL – I didn’t do anything for this SAL
X FAIL Hallowe’en Ornie SAL – I only managed two months of the SAL this year, which is woeful
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! 😉

Homespun Elegance, Mill Hill, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse – November 2018

24 November, 2018 Anne S

What can I say … another three months have gone by, and I’ve only just managed to pick up my needle and do a bit of stitching! My foray into the world of crochet has taken over my crafting world for the last few months, and I’ve been engrossed in learning more and more … but I just realised the end of the year is almost upon us, and I started to feel a bit guilty for leaving my stitching WIPs neglected for so long.

I decided to drag out my Egyptian Garden Mandala and given it a bit of love over the last week. The colours are starting to look a lot bolder, and I’m totally in love with the bright cobalt blue silk that’s starting to make a statement in those edge borders and flowers. I’m still hating that fabric with a passion, and if I wasn’t so far along with the project I’d seriously consider starting it again – it’s a real labour of love, that’s for sure … emphasis on the word LABOUR … and I can’t wait to get it finished so I never have to drag my needle through that horrible fabric ever again. It does look really stunning, though, so that’s what’s keeping me going!

Now on to the monthly questions – the current one, plus the last two I missed …

25 November – What new stitches or techniques did you learn this year?
I can’t say I’ve really learnt any new stitches this year … but as I mentioned earlier I have learnt how to crochet, and that journey has meant an awful lot of learning of new stitches and techniques. It’s actually been quite invigorating to learn something new, and it’s given me a confidence boost to start tackling other techniques in my stitching wishlist in 2019.

28 October – Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time?
To be honest it depends on my mood – I actually love doing a rotation when I’m in the right frame of mind, and it really helps me to get a lot more stitching done. Every now and then, though, I just want to stitch on something that is calling my name … so I often dither between the two.

30 September – How do you keep your stitching stash organized?
I keep my kits and patterns kitted up with fabric in large file boxes in groups of project size (eg Large/BAP, Medium, Small, Ornaments etc). My threads are kept in flossaway bags on metal rings and then in larger file boxes in their groups (eg silks together, overdyed floss together, DMC floss together, pearl cottons and other specialty fibres together). My charts are generally in ring binders. My works in progress are in tubs on their scroll bars or Qsnaps along with their chart and threads in project envelopes.

Homespun Elegance, Mill Hill, WIPocalypse, Works in Progress

WIPocalypse – August 2018

26 August, 201820 August, 2018 Anne S

I managed to avoid a lot of my other crafts for a while this month, and got a bit more progress under my belt for my cross stitch WIPs. Reviewing my year’s goals last month lit a bit of a fire under me, I think, and got me to focus on ticking off a few more items if I could.

The first thing I did was to find three smaller, older WIPs and finished them all off … that means one more done on my list!

Before: Starry Snowman ornie by Homespun Elegance

After: Starry Snowman ornie by Homespun Elegance

“Starry Snowman” ornament by Homespun Elegance
from 1998 JCS Christmas Ornament issue
Stitched on 28ct Cashel linen (colour putty??)
with recommended DMC threads

Sue Hillis Design-Spool Ornament

“Spool Ornament” by Sue Hillis Design
from 2007 JCS Christmas Ornament issue
Stitched on 28ct antique white Cashel linen
with recommended DMC threads
All I needed to do was to add the buttons and it was finished!

Before: Hardanger scissor fob

After: Hardanger scissor fob

A small Hardanger design I did myself

After I did that wee burst of quick finishes, I decided to go back to Mill Hill’s Three Kings and put some serious progress into this one over one weekend. I intend continuing on this one now until the two kings are fully finished – I only have a couple more stitches to do on the right-hand king before starting the back-stitching and then the beading. It’s not the easiest fabric to stitch on at night, so it’s more of a weekend project while I have a bit of daylight to work with.

How it looked when I started (ie where I finished during the last session):

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And how it looks now … I can’t wait to start adding the beads to this and seeing this piece really come to life!!

Mill Hill-Three Kings

Now on to the monthly question, and review of the year’s goal progress to date – it’s been fun ticking a few items off the list finally. I can’t see me reaching many of these goals by the end of the year, but I’ve made more progress this year on goals that I ever have I think … it’s been fun!

26 August – Which is more satisfying to you and why – the process of stitching a piece, or the finish?
I think it’s more the process of stitching than the finishes themselves, but in saying that I do love to see the final stitches go into something as well, especially if it’s been a tedious project that I’d kind of fallen out of love with. It’s still all about the ‘process’, though, in the end.