IHSW Update August 2018

I just wanted to show that I am still at it!  I went a stitching meet-up this Saturday and I got some more stitched on Rose Goddess. Here is my IHSW update.

I finished the face on Saturday and the rose at the lower right was done on Sunday and today.  Let's see if I can finish the rose tonight, on to more xxs.

Just Checkin In

I didn't want the whole month to go by without another post, this will be a short one. If you are wondering why, well I have been possessed, obsessed and consumed by Joan Elliott's "Rose Goddess"

I did a small conversion of the skin tone but everything else is as charted. I will as always leave the beading for last and there will be plenty. I stitched on this one exclusively until I ran out of the red Kreinik in the border so for a couple of days she sat watching me while I started a small piece from the 2018 Halloween issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. When I went to stitch night at my LNS on Wednesday I picked up more Kreinick and finished the small "Hanging With My Boo!"

I just loved this little ornament and it looks great on the 28ct linen from Under the Sea Fabrics called Lycan's Moon.  So now you know what I've been up to and it time to make some more of those wonderful little xxs.

It's been so long...

But this will be an exciting post. First let's check out my long (you may want to finish reading this post first) Stitch Con video. Now you know what Stitch Con was, so if you ever have a chance to go to a retreat take it and go. Retreats are so much fun. I know that was a long video so you can imagine what writing a blog post would have been like. I'm sorry that I took so long to get back here but July was kind of busy.  My husband and I went to Las Vegas right after I got back from Cincinnati for the 4th of July and I have been doing a lot of stitching. My first thing I finished after Stitch Con was a small piece that I started there and it is:

Vanilla & Chocolate by LHN

The next project I finished was during the week before the 4th of July, everyone was stitching patriot so I had to join in.

Four Freedoms from LHN

After that I didn't want to work on a wip so while in Vegas so I started (and finished it when we returned) this little beauty.

Fairy Dreams from Joan Elliott Designs

My last finish for the month of July was another wip.

Mademoiselle Rose from Jardin Prive'

As if that wasn't enough I have worked on my All Souls Vierlanden from Quiltify Designs on Etsy.

All Souls Vierlanden from Quiltify Designs

This progress has been over several different sessions not all at one time. This one is easy there is no color changes, it's all one DMC floss #4245 (Coloris floss). Another wip that got some loving is Seeds of Freedom. Only one section left and it will be finished.

Seeds of Freedom from Silver Creek Samplers

After I stitched that small JE design I wanted to put another one in my wips so I started Rose Goddess. I also used it as the first day "J" in a SAL on Flosstube and InstaGram hosted by a Flosstuber who's channel name is "Jessie Marie Does Stuff". Jessie's channel is turning 5 years old and I think that is a big accomplishment so I joined in to help her celebrate.

I did a skin conversion on my version of this design, I used DMC 3862,3863,& 3864. The stitch-a-long is #jmdsturns5 on Instagram and for the second day "M" I worked on a wip.

M is For Mermaid -Heartstring Samplery

This one if you remember was one of my Stitch Maynia starts and this is where I am on it now. For the third day for "D" I plan to work a little on "Dorothy's Discovery which was also a Stitch Maynia start.

Dorothy's Discovery- Silver Creek Samplers

As promised here are the written instruction to make the "Minnie's Clearfront Vonna Bag"

Sorry, this is the only way I could figure out how to share the instructions I hope you are able to read them. Once I have had more practice making these myself I will put out a better instruction sheet (maybe even with pictures) and maybe even a video tutorial.  Well I thank you for staying this long if you are reading this, I appreciate you all, if you've been here before and came back or if you're new welcome and hope you'll come back again too. It's time to go make some more of those wonderful little xxs.

I haven't forgotten...

No I haven't forgotten about you blog readers, life sometimes gets busy and something has to be pushed back. I have a lot to share since my last post. In May I participated in a SAL from Facebook called "Stitch Maynia", when originally stated in 2015 you were to start 15 new charts in the first 15 days of the month. Now the SAL has evolved to starting as many new starts as your want for as many days as you want, some start 15, some 18 for 2018, some even start 31 for the entire month of May.  I counted and I had twenty something wips already in my wip bag so I didn't go too crazy. I only started 8 for the first eight days of May and I went back and worked on some of them for the rest of the month. I even finished a few! Here they are:

M is for Mermaid

All Souls Verlanen

Stitch Always

Stitch Witch

Halloween Cat

Count Your Blessings

My Heart Belongs to the Sea

Dorothy's Discivery

I loved stitching on each one of these so much it was hard to move to the next one the next day. As I said after these eight days I went back and worked on them again I finished five of the eight:

May was a busy month, I also FFOed some small items:

I even made a few grime guards:

June has gotten off to a good start I worked on all of my Maynia starts and even started another chart:

I even tried my hand at another project bag.  Well I'll be back soon with an update from the upcoming Stitch Con Retreat. xxs!

Wipocalypse April 2018

Again better late than never.  For some strange reason my calendar is off or maybe I'm the one that is off, but anyway here are my wips.

Vintage Cat

This is the only active wip that I have and still am working on since my last Wipocalypse update. I have not touched anything in my wip bag but I have been stitching.  This is Vintage Cat by Alice Alan from Etsy. 

Michelle Obama

As if you needed to be told who this is... I started this chart thinking that it would be another for my wip bag but it was so amazing watching the image come to life I just couldn't put in it down so instead of being a wip it became a finish. I got this design from crasscross.com/collections/celebrity-patterns 

He Is Risen

This was another piece that I started and couldn't put down so it became a finish too. It is He Is Risen from Little House Needleworks.

The Wipocalypse question for this month was "What do you listen to while stitching?"  Well most of the time I am listening to the TV and when there are new flosstube videos I listen to them.  Well that's about all for this post see you soon and happy stitching.

Better Late than Never

Here is my April 2018 TUSAL!

Guarded by Mr. Jenkins.

Another Post

As promised in my last post, I am going to show you the other things I've been doing this year. Some you may have seen before as wips, some you haven't. These are in no specific order:

31

 "31" is from Pine Mountain Designs and it's stitched on 28 ct Lugana called Lycan's Moon from Under the Sea Fabrics, with all DMC floss. The color of the fabric is fantastic.

Blackwork Easter Bunny

 Blackwork Easter Bunny is a small design from a Cross Stitch Collection magazine by Lesley Teare on 28ct white even weave. If you look closely you can see the little gold accents I added.

Bunnies Galore

This little cutie is just one of the three designs included in the Britter Cup Designs Bunnies Galore chart. I just love those floppy ears. It is stitched on 28 ct off-white evenweave, I used Weeks- Havana and GAST- Cranberry for some needed variegation.

Remember Me

 Remember Me is one part of the Cape Cod Keeps chart by Plum Street Samplers, stitched on 28ct Lugana called Gossimer. I used one Classic Colorworks and the rest is DMC. I also love mermaids.

Diamond Mystery SAL

This is one of my oldest and favorites, it is Connie Gee's (Connie Barwick) 2015-2016 Diamond Mystery SAL. I used all DMC variations and Coloris flosses on 18ct Ivory Aida. I loved seeing how each of the diamonds would turn out with thoses flosses.

Cross Eyed Cat

 The Cross Eyed Cat is another old one, I started it back in 2016 and I have no idea why it took me this long to finish it, other than the two cats it all letters and zigzag lines. It is from Notforgotten Farms on 14ct marbled Aida with DMC 310 floss

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Frankenstein

 This little monster is from a collection of Halloween ornament designs called Creature Feature by Sue Hillis. He is on 28ct Jazlyn in a dark purple from Needleworker's Delight, I also used all DMC flosses.

It's In The Bag-Coffee

As you can see I actually FFOed this one, it is one of two designs from Noteworthy Needle. I picked this chart up at a retreat I went to last year.  I stitched it on 14ct Oatmeal Aida and to get that burlap affect the bag is stitched with a mixture of two different colors. I added brown beads to the bag of coffee beans for a 3D affect. I had a lot of fun with this one. A wonderful lady sent me this coffee bean fabric I used to make the little pillow.  I love it!

Johnny Appleseed

 Johnny Appleseed from Silver Creek Samplers was fun to stitch, it was mostly letters but there were also pictures that added a little something different that attracted me. It's on 28ct Lugana in Truffle from Picture This Plus and I used all DMC.

Mini Strawberries & Shoe

 I wanted to make some small items for my salad bowl display these were really quick. The Strawberries & Shoe designs are both from Pineberry Lane stitched on 28ct Mushroom evenweave.

Seafarer's Globe-Seven Seas

 Seafarer's Globe was an older wip you've seen many times. I got this chart from a Cross Stitch Collection magazine March 2016 issue.  I fell in love with it at first sight.The design is by Maria Diaz Designs stitched on 18ct Ivory Aida with all DMC flosses.

These Old Bones

 Last but not least is These Old Bones from Lone Elm Lane stitched on 28 ct Cashel linen in Charcoal Grey.  As you can probably guess I kind of love Halloween. Hopefully I'll have this fellow FFOed in his box before then.

As a challenge I issued to myself, I attempted to make some project bags. The white zipper front was interesting to make and not too difficult, with the lining and having none of the seams show. I think I did a pretty good job on this one. The clear-front bag is another story. If I decide to use up the large piece of clear vinyl I bought and try another, I may have to make some adjustments to the guide I followed or at least read it all the way through first. Now the last one is inspired by the "Finishing Guru" as I call her Vonna Pfeiffer also known as "The Twisted Stitcher".  After watching her video tutorial, if I couldn't make this bag there was something really wrong with me. She made it so easy to do. Thank you Vonna!
Well I think I have bored you for long enough so I'll return now to making some wonderful little xxs. Have a great day and happy stitching!