August WIP Update

This summer has disappeared! I am already spending more time getting ready for back to school than I am stitching. This month I quickly stitched up the August block of my Once Upon A Time sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

Then I bravely made a list of all my WIPs and choose one to try and finish. I picked May Word Play by With Thy Needle and Thread. It finished quickly and now it is waiting to be sewn into a prim pillow.

After my finish, I decided that I deserved a new start. This project has been kitted up for years with floss, wool for sewing it into a tote, and a lovely linen. I purchased these so long ago that I have no idea what count or color linen it it. This is my start on Guided By Virtue, a Stacy Nash pattern.

I hope to finish this piece by the end of the month. It is stitching up quickly and I love working big sections with one color. This project is coming to the beach with me. I may even take another small new project... Big decisions to make.

~aj

 

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Just finished...

"Hoe, hoe, hoe..." By Notforgotten Farm

It was so quick! I had most of the dense stitching complete already, however, there was no reason for this piece to be waiting so long. I am planning this as a Christmas gift and will need to think a little more about how I want to finish it. It is stitched on what I believe is an 18 count linen, over one. This linen is very rough and rustic feeling. Although my arm would feel scratched after a bit of stitching, I loved the prim look. The linen threads vary in size and I don't fuss about trying to make them look even. The pattern called for slightly different orange- reds. I choose DMC colors that matched the Christmas stockings hats I knit for my friend years ago.

So now it is back to the WIP pile to choose another piece to focus on before the next FPS block. This time I pulled "A Quaker Study" by Carriage House Samplings from the bag. I started this piece as part of a Crazy January Challenge in 2012. I worked on it once... There is a lot to do. I am stitching on 35 count Straw by Weeks Dye Works using the called for NPS. There are only two colors so it was a pretty affordable project in silk.

Off to work I go!

~aj

 

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Woodland Sampler Finish!

This morning I finally added the last thread to my Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery Woodland Sampler. I am so appreciative that the pattern included a 2014 stitching option - thoughtful. I have been close to finishing for days and there was just one thread of white missing. A finish!

Now on to the next step - eventually - I would like to sew this into a project bag. My plan is to do a few little pieced rectangles and have a fun woodland pink interior. You can see my initial fabric choices - just some pieces from my stash.

I bravely dug through my remaining WIPs and made a list of all I have to do. That includes some old projects that I started in 2001. Eeks! After writing them down I glanced through to see what caught my eye and this primitive piece was more complete than I thought. Maybe a few hours of stitching will result in a finished Christmas gift. It will be my first gift of the year so I am feeling bit behind.

It is"Hoe, hoe, hoe..." By Notforgotten Farm

Happy Stitching! ~aj

 

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July Once Upon A Time Progress

This month stitched up so fast! It may have been the large sections of solid color. I was enjoying stitching it do much that I ended up ordering a few more Frosted Pumpkin patterns and some linen to match. I have plans to use some smaller designs to stitch up a cover for my little Kindle. It has a tendency to get popped in my purse and I worry that it isn't well protected.

Since my large sampler is caught up, I plan on working on my FPS Woodland Sampler. It is very close to complete and has been patiently waiting for me to finish it. One way that I have been fitting in more stitching time is to work a thread in between my household chores. There are a few benefits to this routine. 1. I fit in some stitching time during daylight hours. 2. I am not sitting for long periods of time. 3. My home gets cleaner!

~aj

 

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Ready for July

My summer vacation has been very busy! I managed to squeeze in some time to finish my June block of Once Upon A Time.

Once Upon A Time by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Then I dug through my WIPs and spent a little time working on a With Thy Needle and Thread pattern "Birds of a Feather" I started this years ago when it first came out. I love the colors and I know it will look great on a wall. The problem has been the stitching. The border seems to go on forever and I am always fussing about how the stitches look. It is on 35 count with two threads. If I were to start again I think I would only use 1 thread. I am forcing myself to make some progress today since the July Once Upon a Time will be out tomorrow.

Happy Stitching!

~aj

 

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Saturday Morning...

I am awake. I have been for an hour because I am so excited that it is Saturday! My plans for the day are to attend a hot yoga class. That is it. There is so much potential that I can't stand it! So I thought I would make myself stop reading everyone else's blogs and update my own.

This was a very busy spring. I managed to only work on my Once Upon A Time Dampler each month. I am more than halfway done with June and hope to finish it over the next few days. My giant WIP pile is calling to me and I have had to fight daily urges to sign up for the Frosted Pumpkin's Mystery Halloween Sampler.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and enjoys their first day of SUMMER!

~aj

 

 

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Stitches and Shadows

Wow! The Grow Your Blog Party was great! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left comments. It has been fun visiting your blogs and seeing everyone's creations. I am feeling so supported by my new followers that I am planning a give away for later in the month.

This was a rather slow stitching week for me. I worked all week and went out of town for the weekend. It was really cold again so I spent precious stitching time making stews and chilies to warm the soul. I did get more than half of my October block of Woodland Sampler done. Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery just keeps charming my needle. Their little critters have a way of coming to life as soon as I back stitch the eyes!

I worked so hard last weekend to finish the border on Frosted Pumpkin's Once Upon A Time. It has been killing me to not start stitching all the super cute monthly designs... Perseverance - I will finish this border this week.

My weekend had very little stitching time because I got to have a dream come true... I went to see Punxsutawney Phil! It was amazing! My dear friends took me for my Christmas gift. They even signed me up for the Groundhog Club so that I could meet Phil. He is the cutest weatherman and seems to take his job quite seriously!

I know the pic is a little fuzzy but time was precious!

This week I think I may have extra time to complete projects due to a winter storm starting tomorrow night. My goals are to finish October, finish the OUAT border and stitch January. Thank goodness Phil got me this extra time by seeing his shadow!

~aj

 

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Grow Your Blog - A Day Late

 

As fellow stitches/crafters/people-looking-for creative-outlet, I hope you understand my tardiness on this post! Last night I got very wrapped up in fixing the bottom left corner of my Once Upon A Time Sampler. I had mis-stitched by one stitch. I did not discover my mistake until I was close to joining two sections of border and they did not line up. After about 15 minutes of counting and recounting I found the problem. This led to about 50 stitches having to come out and be perfected. Now it is fixed and I have almost completed the bottom half of border. My plan next is to work on the top half and finally start stitching Snow White. In order to keep calm, I've been watching Season 1 of Once. Love it!

I have been working steadily on my Woodland Sampler by stitching a month each week. I finished September and hope to work on October next week.

Other projects have not been fitting into my days so that is all for updates.

For a little bit about me...

I like to create and play! There are adventures with my friends and husband that I get way too excited about: Climbing mountains, running races, roadside attractions, brewery tours, kayaking, visiting the beach, dress up parties, and just about anything else we can fit in. My husband and I are also avid golfers which I have found greatly cuts into my creative time, however, I am hooked! Stitching is something that I have found that let's me relax between all of our crazy ideas. Other relaxing outlets include reading and knitting. I have attempted quilting and have a lovely quilt patiently waiting for a binding...

My home is decorated in a simple quirky prim style. I tend to switch out my finished stitcheries with my mood, highlighting favorites and seasonal pieces.

This year I hope to keep my current initiative and approach December with Christmas gifts made, a shorter list of WIPs, and a scrapbook full of adventures!

Thanks for stopping by,

aj

 

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Updates and a Lack of Self Control

The past week has involved little stitching time. I did put off housework in order to stitch over the weekend, though.

My first update is on my Woodland Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I finished stitching the July Block and started August. My goal is to finish August by the end of the week.

I have stitched a little more on May Word play by With thy needle and Thread. This project is great when I only have a short time to stitch and I want to see progress.

Now it is confession time. I know that I planned to only work on my WIPS because there are so many, however, I could not resist the 2014 Once upon A Time Sampler by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. It includes a combination of specialty and DMC floss. A new fairy tale is to be stitched up each month. I have already received the pattern for January and the border pattern. I had to start. If you are interested you should check their website: http://thefrostedpumpkinstitchery.bigcartel.com/product/2014-sampler

Hope to post again soon! ~aj

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Midnight Watch Finish and Stitching Update

Woo hoo! I finished Midnight Watch by Blackbird Designs last night. Procrastinating on school work left me plenty of time to finish the final border. Luckily I ended up with a day off due to the cold! I plan to have this piece framed to enjoy next fall.

My progress on Midnight Watch left little time for stitching on my other projects. I did make some progress on May Word Play by With Thy needle and Thread. I am stitching on 35 count straw by WDW. These patterns are fun to stitch due to all of the little elements. So sweet!

I went in my WIP pile and choose my Woodland Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. It was supposed to be completed in December, however, I ran out of stitching steam in June. My goal for the week is to finish the July block. It is a sweet fox sitting among spent dandelions. Love FPS patterns - cute and fun! I'm stitching on a piece of linen from my stash. I'll have to measure it later to check the stitch count...

Stay warm to those in the bitter cold... ~aj

 

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January 2014

A new year with a left over pile of WIPs. Ugh! I feel as though I barely managed to finish any stitching in 2013. I am hoping that by starting a new blog I will actually stay motivated and complete many of my projects.

So far this year, all two days of it, I have worked on two projects. I may have a bit of ADD because I keep switching back and forth between them after only a thread of stitching. This method has caused a lot of progress...

I have just finished the stitching on my "Country Sampler freedom Needle Book" by Stacy Nash. It needs a really good pressing before I start to sew it into a needle book. I am completing this project using the supplies included in the kit. It has been a pleasure to stitch. I choose to stitch this piece in hand. There was a little more fabric than I like to hold due to the back cover being linen, too.

My other project is a bit larger, "Midnight Watch" by Blackbird Designs. I started it two years ago and do not remember what color linen it is. I believe it is a 30 count by R&R Reproductions. Until a week ago, this project had been waiting in a project bag less than halfway done. Lots of stitching later I have finally started the alphabet. I had imagined that this part would be quick, and it is compared to the denser sections, but there are still a lot of stitches. I hope to finish this piece by the end of the month.

Since working on two projects has led to a finish, I now need to choose another to add to my rotation. The urge to start anew must be ignored. I think this is my next piece:

It is " May Word Play" by With Thy needle and Thread. I have stitched January, February, March, and April. I love hanging them off a shelf at the start of the month.

Looking forward to posting again soon! ~aj

 

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