Page Finish!

As I warned you earlier, this really isn't much to look at, but I have indeed completed one more teeny tiny page on my largest project, The Favorite Bird. I've started at the bottom right, so it's just a bit of a table leg (if you squint, you might see it) and lots of floor. But it's progress! Only 218 pages to go! (sheesh...)

The Favorite Bird, Aug. 13

Total stitching time for this page was 7 days, which makes me sad to put her away, but away she must go. For now I am focusing on Pavonia, trying to catch up all the stitching I missed this spring. Same goes for Moon Indigo, who should be making an appearance sometime soon.

I'd like to leave you with something pretty to look at, so here is my now framed Green Fern Fairy! I finished her way back in February and now have her back from the shop and ready for my mother's wall. (She does tend to claim all my finished projects.)

Green Fern Fairy

It's really nice to see something of mine framed for a change. I hardly ever finish anything, so it's kind of a big deal for me. Motivation for the future, I guess. :)

Hope you all are doing well in your stitching endeavors. Until next time!

It's a Finish!!

Managed to finish this a couple days ago actually, but I've been too busy to post. So without further ado, here is my Green Fern Fairy, all finished!

All done!

For the beads I used Sulky invisible nylon thread, which was a trial to get used to, but once I got the hang of it, I really liked it. The hardest part was actually seeing where the thread was on the fabric, and counting across the appropriate number of threads to secure the bead. Guess I'm still not entirely comfortable with evenweave, but I'll definitely use it again. The clusters by her wings were actually the toughest, as I couldn't see the holes next to all those beads. But she still looks fabulous. :)

Here is a slanted close up to showcase the beads. You can also see that subtle sparkle in her wings.

Mood lighting to show off her bling

Looking at my notes, I was surprised to see this only took me 20 days of actual stitching to finish. Guess my stitching mojo is pretty strong this year. :) Next I'll be putting Scale on the frame, trying to get another page done on that.

Until next time, happy stitching!

February IHSW

So, I have finally taken the plunge and joined in on a few SALs. Funny, that's one of the main reasons why I started a blog, was so I could "officially" join in on the fun. Silly of me to wait until February, but better late than never!

First up is IHSW, a wonderful idea for motivation. As usual, I didn't get as much stitching done as I'd hoped this weekend, but I did manage a bit of progress on my Green Fern Fairy, who now has most of her skirt, and Moon Indigo, one of my focus wips for the year. Here are the before and after pics:

I was actually able to finish a column and get a page finish on Moon Indigo (yay!). That's three pages finished so far (out of 63!) and two more to complete my goal for the year (though I'm secretly hoping to finish another four).

Total stitches for the weekend: 1935. I usually only do about 2000 a week, so I must say the IHSW was a success! Hoping everyone else had a good bit of progress, and I'll definitely be joining in again next month. It aligns perfectly with my New Solstice Start, so that must be good luck, right?

Until next time!

Progress Update

My stitching progress has been a bit slow this month, but it's beginning to come along. Mother is recovering from minor knee surgery, so it seems most of my time has been tending to her rather than my wips, but I suppose she's worth it. (And she'll be reading this soon...)

My Fern Fairy has been the most neglected, but over the last two weeks, I've managed to finish off her sash, do some backstitching on her arms and wings, and finish her hair. Haven't gotten to her leafy crown yet, so please pardon the blankness there. I know it looks odd with bits of her hair hovering in space...

Green Fern Fairy, Feb. 16

She's getting close to the finish line. All she really needs is her crown, the rest of her dress and shoes, and then the beads! I am looking forward to the beading, as it's something I've never done before and frankly never thought I'd be interested in even trying. But after seeing so many cross stitch videos on Youtube, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm still debating whether I should use the recommended DMC floss to attach the beads or try some invisible thread. Probably the invisible, as I've already got my eye on another Mirabilia (Cassiopeia!) and a Chatelaine.

Speaking of future projects, I plan on starting a big one soon. I mentioned back in January an idea I had about starting a new project at every solstice. The concept came about as I was searching for a compromise between my urge for serial starting (a very bad habit I picked up a few years back) and the need to focus on my current wips. While I don't want to completely deny the thrill of new starts, I also want to make progress on a few of my baps. So, why not have a few definitive dates to look forward to? That way I can practice self restraint and give myself a reward! :)

Spring solstice is March 20, so I'm starting something spring themed: Euphoria, by Melanie Delon, charted by HAED. The goal for my solstice start is to stitch on my new project as much as possible for the last 10 days of the month, guilt free. This means no worrying about my other wips, goals, etc. It's just pure indulgence. If you think it sounds nice, feel free to join me. I do love a good stitch-a-long! It doesn't have to be big, just something that's been screaming for attention. I am not good at these things, but I've made myself a badge for motivation.

I am already looking forward to March 20th. :) Until next time!

Sparkly sparkly!

Last night I managed finish off all the kreinik in Fern Fairy's wings. So sparkly! The thread was just as scratchy as I thought it would be, but it wasn't too bad. The hardest part was threading the needle, but only 'cuz I was doing it the hard way at first. Not sure where to stitch next... Probably I'll finish part of the sash and then do some backstitching. Then maybe I'll work up the courage to try the beads.

Does she look halfway finished? I think she's halfway finished. Until next time!

Showing some skin!

Yes, finally I've got some skin showing on my Fern Fairy! No head yet, but some very nice arms, if I do say so myself. Mother keeps begging me to "sew the sparkly part!" so I've started in on the wings, soon to move on to the Kreinik. I've actually never sewn with Kreinik before, so I'm rather looking forward to it!

I've also got a teeny bit of skin showing on Flora. If you look real close, there's a patch of baby pink on her little hand. I've kinda been sewing all over on this one, stitching whichever color strikes my fancy. I want to sew the background last, so until then it'll probably look a bit strange.

A Bit of Progress

Not much progress to show for the first full week of the year I'm afraid, but that won't stop me from rambling. ^_^ Actually, I didn't get any stitching done at home this week, as I have been bitten by the yarn bug. Last weekend I just could not get the idea of re-learning how to knit out of my head, so I after watching Youtube for an hour, I promptly started a new lace scarf, something I've never before attempted. Unfortunately, I am still as slow as ever, so progress pics will follow when I'm farther along. I've also been auditioning yarn for a crochet cable afghan I want to do, so my couch is covered with little swatches rather than floss. It's quite a change.

However, I have been stitching at work, as planned, and have made a bit of progress on Flora. I started at the bottom right, and have nearly completed to two partial pages there. Once I get the second partial page done, I'll move up to the first full page on the right, where her hand is. There are lots of colors in this piece, and she's fairly confetti heavy in places, but I think I can manage to get this set of pages done in a couple months. Not bad for spare time stitching.

Flora

My progress as of Jan. 8

And I can't forget about my New Year's start, Green Fern Fairy. Haven't touched her since last Saturday, but I'll be getting back to her this week, I hope. It really is a difference, going from HAEDs to this, which has such large blocks of color. It's kind of boring stitching, but my weekly stitch count loves it. ^_^

Green Fern Fairy, Jan. 3

I'm hoping to get back to Moon Indigo today, which is on her new millennium frame (awesome). It will be my first time stitching on the new frame, so there will be some adjustments, but I think it will be fun. Hope everyone is having a good year so far. Until next time!

New Goals and a Happy Dance!

It was too late to post yesterday, but I managed a finish for 2014. Here is Achoo!

Isn't he adorable?

Pardon the wrinkles, of course I had to take a photo the moment the last thread was cut. He's just too cute to resist!

Ok, onto 2015. Right now, I've got 7 wips going and another 6 or 7 waiting to be started this year (plus 3 UFOs). Here are the goals for my wips:

• Pavonia: Sewing rotation will be every Sunday, with a goal of 16k stitches.
• Moon Indigo: My focus piece this year. I want to at least finish pages 3-5, though a top row finish (pages 6-7) would be really nice. Goal is 20k stitches (or 34k for a row finish).
• Favorite Bird: My darling IMP. Goal is a mere 3 pages, or 7800 stitches.
• Scale: Finish page 2, 4500 stitches.
• Madchen Am Strand: Finish pages 1 and 2, 4000 stitches.
• Flora: Gonna try something new with this and take her to work. Goal is at least on page finish, 4500 stitches.
• Green Fern Fairy: My New Years start. Goal is to have her completed by March 31.

Altogether, a total of about 65k stitches. I only managed about 44k for 2014, but I had a few distractions (*cough* art class *cough*).  This year I am very optimistic. =)

As for my new starts... I'm thinking of doing a big new start around every solstice, as it divides the year up neatly into quarters. So my first would be started in March, then June and September, then I'll probably wait til next New Years to start again. I've got a few little things I may pepper in along the way -- a stitch sampler and a couple by Ink Circles -- but those will be stitched as the urge arises. This year I just want to have fun!

I'll leave you with the first pic of my New Years start, Green Fern Fairy by Nora Corbett. I'd been waiting so long to start her, I spent most of the day stitching. Wish every day could be like that!

Wishing everyone luck on your new year and your new starts. Until next time!