Winter in the Village - update

So with the temps outside hovering around 115 degrees all the time I needed something to help cool me off.  This project came to mind.  As I stitched it I could think of buildings covered in snow and cold winter mornings with your breath frosting in front of your face.  It help . . . somewhat.  I still sat sweating on the couch as I stitched but it took my mind off of the never-ending heat.

I was only going to stitch the church and then move on to another project but after finishing the church and the trees next to it, it was still pretty earlier in the evening that day and instead put this project up and starting another I stuck with it.  After finishing the Beauty Shop I had to do the trees next to it so I could do all the backstitching for the two buildings.

I started backstitching at the light pole and worked my way back over to finish up on the church.  It took 2 days of stitching to do it all.  I was so fed up with backstitching (which I hate to do) that I couldn't wait to take the fabric out of the qsnap and put it away.  It wasn't until a couple of days later that I realized I forgot to stitch the words Beauty Shop on the sign.  Oh well.  I still have to do all the stuff underneath the buildings so I guess I'll do it then.

This project is officially too long for my scanner.  What you see is all that will fit on the scanning bed.  I guess when I finish it I'll have to use a camera or my phone.  I don't know how to get pictures from the camera to the computer and phone takes terrible pics, but since I've moved on to another project I guess I've got time to figure that out. 

My goal would be to finish this project this year.  It's doable.  And it would be one more WIP I can cross off my list.

Crimson Omen - 3 pages done

I finished another page on this project and I LOVE how easy it is to stitch.  I wish I had started all of my larger projects in tent stitches instead of doing some of them as full stitches.  Things would be going so much faster if I did.  I think there's only a page and a half left for this top row.  Even though I'm working on this as a thank you gift for a friend I love it so much it's going to be very hard to give it away when done.  I'd love to do another one for me but I've got so many other projects I'd like to do I don't know if I have the time to repeat one.

July Bear - FINISHED!

I finished my July Bear project.  I made some changes to the threads and I think everything turned out.  I used silk thread for the flag pole instead of the metallic.  The blue metallic firework thread wasn't the right color but it was all I had and I don't have the money to go out and buy thread that I find difficult to work with.  I also swapped the positions of the gold and red fireworks.  I just didn't want to do the red firework right next the the red in the bow.  The fireworks pattern didn't change, just the colors.  I found this one easier to stitch the bear colors than the June Bear one I did so long ago.  The June Bear's feet were horrible.  This one . . . not so much.  I think I might do the October Bear next, if I can find the right fabric for it.

It needs a good washing and then it can be added to my "Projects Finished UnFramed" pile or PFUF as I like to call it.

I didn't finish it before the 4th of July because I wasn't in the mood to stitch even though I was so close.  I think I finished around July 7th.

Crimson Omen - progress update

I've finished page 2 on this project and when I was done I wasn't very excited about how it looked.  When I look at the scan it looks much better.  I guess I was just too close to it to look at the whole picture instead of individual colors.

July Bear - progress update

So I'm making progress on my July Bear.  The flag pole was suppose to be stitched using metallic thread but I didn't want to do that.  I used gold DMC silk thread instead.  I'm getting a little bored of this project so I want to put it aside for awhile.  But on the other hand I'd like to get it done before July (not that I have any money to get it framed).

Here is my progress:

NEW START: July Bear

I started to stitch the June Bear before I had all my eye surgeries.  I wasn't sure I would ever stitch again.  I could so I finished that Bear probably back in 2005 or 2006.  I really wanted to stitch all the month bears and use them as a calendar some how.  So . . . . even though I haven't finished any of my current projects I went ahead and started another one of these.  I picked which one I would do several months ago and I couldn't wait.  It's the July Bear (with the flag pole and the fireworks in metalic threads - yeah me!).  Below is the front and back cover of the booklet.  I think when this one is done I'd like to do the October bear next because it's just so cute.

 I've been working on it for just over 2 weeks and this is how much I've got done so far.  I'm not looking forward to the doing the metallic threads but now that I have some beeswax they might be easier to use.  I'm doing it on 14ct, 2x1 full, Silver Aida.  It's not a shiny silver just a dull gray/silver color.

Japanese Beauty #1 - update

So I've (almost) finished another page.  Everything is done on the page except a small section of hair that I'll wait to do when I do the top page.  That way there won't be a page line showing through the stitches.

(Almost) All my WIPs

Here's a picture of (almost) all my WIPs in one spot.  What's missing?  The Wild Thing Birth Annoucement that I gave up on in favor of the Traffic Sampler I did.  And my Chinese Symbol WIPs is composed of several smaller separate designs but I think of it as one WIP project.  I'm not in the middle of stitching one so that project wasn't included.

Sprial Fractal - update

It took a week but I was able to redo the greens and blue from the 2nd page and stitch the third page.  The bottom row of pages is now done.  The top three pages will be full pages as these ones were only about 3/4 of a page.  I'm glad I fixed this error and did another page but I'm setting this aside to work on other things in my ramshackle rotation.

My progress so far:

Crimson Omen update

I finished the first page of my Crimson Omen project.  All that dark blue was boring but it went quickly . . . just over 3 hockey games worth of stitching.  It's funny how I'm counting my stitching time in terms of hockey games.  Now that baseball season has started I might be counting time spent by innings instead of hours.

Here's my progress so far:

Crimson Omen - new start

I’ve had an idea to do a thank you gift for a friend after he did some very nice things to help me out over a year ago.  I got the perfect idea and just had to work out all the details before I could finally get started.  Skitzzzzz made up the chart for me and did a FANTASTIC job.  It’s the Crimson Omen from the Gears of War video game franchise.  I’m doing it on 25ct Aida in 2x1 tent stitches.  It will be 10x10 inches when done.

This is what it is suppose to look like:

This is what I’ve done in just over an hour of stitching (I had forgotten how fast tent stitching is).  I've got a few more reds to fill into that section which is the bottom right of the page.  The rest is all background color.:

After I'm done make this as a gift I just might have to make another one for me because I love the design and what skitzzzzz did with the pattern.  I have a few other images I'd like done that I'm sure I'll have skitzzzzz do for me again.

Sprial Fractal - negative progress

Some times negative progress is still progress. 

I had to unpick all the outer blue on this page because when I went to start the next page I realized my colors weren’t matching up.  That was because I didn’t stitch the darkest green on any of those spokes.  I put this project away for a couple of years because I was so disgusted with myself.  It’s been nagging me ever since. 

So for the last 2 days I’ve very carefully unpicked all of that blue.  I only nicked a small thread of the fabric once but not enough to make a hole.  Once I restitch over that it should be fine.  I also somehow picked up a purple thread in the small section on the bottom left part.  I decided to rip the whole single line of purple threads out even though I only caught 1 color and there was 2 or 3 in the line.  It was about 8 stitches so I don’t mind redoing those. 

This is another project I’d like to finish this year.  I think it will be my UFO project each month until it’s done.

Cherish Teddies - USA Bear FINISHED!

So every time I picked up this project to start stitching I told myself to get a progress pic . . . but it’s just so cute and easy that I just wanted to be stitching it.  So here’s a finished picture.  It was really fast and easy until I got to some of the backstitching.  It was really hard some times to tell if a line was backstitch or a grid line, especially the thicker 10x10 lines.  I eventually had to look at the finished picture on the booklet and see where my piece was different.  Once I figured that out I could match it up with the pattern and see the lines.

Cherished Teddies - USA Bear

So I'm stitching the Cherished Teddies International Bears based on the country I've been to.  I started with Japan since I was born in Okinawa.  I've now started to work on the USA bear.  Unfortunately the only other countries I've been to are Mexico and Canada so I'm going to have to start visiting other places if I want to stitch more of the bears in the booklet.

Here is what it is suppose to look like:

I'm doing it on 14ct Lt. Oatmeal (Fiddler's) Aida in 2x1, full stitches.  This is what I've got done so far (it's 2 hockey games worth of work):

Carcassonne update

I told myself that I couldn't start another project and until I'd finish something I've already been working on.  So . . . I pulled this project out and I've got plans for it when done.  I need to change the colors in the "C" because I didn't like what I picked when I made the pattern.  Hopefully I can pick something that will work.

14ct Aida, 2x1,  full

Winter in the Village - update

My goal was to finish 2 more buildings on this project this year.  While I finished the Toy Shop (I'm not counting the backstage buildings) so I've only got one more to do to meet my goal for this project this year.  I might revise that to finish the project if some other projects go well also.

Behold the power of backstitch

As I was doing the backstitch on the toy shop for my Winter in the Village project I was really blown away with how much of a difference it made.  When I got to the bottom and one window and toy soldier were finished but not the other ones you can really see the difference.  Take a look.

Dad's Flower Pot - HAED custom

Since I have been working on the large project for Mom (Twilight Balloon Flight) I have been trying to find a large project to do for Dad.  I got the idea of taking one of photos and making it into a pattern and surprising him with it.  But what if I picked one he didn't like?  I talked to him about this idea and he was for it.  I let me pick the picture he wasnted done.  I then had Heaven and Earth Designs create the pattern.  It was expensive but they do such great work that I wanted it to turn out the best that it could possibly be.  It's 89 colors and a pain in the ass to do but I'll get it done eventually.  Dad said he didn't want to see it while I was working on it so I told him he had to stay alive until I was done.  He said that if he died before it was finished I should put it in his coffin...finished or not.  We'll see.

25ct Magic guide Eavenweave, 1x1 full stitches

Here's what it should look like:

Here's what I've done so far (top half of page 1):

Chinese Symbols - #1 done=Love

So the first of my Chinese Symbols are done.  I'ts LOVE on 14ct Solo fabric from Silkweavers.com.  I love their fabric.  I've got a bunch more and I figured I could do about 1 a month.  The threads will all be DMC rayon/silk and it's not the easier thing to use.

14ct 2x1 full

Wreath for all Seasons - update

So this UFO (Unfinished Object) got pulled out because I couldn't stop thinking abou it.  I've really enjoyed working on even when it was giving me trouble.  I actully can't wait to start some of the backstitching because it's going to really make things pop.  It will be a pain in the butt but then what else is new?

2x1 full 14ct kit

Disney Princess Portraits

I've had this pattern for a long time now and I figure I should probably get it done before my niece is too old for Disney Princesses.  I don't have a final picture to show so you'll just have to wait and see how it turns out.  This is done on 18ct Aida from Silkweavers Fabric.  I don't remember the name and now I can't find the packaging to tell me.  If I figure it out I'll post it later.  This is 2x1 full.

My progress so far: (can you tell which princess it is?)

Winter in the Village - update

I finished another building (except for the backstitching) and was having so much fun with it I decided to work on the next building over and finish that before I start the backstitching.  Once I made the grid lines every 5 lines instead of 10 it's been much easier.  At least now the dark grid lines match the pattern. 

16ct Aida, 2x1, full

City of Swords - update

So I wanted something easy to do while working on the project I started for my dad (more on that later).  What could be easier than tent stitches.  I actually ended up doing 3 pages worth of stitches before I moved on to other projects. 

28ct Evenweave 2x1 tent stitches

I think there's only 2 1/2 pages left on the row and then I have to do full pages.

Winter in the Village - new start

I've wanted to do a seasonal design for a long time.  I picked this one since we really don't have a true winter season here and I miss the snow (except for driving on it). 

The design is Winter in the Village (I have all the seasons and will eventually do them all).  I'm doing it on 16ct Ivory Aida in 2x1 full stitches.  I'm also going to do the backstitch for each building once I've finished them.  Kind of like what I did for the Traffic Sampler.

Here's what it should look like:

Here's the first building done:

The Last E Ticket Ride page 3 comlete - update

So one of my HAED BB goals was to finish page 3 on this project in 2012.  I didn't finish until January 8th but that's close enough for me.

The center line on the pattern was on this page so I'm half way across the top of the design.  That was encouraging since I'm averaging about one page a year.  At this rate I'll be done in another 30 years or so.  I'm hoping to up the tempo but I've got a lot of other projects I'm working on as well.  The confetti in the castle was much worse than the confetti in the stairs.  I wonder why that was.

Japanese Beauty #1 - update

I was so focused on getting my xmas gifts done that I forgot to take pictures of some of the ornaments and frames to post here.  I also forgot about some updates of the other projects I've been working on.

I was able to finish the first page of this project around the end of September/first part of October.  As a reward I started another project, but more on that later.  When I started filling in all the color on her kimono I was worried you wouldn't be able to see the flower designs.  I don't think it's as visible as what's on the pattern booklet but at least you can see them.