Spiral Fractal - Finished

Here's another finish of mine.  I really like crossing off projects that have been on my WIP list for a long time.  I started this one in March of 2010.  It's nice to be done with it.  I think I'll make this one in to a pillow.

Crimson Omen - update

So I got another page done on this one.  I wish I could have finished it this year but I've worked on too many other projects as well.  I think I might make it a goal to finish it in 2015. 

New Finish - Japan Precious Moments

I have a new finish.  Sorry, there's no WIP pics but this was easy and fast to stitch up.  It only took me about a month start to finish.  And I was working on other projects during that same time.

I stitched it on 14ct light oatmeal in 2x1 full stitches.  I hate hand written symbols and that was what was on the chart.  It got annoying at times but I didn't get frustrated enough to put it aside.

Spiral Fractal update

I've got lots of updates to do because when I finish something (or a page) I've been too eager to move on to the next project.  Let's start with my latest update and maybe I'll work backwards from there.  I might miss something, but I'll always remember to show a finished pic so you'll know how it ends.

The latest page of my Spiral Fractal completed.  The next page is only about 4,800 stitches so I might stick with it and finish the project.  It will be nice to cross something off the list, especially one that's been on there for awhile.  I think I'll make this in to a pillow when I'm done.  I've got too many other projects I want to hang on the wall.

Canadian Bear - FINISHED

Okay no "work in progress" pics for this one.  It was just too easy and fun to stitch up that I didn't want to stop to take a picture or scan it.  It took 2 weeks but it really was only 8 days of stitching.  Now it's done.

I use 14ct gold Aida, stitched 2x1 full. 

Here he is:

Flower Pot - update page #2 complete

I finally finished page #2 of this project.  The confetti stitches were driving me crazy.  I'm hoping the rest of the top row will be better with more bigger blocks of color.  It's mostly green leaves so it shouldn't be so bad right?

The Accolade - page #2 complete

I finally finished the page for this project.  I'm not exactly thrilled with how it is turning out.  This is one of the original patterns for HAED and it only has 50 colors.  All their charts now have 90 colors at least.  They have since recharted this piece to have 90 colors but I have the original version of the chart.  While working on this page I've been tempted to stop and restart with the recharted design (I got the chart when they posted that they found an error on it.  I had already started this so I asked for a replacement chart.  That's when I found out they had recharted it because the replacement one didn't match what I had.) but I've but so much time already into the project it would seem like a waste of time, not to mention the fabric and threads already used.  I'm hoping it will look better once more is done.

reminder: 1x1 full on 25ct Aida

Faces of Faery 89 - update

Here's page 2 completed in this project.

New Start: Oblivion

I started a new project this month.  It's a pattern I made from the Oblivion video game icon at the same time I made the one for Carcassonne.  I think I like this one better and it might turn out better, but we'll have to wait and see.  I think I might make this one into a small pillow.  Because of that I'm doing it in 3x1 on 14ct Aida.  It's 70x70 stitches so it's not very big.

We Are Family COMPLETED

I hate backstitching.

There I said it.  And I mean it.

So why did I pick this project to do?  Well, I liked it, and I have something in mind for it as well.  I picked the color Daydream from Dinky Dyes as my thread and a pale pink 14ct Aida fabric.  There didn't look to be too many factional stitches but I was wrong.  The next time will be on 28ct to make things easier.  I stitched the small fractionals as I was moving through the piece.  The full stitches I made first, then went back to do the outline since that had to be done in 1 thread vs. 2.  I don't really like how that looks compared to the ones I did along the way. 

I stitched this one first for me as an experiment to see if it would work and would I like doing all that backstitching.  I've learned how to do things differently that will make it look better and maybe make it easier.  I first starting stitching this with some DMC varigrated thread with 2 strands.  I didn't like how some of the smaller words look so I had to frog it all.  The said part was that I thought I finally had a grasp on how to do french knots for the people's eyes.  They turned out beautifully.  When I started over with the Dinky Dyes threads I couldn't make them work.  I think I'll have to practice that before doing another one.  I need to wash it to see if the colors are color-fast but I'm hoping that won't be a problem.

UPDATE: Twilight Balloon Flight

Baseball season has started again.  Yeah!  I was trying to figure out which project I was going to stitch while watching opening day and then I remembered that I started stitching this project while watching baseball games so why not pull it out and get started on that last row.  The old grid lines had turned a slightly green color and I hope that doesn't mean trouble when I wash this at the end.  We'll have to see when I get to that point.  So far this is one week's worth of stitching while watching baseball and hockey games.  I would love to finish this project this year and I really think that I can.  The question will be if I have the money to frame it before giving it to my mom.

UPDATE: Faces of Faery 89

I was getting bored with how slowly things were developing with my Dad's Flower Pot and The Accolade since they are both stitched 1x1 full.  I decided I needed to see something come together much faster otherwise I'd be too discouraged to continue.  I pulled out this project and was zipping right along until I got to this yellow color.  It seems the threads get knotted up really fast and every time I try to unknot them the thread breaks, usually close to the fabric.  Then I spend a bunch of time frogging out several stitches of what I've done so I can have enough thread to secure it on the back.  Then I start all over and it knots again.  Stitch.  Knot.  Break.  Frog.  Repeat.  I got so frustrated I put it aside and I hadn't even secured the latest breakage.  Here's my progress anyway.

UPDATE: The Accolade

As a break from my Dad's Flower Pot project I decided to start working on page #2 for The Accolade.  I've put a lot of projects that I'm doing for myself on hold so I can work on gifts for other people and I have to say, that it was nice to work on something for me for awhile.  I'm almost done with the page and it's exciting to start to see something other than the background.  I wish I would have started this in tent stitches because it would be going much faster but I like how the full stitches look.  If I finish this page I might start Godspeed.  That one will be done in tent stitches.

UPDATE: Dad's Flower Pot

So I took a weekend trip to California a couple of weeks ago and I took along this project to get some serious work done it.  All the single confetti stitches had been getting to me so I had put it away for awhile but I really needed to put more time in to this project.  I was able to get the top half of the page done.  I think the bottom half will go much faster as there's bigger blocks of color to deal with.  Hopefully some of the other pages will go faster than this one has.  And I'm still not done with it yet.

Winter in the Village - FINISHED

Well, I finished another WIP.  I'm so excited about crossing off another one.  I started this one in October 2012 so it took about a year and a half.  I could have finished it much sooner but I had a lot of other projects that I worked on in the mean time.  My WIP list was 20, now it's down to 19.  I can't wait to knock off some more.  I will eventually do the remaining 3 seasons but I've got some other projects I want to get started before then.

It was done on 16 ct Ivory Aida (although I think the packing might have been mislabeled because it's not as yellow as other Ivory colored fabric I picked up at the same time) in 2x1 full stitches.  Here's the finished piece.

oh, so close

I'm so close to finishing 2 projects that I can almost taste it.  They are Winter in the Village and We are Family.  There's always the excitement of finally finishing a project with the anticipation of being able to start another one without feeling quality about the ones you haven't finished.  Of course I still have a bunch of other projects that I need to finish, but I am narrowing my WIP List down and that's always a good thing.  Stayed tuned to see the finishes and also the new starts.

Oops! I missed an update

Oops, I missed an update.  And a finish to boot.  I'm so embarrassed.  This is the finish of the Mexico bear I was stitching.  It was so quick and easy.  I don't know that I like the color of Mexico at the bottom.  It's too hard to see.  I might change it to the orange color.  That should stand out more.

Updates . . . lots of updates

Okay, I've had some technical issued that have prevented me from posting for awhile but I've got that all worked out.  At least a temporary work-around until I can get something more permanent in place.  Instead of doing an individual post for each project I've worked on I'm going to lump everything here to make it easier for me.  So here's goes.

First update:
This is actually a finish.  Yeah!  Although in looking at the scan I might have missed some outlining on the white hair piece on the right side.  I'll have to look at the pattern and see.  This is Japanese Beauty #1.  She hasn't been washed or ironed but that can wait until I'm ready to frame her, which probably won't be until I get the other one finished (of course I have to start it first).

Second update:
This is also a finish.  Yeah!  I'm so glad to cross this one off my WIP as it's be languishing there for years.  It's Music Violin (at least that's what I call it).  It's been washed but not ironed.  When I did the strings for the violin it was pulled tight in the hoop.  Now that it's out the strings are flopping everywhere.  If you pull the fabric tight they straighten out so that's something I'm going to have to make note of when I take it to get framed.

Third update:
This is also another finish (notice a trend).  Yeah!  It's Carsassonne.  Also another "been on the WIP list for a lifetime".  I not sure if I'm totally happy with the 'C's colors, especially the lightest one, but I'll think about it for awhile until it's time to frame it.  At that point I just might give in (it might look better after it's washed) or pull the lightest color out and redo it.  We'll see.

Fourth update:
This is also another finish.  Yeah!  It might be a start too.  I don't know if I every took the time to post a starting thread or update for this one because I started it right around the time I starting having problems with posting and putting pictures in.  Anyway.  Here it is.  This is Winter Window Scene.  I'll be doing one for each season.  They're meant to go along with the Seasonal Village scenes.  This one was actually much easier to stitch up than what the pattern looked like.  The pattern make it look like it was going to be horrible to do.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  I'm not so sure I'll be able to say the same thing about Spring's window.  We'll see.

Fifth update:
Okay, this one isn't a finish . . . but I'm getting close.  This is a full page completed on Spiral Fractal.  I took this project with me when I went on my cruise to the Bahamas.  It was nice and relaxing to site on a comfy chair and look out the window as we cruised by places.  I could have done without the blaring music coming from everywhere on the ship.  There very little of the purple color left to do so the rest is mostly greens and blues.  I hope to finish it this year and cross another one off of my WIP list.

My goals for the rest of the year is to finish up as many projects as I can.  Whether that be the whole project as a finish (preferably) or maybe a page or two for the larger projects.  Also I wanted to not start so many new projects but that goal has gone out the window already this year.  Results will come at Christmas time.

Stitch from Stash 2014

There's a challenge out on the internet to "Stitch from Stash" for 2014. That means no new acquisitions to your ever growing stash pile . . . unless it's under $25 each month. While I missed the deadline to sigh up officially, I'm going to try doing this for myself (and my budget) this year. So far I've spent about $15 on threads and $20.42 on patterns from PatternsOnline.com. I'm done for awhile until I can figure out how to the do the Christmas presents for the family this year.