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.

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):

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.

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.

Iris update

It's been slow going on my Iris restart.  I'm having a harder time with the 28ct on the khacki than I am on the antique white.  I thought the darker color would be easier but I was wrong.

City of Swords update

So I've finished my second page on this massive project.  I think any time you finish a page on a HAED project you should celebrate . . . even if it's only a very small (and only 2 colors) page.  At least it's progress.  The next actually has more colors to work with.  What will I ever do?

(When I scanned it I really didn't think it was that crooked on the scanning bed.  Oh well.)

Pirate - Page 3 COMPLETE!

So here is my latest progress on Pirate.  Page 3 is now complete.  And I've met my yearly goal for this project that I set for myself on the HAED BB.  Yeah me!  Tent stitching is so fast, especially with large blocks of one color.  So far the confetti stitching has been manageable but we'll see how things get when I get into the thick of things.  After working on a couple of 28ct projects this 25ct seems large and easy to see.

Projects on the Go

I made a list the other day of all the projects I have on the go . . . and ones I want to start. I wanted to see how many I had and whether or not I needed to pair down my rotation so I actually, feesibly can finish some of them. I also wanted to know where I got them and how I was stitching them up. I like lists and trival informaiton like that. So far my list is:

Projects I'm working on:
The Last E Ticket Ride (HAED) 20ct 2x1 full
Pirates (HAED) 25ct 2x1 tent
Twilight Balloon Flight (patternsonline.com) 18ct 2x1 full
Iris (HAED) 28ct 2x1 tent
QS Curl up with a Good Book (HAED) 22ct 3x1 tent
Calla (HAED) 28ct 2x1 tent
City of Swords (HAED) 28ct 2x1 tent
Chinese Zodiac (123stitch.com) 14ct 2x1 full
The Accolade (HAED) 25ct 1x1 full
Clock Fractal (Cross Stitch Collectibles) 20ct 2x1 full
Grim Reaper (ebay) 14ct 3x1 full
Wreath for all Seasons (kit) 14ct 2x1 full
Carcassonne (PCStitch-myself) 14ct 3x1 full
Sprial Fractal (patternsonline.com) 18ct 2x1 full

Projects I want to start:
Father (Cross Stitch a Day calendar) 14ct 2x1 full (various thread types)
Chinese Symbols (patternsonline.com) varoius cts, 2x1 full
Godspeed (HAED) 25ct 1x1 full
Asian Home restart (patternsonline.com) 16ct? 2x1 full

Projects I'll probably never finish:
Wild Things Birth Record

QS Curl Up With a Good Book - page 1 DONE!

There was a time when I never thought I'd finish this project let alone page 1. It's taken me over a year and a lot of headache but page one is finally done!!!! The confetti stitches are a nightmare. Working with 3 threads instead of 2 was also a nightmare. The end results looks fantastic but I think I'm going to have to wait awhile before this one comes up again in rotation because I need a break. It's done on 22ct Hardanger fabric in 3x1 tent stitches.

Calla (HAED) started

This is the floss companion to City of Swords. I also started this one in the bottom left . . . and I'm doing it on 28ct fabric . . . and in 2x1 tent stitches. I like to keep the patterns that share a floss box similar, at least in thread count and stitch style. There was so much grey threads used at first that I was beginning to wonder if the leaves would look green at all. I guess I should have had faith since it is a HAED design and they always work out, even if you don't think so while you're stitching it. Here is what it's suppose to look like:

Here is one page (bottom left) done (the stitching isn't making the fabric wonky, that's just how I layed it out to scan it):

City of Swords - started

As reward for finishing my Mother project I decided I was going to start some other projects just for me. When I kit up a project I try to find another one with a similar color palette and combine the threads. I picked City of Swords (by Ciro Marchetti) and Calla to kit up together. They are both HAED designs. I love looking at the box of threads because the colors are so pretty.

Here is what City of Swords is suppose to look like:


I'm stitching it up on 28ct antique white evenweave in 2x1 tent stitches. Usually you start at the top left corner of the pattern but for these two I decided I wanted to be different. I started on the bottom left. The pages are smaller but it gives me a great sense of success to say I've already finish one page. Besides, starting at the bottom left seems more naturally to me than the top. I don't know why.

So, since the pages are smaller this is my completed page progress so far. Just two colors, but it's a start:

Iris restart

I started this pattern many moon ago but didn't like the coverage (2x1 tent on 22ct Oslo fabric) so I decided to rip it out and start over. Unfortunately I ripped the fabric, not once but twice in the process. I gave up and put the chart away. But I never forgot because it was always a nagging presence in the back of my mind. So I decided to take it out and restart it and hopefully have a better time with it.

This is what it should look like when done:


I am doing it 2x1 tent stitches on 28ct khaki evenweave. It's the first project I started on 28ct and I probably should have picked a lighter colored fabric to make it easier to see the holes. The coverage is much better but I think I'm going to have to get use to the size of the holes before things start moving along smoothly. I've started 2 other projects on 28ct so that'll help.

Here is what I've done so far:

The Accolade update

This is the first ever Heaven and Earth Designs pattern that I bought. But it wasn't the first one I started. That was The Last E Ticket Ride. I now own 70+ charts and will probably have to live to 300 or something just to finish them all.

I started this back around October 2010. I got the large chart format but I still have to enlarge the page to decipher the symbols. Too many of them are too much alike. I finished the top half of page 1 and then put it away. I got caught up in making things for other people and lamenting the fact that doing it 1x1 in full stitches (on 25ct cream Aida) would take forever. Once I started Pirates and was working in tent stitches I realized things could go much faster. But only if I was willing to rip out thousand of stitches and start over. It was just easier to set aside and work on something that didn't feel like a failure.

I decided to pull it out again and add it to my regular rotation and hopefully I'll get it done in this lifetime. And I'm not ripping out stitches. I guess I'll just have to stitch faster.

This is what it's suppose to look like:


This is page one completed:

Pirates update

This is a project based on the artwork Pirate by John Patience. It's another Heaven and Earth Design's chart. I'm doing it on 25ct DMC Aida in 2x1 tent stitches. This was my first attempt at the tent stitches and overall I kind of like them. I think the dignal lines mess things up a little bit but it's so much faster to stitch up. I think I'll be doing all my HAED projects in tent stitches from now on. I might even try one out on 28ct fabric and see if my eyes can see the holes.

Here is a picture of what it should look like when done:


Here are the 2 pages I've done so far:

The Last E Ticket Ride update

Here is a project that I've been working on for my family room. It's called The Last E Ticket Ride by James Christensen. Here is what the finished piece is suppose to look like:




I just finished page 2 of the pattern the other day, so here is my progress. I'm doing it 2 over 1 on 20ct hardanger fabric. This was before I tried tent stitches. I think things would be going much faster if I was doing that.:



I think it's kind of cool but the confetti stitches in the face and lower right area were a pain in the ass. I've got to come up with a better way to do confetti stitches. I started this project 2 years ago (October 2009). I've worked on a lot of other projects since then because it didn't take me a whole year to do each page. I'm going to make a conscious effort to work on projects for me and not try to do so many as gifts. Every time I think about doing something as a gift I put my projects aside to do them. That is why it's taken 2 years to do 2 pages . . . and why my walls are bare in my house. I haven't been able to finish anything to hang up.

Curl up with a Good Book update

So I dusted this project off and I'm trying to finish page 1 by the end of the year. I'm doing it on 22 count 3 over 1 tent stitches. I hate all the confetti stitches but they really do add to the overall look of the piece. I just wish I had a better way to tackle those solo stitches.

Curl up with a Good Book

I love this pattern, but I hate this project. There's just too much confetti stitches. And I usually stitch by color but I always seem to miss a square or two of a color I've already done so that make the "confetti" even worse by going back and catching those missed stitches. I think this project is going to kill me. At least it was free. I don't know what I'd do if I had to pay for this torture.

QS Curl Up With a Good Book SAL

On Heaven and Earth's forums I signed up for a QS (quick stitch) freebie. It's a smaller portion of a larger chart. The one I picked was Curl up with a Good Book. Every other month you get a new page of the chart and you stitch it up. If you can post 6 pictures of your progress throughout the year (even if you don't finish) you get access to the other freebie QS projects. I'm not making much progress but here is what I have so far.