IHSW - I almost forgot!

I almost forgot that this past weekend was IHSW (International Hermit & Stitch Weekend). To be honest I didn't hermit and stitch very much. Well, that's not quite true … I did hermit and I did stitch, it just wasn't cross stitch (mostly).

I did do a tiny bit of work on one project that I haven't really introduced on here yet. It's made appearances in both Turtle Trot posts this year though.

So, in January I started on Damask Square by Ink Circles. It's stitched over one on 28 ct black lugana using HDF silk in white.

It's pretty and delicate … and linty and hard to see and photograph! Thank goodness it isn't that big of a design.

MMSC - Week 8 - Backwards Progress?

Last week I was painfully disappointed in my lacklustre EPP progress. I was determined to get more done this week. I managed to finish off the big diamond I was working on (i.e. added 4 little diamonds). I was quite pleased with that progress, but there were still 5 days before I checked in. I should have worked on my cross stitch or my hexies, but no, I stuck with the diamonds. I added 16 more little diamonds, which really is another whole big diamond!!

I actually finished adding all my little diamonds! WOOT! I still had some time, so I thought, maybe, just maybe, I could get 2 big diamonds stitched together … but that would mean that I had to choose which pattern I liked best.

I laid them all out in the original pattern I'd designed and left them there so I could see it every time I walked by.

The next morning, I switched to the brown star pattern and looked at that for half a day. I sent pics to several friends asking their opinion (which didn't help at all LOL).

I just could not decide! I really liked them both. I couldn't commit and I was wasting days of stitching time.

So I did the only thing a rationale, sane person could do … I cut the fabric for another EPP star.

Guess I'm making a bigger quilt than I thought. It's back to basting next week.

Linking up with Jessica's Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts and also with the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.


Side note: While writing this post and looking at the two patterns side-by-side, I decided I liked the brown star pattern best. But I've already cut the fabric for another star … maybe I should come up with yet another pattern … uh oh, I think I'm in trouble.

MMSC - Week 7

This past week was not a good crafting week as you can tell by my lack of progress posts.

Late last night I realized I hadn't put a single stitch into any of my EPP projects, so I frantically added two diamonds to my 6-point star project.

I considered just not posting or linking up to the Monday Morning Star Count with Jessica at Life Under Quilts, but I just couldn't bear the thought.

I don't know why I was so tired this past week. Any downtime I had was spent half-comatose on the couch watching the Olympics. Usually I stitch or crochet while I watch TV, but not last week. I spent the weekend finishing the first three chapters of my dissertation, so I put in more hours of work than usual. (On a happy note, those chapters have now been sent to my supervisor. Woot! Progress!)

Hopefully this week will allow me more stitchy time.

I'm also linking this post up to Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Turtle Trot - February

It's time again for the Turtle Trot SAL -- working on a list of 10 WIPs that need some love and that I post about on the 10th of every month.

I only worked on 4 of them in the past month:

Catch a Falling Star (HAED)

On January 10th

On February 10th

Ciara Blue (Blackwork Journey)

On January 10th

On February 10th

Damask Square (Ink Circles)

On January 10th

On February 10th

Wise Wisdom (Stoney Creek)

On January 10th

FINISHED!!!

One down … nine to go. :)

MMSC - 2014/6

Time for the Monday Morning Star Count (hosted by Jessica at Life Under Quilts). I like being accountable for doing some EPP every week. I've accomplished more in the last 6 weeks than I did in the 6 months before that.

This week was more basting than stitching. I did get 4 more diamonds stitched onto the bigger diamond, but I spent most of my time basting hexies … 20 this week.

As usual, it takes almost all of my willpower to resist buying more fabric or starting a new project. I'm an addict, I know.

This post is also linked up to the Hexie Weekend at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Been a long time ...

After an entire year of not putting a single stitch into any of my HAEDs, I am happy to say that I completed page 3 of Catch a Falling Star by Julie Fain.

This one is going away for a bit (I have a new start or two coming soon), but hopefully I will get back to it later this year. It's a very easy (and slightly boring) stitch right now … thank goodness I decided to tent it.

MMSC +6 and +5 ?

I am loving the progress I'm seeing on my EPP projects. Linking up with Jessica over at Life Under Quilts every week is so motivating. And thank you to everyone who comments … they make my day and keep me pumped up about working with diamonds and hexies.

I managed to get 6 more diamonds stitched together for my big star project. (Only 26 little diamonds left!)

I also was inspired to pull out my other WIP, a batik grandma's flower garden blanket. I've not stitched any flowers together yet, but this week I basted 5 more 1.25" hexies (I think I have 124 basted in total). I worked it out (I'm a big fan of excel spreadsheets) and I need a total 1216 hexies for my blanket. More than 10% basted, woohoo!

At the beginning of the year Jessica asked to see our portable EPP kits, so I finally remembered to take a few pics while the sun was shining this morning.

I found these at Michael's … I have one for each of my EPP projects. The scissors and the needles are the only things that I need to switch between projects.

Have EPP, will travel! :)

This post is also linked up to Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

First Finish of 2014

Sleep won … I was trying to have my first finish of the year be in January, but I decided sleep was more important. So I finished Wise Wisdom by Stoney Creek this morning.

This was a wonderfully simple, easy, and quick stitch. I enjoyed it, even though it is not typically something I would stitch.

It feels good to have one less WIP in the pile. No plans to replace it quite yet. :)