Crafting Trifecta

Three things to share today ...

First up, the last TUSAL post of 2012. It's incredible not only how much stitching I actually managed to get done, how many projects I put stitches into, but how full my ort jar is! Holy cow, I never thought I'd actually fill the jar. It's very cool that I can look at the different layers and recall which projects I was working on at that time.

Second item on the sharing list ... Christmas cards!  These two were specially made for two very dear friends of mine.

The white and silver card is for my friend Jordana of White Cabana. I challenge myself to make an almost all-white card for her every year. She loved this year's effort. :) Best compliment - she mentioned how much I've improved from when I first started papercrafting. That makes me feel good. Could you imagine if I had the time to papercraft more often?!?

Finally, some progress on the spur-of-the-moment Christmas present for my mom (aka her Tree of Stitches). Stitched on 32 ct hand-dyed (by me) lugana using HDF and Carrie's Creations silks.

She wanted a green tree, well, she's getting it!!

TUSAL Time, Parking Progress, and More Charts

It's TUSAL time again! My mason jar of orts is getting incredibly full. I keep having to squish them down to make room.

This month there is a bunch of blue silk in there from ripping out the lettering from my NATO Subversive Sampler (which I replace with purple silk). On top of that are a ton of reds from Drama Queen.

Speaking of Drama Queen, I finally have a page finish!!

This was by far the most stress-free and enjoyable page I have done on this project so far. Parking is definitely the answer for me when it comes to complex, confetti-heavy projects. Now I just have to decide if I work on page 7 (the one below the page I just finished, which is more poppies and confetti) or page 4 to finish the top row (which is mostly blocky background). I'm leaning towards page 4, because I might just get another page finish in before the end of December this way.

Shamefully, I must admit to purchasing a few more HAED charts during the 50% off sale. I don't know what I was thinking, or when I'll ever get around to stitching all of these charts. Oh my goodness my stashpile is huge!! Here's what I just couldn't live without ...

China Lake (Gordon Fitchett)

Ice Palace (Ciro Marchetti)

Magikal Moment in Time (Ciro Marchetti)

I resisted buying Marchetti charts for so long, but I caved -- now I'm in trouble!

TUSAL and a Finish

It's TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-a-long) time again! Look at all the pretty orts.

This month it's mostly the purpley-blue silk from Cirque des Carreaux and the black silk from Weiniec Kornona (which I finished - yay).

And my latest finish - Weiniec Korona by Penelopis

All I had left to do was the wreath, and it really didn't take long at all. Not sure why I didn't finish it sooner. This is finish 15 of my 31 UCJC starts. Just 1 more and I'll have reached my personal goal of getting half of them done. Woot!

On time TUSAL and a late Finish

It's time for the September TUSAL update already!! Where on earth did the month go? Lots of new threads this month. The jar is getting positively full!

Most of the browns, greens, rusts, and blues (plus the dreaded Kreinik) from Music Montage are hidden now, but you can defintely see the deep aqua and teals and the vibrant reds of Drama Queen.

I finished Music Montage at the very beginning of the month, but somehow I tucked it away without taking a photo. I'm taking it in to the framer's later this week, so I figured I'd best take a photo before it's gone.

I love how the Kreinik makes the letters pop!

It was a super easy and fast stitch even with the Kreinik. I think it turned out fabulously! Now to see how it looks framed. I almost can't wait for Christmas so I can give it away! (Okay, I can wait for Christmas, who am I kidding? I don't have time to deal with Christmas yet!)

August TUSAL & Music Montage Update 2

It's TUSAL time again, and I'm actually on time for once. Amazing!

You can see loads of white silk from when I last worked on Rules For Life, and on top of that are the browns, rusts, greens, and blues from the Music Montage piece.

Speaking of which, I've made pretty good progress on the backstitch portion of this project.

I am NOT enjoying the Kreinik around the main motif, and it pains me to think of backstitching MUSIC with it, but I do like the rest of the piece. I even kind of like the backstich/double running stitch I've been using on the outer words. Al least progress is nice and fast this way.

I've added Music Montage to my WIPocalpse list because it needs to be finished this year, and hopefully framed and ready to go by the beginning of Decemnber.

A Very Late TUSAL Post

I'm not quite sure what happened to July. It disappeared on me somehow. And as usual, I am dreadfully late with my TUSAL post.

Lots of threads and colours, though really not a lot of stitching got done this month. Stitching pics will be in my next WIPocalypse post.

Late TUSAL and IHSW

I've been busy stitching (during what little free time I have), and somehow I still end up being late with my updates. Anywho, I have a TUSAL update for June with lots of new orts!

I have made some progress on Austrian Heart I by Bleu de Chine over the weekend (thank you IHSW). This seems to be a very quick stitch, and I am enjoying it immensely. I love the intermingling of cross stitch and blackwork.

And yet another UCJC finish (again thanks to the sequestering of IHSW). I've finished the NATO Phonetics Subversive Sampler by Kincavel Krosses.

This is stitched on 28 ct lugana, over 2, using Carrie's Creations silk thread in Fantasm and HDF silk in BeWrayed. To be honest, I'm not loving the lettering on this piece, but I couldn't find anything that matched better. Since it's done now, I'm not fussing with it anytime soon. Maybe I'll come back to it in a few months and think of a way to improve it.

Over the past two days I put in some time working on Rules for LIfe by Kincavel Krosses, but I just hated the way that the Caron Collection Waterlilies silk was stitching up. All of my stitches looked horrendous! It was uneven and warped and hideous, so I'm ripping out the 300-400 stitches I put in and will be restarting it with HDF silk in white. Hopefully I'll have a new start pic in a few days.

May TUSAL and IHSW (late ... again)

As per usual, I'm a little late with a few of my updates. Better late than never though!!

First up, my orts for the TUSAL (Totaly Useless Stitch-a-long) hosted by Daffycat. Lots of greens with a few gray and black threads on top this time.

This past weekend was also IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) hosted by Joysze over at Random Ramblings. I made some progress on a few pieces I haven't touched since I started them for UCJC in January. Mostly I worked on Stain Glass Pansy by Solaria Gallery.

I also pulled out Elizabeth by Mirabilia and put in a few stitches, but no photos to share at present. It just looks like a grey and black blob at the moment, so I'll wait to post pics until it is recognizable as something.

April TUSAL

I know I'm a day late ... but here's my TUSAL update for April. I've added quite a bit since the last time. I'm not sure how, but I've managed to do a lot of stitching on a lot of projects.

Mostly you can see gold Kreinik from the kimono piece, white from Christmas Snow, and purple from the Tribal Butterfly.

March TUSAL and a Mini Finish

It feels so good and so right to be stitching. I don't know what was wrong with me at the end of February, but I'm glad everything is back to normal and I'm a crazy stitching nut once again!

It's TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitchalong) time and my jar of ORTs looks like a clown threw up in it. What a mishmash of colours! On top, there are purple threads from Metamorphosis, then some red and white threads from Drama Queen, then more red and green from my other poppy kit, and under all that, you can even see some of the gorgeous purple silk from the Oh Bugger Subversive Sampler.

It hasn't felt like I've done much stitching, but it sure sounds like I have! LOL

I popped on over to my LNS on Wednesday for their monthly Open Stitch Night (which I haven't been to in almost a year!) and I had a delightful time. It's been ages since I stitched with other people, and I forgot how amazing it feels to have people get excited about your work and to have so many great WIPs around to inspire you. I love seeing people work on projects that I would NEVER do. I get the satisfaction of seeing it grow without having to do it myself. :) Anyway, for a change of pace, I pulled Metamorphosis out of my "UCJC drawer of starts", and did a little work on it.

And now, my mini finish ... the first of eight motifs from Metamorphosis by Ink Circles, stitched on 32 ct Heritage lugana, 2 over 2 with the recommended GAST threads (this one is done in Grape Arbor).

I don't want to put this down, but I have a real finish on the horizon, so I'm going back to work the poppy kit some more.

Oh ... and even though I started 31 new projects in January, and already had 2 big projects on the go, during my visit to my LNS this week I bought MORE stash. Seriously, as if I need more patterns. But I LOVE the dragon signets designed by Firewing Designs, so I picked up 2 of them, Messenger and Samurai, (and will likely have my LNS order in a few more).

February TUSAL

It's that time again -- time to check out our ORTs and think about all of the progress made in the last month. It's the TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-a-long) post!

I stitched like a madwoman in January, and most of the threads are from the UCJC. I have done some stitching in February, but not as much as I'd like.

So many pretty colours though!

2012 UCJC - Day 23 & January TUSAL

I had such fun stitching today! I started on a little design from a book called Quick to Stitch Cross Stitch Cards. The design itself is a little pink kimono by Joan Elliot.

I think I made decent progress. I'm not normally a pink kind of girl, but this was just so cheerful! I like that I can SEE substantial progress.

It's also time for the first TUSAL post of 2012. (TUSAL = Totally Useless Stitch-a-long)

I didn't think I'd have much in the jar, but I have done a ridiculous amount of stitching over the last 3 weeks. I'm so used to stitching large, complicated projects where I spend half my time threading needles and planning my stitching route. I don't make a lot of ORTs with those projects. All these crazy starts generated not just a lot of ORTs, but a wild array of colours too!

Wrapping up 2011

A final post for 2011 -- no last minute finishes unfortunately, but I did make some progress on my Tree of Stitches, and I expect a finish early on in 2012 (well, after I've started all of my UCJC projects in January).

While visiting my parents over the holidays, I managed to get parts 6-9 finished.

I don't love the Jerusalem Stitch. I HATE the Floral Stitch. I didn't actually do the Norwich Stitch; I chose to do the Woven Cross-stitch instead, which looks AMAZING, even if it was tedious and a pain in the ass to do. For my Star Stitch, I chose to do the diamond eyelet version - which is fine, but not that exciting.

One day I may try this tree again, but I'll only use my favourite stitches -- but that won't happen anytime soon!

This past year I saw TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-a-long) posts all over blogland. I didn't sign up in time, so never posted any pics, but I did participate "in spirit" and I collected all of my ORTs throughout most of 2011.

Pretty isn't it? It's cool to look at all the layers of colours in this jar and remember what I was stitching at the time. I've signed up on Daffycat's blog and will be participating in 2012. Just think how varied it will be with all my UCJC stitching!! Such fun. :)

Thank you to all who have followed me, commented on my posts, and generally made me feel good about my forays into creativity. I have enjoyed sharing my efforts with you. I look forward to another fun and colourful year with lots of finishes!

Happy New Year everyone!