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.

I sense a pattern here

It seems like every stitching post lately has a progress pic for one project and a finish on another! And this post is no different!!

I spent some time working on Weiniec Korona - a freebie from Penelopis and managed to finish the crown. Now just the wreath is left to do. This is stitched with black HDF silk on 32 ct white lugana.

And a finish!! A cute little kit called Carolyn's Garden Violet by Serendipity Designs.

This is the 11th finish for my Ultimate Crazy January Challenge. Woot!

A Finish for June WIPocalypse

I feel like a finishing MACHINE!!  I was so used to working on big projects where finishes were rare. Now I'm working on all these smaller projects and the finishes just won't quit rolling in!

Just in time for this month's WIPocalypse report, I've finished Tribal Butterfly by Sparklies.

It's stitched on 16 ct aida in Whimsy from PTP using HDF silk thread from Vicki Clayton. That's 10 of 31 UCJC starts that are now completed. Woohoo!

Oh Bugger finish and other progress

Things are sailing along nicely with my UCJC projects. I finished my Oh Bugger Subversive Sampler by Kincavel Krosses yesterday, which is my 9th UCJC finish. That's 9 finishes in 5 months (and the first month doesn't really count because I was starting all the projects)! I've also had a non-UCJC finish during that time. I know I won't finish all 31 starts, but I am making a really good dent in the pile of WIPs!!

So, here's Oh Bugger all finished:

I think I'm going to frame this myself in just a simple black frame. Who knows when I'll get around to that though. :)

I also put in a little more work on Elizabeth by Mirabilia. By itself it just looks like a strange little blob, but if you look at it beside the finished picture, you can see part of the bow on her dress taking shape.

 

This piece is going to be HUGE ... for some reason when I started it I thought it would be substantially smaller. I think this confirms my lack of ability for visual-spatial conceptualization.

Still papercrafting!

My poor little crafting corner with all of my paper, stamps, inks, punches, etc has been horribly neglected so far this year. I have made a handful of last minute cards that I didn't remember to take pictures of, so I made sure to remember this time around.  I've been trying to figure out what my personal style is and I think it is primarily clean and simple. It's difficult to leave so much white space, but I'm learning tricks to make my cards look more polished.

I fussy cut the kangaroo (from Paper Smooches) and paper pieced the inside of the ear. I also added Glossy Accents to the heart to give it a little shine and dimension (though it's impossible to see it in the picture).

Side note: I live about 2 1/2 hours away from my parents and my mom is my best friend, so I tend to make a lot of "I love you" or "I miss you" cards so I can pop them in the mail every so often. My mom is also crazy about butterflies, so they show up on a lot of my cards too.

I punched out the three butterflies (a Martha Stewart punch) then applied a script stamp (Kaisercraft maybe?) using Black Tuxedo Memento ink. Then I used some Distress Inks to add a little colour. (Top butterfly is Worn Lipstick and Barn Door, middle one is Shaded Lilac and Dusty Concord, and the bottom one is Peacock Feathers and Frayed Burlap.) Finally I added a little bling to the butterfly bodies and popped them up on dimensional foam.

I haven't spent a lot of time using my Distress Inks, so it was fun to get inky today!

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.

Frames, a finish, and some stash

As part of my UCJC, I'm trying to finish one small ornament-sized piece a month. It's halfway through the month and I only just realized I hadn't worked on an ornament-sized piece yet! So, I got to work. And here is my eighth finish for the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge:

This is Carolyn's Garden Sunflower by Serendipity Designs. I'm normally not a fan of anything yellow, but this design reminds me of my trip to Europe last summer, where I got to see field upon field full of big, beautiful sunflowers as I rode the train through the Italian countryside. It was stunning to see!

I also picked up a few of my finished projects from the framer.

Christmas Snow:

Tree of Stitches:

I think they both look divine!! I love the simple framing and the custom stain/paint that my framer does for me. He's wonderful!

And of course, the dear owners of my LNS actually listen to me when I wistfully say, "Oh I'd love to have that design. I should order it." A few of these patterns came in finally, and I picked them up. (Seriously though, do I really need more patterns?!?)

Plum Pudding by Glendon Place and Love - Quaker Style by AuryTM:

Warrior and Paladin by Firewing Designs:

UCJC Finish Number 7

My first finish in the month of May and the 7th finish from my UCJC projects -- Metamorphosis by Ink Circles. Stitched over 2 on 32 ct Heritage lugana using the recommended GAST threads.

Close ups:

To be honest, I love this pattern, but I am not a fan of the colourway or the threads themselves. One day I might stitch this again, but I'd either do a gradient of just one colour (like blue or green perhaps .... ooh or maybe pink/red for a friend who beat breast cancer) or I would stitch it white on black or black on white. And of course, I would prefer to stitch it in silk! :)

I'm happy to have completed this one though. Now ... on to the next one in the pile. Hrmm, decisions, decisions.

A late May WIPocalypse update

I know I'm a little late with this post, but I was out of town AND I wanted to finish another Metamorphosis motif before I posted.

Here are motifs 5 & 6:

Only one more to do. Yay! I see a finish on the horizon! Even though I checked all my fabric calculations 10x before I ordered my fabric and I double counted and used a fabric pen to mark my start, somehow I still ended up with too much fabric on one end and barely enough on the other. I could have sworn that this piece had 3" on all sides, but apparently it only had 2". So, my right hand border is onlly a measly 1". I hope my framer will forgive me.

I also got a tiny bit more done on another Ink Circles project -- Cirque des Carreaux. This is part of my UCJC and also the BAP (Big Ass Project) Challenge being hosted by Becky over at Becky Bee's Stitching Hive.

Metamorphosis Update 3

I've been focused on Metamorphosis by Ink Circles lately. It's fun because I get the satisfaction of mini-finishes with each motif, and I can see a real finish in the forseeable future.

It's stitched 2 over 2 on 32 ct Heritage lugana using the recommended GAST threads. I can't say I'm a huge fan of the colours or of the threads themselves, but I do love the pattern. I might just have to stitch this again using a different colour combination. The idea of white silk on black lugana has potential.

Anyway ... here are some progress pics. These are the first 5 motifs (out of 7 total).

Motifs 1-3:

Motifs 3-5: