Category Archives: Finished!

My accomplishments, big and small.

Nov 14 2013

UFO #3

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curlyq2

This is another project that I started about 12-15 years ago and almost finished, but then put away. Itis called “Sewing Machine Curly Q’s” by NeedleMagic, Inc. It is stitched on perforated plastic and the floss they give you is not typical DMC. Instead, it is a non-divisible, cheaply made yarn. I did all of the stitching, and then some of the backstitch, and then quit. When I got this project out again a few days ago, it was really hard work to stitch. The yarn is so thick, it makes threading a needle nearly impossible. And because all that was left was backstitch, all of the holes had already been used up with other yarn. So my fingers really took a beating on this one. In the end, I tossed the black yarn that came with it and used 3 strands of DMC to finish. It saved my fingers, and I don’t think you can really tell which part of the project is stitched with which thread. The package came with a magnet, plant poke dowel, and wire for hanging; you choose which you want to use.

curlyq1

I am so glad to have another UFO done and out of the way. Now I have to decide – tackle a large unfinished project (deer in the woods, Adrienne’s Christmas stocking, or the Peacock Tapestry), or start stitching small designs as gifts for the kids’ teachers. Decisions, decisions…

XXX
Carrie

Nov 12 2013

UFO#2 is finished!

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busyhands5

I am so happy to be done with this UFO! And I am glad I had a frame laying around, otherwise it would have ended up with all of the other projects I stitch – in a drawer! I really hate finishing projects after I stitch them.

My next project is somewhat similar; a sewing machine made out of plastic canvas. It will be finished off with a wire hanger. I must have been going through a “need to decorate my craft room” phase or something. Unfortunately, my craft room is now my son’s bedroom. Maybe some day we will move into a bigger house and I can have my own space again… maybe. 

XXX
Carrie

Nov 3 2013

Friends Forever – UFO #1

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I have decided that I have way too many unfinished projects, and I am going to be strict and not allow myself to start anything new until most of these are completed. So I went through my stash and picked out a couple things to work on. This Santa and snowman banner is not actually one of my cross stitch pieces; I believe it was in with the inventory of a shop that I purchased. The chart was with it, and the only thing left to be done was the black beads on the snowman’s face, the snowflakes (made from seed and bugle beads) and the finishing. So I worked on this over the weekend and am pleased with how it turned out.

banner

Sorry for the bad photo, I took it with my iPod and the quality is pretty low. I will take a better photo once I get it hung up, closer to Christmas. I am so glad I didn’t have to do the actual stitching on this; the blue fabric was really hard to work with. I had to keep holding it up to the lamp to see where the holes were to attach the beads.

And here is the “before” photo, which I had shown you several months ago on another post. You’ll notice that the jingle bell I used on Santa’s cap is bigger than in the photo that came with the chart – it was all I had on hand. And there were no charms for either side of the word “friends”, so I just left them off.

friendsforever

XXX
Carrie

Oct 28 2013

Halloween Hedgehog – Finished!

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hedgehog4The whole family has been sick lately, and my daughter was home sick from school today. I wasn’t feeling well either, so I managed to get this hedgehog done while on the couch with her, watching episode after episode of  The Magic Schoolbus and Curious George.

The backstitch on the web and hedgehog were hard to follow, because they didn’t follow any kind of path. But I’m happy with the finished result. Happy Halloween!

*Cough*Sneeze*
Carrie

Aug 29 2013

First Halloween Finish

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Here is the first project I have completed from the new Just Cross Stitch Halloween special. It is still wrinkled… I will have to iron and finish it when I have the time.

I like the color variation in the Weeks Dye Works floss but I will not use pearl cotton on linen again. The cotton was just too thick for this fine of a fabric. If only I had the entire line of WDW embroidery floss… Oh well, a girl can dream, can’t she?

XXX
Carrie

Mar 15 2013

The Colour Of Love

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When issue 201 of The World Of Cross Stitch (British magazine) arrived in the mail, I knew I wanted to stitch The Colour of Love by Marjorie Massey. They had finished it as a pillow, but I will probably frame this piece instead. It was a quick stitch, taking just four days to complete, and was a lot of fun. It consisted of whole stitches only, in just one color. I used one skein of red floss from Rosace, which is a company I had never heard of but they had sent me a few sample skeins in the mail a while back. Here are the progress photos, 1 for each day of stitching.

XXX
Carrie

Feb 3 2013

The Finished Heart!

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Variegated Heart, Finished

This stitched up so quickly after I got the chart figured out. I am going to frame it in a square white frame and put it in Adrienne’s room – she is crazy about anything pink and purple, and loves hearts. I think it turned out great. The fabric was 32 count Carnation Pink Belfast Linen. I loooooove Zweigart fabrics! There’s just something about that orange line in the selvedge. I can actually feel the difference when I have an inferior piece of fabric in my hands. I think I will stay away from 32 count fabric for a while, though. I need to get my eyes rested a bit.

Now I need a new project. I think the Peacock Tapestry needs to come out of hiding…

XXX
Carrie

Jan 24 2013

Done at Last!

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Whew! Here is the finished Autumn Leaves.

Being sick made this one take longer than it should have, but the last few days have really seen some serious stitching time. I am not sure if I will frame this right away or wait until next fall. I don’t have a suitable frame picked out at the moment.

Up Next: It’s time to finish Janis Lockhearts’s Variegated Heart (or, as the designer called it, Hearts & Diamonds). Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine.

XXX
Carrie

Nov 6 2012

Finally Finished!

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I thought this Margaret Sherry hedgehog design would be a quick stitch. WRONG! In 30 years of stitching I have never come across such bizarre stitch combinations. Instead of half cross stitches that take up half of the Aida square in a diagonal fashion, these take up half of the square in either a sideways or vertical way. That in itself would not have been a huge inconvenience, but in some areas there would be a half stitch and then a whole stitch, then another half stitch. This means that the whole stitch would be in half of one Aida block and half in the other. Crazy, right? Counting was really difficult for this chart and the backstitch was a pain as well. But I persevered and in the end I think this little guy turned out pretty well. I used Kreinik blending filament in 032 pearl for the bumblebee’s wings, instead of plain white DMC. I think it adds a nice sparkle.

Next up: Autumn Leaves by Janis Lockhart of Cross-Point Designs (Sep/Oct issue of Just Cross Stitch).

Happy Stitching!
Carrie

Sep 28 2012

October’s Harvest

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This project was so much fun to stitch, and worked up quite quickly. The design is from Blackbird Designs and I chose to stitch it on 28 count Apple Brown Bindy.  Only one color of floss is used, DMC color variations 4126. The colors are so much better in real life than in the photo. The original design called for a fabric and floss that I didn’t have on hand, so I improvised. My initials (CP) are in the lower right corner and the year (2012) in the lower left. The chart was dated 2001, and no other numbers were given, but luckily I was able to change it easily. I am glad I didn’t attempt this one in 2013, as that would have required charting the number 3 myself! Unfortunately this didn’t get framed in time for display this year.

Carrie

Jul 3 2012

Variegated Band Sampler

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I stitched this Variegated Sampler from the Basic Guide to Band Samplers by Deanna Hall West while on vacation. Stitched on linen entirely with DMC Color Variations #4210. This was a quick stitch and fun to do. Not sure what I will do with it yet, though. Like most of my projects, it is now stuck away in a box.

Carrie

May 1 2012

Majestic Peacock

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This peacock was designed by Marie Barber, from the October 2001 issue of Just Cross Stitch. I LOVE peacocks, and try to find cross stitch charts of them. But usually they are either way too easy or way too complex. This one was just right.

Carrie

Apr 19 2012

First Variegated Project

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This small chart came from an issue of Mary Hickmott’s New Stitches, a British cross stitch magazine. It was the first time I had used variegated floss, and is also my biggest stitching disaster to date. I chose a skein of Ozark Sampler floss and started stitching away. Halfway through, I realized I would not have enough floss to complete the design. I searched online frantically but could not find floss by this company anywhere; apparently they are no longer are in business. I needed a plan… In my stash I found another skein of floss by the same company, in a similar shade. I took one strand of the new and mixed it with two strands of the old, and stitched different areas this way. Then I used three strands of the regular floss and stitched other, random spots until I ran out. In the end I think it turned out OK. There is no one area with the mixed thread that is very large or very far from an area using only the original color.

Carrie

Feb 5 2012

First attempt at Blackwork

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This is my first attempt at Blackwork and I think it turned out spectacular! It also contains cross stitches and beads. The chart is from the January 2011 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework. I have never stitched a project all in black before but this has me wanting to find more, similar charts. The designer is Elizabeth Almond and I have since come to love other patterns she has created.

Carrie

Nov 30 2011

Cabin in the Woods

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My husband Jim is building a cabin near Marquette, Michigan (he started it in 1996 and I don’t think it will ever be finished!) But just in case it is, I stitched this cabin picture for him.

 I love Julia Lucas’s designs, and this one came from the May 2006 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework. (No, I don’t throw away ANY stitching magazines or charts, no matter how old! You never know when you might need them.) It was done in cross stitch with DMC floss and Kreinik #4 braid. I love the sparkle in the water, although you can’t really see it in the photo.

Carrie

Jul 15 2011

Colorful!

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I needed an easy and small project to take with me while in the hospital waiting room. I found this chart in an issue of Mary Hickmott’s New Stitches magazine (British). I never stitch projects with bright colors like this but it was a fun little project.

Carrie