Here’s my progress for the weekend…
And for Monday…
XXX
Carrie
Category Archives: WIP
Projects I am actively working on. Or, at least, telling myself I am working on.
A Must-Stitch
Posted onA couple of days ago I received an issue of The World of Cross Stitching in the mail, and it had this adorable Furry Tales St. Patrick’s Day mouse in it. Because I get the magazines a couple of months after they come out in the UK, that doesn’t leave much time for stitching this little cutie. One week, to be precise! I started working on her last night and will have to stitch all weekend to get it stitched and framed in time. I have just recently found out who my Irish ancestors were through ancestry.com, so I have never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day before, apart from maybe wearing green. This year I will actually be able to say that I am Irish!
To protect Lucie Heaton’s copyright, I have blurred out the chart, as there is never a photo of the finished project in the Furry Tales section of the magazine. But I will post a photo of my finished stitch so you can really see what this cutie looks like!
XXX
Carrie
Fun times!
Posted onI love how this is turning out! What a fun and easy pattern for a change. A Summer Ball is a gorgeous chart, but requires so much counting. The deer in the woods has so many similar colors and the fabric is impossible to keep tight in my frame. But this is a nice relaxing project and I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it is finished. I think it would look good in a silver frame with two shades of purple matting.
XXX
Carrie
A good start
Posted on
Here’s my progress so far. The photo does not do this justice at all… the purple colors are really gorgeous in real life!
XXX
Carrie
Loving my new start
Posted onI have been working on His Name is Jesus for a few days now and loving it! This pattern is so easy to follow, quick, and fun. There is no backstitch or fractionals, and it only consists of three colors. I have decided to do shades of purple, because of a finished piece I saw online. I liked that better than any of the other versions of this that I had seen, and boy, are there a lot of them out there! It seems like everyone has stitched this. I am hoping I can get in a lot of stitching time this winter and get this done in no time.
Progress pics to come soon!
XXX
Carrie
Another hedgehog
Posted onThe other day when my 6 year old wanted to work on her cross stitch, I decided to get out a new project. A Summer Ball is lots of fun to work on, but difficult when you have to stop every couple of minutes. I looked through my “work in progress” tote and found a project I had completely forgotten about. I had not started it yet, but had the materials ready to go. It is a cute little hedgehog which is stitched in two parts and then put together to make a pincushion. It was a free cover kit from a recent British magazine, but as I subscribe to the digital edition, I don’t get the kit. Fortunately, the chart was inside the magazine and I just had to find my own supplies. The design is stitching up very quickly, and I already have most of the first half of the little critter done. The other side is basically the same thing, only in reverse. I can’t wait to get this one done!
I haven’t taken a photo yet, but here is what he will look like. I even managed to find the same pins, although they are a different color.
XXX
Carrie
Summer Ball week #???
Posted onWhen I first started on A Summer Ball, I posted progress pictures every Sunday for several weeks. Then I put it aside to work on other things, and I am just now getting back into working on this. So I honestly have no idea how many weeks worth of stitching this is. I do know, however, that I am getting closer and closer to being done with pages 1 and 2 (out of 10). So when I finish these pages, I will be 1/5 of the way done. Wow, that sounds daunting! This is by far the largest project I have ever attempted. But I am really enjoying working on it. The Easy Count Guideline is helping so much. I can quickly glance down at the fabric and know where I need to begin stitching a new color. I mostly get to work on this in the evenings for about a half hour, and then possibly a bit more on the weekends. I had hoped to have the entire project done in just over a year, but I know that is not possible now. My new goal is to have the first two pages done by Halloween, and then one more full page done by Christmas. I am going to keep working on this until I tire of it, and then put it away and get out another WIP, such as the deer in the woods.
XXX
Carrie
Nearing the End
Posted on
I finally got back to working on this project. The last bit of cross stitch (the pink flowers) went very quickly. Now the only thing that remains is the grass. And there is a LOT of it! After Labor Day the kids go back to school, so hopefully I will have more time to stitch then. All summer we have been so busy doing things, stitching has been put on hold. Today, for instance, we went to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida and watched the Blue Angels practice. Next week we will be at Disney World. I need some stitching time!
XXX
Carrie
Christmas in July
Posted on
My new project is a set of 3 Christmas mice designed by Margaret Sherry. I adore her hedgehogs, and her mice are just as cute! The fabric that came with these charts is one long piece, and you are supposed to cut it apart to make 3 cards. But I think I am going to stitch them with the fabric intact, and then decide if I want to keep them together or not. Instead of cards, I might actually make this into a bell pull or possibly a framed piece.
Since I didn’t have any floss bobbins on hand, I decided to improvise and use a cut up cereal box! It worked out pretty well to keep these floss colors sorted. There are quite a few of them.
Here’s my progress so far on the little guy that’s chasing a star.
XXX
Carrie
A Summer Ball Update
Posted onAfter finishing that last card, I decided to get A Summer Ball out again and do a bit on it. Not as much as I would have liked, but I am pleased that I worked on it (and that I enjoyed working on it!) Now it is time for vacation, and this one definitely won’t be coming with me, as it is too large. So it is back to some of the free magazine cover kits I have in my stash.
XXX
Carrie
Slowly moving along
Posted onI am pleased with how this is looking, not so pleased with not having any time at all to stitch! The grass is the same stitch as the roof and is going to take FOREVER because it is over one thread. Once I get all the way across, I still have about 6 more rows to go.
XXX
Carrie
Slow Progress
Posted onProgress has been slow on this willow tree sampler. I got my braces on Wednesday and so my teeth have been hurting for the last 4 days. I haven’t felt much like stitching, but here is what I have done since my last post. The roof was really difficult. I am using two strands of Silk Mori even though the directions call for one, because I am using a different count fabric (28 instead of 32). The roof is not done in cross stitch, but a slanted stitch. It turned out really well and definitely gives the look of real shingles. But it was difficult to find the holes in the fabric on all of the partial stitches. The grass is also going to be done in this stitch, but worked all the way across, not start and stop every few stitches like the roof. So that will be a lot easier. The colors on this are a bit different from what the pattern called for, but it was what I had on hand. I didn’t want to order more colors when I had some that were good enough.
XXX
Carrie
Progress!
Posted on
I finally got time to sit down and work on this! The kids had a day off of school and spent most of it at grandma’s, and hubby went away for a few days to work on the cabin he is building. So I decided to spend the day stitching and cleaning. I am so glad that I am done with the hieroglyphics on this and can start on her bodice. It won’t be long now before this project is done. And I am super excited that there is absolutely no backstitching in this design. The quality of this photo is pretty bad but hopefully in a couple of days I will have a finished one to post. I am not sure what I will do about framing, though. I don’t think this will end up being a “normal” sized piece so I will probably have to have something custom made.
XXX
Carrie
Ugh!
Posted onThis bunny is really getting on my nerves. I thought it would be a quick stitch but it is going so s-l-o-w-l-y! I am tempted to quit but I really want to finish my Thread Heaven trial. So I guess I will keep at it. But the thread colors all look the same, there are half stitches mixed in with full cross stitches, and I am sick of trying to pierce the Aida blocks with the completely rounded tip needle the kit supplied. I will be so happy when this is done!
XXX
Carrie
Bebunni
Posted onHere is the start of the project I am doing to try out the Thread Heaven. It is a card kit from The World of Cross Stitching and it features Bebunni. I’m normally not into cutesy type projects, but this had just come in the mail and it looked like a quick stitch.
Hopefully I will have it done by the end of the week. The Thread Heaven, while time consuming to use, makes the floss glide through the fabric nicely. I am really enjoying using it.
XXX
Carrie
Floral Sachet
Posted on
Yesterday I decided to take this kit along with me in the car, to work on while I waited for the kids to get out of school. The parking lot is really small, and the only way to ensure you get a spot is to arrive 15 minutes before the bell rings. When the weather is warm I don’t mind walking, but all winter I have tried to get a close spot. Normally I take a book or magazine to keep me busy but this little design was just calling my name. I am pleased with how much I got done while waiting and also in the evening before I went to bed. I took it along with me again today. I had never really cross stitched in the car before, but it was easier than I thought. I just took the floss, fabric, a needle, chart, and a pair of scissors in a quart sized freezer bag. This kept everything clean and in one place.
Here is what it looked like by the time I went to bed.
XXX
Carrie
The face of a Queen
Posted on
I am really happy with how this project is turning out. Later today I should be able to start on the blues and golds of her dress, which will be stunning. After that, there is a bit of background stitching that is all hieroglyphics and then Nefertiti will be done!
XXX
Carrie
What a month!
Posted onStitching has been just about the last thing on my mind lately. I thought bad things were supposed to happen in threes, but I guess not. Actually, the whole month of March has just stunk. It seems like nothing is going right. But there are definitely three “bad things” that stand out. A week ago vehicle #1 died. Okay, not the end of the world; we still had another one to drive. For about four days, that is. Yep, vehicle #2 decided not to start right when it was time to take the kids to school in the morning. Luckily my in-laws live nearby, and they let us use their car. We dropped the kids off at school and went new car shopping. We didn’t want to buy a new car when there was still so much snow on the ground (yes, it is almost April, and yes, we still have snow). But we didn’t have much choice, so we stopped at a few dealers and found something we could both agree on. We picked up the new car on Friday, the last day of school before Spring Break. And of course, the next day our daughter gets sick with a stomach bug. So I was up all night both Saturday and Sunday nights with her. Today (Monday) she was still throwing up and had stomach pains, so we decided to take her to the doctor. Our second trip in our new car was to the doctor’s office, keeping our fingers crossed that she would keep her breakfast down the whole way (she did!). We also dropped off vehicle #2 at the shop to get the battery/alternator/whatever is the problem looked at. Now my little girl is finally sleeping, so I was able to snap a picture of what little cross stitching I have done recently.
So here is my progress on Nefertiti for the past 10 days. I know, it’s pathetic. But at least it is something. I have no idea what is up with her ears. They are actually supposed to look like that. The one on (my) right looks really weird. My daughter noticed it as well.
XXX
Carrie
Progress on Nefertiti
Posted onNefertiti is coming along nicely! I doubt I will finish this by the end of the month, which means I won’t have a finish for March. But I should be able to get her done for April and maybe I’ll stitch another small card kit as well. So far I am at 4 (small) finishes for the year.
XXX
Carrie
An exhausting day!
Posted onToday was pizza delivery day, and now that we are home I am completely exhausted! My husband and I delivered pizzas to 13 classrooms, plus the office staff. We had to make three separate trips to the pizza place in order to pick up all of the pies (10-20 at a time)! The great thing was getting handmade cards and notes from some of the classes, and having kids stop us in the hallway to thank us for the pizza party. The kids all worked so hard to get 360 books read (actually, it was more like 410!) so they totally deserved it. And my geeky math family loved being able to celebrate Pi Day on Friday, Saturday, AND Monday! I took some video of the Pi Day celebrations at school on Friday. First we have my daughter, who is 5 and in kindergarten. She got to recite what she knew from memory and managed to do 16 digits! Then it was my son’s turn. He managed to recite 160 digits of Pi! And the best part of the assembly was when three kids got to throw pies in the faces of faculty members, whose names were drawn from a hat. You can see the videos by clicking on the links below:
5 year old recites Pi for Pi Day of the Century
160 digits of Pi for Pi Day 2015
Teachers get a pie in the face for pi day 2015
Nefertiti is coming along nicely! I can’t decide if I want to stitch her head covering next, or do her neck and shoulders. I think I might start on the head covering first just because it is full of some wonderful blue colors. Plus, it will make her more recognizable.
Unfortunately, I got very little done on A Summer Ball this past week. I did not even bother to take a progress photo. If I can manage to lift a needle tonight, I think I will work on it. But It is only 5:00 and I can already hear bed calling my name…
XXX
Carrie
Pharoahs, Pi Day, and Pepperoni
Posted onI have gotten some of the skin color done on Nefertiti’s face and… wow!
I am liking how this is turning out. I think I am going to have a hard time stopping work on this one to go back to A Summer Ball. I might have to put that one on hold for a bit and try to just finish this one up.
I might not get a lot of stitching done in the next few days. Tomorrow (Saturday) is Pi Day. Actually, it is “the Pi day of the century” because the date falls on 3-14-15. My son, who is 10, is a little genius when it comes to math. He is currently in 7th grade math at school and has about 160 digits of Pi memorized. I am not a math whiz; I can honestly say he does not get it from me. The other day when I made the Dr. Seuss hats, I needed his help to determine how large the circle of fabric for the brim needed to be. I had the tall part of the hat finished, and I needed the inside of the fabric ring for the brim to have the exact same size circumference as the hat. I couldn’t just trace around it because the felt was way too flimsy and it kept falling over. So I measured the distance around the hat and then he used his Pi skills to figure out the diameter of the circle for me to cut out. And if you saw the hats, you know how well they turned out! 🙂 Since Pi Day is on a Saturday, we are celebrating it at school today. There will be an assembly and my son will get to recite as many digits as he can from memory. A few teachers are even supposed to have students throw pies in their faces! Since there is a play at the high school that they have to go over and see in the afternoon, we have to cut our Pi Day celebration a bit short. On Monday we will continue it and deliver pizzas – complete with pepperonis arranged in the shape of the pi symbol – to each class. This is something my husband really wanted to do for the school, and I think it will be fun for the kids. Since March is reading month, we are tying that in to the celebration. In order to earn the pizza party, the kids have to read a certain number of books. There is a large “pizza” in the hallway and every time a child reads a book they get to add a piece of (paper) pepperoni with their name on it. It should be lots of fun!
XXX
Carrie
The face of Nefertiti
Posted onI just had to jump in and start on Nefertiti! The shading is kind of scary; there is so much black in her face. But I think I need to just trust the chart and carry on. I decided to go with my jeweled needle minder for this one – it seemed very fitting!
The chart is a pain to stitch from because it is on my iPad. Since it is in color, I can’t print a copy (I only have a black and white laser printer). So I think this will be a “during the week” project when I have a bit of time here and there, and A Summer Ball will be reserved for the weekends when I have more time. But I am hoping this one won’t take too long to complete. If I don’t think I can get it done by the end of the month, I am going to have to come up with another small kit from my stash in order to stay on track with one finish per month!
XXX
Carrie
Summer Ball Week 7 (and a day)
Posted onOops, I forgot to take a picture on Sunday so here is the past week’s progress with Monday’s work thrown in too. I am so tempted to pull out the red guide threads that are going vertically!
 
XXX
Carrie
Summer Ball Week 6
Posted onHere is my progress after 6 weeks of stitching. I think I am about 1/10 of the way done with this project. At this rate, I will not have this done in a year, unfortunately.
 
Now that it is March, I also need to be thinking about what stash finishes I can make. I had 3 for January but only 1 for February. I would like to aim for 2 in March but I do want to keep working on Summer Ball as well. Time to start looking through my stash again!
XXX
Carrie