Done with the cross stitch!

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I was hoping to get all of the cross stitch done on the stocking by the end of the weekend. And I’m happy to say, I did it by Saturday! But I am not going to relax just yet. I still have a TON of backstitch to do. And I think I need to plan a good three days to get the stocking washed, ironed, cut out, and sewn together. This gives me just three weeks to do all of the backstitching. Not only is there a lot of it, but it is complicated – lots of colors, lots of stitches that don’t fall in any actual Aida block, and lots of couching and cording. Ugh. I guess I better get cracking!

XXX
Carrie



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One border section done, two more to go! I am really hoping I can have both of those sections done by the end of the weekend. Thanksgiving is coming up and hopefully I will have time to work on this then. I would love to be able to start on the backstitch before December! The only problem is, this design is getting so out of whack. The areas where the solid red is are so heavy and warped. It made stitching the multicolored border at the heel difficult. I can’t get my fabric taut on the scroll frame, no matter how many times I take it off and start again. I am having to hold the fabric taught in my left hand (pulling the left edge of the fabric towards the left) while I stitch with my right hand. This is the only way I can get tight fabric. A hoop would give me even tension but there isn’t enough fabric to use a hoop at the sides of the design. The little bit that is showing at the bottom of the toe part is literally how much extra fabric I have on this. Just one more reason why I will never stitch another kit from Dimensions. I can not wait to get this thing done! And I’m sure Adrienne will love finally having a stocking with her name on it. Christmas Eve is exactly one month from today. Not much more left to do on this now. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

stockingnov21XXX
Carrie


Whew!

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The heel, toe, and stocking top are finished, and I did not run out of floss. But I have only a few strands left, and I still need to use it in the multicolored border designs which go inside the green lines. So I am not out of the woods yet. But these areas should blend in a lot better if I do run out and need to substitute with another color.

stockingnov18a

XXX
Carrie


Running Out of Floss

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I will definitely never do another Dimensions kit again. I am certain I will run out of the red floss used in the heel. What I am doing now is stitching a row, leaving a row blank, stitching a row, etc. I will then go back and fill in the gaps with whatever floss I have left. If I do run out, I will have to substitute DMC but at least the new floss won’t be in one big block area, which would stick out like a sore thumb. Hopefully if I do have to substitute, it will be subtle.

stockingnov17aXXX
Carrie



Getting Bored

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I have to admit, I am getting tired of working on this stocking. Having a deadline is not helping. I have spent countless hours stitching since the last photo I posted, and I  just feel like I am getting nowhere. I know that’s not true, but I feel that this will never be done by Christmas. I am hoping that I can start working sideways to get over to the other side where the red heel will go. I think if I can get that heel out of the way, this project will look much more finished and will give me a sense of accomplishment. I don’t dare try to count over the empty spaces to work on it though. I know if I did that I would find after stitching it all that I had counted wrong. The nativity scene and the grass have to line up exactly with the heel and the border that goes around it.

stockingnov10

The snow came down heavy all day yesterday. I don’t think it stopped from the time I woke up until I went to bed. Today was more of the same. It’s the perfect weather to curl up with my stitching and listen to some Christmas music. Yes, I actually found the holiday stations on iTunes radio yesterday and listened to Christmas songs while stitching and cleaning the house. I hate winter, and am not ready for snow yet, but I guess I have no choice. Might as well make the most of it and stay inside the warm house and stitch!

XXX
Carrie


Lost Floss

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I ran out of floss. I knew it would happen. So many stitchers have complained about how Dimensions kits don’t come with enough floss, and I have been very careful with what I had. But then the unexpected happened. It was night time, and I stopped stitching for the day. I put the dark blue floss I had been using on top of my chart, and put that on top of my stitching bag. The next day, it was gone. Apparently someone walked by and either took it (not likely) or it got stuck to their clothing. I searched high and low for two days, to no avail. I had a tiny bit of the same color set aside for the borders, so I now have to use that to finish the sky to ensure that everything matches. I looked through every color of DMC trying to find a match, but to my dismay there is nothing even remotely similar. I have not gone through my stash of Anchor yet, so maybe I will find something close. I am hopeful that there will be enough to finish the sky and then I will just have to take the closest match I can find and use that for the multi-colored border. Hopefully it will not be too noticeable. Dimensions is supposed to send you more floss if you run out, but I don’t want to wait for that, and I have heard so many stitchers say that their requests never get fulfilled anyway. I have certainly learned my lesson… always take the time to put your stitching away properly!

XXX
Carrie