Based On A Favorite Book

 Today's Brringo call was #10 - A stitching piece based on a favorite book. It took me a while when I was working on my list, because my favorite book is the Bible and then it clicked, I have a Noah's Ark kit from Heart's Delight. Sadly something got on the side of it and I'm hoping it will come out with washing. It looks like dirt - but I'm so careful with my projects, that I don't know how it got there. Oh well. I'll still continue on and get this piece finished. Then I'll worry about that issue. If worse comes to worse, I should be able to cover it with a mat when it gets framed.

Here's Noah's Ark before:

And after 2 hours:

Something is off I think. I will have to check when my brain is fresh. I want to get this out of my WIPs and make it a FO. I only need a few more days to work on it and it will be finished. Will it make it out of my WIP pile this year? Fingers crossed!

I hope your day was a good stitching day!

2 More Squares Marked Off

It always amazes me that I enjoy working on the WIPs that have been languishing in my stash. Is it the fun in the number drawing or is it that I only have to work on it for an hours to put an X on my square? I think it's the fun in the randomness of never knowing what will be the next project called. I don't know, but I do like seeing a little progress on things that I have pretty much forgotten about in my pile.

Yesterday's call was #24 and that was something for the kitchen. I didn't have anything that would fit this category, so I pulled out a new start. This one is Mill Hill's Cappuccino and will be one of 2 starts for this month. I want to keep my starts at a minimum and concentrate on my WIPs. I want to see more of them go into the FO pile.

Here's my 2 hour start, but I warn you, it's not much to look at:

Today's call was #13 - Something dealing with your birth month. This is Paula Vaughan's "May" Golden Needle Quilt kit. I barely started it in 2004 and picked it back up for the first time last year. I put it away and haven't touched it since. I don't know why, as I enjoyed working on it this time. I need to start working on it more. It will be gorgeous when finished! 

And here it is now after 2 hours of stitching and then some ripping. The one thing I don't like about the pattern is that I really need to depend on the colors. I had 2 of the same number and didn't realize it - one a purple and one a tannish. I had to rip all the tannish ones out. I went down through the pattern and saw a lot of double numbers/symbols. Not so thrilled with that. 

These patterns are nicely detailed. There are lots of color changes, but they look so nice when done. The part I did had 4 color purples. Why do I take so long to touch these lovely pieces?

FFO - Diamond Christmas Card

 I don't have a very long Christmas card list any more. No one really sends them in my very small family, so those that do now receive a special one from me. I spent yesterday afternoon doing this one and it's now ready to mail. 

Front and back of Card

Close up of "diamonds"

Small Mill Hill Finish

 I came across an old Mill Hill kit in my stash called Mill Hill Quilt Magnets Pine Tree Quilt Square MHQM6. This called to me and said it was quick and should be fun. According to what I found, this kit was back from 1993. I guess it was time to whip it up. It truly was a quick finish. Now I need to put a backing on and make it into a magnet. The beads are a little wonky since they were all different sizes, but I think that is some of the charm.

Unfortunately, I will not be resubbing to The Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night kits any longer. It expires this month, and I was balking at the rising price last time, but I so LOVED the different threads, fabrics and embellishments. Sadly, this year they were not blowing me away like they used to. Many had average threads, no embellishments, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with the kits, because they are still adorable, but not what I liked about the old kits. Maybe that's just what is going on this past year, but I'll just hold out and wait to see what next year offers. I'm one that loves buttons, beads and bling and I didn't see much this  year.

A Finish

 

The turtles are finished and are on their way to hanging in my bathroom. The first thing about this kit was to see if I would get crazy bored stitching over top of colors. Surprisingly no. Second thing was to see if there was enough included floss and how was it. Let me tell you - there was a LOT of floss left over! It did not feel like DMC (although there were DMC numbers) and there were times when I was pulling it apart, that it tangled and even knotted on me a few times, but overall, it really wasn't bad to work with. Next, was to see if the color really would come out of the white. I followed the instructions and soaked it in water.

Slowly, the color started to fade, and after some time, the colors disappeared. I changed the water a few times. First it was grey and then a purple. The color scheme on the bottom had a couple of squares that left a "shadow" of the color, but I couldn't see anything else left behind. It is currently drying and then I'll press it and frame it. The kit even came with a hoop to use as a frame. That's probably what I'll use.

Overall, I had a good experience so far. What I did like was that I could pick it up any time, any where and work on it and in hand, too. That was nice if I had to wait in an office, etc. I did miss the pattern/chart to a point. Juggling a pattern in public is not the easiest to do and for some reason this felt simplistic at times, but I did get it done and now will be finishing it later on today if all goes well. 

November - Time For WIPs

 I really haven't done much for the month besides working on WIPs. A few stitches here, a few stitches there and not really much for progress. I have renewed my Secret Needle Night subscription, but I'm not thrilled with the change. There hasn't been any embellishments (like buttons) for months and the price did go up - so I think I will be letting next year's subscription go. It's sad, I know, because I really loved those kits.

I put some more stitches in my turtles. The wild colors are changing to a "normal" palette now. I don't know why, but I'm having a lot of fun stitching this. I can sit down, put a few stitches in and then put it aside and never have to think about where I am or what the back is going to look like. I'm just plain stitching this for fun.

I've been looking at my calendar and cannot believe that Thanksgiving is only 2 days away. I need to go an pick up a turkey from my local farmer. We bought 1/4 of a cow to try and oh is that meat good! I haven't had that tasty of beef since... gosh, I can't remember. The turkeys he has free ranges - and I mean really free ranges. He lets them out in the morning and puts them up at night. They have free range of the farm until they and put in their coop for protection overnight. I can't wait to taste the difference of the turkey! I haven't had a good, fresh bird since I was young. My grandfather was a butcher and farmer so I had the best of meats. The last really good meat I had was a mutton roast Mom gave me back in the early 90's. 

New Kit Purchases

December 31st is my last day to purchase any kits or patterns. Starting January 1, 2025, I will not be buying any cross stitch items except for what is needed to work on my stash. I will only be allowed toSil buy needed threads and fabric. My Secret Needle Night subscription ends this month which makes me a bit sad, but the price has increased and I really don't need any more of them to stitch. I found some of the discontinued kits on eBay and have added a few of them to my collection. I'll need to get all of them stitched before I consider purchasing any more in '26.

I love Dimensions kits and did buy a few over the Black Friday, Black Monday and the Christmas sales.  I wanted to show off my new purchases, as I think they are awesome (IMHO). 

These ones have been received:

A Kiss for Snoman 

Joy Ride

Napping Kitten

And these are on their way:

In the Shadows

Wise Owl

Scenic Farm

And 2 RIOLIS kits are coming as well:

Napping Kitten

City & Cats - Summer

While at the Jingle Ball (my first time attending!), I took a class and found new to me designers. One was The Frosted Pumpkin and I thought the designs were adorable. I saw the 2024 Yearly Club SAL called Arctic Animals Club and decided to purchase the kit which includes everything including the pattern. The pattern is sent out in 11 parts and I'm well behind on that, but there are 3 more parts to go, It's absolutely adorable and I have have a huge thing for puffins and harp seals - so how could I resist?! I also purchased the Little Red Riding Hood kit as well. They were just shipped, so it should be before Christmas (according to USPS). I will be adding the Arctic Animals to my rotation next year.

Week 1

BRR-ingo has brought some excitement back to the old projects I tucked away and haven't touched in forever. Yes, there was the eye issue, but some of these projects hadn't been touched waaaay before that. The first number called was in my last post.

The second number was #4 - A WIP or new start that intimidates you. I had originally picked Teresa Wentzler's "Stretch", but honestly, it just never called to me, and the person it was being stitched for wasn't "into it" any more. That was pulled from my rotation and will be frogged and the green fabric will be repurposed. 

Kustom Krafts "Fire and Ice" took its place. The black was intimidating after the eye issue, so this was chosen because of that reason. I don't know why I put this aside and never touched it again all those years ago, because it was such a soothing stitch for me this time. It will DEFINITELY be getting more love this year!

Fire & Ice before

Fire & Ice after 2 hours 

Jan 3, the number called was #9 - WIP or new start that is sparkly (fabric, floss, etc). Pamela Kellogg's "Cupids Garden Mystery SAL" certainly fit that bill! I started it on 28 count opalescent white that should have been an evenweave, but certainly was not. Now I know why it never got touched again. That fabric was autrocious at best. I put the requred hour into it and decided to pull this one from my rotation as well. This does NOT get frogged!!

Cupid's Garden Before

Cupid's Garden after 1 LONG hour

January 4 - #5 WIP or new start that will be a gift. This one is called "My Husband" by Linda Myers. Yes, this is the one I received in a XS lot from Ebay and searched for the pattern. I was lucky to receive it just in time to all it to my BRR-ingo card! 

My Husband before

My husband after 2 hours

January 5th - #19 WIP or new start you were inspired to start because of the way you'd see it finished. This was December 2023's Secret Needle Night Kit from The Silver Needle. It's called "Love Machine" and not only do I think the pattern is cute, but it is finished and displayed on a small cutting board. I love that idea! After looking up the ideas on how to do the finish to display on a cutting board, I saw that someone had put magnets on the board and washers on the back of the stitched, so one could interchange them with with other similar sized pieces. So cool!!!

A new start!

Love Machine after 1 hour of stitching.

January 6 - #25 WIP or new start you would take on vacation.  My choice for this was the Dimensions kit "Laundry Day". It's easy and kitted, so grab and go. I had to get this when I saw it at Walmart one day. It says it all... 

Laundry Day before

Laundry Day after 2 hours

January 7 finishes up the week. The number called was 10 - WIP or start from a magazine. I knew exactly the WIP that needed to be chosen for this number - "North Woods Stocking" from the Premier issue of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts. It has been in WIP/UFO pile for a many years and if I'm not mistaken, is my oldest.  I started it in the late 80's and it was touched every now and then, and then I discovered a major mistake and had to frog a considerable amoun that had been done to the tree. The tree was frogged and then the piece returned to the pile to wait and wait and wait. It has surfaced, the issue has been fixed and has received some much needed love.

North Woods Stocking before

North Woods Stocking after 3 hours.

This has been the most fun activity I've participated in a long time. I really look forward to the posting of the new number every evening. Weirdly enough, it's not to see if I'll win a bingo, but just to see what is next to work on. 

Last Finish of the Year

I put the last of the beads on Mill Hill's "Cheers" yesterday. I was going to finish into a magnet, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that a magnet would limit where I could put it. I have the felt for the back, but just need to decide if it will become a magnet or an ornament. Sadly my photo doesn't show all the sparkle that the beads give. There are a lot of beads on this - plus the snowflake charm at the top.

Today is my last day of purchasing cross stitch kits, etc. Tomorrow, I will be begin my journey of stitching only from stash. I am allowing myself  a couple of exception: the occasional thread, beads, etc. if it is needed for a project if I run out, supplies for turning my FOs into FFOs and my birthday. I've thought about adding Christmas in the mix as well, but I just may wait out the year. This will also extend into my other crafting as well. 

All my monthly subscriptions and Patreon memberships have been cancelled. There will still be a couple of goodies coming that have to be excluded from the "wagon". I have a 2 year subscription to Just Cross Stitch and I did a yearly payment for an auto ship of The Silver Needle's Secret Needle Night monthly kits. I'm also on the waitlist for The Silver Needle's Friends Stitching Circle, but it's not hopeful. Since I signed up well before I decided to hop on the Stitch from Stash wagon, if I get lucky and get picked up from the list, I will also have this as an exception. 

Next year should be a great year for stitching. I am excited to be able to stitch the things that I have fallen in love with but always put aside for something else. It's now time to fall in love with my stash again!

Mill Hill Cheers WIP

I've decided to try a small Mill Hill kit called "Cheers". I've hear so many people seem to really like them. I was browsing Amazon when I came across this kit on sale for about $6 shipped. It's been years since I've done anything by Mill Hill and the ones I did years ago were larger. 

I've wasn't sure I liked working on the perforated paper at first. Being small, I kept catching the floss on the paper edges and corners. I'm getting better and am now finding more enjoyable and even a bit fun. I liked the instructions of drawing on the back to find the center. It made things so much easier! I also printed out a copy of the pattern and am coloring in as I go. It will make it so much easier to add the beads at the end. The way I'm going, I'll easily be finishing this before New Year's Eve. This will probably be my last finish of the year.

One thing I'm finding is my stitching isn't as neat with using 3 strands vs the 2 I'm used to using. I haven't been able to figure out how to make it look nicer. Maybe with more practice? With that said, I've picked up a couple more Mill Hill kits for future stitching. I'm looking forward to making more!

First Finish in Years Plus WIPs List

I have to celebrate as I finally have a cross stitch finish to post after quite a few years. I think the last time I touched a needle was in 2015. YAY!!! It's hot off the needles and hasn't been pressed or anything yet. I'm so happy with the outcome and have already started another Secret Needle Night Kit! Now more about this cute finish...

This kit is one of The Silver Needle Secret Needle Night kits from December 2000 and is called "Winter Games". It is stitched on 10 ct aida and uses a variety of speciality threads. It features a hand made button that has a hat that matches the adult penguin's hat. Just so adorable and so much nicer in person!

With this finish, I've been motivated and dug out my WIP list and here's what I need to finish:

Art Ventures - Old Sentinel - 15%

Bent Creek - Snappers (12 w/border) - 12 completed plus 1/3 of the border

Carriage House Samplings - The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

Cross Stitch & Country Crafts - North Woods Stocking

Crossed Wing Collection - Hummingbird Garden 35%

Curtis Boehringer - Needlewomans Murder Mystery
Dawna Barton - Dinner Call - 60%
Diane Arthurs - Happy Everything - 60%
DMC - The White Bindweed Fairy - 15% - found mistake must rip
Dimensions - A Bird For All Seasons - 5%

Dimensions - Laundry Day

Dimensions - Magic In Motion - 5%

Dimensions - Wolf Portrait - 65%
Drawn Thread - Miniature Reversible Sampler
Drawn Thread - Winter Spot - 10%
French Calendar free weekly - 23 of 52 finished
Hearts Delight - Noahs Ark Kit - 50%
Helga Mandl and Barbara Ana - Mystery Sampler - 45%

Janlynn - Live Simply

Just Cross Stitch 2001 Ornament Issue - Cinnamon Bear 70%

Just Nan - First Stitches
Just Nan - Last Stitches
Kustom Krafts - 4 Horses of Apocalypse
Kustom Krafts - Fire & Ice
Kustom Krafts - Sofa Cat
Lanarte - Romantic Picnic 15%
Lavender & Lace - Celtic Spring - 35%
Leisure Arts - Noahs Ark Baby Afghan 50%

Marquoir Mystery Sampler freebie SAL 3 of 9 finished

Marty Bell - Hideaway Cottage

Mill Hill - Cheers Ornament Kit

Pamela Kellogg - Cupids Garden Mystery SAL 15%

Pat Rogers - Hearts & Lace Sampler 70%

Paula Vaughan - May

Pegasus - Pekingese Dogs V. 4 15%

The Silver Lining - Aymars Amber Rose 30%

Sweetheart Tree - Olde English Needle Roll - 15%

Sweetheart Tree - Teenie Tweenies Spring Has Sprung 30%

Teresa Wentzler - Stretch 15%

Teresa Wentzler - Under the Evergreen

Vermillion Stitchery - The Holy Family

I'm not sure I know where all the kits are at this point, but that's ok - I'm sure I'll come across them sooner or later. Some list, isn't it?!!!

Mando and Grogu Diamond Art

The start

I confess... I am a Geek at heart. I love the comic book heroes, Harry Potter, the somewhat older Dr. Who, Star Trek and offshoots, as well as some of the Star Wars (the original trilogy and the Mandalorian.) I totally adore Mando and Grogu, so when I saw the diamond art for them posted at Amazon, and at HALF PRICE even, I HAD to order it! 

Mando and Grogu 

Diamond Art isn't for everyone. It's sparkly and very simple and has a blocky look like cross stitch. My kids think it looks cheap, but for me, it's a nice alternative to counted cross stitch, which my older eyes don't do well with any more. My start is at the lower right hand corner. So far I'm enjoying this kit!