Cross Stitch Stitch-A-Longs

There are not enough hours in the day ... the number of projects that I would like to complete is staggering and like most stitchers and quilters that doesn't seem to stop me planning and purchasing for even more!!

This past week I worked on the SK Seasons Winter cross stitch project and it is coming along nicely -- between blogging and joining into SAL's (stitch-a-longs), I am more likely to focus on my needlework rather than spending what seems like endless hours surfing online.  So... this is what Seasons Winter looks like right now.

Yep, this looks like it is barely started and has a long way to go....  this will likely be a work in progress for most of the year.

I am trying to go with rotating projects but I'm not so sure that will work for me.  It might be too long between finishes!!

 

Rwanda Partners Basket Co.

This beautiful basket was made by Egidia from Rwanda.  I bought it at a Costco road show for Rwanda Partners Basket Co, "a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of the poor and marginalized in Rwanda".   The road show isn't currently scheduled to go further east than Colorado -- but, you can learn about this organization and perhaps find a perfect basket at their website:  Rwanda Baskets

PB Moss in cross stitch

This fabulous piece is one that was stitched by my mom in honor of the birth of my son.

P. Buckley Moss - The Newborn

Mom stitched several Moss pieces -- some of them more than once!  When my 2012 "to-do" list begins to show some progress, I plan to start the Moss piece call "Taking Turns".  I have the chart but have not decided on fabric -- linen or jobelan or ????

Staying on task -- not exactly!! A new HAED start

Staying on task is really hard for me -- so many fabulous projects call my name.  I made my list for 2012 and almost immediately added a new start (ok, two)....

I was wandering through the HAED (Heaven and Earth Designs) works in progress and saw someone working on storykeep - a cute name for a bookmark.  I really like the artist and bought the chart.  As luck would have it, there was a SAL (stitch a long)  for the smaller HAED charts .  I jumped on board on Sunday and assembled supplies -- happily, I had almost everything.

Here is the finished artwork:

Storykeep Seasons Winter by Strelkina
photo from HAED (heavenandearthdesigns.com)

I am, and always have been a slow stitcher.  This is my start:

The stitch count is  75 by 312 - on 18 count the finished size will be about 3 1/8 inches by 17 1/3.  I am using ivory 18 count aida with 2 strands of dmc.  I have never been a huge fan of aida but the variation of the thread width of linen was not something I wanted for a HAED project.

Before I started Seasons Winter I did most of the grid work on my two other HAEDs.  While I was stitching away I had a epiphany about the St. Basil's needlepoint project.  I have not put in a single stitch in St Basi'ls since the class and I decided it was because I wasn't happy with the shape of the domes.  I have been doing a bit of dome adjustment and hope to get a decent outline on the canvas this week.

More Ornaments -- much research

This week I finished two more of the bead/sequin ornaments in red and will be packing that craft box away for a while.  In total, I made 6 of the bead/sequin ornaments.

The photo above is the only cross stitch ornament I managed to stitch in 2011.  I will use one of the mini frames in gold for the finishing - unless I get really ambitious and try another finishing process and that isn't likely.  The pattern is from Kount of Kappie, Book 36, Trim Your Tree with Stitch 'n Stuff, 1982.  The piece is stitched on 22 count Hardander in white using DMC floss, 1 strand over 1.

I have already posted in my 2012 list one design by HAED that I plan to start soon.  Well, if one is good, two must be better!!  I added one of the Escher charts to my list.  Instead of stitching for the first week of the year, I used my stitching time to surf relentlessly the Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) board and the HAED SAL.  I looked at the fabulous work done by other stitchers while trying to decide how to stitch the Escher.  After some trial stitching and gathering opinions - a giant thank you to the stitchers on the HAED board who provided great feedback - decisions have been made and supplies have been purchased -- time to get started.

 

 

New Year Resolutions 2012

With the start of each new year I give a bit of thought to new year resolutions and end up with the same thing.  Once again, in keeping with the holiday spirit my 2012 resolution is "If you don't have anything nice to say.... don't say anything".  I don't think I'm a mean or bad person but there are times when things spill out of my mouth and - too late - I realize that it was not something that should be said.

Cheers to the New Year -- do good and be good!!