Sunday, December 29, 2019

FlossTube #14 - Show Notes

I'm back today with FlossTube number 14. In this video, I'm sharing a recent finish/FFO, some haul, a WIP parade, some more detailed plans for 2020, and wrap things up with a slideshow featuring all of my finishes for 2019. Enjoy!


Show Notes:

Finishes:
  • Ukrainian Folk Biscornu by Irina Mastakova (FireplaceHobby on Etsy)
Crafty Christmas gifts I received

Haul:
  • Holiday scissor fob from an IG giveaway by KarenAZ.
  • Bloom & Grow 2020 Mystery SAL kit from Caterpillar Cross Stitch
  • Fibers and beads for Rainbow Mandala by Shannon Christine Designs
  • Fabric for Plaid Tidings (red house) by Little Stitch Girl
WIP Parade:
  • Taj Mahal Garden Mandala by Chatelaine (started 1 Jan 2007)
  • Plum Blossom Kimono by Margaret Bendig Designs (started 20 June 2009)
  • Royal Holiday by Mirabilia (started 1 Jan 2012)
  • Garden Party (cool colorway) by Satsuma Street (started 2 Mar 2018)
  • Be Inkspired by Stitchrovia (started 17 Feb 2019)
  • Two Birds in One Tree by Modern Folk Embroidery (started 27 Feb 2019)
  • Quilting Bee by The Blue Flower (started 15 May 2019 - Stitch Maynia)
  • The Stargazer by Mirabilia (started 16 May 2019 - Stitch Maynia)
  • Four Seasons by Little House Needleworks (started 19 May 2019 - Stitch Maynia)
  • Log Cabin Autumn by Gracewood Stitches (started 27 Oct 2019)
  • Pumpkin House by Shannon Christine Designs (started 2 Nov 2019)
  • Away We Go by Country Cottage Needleworks (started 7 Dec 2019)
  • Sunnyside Sampler by The Drawn Thread (started 9 Dec 2019)
  • Home for Christmas by Plum Street Samplers (started 25 Dec 2019)
    2020 Plans:
    • Year and Smalls and Six - These are my plans for my 20 smalls for 2020:
      • The 12 Days of Christmas by Prairie Schooler (days 2-12 ornaments)
      • Santas and Snowmen by Prairie Schooler (8 ornaments)
      • Cabin in the Woods by Tiny Modernist
    • Year and Smalls and Six - These are the six WIPs I want to finish in 2020:
      • Garden Party (cool colorway) by Satsuma Street
      • Be Inkspired by Stitchrovia
      • Quilting Bee by The Blue Flower
      • Four Seasons by Little House Needleworks
      • Pumpkin Farm series by Shannon Christine Designs
      • Rainbow Mandala by Shannon Christine Designs
    New Year Starts:
    • Rainbow Mandala by Shannon Christine Designs
    • Henna Mandala by Ink Circles
    Links:
    Flosstubers/Instagram Stitchers Mentioned:

    Sunday, December 22, 2019

    FlossTube 13 Featuring a Very Special Guest

    I'm back today with FlossTube video number 13. This is a very special episode because I'm joined by my best friend and fellow stitcher, Tracy. Enjoy!


    Show Notes:

    Finishes:
    • Tracy finished Eiffel Quaker by Jardin PrivĂ©.
    WIPs:
    • Melissa
      • Pumpkin House by Shannon Christine Designs
    • Tracy
      • Pumpkin Truck by Shannon Christine Designs
      • Four Corners by Little House Needleworks
      • Suffrage Act by Little House Needleworks
      • America Land that We Love by Jean Farish
      • Treasure Hunt Bookshelf by Heaven and Earth Designs
      • Halloween ABCs by Lizzie Kate
      • Mediterranean Mermaid by Mirabilia
      • Magnolia by Nora Corbett
      • More Chocolate Bunnies by Hands on Design
      • Garden Party (warm colorway) by Satsuma Street
      • Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street
    SALs:
    • Pumpkin Farm SAL - #pumpkinfarmsal
    • Suffrage Act SAL - #SWTSSuffrage
    Pacific Northwest Stitch Summit Designers:
    • Beth Twist from Heartstring Samplery
    • Paulette Stewart from Plum Street Samplers
    Haul:
    • Home for Christmas by Plum Street Samplers
    • Souvenirs of the Heart: Home for Christmas by With Thy Needle & Thread
    • Bright and Merry Collection by Shannon Christine Designs
    • Rainbow Mandala by Shannon Christine Designs
    2020 Plans:
    • Year and Smalls and Six
    • Stitch from Stash
    • New starts after two finishes (excluding High Tea starts and smalls)
    Links:
    Flosstubers/Instagram Stitchers Mentioned:

    Sunday, December 15, 2019

    FlossTube #12 - Where Holiday Tags Get Me All Emotional

    I'm back with another FlossTube video. I know I normally only post every other week, but I'll be posting weekly throughout the rest of December. I'll most likely go back to my regular every other week posting beginning in January.

    Show Notes:


    Finishes:
    • Let It Snow - Tiny Modernist
    • Noel - Bendy Stitchy Designs
    • Gift Stitching
    WIPs:
    • Pumpkin House (Shannon Christine Designs)
    • Sunnyside Sampler (The Drawn Thread)
    Haul:
    • Christmas in Space Postage Stamps (Wild Violet Cross Stitch)
    • Stitchy Noel (Four Boys and a NL Girl Designs) - 2019 Flossmas Ornament
    • Cabin in the Woods (Tiny Modernist) - Feb 2020 Just Cross Stitch
    • Disneyland Map (LoveMyStitch)
    Flosstubers/Instagram Stitchers Mentioned:
    Help a Great Cause:
      Caroline from Off the Grid Needlearts is raising money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) this month. This is a charity very near and dear to her heart for personal reasons. You can help her efforts in three different ways:
      • Buy items from a Michelle Bendy auction this month. All proceeds from the auctions go to MDC.
      • Purchase the 2019 Flossmas Ornament designed by Patty of Four Boys and a NL Girl Designs. All profits from the design go to MDC.
      • Make a direct donation to Muscular Dystrophy Canada. After making the donation, email Caroline at caroline@evertote.com with the subject heading "I donated to MDC" to be entered in a drawing for various thank you gifts she’ll be sending out in January.

    #MWSHolidayTag (Flosstube: Married with Stitches)
    • Is your Christmas tree real or artificial?
    • Do you open presents on Christmas Eve?
    • Favorite holiday movie?
    • What kind of food do you leave for Santa?
    • When you don't like a present, are you honest or do you pretend to love it?
    • Do you buy your pets presents?
    • Have you ever gone caroling?
    • Have you ever kissed under a mistletoe?
    • Have you ever re-gifted?
    • Do you save bags for gifting?
    • Do you send holiday cards?
    • Be honest. Do you enjoy receiving gifts or giving gifts?
    HelloHolidayNeedleworkTag (Flosstube: Liz Mathews)
    • What would you rather stitch: snowflakes, reindeer, Christmas tree, or menorah?
    • What needlework related tool is on your wishlist?
    • You're snuggling up for a cozy stitch session. What's in your cup?
    • What needlework supply or tool are you most grateful for?
    • What needlework supply or tool have you been wanting to try?
    • Would you rather make a holiday stocking or creating gift wrap for a small package?
    • What is your favorite holiday fiber color?
    • What designer would you order a secret holiday chart from sight unseen?
    • What will you be grateful to finally finish?
    • What is your favorite holiday tradition?

    Sunday, December 8, 2019

    FlossTube #11 Show Notes - So Many WIPs and So Much Haul

    I'm back with my latest FlossTube video. This video is a bit longer than my normal videos because I have so many WIPs and so much haul to share.

    Show Notes:

    Finishes:
    • Winter Wonderland - The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery - Stitched on 28 ct Sterling Lugana from Picture This Plus - Finished 30 November 2019
    WIPs:
    Haul:
    Links:

    Friday, November 29, 2019

    Half Maynia Project Recap

    I'm back with a recap of my Half Maynia Project. Since I was able to get in a full day of stitching yesterday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm happy to report I successfully stitched on all of my WIPs in November!

    When I posted my idea for the Half Maynia Project several days ago, I still needed to stitch on seven remaining WIPs to meet the goal. Here are my updated progress photos for the seven pieces I worked on. I'll also include a link to the before photo for each WIP if you want to see how much progress I made on each of them.

    Taj Mahal - Chatelaine Designs (before pic)



    Plum Blossom Kimono - Margaret Bendig Designs (before pic)



    Royal Holiday - Mirabilia (before pic)



    Garden Party (cool colorway) - Satsuma Street (before pic)



    Two Birds in One Tree - Modern Folk Embroidery (before pic)



    Stargazer - Mirabilia (before pic)



    Four Seasons - Little House Needleworks (before pic)



    My current WIP count stands at 13 projects. Be on the lookout in early January for my New Year WIP Parade FlossTube video.

    Tuesday, November 26, 2019

    New Idea: Half Maynia Project

    I realize it's really late in November to come up with an idea for a November project, but that's what I've done. LOL As many of you know, many stitchers in our community participate in an event each May called Stitch Maynia. This year was my first year participating and I followed the Blimeycat Method which means working on a combination of my WIPs (Works in Progress) and new starts. By doing this, I ensure that I work on all of my WIPs, even my really old ones, at least once per year.

    I was thinking today how it would be nice to actually work on each of my WIPs at least twice per year so nothing lingers too long without getting a bit of love. It was at this time I realized November is the halfway point in the year between Maynia since it's six month after May. With that realization, the Half Maynia Project was born!

    So, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is the Half Maynia Project (#halfmayniaproject)? Unlike Stitch Maynia in May, there will be no new starts in the Half Maynia Project. Instead, beginning this year and going forward in future years, I will pull out each of my existing WIPs and put in at least two hours of stitching time on each during the month of November. I may well stitch more than that, but the goal will be at least two hours of stitching time on each.

    Of course, since there are only four fill days left in this month, that doesn't leave much time for me to meet the goal this year. Fortunately, thanks to the November acrostic in the 24 Hours of Cross Stitch group on Facebook, I've already stitched on about half of my WIPs this month. As of right now, I need to put in at least two hours of stitching on a total of seven (7) WIPs to have worked on all of my WIPs this month. That's totally doable for me in four days, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

    Here's the starting point of the WIPs I'll be working on over the next few days to meet my Half Maynia Project goal:

    Taj Mahal Mandala - Chatelaine Designs (my oldest WIP)


    Plum Blossom Kimono - Margaret Bendig Designs (counted canvas)


    Royal Holiday - Mirabilia


    Garden Party (cool colorway) - Satsuma Street


    Two Birds in One Tree - Modern Folk Embroidery



    Stargazer - Mirabilia



    Four Seasons - Little House Needleworks



    To see a complete list of all my WIPs (including links to the designs and designers when possible), check out my Current WIPs page. It's always available in the navigation menu at the top of the page for easy access. You can also find links for my 2019 Finishes, Past Finishes, and all of the projects I have Fully Kitted and ready to go.

    Even though I know it's late in the month, if anyone would like to join me on the Half Maynia Project, please leave me a comment below so we can cheer each other on. You can also use #halfmayniaproject across the various social media platforms so we can all find each other. If you're not able to finish everything within November, feel free to let it carry over into December since I thought of this idea so late in the month. Then, beginning next year and every year thereafter, we can get started on November 1 for that year's Half Maynia Project. I hope you'll join me in the fun and let's show all of our WIPs some love!

    Sunday, November 24, 2019

    FlossTube #10 Show Notes - Finishes FTW

    I'm back today with my latest FlossTube video. I actually managed to finish FOUR pieces over the past couple of weeks and made progress on a few others, too. Check it out in my video below.

    Show Notes:

    Finishes:
    • Deck the Halls Mystery SAL (part 6) - Caterpillar Cross Stitch - stitched using the recommended fibers on 32 ct Vintage Stormy Night Lugana (Zweigart)
    • Pumpkin Truck - Shannon Christine Designs - stitched using the recommended fibers on 32 ct Heartland Lugana (Picture This Plus)
    • Glitter House 8 - Country Cottage Needleworks - stitched using the recommended fibers on 32 ct Opalescent Raw/Silver linen (Zweigart)
    • Glitter House 9 - Country Cottage Needleworks - stitched using the recommended fibers on 32 ct Opalescent Raw/Silver linen (Zweigart)
    WIPs:
    • Be Inkspired - Stitchrovia - stitched using the recommended fibers on 32 ct Limestone Lugana (Wichelt)
    • Quilting Bee - The Blue Flower - stitched using the recommended fibers on 40 ct Vintage Examplar (Lakeside Linens) - added some Kreinik 032 Blending Filament to the wings
    • Log Cabin Autumn - Gracewood Stitches - stitches using the recommended fibers on an unknown 32 ct linen
    • Gift Stitching - I'll reveal this project after it's been given to the recipient for Christmas
    Haul:
    • Tom Turkey Sampler - Heart in Hand (fully kitted)
    • Autumn Alphabet - The Scarlett House (fully kitted)
    • Moon & Spider, Apple Cider - Needlework Press
    • Peace on Earth: All is Calm - Barbie Tingley (PetalPusher)
    • Blossom House - Little Stitch Girl
    • Ukrainian Folk Biscornu - Irina Mastakova (FireplaceHobby)
    Links:
    Flosstubers Mentioned:

    Thursday, November 7, 2019

    Flosstube #9 Show Notes - Fall Fling Recap

    I had the amazing experience last weekend to attend the Fall Fling retreat hosted by Acorns & Threads in Portland, Oregon. I went with my best friend, Tracy, but also got to meet lots of other awesome Flosstubers and stitchers.

    For my latest Flosstube video, I thought I would share a recap of my experience. You can watch it here on my blog or you can head over to my YouTube channel and watch it there. If you enjoy it, I hope you'll consider giving me a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel if you haven't already. Thanks!

    Show Notes:


    Finishes:
    • Glitter House 7 - Country Cottage Needleworks
    WIPs:
    • Glitter House 8 - Country Cottage Needleworks
    • Deck the Halls Mystery SAL (part 5) - Caterpillar Cross Stitch
    • Pumpkin Truck - Shannon Christine Designs
    Links:
    Flosstubers Mentioned:
    Instagram Stitchers Mentioned:

    Sunday, October 27, 2019

    Flosstube #8 Show Notes

    After a nearly five and half month hiatus, I'm back with a new Flosstube video! You can either watch it here or over on my YouTube channel. Regardless of where you watch it, I would appreciate if you took a few seconds to give me a thumbs up on the video and subscribe to my channel if you haven't already. Thanks!



    Flosstube #8 Show Notes

    Finishes 

    • Partridge in a Pear Tree - Prairie Schooler (May 21) - 32 ct Platinum Lugana (Zweigart)
    • Glitter House 4 - Country Cottage Needleworks (May 22) - 32 ct Opalescent Raw/Silver linen
    • Glitter House 5 - Country Cottage Needleworks (May 24)
    • Glitter House 6 - Country Cottage Needleworks (October 23)
    • Penelope’s Posies - Lindy Stitches (May 25) - Kit (32 ct linen)
    • Autumn Keeper Pinkeep - Barbara Ana (May 25) - 40 ct Doubloon PTP 
    • Thanksgiving Harvest Fairy - Mirabilia (May 27) - Kit (32 ct Natural linen)
    • Mid Century Gardens Pt 2 - Hands On Design (May 30) - 32 ct Winter Moon linen (Zweigart)
    • Strawberry Time - Barbara Ana Designs (June 3) - 28 ct Antique White Jobelan (Wichelt)
    • Fall Fling Exchange Piece (September 29) - 16 ct Wren Aida PTP
    • Favorite Brew - Hands On Design (October 2) - 32 ct Winter Wishes (Fabrics by Stephanie)

    WIPs 

    Haul

    Links

    Links to Flosstubers/IG Stitchers Mentioned


    Sunday, October 20, 2019

    Stitching Update for Week 42 2019

    Wow, this week seemed to fly by so quickly! It feels like it's only been a couple of days since I wrote my last weekly update. Thankfully, even though the week has felt very short, I have some fun stitching progress to share with you.

    Before I get to that though, is anyone else suffering from major retreat envy right now? If you're on Instagram, I'm sure your feed and stories, like mine, were filled with tons of retreat photos and shenanigans over the past few days. I'm not sure exactly how many retreats took place this weekend, but I personally had friends at FOUR different retreats. There was the Stitch West retreat in Farmington, Utah, the Midwest Stitcher's Retreat in Amana, Iowa, the Michigan Stitchers Retreat in Lansing, Michigan, and StitchFest in Herndon, Virginia. The only saving grace for me was the knowledge I'll be attending a retreat in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

    Now, back to my stitching update for the past week. I actually managed to squeeze in two finishes. The first was actually both a new start and a finish. I stitched one of the Year in Chalk monthly designs from Cathy Habermann of Hands on Design. It was a very quick stitch, so it only took me a couple of nights. This is my 18th finish of the year.

    Design: Year in Chalk October
    Designer: Hands On Design
    Fabric: 30 ct Gunmetal (Weeks Dye Works)
    Fibers: Recommended GAST
    Started: 14 October 2019
    Completed: 16 October 2019

    The second finish I had this week is Home of a Needleworker Squared by Little House Needleworks. This was a market release back in March at Nashville which included both the chart and fibers. I didn't use the recommended fabric though. I stitched mine on 32 ct Summer Khaki linen from Zweigart. This is my 19th finish for the year.

    Design: Home of a Needleworker Squared
    Designer: Little House Needleworks
    Fabric: 32 ct Summer Khaki linen (Zweigart)
    Fibers: Included Classic Colorworks
    Started: 8 May 2019
    Completed: 19 October 2019

    I started this piece during Stitch Maynia in May. Since I've now finished it, this will open up a spot for a new start during my 2020 Stitch Maynia. I use a version of the BlimeyCat method for Stitch Maynia which means rather than doing all new starts, I work on any existing Maynia WIPs and then fill in the other days with new starts. When I finish a Maynia WIP, that will then open a spot for a new start the next time Maynia rolls around. As it stands right now, I'll be able to have nine new starts for Maynia 2020, but I think I should be able to finish at least three more of my existing Maynia WIPs between now and then which would mean at least 12 new starts.

    Speaking of WIPs, I was able to work on my Deck the Halls Mystery SAL from Caterpillar Cross Stitch again. Part 4 of the SAL was released in the wee hours UK time on Friday (Oct. 18) which meant I actually had it in time for Thursday night stitching time here in California.


    This was another really quick stitch, so between Thursday night and Friday night stitching time, I was able to complete Part 4. We only have two more parts remaining, so this piece should become a finish in mid-November. I'm stitching it on 32 ct Vintage Stormy Night Lugana from Zweigart using the recommended DMC.

    My final update for the past week is a combination new start/WIP. I'm stitching the Glitter Village series from Country Cottage Needleworks. Here's my start on Glitter House #6.


    Instead of stitching them as individual pieces, I'm stitching all of them on a single piece of fabric. So, I've been counting each house as a new start/finish because they're all individual charts, but also kind of consider it one big WIP since they're all going on a single piece of fabric. Clear as mud? LOL I'm stitching it on the recommended fabric using the recommended fibers. Only three more to go after this one!

    Thursday, October 17, 2019

    A Second Dark October Finish

    I'm back today with my second finish for Dark October. It's also my 18th finish of the year.

    Design: Year in Chalk October
    Designer: Hands On Design
    Fabric: 30 ct Gunmetal (WDW)
    Fibers: Recommended GAST
    Started: 14 October 2019
    Completed: 16 October 2019

    This design is part of the Year in Chalk series released by Cathy Habermann of Hands on Design back in 2015. I purchased all twelve of them at the time they were released, but only got around to stitching the January and February designs at the time. I decided it was about time to pull them out and start stitching the rest of the series.

    I purchased all the designs fully kitted from Drema at Needlecraft Corner. She's definitely one of my "go to" shops for stitching supplies. She has a brick and mortar store outside Baltimore, but offers fantastic mail order service as well. One of the things I love most is how she puts together discounted packages for new releases (unless requested not to do so by the designer). It saves me so much time vs. having to try and source fabric and fiber once I've decided on a chart. She also offers auto-ship programs for chart series such as the Chalk Full series from Hands on Design or the new Snow Village series from Country Cottage Needleworks. For Aida fans, she often offers some of the packages with an Aida option, too! I'm not affiliated in any way with her shop other than as a long-time very happy customer.

    Monday, October 14, 2019

    Stitching Update for Week 41 2019

    Happy Monday, everyone! I'm back today with my stitching recap for Oct. 7-13, 2019 (Week 41).

    I spent all of my stitching day last week trying to get caught up with the Deck the Halls Mystery SAL (Stitch-a-Long) from Caterpillar Cross Stitch. As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't join the SAL until the last day of part 2, so I had a LOT of catching up to do.

    Here was my progress at the start of last week (Oct 7).


    I'm happy to report, as of last night, I'm completely caught up with the SAL! The next installment won't be released until Friday (Oct 18), so I have a few days to stitch on other projects until then.

    Here's my completed parts 1-3 as of last night (Oct 13):


    I'm stitching this SAL with the recommended DMC fibers. The fabric I'm using is 32 ct Vintage Stormy Night Lugana from Zweigart.

    I'm really loving this design so far. I love the bright colors and the funky/retro feel of the design. Another thing I really like about it is the mix of the traditional red and green colors with the non-traditional pink and teal colors.

    I hope you all had some good stitching time last week as well!

    Monday, October 7, 2019

    24 Hours of Cross Stitch Recap - October 2019

    If you're part of the cross stitching online community, you probably knew there was another round of the 24 Hours of Cross Stitch (24HOCS) marathon challenge taking place. If you aren't familiar with it, I'll share a brief history of how it all began at the end of this post.

    The piece I decided to focus on during the weekend marathon was the Deck the Halls Mystery SAL (stitch-a-long) from Caterpillar Cross Stitch (CCS). This SAL started in early September, but I had completely missed it somehow. I only learned about it on October 1 after starting to notice all the cute WIPs people were posting on Instagram of it. I purchased the chart on October 2 and started stitching on it October 3.

    CCS does offer kits for this SAL, but since I was already so far behind and they're based in the UK, I opted to just purchase the PDF of the chart and kit it from my stash. Thankfully, I had a piece of 32 count Vintage Stormy Night Lugana that worked perfectly for it since the kit comes with a light gray fabric. The fibers are all just DMC.

    Here was my starting point on Friday for the 24HOCS.


    Going into the weekend, I set a personal goal to try and stitch at least 18 hours. Sadly, I didn't come anywhere close to that. I got completely sidetracked moving my blog to this new home on Saturday and ended up not putting in a single stitch that day. By the time everything was said and done, I only stitched for about 7-8 hours during the marathon window. Here was my finishing point for this round of 24HOCS.


    As I mentioned, this is a mystery stitch-a-long. Only the first three of the six parts have been released thus far, so we still don't know exactly how the finished project will look. Based on the first three parts though, I'm sure I'll love it. The fun retro vibe and colors are right up my alley! Here's a model of what the first three parts will look like when they're all stitched. (Photo credit: Caterpillar Cross Stitch Instagram account)


    If you would like the purchase the kit or chart, you can find it here: Deck the Halls Mystery SAL. I have no affiliation with CCS other than as a happy customer.

    Brief History of the 24 Hours of Cross Stitch challenge

    The idea was originally hatched by Jen of Quirks & Stitches and her mother. They decided to binge watch the first season of the show 24 non-stop and stitch while they were watching. Jen's followers on Instagram were so inthralled by the concept, the official 24 Hours of Cross Stitch event and Facebook group were born. During the first couple of rounds, the event was only 24 hours and the goal was to stitch as many of those hours as possible.

    By the time round two of the challenge came around, Lynda Jo of Pretty Southern came up with the whole #teamsleep notion. I was definitely on-board with that idea, so instead of stitching the entire 24 hours, I took a break for about 6-7 hours and got some sleep. Eventually Jen decided to modify the challenge to take place over a 48 hour period with the goal of stitching 24 hours within that 48 hour window. Even with the new format, I've still never been able to complete a full 24 hours. The closest I've ever come is 19 hours.

    Saturday, October 5, 2019

    Catching Up on 2019 Finishes

    Since I was MIA for a bit as I was dealing with health issues over the summer, I didn't get around to posting quite a few of my finishes for this year on my blog. Now that I'm back to blogging again, I thought this would be a good time to catch everyone up on what I worked on over the summer. Here they all are listed in chronological order of when I finished each piece.

    Partridge in a Pear Tree - The Prairie Schooler

    Design: Partridge in a Pear Tree (from the 12 Days of Christmas)
    Designer: The Prairie Schooler
    Fabric: 32 count Platinum Lugana
    Fibers: Recommended DMC
    Started: 10 May 2019
    Completed: 21 May 2019

    Glitter House 4 - Country Cottage Needleworks

    Design: Glitter House 4 (from the Glitter Village series)
    Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
    Fabric: 32 count Opalescent Raw/Silver Linen
    Fibers: Recommended Classic Colorworks
    Started: 13 April 2019
    Completed: 22 May 2019

    Glitter House 5 - Country Cottage Needleworks

    Design: Glitter House 5 (from the Glitter Village series)
    Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
    Fabric: 32 count Opalescent Raw/Silver Linen
    Fibers: Recommended Classic Colorworks
    Started: 1 May 2019 
    Completed: 24 May 2019

    Penelope's Posies - Lindy Stitches

    Design: Penelope’s Posies
    Designer: Lindy Stitches
    Fabric: 32 count white evenweave
    Fibers: Recommended DMC
    Started: 18 May 2019
    Completed: 25 May 2019

    Autumn Keeper Pinkeep - Barbara Ana Designs

    Design: Autumn Keeper Pinkeep
    Designer: Barbara Ana Designs
    Fabric: 40 count Doubloon linen (PTP)
    Fibers: Recommended DMC
    Started: 29 March 2019
    Completed: 25 May 2019

    Thanksgiving Harvest Fairy - Mirabilia

    Design: Thanksgiving Harvest Fairy (limited edition kit)
    Designer: Mirabilia Fabric: 32 ct Natural Linen (Zweigart)
    Fibers: Crescent Colors (included in kit)
    Started: 29 October 2016
    Completed: 27 May 2019

    Mid Century Gardens Part 2 - Hands On Design

    Design: Mid Century Gardens Part 2
    Designer: Hands On Design Fabric: 32 ct Winter Moon Linen (Zweigart)
    Fibers: Recommended WDW
    Started: 17 May 2019
    Completed: 31 May 2019

    Strawberry Time - Barbara Ana Designs

    Design: Strawberry Time
    (from the Summer 2019 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher Magazine)
    Designer: Barbara Ana Designs
    Fabric: 28 ct Antique White Jobelan (Wichelt)
    Fibers: Recommended DMC
    Started: 1 June 2019
    Completed: 3 June 2019

    That wraps up finishes 8-15 for the year for me. I can't share finish 16 until after the Fall Fling retreat hosted by Acorns & Threads. It's my piece for the ornament exchange taking place at the retreat. This year's Fall Fling retreat is sold out already, but if you would like more information about it, you can find it on the Classes and Events page on their website.

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    A Dark October Finish

    We’re only three days into Dark October Stitching and I already have a finish. Woo hoo! Admittedly, it’s a pretty small piece, but a finish is a finish, right? I started this piece on Tuesday (1 Oct) and finished it yesterday (2 Oct). It’s my 17th finish of 2019 so far.

    Design: Favorite Brew 
    Designer: Hands On Design 
    Fabric: 32 ct Winter Wishes (Fabrics by Stephanie) 
    Fibers: Recommended Classic Colorworks & Kreinik 
    Started: 1 October 2019 
    Completed: 2 October 2019

    This is the adorable freebie from Hands On Design called Favorite Brew. It was released as a free chart at the Nashville market earlier this year and coordinates with Cathy’s Scary Apothecary series since it uses the same colors of floss and Kreinik braids.
    If you would like a copy of this free design, you can download it from this post over on Cathy’s blog. If you haven’t seen this design before, here’s how it will look when it’s fully finished. 

    I actually purchased a kit for this design from Drema at Needlecraft Corner. If you’ve never checked out her Special Kits, they’re great! This particular kit is $21.95 and includes the free chart, a piece of Winter Wishes 32 ct linen from Fabrics by Stephanie, all the fibers, the rick rack and pom pom for the finishing, and the set of Pin Minis from Just Another Button Company.
    I’m sure some of you think it’s silly to buy a kit for a free chart, but I’m going to make a strong case for it, I think. If you kit this up yourself as charted, here’s everything you would need:
    • Fat Quarter cut of linen (the smallest cut Stephanie sells) – $26
    • Six full skeins of Classic Colorworks floss – $15 (six at $2.50 each)
    • Two spools of Kreink braid – $6.50 (two at $3.25 each)
    • Three yards of rick rack from Lady Dot Creates (her minimum cut) – $6
    • A green pom pom (not sure of the source for this)
    • The set of Pin Minis from JABCO – $12
    That comes to $65.50, not including the green pom pom. As you can see, getting the kit was definitely the easiest and most economical way to stitch this cute design.