Smalls SAL - July

It's time again for the Smalls SAL hosted by Mary at Mary's Thread This is where we share the small projects we've stitched during the previous month. Click the link to see what other stitchers are sharing this month.  I'm a little late this month.  Fridays are always busy, but this time the weekend was too.

Everything I stitched this month qualifies as a small and you've already seen them all before, but here goes.

Fabulous Watermelon - Cross Stitch Crazy #192 (Jenny Barton)

Flip Flops -Lucie Heaton (Free Chart)

June Owl - Leslie Teare (Free Facebook SAL)

July - Palko Lap (Free Chart on Blog)

Tree Shopping - Mill Hill Winter Holiday Collection

Happy Dance - Tree Shopping

Started: 7/17/2019

Finished: 7/26/2019

This is Tree Shopping from Mill Hill's most recent Holiday Collection.  I used the materials in the kit, but made two changes: 1) I used two strands of floss for the cross stitch and I filled in the empty areas around the white stitches at the top.  

It seemed to take a lot longer than usual to stitch and I'm not sure why, except that I actually followed the direction and did the stitching first and beading last; usually I bead as I go.  Also, all of the beads were in one bag and I had trouble distinguishing between the black and green and the gray and white at first.

It came with a magnet, but I made a hanger for it instead.   I still need to attach the hanger and add the backing, but once that's done it will be added to my drawer of Christmas ornaments to go on the tree this Christmas.

Next Up: July Owl

Goal: A Finish

Happy Dance - Flip Flops

Started: 7/15/2019

Finished: 7/17/2019

This is is free chart from Lucie Heaton; I received it in her newsletter sent last Friday.  

It's stitched on white 14-count Aida.  I made one intentional change in that I removed two columns from between the two flip flops because they looked to be too far apart to me.

I also made an unintentional change in the floss used.  I read the color chart wrong and used 444 for the background, but it was supposed to be used for the shading.  I chose to use 725 for the shading instead of the 727 called for, because 727 was a lighter shade.

This project is for Kyleigh's quilt.  I chose this because she wears flip flops a lot.  She saw the chart and said she used to have a pair just like this.

Next Up:  Tree Shopping (Mill Hill)

Goal: Finish

Happy Dance - July Palko Lap

Started: 7/13/2019

Finished: 7/15/2019

This is a free SAL from several years ago on her blog which can be found at http://palkolap.blogspot.com/2019/07/1220-idojaras-das-wetter.html

 

It's stitched on white 25-count Lugana as charted with DMC Coloris floss #4512.  Now I'm wishing I'd used white for all the squares and just changed the floss color.  Too late now though!

 

I really enjoyed this one and it went fairly fast.  It was fun to watch the bottom motifs appear.

 

Next Up: Flip Flops (a free design from Lucie Heaton for Kyleigh's quilt.

Goal: Finish

 

 

 

Gifted Gorgeousness - July

Gifted Gorgeousness is a SAL run by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching  For this SAL, we post anything that was received as a gift or is being stitched for a gift.  You can click on the link to see what others are giving or have received.

The only gift I stitched this month was the June Owl from Leslie Teare's Facebook SAL.

But I finally used my gift certificate from Rachel on a couple of the new Mill Hill Kits. 

I also received a Hinzeit Mermaid chart from Astrid to make for Kyleigh.

Thank you both for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Kitten Antics

We had a feral cat give birth to kittens in our backyard the end of March, but we didn't discover them until they were about eight weeks old.  We were able to trap two of them before the mother disappeared with the other two.  Kyleigh desperately wanted one so she got the first one we trapped and named it Tony.
We kept the second one and after some deliberation, I named it Taz.  Both kittens are identical in color. 

 

 

He likes to be close to one of us most of the time.  When it's David, usually in the evenings, Taz curls up on David's chest and they both take a nap. 

When he's with me, if he's not helping me cook, fold clothes, clean his litter box or do any of those other pesky little chores, he's usually cuddled up near me, but not necessarily on me. 

 

He's curled up like this last picture right now except that his head is on the corner of laptop and he's sound asleep.

We've always had cats, but when the last one died several years ago, we decided not to get another one.  This one just kind of happened, but we're both happy and he's going to be our first indoor cat so hopefully, he'll be able to stick around longer.  

Happy Dance - June Owl

Started 7/2/2019

Finished: 7/13/2019

This is the June Owl from Leslie Teare's free Facebook SAL.  It's stitched on 14-count Aida in Lite Oatmeal.  It's stitched with the called for DMC except for the reds, for which I used darker shades.  I'm also using 3799 instead of 310 for the backstitch for all of the owls. 

I can't say it's stitched as charted, because I had a lot of trouble with the head and neck and there's still one major mistake, but I was so frustrated with it that I decided to leave it since it would take a lot of frogging to fix it and I didn't know what I'd done wrong to begin with.  Again, this will go to WOCS when the set is completed.

Next Up:  Palko Lap - July;  Goal: A Finish

Fully Finished Gallery - July 2019

It's time again to link up with Rachel of Ten Hour Stitcher to show the items that we've turned into Finished Finished Objects or FFOs.  I'm actually on time this month and I have five FFOs to show you.  Click on the link to see what others have finish finished this month.

Santa  has been in one of my "to be finished drawers" for several years since I don't remember when I stitched him and I couldn't find him in my finished files and it starts in 2014. He's finished as a small pillow with the same fabric as the backing (14-count gold dusted Aida)..

This festive reindeer, aka Rudolph was stitched in either 2016 or 2018--he appears in both years or maybe I stitched him twice!.  I finished him as an ornament using the same fabric for the backing (14-count Oatmeal Aida).  The hanger is a combination of red and green petite beads.

Again, this heart was stitched prior to 2014 since I couldn't find it in my records.  It was a free cover kit from one of the UK Magazines and is finished with the materials provided.  It didn't come with a ribbon (or I'd lost it) so I had to find my own.  I'd rather have used white and may replace it when I find some.

Again, this was stitched prior to 2014, probably at the same time as the heart.  It was also a free cover kit finished with the materials provided, except for the ribbon, which I will probably replace at a later date.

This is Love Hearts and was stitched in 2015, probably for a Valentines Card for WOCS, but it never made it to the group.  I trimmed and fringed it and attached it to a premade card.  I guess I didn't do a very good job though.  If I don't use it before then, I will probably send it to WOCS next year.

So, all finishes of old items this month.  I want to thank Rachel for hosting this SAL because otherwise these would still be sitting in their drawers with all the other items waiting to be finished.

Happy Dance - Fabulous Watermelon

Started: 6/27/2019

Finished: 7/2/2019

Again, this is one of the fabulous fruit designed by Jenny Barton for Cross Stitch Crazy #192.  Its stitched on 14-count white Aida as charted with the called for DMC.   

I only have one more of these to do, but I'm setting them aside for now, because I have several other things I want to do first.

Next up: June Owl (Leslie Teare); Goal: Finish

June Recap - Modified Goals

Like I mentioned earlier, my stitchy goals and plans changed during the month of June and I've dropped out of several Facebook groups and their SALs because it was just too much to keep up with.  I'm now using the WIPacolypse to track my UFO/WIP stitching only and will track my modified goals in a monthly recap instead of posting everything twice.

So here are my old goals and the modifications I've made:

1) YOW (Year of WIPs) - Instead of trying to finish 14 UFOs/WIPs this year, I'm going to stitch on one each month in a loose rotation until it's done.  I have three that I'd like to finish this year. 

Big Trees

Advent Animals

Tinkerbell

2) Finish the squares for Kyleigh's quilt.  I will continue with this goal, because it's for Kyleigh and I probably have less than five left to do. 

3a) Participate in Leslie Teare's 2019 Owl SAL- I will also continue with this goal, because the finished squares will go to WOCS and I can't send them just five squares.

3b) Participate in the Christmas Ornie SAL - I am no longer participating in this one and am replacing it with the Palko Lap SAL since I'm caught up and stitching them anyway.  

3c) Participate in the JCS SAL on Facebook - I am keeping this one, too, but I'm not necessarily stitching the designated ornaments for each month.

3d) Participate in the Year Long Dimensions SAL at Cross Stitch Frog Busters - I forgot to add this one to my SALs at the beginning, but I did at it to the YOW.  I have dropped Cross Stitch Frog Busters and will no longer participate in any of their SALs including this one.

4) Continue to stitch for charity - I have three projects due by December 1st for Q4OC and I intend to finish them.  I'm also stitching the owls (3a) for WOCS and intend to finish them as well.  I may or may not stitch some other smaller projects for them as well. 

5) Stitch an undetermined number of Mill Hill kits, at least one being from the Christmas Village series.  I'm keeping this goal as well, but may not stitch a Christmas Village chart this year.

6) Stitch on 69 projects this year as a SAL with Linda of Stitching with my Furbabies.  I am also continuing with this one.

7) Fully finish at least one project a month to participate in the Fully Finished SAL.  I will continue with this goal because I have lots to finish and some can be finished fairly quickly. 

8) Participate in a Monogamous Monthly Stitch where I add at least one stitch a day to a single project for the month.  I'm no longer doing this one.

June Recap

It's now the first of July and I'm glad June is over for various reasons.  It was a very busy month and my stitching plans changed substantially.  But now it's July and I can start over.

I switched from stitching three projects a day to stitching just one on June 11th, but I stitched every day in June except for the 22nd--that was the day I spent with Kyleigh at the tractor show.  I stitched on eight projects this month with six starts and five finishes. 

I also modified my goals for the year in June, so how have I done with my new goals?

1) YOW (Year of WIPs) - Big Trees came out for four days at the beginning of the month, but that's all the WIP stitching I did this month.

As of 4//4/2019

As of 6/30/2019

2) Finish the squares for Kyleigh's quilt - I didn't stitch any in June

3a) Participate in Leslie Teare's 2019 Owl SAL - I didn't stitch any in June

3b) Stitch the squares for the Palko Lap SAL in 2015 - I stitched May and June this month so I am caught up for now. 

3c) Participate in the JCS SAL on Facebook - I stitched the chosen ornament for June.

Special Delivery

4) Continue to stitch for charity - I worked on one piece for Q4OC (Quilts for Older Children and Adults)

Fox Magic Doll

5) Stitch an undetermined number of Mill Hill kits, at least one being from the Christmas Village series - I didn't stitch any in June.

6) Stitch on 69 projects this year as a SAL with Linda of Stitching with my Furbabies - I stitched on six new projects in June for a total of 41. In addition to Palko Lap May and June, Special Delivery, and Fox Magic Doll, I also worked on these three:

Fabulous Pear

Fabulous Grapes

Fabulous Watermelon

7) Fully finish at least one project a month to participate in the Fully Finished SAL - I fully finished six items in June (three ornaments and three bookmarks).  If you'd like to see them, go to my Fully Finished Gallery post for June.

I don't have an ort picture this month, because we got a kitten and he kept knocking over my ort container so they're going straight into the trash can. 

YTD Totals
Starts: 31
Finishes: 36
FFO's: 16

Days Stitched: 179 out of 181