Two Happy Dances

 

Started: 1/27/2022

Finished: 1/29/2022

Total Stitching Time: 5 hours and 16 minutes

After completing the designs for the 2021 Stitchmas Advent SAL, Creatively Crafting republished the daily designs without the numbers.  This was Day 23.  

He's stitched mostly as charted with the called for DMC on 14-count white Aida.  I did modify some of the backstitch, because I don't like starting/ending a backstitch in the center of a cross stitch.

He's been added to the box of ornaments going to the Ronald McDonald House later this year.

Started: 11/26/2021

Finished: 1/29/2022

Total Stitching Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

This is one of the shepherds from Durene Jones Nativity project in Enjoy Cross Stitch - Christmas 2021.

It's stitched as charted with mostly the called for DMC on white perforated paper.  When pulling the floss to finish this, I couldn't find DMC 839 and 963 so I used the Anchor equivalents.

This is part of a set that will be given to a Director of Christian Education at our church to help tell the Christmas story.  I won't be finish finishing them until I have a chance to see how she'd like them finished.

Smalls SAL - January, 2022

 The Smalls SAL happens on the last Friday of the month and is hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread.  Thank you Mary, for hosting this SAL where we post any projects that we consider small in size.  You can click on the link to see more information and other Smalls Posts for this month.

So far, everything I've stitched this year could be considered a Small so here is my stitching for the month.

Cat in Hat - Lucy Heaton

Monarch Butterfly - designer unknown

Gingerbread Lad - Mill Hill

Wreath Mouse - Lucie Heaton

Cat - DMC Kit (Leslie Teare (?)

Happy Dance - Cat

 

Started: 01/16/2022

Finished: 01/26/2022

Total Time: 21 hours and 27 minutes

Cat is a DMC kit that I think was designed by Leslie Teare. 

It's stitched as charted with the provided Aida and DMC floss.

It will be put into the hoop provided and given to my granddaughter for her birthday the end of March.  This was an impulse purchase that I planned to make for her for Christmas, but didn't even start it until this month.

Happy Dance - Gingerbread Lad

 

 

Started: 1/12/2022

Finished: 1/16/2022

Total Stitching Time: 9 hours and 2 minutes

This is the Gingerbread Lad from the Mill Hill Beaded Holiday Collection.

It's stitched as charted with the perforated paper and floss provided.

It will be going to the Ronald McDonald House in Orange, CA come Christmas time.

Gifted Gorgeousness - January 2022

The fifteenth of each month is for posting items that relate to gifts, either some part of the item was received as a gift or the item itself will be given as a gift.  This is another brainchild of the fabulous Jo at Serendipitous Stitching .  You can click the link for more information and/or to see what others have  received and/or are gifting. 

I haven't had a Gifted Gorgeousness post in months, but I'm planning to do a lot of stitching for others this year so I should have a Gifted Gorgeousness post every month.  The following will be going to the Ronald McDonald House in Orange, CA.

The Monarch Butterfly was stitched for a quilt for Q4OC.  The quilt will be made up of different colored butterflies.

Happy Dance - Wreath Mouse

 

 

Started: 1/7/2022

Finished: 1/12/2022

Total Stitching Time: 11 hours and 5 minutes

This is Monty, the Furry Tales Wreath Mouse by Lucie Heaton from the World of Cross Stitching Magazine #312.

It's stitched as charted with the called for DMC floss on 14-count Light Blue Aida.  I was originally going to do it on pink Aida, but that was before I realized it was a boy!  

This will hopefully be finished into a pillowed ornament (my first time doing this specific type of finish) and sent to the local Ronald McDonald House to be given to one of their families next Christmas.

Fully Finished Gallery SAL - January 2022

It's time again for the Fully Finished Gallery SAL which was created by Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher to encourage us to fully finish our projects instead of just storing them in a drawer or box rarely to be seen again.  Click on the link to see more details and what other stitchers have posted.  

It's been a long time since I've fully finished any of my stitching and even longer since I've posted about them.  One of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to fully finish the project (if not part of a set or quilt) as soon as I finish the stitching.  Another one is to post monthly.  So far, so good!

The first FFO this month is the Gingerbread Tree from Mill Hill.  I added a beaded hanger and then glued it to a piece of felt.

Next is what I call the Sweater.  It's a wooden ornament so I added a ribbon and backed it with sparkly red felt.

The next one is called Festive Flower, but is better known as a poinsettia.  This was the second attempt at finishing this one.  I tried a new technique, but it was too small and/or I'd trimmed too much excess fabric so I only had one option -- to cut around the around the design and add a hanger and felt backing.  FYI, the greens match way better in person.

I decided to take the easy way out on the next one, trimming around the stitching and adding a felt backing and gold ribbon hanger. This is Cat in Hat.

I didn't stitch the next one, but received it in an exchange many years ago.  It came to me fringed and partially backed with iron-on interfacing.  I added a red felt backing to cover the interfacing and and a gold ribbon hanger.  I'm calling it Cat Face.

My final FFO was stitched as part of Christmasitis 2020. Again, I added a ribbon hanger and backed it with a sparkly red felt.

Happy Dance - Monarch Butterfly

 

Started: 1/1/2022

Finished: 1/6/2022

Total Stitching Time: 16 hours and 34 minutes

The chart for this project was provided by Jeneen at Quilts for Older Children and Adults (Q4OC) so I don't have any information about the designer.  She also provided the floss which in my case was Cosmos 5039, but we provided our own fabric, 14-count white Aida.

This will be going back to Jeneen to be made into a quilt of similar butterflies.

Happy Dance - Cat in Hat

I'm planning/hoping to get back to posting my Happy Dances as they happen this year.  So here's my first finish for 2022.

Started 12/27/2021

Finished 1/1/2022

Total Stitching Time: 10 hours 28 minutes

This was designed by Lucie Heaton as part of her Ask Lucie column in Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine #131.  

It's stitched as charted with the called for DMC on 14-count Lite Oatmeal Fiddler's Cloth.  This was a bad choice of fabric, because the DMC 712 and White floss blended into the background too easily which led to lots of frogging.

It was stitched for the Facebook group, Stitching for Families (RMHCSC) and will be made into a Christmas ornament.

Stitching Recap - December, 2021

December has been my best month for stitching in almost a year.  I worked on eight projects, seven were new starts and six of those were finished.  One WIP from last year was also a finish.

My first three finishes were part of the Stitchmas Advent SAL at Creatively Crafting.  The original plan was to stitch as many as I could during December, but I changed paths after the third one to stitch Christmas Ornaments for the Ronald McDonald House in Orange, CA.  She's since released the charts without the numbers so I'll be stitching them instead.

My other finishes in December were stitched for the Facebook Group, Stitching for Families (RMHCSC). The Candy Cane was started as part of Christmasitis 2020; the others were all new starts.

 The final project I worked on was a new start, but wasn't finished in December.

January Plans

 

First, I'll finish Cat in Hat.  I've also made a list of six other projects (several of them small) that I'm planning to stitch in January.

 

Monarch Butterfly for Q4OC

Furry Tales Wreath Mouse - Christmas Ornament

Mill Hill Gingerbread Stocking - Christmas Ornament

Cat - DMC Kit (a planned birthday gift)

Raccoon Santa (Stitchmas Advent Day 24) - Christmas Ornament 

Red Shepherd (already started) - Away in a Manger Project

 

Statistics:

Days Stitched This Month = 29  (didn't stitch on 12/6 or 12/18)

Days Stitched This Year  = 220 (possible = 365)

Total Hours Stitched This Month = 54 hours and 3 minutes

Total Hours Stitched This Year = 334 hours and 27 minutes

Number of Projects Worked on This Month = 8
Number of Unique Projects Worked on This Year = 45

Number of Projects Started This Month = 7

Number of Projects Started This Year = 30
Number of Projects Finished This Month = 7

Number of Projects Finished This Year = 29