Happy Dance - Holly Jolly Peppermint Wreath

Started: 6/11/2020

Finished: 6/15/2020

Stitching Time: 7 hours 13 minutes

Holly Jolly Peppermint Wreath was designed by Cynthia Young (Luhu Stitches) and can be found in the 2019 JCS Ornament Issue.  

It's stitched on 14-count light green Aida as charted.  I changed the colors in the bow from 741-744 to 208-211, because yellow/orange isn't my favorite color.

This is my June ornament for the JCS SAL on Facebook, but it's not the ornament chosen by the group.  

Next Up: September Owl

Happy Dance - Peppermint Pal

Started: 5/31/2020

Finished: 6/5/2020

Stitching Time: 8 hours 2 minutes

This is Peppermint Pal by Carolyn Manning from the 2019 JCS Ornament Issue.  It's the May ornament for the JCS SAL on Facebook.

It's stitched on light blue 14 count Aida with the called for DMC.  The only change I made was  to use 321 instead of beads for the fringe and bow.

It will be made into a pillow ornament (if I don't mess up the cutting).

Next Up: Bride Mouse

Happy Dance - Trimming the Tree

Started: 4/10/2020

Finished: 4/16/2020

Stitching Time: 8 hours 23 minutes

This is from the 2019 JCS Ornament Issue and was designed by Blue Ribbon Designs.  It's also the ornament that was chosen for April for the JCS SAL on Facebook.

It's stitched on 14-count beige Aida as charted with the called for DMC equivalents.  I'm planning to make it into a Christmas card later this month.

Happy Dance - Red Christmas

Started: 3/13/2020

Finished: 3/16/2020

Stitching Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

This is Red Christmas by Nikyscreations from the  2019 JCS Ornament issue.  It's called Red Christmas because it was supposed to be stitched in red, but I used DMC Variations 4519 instead.  It's stitched as charted on 14-count gold dusted Aida.

This is my ornament for the JCS SAL on Facebook.  It's not the chosen ornament for the month, but I wanted something quicker and not on dark fabric.

Next Up: Follow Your Heart

Happy Dance - Christmas Bullfinch

Started: 2/24/2020

Finished: 3/2/2020

Total Hours Stitched: 7 hours and 54 minutes

Christmas Bullfinch appeared in the 2019 JCS ornament issue and was designed by Punochka.  

It's stitched on beige 14-count Aida and stitched as charted with the called for DMC floss, except that I couldn't find my 3777 so used 355 on the bird instead.  I also substituted 347 for the 3777 in the ornaments and used black for the backstitching instead of white.  It looks like there should be another snowflake in the upper left corner, but it wasn't charted for one and I decided to leave it as is.

This is the February ornament for the JCS SAL on Facebook and  I will be making it into a small pillow.

Happy Dance - Moose Joy

Started: 1/12/2020

Finished: 1/16/2020

Stitching Time = 7 hours 35 minutes

Moose Joy is from the 2019 JCS Ornament Issue and is the January ornament for the JCS Stitch-a-Long on Facebook.  It's designed by Angel Stitchin.

It's stitched on 16-count Lt. Oatmeal Aida, but since I didn't have the called for specialty threads, I used what I had:  Blue Spruce, Nutmeg, Brandy and Cherry Wine.  All are Gentle Arts Sampler Threads.  The beads are Mill Hill #02012.

Next Up: Let's Learn From Our Cat (10 hours)

Happy Dance - Special Delivery

My rotation and stitching plans flew out the window earlier this month through no fault of their own  because of a changed deadline that I didn't know had happened..  It also happened because life is overwhelming and I have too much to do and not enough time to do it and I don't seem to be able to get anything done. So I've decided to simplify things somewhat. 

First, for my stitching, I'm going to stop (at least temporarily) my Wednesday updates.  I'm also going to become a OAAT stitcher and will set a goal of how much I want to accomplish before switching to the next project.  In most cases, the goal will be to finish that project or complete a page, but there probably won't be a stitch count or time limit involved. I will post an update whenever I switch out a project.  I may also simplify my goals for the year and drop some SALs as well as some Facebook groups, but that will be decided later.

So, on with the reason for this post, my Happy Dance.

Started: 6/10/2019

Finished: 6/19/2019

This is Special Delivery by Pickle Barrel Designs from the 2018 JCS Ornament Issue. 

It's stitched on gold dusted 14-count Aida as charted and with the called for DMC with the exception of the lettering which was stitched in DMC 4518.

It's the June ornament for the JCS Stitch-a-long on Facebook.  At the moment, I haven't decided how I'm going to finish it yet, but it's really too big for an ornament.

Wednesday Update - 5/22/2019

Although I had less time for stitching this week, I made good use of the time I did have.  I stitched on three projects everyday, but two of the projects got more time than the third and I did manage to finish one of them last night.

This is Redwork Borders by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs in the 2018 JCS Ornament Issue and was stitched for the JCS Ornament SAL on Facebook.  It's stitched on my new favorite, gold dusted 14-count Aida with DMC Coloris Floss, 4518 instead of the called for red.

Started: 5/13/2019  Finished: 5/21/2019

I continued stitching on my Monogamous Monthly Stitch, which for May is Tinkerbell.  Again, I only took a picture of the current section.

As of 5/15/2019

As of 5/22/2019

And finally, I continued stitching on my May Owl.

As of 5/15/2019

As of 5/22/2019

Wednesday Update - 5/15/2019

I had a really good stitchy week this time and got quite a bit done on all of the projects I worked on.  I stitched on three projects each day which hasn't happened in quite a while. My mindset has changed  to I only have to do one stitch for it to count.  I've never done only one stitch though and usually managed to stitch for about a half hour to an hour on each project.  .

I had two finishes this week  My first finish was the April Owl from Leslie Teare's free Owl SAL on Facebook.  It's stitched on 14-count Lite Oatmeal Aida with the called for DMC.  The leaves were supposed to be striped, but it felt too busy to me, so I changed them to be solid colors using the green floss in the umbrella.  This will be sent to WOCS with the rest of the owls when completed.

Started: 4/18/2019  Finished: 5/9/2019

My second finish was Dashing through the Snow by Lucie Heaton in the 2018 JCS Ornament Issue. This is my April ornament for the JCS Ornament SAL on Facebook.  This isn't the chart chosen by the group, but I had trouble enlarging that chart so I chose this one as a wildcard instead.  It's stitched on 14-count gold dusted Aida as charted, except that I used all different colors.  It was charted to be all in red and white on a pale blue fabric.

Started: 5/7/2019  Finished: 5/12/2019

I continued stitching on my Monogamous Monthly chart, Tinkerbell from the Art of Disney. Since I didn't want to take it off the Q-Snaps just to take a picture, I'm only showing the current week's stitching instead of the whole project.  The color is truer in the second picture.

As of 5/87/2019

As of 5/15/2019

I also started two more projects that should, hopefully be finished next week.   After finishing my April Owl, I immediately started on the May Owl.  I really like this one.

May Owl - Leslie Teare

And immediately after finishing Dashing through the Snow, I started my May ornament for  the JCS Ornament SAL  This is Red Borders by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs from the 2018 JCS Ornament Issue.  It's being stitched on 14-count gold dusted Aida with DMC 4518.

Wednesday Update - 2/20/2019

It's Wednesday again and that means it's time for my weekly update.  I did a lot of stitching this week, but it didn't seem like much until I totaled it up.

I stitched every day and worked on seven different projects, two of which have since been trashed.  I'm learning that my stitching abilities are changing so certain charts are no longer a good idea even if I do think I want to stitch them.  I have decided that when I encounter one of these charts, I will trash it instead of being frustrated with it or turning it into an unloved UFO.

I managed to finish another three projects this week:

Started: 2/8/2019 Finished: 2/14/2019

This is the free January square from the Palko Lap SAL.  It's stitched on light blue 25-count Aida with DMC Variations #4022.  It will now join February in the Waiting to be Finished drawer until the rest of the squares are completed or until I decide how I want to finish them, most probably into a quilt.

Started: 2/9/2019  Finished: 2/15/2019

This is Merry Stocking by Ursula Michael from the 2018 JCS Ornament issue.  It was stitched on 14-count gold dusted Aida with DMC 816 mostly as charted, but with a couple of unintentional modifications (seems to be the story of my life lately.).  This was stitched for the JCS Stitch Along on Facebook.  I am making several ornaments using this Aida and complimentary threads and plan on making them into a wall hanging.

Started: 5/17/2018  Finished: 2/19/2019

Ping Panda is the 22nd animal in the Brooke's Books Advent Animals free series.  It's stitched on 14-count misty blue Aida with DMC threads as charted except that I used two strands instead of three in the border.  This is one of my YOW projects and it's also being stitched for the Winter SAL Take Two at Cross Stitch Frog Busters.  Here is the whole thing to date:

I also stitched part 3 of the free Anemone Blackwork SAL by Leslie Teare.

And I started another project.  It's from the Beautiful Blooms Needlebooks article in Enjoy Cross Stitch, Hearts and Flowers from Spring, 2017.  This is for the Pink Flowers SAL at World of Charity Stitching.

Fully Finished SAL

This is a new SAL hosted by Rachel of Ten Hour Stitcher.  Each month we're supposed to fully finish at least one of our finished projects and post it on the 10th of each month.  For more information, click the icon in the sidebar.

This month I only managed to fully finish one project and it wasn't an easy process.  I originally tried to finish it as a card, but I accidentally cut the piece too small on one side so that idea went out the window when I couldn't find my Christmas embellishments.  (I really need to do a deep clean/de-clutter  of my home office/craft room.)

Instead, I decided to back it with a partial 3x5 card for stiffness and a piece of red felt.  The hanger is made of Mill Hill beads (3050) which is kind of goldish, although it looks more silver in the picture.

Wednesday Update - 1/30/2019

I managed quite a bit of stitching this week, including two finishes on the same night. 

This is Hamilton Horse, the 17th animal in Brooke's Books Advent Animals series.  It's stitched as charted on misty blue Aida with the called for DMC. 

Started: 5/10/2018 Finished: 1/25/2019

 

This is Joy by Rovaris from the 2018 JCS Ornament Issue.  It's stitched on 20-count gold speckled Lugana, one over one.  Because my white floss didn't show up at all on this fabric, I had to make a couple of changes.  The ribbons on both packages were stitched in red instead of white and  I omitted the white snowflake that is supposed to hang on the Y.  I used regular DMC floss, except for the red, which is the new sparkly floss from DMC.  This was stitched for the JCS Stitch Along group on Facebook

Started: 1/20/2019 Finished: 1/25/2019

 My first WIP is another of the Advent Animals, this time it's Ethan Elephant, the 21st animal.  I'm skipping 18, 19 and 20 for the moment because 21 and 22 are both visible in the current position of my Q-snaps.

My other WIP for this week is Consumed by Gifts by Brittercup Designs from the 2010 JCS Ornament Issue.  It has at least one error (maybe two) that I discovered during last night's stitching session so there will be some frogging or fudging tonight.