Happy Dance - Red Car with Tree

 

This design is from the World of Cross Stitching #327.  It's the last of the three ornaments I'm stitching from the Design Library, Kawaii Christmas and was designed by Sossae Caetano.

It's stitched as charted on metallic gold 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.  I did make one change though.  The 746 in the center of the tires, was also supposed to act as a border around the lower part of the car, but since it didn't show up on the gold fabric, I frogged it and did that part with the red of the car instead.

I plan to put it in a 3" hoop and send it to the Ronald McDonald House later this year.

Next up: Spring Floral (Daily Cross Stitch)

Happy Dance - Let It Snow

 

Started: 4/23/2023

Finished: 4/24/2023

Total Stitching Time: 4 hours and 22 minutes

This design is from the World of Cross Stitching #327.  It's the second of three ornaments I'm stitching from the Design Library, Kawaii Christmas and was designed by Sossae Caetano.

It's stitched as charted on light seafoam green 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.

I plan to put it in a 3" hoop and send it to the Ronald McDonald House later this year.

Next up: Red Car with Tree

Happy Dance - HO HO HO

 

Started: 4/21/2023

Finished: 4/22/2023

Total Stitching Time: 3 hours and 39 minutes

This design is from the World of Cross Stitching #327.  It's the first of three ornaments I'm stitching from the Design Library, Kawaii Christmas and was designed by Sossae Caetano.

It's stitched as charted on beige 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.

I plan to put it in a 3" hoop and send it to the Ronald McDonald House later this year.

Next up: Let It Snow

Weekly Update - 2/11/2021

This was a pretty good week for stitching.  I stitched everyday and finished two of my projects.

My first finished project was the Halloween Mouse from Lucie Heaton.  This was found in an older World of Cross Stitching Magazine and is the October square for the female Furry Tales quilt.  It's stitched on 14-count white Aida as charted with the called for DMC.

 Started: 1/31/2021

Finished: 2/7/2021

Total Stitching Time: 7 hours 5 minutes

My second finish was Santa Jingles, one of the Mill Hill Santas that I started back in May.  I used the kit materials, but I had a mishap with the beads and had to borrow some of the cream ones from another kit.  It's also missing the jingle bells on the hat since I've somehow managed to misplace them.

Started: 5/7/2020

Finished: 2/11/2021

Total Stitching Time: 9 hours 32 minutes

I also worked on my Blackwork USA and completed the outline of page one and parts of three more states.  I'm really enjoying this one.

As of 1/21/2021

As of 2/11/2021

For next week, I'm planning to work on Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas, start and finish the Thanksgiving Mouse and work on another Christmasitis Start.

 

Happy Dance - USA Mouse

Started: 7/1/2020

Finished: 7/7/2020

Stitching Time: 7 hours 44 minutes

This is another Furry Tales Mouse designed by Lucie Heaton and found in World of Cross Stitching #269.  It's stitched as charted on white 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.  Again, the frog visited and it took quite a bit of time to stitch her skirt.

The USA Mouse is the July mouse for my year long stitch of monthly themed Furry Tales and will be sent to WOCS (World of Charity Stitching) to be made into a quilt.

Next Up: William's Winter Stocking Cap

Happy Dance - Bride Mouse

Started: 6/5/2020

Finished: 6/11/2020

Stitching Time: 7 hours 12 minutes

This is another Furry Tales Mouse designed by Lucie Heaton and found in World of Cross Stitching #280.  It's stitched as charted on white 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.

The Bride Mouse is the June mouse for my year long stitch of monthly themed Furry Tales and will be sent to WOCS (World of Charity Stitching) to be made into a quilt.

Next Up: Holly Jolly Peppermint Wreath

Happy Dance - Cinco de Mayo Mouse

Started: 5/11/2020

Finished: 5/22/2020

Stitching Time: 9 hours 29 minutes

This is another Furry Tales Mouse designed by Lucie Heaton and found in World of Cross Stitching #254.  It's stitched mostly as charted on white 14-count Aida with the called for DMC, except that I couldn't find the 704 called for so I used 703 which is a slightly darker shade of green.  

This project took quite a bit longer than the other mice since I had to do a lot of frogging, including ripping out her right arm and ear and noise maker.

Cinco de Mayo Mouse is the May mouse for my year long stitch of monthly themed Furry Tales and will be sent to WOCS (World of Charity Stitching) to be made into a quilt.

Next Up: Derpy Hooves (My Little Pony)
 

Happy Dance - Valentine Mouse

Started: 2/6/2020

Finished: 2/9/2020

Stitching Time: 7 hours 28 minutes

Furry Tales are designed by Lucie Heaton and a different one appears each month in the World of Cross Stitching.  This one was in #238.

It's stitched on 14-count white Aida as charted with the called for DMC.

This is the mouse for February that I will send to WOCS to be made into a quilt when all the months are completed.  I'm currently looking for a suitable girl mouse to use for April.

Next Up: Let's Learn from Our Cat (Finish)

Happy Dance - Happy New Year Mouse

Started: 1/1/2020

Finished: 1/3/2020

6 hrs. 43 minutes

Furry Tales are small mice doing human things designed by Lucie Heaton and appear monthly in the World of Cross Stitching magazine.  This one was in issue #276.  

It's stitched on 14-count white Aida as charted with the called for colors.  The yellow is Anchor and the rest are DMC.

The plan right now is to stitch one a month and send them to WOCS to be made into a quilt.  I have one for March and one for August(?) already stitched.

Next Up: Mill Hill Charmed Santa Face - St. Nicholas

 

Happy Dance - Festive Kitten

Started: 9/17/2019

Finished: 9/19/2019

This was a free chart from a World of Cross Stitching magazine, but I don't know which issue.  I believe it was part of a booklet called Festive Friends.

It's stitched on Silver Dusted 14-count Aida as charted except for the backstitching which is the partial stitch kind and was modified to use mostly whole stitches.  I also changed all the colors as it was charted for the provided Madeira threads in red and green that I no longer had.  The scarf and lettering were done with Etoile threads 816 and 699.  The square is much brighter in person.

This has already been sent to Q4OC to be made into a Christmas Ornament and used for a fundraiser for a no-kill animal sanctuary.

Wednesday Update - 4/17/2019 on the 18th

I'm actually a day late this time, because I knew I was going to have two finishes last night and wanted to be able to post them this week.  I think I'm back to my normal stitching routine at the moment, but I'm very behind on my monthly pieces and blog posts.

My first finish was the Anemone, a free blackwork SAL on Facebook and her blog by Leslie Teare.  Part 12, the final backstitching was posted yesterday so I finished it last night.

It's stitched on light blue 14-count Aida as charted with the called for DMC I'm not sure how I'm going to FFO this yet, but I think I might stick it in a hoop.  It's got petite black beads on it so it can't be a quilt square.

Started:2/4/2019  Finished: 4/17/2019

My second finish is a Jack Russell Terrier by Durene Jones.  This was the Pet of the Month from World of Cross Stitching #266.  It's stitched on 14-count white Aida mostly as charted with the called for DMC.  I left the backstitching around the border off because I didn't think it was needed.  The backstitching was the fussy type that includes 1/4 and 3/4 back stitches so some of those might not be exact and there is one error in it that I decided to ignore.
This is part of the Dogs SAL for a lap quilt for Quilts for Older Children and Adults.   It's been my focus this week since it's due in Pennsylvania on  or before May 1st.

Started: 4/12/2019  Finished: 4/17/2019

Since stitching at least one stitch a day on Big Trees for the month of March was a success, I decided to do it again in April with a different project.  This is Eagles by Dimensions and is being stitched for both the Year Long Dimensions SAL on Cross Stitch Frog Busters and YOW 2019 at Soulful Stitches.  Of course, I'm stitching more than one stitch every night, usually managing 15-20 minutes before bed. 

As of 4/10/2019

 As you can see in the picture below, there is a two column error that has occurred because I miscounted the first row.  Since it's all sky, I'll compensate for it when I stitch the next portion.

As of 4/17/2019

Wednesday Update - 3/6/2019

Another Wednesday; another Wednesday Update!  I didn't do too badly this week.  I had one new start and finish, one other new start, and worked on three additional WIPs.  I did stitch everyday, but some days a lot less than usual.

First, my finish is Love is in the Air.  This was the free cover kit that came with World of Cross Stitching #278, but I don't know who designed it.  It's stitched with the materials in the kit, but I made several changes to "fix" the 1/2 stitch back stitch and eliminate the french knots.  I left off all of the french knots and changed the circle in the middle of the big heart into a smaller heart.  I forgot to take a picture before I added it to the card included in the kit.

Started: 2/27/2019  Finished: 3/1/2019

As for the WIPs:

I stitched Part 5 of the Anemone.  We're working clockwise around the center of the flower.

I continued stitching on the February Owl (yes, I'm behind on this one).

As of 2/26/2019

As of 3/5/2019

I also worked on Big Trees, which is a WIP that was last stitched on in 2018.  There's a Focus Stitch on the WIPacolypse SAL where you choose a project and add at least one stitch a day for the entire month of March.  It's also one of my YOW projects.

As of 8/8/2018

As of 3/5/2019

Finally, I started March, a free chart from Palko Lap.  

Happy Dance - Cats ABC (Letter K)

Started: 11/29/2018

Finished: 11/30/2018

This project is from the Cats ABC in The World of Cross Stitching #265 and was designed by Durene Jones.  It's stitched on 14-count white Aida and the only changes I made were: 1) to make some of the backstitching line up with the holes better and 2) to change the cat from gold to gray since Kyleigh's cat is gray.

This is another square for her quilt and she chose it when she visited the week before Thanksgiving.  We went through all the squares I had stitched and discovered that I only needed a few more, so she chose several for me to stitch from my various UK stitching magazines. 

September Recap

I thought I did very little stitching during the month of September, but when I looked at my daily log, I'd stitched more than I thought.  I actually stitched 17 out of the 30 days of September.  I didn't make much progress on my large stitches though.  This is why there weren't any Wednesday WIP updates for the month of September.  I think I'm back on track, but I thought that at the beginning of September also.  I did have three finishes though:

Anniversary Flower

Started: 7/17/2018

Finished 9/21/2018

This was stitched for Q4OC for their 2018 Anniversary Flower SAL.  It was a free chart from Cross Stitching Guild (Michael Learner).  It is stitched on 14-count white Aida with DMC 602 and 604.

Coffee Is Always a Good Idea

Started: 8/7/2018

Finished: 9/2/2018

This was stitched for the  Coffee or Tea SAL on WOCS and came from Cross Stitch Crazy #245.  It's stitched on white 14-count Aida with mostly as charted with the called for threads.  I had a lot of problems stitching this one so there are some unintended customizations, one of which is that the top color in Coffee should have been the same color as IDEA.

I (heart) the USA

Started: 9/3/2018

Finished: 9/5/2018

This was also stitched for WOCS, for their Patriotic SAL.  The chart came from World of Cross Stitching #271.  It is again stitched on 14-count white Aida with the called for DMC.  The only change I made to this one was to add the word "the".

That makes 33 finishes so far this year.

I also stitched on Advent Animals #11, but discovered that I had made a mistake last time and all that has been done has to be frogged.  (This may be part of the reason I didn't stitch as much as usual--September was the month of the FROG.)

I'm not recapping my goals for August or September as both months were a dismal failure and I haven't made any goals for October.  I'm just going to stitch what calls to me.  

Happy Dance - Blackwork Sunflower

Started: 8/1/2018

Finished: 8/6/2018

This is one of several flowers with a blackwork background that Amanda Gregory designed for the World of Cross Stitching #269.  It's stitched on white 14-count Aida with the called for threads.  It's mostly stitched according to the pattern, but there is at least one unintentional customization.

There are several more of these designs that I want to stitch and she just released six more into her Etsy shop that are already in my stash.  These will all be made into cards, probably for the St. Paul's Christmas Boutique in November if Janice decides to sell again this year.

Summer Holidays Mouse

Started: 6/29/2018

Finished: 7/4/2018

This is the Summer Holidays Mouse from the World of Cross Stitching magazine, issue unknown.  It's part of series called Furry Tales and designed by Lucie Heaton: there's one in every issue of this magazine.  

It's stitched on 14-count white Aida as charted with the called for DMC floss.

It's the first of a bunch of these squares that I hope to stitch and make into quilts.  Each square on the first quilt will be a girl mouse and each one will represent a different mouse.  This one is for August.

Two More Finishes

I'm continuing to alternate Mill Hill kits with the free cover kits from some UK magazines.  Once I put Santa's Secret aside earlier this week, I picked up Buttercup Kitty by Mill Hill which had already been started.

Buttercup Kitty

Started:8/30/2017

Finished: 9/18/2017

This was stitched with the materials in the kit, although I did use two strands for the cross stitching instead of three.  I also used beads for the eyes instead of french knots and I just noticed that she's  missing her whiskers.

I let my granddaughter go through my stash of Mill Hill ornaments and pick one for me to stitch her.  She chose this one and once I find out if she wants a pin, a magnet or an ornament, I'll FFO it and give it to her.

This kit is from 1995 and it's amazing how much the instructions have changed.  Also, all of the beads were done with a half cross stitch, even the petite ones, and there is no treasure.

Once this was completed, I picked out a cover kit to work on.  

Happy Birthday Hedgehog

Started: 9/19/2017

Finished 9/21/2017

This is the free cover kit that came with World of Cross Stitching #258 and I knew immediately that I wanted to stitch it.  It's stitched as charted with the materials in the kit. 

It will be FFO'd and put in my box of unknown purpose.  My daughter is doing a craft boutique in early November and I'm planning to place all of the items still in the box in a basket on her table to see if anyone will buy them.

Next up - Wanda's Hat from Mill Hill

Happy Dance - Flower Fairy

Started: 8/12/2017

Finished: 8/17/2017

This is the free cover kit that came with the World of Cross Stitching #252.  According to the magazine, this is the Scentless Mayweed Fairy.  It was stitched as charted and finished with the materials provided.  It has been added to my box of unknown purpose for now.

Happy Dance- Summer Rose Card

Started: 8/4/2017

Finished: 8/8/2017

This was the free cover kit from the World of Cross Stitching #256.  It's stitched with the materials in the kit except that I changed the backstitching on the leaves and stem from the same red as the rose to DMC 895.  It's been made into a card and has been added to my drawer of unknown purpose.

Happy Dance - Greyhound

Started: 11/12/2016

Finished: 11/19/2016

Designer: Durene Jones

This is from the Pet of the Month section of The World of Cross Stitching #232.  It was stitched on white 14-count Aida with the called for DMC.  It was stitched for the World of Charity Stitching Yahoo Group as part of their Dogs SAL.