1st Week of January 2024

Here we are, first update of 2024! Let's see if I can keep on track to post weekly. 

I did a new start on December 31, 2024 because the US way of writing the date made it so unique (12/31/23). I had plans for a Chatelaine, but haven't received the thread pack yet, so I decided another ridiculous one deserved a start. If I manage to finish this, it's for a friend that loves Halloween and cats. 

Paine Free Crafts Halloween Kitty with Pumpkin

and I managed a very tiny start. I'm still dealing with low energy from COVID, and needed a nap in the afternoon to make it all the way to midnight. 

Sorry it's a bit blurry. I have put it away for now, so can't get another photo yet. This was about 400 stitches into it. I ended up frogging some before this photo, but then thought maybe the stitches were correct after all? I realized I was too tired to keep stitching and stopped before I took out more stitches that were actually correct!

We all slept in the next morning and I was excited to start my New Year New Start. I don't love the fabric, it's 40ct linen, but it is gorgeous and perfect for this chart. Here's what I'm starting, which will be for my Mom. She has a big birthday this year. 

Her favourite animal is the loon, and when we were younger, we'd often go up to northern Ontario in the summers for vacation. Partly because it's beautiful and amazing, but also partly so Mom could hear loons. I had a few options on bird-related charts and had DH check them all over. He chose this one as the best for my Mom. Then he asked when her birthday was (June) and gave me a funny look like I thought I'd get this done by then. It's like he knows me or something? Then I gave him choices of all my blue fabric that was long enough and he chose this gorgeous one, which I knew he would, but linen (ugh!) and 40ct! (double ugh!) Anyway, here's my start. It wasn't too bad on the linen with my Ott light about 1 foot away...

Loon Lake by Crossed Wing Collection

stitched 2 over 2 full cross

on 40ct linen by BeStitchedMe

I think I'll try and pick this up a few times a month to get a few thread lengths into it. I'm not worried about finishing by June, it's the process that counts, not the deadline. 

Before I started on my monthly focus piece, I picked up a small I've been working on now and again over the past year. This is where it was last time I picked it up:    

and now it's a finish!

Halloween Freebie by Passione Ricamo

stitched 2 over 2 

on 28ct Brittney evenweave Aries by Sparklies

I don't think you can find this on their website any more, but it was a fairly quick and easy stitch. I used DMC Etoile for the moon and the BOO words, and the rest is DMC 310. The original chart had a witch's hat over top of the 2nd 'O', but I filled it in with black instead. I like the look of it without the hat. 

And now for my decision on the monthly focus! I've always enjoyed stitching on this one, even though it's got a lot of backstitch. Here it was last time I picked it up:

Evening in the Shire by Cute Patterns by Maria

Stitched as charted 2 over 2 on 28ct Moonscapes by Jodyri

and I've managed several thread lengths so far:

I think there's still more than half to go, and I plan on putting a few more thread lengths in before I might pick up another small or Loon Lake. I think this will keep my occupied for the month and we'll see how far I can get. I'm not expecting a finish, but you never know. 

I hope you've all had a good start to the year!

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch

January Wrap-Up and a Big Finish!

 So I'm a little late with the January wrap-up, but there's a good reason. I did stick with my plan of trying to get 2K tent stitches into Animal Kingdom for 4 weeks, so there are over 8K stitches in it now. You can even see another animal and some books:

Amazing Animal Kingdom by Aimee Stewart

stitched 2 over 1 tent stitch on 32 ct Chromatic Alchemy fabric as charted

I'm looking forward to picking this back up this month and catching up a bit. I did get a little behind as I got a little obsessed by finishing one of my older projects. 

Was it this one? 

Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Lazurite by Chromatic Alchemy as charted

No, although it was really nice to finish this one up as well. It's over 4500 cross stitches (in Pattern Keeper for easy counting) plus you have to add all that backstitch in. These are so pretty, but don't start them if you're not a fan of blends. There are always a lot in her charts. 

And it wasn't this newest finish either:

Love by Durene Jones (Facebook freebie)

stitched as charted 2 over 1 on metallic finish perforated paper

This will be for DD, just have to cut it out and add some felt and a ribbon to the backing. 

Then it must be this one:

Princess and the Dragon by Charting Creations

stitched 1 over 1 DMC 310 full cross on 28ct Amarinthine by Chromatic Alchemy

I still can't really believe I've finished this one. I started in 2015, around the time Nikki started up Charting Creations I think. This was my very first piece of Chromatic Alchemy fabric as well. I had won it from a giveaway Sam had on her FB page and that's what made me sign up for her FOTM club. 

It's over 53,000 stitches and although there are a few mistakes, no one will be able to tell what they are. Now to decide how to FFO this, it definitely needs to get hung up on the wall soon. 

I hope you've all been well and are staying safe. New plans for February involve getting back to the 2K stitches per week on Animal Kingdom and trying to focus on some small or medium size WIPs when I've accomplished that so I can get some more finishes in before the start of Mischievous March. I am looking forward to something new and I'll likely keep the starts small to not add too much to the WIP pile. 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

September Crazy Domino Event

In one of the Facebook groups I've joined, Semi Sane Stitchers, there's a new game this month about trying to work on as many different WIPs as you can. You're supposed to link them, hence the domino aspect. And the crazy part is that you stitch 25, 50 or 100 on the first WIP, then increase by the same amount for the next WIP. Considering I have a ton of WIPs I'd like progress on, I chose the 100 level.

I'll post at least every 3 projects, but possibly more often as I get to the higher counts.

I started with Blackwork Poppy by Jodyri Designs, which was here last time I worked on it:

and after 100 stitches is here:

stitched with DMC 310 on 16 count Galaxy by Jodyri

I should mention that "one stitch" counts as a full cross, so a backstitch is only 1/2 a stitch. 

My next WIP was Fleur de Lis by Brodeuse Bressane, which was linked because it's also a black work project. It last looked like this:

 and after 200 stitches/400 backstitches is here:

stitched 1 over 2 on 28ct linen with Waterlilies or Soie Cristal

This is not correct colours, the blue is more of a royal blue and the thread colour is a slight off-white, not the ivory it seems to be here. 

The third WIP was Evening in the Shire by Cute Patterns by Maria, linked because there's a ton of backstitch in it, so the link is slightly different each time, this one was because of backstitch, not blackwork like the first one. It was here last time I worked on it:

and 300 stitches adds a fair bit!

stitched as charted on 28ct Moonrise by Jodyri

There is more backstitch in this project than anything I've ever stitched before. But it's so cool! And I don't mind backstitch, so it will be nice to get some more detail out of it. 

That's the first 3 projects! I'll keep updating as I work on things. 

Stay well and happy stitching!

Tiffstitch

Gifted Gorgeousness - July Edition

I'm just squeaking in before the end of the month to get my gifted stitching in. As always, please check with our fabulous host, Jo to get everyone's links if you haven't already since I'm about 2 weeks late getting this up. :)

On to the stitching!

Butterfly Quote - for DD

 Butterfly Quote by Jodyri Designs

stitched 2 over 1 on 14ct aida with Jodyri Pink Laydee, Sparkling Citrine and City of Oz and WDW 

I've had a burning desire to finish this one lately, so I'm glad it's fit into a lot of the recent prompts on Magical Stitches and the LOTR group. 

Princess and the Dragon - DD

 Princess and the Dragon by Charting Creations

stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Amarinthine by Chromatic Alchemy with DMC 310

Still filling in on this one, and it's going well. It will come up a few times this week, so I hope to get some more work done on this one. I'm not sure if I'll outline more or just continue to fill in until I move the Qsnaps. 

Maple Leaf - SIL

 Maple Leaf by Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks

stitched 2 over 1 on 14ct unknown aida with WDW Fire

This one is so close! I definitely need to finish it soon, it will be another big finish for this year. 

Kiss for a Snowman - DD

 Kiss for a Snowman by Dimensions

stitched 2 over 1 on on 16 ct included aida and kit threads

I don't think this will be an Xmas finish this year unless I really get a move on. It's fun to work on, but as we all know, these kits are more complicated than they look. :)

See Ya Later Alligator - DD

 See Ya Later Alligator by Jodyri Designs

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Nuriel's Forest by Chromatic Alchemy with stash threads

I've still got a few more sections to finish on this one. I'm debating about using some metallic reds for the lady bug as that would meet a magical stitches prompt for this week. It wouldn't be very fun though, as it's 200 stitches worth!

Full Moon - DD

 Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 on Lazurite by Chromatic Alchemy with charted DMC

Still loving this one when I get it out and hope I can fit it in again soon with the homework. 

April Flip-It

April Flip-It by Lizzie Kate

stitched 1 and 2 over 1 on 22ct ivory hardanger with stash threads

Now that it's finished I need to make this into a card and it will be ready for next Easter. 

Thanks for all your wonderful comments and encouragement! 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

School of Magical Stitches Year 4 Wrap-Up and Year 5, Week 1

Thank you Rachel for your good advice in finishing up Week 8 of Year 4. I appreciate it as it gave me some good ideas :).

If you want to check the post, I was missing a project for tasks 3, 5 and 6. For task 3 we needed to stitch on a gravestone or graveyard scene. I don't have one in current WIPs, and I found a good small I could start with an obvious tombstone in it.

Haunted House by Heart in Hand

stitched 2 over 2 on 18ct? aida with stash threads

For task 5, I needed to stitch something with an ingredient in polyjuice potion. Rachel's idea was to stitch on a person in one of my projects. I chose the girl in Full Moon as she's a witch too and moved it along to here (yes, you've already seen this photo)

Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28ct Lazurite by Chromatic Alchemy

And for Task 6 we needed to stitch on something that makes us laugh. I was going to use Monsters again, but Rachel's comment about how I completely missed the door in Evening in the Shire made me pull that one out to put a little more work into it. :) 

Evening in the Shire by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28ct Moonscape by Jodyri

Thank you again Rachel for the help! I always appreciate assistance of any kind. 

Year 5, Week 1

At the opening of Book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his cousin are attacked by Dementors. This week's tasks deal with the outcomes of that. 

Task 1 is to stitch 300 stitches on something boring because Harry's boring old babysitter turns out to be in the know of the magical world. I haven't decided on anything for this one yet, maybe Princess since there's a lot of filling in yet to do?

Task 2 is to stitch 300 stitches on something that has been suspended for 5 months or longer because there's some risk Harry will be suspended or expelled for doing underage magic, even though it was to protect both his and his cousin's life. I'm thinking about pulling out the AAN Maple Leaf for this one as it ties into the next task as well. It was last here in early 2018:

Maple Leaf by Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks

stitched 2 over 1 on 14ct unknown aida with WDW Blaze

Lastly, task 3 has us stitch 300 stitches on something without a face because the Dementors always hide their faces. The maple leaf would work for that as well and I'd get 600 stitches in which would get it well on its way to completion as well I think. 

If you have any other ideas, please let me know.

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

The Stitchy Quest for the One Ring: Quest 7 - A Most Mysterious Disappearance

We've progressed a little farther in The Hobbit, to where Bilbo has caught up with the dwarves and Dwalin has loaned him his green cloak and hood. Gandalf soon catches up with Bilbo's pipe and several pocket handkerchiefs. This cheers Bilbo up for a while, but soon the lack of 8 meals a day and the constant rain gets on everyone's nerves. And just as they'd like to find a place to camp, Gandalf disappears!

Task 1 - Stitch 150 stitches on something that has been gifted to you, fabric, floss, etc or 150 stitches in green. I don't think any of my current WIPs have any part that's been a gift, although if I have forgotten, please let me know. So I chose to stitch 150 stitches in green and got out Messy But Mine. Lots of green to be found here!

Last time:

153 stitches later:

Messy But Mine by Dragon Dreams

stitched 2 over 1 on 18ct Nimbus? by Chromatic Alchemy

Task 2 - for Gandalf's kindness in bringing Bilbo his handkerchiefs, we're supposed to stitch 150 stitches on something with fabric or clothing in it. I chose to pick up Full Moon as I was using that for a Magical Stitches task as well. It now looks like this:

Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28 ct Lazurite by Chromatic Alchemy

Task 3 - Bilbo is really missing out on those typical extra meals Hobbits add to their daily regimen, second breakfast, elevenses, afternoon tea, etc. We need to stitch 150 stitches on a project with food in it. I chose See Ya Later Alligator, because some people eat those animals. :) Like sushi!

See Ya Later Alligator by Jodyri Designs

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Nuriel's Forest by Chromatic Alchemy with stash threads

Task 4 - this may be the easiest of all. We need to stitch 50 stitches on a project that something has disappeared, like you mislaid the thread, lost a needle, etc. This is pretty easy, so I may just plug 50 stitches into Princess and the Dragon as I've definitely lost needles with that project. I have found them again, but it meets the requirements. :)

This week's tasks are almost complete for LOTR, so I'll be able to concentrate on Magical Stitches and maybe get some extra credit done this time for Book 5.

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

The Stitchy Quest to Destroy the One Ring: Hobbit Quest 3

The new quest starts early morning on Saturdays, so I'm a few days into it by now, but I'm still not complete as this one is pretty involved. If you're familiar with the Hobbit and the main points, you'll remember that after Bilbo meets Gandalf and Gandalf marks a symbol on his door, next thing you know, the dwarves show up looking for Bilbo to be their burglar. :)

Hobbit Quest 3: Meet the Dwarves

This is the order of their appearance in Bilbo's house, and we're to stitch 100 stitches of the colour of their hats:

1) Dwalin - Green

Universal Monsters SAL Room 3 by Witchy Stitcher

stitched 2 over 2 with DMC as called for on 28ct Al's Dark Magic by Chromatic Alchemy

I love this one and wish I had a little more time to work on it. Fortunately with this week's task I'm getting a lot of stitches in. 

2) Balin - Red

I had to work one a couple parts before I had enough red, but this fit the requirements once I added some yellow as well. 

3) Fili - Blue

Technically Fili is only the darker blue on this one.

4) Kili - Blue - no project yet, have to see what has another 100 stitches of blue in it, possibly Joy Snowglobe or Ocean Curiosity

5) Dori - Purple - no project yet, can't think of one with purple off the top of my head

6) Nori - Purple - same, no project yet

7) Ori - Grey - this will be Evening in the Shire, but I haven't stitched it yet, last time Evening in the Shire was here:

Evening in the Shire by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 as charted on 28ct Moonscapes by Jodyri

8) Oin - Brown

The eagle-eyed viewer may have noticed this doesn't look like 100 stitches of brown, and you'd be right. I stitched 56 stitches, realized I was off by one row, frogged it all and restitched. You can count initial stitches as long as you show where you stopped, a photo after frogging, and your final stitch photo. 

9) Gloin - White

I counted and recounted and recounted to make sure I lined up the mummy (aka #fancybandageman) well and it seems correct so far. 

10) Bifur - Yellow

I decided to go ahead and stitch some of the border to make sure I was lined up properly for everything else, and then added the 100 stitches of yellow for the sarcophagus. 

11) Bofur - Yellow - there's not enough yellow left on this one currently, so I'm going to use Evening in the Shire as well. 

12) Bombur - Green (has to be lighter green than Dwalin)

13) Thorin - Blue/silver cap - has to be lighter blue than Kili and Fili

So I had stitched this part first. 

And that's it for the task this week, 1300 stitches!!! It's good though, I'm glad to see this progress and happy to fit bits of it in the Magical Stitches homework as well. 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch