2024 Plans

Here we are with potentially a good year of stitching, unlike the last couple. I think starting the New Year with positive thoughts, without pressuring yourself is always okay. 

I'd like to try and focus on 12 WIPs next year, one each month. It's okay if I don't finish them, but it would be nice to catch up a little. Also, there are Olympics next year, so I'd like to join Rachel in stitching something unique or special for the Olympics. I'm debating about a new start that I keep stitching on, or find one of the BAPs that really needs some love. It's the Summer Olympics and Paralympics this year as well, July 26-August 11 and then August 28-September 8. Plus I can pick up smalls any time if I need a break from the focus piece. 

Here are my thoughts for 12 focus pieces:

In Harmony by Dimensions

Do Not Meddle by Dragon Fire Designs

Believe in the Magic of Christmas by Durene Jones

Universal Monsters by Witchy Stitcher

Stormlight Archive by Taylor and Cromwell

Quaker Christmas by Lila's Designs

Symphonic Romance by Summer House Stitche Works

Ondulations by Jardin Prive

Happy Christmas by Prairie Schooler

Witch's Gate by Whispered by the Wind

Evening in the Shire by Cute Patterns by Maria

My first project will be to locate all of these, then I can sort out the order for next year. 

These are my thoughts so far, what does your New Year look like stitch-wise?

Happy New Year everyone, and may you never break a needle!

Tiffstitch

March Round-Up and One Fully Finished Gallery Entry!

Maybe some day I'll have time and opportunity to do these wrap-ups at the beginning of the month instead of the middle, but not this time. :) I'll hold out hope for April since I have plans for May at this point. 

I kept Amazing Animal Kingdom as my focus project, and also had several others come out for a little bit of work. 

Do Not Meddle by Dragon Fire Designs

stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Monaco as charted

Mini Winter Magic by HAED

stitched 1 over 1 full crosses on 28ct Monaco (added some white above the dragons)

Lots to go on this, but a lot is in 032 Kreinik and that seems to be out everywhere, so I'm in no hurry on this one. 

Canadian Hero (Terry Fox) by Stitching Jules Designs

stitched 1 over 1 on 25ct easy guide as charted

I haven't been back to this since I started, but hope to finish his face first and make sure I'm happy with it before continuing with the rest. 41 years and 2 days ago Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope in the far east of Canada. 

In Harmony by Dimensions

stitched 2 over 1 (or as charted) with kit threads and fabric

This one is my oldest WIP right now I think, so I use it for "penalty" stitching in one of the Facebook groups. It's had a decent amount of progress in the last few months, so a finish this year might be within the realm of possibility. 

Under the Sea SAL hosted by Lakeside Needlecraft by Durene Jones

stitched 2 over 2 as charted except for this part, the submarine is charted as grey

Diamond Painting! Tried something new when I wasn't feeling cross stitch one day. That has happened a lot in the last year, and will likely continue until things are more settled and "normal". Who knows when that will be. This was fun and it's a fairly small project as these things go, so something I might pull out again to work on this year and eventually finish. It will be a wolf face. These are square drills/diamonds and I think round would be better, but I'll finish it with what I have. 

Amazing Animal Kingdom by Aimee Stewart charted by HAED

stitched 2 over 1 tent stitch on 32ct experimental fabric by Chromatic Alchemy

I'm almost done a second page on this one, below the first page. I didn't quite manage it by the end of the month because of getting caught by a mini-obsession. 

Patsy Pine by Mill Hill

stitched 3 over 1 on perforated paper as charted

I picked this up again at the end of the month to see where I could get to. I felt like it was going pretty well, and although this my March 31st stitching, this project is now finished, as well as 3 others. 

Yes, my mini-obsession is trying to get things finished in April! So I haven't touched Animal Kingdom at all and it is safe in a project bag until I get back to it. I haven't taken it out of the qsnap because I'd been planning to get to it, but I think I might go ahead and do that since I still have new startitis and might do a full 31 starts in May. 

I took a day to sort out some options for projects, kit things up, and tried to keep it somewhat reasonable. I still have plans for the new starts during the Olympics with Rachel and those projects are already set. Unless I change my mind again. :) 

And you saw this one in my GG post, but here it is again, a big finish for me!

Kiss for a Snowman by Dimensions

stitched 2 over 1 or as charted with kit threads and fabric

And finally my FFO!

Happy Easter freebie

stitched 1 over 1 with Dinky Dyes oops threads on scrap of 18ct CA fabric

I glued this to a card and then forgot to give it to DD for Easter, so it will wait till next year. That sounds so unlike me.... 

I'm still debating on 31 new starts. I don't need that many of course, but it's not about that. I was trying to organize some things and noticed I'd been running out of room for fabric, so started thinking I could start more things, or at least kit them up and have things earmarked for certain projects. That got me back to thinking about just going ahead and starting things I've been wanting to right now instead of waiting till July. I easily found enough projects, and took a day to more fully whittle things down. I have 22 fully kitted, so that's a good start. That may or may not be what's driving my desire to finish things this month, and I have 4 complete already, so maybe another 4 will be possible before the end of the month. That would put a good dent in the WIPs at least. 

I hope you've all had a good April so far. Stay well and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

Gifted Gorgeousness 2021 - March Edition and February Wrap-Up

I'm finally managing to get myself together enough to post for Gifted Gorgeousness! Hosted as always by the excellent Jo, please check her post to get the links for everyone's posts and check out their lovely works. 

I haven't managed many posts this year so far, but I have been very dedicated to keeping up with the huge HAED I started on New Year's Day, Amazing Animal Kingdom. Another WIP was finished this past month, as well as a bit of work on a few others too. I got a little behind in my stitching for Animal Kingdom while I finished Princess and the Dragon back in January, but I'm almost caught up to where I had hoped to be by now, well over 20K stitches! 

Enough talking, what have I been stitching? 

In Harmony - for DH

In Harmony - kit by Dimensions

stitched 2 over 2 or 3 over 2 as charted, tent and full stitches with kit threads and fabric

I started this one many, many years ago, when I was still into cross stitch kits and unaware of any other options. Shortly after starting this, I discovered this whole other world of cross stitch designers and charts and fabric that I obviously had to try! So this hasn't had a heck of lot of work over the past few years, but will get a fair bit this year. One of the Facebook challenge groups wants you to stitch on your oldest WIP if you don't have a WIP that fits that week's challenges and I think this is currently my oldest WIP. 

When I pulled it out this year, it looked like this:

Kiss for a Snowman - for DD

Kiss for a Snowman - Dimensions kit

stitched as charted with kit threads and fabric and a bazillion French knots!

This one has been hanging around since CJC of 2015 I think. I'm so glad to get it finished off. I'm thinking a flat fold might be a good way to finish it, although I might just frame it as well. It's so nice to finish!

Do Not Meddle - stunt stitching

Do Not Meddle - by Dragon Dreams

stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Monaco with charted DMC

I'm so far behind on finishing this one, but I still have some hope it will happen this year. One whole dragon to stitch, and less than half of another isn't too much stitching to do. 

Twilight LeMans - for DH

Twilight LeMans - by Heritage Stitchcraft

stitched 2 over 2, 1 over 2 on unknown 28ct fabric

with DMC as charted

Another one that's been hanging around since 2015 or 2016 and those Crazy January/February Challenges, and you can kind of see the cars now, which have some weird quarter stitches to try and get the shape. Hopefully they'll turn out okay. 

Moon and Back - for DD

Moon and Back by Heart in Hand

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct linen with Gloriana threads mostly

This is a long narrow piece, and mostly words, so I don't think it will take too long if I'm able put a little bit of time into it. Plus I'd like to get it done while DD still appreciates this kind of stuff. I know she might not in another few years. 

And now, the project some of you might have been waiting for, Amazing Animal Kingdom! Last time I showed it, it looked like this:

And now, one full page is done and over 3/4 of another is complete, plus some into another 2 pages, and there's a little over 21K tent stitches into this one so far:

Amazing Animal Kingdom by HAED and Aimee Stewart

stitched 2 over 1 tent stitch on 32ct experiment 19 by Chromatic Alchemy

I'm still pretty happy with this one, and it's neat seeing all the animals appear. There's the cockatoo, a gorilla, a parrot or macaw, a cheetah below that and an elephant is starting to appear with a baby right below it. I'll still stick with it and see how it goes. If I use this as a focus piece, it will take a few years to complete, so we'll see if I can stick with it. 

Stay well and happy stitching!

Tiffstitch

September Crazy Domino Effect - Projects 7-9

This took a little longer than I expected to get this post up. I've done the stitching, but work has been busy and I haven't been able to write a post. Usually I have time at work to write a quick post because I almost never have time when I'm home now, or really, I'd rather get as much stitching done as possible, so I don't make time. 

Anyway, here we are for the next 3 projects! 2 of these have been WIPs for a long time, one possibly my oldest at this point. This first one is Sleigh Ride, which hasn't seen much work in the last couple years. It was last here:

and I think this was all I had done after starting it in 2016 or 2017. It's a kit from Dimensions. 700 stitches made it get a fair bit farther along since I'm in the half stitch section, so that was 1400 half stitches.

                                            

This one is still a long way from complete. I switched out the fabric, since the aida was so stiff and this is 25ct pewter Lugana stitching over 2. 

Next I pulled out another old one, possibly my oldest, In Harmony, also by Dimensions. There might be a theme on the abandoned projects... 

Here's where it was:

and now, after 800 stitches, which was really about 1600 half stitches

This one still needs a fair bit of work as well, and will eventually look like this:

My last project in this set of 3 was Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria. I started this a couple years ago I think and it's on Pattern Keeper as well, so when it started here, I was already about 1000 stitches into it, out of almost 5000. 

and 900 stitches got it a little farther along to here:

Full Moon by Cute Patterns by Maria

stitched 2 over 2 on 28ct Lazurite by Chromatic Alchemy

 You can start to see the fox that will be sitting beside her and more of the moon, so I'm pretty happy with the progress on this one. This is close to 50% complete now, so could still be a finish this year if I get back to it. Pattern Keeper is amazing at helping you progress on these older WIPs!

I've also finished projects 10 and 11 and am working on 12, so hopefully the next post won't take me so long. I'm completing it as DD is chatting with her grandparents over the internet since she listens better to them when I'm not in the same room. 

I hope everyone is staying well and Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch