Stitch from my Stash - August

This month stitch from my stash I has a goal of staying within my budget:

Carryover: $25.00
August budget: $25.00
August Additional: $25.00
Amount Spent: $44.26 (1 Interlacements skien and 1 Cascade Skien)
Carryover to September: $5.74 after spending the onetime August additional $25.00

I did seem to get a lot done this month although I wish it were more:
New starts  - Boys baby blanket
UFOs and WIPs - Lady and the Flag, Seed Stitch Wrap, and Hitchhiker Shawlette
Completed: nothing but I am class

Used Stash:
    Yarn: 350 yds for seed stitch wrap, 100 yes for hitchhiker
    Stitching: 3 packages of Mill Hill Seed Beads.

What I wanted to buy and didn't:

Thea Gouverneur USA KIT

Happy Stitching Everyone!

Still Beading...

I really had the best of intentions this weekend. I was going to sit down and bead away...four hours. Then my niece and nephew came to visit and (to be frank) all of my plans went to hell. I did make a little progress on the beading but not as much as I would have liked. For better or worse, here are my progress pics as of 8/24/2014.

The Lady and the Flag
Progress 8/24/2014

At least I like how the beading looks because if I did not, this would be even harder.

Happy stitching everyone!

The Beading may kill me

This past weekend was IHSW but was also when my dear grandmother was visiting. I didn't complete as much as I wanted to but I did finish the back stitching on "The Lady and the Flag" and started beading her myself.

The Lady and the Flag
8/22/2014 progress

 For those of you beading veterans...I think I should have started on a smaller or maybe less intensive project. I love how the beads look but they are time consuming. I have also found that in some long sets of beads in a row I need to drop one due to space. I am not sure if the linen size was smaller than originally designed as the pattern and fabric were all bought for me.

Happy stitching!

I-75 Yarn Crawl

August 5-9 is the I-75 Yarn Crawl here in Ohio. You spend $5.00 to buy a passport and visit stores to get it stamped. At the last store you visit in this time frame you turn in the passport to be entered for some drawings. I started by visiting the 2 stores closest to my house and work on 8/5 - Main Street Yarns and Silk Road Textiles. My dear husband is going to drive me to about 8 of them on Saturday. I am looking forward to exploring some other Local yarn stores.

Happy Stitching everyone !

Stitching Questions

Stitching Questions

A fellow stitcher’s blog that I follow by Jeremiah’s Mom posted these fun stitching related questions. I thought I would take a crack at answering them as well...

Q1 - How did you start?  Who introduced you to cross stitching?

I remember my mother stitching P. Buckley Moss Prints that were so pretty when I was in elementary school in the late 80’s.  That in addition to my great-grandmother crocheting the most complication of things got me interested in being able to create something. I first tried more art things like drawing and painting that did not go well. The only person in my family that has any drawing talent is my father. Then I made my way to cross stitching around the age of 14 or so.

Q2 - Favourite theme or designer

I seem to have a love for geometric patterns. So Ink Circles by Tracy Horner and Allesandra Adelaide are high on my list. I also love Thea Gouverneur

Q3 - What brand of floss do you use?

The range of colors on DMC is hard to beat but for some specialized projects I will use overdyed threads. I really love the dyed floss at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.

Q4 - What is your fabric of choice?

32 or 36 ct. linens seem to be the best for me. But I also use 16 or 18 ct. AIDA. The choice of colors depends on the design.

Q5 - Do you use a needle threader or are you a floss licker?

Depends, I have done/used both

Q6 - What brand of stitching frame (or hoop or otherwise holder) do you use?

I love Q-Snaps but prefer hoops when I am using a small piece of fabric for an ornament.

Q7 - How many projects have you finished?

I don’t know the exact number as I just started keeping records but I am between 100 and 200.

Q8 - How many completed works are hanging in your house?

10 – ABCs of food, penguin snow globe, Tea, coffee, Craft Street, 4 seasonal mandalas, and ABCs of Stitching

Q9 - Do you stitch for gifts or for yourself?

Mix of both. Started doing more for me these days.

Q10 - Favourite finished cross stitch piece

It’s a toss up between the Vietnam Veterans piece I did for my father in law, all 4 seasonal mandalas or The butterfly pillow I made for my grandmother.

Q11 - Worst experience whilst stitching?

A piece of linen that broke /tore in the middle of a design. I think I lost 20 hours or so on that one.

Q12 - What do you love and hate about cross stitch?

I am extraordinarily type A so I love how it gives me something to focus on. It destresses me.

I hate when the floss forms knots as I am stitching. It drives me INSANE.

Q13 - Have you introduced anyone else to cross stitching?

Yes, a few souls have become stitchers

Q14 - The first project, did you finish it?

Yes it was the 3 labs pillow I made for my father. He still has it on his rocking chair. The funny thing, all of the stitches go in different directions which bothers me but I still get a sense of accomplishment when I see it.

Q15 - How do you store your floss?

2 ways. Bobbins and bags…I prefer Bags.

Check-in on July Goals - including new finishes

My Goals for July were as follows:

1.) Complete Christmas Table Runner - DONE
2.) Complete Geometric Placemats - DONE

Geometric Placemats - completed 7/30/14

3.) Knit 10 more inches on seed stitch wrap(total of 25") - DONE: I actually overshot this one as I made it to 36" and the 3rd color change.

4.) Finish Dreamcatcher - DONE

5.) Complete the stitching on the Lady and the Flag so my MIL can do the beading on her - not done: the most recent picture I have of her is below. I have stitched more of her hair but forgot to take a picture before the end of the month.

The Lady and the Flag - Progress 7/28/2014

6.) Blog at least once per week - not Done - I completed 5 posts but they weren't spaced out to once per week.

7.) Stitch from my stash - spend nothing - DONE: I wanted to but a few new charts but I refrained.

8.) Start a new baby Blanket - not Done - There was no way with my overshoot on the seed stitch wrap.

I also did a little more on the Hitchhiker Shawlette I started:

Hitchhiker shawlette - Progress 7/31/2014

I added 4 more points for a total of 14.

Stitching goals for August:

1.) Blog at least once per week

2.) Stitch from my stash

3.) Make it to one more color change on the Seed Stitch Wrap.

4.) Start the new Baby Blanket

5.) Finish Stitching the Lady and the Flag

6.) Make it to 21 points on the Hitchhiker.

7.) Stitch one more Christmas ornament.

 

I better get cracking! Happy stitching everyone!