November WIPocalypse

 This month I worked on Dandelion Fairy. 1,900 stitches

 And of course I worked on Little Fairies at Play on the Weekends  2,456 stitches.  I hope to finish page 14 by the end of December.

And my Orts lots of shades of blues, pinks and purples from both projects.


Question of the month is what new stitches or techniques did you learn this month?  Nothing new for me.  I am still enjoying just cross stitching.  I find it relaxing.  I have in the past attempted to stitch on linen and use different stitches.  Not for me.  That project is a UFO.  

October WIPoclypse

This month I worked on two projects.

 Little Fairies at Play. I finished page 13 and started page 14.  1,654 stitches complete this month.  I work on this one on the weekends with the goal of 1,200 stitches a month.  It is a stitch a long with the Facebook group Full Coverage Fanatics.  This monthly group has really helped me to make alot of progress this year on this piece.  3 pages finished.  My goal is to finish page 14 by year end.

During the week I worked on Freedom by Joan Elliot.  This is a kit.  For some reason I am having trouble motivating on this one.  But I did make some progress which is better than none.

Here are my orts.  Ready to tamp down again.  Lots of green and pinks from Little Fairies at Play.

This month's question is Rotation or one at a time.  For years I stitched on one project at a time.  That caused long stitching slumps when I was bored of my project.  Then I discovered the internet and found out about rotations.  I like having different projects to work on.  It keeps me from getting bored.  I try to keep my WIPs down as I do like to see progress and finishes.

This past week I went to Washington DC with my sister.  We toured the White House, Capital and some museums.  But the main reason we went was my Sister was running in the Marine Corp Marathon.  It was a very emotional marathon.  Everyone was cheering on the runners, the Marine Corp brass band played.  It was my first time seeing my sister run and she did awesome.  She got a personal best on the marathon.  Here are a few pictures.

It really doesn't matter who is president.  Washington DC is the history of America.  You can't help but feel patriotic and thankful for all of the service men and women past and present who have protected and helped to shape the country.

September Wipocalpse

This month I worked on Little Fairies at Play all month.  We were gone 2 weekends out of the month and I wanted to finish up page13.  I fell a little short. I did get 3,685 stitches done and should finish up page 13 next weekend.

This month we are to talk about how we organize our stash.  I keep my DMC on plastic bobbins in a plastic double sided hot wheel box.  I have a separate plastic bobbin box for each of my large WIPs.  Once a project is finished the floss goes back in my master double sided box.  I have patterns and magazines in 2 large plastic storage tubs.  A few tubes of material are in a plastic christmas paper storage container.  I have two WIPs on scroll rods and when not being worked on they are in a zippered garment bag hanging in my closet.  Smaller WIPs are in a plastic scrap booking portfolio that has 10 pockets.  And I have a large plastic tub of finished projects that need framed or finished into something.

Here are some of my vacation pictures.

One weekend this month we were at Turkey Run hiking and canoeing.  We camped at Shades State Park.  We also went to see some of the 30+ covered bridges in the county.  We saw about 8 different ones.

The second weekend we went to the Ohio Caverns and Eldora Speedway.

October will see me traveling with my sister for a week in Washington DC. I might take a small project to stitch on.

August WIPocalypse

This was the month for me to work on Butterfly Fairy Night.  I should have had a lot more progress but I just don't like stitching on evenweave.  But some progress is better than no progress.

And I worked on Little Fairies at Play on the weekends.  My goal is to finish page 13 by the end of September so I added Friday to my weekend of stitching.  Each month I am to stitch 1,200 stitches and I have met that goal but will continue stitching on this project this week until August ends.  Then for September I will work just on Little Fairies at Play with the goal of finishing page 13.  I do have 2 weekends of camping in September so we will see how it goes.

And here are my orts

This month's question is what do you find more satisfying the process of stitching or finishing a piece.  I think I enjoy the process.  Even though it may take me years to finish a piece, I enjoy working on them and thinking ahead to the next new starts

July WIPocalypse

Continuing with my rotation, this month was Faces of Faery 90.

I am into large one color areas now so it is moving pretty quickly.

And I worked on Little Fairies at Play on the weekends getting in 1,508 stitches this month.

This is the start of page 13.  Once I finish this row across I will be into large blocks of the same color and I hope to pick up speed.  My goal is to have page 13 finished by the end of September.

And here are my Orts.  Tamping them down again.

Question for this month was How am I doing with my goals so far this year.  Well I didn't really make any goals except to put in 1,200 stitches each month for the Full Coverage Facebook group on Little Fairies at Play.  And I have managed to keep up with that goal.  I have also worked on each of my wips once this year and am starting back thru my rotation for the second time.

June WIPocalypse

June was my birthday month so I decided to start a new project. I had 3 kitted up and picked another HAED.  Dandelion Fairy Kingdom by Ching-ChouKuik.  I am stitching it on white 18ct aida full cross stitch 2 threads over 1.  30 pages for a total of 182,000 stitches.  This one will be larger than Little Fairies at Play.

I continue to stitch on Little Fairies at Play on the weekends.  I finished page 12 and have completed 86,777 stitches which is 59%.

I have moved the scroll rods and ready to begin page 13.  Page 12 took me 3 months.  I hope to finish page 13 in 3 months. If I can do a page every three months I should have this one finished sometime in 2020.

And here are my Orts.  Ready to tamp them down again.

WIPocalypse May

 This month the WIP I was to work on during the week was Freedom by Joan Elliott.  This was last stitched on during December 2016.  This month I was on vacation for 10 days and I took this project with me to work on.  I think I stitched on it 3 days.  So not much more progress.

Each month I  am to get 1200 stitches in on Little Fairies at Play.  I missed 2 weekends while I was on vacation and I have been stitching on this one every day since I returned trying to get my 1200 in.  I think I still need 600 more before the month ends.

We drove to Florida to visit my husbands family.  We had a good time.  The weather was cloudy and it rained a bit each day.  But we went to the beach 2 days, a car museum and just hung out.  We have decided that we will not drive again.  Next time we fly.

Question of the month - favorite place to buy stash.  I am lucky to have a local lns - Stitch N Frame.  Patterns, material, floss, beads and framing  they have it all.  I usually stop in to get needed floss or material and come out with more.

Here are a few vacation snaps.

 Fort Myers Beach one sunny morning before it got to hot and rained

 This is us on Fort Myers beach

Sanibel Island on Mothers Day.  We walked thru a nature preserve with lots of alligators and birds.  This big boy was bellowing.

April WIPocalypse

My new rotation seems to be working.  I am working on Little Fairies at  Play on the weekends until I get my 1,200 stitches in.  During the week I have picked a WIP to work on.  Last month I worked on Faces of Fairie 90 and made some good progress.

Then for April I switched to Butterfly Fairy Night.  I last worked on this one in March 2017.  I feel I did make good progress on it but it is going slow as it is on evenweave which I am not used to.  So I stitch some and pick some out as the X's get out of alignment.  Here is my progress at the end of the month:

On Little Fairies at Play I got my required stitches in 1,435.  And here is where I am at now.

This is page 12 and it is moving right along.

Here is my orts.  I tamped them down after this picture.

Question of the Month - What is your oldest WIP.  It is Little Fairies at Play started back in 2011.

For May I will be stitching on Freedom by Joan Elliott.  I haven't worked on this one since Dec 2016.  Hoping to make good progress.  I am going on vacation for 10 days and will take this project with me.  Since I will be gone for 2 weekends and not able to work on Little Fairies at Play I am going to work on that one during the first week of May to get a good start on my 1,200 stitches.

March WIPocalypse

I think I have found my grove and have my stitching set up where I can stitch every night while watching tv.

 I continued working on Faces of Faery 90.

And Little Fairies at Play I have finished page 11 and started page 12.  I am still short some stitches for my monthly 1,200 goal.  Hope to reach 1,200 by the end of tonight.

I have decided on a rotation for 2018.  I will stitch on the weekends Little Fairies at Play to get my 1,200 stitches in a month.  If I am short the last week of the month I will continue stitching on Little Fairies at Play.  Then during the week I will stitch on my monthly project.  In April I am going to switch to Butterfly Fairy Night with the hopes of making good progress.  Then Freedom will be up in May.  We are traveling to Florida in May and Freedom is more portable.  Then in June I might do a new start.

This month's question is what new designers or stitching tools/gadgets have you discovered.  I just stitch what catches my eye and I am mostly  stitching from the patterns/magazines I have in my stash.  Just buying the supplies needed to stitch already owned patterns.   I did just buy a needle threader (basic one from Meijers).  I am really enjoying having help threading my needles.

WIPocalypse February

I know I am a few days early but I don't have as much time during the week.

I have made some good progress since last month.

 I finished Summer Sensation on 1/30/18 just days after the January WIPocalpse. My first finish of 2018.

 After finishing Summer Sensation I picked Faces of Faery 90 to work on.  I finished page 1 and am working on page 2.  I hope to get this one done before the end of 2018.

Little Faires at Play I did another 1,287 stitches.  I am participating with the Facebook group Full Coverage Fanatics 1200 stitches a month challenge.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep up but I have been able to work on this project just on the weekends in the evenings and get my stiches in.  That leaves me evenings during the week to work on other projects.

I did watch the Olympics on and off but did not participate in any Olympic stitch alongs.

Finish!

I have my first finish of 2018.  Summer Sensation from Cross Stitch Gold August 2009.  I started it 6/14/15 and finished it last night 1/30/18.

I have kitted up two more projects and now have 3 ready to start.  I think I will finish one more project before starting a new one.

WIPocalypse January

This month was a very productive stitching month.  I think I have found a way to stitch on my projects even the ones on scroll rods.  I have moved my current projects and my ott lamp into the bedroom.  I stitch most evenings back here while watching tv with the husband.  Here is the progress I have made this month:

 Little Fairies at Play - I did 1,255 stitches on it this month.

Summer Sensation  All of the cross stitching is done and I have started on the back stitching.  I hope to get all of the backstitching done before the end of January. 

While doing the backstitching I ran out of 413.  I hunted thru my stash and could not find any.  So I stopped at Michaels.  Bought 5 other skeins of floss I needed but they did not have any 413.  So I stopped at Walmart.  Their DMC was pitiful.  Not even 50 colors and no 413.  So I had to go to my LNS on Saturday.  While there I bought fabric for 2 more projects that have been on my list to start sometime but have now moved up closer to the top.  And of course I did find the much needed 413.

I picked up 16 ct black and 14ct Platinum.  My pattern called for Clay which my LNS didn't have so platinum looked to be a close match.  I just need to pull the floss for each of the designs and they will be ready to go.  They are not HAED's.   I have one other HAED completely kitted and ready to start.

This month's question is what other stitch alongs are you participating in.  Besides Wipocalypse I am only participating in one other - Facebook Group Full Coverage and the 1200 stitches a month.  I did  successfully meet that challenge for January (as noted above on Little Fairies at Play).