Finally Finished!

Woohoo! I finally have my ninth finish for the year and the very first one from the infamous Bin O'Shame for this year! I am very, very happy with this finish. It is so bright and cheerful and I am so happy that I stuck with it. I began this project in August of 2007, so I am a bit overdue, yea? I would love to find a bright royal blue frame for it. I think it would set the piece off nicely. 

Well, at any rate, here is the current finish and the very first finish from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

As of Thursday, June 7, 2018:

As of Tuesday, June 12, 2018:

Time for me to clean up my stitching area and grab the next project out of the closet. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy stitching! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Got The Blues

I have managed to make quite a bit of progress on my current WIP. So much so, that I am down to the last two colors that need stitching. Both of them are two shades of blue. There is quite a bit that needs doing, and it will be a bit tricky to stitch, due to the placement of the colors, but hopefully, by this time next week, I will have a another finish. This will make 9 for the year, which makes me very happy. 

Well, at any rate, here is the current project, #1 from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

As of Monday, June 4, 2018:

As of Thursday, June 7, 2018:

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Stop And Start Project

It dawned on me the other day that I have put nary a stitch into any of my Bin O'Shame projects this year. I decided to paw through it to see if any were calling to me and I came across this one. Since it was purchased, way back in 2007, I have picked this up off and on and have never completed the piece. I think because there are a lot of colors that are very close together and a metric ton of white that has kept me from making any serious progress.

I have not stitched too much more than the photo from the May 31, 2015 photo. This was actually picked back up in my first year of the Bin O'Shame project clean-out! :O Better late than never I suppose. SMH. 

Well, here is the current project, #1 from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

When picked back up on Friday, May 29, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

What it will eventually look like:

As of Monday, June 4, 2018:

Given the amount of progress that I have made since I picked this back up on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, I am hoping that this is the year it finally gets finished. It's only been 11 years so far, so I think it is past due! :D

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great start to their week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Turning The Page On 2017

I am so happy that I was able to make all of my goals this year. Although I did not get close to the numbers that I made the last two years, I am still quite pleased with my results. This past year was a very busy one, and as I am no longer working out of the house, I fully suspected that my stitching would slow down a bit. 

I made my unofficial yearly goal with 12 projects stitched. I will be continuing this trend for 2018. I have chosen a Bin O'Shame piece to kick 2018 off with. As of this writing, I have 24 long term UFOs left in said Bin O'Shame. I am wanting to put a serious dent in these in 2018. I have also decided that a page finish for one of my BAPs will count towards the 12 finishes for the year. I have a full half dozen HAEDs started, in addition to Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow to finish. I truly need to put the spurs to those guys! 

At any rate, here is the official 2017 Finish list: 

2017 FINISHES

1. Now I Know My ABC’s (Winter theme) by Blackbird Designs. Finished Friday, January 6, 2017

2. Sew Bands by iStitch Designs. Finished Friday, January 13, 2017

3. Les Grande Pensée excerpt. Finished Friday, January 20, 2017

4.Spring For Rabbits by The Gentle Art Sampler Threads. Finished Sunday, February 12, 2017

5. Teacup Mice by Margaret Sherry. Finished Tuesday, February 14, 2017

6. New Years’ Magic by Brooke’s Books. Finished Thursday, February 23, 2017

7. Les étiquettes des bocaux (Jar Labels) Blue Teacup by Véronique Enginger of Les Brodeuses Parisiennes. Finished Thursday, March 2, 2017

8. Les étiquettes des bocaux (Jar Labels) Yellow Teabag by Véronique Enginger of Les Brodeuses Parisiennes. Finished Friday, March 3, 2017

9. Les étiquettes des bocaux (Jar Labels) Clothespin with Flowers by Véronique Enginger of Les Brodeuses Parisiennes. Finished Friday, March 10, 2017

10. Luck 2017 Flip-It by Lizzie Kate. Finished Sunday, March 12, 2017

11. Now I Know My ABC’s by Blackbird Designs (summer version). Finished Friday, March 17, 2017

12. Basket by Lizzie Kate. Finished Friday, March 24, 2017

13. Love by Lizzie Kate. Finished Sunday, March 26, 2017

14. My Wurk by At The Hop. Finished Thursday, April 6, 2017

15. Buttons and Blooms by Blackbird Designs. Finished Saturday, May 13, 2017

16. Tiny Flag by Shepherd’s Bush. Finished Friday, May 19, 2017

17. Winds of Change by Cross Eyed Cricket. Finished Wednesday, June 21, 2017

18. Summer by The Snowflower Diaries. Finished Friday, June 23, 2017

19. Flags and Friends by Bent Creek. Finished Tuesday, July 11, 2017

20. Strawberries and Cream By Casey Buonaugurio. Finished Sunday July 16, 2017

21. Be Kind and True by Blackbird Designs. Finished Sunday, August 6, 2017

22. Little Sunflower Doodle by SanMan Originals. Finished Wednesday, August 9, 2017

24. All Hallows Eve by Chessie and Me. Finished Monday, September 11, 2017

25. Creepy by SanMan Originals. Finished Tuesday, September 12, 2017

26. 2010 Fright Night Quaker Halloween by SanMan Originals. Finished Sunday, October 15, 2017

27. Boo! by Blackbird Designs. Finished Tuesday, October 31, 2017.

28. Yule by The Primitive Hare. Finished Monday, November 27, 2017

29. Merry One by Plum Street Samplers. Finished Saturday, December 9, 2017

30. Allégresse by Danybrod. Finished Monday, December 25, 2017.

Wishing you guys the happiest of New Years. Happy stitching! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIPs And An Organizational Post

I've put some time into two projects and have completed some more organization. When I am too tired to stitch, I have a tendency to clean and organize things, so that when the time comes to get out another project, I know where I stand. This is predicated on the fact that I have a 25+ year stash. I have been contemplating another 'great culling' but I am not quite there yet. 

I was going to wait until the end of the year to take another inventory of the infamous Bin O'Shame, however, I bit the bullet the other day and just got on with it. I was down to 29 going into the beginning of 2017, which made me really, really happy. I started off with 70 UFOs beginning in February 24, 2015, so every bit has counted! 

During the recount, I decided to separate the small to medium projects from the huge BAPs and long term projects. I wanted to separate the projects that I could complete in a reasonable amount of time, from the projects that will take many, many months to complete. After completing this task, I am now sitting on 23 projects in the infamous Bin O'Shame, however, I do have six long term projects that need to be dealt with. I have three projects that I am undecided as to whether or not I plan on finishing the stitching on them. One of them is the Forget Me Not Sampler  by With Thy Needle and Thread. The fact of the matter is, I cannot stand the color of the fabric. It is so dull and washed out. I understand it is a 'primitive' type design but the Lakeside Linens 40 count in Navy Bean just leaves me cold. I am not that far into it, so I may just finish of the central motif and restart it in a nicer color fabric. Or I may just finish the central motif and be done with it. Did I mention that I really do hate this fabric? :P

Well, at any rate, here are the two projects that I have worked on since completing the Strawberries and Cream sampler from Casey Buonaugurio: 

WIP #1:

Design: Be Kind and True (retired)

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 28  or 32 count white linen of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 037, 124, 126, 165, 197, 312, 486, 561, 663, 705 and 773. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched one strand of floss over two fabric threads. Chart on loan from Patricia G of the Blackbird Designs Lending Library Facebook Group. Replaced the cotton embroidery floss for silks. Began Monday July 17, 2017. 

I also managed to put in a bit of time on my 'Every Now And Again' project. 

WIP #2:

Design: Pretty Little San Francisco

Designer: Jody Rice of Satsuma Street

Fabric: 28 count Cashel linen in Fog by Picture This Plus

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart

Stitchers' Notes: Began Friday, March 17, 2017. Project to be stitched 'every now and again' with no set time frame for completion.

As of Saturday, March 18, 2017:

As of Tuesday July 25, 2017:

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. 

Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Time Flies Like An Arrow

Fruit flies like a banana, however. :)

Good morning and happy start of the new week to you all. January is almost finished and February is just around the corner. How nutty is that? Soon it will be Spring and the March of the Girl Scout cookies, King Cake and Peeps will begin commencement. I, for one, welcome these seasonal Carbohydrate Overlords. 

I realized the other day that I never posted a picture of my very last Bin O'Shame finish for 2016. It was finished on Saturday, December 31, 2016, and time just got away from me. As it is increasingly doing these days. At any rate, this piece is quite old. So old that it has my maiden name initials on it :O! I had a lot of difficulty stitching the Rhodes butterflies that are a feature of the piece. After the sixth time of ripping floss out, I decided that I could just finish it with charms. I like the way it turned out. I just need to find the tin that came with it in order to mount the stitching and have an actual finished finish. I may rip out the initials and use my 'new' last name, although I may just be lazy and not change it. 

At any rate, here is the stitching all finished:

Design: Lorri's Heart Tin 

Designer: Lorri Birmingham for Lorri Birmingham Designs 

                                 Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in B5200 and 3012 Medium Khaki Green.  Needle Necessities  #149 Hydrangea. Kreinik silk Mori #8000 Soft White. Kreinik #002 Gold blending filament. 

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #03021 Royal Pearl white seed beads. Mill Hill #12051 small blue bird treasure. Mill Hill #12121 matte rose butterfly treasures.  Czech crystal beads of unknown origin and manufacturer. Gold bumblebees of unknown origin and manufacturer.

Stitchers' Notes: Design published in 2002. Began roughly 2002 or 2003. Finished Saturday, December 31, 2016.

I managed to put in a bit of time on my sampler that is my current project. I am skipping around a bit in order to keep it interesting. 

Design: 1855 I Auguste Heidemrieg sampler

Designer: Reproduced by Lorraine Mootz for Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly (Fall 2014)

Fabric Used: 22 count Ariosa linen by Zweigart in white

Fiber Used: Rainbow Gallery Splendor 12 ply silk floss in Black (S801)

Stitchers' Notes:  Design featured on page 29 of the Fall 2014 issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly. Began Saturday, January 21, 2017. 

As of Monday, January 23, 2017:

As of Monday, January 30, 2017:

Time for me to go. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Putting 2016 In The Rearview

Wow! This has been some year, huh? Despite some things happening that did not make me happy, I cannot go through life thinking that I must be comfortable and safe all the time. Things happen and it is up to me to make what I will of it. Here's hoping that 2017 calms down a bit, yea? 😀

I managed to get a lot more finished than I thought I did. I stitched on more random projects than anything else this year. I would have preferred that I got in my 12 Bin O'Shame this year, however, the seven eight! that I managed to finish the stitching on is eight projects that I did not finish from the previous year. So, I cannot complain really. Besides, I have made great strides in reducing the number of them overall. I am now down to 29 going into 2017, which makes me really, really happy. I started off with 70 UFOs beginning in February 24, 2015, so every bit has counted! 

I also stretched my stitching muscles by participating in my first ever Round Robin, which was fun. It was a treat to see what themes were picked out and which section would be 'mine'.  I really should do another one at some point. 

Well, at any rate, here are my year end numbers. This was a surprising amount of work that was done, so I guess I can forgive myself for not getting my latest start completed 'on time'! 😉

BIN O' SHAME 2016

1. September Dragon by Dragon Dreams. Finished Sunday, January 10, 2016

2. William Morris tile by Sheila Hudson. Finished Thursday, January 14, 2016

3. Antique Roses by Hallmark. Finished Sunday, January 17, 2016

4. Coffee is Magic by Dragon Dreams. Finished Thursday, February 18, 2016

5. Jardin Mythique by Danybrod. Finished Tuesday, February 23, 2016

6. Easter Fairy by Mirabilia. Finished Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016

7. Be Thankful by Country Cottage Needleworks. Finished Tuesday, September 27, 2016

8. Lorri's Heart Tin by Lorri Birmingham Designs. Finished Saturday, December 31, 2016

KIT MOUNTAIN FINISHES

1. Hangin' With My Peeps by Sue Hillis. Finished Monday, January 4, 2015

2. Spring Cat by Banar Designs for Better Homes and Gardens Finished Tuesday, March 29, 2016

3. Colonial Candle Pocket by Plum Street Samplers. Finished Friday, May 13, 2016

4. Dreaming by OakHaven Designs. Finished Sunday, November 13, 2016

2016 RANDOM FINISHES

1. Tulip pincushion by Blackbird Designs. Finished Saturday, January 30, 2016.

2. David Bowie Told Me by Plastic Little Covers. Finished Monday, February 1, 2016

3. Birds and Berries needlecase by Blackbird Designs. Finished Wednesday, February 17, 2016

4. Love Birds by Antique Sampler Stitcher. Finished Thursday, February 18, 2016.

5. St. Patrick’s Shamrock by Brooke’s Books. Finished Monday, February 29, 2016

6. Portion of needlecase from Quaker Schoolgirl Needle Necessities by With My Needle. Finished Thursday, March 3, 2016

7. Winter Garden pincushion from Blackbird Designs. Finished Tuesday, March 8, 2016

8. Pumpkin Blossom (Loose Feather #4) from Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, March 21, 2016.

9. Compassion (revised) by Danybrod. Finished Thursday, March 24, 2016

10. Crow on a Pumpkin by Kimberly Nugent of Samplers Not Forgotten. Finished Thursday, March 31, 2016

11. Motifs Abécédaire 30 by DMC France. Finished Saturday, April 9, 2016

12. Savoir Faire by Blackbird Designs, version one. Finished Thursday, April 28, 2016

13. Savoir Faire by Blackbird Designs, version two. Finished Saturday, April 30, 2016

14. Chateau de Corgi for 2016 Tiny RR. Finished Tuesday, May 10, 2016

15. Assassins’ Creed logo by GeekieCrafts. Finished Tuesday, May 10, 2016

16. Willow House (Excerpt One) by Blackbird Designs. Finished Sunday, May 15, 2016

17. Willow House (Excerpt Two) by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, May 16, 2016

18. Bluebird’s Needles and Pins pincushion by Blackbird Designs. Finished Wednesday, May 18, 2016

19. French Country Bicycle by JBW Designs. Finished Friday, May 27, 2016

20. Prairie Schooler Christmas Village (white house) Finished Sunday, May 29, 2016

21. Kitchen Mixer by Hugs Are Fun. Finished Wednesday, June 8, 2016

22. July Celebration by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, June 20, 2016

23. Winter Cardinal by Waxing Moon. Finished Monday, July 4, 2016

24. Seahorse by unknown. Finished Thursday, July 14, 2016

25. The Skeleton Key by StitchyFish Designs. Finished Saturday, July 16, 2016

26. Basket of Spells by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, July 18, 2016

27. L'Arbre d'Automne by Jardin Privé. Finished Thursday, July 28, 2016

28. Patchwork Pinkeep by Blackbird Designs Finished Sunday, July 31, 2016

29. Three Peacocks by Heartstring Samplery. Finished Friday, August 5, 2016

30. King of Autumn by Primitive Acorns. Finished Saturday, August 13, 2016

31. Hallow Game Board (excerpt) by Primitive Needle. Finished Sunday, August 21, 2016

32. Halloween Tree: Spooky by The Trilogy. Finished Saturday, September 3, 2016

33. S'mores by Mill Hill. Finished Saturday, September 17, 2016

34. Spooky Elegance by Shannon Christine Designs. Finished Sunday, October 2, 2016

35. Haunted Mansion Spooky Silhouette by Shannon Christine Designs. Finished Wednesday, October 19, 2016

36. Simple Harvest from Blackbird Designs. Finished Thursday, November 17, 2016

37. Marshmallow Sweet by Mill Hill. Finished Thursday, November 24, 2016

38. 2010 Sampler 69b by Ria Lanser of Stofnest. Finished Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Total Number Of Finishes For 2016: 50

Not quite the numbers that I did in 2015, however, things were very, very busy for me this past year. 

As for any goals for next year, I think I am just going to stitch what I feel like stitching. I will have my 'unofficial' goal of 12 projects for the year as always, but I do not think I will have any other goals than that one. I have slowed down on my stitching a lot, and I think this is due to simply doing too much. I also think that I need to get into paper crafting or something like that again in order to balance things out. I also have a number of larger projects that I wish to stitch on and that I have page goals that I wish to complete. Can't exactly crank those out. Well, I suppose I could, but I would have to quit my job and I would probably wind up with carpal tunnel! 😮

Well, I need to be off. I wish you all a happy weekend and a safe and blessed New Year! 

Respectfully submitted,

C.