Cross Stitch Update

I haven’t had much stitching time this week.  I’ve been busy during the day so haven’t gotten to blog stuff until the evening…and that means that I cut into my stitching time.  I typically get in a good chunk of time over the weekend but that didn’t happen.  Saturday night I had zero stitching.  Sunday and Monday nights I quit working and sat down to stitch at 10pm or so.  I only stitched for 30-45 minutes on those nights.  Regularly, I stitch for about 1 1/2-2 hours every night.  It’s all good but it really cut down what I accomplished.

Before I tell you about all of that, I thought I would show you a couple of packages that were cross-stitch related that a couple of readers sent my way.

There were two other packages but Kelli was here and whisked away a few of the things.  I’m all for sharing so that was totally okay but I missed the chance to get pictures.  My apologies to that blog reader who sent the goodies.

I also got a package from Cynthia Brew of Stitching in the Light Flosstube.  You might remember that I told you about finishing this piece and wanting pompoms.  You can read about it HERE if you missed it.

I looked at a lot of places but it was high priced like $6 for a couple of yards.  I ended up going on Amazon and found this trim package.  It was $21 but look at all of the colors and there are 60 yards altogether.  You can find it HERE on Amazon.

I ended up getting it, taking the colors I liked, and passed the rest to a flosstuber, Cynthia Brew from Stitching in the Light, who is great at dying things.  She took the colors and darkened them and is using them.  I know I could have dyed them but it’s not my thing.

I told you all about that earlier in the week.  Imagine my surprise when in the mail came a couple of the pompoms back to me all wonderfully dyed.  Cynthia is so good at dying.  Imagine those bright yellow and white and neon pinks taking dye so wonderfully.  Cynthia also sent some saree silk she dyed.

She buys ribbon like this and dyes it to the color she wants.

You can find the ribbon HERE on Amazon.  She used the dyed ribbon for finishing her pieces.  They are always so pretty.

Now onto my stitching…

Here is where I last was on my Come to the Garden project by Teresa Kogut.  I am stitching this on 40-count Vellum by Picture this Plus with the called-for colors.  Here is where I was last week.

I don’t know what on earth is wrong with me but this piece is going to be the death of my patience.  I am starting to feel like I wasn’t meant to stitch it.  Seriously, between not having time this week to stitch and then making mistakes that had to ripped out once I did, I barely made any progress.  UGH.

See my finger, I noticed that the two leaves shouldn’t be that close together.  UGH.  Now to find the mistake.

It was a pretty easy-to-do mistake.  See there are five stitches and then the leaf section comes off of that?  Well, I was supposed to connect that to the end of the five stitches to the left of where I stitched it.  AHH!!!

So, I ripped it out.

I restitched it.  That blew on the night of stitching.  UGH.  I just can’t catch a break with this piece.  See that gold inner border?  That’s screwed up too.  I’m trying to decide what to do with it.  I’m so frustrated.  I’ll explain the mistake in another blog post.  BLAH.

I like the piece…it’s so pretty but I’ve been plagued with mistake after mistake.

My goal last week was to get the two flower pots completely finished.  That did not happen…not even close.

…not even one of the baskets stitched.

So here is where I ended.

The next night I sat down to stitch and decided I was taking a break.  Enough of Come into my Garden, I was moving to something else at least for a night and who knows, maybe longer.

I pulled out my We Live in Hope piece by Blackbird Designs.  I have stitched on this two nights previous to this.  I started it in August of 2021.  I stitched on it again one night in February of 2022 and I haven’t touched it since.  It isn’t that I don’t like it or want to stitch it, it’s that I was always stitching on something else trying to finish it.

I ended up pulling it out and stitched on it one night.  What a joy to be stitching on this!  I am stitching on this with the called-for colors on 40-count Picture this Plus Legacy Linen.

I plan on stitching this for my grandparents that came to America in the early 1900s.  I’ve been debating about stitching this for my husband’s grandparents that came as well.  My dad’s parents came from Sweden.  My husband’s came from Germany.  My plan was to somehow personalize it.  Maybe putting their initials and the year they came.

I love the boat and love the saying “We Live in Hope” as I imagine that was how they felt crossing the Atlantic Ocean with the hope of more opportunity in America.

In a past newsletter from The Attic, they showed it stitched.  Look how much brighter it looks.  It said the person stitching used the called for colors.  It makes me more excited to stitch it.

I only stitched for one night.  This is where I finished at.  The piece is smaller than I thought.  Only about 10″ x 10″.

Back when I was doing the stitch along of Red Bird Sampler with all of you, I was occasionally frustrated thinking I had too many projects going.  Now I’m thinking I am totally fine with three projects going at the same time.  Sometimes, I just don’t feel like stitching one of the two.  That was so true in this case.  I did not want to stitch on Come to the Garden at all!!

I also think I’ve been trying to push myself too much on that piece.  I had it in my mind to finish it by the end of the year so I pushed…and I think that’s what is making me end up making mistakes.  Does it really matter when I get it done??  NOPE.  So I’m going to go back to more of a casual approach and maybe I’ll like it more again.

So I think We Live in Hope might get worked on a little here and there each week…at least until Black Dog Sampler starts on January 1st.  Did you order your kit yet?  Here’s the info one more time…

The piece is 197 x 143 stitches.  For me on 40-count linen that would be 10 x 7ish.  If you were stitching on 32 count it would be 12 1/4 x 9ish.  It’s not huge.

Liz has everything together for pre-order.  You can pre-order now on her site.  HERE is the link.  Orders will not be mailed out until the second week of December.  That gives you plenty of time to look it over and be ready for the start date on January 1st.

You can read more details about the stitch along in THIS POST.

The other piece I worked a little on was the Autumn Alphabet by The Scarlett House.  I am stitching this on a piece of 40-count Heartland by Picture this Plus.  Here is where I was last week.

I only stitched on this one afternoon while I was trying to get my grandson Gannon to nap.  It’s hardly worth telling about.  I only stitched the x, y, and z.

You might remember that I was debating about putting this one away for the year.  I had decided to but then I really didn’t have any time to pull out something new.  Twice when I sat down to stitch I only had half an hour’s worth of time and pulled this to stitch on.  When I only have a short period of time to stitch I prefer to stitch on something small.  I have a silly notion that it makes it seem like I actually got more stitched that way.

This is still up in the air on whether I will finish it now or save it and pull it out next fall.  I really prefer to stitch in the season and being we got snow on Tuesday and Thanksgiving is on Thursday, the pumpkin season is fading fast.

If I get time, I am going to pull out this piece…  This is Joy and Good Cheer by With Thy Needle and Thread.  I bought it immediately when it came out.

You might remember I finished the Fall piece that was similar.  That’s the one I finished on a faux book that is actually a box.  This one will be coming down and I want to have the other one stitched so I can put that one up.

It was fun to stitch and I’m looking forward to stitching the next one.  But this one might wait until January.

I downloaded three charts from Etsy that were more Christmasy.  I love this one…

You can find it HERE.

This one you can find HERE.

This one HERE.

Can you tell that I’m ready for a little Christmas stitching?  I’m going to look and see what I have for flosses and start one of them soon.

That’s the latest in the cross stitch department from around here…what are you stitching on?