Cross Stitch Update

I have lots of progress to show you this week. I went to the cross stitch retreat and had two projects close to a finish so I worked diligently on them. Read about the retreat HERE if you missed it.

The first project I worked on was Good Intentions from Kathy Barrick. I love this one. I am stitching this on 40-count Fawn by Picture This Plus linen. I am using DMC. Here is where I was last week.

I worked on this one most of the first day I was at the retreat. I really only needed to finish the girl. Everything else was finished but that face does include some one-over-one stitching meaning the stitches are tiny and intricate especially because I was stitching on 40-count linen. I managed to finish it! YAHOO.

Oops. While I was writing this up I realized that I didn’t to the back stitching on the face or the needle and thread. I’ll have to go back and really finish it.

I will be hunting for a frame in my basement soon. I have a nice stash of frames and I’m hoping something works.

Speaking of frames…a big shout-out to a special blog reader that sent me frames. There were four boxes of them. WOW!!

The picture is dark so you can’t see it the best but the box below the frames I’m holding is FULL of frames. I’ll need to stitch a long time to use these up. THANKS so much, Sandie.

The next project I put a lot of time it at the retreat was Birds of a Feather by Blackbird Designs.  I’m stitching this on a 40-count Dubloon by Picture This Plus. I am using the called for DMC. Here is where I was last week.

I was determined to make a lot of progress on this. I secretly hoped I would finish it at the retreat but I didn’t. I ended up having trouble with the big bird on the right and had to rip out quite a bit. If I had a couple more hours, I’d have been able to finish it. Here is where I am now…

I do want to personalize this I’ve got to figure out how I am going to do that as well. I might put my initials on one side and my husband’s on the other then put our wedding date in.

While I was at the retreat I also worked on this…It’s from Blackbird Designs. It’s in the When the Leaves Fall book. I’m stitching mine on toweling. You can get the toweling at the Stitchery Nook. I looked and I don’t see it on their website. If you call them, I’m sure they can get it for you. When I was there they also had kits for $10 and those had everything you need to stitch it.

I didn’t get a lot stitched on it but it’s really small so I actually have about 1/5th of it finished.

When I was at the retreat, I really should have worked more on my August projects. The one above is supposed to be finished this month as it’s part of my Colorado Cross Stitcher’s Summer Cross stitch camp for August. People are encouraged to try something new and my “new” was stitching on toweling.

The other August project I had is to get a page done of Consider the Lilies from Heartstring Samplery. Here is where I was last.

My problem is that I really want to get the border stitched first…not the whole border. I just want to stitch the border outline. I know some people think I’m crazy, but that’s how I like to stitch so that’s how I stitch. Border first especially on big pieces.

I ended up stitching all the way around to find I was four stitches off. WHAT? I expected maybe a stitch off but four!!?? That had to be a counting error.

So I started trying to figure it out. I was at the lower left-hand corner trying to meet up. The straight part of the design is 21 stitches across. The diagonal part of the stitching was 17 stitches. Well, logic led me to believe that I must have a counting error on the straight part being 21 – 17 = 4. YEP. I did. The error was on the right-hand side. So…I ripped it all out along the bottom and up the right-hand side to where the counting error was. The photo below was taken mid-way while ripping it out.

I know exactly what happened. I ran out of floss in my needle one night and stopped at 17 stitches. The next time I picked it up, I thought I had the needed 21 stitches, and didn’t count. That was my error. The good news is that I’m stitching again and I’m pretty confident that it will meet up correctly when I come around. I really need to work on this.

I had my daughter Kalissa’s boy one day and stitched on this at naptime…It’s Goodness and Plenty from Plum Street Samplers. I already stitched the crow piece but am working on the alphabet sampler now. I am stitching this on a scrap of Picture This Plus Heartland I think.

Here is where I am now. Just another row stitched…Eventually I’ll get it finished.

When I went to the doctor I took this along… I stitch a Christmas or Winter piece on the 25th of each month and I know it wasn’t the 25th but I was feeling something small with easy stitching. This is Joy to the World by Lizzie Kate. I’m stitching this on a leftover piece of Lakeside Linen Vintage Meadow Rue. I’m using the called-for colors or close. This is where I was last time.

I only got a little stitched but it’s enough that I’m hopeful that maybe the next time the 25th rolls around I can finish this.

What I didn’t stitch on that I really should have stitched on was…Wisedom Berries. YES, they are the stitch along and I still haven’t touched them. This week for sure.

I almost started them at the retreat. Mary was stitching on these and finished one while we were there. It was inspiring. I need to get going on it…but I really wanted to have fewer pieces I was working on so grabbed the other project instead. Oh well. There will be time to get these done too!! I think I’ll at least get one started so I can take it to my trip to the doctor next Thursday.

I have so much to stitch. I’m REALLY close to having two projects finished. That’s my focus for this week. I also REALLY want to get the border together on Consider the Lilies. After that, I want to work on the Wisdom Berries. I’m feeling really behind on those.

More important than all of that is keeping stitching a hobby filled with fun. I don’t want to make stitching a chore or all the fun will be taken out of it…so those are my plans but plans can be broken too!!