August WIPocalypse and SAL updates

It's a full moon and time for the WIPocalypse update!  The topic this time is: "Tell us about your oldest and newest WIPs."

My newest WIP is Wedding Tango, a Riolis kit, which will be a gift for my daughter's friend's wedding in September.  I've known her at least 10 years.  The color of the shoes and bouquet will be changed to match the bride's colors.  I'm also stitching it on 28 ct white linen instead of the 14 ct white Aida in the kit, and I will add their names and date at the bottom.

Wedding Tango

Wedding Tango

Since I recently finished my oldest WIP (Stained Glass Nativity, started in 1980), my oldest WIP now is Universal Unity by Dimensions Gold Collection.  I started this one in 1998 and was making great progress on it for a few months, then it got put away and never touched again until 2012.  Now I have cross stitch friends all over the internet encouraging me to keep stitching until this one is finished!  I post an update on this one in the YOTA SAL on the first Saturday each month.  Here is the pic from the last post, when I started stitching the zebra stripes.

Universal Unity update #19

Since the last WIPocalypse update, I have had 3 more finishes, but the list of WIPs on my WIPocalypse page is still at 90.  I finished Stained Glass Nativity, Mary Mouse, and Boo!

On my Saturday SAL with Linda and Kaye, I stitched 5 rows of the basket on Fall Welcome.

Fall Welcome update #13

On my Sunday SAL with Linda and Kaye, I finished the 6th day of Santa's 12 Days of Christmas!  Now the whole project is officially halfway done!  We have more members in our Prairie Schooler Santa's 12 Days of Christmas Sunday SAL Facebook group, too!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6) FINISHED!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Days 1-6)

"Santa's 12 Days of Christmas" (Day 6)
Book No. 126
Designed by Pamela Byrd Smith
The Prairie Schooler
28 ct mushroom evenweave
Started 5/4/2014, Finished 8/11/2014

In the Bothy Threads Cut Thru' Monday SAL, I reached the bottom left corner of Cut Thru' North Pole House and stitched some water.  I'm looking forward to using the variegated floss in the water, which is the same color floss that I used for the water in Cut Thru' Igloo.

Cut Thru' North Pole House udpate #12

Be sure to check Measi's blog for a list of other bloggers with WIPocalypse updates this month!

YOTA - August

Today is the first Saturday of the month and time for the YOTA (Year of the Acronym) UFO SAL update hosted by Pull the Other Thread.  Universal Unity is a Dimensions Gold Collection kit that I started in 1998.

I missed July since I was on vacation, but here is the before pic from the June YOTA post:

Universal Unity (before)

I started filling in the stripes of the zebra.  You'd think they were only white, but there are actually 5 different symbols and some of them are tweeded (blended) colors of different strands of floss!

Universal Unity update #19

My goal is to finish the zebra and the grass around him and the backstitching for the next YOTA update!

Framed finish and giveaways!

Hurray!  I actually finished this birthday gift and got it framed on time!  I started The Sorcerer way back in 2011 for the first Crazy January Challenge, and I started The Sorceress for the UCJC this year.  My best friend, Colleen, has always liked castles and dragons and wizards.  Our dads have been friends since they were in kindergarten and our moms met in high school.  They got married around the same time and she is only 2 days older than me, so she is just like a sister!  Now she lives in Texas and I'm still in California.  I will see her tomorrow for a visit!  My son is coming to her house too, and we'll all go to my daughter's graduation from Army boot camp together!

Here is her handmade birthday present!  You can click on the picture to see it bigger.

The Sorcerer and The Sorceress - FRAMED!

This was framed by Beth at Wilson's Frame-Up in Riverside, California.  The purple mat is linen and the gold and red mats match the stitching colors perfectly!  It was Beth's idea to get a charm and I found this wizard pendant on eBay.  The frame is brushed silver metal.  It's bigger and heavier than I expected.  The full size of the frame is 16" x 25" so it's 1 inch too big for carry-on.  I will wrap it in bubble wrap and surround it with all the clothes in my luggage.  Hopefully it makes the trip in one piece!

Here is a picture from a few years ago of both of us:

Colleen and Debbie

I'm also waiting until the very last minute to finish Alice from Resident Evil for my son's belated birthday present, since I'll see him tomorrow too!  I have a frame ready to pop it into tonight, or maybe tomorrow after I get off the plane!  LOL

Alice from Resident Evil update #8

Parsley of Seasons of My Mind blog is having a giveaway of this beautiful project bag to celebrate becoming an EMT!  Enter HERE and drawing is on July 21.

Nancy from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a summer floss giveaway!  Enter HERE and tell Nancy that I sent you.  Drawing is on July 30.

Sadly, I have no YOTA update this month on Universal Unity, since I was stitching every day on the same thing (The Sorceress and Alice).  I'll get back to all my SALs after I come home from vacation.  

Happy Stitching, everyone!

Smalls SAL - June

The last Wednesday of the month is time for the June Smalls SAL post!  I finished Leo the lion, a freebie from Stitch Alley.  I want to sew it into a hanging ornament for my daughter.

Leo - FINISHED!

"Zodiac Signs - Leo"
Designed by Kai & Denis Chabault
Stitch Alley
14 ct red Aida
Started 2/27/2012, Finished 6/25/2014

I also finished one of my starts from the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge, The Sorceress by Dimensions.  She is at the framing shop right now with The Sorcerer!

The Sorceress - FINISHED!

"The Sorceress"
Dimensions #6733
14 ct Ivory Aida
Started 1/26/2014, Finished 6/24/2014

June WIPocalypse and a finish!

Happy Friday the 13th and it's a Full Moon so time for the WIPocalypse update!  The topic this time is:  "Have you ever been to a stitch gathering such as a retreat or a festival?"  No, I haven't but I would love to go!  Our Southern California Cross Stitchers Yahoo group is trying to plan one, but in the meantime, we are happy to meet at the food court in the mall or outside on the patio or at a restaurant or a member's house to sit and stitch together about once a month!

Since the last WIPocalypse update, I have had three more finishes, but two of them were new starts, so my WIPocalypse page is slowly shrinking down to only 93 WIPs now.  I finished Frank-N-Stein, Peter Polar Bear, and The Sorcerer!

The Sorcerer - FINISHED!

"The Sorcerer"
Dimensions #6689
14 ct Ivory Aida
Started 1/13/2011, Finished 6/12/2014

My plan is to get him framed together with The Sorceress before July!

The Sorceress update #1

I've also stitched more background on Alice from Resident Evil and hope to finish her by July, too!

Alice from Resident Evil update #6

I only work on this one during our stitching GTG (get-togethers).  I did the acorn tops on Very Scary Mystery Sampler, almost done with part 1.

Very Scary update #12

On Cut Thru' North Pole House, I stitched the mailbox and pole down to the water.

Cut Thru' North Pole House update #11

For my Sunday SAL with Linda and Kaye, I started stitching Santa's red sleeve and the green branches on Santa's 12 Days of Christmas by The Prairie Schooler.

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6) update #3

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6) update #3

Be sure to check Measi's blog for a list of other bloggers with WIPocalypse updates this month!

YOTA update - June

Today is the first Saturday of the month and time for the YOTA (Year of the Acronym) UFO SAL update hosted by Pull the Other Thread.  Universal Unity is a Dimensions Gold Collection kit that I started in 1998.

Here is the before pic from the May YOTA post:

Universal Unity (before)

Almost everyone voted that I stitch the zebra next.  The black stripes are done but there is so much more to stitch!

Universal Unity update #18

I hope to have a full zebra next time!

Theme-A-Licious Menagerie May

The theme for last month was Menagerie May, "Is it a zoo in your stack of WIPs? How many projects can you find that include animals or birds?"

I have lots of WIPs with animals and birds and this was just the right incentive to stitch on some of them that have been ignored for awhile!

On Bird Nest (No 2), I stitched more of the pretty pink bird from Yiota's XStitch.  I started this one in the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2012.

Bird Nest (No 2) update #3

Yiota's XStitch kits come with all the floss on bobbins already.  Isn't this nice?

I stitched the other back leg on Leo, a freebie from Stitch Alley.

Leo update #5

I stitched an owl on Picnic Area.

Picnic Area update #7

I stitched another little bird on Thankful Critters.

Thankful Critters update #13

I also started stitching another crow and the basket on Fall Welcome.

Fall Welcome update #12

And here's another bird, a goose on Santa's 12 Days of Christmas!  The gap in the middle is where Santa's arm is holding him.

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6) update #2

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6) update #2

I filled in the rest of the raccoon and started the zebra on Universal Unity. This is on a 14" x 17" Q-snap.  Since I'm right-handed, I turn it upside-down to stitch the zebra so it will be closer to the right side.  Do any of you stitch your designs upside-down, too? 

Universal Unity update #17

Check in on Heather's blog, It's Geek to Me, to see links to more blog posts with the animals theme this month!

Heather sent me this amazing prize package for suggesting the theme for April Showers.  All the goodies have the "water" theme.  She sent an April Showers chart from Country Cottage Needleworks and a kit to make a Lighthouse scissors charm. The fabric colors are Seafoam and Neptune blue.  But the most amazing part is the floss with names like Tropical Ocean, Mediterranean, Seafan, Silver Icicle, and Sea Turtle!  She included a vinyl project pouch to protect my WIPs from getting wet! Thank you so very much, Heather!

April Showers Theme-a-licious prize package!

The theme for this month will be June Jolt, "School's out for the summer! Let's work on things with sunshine in them or REALLY bright colors.  Summer is here!" (Northern Hemisphere... LOL)

My WIPs with sunshine and bright colors are Stained Glass Nativity, The Sorcerer and The Sorceress, Flaming June, Pac-Man, Holiday Cheer, Thankful Critters, Fractal 156 bookmark, Dance of the Geckos, Triple Jack-o-Lanterns, Beach Babe, Basket of Fruit, Orange Poppies, Jacks are Wild, Trick or Treat Greeting, and Believe.

I'm looking forward to making some progress on these to share with you on July 1! Happy Stitching, everyone!

YOTA Update - May

Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month and time for the YOTA (Year of the Acronym) UFO SAL update hosted by Pull the Other Thread.  Universal Unity is a Dimensions Gold Collection kit that I started in 1998.

Here is the before pic from the April YOTA post:

Universal Unity (before)

I stitched more grass under the tiger.  There are many different symbols for the grass with 3 strands of floss, blending 2 of one color and 1 of another color. I love the effect!

Universal Unity update #16

Which animal should I stitch next, the zebra or the ram?

April WIPocalypse update and a finish!

There's a full moon in the sky, a blood moon, an eclipse of the moon, and it's time for a WIPocalypse update!  I saw it last night from my front yard, but if you missed it, you can see the video here:
http://www.space.com/25507-moon-turns-red-lunar-eclipse-time-lapse-video.html

Since the last WIPocalypse post, I've had 3 more finishes; the Best Witches Halloween ornament, the first Advent Animals ornament, Katie Kitty, and another Santa!

On the 5th day of Christmas, Santa brought to me.... Five Golden Rings!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5) FINISHED!

If we actually stitch on this every Sunday, Linda and I should be able to finish one Santa per month and have them all done before Christmas this year!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Days 1-5)

"Santa's 12 Days of Christmas" (Day 5)
Book No. 126
Designed by Pamela Byrd Smith
The Prairie Schooler
28 ct mushroom evenweave
Started 11/17/2013, Finished 4/13/2014

I made good progress on Fall Welcome, my Saturday SAL with Linda.

Fall Welcome update #9

I've also been stitching on Alice from Resident Evil.  Does she look like Milla Jovovich yet?

Alice from Resident Evil update #3

This is how she will look when she is done:

Alice from Resident Evil

I also stitched more on The Sorcerer's cloak.  When I finish him, I'll stitch The Sorceress next!  These are gifts for my best friend who loves wizards and castles and dragons!

The Sorcerer update #12

My idea is to get them framed together, and my framer friend suggested that I find some charms so she could include them in separate cut-out parts of the mat, so I bought these pewter pendants on eBay:

The topic for this month is, "How do you keep your stash organized?"  I don't use bobbins and keep the floss skeins in small 3"x4" ziploc baggies in these plastic photo cases:

I keep all my WIPs in gallon size Ziploc bags with the fabric, chart, and floss for each project.  I put all my Ultimate Crazy January Challenge starts for 2012 in this sewing basket, and I have another sewing basket full of starts from the UCJC 2013.  The new starts from UCJC 2014 are just in a pile on top of my Rubbermaid tote where I keep all my future kits and charts.  

Then I have about 6 fabric tote bags with several WIPs in each one on Q-Snaps, so I can easily grab a tote bag when I meet my friends to stitch or to take in the car if I leave home.  I always say, you never know if there will be an earthquake and the ground will crack open and I won't be able to get home for awhile, so at least I'll have something to stitch!

I bought a pink plastic drawer cart like this one to store my cross stitch fabric, but it's still empty and all the fabric is in 2 cardboard boxes instead.     

Be sure to visit Measi's Musings blog to find links to everyone's WIPocalypse blog posts with their stash organization photos, too!