Lonely bride!

I sure hope she isn't left at the altar!  You can barely see the light blue hearts on her dress, but it looks like lace!  I changed the shoe color to teal to match the wedding colors.  The flowers in the bouquet will be French knots made of ribbons.  She'll have tiny white beads on her dress and veil, too!

Wedding Tango update #2

Now I'll start stitching on the groom!

Wedding Tango bride!

I was so happy with my progress last night that I wanted to post another picture!  This is Wedding Tango, a kit by Riolis.  I'm using white 28 ct linen instead of 14 ct Aida.

Wedding Tango update #1

Maybe I can finish it in time for the bridal shower and give it to her then instead of waiting for the wedding!  There will be beads and ribbons also.

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!

TUSAL - July and a big finish!

Here is my Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long (TUSAL) update for July!  Check in on Daffycat's blog with a link to your TUSAL post, too!  Alice is posing again with the ORT jar, but this time she is finished and framed and matted and ready to go to my son at last!

TUSAL 2014 #8

Alice from Resident Evil - FRAMED!

I also added mats to the frame for Dog House Sampler, which I finished in 2011.  I found this perfect blue wood frame at a thrift store.

Dog House Sampler - FRAMED!

You might have noticed some yarn bits in the ORT jar.  They are from the Stained Glass Nativity needlepoint, which is finally finished after 34 years!  The framer has it now and is working her magic on it to get it blocked and framed just right!

Stained Glass Nativity - FINISHED!

"Stained Glass Nativity"
Designed by Wayne Maurer
Sunset Designs needlepoint
10 ct cotton mesh canvas, 100% wool yarn
Finished size 10" x 20"
Started 1980, Finished 7/23/2014

Whew!  I'm out of breath after doing that big happy dance!

July WIPocalypse, Turtle Trot, and a finish!

This is my belated WIPocalypse update!  The topic this time is:  "It's halfway to Christmas.  Do you start your holiday stitching this early?  If so, what do you hope to accomplish this year?"  Yes, I stitch holiday designs all year long!  I hope to finish Stained Glass Nativity and Santa's 12 Days of Christmas in time to display them this year for Christmas!  I would also love to stitch gifts for my family but if I don't finish, there is always next year, or their birthday instead.

Since the last WIPocalypse update, I have had 3 more finishes, and now the list of WIPs on my WIPocalypse page is down to 90.  I finished The Sorceress, Leo, and Alice from Resident Evil.

Alice from Resident Evil - FINISHED!

"Alice from Resident Evil"
Designed by Pau
MyPhotoStitch.com
18 ct tan Aida
Started 1/11/2014, Finished 7/13/2014

Speaking of Christmas stitching, I stitched the hat and legs and feet on Santa Hang-Up.

Santa Hang-Up update #9

I missed the Turtle Trot posting for July 10, since I was away on vacation, but here is my progress on two of them.  I finished all the blue stained glass windows on Stained Glass Nativity.

Stained Glass Nativity update #9

I stitched one more bottle on "99" by Ink Circles.

"99" - update #12

Bottle #17 is Stella Artois, Stella Artois, Leuven, Belgium.

Now that I finished the birthday gifts in time, I can get back to my SALs and stitching anything else I feel like!

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!

Theme-A-Licious June Jolt

The theme for last month was June Jolt, "School's out for the summer! Let's work on things with sunshine in them or REALLY bright colors.  Summer is here!"

I finished part 8 of 12 on Boo! Club.  I like the bright Halloween colors in this design!

Boo! Club (Fright) - FINISHED!

"Fright"
Boo! Club series
Lizzie*Kate
28 ct Prairie Grain linen
Started 1/16/2014, Finished 6/28/2014

I also finally finished part 1 of Very Scary Mystery Sampler!  Hopefully, parts 2 and 3 won't take me quite as long to do!

Very Scary (Part 1) - FINISHED!

"Very Scary Mystery Sampler" (Part 1)
Lizzie*Kate
30 ct Tin Roof linen
Started 7/25/2012, Finished 7/1/2014

I also finished The Sorcerer and The Sorceress!  I'll pick them up from the framer tomorrow.  They will be framed together with gold, purple, and red mats.

The Sorcerer and The Sorceress - FINISHED!

The theme for this month will be Jubilee July, "It's time to celebrate! What are you celebrating this year? Stitch on your holiday-related projects, OR find some WIPs you know you'll never finish and set them free."

I have Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas designs to stitch.  I might even stitch on some Easter designs, too!

Check in on Heather's blog, It's Geek to Me, to find more blog posts with the bright colors theme this month!

TUSAL - June

I'm a few days late for the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (TUSAL).  Check in on Daffycat's blog with a link to your ORT jar, too!

Once again, Alice is posing with the jar of ORTs, and she still isn't finished yet!

TUSAL 2014 #7

This will be a belated birthday present for my son, who I will see next week in Texas!

Alice from Resident Evil update #7

Guess I'll be stitching the same thing every day until she is finished!

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!

TUSAL - April

Are you in the Totally Useless Stitch-Along (TUSAL)?  Check in on Daffycat's blog with a link to your blog post with your ORT jar photo, too!

TUSAL 2014 #5

I don't have any updates to show on my SALs, since I was trying to finish Alice from Resident Evil for my son's birthday.  Nope, I didn't make it in time but he'll get it eventually!

Alice from Resident Evil update #4

Does she look like Milla Jovovich to you?

Stitch from Stash April

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

My carry over from March was $2 for a total budget of $27 this month.  Here is my check-in for April:

Amount Spent:  $27
$11 - More Starlite Aida cross stitch fabric from MCG Textiles for the Brooke's Books Advent Animals.

$13 - DMC floss on sale at Michael's for 27 cents and Hummingbird Quartet booklet. (I've been watching Preeti stitch one of these beautiful designs on her blog and was so excited to find this chart!)

$3 - Predator chart for my son.  I sent him the link to Pyrodogpins and asked him to pick one!

I spent my entire budget so now I have nothing left to carry over to May!

New Starts from Stash:  Katie Kitty.

WIPs or UFOs worked on:  Christmas Sampler, Easter Hang-Up, Disney Princesses, Fall Welcome, Remember the Alamo, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Uber Christmas Tree, Universal Unity, We're Off to See the Wizard, "99", Alice from Resident Evil, Happy Easter.

Finishes:  Katie Kitty, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Happy Easter.

I also bought this Wedding Tango kit by Riolis but it doesn't count in the budget since it is a gift I'm stitching for my daughter's friend who is getting married soon!

Wedding Tango kit by Riolis

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!