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!

Stitch from Stash June (broke the budget!)

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.

We can skip one month out of the year, so I broke the budget for June and followed Justine's suggestion:

3) My tip is: if you are going to use your free month, spend loads!!! - Justine @ justinescrossstitch.blogspot.com

I double-checked the rules just to be sure!

Remember you have one month you can not participate and cheat (lol). :) 

My carry over from May was zero for a total budget of $25 this month, plus a bonus $50 that we could spend, which I still went over, but I'm skipping this month so it doesn't count!  Here is my check-in for June:

Amount Spent:  $$$$$

Four Vervaco car kits from Herrschners

Riolis kits:  The Kiss by Klimt and Orange Poppies cell phone/camera bag from Herrschners

The Wizard of Oz chart from Little Stitcher Shop on Etsy

NASCAR and NHRA charts by Cruisin' Cross Stitch

Charts from Noahstitcher's Stash for Sale Facebook group

Fabric from Stash Unload Facebook group

I was in a gift exchange in a Facebook cross stitching group and I bought charts, fabric, and floss for my partner and she sent this to me:  Army Emblem chart, Halloween Memories chart, Wire Whimsy Snowman, fabric, and an armchair pouch that she made herself.

While I was at the LNS buying my partner's gifts, I picked these up for myself!
Just Nan & The Sweetheart Tree charts with charms and beads.

New Starts from Stash:  None.  I'm in a challenge on a Facebook cross stitching group to finish my oldest WIP and not start anything new, which is certainly a challenge for me!

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Fall Welcome, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6), Picnic Area, Leo, Thankful Critters, Universal Unity, Cut Thru' North Pole House, We're Off to See the Wizard, Harley-Davidson, Orange Poppies, "99", Majestic Eagle, The Sorcerer, The Sorceress, Boo! Club (Fright).

Finishes:  The Sorcerer, The Sorceress, Leo.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:  Nothing!  I bought it ALL!

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!

Turtle Trot SAL - June

Claudette of BAP Attack is hosting the Turtle Trot SAL, where we choose 10 WIPs and post before & after progress pics on the 10th of every month.  I've only worked on 7 of them this time:

Stained Glass Nativity:  I stitched another blue window.  My goal for next month will be to finish the windows.

Stained Glass Nativity (before)

Stained Glass Nativity update #8

Harley-Davidson:  I met my goal and finished the windshield and headlight.  My goal for next month will be to stitch more of the seat.

Harley-Davidson (before)

Harley-Davidson update #5

Thankful Critters:  I stitched the little bird and started the letter V.  My goal for next month will be to finish the V with all the backstitching.

Thankful Critters (before)

Thankful Critters update #14

Majestic Eagle:  I started stitching the tail feathers.  My goal for next month will be to finish the claws and tail feathers.

Majestic Eagle (before)

Majestic Eagle update #9

Orange Poppies:  I met my goal of finishing this poppy and stitching more green stems.  My goal for next month will be stitching more green leaves.

Orange Poppies (before)

Orange Poppies update #7

"99":  I stitched one more bottle.  My goal for next month will be another bottle and the shelf under these 6 bottles.

"99" (before)

"99" - update #11

Bottle #16 is Rainer Beer, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, Illinois.

We're Off to See the Wizard:  I stitched more of Dorothy's dress.  I am copying Annette, California Stitcher's idea.  I loved seeing her Tinkerbell figurines with each update of Fairy Hill, so I will include a Wizard of Oz figurine with each of my updates. I have 12 of these musical figurines and lots of little individual Oz figures to show each time!  My goal for next month is to stitch more of Dorothy's dress.

We're Off to See the Wizard (before)

We're Off to See the Wizard update #2

We're Off to See the Wizard update #2

You can click on the pictures to see them bigger.  All the Q-Snap covers are from Christine's Q-Snap Huggies.

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!