a little bit of progress

I have been stitching a little bit on the monthly teacup designs that were out a couple of years ago or so. I collected  them but never stitched them. I stitched this yesterday. There are lots of reflections from the magnifier-  we are adding more light but not that much yet so evening pictures are always after dark. That is the top of the cap and the handle of the cup. I am going to keep working on this tonight. I would love to get this finished and move onto another month. At this rate it would be February's cup. I have also been stitching on Dorothy Walpole, my January 1st start. I am loving this. I decided to move all the way across the top because I wanted to be sure I had cut the fabric correctly.  I was afraid I was too narrow but no, it is good.

I am also working on the monthly January Blackbird stockings. I just picked one up last night. It was great fun and hope to finish it tonight.  I am so enjoying these designs.

Santa by Homespun Elegance is coming along. I have taken it with me to my stitch group but it works for me for late night stitching when I am tired.  I am waiting for the thread to come in for the bag Santa is carrying but I still have plenty to do.
Hope you have some stitchy time this week.
Marjo

Progress of an odd sort

Homespun Elegance Gifts to you

I am sure this will be perfectly clear what I am stitching on this week, or maybe not. I have been working late hours and by the time it is stitching time here at home  I have been too tired to work on small count fabric so I decided to pull out this Santa from Homespun Elegance and put some stitches into it. It is on huge count fabric and boy does it eat up the thread. This is his shoulder (in case you couldn't tell) and there is much more to fill in. I found as I was working on this that I do not have all the thread for it. So another order had to be made. Having to place an order just for thread is one of the biggest aggravations of living in Alaska. So instead of moving on  to his bag of goodies I had to go back to his red coat. I guess I could have moved over the other way toward the beard, I will head there when I pick up later.

Sally Munro Essamplaire

Tonight was supposed to be our stitch night but the weather is so bad we just decided to stay home. I have read all the blogs I follow, looked at all the stores I like online and signed up for the Essamplaire class as well. Just what I need is another project but I have loved the look of this one since it came out in a previous newsletter. Picture is from the Essamplaire website. I enjoy taking classes as I always learn so much and I have always enjoyed the classes from Essamplaire.
I leave you with a picture from my drive home, this female was headed into the hospital stopping for a snack as I was headed home, note the blowing snow out there....that is why I am home stitching.....
Hope you have some stitchy time in your day.

Marjo

New beginnings, progress and a finish too

Dorothy Walpole on V. Pecan Butter 

I was able to find all the parts I needed, get the piece on the scroll rods and spend some time stitching  on Dorothy Walpole. I love it. The colors are great and I am going to enjoy this piece. At least that is how I felt till I actually got the stitches into place and found I just didn't like the color fabric I had gotten. It is way too distressed and way too green for me. I tried to like it and then just decided I needed to find a better color and get on with it so I changed out the fabric and am so much happier with it. I am sad I spent more time messing with it than stitching on it but a beginning is always good.

Mary Wigham Needleprint

I am working on Mary Wigham as part of a SAL on Facebook. It has been much neglected, but even a little progress is a good thing.
 I am also going to try to do something that I used to do to get a stuck in the water WIP going and that is put in just one strand of thread a day into a piece. ATS is the piece I chose and one strand for me will be one length of floss a day. I just feel like if I don't do that I won't ever get it done. And I have to get it done, really I do, I had found the perfect frame for it. I even have the wall space for it. Sigh. I will work on it in rotation but I will also try to get in a strand a day as this is such a huge piece.
My first finish of the year is a BBD stocking from the December patterns 'Merry Christmas'.  I really am enjoying stitching them and can't wait to have them all done. They are an easy travel piece.

BBD December stocking, Merry Christmas

I usually stitch in a rotation by weeks. Recently with my limited stitching time that has ceased to work for me any more. I just try to keep a few active WIP going at any one time and focus on them till I hit a wall and then take another one out of the WIP basket.  It keeps me stitching on that huge pile and makes me happy to be able to put needle to thread as often as I can.


Hope you had time for stitching in your day. Marjo

So what are you stitching on New Year's Day

Happy New Year

Having 2 holidays back to back has given me the unique opportunity to have 2 short work weeks back to back which means I get to stitch a little bit more. I have so enjoyed that. I decided this year I would do a New Years Day start and have been through my huge stash and came up with quite a list to choose from. I chose Dorothy Walpole. I have wanted to stitch that since I first saw the original on the Scarlett Letter website several months ago. I love the colors. I am using the Attic conversion for fabric and silks. I am glad because the fabric that came with it didn't seem right to me. I had to go find scroll rods that would hold it. I love stitching.

BBD Snowy Eve Stocking

BBD Merry Christmas

I did have one last finish for the 2011 round up of the second of the December stockings, and almost finished the third but was just too tired to stay up any more. I will work on it today to try to finish so I can move onto the January stockings. I am really enjoying these little stockings and look forward to having them on a tree for next year.  I am going to continue with my ornament stitching so I always have a small to work on to fill in travel stitching time or just so I get an occasional finish.

I decided last night I really need to take some things into the framers soon. My new to me office at work has totally blank walls and I think I would rather see my stitching there than anything else. I have several that are needing to be done. I think I am going to try mailing some to the framer by the Attic to see  how the cost compares and the quality. I have only found one framer up here that does needlework but choices are limited up here. I will take a couple of pieces to her this week if I can and then wait for the sales the other framer has to try them.
Hope your New Year"s Day is full of stitching.
Marjo