Wipocalypse Introduction

This is my first Wipocalypse and I am pretty excited about it.  I think I figured out how to put my "link" on the posting page, but who knows.

At any rate, an introducction is in order.


First let me say that I "lost" my blog for a couple of years when many things changed in my computer world, so that is why there is such a big gap in postings and many things that were on the blog seem to have vanished....followers, some gadgets that I had finally figured out; that sort of thing.   That said, I am back at it for 2020 with plans.


I have been busy kitting up things to start (I think I am up to about 60),  framing some finishes and planning my year.  I joined WIPocalypse and I am going to practice spelling it and saying it.  At any rate, I am not sure how it works yet, but I am going to give it a whirl.  There are some beautiful stitching posts and amazing work to drool over.

I have started the Linen and Threads 2020 Quaker SAL.  It took  me a while because I just did not know if I really wanted to participate.  Then I was watching a flosstuber (I wish I could remember which one) and she said "at the end of the year I will have a Quaker sampler done.  Well, that did it.  So here I am participating.

I am using Sulky #12 in Natural Taupe on Amsterdam Blue 32 count linen.  I had a large piece of the fabric (can't imagine why because it is kind of wierd color...not quite green, not quite blue) and I did not want to have to buy a new fabric so it took a while to decide on the thread.  I have been wanting to try Sulky #12, and I wanted something really easy....no splitting DMC floss, no railroading, etc.  Will see how it goes.  I may change it out for a more beige variegated thread, but who knows.



My other focus pieces for January are:


Beggars Valentine by Threadworks Primitive
I want to finish this before the end of the month



Mary Oakley 1818 by Pineberry Lane

I finished the border outline so I should be able to finish this in a week or so.



Mini Mandala 01 By Chatelaine Designs

I am determined to finish this one before I start a new Chatelaine and I am itching to start a new one!





I am also going to participate in the Little House Needleworks Sampler Sunday.  I am going to be working on The Library by Little House Needleworks as soon as the threads arrive.  In the meantime I will be working on "Home of a Needleworker" which has been a WIP for a couple of years and I really need to get it done.  I hope focusing on these two on Sundays will do the trick.



And last but  not least I have been framing some of my 2019 finishes:

This is actually  my first finish of 2020 so I framed it also.

Once I get this blog all caught up again I will keep posting regularly.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.  

WIPS Prior to 2020 and Still Ongoing

This will be quite a long post so grab a beverage.  It is kind of a tale of woe at this point.



Books Reading Books, by Heaven and Earth Designs  Started in 2014

Not sure when I will finish this.  I thought I was further along for some reason.  I really have to be in the "zone" to work on this it seems.  This was/is my attempt at parking.  I am not too good at it.  If I ever do another HAED (and I do have a couple of others) I am definitely going to use tent stitch instead of full crosses.






Woodland Christmas Evergreen Sampler from 2013 Cross Stitch Christmas Started in 2016

All DMC; Two threads over two on 28 count Jobelan in Chiper (a light, light green).  I really enjoy this one when I do work on it.  Don't have too much further to go.  It has all these little yellow star things all over it which are one stitch.  I am not quite sure how to handle them.  I was going to leave them off until I took another look at the original.  It has some one over one (they call it petite stitch) little birds and other animals which was the challenge when I started it so I am glad I got this experience.  Might be some good pin stitch practice!








Home of  Needleworker by Little House Needleworks Started in 2015

This is a travel project, but I need to get it going as it has been in progress since about 2015 or so.   it is 2 over 2 on 28 ct Antique Ivory Cashel.  Perhaps I can use "Sampler Sundays" on the CC/LH facebook to work on it.







Knot Garden by Chatelaine designs Started in 2015

Finally finished all the DMC in 2019 and am working on the specialty stitches and beading.  My goal is to finish this by March (before we head back to Texas).






Mini Mndala 01 by Chatelaine Designs  Started in 2017

I really like the colors of this and all the sparkle which probably does not show up well in the photo.  I am beading this one as I go and I am not sure that is such a good idea.  I think I thought I would concentrate on it more but life sort of happened.  I am going to concentrate on this one until I finish it before I start a new Chatelaine.  I am itching to start another one and I have several already kitted.






Quiet Harbor by Permin from some magazine  Started in 2019

I think I am doing this for someone who has a house on a lake I think but I cannot remember.  Two Threads over two in DMC on 32 count Belfast in Blue Dynasty by Silkweaver.  It is not exactly full coverage so I am further along than it seems.



Gina, Queen of the Sea by Ink Circles  Started in 2019

This is a great travel project.  Two threads over two using Cassie Creations threads.  Once the outlining gets done it is easy, mindless sitching to fill them in.  It is two over two on a 28 Cashel by Silkweaver in "Iris Garden".  I like it OK, but the threads seem to tangle easily even using Thread Heaven.  I need to use shorter lengths I suppose.  I am not sure the threads are colorfast so I don't really take it with me much...also it is bigger than I like to carry around to appointements and waiting rooms, etc.




Fancy Blackett October Ride by Pineberry Lane  Started in 2017

Am using this as a travel project also..one thread over two with DMC on a piece of 35 ct linen I dyed to "age" it a little.





I try to make sure my "travel" projects (the ones I drag with me everywhere I go) are done in DMC so I can wash them when they are finished.


That does it (I think) for the WIPs that are still hanging around from years and years.  I think I will try to finish these at least within the year.  Perhaps on our drive back to Texas I can concetrate on the one closest to being finished.  We will see.

Thanks for stopping by.  Don't hesitate to ask any questions and I will answer them if I can.

Putting Those Project Together

Disclaimer:  I cannot figure out why some of the words are outlined in white and have not been able to fix it.  So I am leaving it for the moment.  Hopefully I will have it figured out by the next post!  I find it extremely distracting.



Today was a kitting up day for me. I had planned to start Vintage Birds by Jeanette Douglass this month, but decided to wait until April to join Stitching Mae's Birthday Stitch-a-long.

So, in the meantime, I put a few projects together:

Elizabeth Jones Sampler by La-D-Da.

I think there might be a SAL for this one, but I am not sure. I am a little torn on the fabric. It calls for 36 count Parchment and would require a 19 x 19 piece....those 18 x 27 fabrics I have on hand are my downfall! I am considering doing it on linen I already have but the only two pieces that are large enough are 32 count. It only makes it an inch large so I will probably do that. I have to choose between Country Mocha, Sandcastle or Cafe Mocha. At least all the threads are DMC colors that I already have.

Willow Tree Sampler by Carriage House Samplings;

This is also all DMC (hurray). It calls for 40 ct Antique Cotton linen from R&R but I am going to us 40 ct variegated lambswool that I have on hand (maybe). I'll do a floss toss tomorrow during the daylight and see if it will work.

So, that should get me through until April.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be posting a weekly update on current projects in a couple of days.  It is a busy week this week with appointments so I may wait until the weekend.

More as it happens.

Goals for 2020

As usual, I have lots of things I want to do in this New Year.

But before I get into that, I figured out what happened in 2018......We remodeled our house in Texas so I was living in the RV as well as in the yard and everything was packed.   It was horribly dusty so I spent alot of time packing, cleaning during the construction and unpacking once it was finished so early 2019 was also a loss for stitching time.  Whew, glad to have figured that out thanks to my husband!

Now to 2020:

I am thinking that I want to finish 20 projects and start 20 projects (2020, get it?)

I have plenty of things ready to go so starting 20 things should not be a problem.

As far as finishes, I would like to finish anything that was started prior to 2019 first....some of those projects that are ages old.  Like the HAED Books Reading Books; Evergreen Sampler; Chatelaine Knot Garden; the 2017 Mystery SAL by Linen and Threads (expecially since I want to start the 2018 and 2020 SALs)

Then I will work on finishing the 2019 starts and go from there.

2020 seems to be the year of the sampler for me.  I have been drawn to several projects that are samplers. My problem is that I don't really like stitching words.   Kind of a drawback.

My new starts for 2020 so far in the sampler genre and are;

Bluebird Out My Window by With Thy Needle and Thread

Done on 28 count Chime by Picture this Plus...It is a yellow moddled fabric that is not showing up too well in the photos but it is very "springy".  I am using the threads called for except for the bird....the color was "Cadet" but the skein I had was too green so I changed it to "Old Blue Jeans".  Am enjoying this and should be finished with it in less than a week.





Mary Oakley 1818 Sampler by Pineberry Lane

I decided to use what I had on hand for this smallish sampler.  I am doing it on 36 count Old Mill Linen by R&R.  It is an aida evenweave that came in a Stitchy Box last year or the year before.  The threads are just random pulls from what I have on hand.  The jury is still out on the "white" looking thread, but I am going to leave it.  I hope to complete the border this week.

Thanks for visiting.  I am determined to keep posting this year.  I will be posting all my current projects with updates this week (I hope).

Finally Back

I finally figured out how to get to this old Blog that I have not posted to since 2017.  Not sure why, but 2018 seemed to vanish from my life for some reason (I think I was ill, I don't remember now).....and 2019 was the year I could not get into the blog (and I have no patience for working on it very much)

So in the next few days, weeks, months, I will try to do a 2019 update on stitching.  I am thinking of renaming the blog if I can figure out how as the "needles" title seems to bring up all sorts of IV drug user sights and lists of where used needles are showing up in parks, on the shore, etc.

But for now I am sticking with Needles Everywhere simply because there is so much stuff already on it and I have yet to feel inspired to move everything.  We will see



Stay tuned, and thanks for sticking with me.

July Was a Blur

This month just whipped by.  I am still in California.  Have been doing quite a bit of stitching.



FINISHES

I finished Star and Stripes and famed it with a thirft short frame.

I also finished a couple of other patriotic smalls and displayed them.

I also whipped up a little piece for a family cabin.   This is done on a piece of 32 count linen called Winter Veil by Fabics by LJ.  I had the frame from a thift store.  It has two flaws in the front so I glued little trees over them!

I finished Servian Proverb and am really pleased with it.  It was a relaxing stitch of only a few colors and lots of repetition.  I framed it with a frame I got off Amazon.com and really like it alot.

Serbian Proverb is all done

Fresh Eggs, Cricket Collection

I am doing this piece for my daughter in law who raises chickens and supplies the entire neighborhood with eggs.  I do not know the name of the fabric or where I got it.

 It framed up and those wrinkles came out.

And I did a couple of summer pieces to display.

Started on my display for fall

And finished a Prairie Schooler for Halloween  I plan on making this a flat fold

Not sure why I am having so  much trouble getting my postings together.  Perhaps in the fall I will calm down and get better at it.  I am looking forward to being a little more organized the second half of this year!


Thanks for visiting!

June Already

Usually I think the year flies by because I am in Texas....this year I am in California and it has gone by double fast it seems.

I am feeling much better.  I have to say, I never thought much of anemia....I mean really, take a pill, right?  Well, I don't know how an overweight 65 year old can be "critically anemic" but it happened to me and I am quite amazed.  I went to the doctor (which I HATE) because I was just feeling bad and wierd.....well, every single thing, including a heart murmur was due to anemia.  Odd.  So it has taken almost 4 months to get it under control and start feeling better.

A bit of advice....do not take being anemic lightly.

Now to stitching.

FINISHES and FFOs

I got the Afternoon in Paris project framed for my little niece and she loves it.  Whew.  You just never know with teenagers.

I got a couple of patriotic things done.  I had left all the patriotic stuff in Texas thinking I would be there in the spring.  What to do?  Why shop of course.  So I got a couple finished and have a couple in the works.

And I got a couple of small samplers styles framed.

This is Alice Merryfield and Dancing Deer.  The frames, including mats were hanging around the house so I dug them and and tried to work with them.  Not bad.



WIPs

Have started a couple of other Patriotic themed pieces....... I have been able to get close to a finished on Stars and Stripes Forever by With Thy Needle and Thread

This has been great fun to stitch for some reason.....using 36 count linen, one over 2, so I am using my magnifier lamp, but it is going pretty well.

And I am making good progress on Serbian Proverb although it has sort of been on hold during my patriotic phase!

This piece is done in DMC.  I really like it, but have a way to go.

 And I started "Home of the Brave"  (I gotta be out of my mind)

Very small start on all this black.....am going to use this as a traveling piece so I probably will not get it finished by July.  It is on a piece of 32 count linen dyed by LJ fabrics called Resolution.  It is much more yellowy/goldish than the photo.....not as brown as it appears in the photo.  Am doing 2 over 2 using Anchor Black rather than DMC.  The rest will be DMC.

And one more Patriotic Piece called "Love Liberty" by Chessie and Me......Lots of 1 over 1 so it is going very slow....I tend to put it off.......

This is on a piece of 28 count Ivory (or something close) evernweave that I tinted with some brown dye and coffee so it would not be so beige.  I am happy with the way the fabric came out....hard to tell from the photos.  Very subtle.

That is it for now.  I am staying busy and hopefully will get more stitching done now that I am on the mend.

Thanks so much for visiting.