Plans for 2016

The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is always a time to plan for me.  As I think about 2016 and the projects I want to start (there are many), I am reminded that I should probably plan some finishes for the year as well.

My plan (currently) is to have one new start per month.  I would love to say that I could have a finish a month, but I think that is pushing it.  So perhaps a finish every two months (major projects that is).


Pumpkin Swirl has gone into the UFO pile.  Somehow I just could not get the count right on one section so it has come off the frame and gone into the "this WIP is killing me".  The good news is that Gardens of London has come out of the TWIKM and will be back in rotation for this year so it may be the year of the Chatelaine for me.

JANUARY Start:

Cotton Sampler from Chatelaine.

 I have chosen a piece of 28 count Jobelan in Stormy Grey.  I am really looking forward to this project.  I have had it for a while and it has been calling to me for months!

 

I  have several other Chatelaine designs that I have kitted and want to start sometime this year.  Perhaps if I finish one of the others I have going!  

And of course I have many, many other things in the works.  Still have an Ink Circles project, the KnotGarden and a Mini Mandala from Chatelaine,  Home of a Needleworker (which may end up unfinished for years) and the two Needlepoint projects I started during our trip west this year. 

Speaking of Knot Garden.  I realized last night that I put some silks on it.  I was determined to get all the DM work done, wash it, THEN put the silks on, but I guess the specialty stitches were calling to me.  Not sure what I will do now.  May go ahead and throw caution to the wind and try to wash it before I put any more silks on.  

It has been hard to get into stitching this month (December) as I have been cooking, entertaining, playing with grand girls, trying to get the house organized and, of course, eating!  

That is it so far.   Thanks so much for visiting.

December plans

We are back in California so I am getting settled into my stitching area.  Of course it is very busy getting ready for Christmas and the new year and enjoying my grand girls so I am not stitching as much.   And I MUST get to the framer on Monday.

I also need to do some serious organization.  I reeived a couple of orders that I had sent here rather than hauling it from Texas. First a bunch of fabrics that were on sale at Herschners many month ago and  my order from ECC for two Chatelaines, Classicism and Old World Vinery.  I am not sure when I will get to these but I just did not want to chance any of the specialty threads being discontinued in the next year and I got a refund on some taxes that, of course, I had to spend.

This month I want to finish or at least make some good progress on a few things before I start working on 2016 projects.  One of my many goals for this month is to have no new starts.  Just work on WIPs.  I usually plan my next year the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

I  miss working on Gardens of London by Chatelaine.  I figured out that once I got through alot of the specialty stitches and borders that were so much fun to do I am a little bored with doing the cross stitching and back stitching on the buildings.  There are many color changes and the chart is a little tedious to read.   I am back to it this month, determined to get at least the London Bridge section finished.  I changed to a smaller qsnap for this project since I found the 14x14 was sort of becoming a problem for me.

Hoping to get some good progress done on Pumpkin Swirl by Glendon Place.  I am just a little over halfway done with it.  Have no plans for it after it is finished so this one of really kind of on the back burner.  I do want to finish it so I can free up my Millenium frame for another project next year.

A long way to go on Ink Circles RYOB  but it is a pretty quick stitch.  Hope to finish it soon and get it in the mail to its intended recipient.

Knot Garden by Chatelaine.  I am not keeping time on this project as I do with most of my others.  Now that I have moved out of the center I am really enjoying the project as I work through the specialty stitches.  I think I will frame this piece and keep it for myself.

Books Reading Books, Heaven and Earth Design:

This so confetti heavy that it is taking me quite a while.  I am loving it, and cannot wait to get moving along on it.  I am thinking I need to allocate a certain amount of time a week to make some good progress on this piece.  I have now been at it a year.

Mini Mandala II-C by Chatelaine.

Barely started this project but I am looking forward to working on it and finishing it to go with the other mini mandala in the series that I have completed.


I do not know when I will work on my Needlepoint projects again.  No travel planned for a few months, but you never know when I will have to ride somewhere.  I am thinking these would make good traveling projects.

Thanks for visiting.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas Season and a terrific New Year.

Heading West Into the Sunshine

We made it to Tucson where we will spend two days.  It is good to be in the sunshine again.  The high tomorrow is going to be 79 degrees, so we are taking an extra day to rest for the last legs of the trip.  Getting through the LA basin is the worst part so we are planning to do that on Saturday morning.

Naturally, traveling makes us just want to travel a little more next year.
We are making some plans to upgrade a few things in our coach before our trip next year.  More on that as it happens.

Other than lots and lots of construction delays it has been an uneventful trip.

I have done quite a bit of work on my two needlepoint projects

and got some good progress on my Knot Garden by Chatelaine.   I have been working on it exclusively in the evening.

Not alot to report.  Will begin planning for the rest of December and 2016 once I get caught up back in California.

Thanks for visiting.

Final Finishes of Christmas Projects

Lizzie Kate.

 It was a really fun stitch.  I used threads I had left over from various projects so it is not exactly as charted.   It was basically two greens, two pinks, white and red.   I am not sure how I will finish it, but I am going to wait until I get back to California to do something with it.  I am a little surprised how much I like it!

L

Prairie Schooler 2004 Santa

Both Santas are finished now.  Not sure what I will do to finish them.  Although I love the fabric (28 count Opal Lugana Winter Solstice Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie) I am not sure it was the beset choice for these.  I do like them, however.  I am thinking perhaps blocks unframed so that I can use them wherever for the season.  I am glad I decided to do these two designs but I do not see more Prairie Schooler Santas in my future.

This is the end of my stitching finishes in Texas for this year.  Am getting the RV packed and ready for our trip.   I am partially sad to leave and partially ready to get back to California.   I have all my travel projects ready to go so I can make some progress while we are traveling along.


Thanks for visiting.

Needlepoint News

Autumn Leaves Laura J. Perin Cyber Class

I received the first "lesson" and got a little work done.  I have found that counting for needlepoint is different than counting for cross stitch.  I think the deal is that you have to count the threads, not the holes.  I am not quite sure, but I know I have had to pull out several areas and redo them when they did not work out properly.  It is very interesting working with the metallic ribbon (the gold part of the border portion).  I have never worked with it before.  It is surprising easy, but it does fray quite a bit.

Grace Dimensions Kit

It is interesting.  I am having the same counting problem.  Since this was a pretty inexpensive kit (compared to most kits....it came from Amazon), I am using it for practice.  Hopefully it will help me with the other needlepoint project.

Those pinkish stitches were fun to do.  They are called Teardrop Jessica stitches.  Surprisingly easy once I got the hang of them.   This thread in the kit is all what appears to be a 6 strand DMC type cotton so there is a certain comfort level.  There is a little metallic threads for finishing but that shoes not be a problem.  I am hoping I will get better as I am not sure I am happy with the continental stitch (I think that is what the half crosses are called).  I am beginning to completely understand the use of a laying tool.

I got these started because I want to do them while we are traveling in a couple of weeks so there will not be any progress until December or so.

Thanks for visiting.

Mid November Finishes

Managed to finish a couple of this in the past couple of weeks.

 Nora Corbett Alphabet 

This was a really fun stitch.  I am looking forward to getting it framed.

2015 Prairie Schooler Santa

Because I used a dark fabric, I changed the moon and the stars to a light yellow.  I am not super happy with the wording (I left off one word), but I think I will wait until it is ready to finish (however I am going to do that).  I sort of like the subtle wording (Although it does not photograph well) as I am not a huge fan of words in most pieces.

I am making decent progress on the other Christmas themed projects in my WIP pile while getting the house ready to close for the winter, wrapping pipes, mulching flower beds and the like so I am not getting as much stitching done.

Also getting my projects ready for the upcoming trip.  We will be in the Dallas area for Thanksgiving, then headed West as weather allows.  I really enjoy stitching on the road and will be working on some needlepoint projects during the trip.  I got them all ready to go in the past couple of days.  Photos to follow in the next post.

Thanks for visiting.

Needlepoint: A New Needle Adventure

I have been so happy with all the specialty stitches I have learned this year thanks to Chatelaine designs and all the wonderful facebook posts that I have been drawn to branch out.   I just enthralled with the stitches I have learned so far and am always looking for  a place to use them.  I have not been called to do any hardanger I think because I cannot bear the throught of cutting holes in something I spend hours stitching!  I am a big chicken I suppose.

I have done a few needlepoint kits in the past that were basically just half crosses; tent, continental and basketweave.  I got a little bored with them frankly.

After a visit to a shop, I have been looking again at Needlepoint sites and have realized a couple of things.......

There are incredibly beautiful pieces out there that are far beyond the typical 'half cross" technique that I have done before.  There seem to be thousands of variations on the tent and continental stitches.

Needlepoint canvases can be VERY expensive.....as can the fibers used.  But oh my are they beautiful!  There seems to be a huge difference in the hand painted canvases versus the canvases I have dealt with in kits I have purchased and worked in the past.

Many Needlepoint canvases do not come with "instructions".  There are "stitching guides" available in some cases, but they, too, are expensive.  For the most part, it seems that needlepoint stitchers pick their own fibers and stitches and create really amazing things.

So I have gone a little crazy trying to find out where to learn some of these wonderful stitches and found a Cyber class offered by Laura J. Perin (a needlepoint designer).  I am thrilled to be a part of it and will be posting my progress.  It is called Autumn Leaves.

I was luck enough to get the last kit available.
Just what I need is another project!

Today, Monday, November 2, 2015 the "kit" came in from Laura J. Perin.  I am so excited about starting on this new adventure that I am over the moon!  So, I put the binding on the mono canvas and looked through all the instructions....I have to decide how I am going to mount the fabric on either 11" stretcher bars that I have or a scroll rod.

I choose the teal option for this project.  The fibers are just beautiful.  This will be a first for me.

I use seam binding that I get from thrift stores to bind the edges of the mono canvas.  The canvas is very stiff so this makes the edges softer and I do not like using masking tape for some reason.  Hopefuly this will work

I have not yet found any other participants in this class but I am sure some will emerge as time goes by.

For those who follow me, I think I am going to tag these posts as needlepoint so you do not have to suffer though them if you are not interested.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for the "progress".