C'est fini!

Just in time to bring up to work for March, I have finished Lizzie*Kate's Spring Alphabet.  Yay!

Spring Alphabet by Lizzie*Kate
2 over 1 on 16 18 ct Oatmeal Aida
Finished 2012-02-26

That's a standard 8x10 frame to give you an idea of size.

I made a few tweaks here and there per my own personal preference--but nothing radical.  It's stitched using the DMC colors called for except for a different light green.  I thought the one on the list was too close to the dark green and didn't look enough like the overdyed used in the model.

I really like this series.  They are easy to stitch (no fractionals, specials, or back stitching) and you don't have to invest in a bunch of specialty threads to get almost the same look as the model.  Although it does help to not start too far down on your fabric.  *eyeroll*  I think I will be diving right in to the next one (Summer) and keep these as my Friday night Ghost Adventures stitch.

ETA:  Oopsie!  That's 18 ct Oatmeal Aida.  Sorry about that!

TUSAL and WIP Report

It's the first TUSAL report of 2012!  Not a lot so far, but I've not been stitching much. 

TUSAL - January 2012

Mostly reds and pinks from my Needlepoint project.

And now for the WIPs which contributed to the ORT jar:


Shenandoah Spring by DebBee's Designs - Red Colorway

I confess, when I first saw this pattern in the blue/green colorway I did not care for it (and I am so very much a blue/green person).  I think maybe because with the teal-ish canvas I couldn't see the stitches very well--it all kind of blended together.  But when I saw the red colorway at my LNS I was all over it.  The contrasting canvas makes the stitches pop (at least to my eyes).  This is my first "real" needlework project and I was a bit intimidated by it at first.  Her instructions are really easy to follow, though.  I'm enjoying it immensely despite the monotony of the current stitch.  There are 4 rows of that pink stitch all the way around the center square.  I will be a Laying Queen by the time I'm finished with it.  :)



Cross Stitch Clock - The World of Cross Stitching #177
2 over 2 on white 28ct evenweave

I started this one last year, got a little way in and then put it down.  I'm not sure why because it's a really pretty design--bright and happy!  I guess I was waiting for the dreary days to return or something.  Now I'm really digging it again.  Because it's bright and happy!



Spring Alphabet - Lizzie*Kate
2 over 1 on 16ct oatmeal Aida

After the fiasco with the Winter Alphabet, I decided to move on to the next season.  Again, bright and happy, yay!  I don't think I've made any color changes this time.  This is my Ghost Adventures stitch project.  The Friday night marathon is long enough that I can get 3-4 letters done. 




 And here is my first finish of the year.  This is from a British cross stitch magazine, but I forgot to write down which one and which issue (and it's at home).  Sometime this week I need to put it in it's frame so I can bring it up to work for February.

Holy fancakes, Batman!

There are people reading my blog!  Hello people who think I am marginally interesting enough to add me to your blogroll!

You realize what this means, don't you?  This means I have to actually post stuff here.  Curses.  :)

I'm thinking about joining WIPocalypse.  I mean, it's not like I won't be stitching anyway.  I might as well show off my progress to the world (since the cat is not generally impressed with, well, just about anything I do).

Speaking of progress, why don't I throw some finishes out there?

This is a freebie from the DMC website.  It was in their DMC Club Members area, under the patterns for Light Effects.  Technically, every thread was substituted (because there was No Way In Hell I was stitching that entire thing in Light Effects).  I did do some actual substitution for a few weird color choices, but it is mostly a direct conversion to the regular thread.  I really like how it turned out.  I had this on display at work for October and got several compliments.

2 over 1 on 18 ct "Light Oatmeal" aida

This is from a pamphlet (Leisure Arts?) with several seasonal designs.  It looks nice, but I am not loving it at the moment.  Mainly because I decided to have a new design up at work every month and this was the one for November.  I had to force myself to work on it to finish it time and that kinda soured me on it.  I think, given time, I will enjoy it again.

2 over 1 on 18 ct "Beige" aida

This is a Dimensions kit.  It's in a floating frame becuase when Dimensions says a pattern is 5x7, they don't necessarily mean it fits a 5x7 frame.  A regular 5x7 cuts off the stitches, but I didn't discover this until after I had trimmed the fabric.  Despite the crappiness of the materials, I used what came in the kit.  It's so bright and happy!  :)

2 over 1 on 14 ct aida

You've seen this one before, but I thought I'd show what inspired me to stitch it.  A coworker gave me the card for my birthday in February.  When I saw the pattern in Just Cross Stitch, I had to stitch it.  My mom has claimed this one, but I brought it up to work to show to the lady who gave me the card.

And here's a sneek peek of a WIP.  It was orignally going to be the display for December, but I decided not to force it.  I may finish it in time for January, but we'll see.

My First and My Latest

So I thought my first post with actual content would be a nice place to show My Very First Cross Stitch Project Ever and my latest finish.  There's only about a quarter of a century between them...and now I feel old.

My Very First Cross Stitch Project Ever was for my junior high home ec class (I believe I got an A on this).  I have no idea where the pattern came from, or who the designer is.  My mother, bless her, still has this on her wall.

My latest finish is from the May/June 2011 edition of Just Cross Stitch magazine.  It is the May installment of the Fresh Threads Medley series.  I did not use the Weeks Dye Works wool felt that was called for in the pattern.  I used DMC variegated floss to fill in the fish and DMC Color Variations to fill in the flower centers.  I like how the fish turned out stripey.  :)

What the hey, here's my latest start, too.  This is part one of the Tree of Stitches SAL at TheStitchSpecialists Yahoo group.  This part is straight up cross stitch, so I finished it pretty quick.  It is Weeks Dye Works 'Rust', stitched 2 over 2 on 28 ct white Monaco.  (Although this is the loosest weave Monaco I've ever seen)

Now, let's see if I can keep up the posting in a timely manner thing.