Saturday Stitching: The Land Baby – a Finish!(Of Sorts)

The Land Baby by John Collier(1895) was turned into a cross stitch chart by someone (I have no idea who or when), and it was posted online as a series of images to be used for free. There are pdf versions others have created, and you have to pay for those. I’m using the free images. So, the painting was split into half – left and right. I’ve been working on the left.

Here is what she looked like last time I posted:

This is being worked on 16 count white Aida in the called for DMC colors. I forget how big she’s supposed to be, but on this count she’s not that big.

Here is what she looks like now:

The entire left side of the piece is now complete. I am going to be putting it away for the rest of 2022 and resume work on it at the beginning of 2023. I’ve been working on it almost from the beginning of 2022, and I need a break to get other projects done.

I have really enjoyed working on her, and I love how she’s turning out, The amount of detail in it without requiring back stitching is just amazing to me.

While I’m saying “see you later” to her, I still have plenty of other projects to show you including the ongoing Mystery Stitch-A-Long, Changing Seasons provided by Fox and Rabbit. I also have several smalls, and a new start which I’ll be showing you next week. 🙂

Until then, happy stitching!

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

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Saturday Stitching: FFO and Small Update

FFO!!

This is the piece I designed and made for Mad Morti over on Flosstube. She’s a Goth, and I thought she’d like something like this mini biscornu to use for needles or whatnot. I found gridded clip art of both the skulls and the bats, and I adapted them to my needs. I think it turned out quite nice. 🙂

I’ll have to use something for scale next time as it’s not a very big piece. I plan to do one last mini biscornu – on for her husband, David, and it’s going to be my own design again.

Small Update

This is a Mill Hill beaded kit: Tiny Treasured Diamond Beaded Kit with Treasures – Royal Orchid(MH22-3305).

It’s worked on 28 count even weave 2 over 2. I think the color of the fabric is Orchid. The purple is Dark Lavender, and the green is Green. LOL

It’s 47 stitches wide by 47 stitches high which measure out to 3.36in w by 3.36in h. That’s not counting the hanger and tassel.

I’m doing the cross stitching first and then, I’ll do the beading. It’s meant to be sewn into an ornament so that should be fun. 🙂

Next week, you’ll finally get a look at where I am on Land Baby. I’ve been trying my best to get stitching done on her as well. I have about 4 more sections of 10 stitches by 40 stitches before the entire left side is done.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

Saturday Stitching: MSAL – August

I had meant to post this back in August, but time got away from me.

This is the August design for Fox and Rabbit’s Mystery Stitch A Long called Changing Seasons. September’s design has already dropped, and I’m trying to figure out colors before I start stitching it.

There are gaps where stitching is supposed to go, but I found some bling I want to add to it instead. This piece is meant to be a wall hanging(that’s my intention at any rate) so adding bling won’t hurt it.

I kept to a three color theme like I’ve done with the other blocks, and I’m going to use at least one color in September’s design – like I’ve done with all the others.

I’m actually glad I decided to do this year’s MSAL from Fox and Rabbit instead of skipping as originally intended. It’s turning out to be quite beautiful. This said, I am going to skip the one for 2023 because I have too many other projects I want to get done. I’m behind on the Land Baby, and one reason is the MSAL. The other is my work schedule.

I need to have more time, not less of it, to work on my main full coverage projects so, this will be where I draw the line.

Next week, you get to see where I am on Land Baby now. The left side of the piece is nearing completion finally! 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Saturday Stitching: Haul!

Yesterday, I went to a thrift store I donate to and occasionally buy from. They support and end of life care facility so, I do what I can to help them out.

After I dropped my donations off, I went over to check out their craft supplies. Of late, there hasn’t been anything I’ve been interested in, but I still went to check, just in case,

I ended up buying about $37 of craft supplies that easily cost more in stores.

Everything was in very good condition and, many of the kits were still intact! I actually found 3 that had never been opened!

This haul is good not just for me, but for the group I’m in where we pass on charts and other cross stitching goodies to others in the group who want them. This helps in so many way! The things I don’t use, I’ll be sending to the group moderator to offer to the group.

I’ll be keeping the thread with no markings or numbers or anything, and I’ll use them in my little stitching projects. I have doubles of two of the kits so the extras will be donated whole and later, I’ll donate the charts.

I don’t mark on the original charts so everything is clean. I might even buy thread for the charts and pass them on too so the new owners will only have to get fabric of their own choosing.

I feel very good about this haul because it helps me, it helps the thrift store, and it will help others in the group.

This said, I’d be happy to pass things along to anyone here who is interested. Just let me know in the comments below. As I work on a project from this haul, I will be sharing it to you all.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Saturday Stitching: An FFO and two new starts!

I just finished the small project I was making for my co-worker, Brenda. It was originally a kit from Dimensions:

The saying is cute, but I wanted it for its flowers. Brenda is a snarky woman who is also fun and inspiring so, I took one of the sayings she utters the most(especially at work where she tends the cash office), and I substituted it.

I took the picture at an angle, all the sides are actually even, 🙂

I found the poop image on a clip art site and used the grid. It had a face, but I took that off because it wouldn’t have worked in this situation. I also winged the writing because I couldn’t find an alphabet I really wanted to use.

So that’s my FFO. Here’s the first of my two new starts, and both of them are smalls.

This is going to be a lot of beading! The fabric is 28 ct, but it doesn’t say what else on the package. I’m guessing it’s an even weave which is something I’ve never stitched on before.

This is all I have done right now. I had more, but I had to frog it all because my count was off. It’s a challenge getting the count correct!

This is my second small start:

This is being worked on 16 ct white Aida. I’m modifying a free mini biscornu pattern so it fits my idea better. I’m using some of the fabric I cut off the MSAL I’m working on, and the mini biscornus fit nicely across the width of it.

I’m doing this for Mad Morti and since she’s goth, I’ll be adding skulls to the square on the left and little bats on the one on the right. I will if I can find small enough patterns for them 🙂 I’m confident I will.

That’s it for this week. I’m still working on the frame for the MSAL, and I’ll share it and the block for this month when I get it done. I’m also still working on Land Baby, but it has taken a back seat to the others right now.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Stitching Saturday: Another Small

I did say I’d start a small project before the end of the month, and I have. This is going to be adapted to be more snarky and will be given as a gift to a friend who is also a co-worker. She’s a wonderful older woman who has overcome so much to be so much! She is missing the front part of one of her feet and yet, she was a volunteer firefighter and EMT for many many years! Things like that is why she inspires me to do better and be better!!

Here’s the what the small should look like if I was following the original pattern:

The only part I’m keeping is the flowers. I am going to replace the words with a pile pf poop. I might also add a word, but I have to find out if it’s part of what she says the most or not. 🙂

No, I am not correct or polite – though I can be. She’s the same way, snarky, sassy and at times, foul mouthed. It works for us.

Here is what I have so far:

Today, the August part of the Fox and Rabbit Changing Seasons Mystery Stitch A Long drops so, I will be focusing on that and not the small for about a week. I hope it’ll only be a week. It’ll depend on what else happens.

Still, next week the MSAL will return will a new addition as the journey continues.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Saturday Stitching: Land Baby Pt. 9

Another week gone, and I have actually had some progress on this project! I may not get this first half done by the end of the month the way I wanted, but I’m still moving forward so, it’s all good.

Here is what she looked like last week:

This is where I am now:

It doesn’t look like much, but that small section is almost 1000 stitches! Working on 18ct Aida the stitches are quite small. Still, she’s coming together nicely!

She will be going into a standard frame, maybe a light brown one. I haven’t decided on color yet.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

Stitching Saturday: MSAL/June Pt. 1 and a new start!

Fox and Rabbit’s Changing Seasons Mystery Stitch-A-Long is now in June, and the new pattern features flowers and a pineapple. 🙂 There was a bit of debate in the Facebook group as to whether it was a pineapple or another flower – corn maybe?? Since corn isn’t ripe until Fall, the general consensus agreed it was a pineapple. I was going to make it a pineapple regardless.

This is as far as I’ve gotten. I’ve also not done any work on the outside frame yet. I’ll be getting to it, it’s just going to take time.

New Start

On 1 June, I began a SAL that’s being hosted via Facebook Messenger/Group Chat. It’s for the Matrix. The goal is to do 200 stitches a day. A page with a grid containing 6000 stitches is released each month, and this will go on for a full year. So far, I’m keeping up, but this might end up being a follow along instead of a stitch along if things get to be too much for me.

The above is what it’s supposed to look like when I’m done. I can already tell you a lot of white is going to be showing through despite my best efforts.

I’m using white AIDA 18 count, and I’m using the tent stitch.

Here is what I have so far. The grid is 100 stitches tall by 60 stitches wide. I have one more 10×10 block to complete the first column. You can see the white even though I’m using 3 strands of floss. It might not show up as bad from a distance. 🙂

I’m not going to let this SAL interfere with my other stitching, it’ll be my job that gets in the way as they give me more hours.

Still, stitching helps me relax so I’m going to keep going forward with my three projects. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Stitching Saturday: Land Baby Pt. 7

So, as you may, or may not, know, I’m stitching a painting that was charted and put out for free as images. It’s a painting by John Collier done in 1899 called The Land Baby. It’s a lovely piece of a mermaid and her land bound daughter. I’d like to think she was waiting to give her little one her first swimming lessons since she’s waiting by the water’s edge with her tail in the shallows while her daughter, on two legs, is coming towards her.

Anyway, I’m working this piece on 18 count white Aida, and here is what it looked like last time I posted:

Here’s where I’m at now with only 1 1/2 blocks left of the column I’m currently working on:

It appears Mr. Collier even gave his mermaid a scar on her bum. Not sure how else to explain the light stitching that’s in a crescent shape on her right buttock. I even double checked the chart to make sure the color was correct, and it was so….

This piece is in two parts divided down the middle into left and right sides. I’m halfway done with the left side.

I’ve already decided I’m going to frame this piece, and I’ve begun searching for the right frame.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

Stitching Saturday: MSAL May

This Mystery Stitch A Long(MSAL) is being hosted by Fox and Rabbit, a pair of Australian designers, fabric/thread dyers and fellow stitchers. It’s called Changing Seasons and each month, a new design is released on the first of the month, Australian time. Since they’re a day ahead of those of us in the U.S., we get it a day early. 😀

May’s design filled one of the small blocks in the center area of the design and was quite simple. I used two of the three colors I’d chosen for Spring to complete it. I also did the third part of the frame that surrounds this center area.

Looking at it laid out this way, I’m wondering if there’s going to be something in the area between the outside frame – mine is silver – and the inside frame – the variegated green. If there’s not, I might look for something because I think leaving it empty wouldn’t look right. That’s just me though. We’ll just have to see what the designers have in mind when the time comes.

So far, I’m not regretting starting this big piece. I might be once I get going on the metallic silver frame. That’s going to take me the rest of the year to complete I’m sure of it.

I’ll see you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!