OhSewCrafty Blog

This past month, I had a big happy dance- Petal Fairy (goal no. 4 was to progress to 75%).

I also addressed goal no. 7, new starts, with a Halloween project. I was feeling indesicive, so I let my husband pick from my pattern stash- his choice was Toil & Trouble by Erica Michaels.  A fat eighth of “Shadowbrook” belfast linen from my old silkweaver stash has been long earmarked for this pattern.  The pattern is charted for Weeks Dye Works, but DMC alternates are provided.  

So, I think the project is about 75% complete, with the DMC.  I need some WDW for the rest (several of the critters, the cauldron brew, the smoke, and the borders).  It won’t look as good the pattern photo if I don’t use the WDW for these parts.  

With one week left in the lunar cycle, I pulled out my Christmas Angel.  Last time:

Now:

Most of the backstitching is complete- I still need to finish her left wing, facial and hair details.  The french knots are done.  Just a little bit of cross stitching remains (a “swirl”) off the top of her left wing.  A few more evenings and she will be ready for beads. Some of the backstitch, I am re-charting, since I don’t like the stair-step effect.  Though she has tons of beads, most do not require counting for placement, so it should go quickly.  One more rotation will hopefully be enough for a happy dance, but I am retiring her for now.  The backstitching on this pattern is extensive and I feel burnout approaching.

Question of the month: Pick one of the WIPs you’ve stitched on this month, and tell us about your stitching journey with this piece.

The Christmas Angel, I started in March 2015, shortly after finishing Christmas by the Letter.  The chart (by Joan Elliott) was stashed and I found a fabric in my old Silkweaver fabric of the month club stash that was previously earmarked for Mirabilia’s Queen of Freedom, but I decided I’d rather use it for this project.  

When I started stitching, I just couldn’t put her down.  The colors enamoured me.  Like other Joan Elliott patterns I’ve done, she stitches up pretty quickly.  There’s little confetti stitching and a reasonable number of colors are used, generally 3 shades of each color per area.  I decided to prioritize her to finish this year.  My goal is to have both Xmas by the Letter and the Angel framed for the holidays.  Once, I saw a huge and stunning Santa (HAED Jolly Old Elf) stitched and framed on Elfin Stitches.  In addition, she had tons of fabulous Christmas decor, including many cross stitches.  Her blog was inspirational; I immediately began stashing patterns and dreaming of a house filled with Christmas cross stitch.  There is already plenty of cross stitch on the walls and it would be great to switch out some (more) of the pieces seasonally.  My goal is to always have a Christmas project (or 2) in my rotation.  My plans: finish the Angel (this year), finish Celtic Christmas (currently half done) next year, then start Mirabilia’s reindeer and/or Roadster Santa by Dimensions Gold.

As for next month, I am hoping for a happy dance on the Angel, to make some progress on Midsummer Night’s Fairy, and to finish and photo some knitting projects (Iris, Yoke Detail Sweater, and Ruched Yoke Tee).