OhSewCrafty Blog

The main event for August was clearly the Stitchylympics, but I did make some progress before that….

A new start, a nice chunk of progress for Christmas in July, and good progress on a few other projects, including Siren & Shipwreck, which I finished the night of the closing ceremony.

The Stichylympics was certainly a challenge for me, since daily rotations are not my typical stitching style (I like to rotate weekly).  Though I abided by the daily SAL themes from Stitch Maynia on FB, my plans for specific pieces went awry at times.  And I worked on multiple pieces on some days, when I just couldn’t put down yesterday’s project.  Lots of pics to follow!

The Olympics started:

12 Days of Christmas by Joan Elliott received ~2 days of effort.  I stitched the lord-a-leaping, most of the piper, and some border.

Donner by Nora Corbett was a new start, I worked on him ~2 days.

I worked on Celtic Autumn by Lavender and Lace (with color conversion) for 2 days, this photo only shows part of the progress.  Sorry, I didn’t get a good photo of the entire piece.

I stitched on Summer Bellpull by Stoney Creek magazine ~3 days; most of second M block and a good start on the E block.

Earth Goddess by Joan Elliott had ~2 days of work; I finished most of the bottom right quadrant and backstitched some vines around the circle.

I stitched on Angelina by Mill Hill about 1 day; I completed the backstitch, straight stitch, and most of the petite gold beads.

Love with a Capital L by Papillon Creations received 2 days of effort, I finished page 12 and started my new section (personal wedding details).

I worked on Maiden & Unicorn by Vermillion for 1 day, stitched a bit of Unicorn’s rump.

Spirit of Christmas by Lavender & Lace received a bit of effort (the candle flames).

I stitched a little on The Castle by Teresa Wentzler- a few of those trees at the bottom right are now backstitched.

The day counts noted above represent total effort (throughout the Stitchylympics, not necessarily consecutive days).  Basically, I worked on everything I have, excluding UFOs.  It was a blast, but with the last 10 days of August, my plan is to focus on my August goal pieces: 3 days each on Celtic Autumn and Summer Bellpull plus 4 days on Earth Goddess.  In September, my goal will be to finish the Summer Bellpull before the Autumn Equinox (September 22).  I have some WIPs that will fit nicely into the World of Pure Imagination SAL on Stitch Maynia.  And I am planning to make 3 new starts, totaling up to 16 for my Year of Starts. 

Sounds like a chaotic September, eh?  Well, I am getting everything situated for the Year of WIPs Challenge, which starts October 1.  I believe it will be the perfect antidote to the Year of Starts, which was fun, but during which I learned that serial starting is not really my style.  If you are interested in this challenge, check out the Soulful Stitching Sisters group on FB and/or watch this video by Melanie Watkins.

 Topic for next time: Have you ever read any fictional books that involve embroidery?  If so, give us some recommendations?

The Lady & the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier- the backstory behind the tapestry series, involves weaving more than embroidery, but threadwork nonetheless.  The book was enjoyable, as I recall, though I can’t be terribly specific since I read it a long time ago.  Sharper in my memory is my visit to the Musee de Cluny in Paris, from 2002, when I was lucky enough to see the 6 tapestries in person.  They are amazingly beautiful.  My favorite is Mon Seul Desire.