OhSewCrafty Blog

Hello friends, April was kind of bumpy in the stitchy sense, time flitted by with parties, travel, spring cleaning…. but I did manage to meet most of my goals!  

I’m proud to share my finish, well ahead of schedule!  Halloween Train by AuthorEmbroideDesign (etsy), had 2.5 days this month and 1,878 stitches.  I continued working the border to the bottom left corner, stitched the undercarriages of the cauldron and steam cars, and backstitched those cars as well.    I think this is really cute, and I’m chuffed to have another Halloween finish.   More pics and details forthcoming.

Another focus was Father Christmas, which had 4.5 days love and 2,800 stitches, actually this pic shows 3,300 progress since I did another 500 on May 2nd. First,  I backstitched the bottom up to around his chest area, which was about 1,000 backstitch fyi (as much as could reach with how it was mounted on the frame), then remounted and started stitching the upper part of the chart again.  I worked on the toys, his clothes, beard, and started the hat.  My oldest wip is almost there! 

New focus Christmas Blue Angel had 2 days and 3,000 stitches added. It’s kind of patchy since I was doing a color challenge with particular DMC colors.  Oh well, I’ve continued on the bottom left page and actually reached the snowy ground.  Her dress is voluminous.  Maybe I can finish the page in May! 

Last planned focus was Poltergeist Pirates, with 3.25 days and 3,000 stitches done.  I did finish the small page on the far right, and started backstitching with the skeleton captain on the far right. This piece is extensively backstitched.  Thankfully, it’s mostly simple with DMC 310. 

Inadvertent focus turned out to be Winter Bellpull, which had 3.5 days and 3,200 stitches added, which was not quite enough to finish the I panel.  It was very close, but I ran out of the steam and took a couple days off at the end of the month.  

Now for the secondary wips, Mickey Stained Glass had 3.5 days love and 1,500 stitches done.  I finished the bottom right page and started working on page 4 (middle left edge).  It’s slow going with all the confetti, but it’s coming along.  At least I’m almost done with the water on the left side.   This will be my oldest WIP when Father Christmas gets finished, but I won’t be moving it up to primary focus.  Trying to get 3k on this project in a month would drive me insane. Slow and steady progress is the key.  

St. George and Dragon had 2 days attention and 1,500 stitches added, all in the border.  The border is easier with a limited color palette (about 15 colors), which isn’t much compared to the dragon with all the blends.  I’m actually looking forward to backstitching it.  I’m at the bottom right corner (of the border).  I’ll probably work the border up a few inches then go back to the dragon. 

Positivity Rules had 1.75 days love and 1,500 stitches.  I’m working the bottom left side now, and it’s coming along.  I love how fast this one stitches up!  I realized that I used the wrong color purple for the positive word, but I’m keeping it because I prefer the darker purple to lavender, along with the teal and the orange.  

Finally, I got a small start on Belinda Botanica by Bella Filipina (1 day / 600 st), starting at the center bottom.  So I’ve got a couple terra cotta pots in progress, some greenery, and a bit of her dress.  The “Heaven’s Fury” linen (Under the Sea Fabrics) is so fun.   I’m pleased to announce she will move up to the 2k category in May!  

Last but not least, my little ornies, I had 2 finishes and 1 start. Count Catuala by Tatiana Romero needed 1 day and 264 stitches, mostly backstitching. Poinsettia Fairy by Kathleen Berlew had a half day and 446 stitches to finish.  I added a little backstitching for facial features, because I thought she looked a bit creepy without.  And then I had a 1 day & 600 stitch start on Egg with Tulips by Coricamo (etsy)  There is no egg, it’s just the shape of the ornament finish.  Anyway the pattern came in a set of 3, Pansies and Daffodils too.  These would make a gorgeous bunting for my fireplace mantel.

Questions of the month: Let’s talk fabric.  My go to Fabric is Belfast linen (Zweigart), 32 count over 2.  I love opalescent particularly for holiday pieces. Hand dyed fabrics are my favorite, like Picture this Plus, also Under the Sea Fabrics.  I also like BeStitchMe and Seraphim.  As for the color, I tend to prefer tonal dyes or a couple contrasting tones, I think really wild fabrics tend to distract from the stitching. I tend towards blue as it makes a great background (sky, water).  As for even weave, I prefer Jobelan with its silky feel and drape.  For Aida, I prefer 18 count by Zweigart. 

Now for May goals:

•3k /finish: Father Christmas, Christmas Blue Angel, Poltergeist Pirates

•2k: Winter Bellpull, Belinda Botanica

•1500: Mickey Stained Glass, St. George & Dragon, Positivity rules 

•600 st: Egg with Tulips, TBD possible small starts

Happy Stitching