OhSewCrafty Blog

November was kind of a weird stitchy month. It dawned upon me that 2025 is drawing to a close and it’s time to focus on those finish goals, and yearly challenge goals, so I needed to be strategic about stitchy time. Some wips will wait.

My first focus, Christmas Blue Angel, had 5 days love, 3,000 stitches done including lots of backstitching counted as half. I finished the DMC cross stitch, excluding her facial features, and started working with the metallics, some cross stitch and lots of backstitching, working up from the midline. I am most pleased with the backstitching on the wings, which is over 1/2 done.

Poltergeist Pirates received 2 days attention and 3,100 stitches done, all across the top, including some backstitching as I went along. It’s getting close, the pirate needs some more stitching and backstitching, also the ship bottom needs bubbles and backstitching, and the shark needs backstitching. Then buttons!

Winter Bellpull got 3 stitchy days, 3,000 stitches done. The R panel is getting there, the pictorial part is almost done, missing a couple stitches here and here. I started on the big capital R and ran out of the Waterlilies Glacier, so I ordered more and hopefully it will come soon. But in the meantime I can work on the ninja stitches, borders, and backstitching.

New focus Mickey Stained Glass had 4 days attention and 2,750 stitches done. I made a mistake on my WIPgo board, listing Mickey 4x 5k st, instead of 3x , so I got my 15,000 st, as planned, but now I’m trying for 20k. I finished the upper left page and made a good start on the middle right page.

Secondary wip Fairy of the Clouds got the short shrift, 1 day love and 1,000 stitches added. I worked on the left side of her voluminous dress.

It was same story for Fairy Idyll, 1 day and 900 st. Also working on her dress / nightgown. Both these pieces were started this year and were never planned as 2025 finish goals. I look forward to focusing on them next year, however.

St. George had a small effort (having already met my yearly goal of 15,000 st), a short time and 300 st done. I worked on George’s leg, rear end, and the saddle.

I even had a sneaky new start because I realized that 2 new starts would be required for the Fandom Stitchers yearly challenge. I also needed a chart by a designer with Q, U, Y in their name, 300 st in navy blue, & 800 st for summer / hot weather. I found this chart that ticked all boxes! USA 250 by Wrought Iron Stitching / Tracy Richards. My new start received 3 days love and 1,000 st.

Finally as for smalls, I met all goals, and even achieved a finish on Goofy Gourds (4 days, 1668 st), which was my Semisane autumn start-to- finish challenge. Cuckoo Clock (1 day, 600 st), Christmas Cake (1 day, 600 st), & Tree Celebration (1 day, 900 st), are continuing wips.

Question of the month: Which specialty stitches do you find easy? Which do you find extremely difficult or are too nervous to try? I think backstitching and french knots are easy, I have extensive practice at both, given the type of charts I like. Though I find doing french knots in the middle of an existing cross stitch to be extremely difficult. Also, I think it looks too bulky, so I don’t do it. Instead, I either do the french knots in the corners of the stitches, or I skip the cross stitch and do the french knot in the middle of the square. I’m a little nervous about combining chain stitch with button hole stitch, which is needed for the Cuckoo clock above.

Now for December goals:

• Finish: Poltergeist Pirates, Winter Bellpull, Christmas Blue Angel
• Focus: Mickey Stained Glass (2954 st), Santa’s gifts new start (2,025 st), Fairy Clouds (1,000 st)
• Smalls to finish Fandom yearly challenge: Tree Celebration (325 st), Christmas Cake (825 st), USA 250 (1,025 st)

Happy Stitching