Angel of Cross Stitch Update (and other stuff)

Stitching Progress
Well, it's hard to see in this picture, but I'm not QUITE done yet.....I still have to fill in the centers of about 16 flowers...the top half or so of the left hand side and three or four along the top on the left hand side. And then, of course, it's the dreaded back stitching! But it will get done! And hopefully this year! LOL

Stitching Challenge
Thanks to this lovely piece, I am still behind on the stitching challenge! Friday evening I stitched for about 2 hours - and I only got 43 stitches done! That was HORRIBLE, but when you never do more than four stitches of one color, it tends to go very ssssllllloooowwwwlllllyyyyyyy. Hopefully the week coming up will be better since my project will be Lizzie Kate's Christmas ABC's and that's an easier stitch.

This week I averaged 55 stitches per day (my goal is 100) and for the whole month so far I have 66 stitches per day. However, I am ahead of the curve on my backstitching goal - this week was an average of 46 minutes (my goal is 30 minutes per day), and for the month so far I'm averaging 46.

Stash Enhancement
We had a birthday party to go to yesterday in the vicinity of my LNS - so what better excuse to stop and see if they had anything I had to have.......I picked up two patterns - Shamrock Row by Bent Creek and the 2009 Prairie Schooler Santa. Most of my family are hockey fans (myself excluded) including a nephew and a brother who both play. So, I thought I could make a couple of Christmas ornaments or something out of it. I also bought a piece of pretty blue fabric that was in the already cut bin. It's a pretty blue that will be nice for something where I want it to look like sky.

Anthony Update
Those of you who have followed my blog for a while will remember my nephew (actually great-nephew, my niece's youngest son) Anthony. Almost two years ago he spent most of his summer in the hospital being treated for kidney cancer (a childhood form). He is doing AWESOME, is considered to be in full remission, although he has to continue to be tested regularly, etc. But the really cool thing is because he is a child who was impacted by a life threatening disease, he was referred to Make A Wish. As part of thier "World Make a Wish" Day, he was granted a wish! He made a wish for an electric scooter (the riding kind, not the wheelchair kind) so that he could ride with his little friend Tyler. He not only got that, but because he had mentioned wanting to meet John Cena (I guess he's a wrestler....I know NOTHING) he got a bunch of autographed goodies from him. It was a great experience for their family, and they are so eternally grateful. My niece said it best - they already had their wish granted - Anthony is healthy!!! He'll start kindergarten this fall....and is just a cutie. Here he is:

ABC Lessons / 100 Stitch Challenge

First the progress report:
Here is my progress on ABC Lessons. I stitched on it for two weeks since the middle weekend I was in Vegas and didn't get any stitching done at all....getting there, I only have a few words left and a bee hive thing. Might get it done the next time it comes up in the rotation!

And the 100 Stitch Challenge:
Not one, but two of my stitching groups are doing 100 stitch challenges for the month of May. Nothing formal, just the concept of getting 100 stitches done in a day and then you make quite a bit of progress without even realizing it! I'm not sure how other people are working it - my goal is to average 100 stitches per day for the month - I know I won't do a minimum of 100 stitches each day because there are days I don't get to stitch at all. I also set myself another goal of averaging 30 minutes of backstitching per day - my travel project (dollhouse) is down to the backstitching, and I try to get an hour in at lunch time each day during the week (at work).

So far, I'm averaging 76 stitches per day and 21 minutes of backstitching. The first few days of the month we were out of town (in Vegas) so I didn't get any stitches at all done those couple of days. So hopefully now that I'm back to a "normal" schedule I can catch up this week. Although my project for this week is Angel of Cross Stitch, and I'm on the border on it...which means TONS of color changes, so no fast progress! We shall see!!!

And Vegas:
We went to Vegas with our bowling league, as we do twice a year. We bowled badly, and gambled badly (LOL) but we had fun. Met up with Rene from my ILCS group, and had a very nice lunch at Sam's Town. It's the second time we've met, and it's always enjoyable!! I'm mad - I brought my camera, and then forgot to take any pictures!!! Sigh!

And the Thanks:
As always, thanks for checking out my blog! I do appreciate it!

Frederick the Literate

Here is my progress for another week of stitching on Frederick the Literate. I got the whole rust colored book done (the second from the right - the area that looks empty on it really is stitched with black), plus the start of the blue book. It's a two page pattern, with two bookshelves, and the rust colored book is split half and half between the two pages....so I've now moved to the second page (although I still have the whole SECOND shelf to do on the first page! LOL).

One of my stitching groups is doing a challenge for the month of May to try to average 100 stitches per day. I haven't decided for sure whether to join in....I probably will, but I'm going to be starting out at a disadvantage - I'll be out of town May 1st-3rd, and won't get any stitching done while I'm gone....but we'll see!!!

Anyway - thanks for checking out my blog...and as usual, thanks for all the comments!!

Christmas ABC's

Well, another week on Christmas ABC's.....Lizzie Kate, if it isn't obvious! I love Lizzie Kate patterns - they're nice easy stitching, and they're cute!

Somewhere in the row that says "King, Lights, Mistletoe" I got off by a half a row. I'm stitching over 2, and on the next row noticed that I was an odd number of threads away by the time I got the t in Ornament. But....it's not very noticeable, and I know if I frog it, I'll end up leaving red marks where I've taken out the red threads. I figure if I even out the "Quiet, Reindeer, Snowman" line (keep the bottom of that row lined up) then I can finish the "Nutcracker, Ornament" line using the line below it as a reference point. If it was perfect, it wouldn't be homemade, right?

Thanks for checking out my blog - and thanks for all your comments!

Backstitching Difference

This is one side of the dollhouse roof - after I did the backstitching on it. It makes the shingles look like shingles, and the ornate little doodads on the top look more polished. I'm not done with the backstitching on the room yet, but I can see how it makes the wood scallops (or whatever you want to call them) stand out.

Here is a comparable piece of the roof (the other side of the house) without the backstitching. I think it really drives home the point of how the backstitching makes the piece come to life!

Thanks for checking out the pictures.....and for all your comments!

Angel of Cross Stitch

Well, I'm another two weeks into Angel of Cross Stitch. I didn't do a lot of stitching the week before last since I had a cold so I was going to bed early and stuff. So, I decided to keep stitching on Angel for a second week....I still have border left to do....sigh.....just flowers now. The top half of the left hand side and most of the top. I THINK (famous last words) that I should be able to finish the border the next time it comes up in my rotation. Although I think I might have said that last time! LOL Then it will be backstitching time! I always debate with myself whether to do the backstitching as I go or leave it until the end. I usuallly end up leaving it until the very end, I love watching it make the design come alive. But when I'm getting bored with backstitching, I end up regretting the decision! LOL

Thanks for checking it out, and thanks for your comments!

Dollhouse cross stitching is DONE

Well, as I projected, I finished the cross-stitching for the dollhouse - now it's just the outlining (and LOTS of it!). I've already started it - I have the first piece of the roof done (on the left hand side), and I can already see a difference. I'm going to try to remember to bring it in the house and take a picture of each roof section close up - one with the backstitching done, and one without it. The backstitching will be worth it, it's just going to take a while....ho hum!!!!