2014 - Staying Connected, Week Seventeen

I got cracking this week and started kitting out the blocks for May's Crazy Quilt Journal and Bead Journal projects. All kitted up and ready to start on Thursday (Note to self --- I'm behind again already!)!

A Take a Stitch Tuesday pair of stitches arrived in my inbox Tuesday ad while I am "always" kitted up for that assignment, I haven't started yet - haven't even printed it out yet! (still further behind!)

And the second installment in the round Roll Your Own mandalas arrived last week. Printed out and in the stack to work on (yet further behind!)

Can you see a pattern here?

But I did get in some stitching! I finished blocks 6 and seven of "Save the Stitches", that blackwork SAL from Elizabeth Almond.

(Of course, blocks 8 and 9 will likely land in my inbox as I post this!).

And I am almost finished with color #3 of the first color set for the second Roll Your Own mandala, "Reloaded":

Oh, and the tulips are blooming!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Sixteen

Spring finally sprung (or is it sprang?). Despite two-plus inches of very wet heavy snow, which crushed the daffodils which had only been in bloom one day last week, the daffs and the tulip tree have recovered...

It truly does look like spring in our front yard now! The birds are nesting, some even using the bird houses we have installed, although this robin has an unique approach to the concept:

Our neighbor has even started mowing the lawn! A clear sign of a seasonal change. Despite last nights frost...

Only one day of stitching since reporting in on International Hermit and Stitch Weekend so not a lot of progress to report.

Band 10 of the Wiehenburg Designs "Mystery Band Sampler" SAL is complete:

and Block 6 of the Elizabeth Almond "Save the Stitches blackwork SAL is done:

I want to finish block 7 of "Save the Stitches" and then get back to the Roll Your Own mandala "Reloaded" but there is a refrigerator clean-up calling to me for the weekend, as well as a need to set up the blocks for next month's Crazy Quilt Journal and Bead Journal Projects. Progress on Reloaded is bound to be slow!

But, like I said, spring is here and that is something to be thankful for!

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, April 18 - 20

My plan was to dedicate my weekend to stitching on "Save the Stitches", the blackwork sampler SAL from Elizabeth Almond. And on Friday, I made a good start, getting blocks 6 and 7 outlined and started the fill stitches on block 6.

However, I got sidetracked on Saturday, ending up watching a double feature with my husband: "Philomena" and "Last Vegas" ---both good films in their own right although, to be true, a strange mix. However, after watching the serious and somewhat sad "Philomena", I opted for something a little lighter in "Last Vegas". I would watch ANYTHING with Dame Judy Dench in it and "Philomena lived up to my expectations. AS for "Las Vegas", while the stars weren't actors on "my" must watch list, it was a fun film, reminiscent of the chemistry between aging male actors that I remember from "Space Cowboys" (a film which had three of my "must watch" actors!).

Two films, however, meant no time to stitch Saturday night. 

Being as Sunday was Easter and husband had brought home an enormous ham, I knew that most of the afternoon would be occupied with cooking. That left only Sunday evening with any extensive stitching time, so I didn't get as far with "Save the Stitches" as I had hoped. Here it is - blocks 1-5 completed, outlines for 6 and 7 and fill stitches in about half of block 6...

Since Band 10 of the Wiehenburg "Mystery Band Sampler" arrived online on the weekend, I am still behind on my smalls and my BAP (the 9 Roll Your Own mandalas) is still untouched...

Take a Stitch Tuesday - ##108 and 109

Below is a row of Rice Stitch varieties and some Square Box Stitches in three sizes...

What is missing is the original, plain Jane Rice Stitch. As usual, I misread the tutorial...

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Fifteen

Can't really add anything to my report that wasn't already detailed in my WIPocalypse report.

During the past week, I completed bands 8 and 9 on the Mystery Band Sampler, stitches Stitches 106 and 107 (Cretan Looped and beaded Cretan Looped stitches) for the Take a Stitch Tuesday series, and finished my April Crazy Quilt Journal Project block.

Coming up in the next week are stitches 108 and 109 for Take a Stitch Tuesday, blocks 6 and 7 of the "Save the Stitches" (I hope to stitch on them non-stop during the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend April 19 - 21) and color #2 on the Roll Your Own mandala "Roll Your Own".

Oh, and recovery from the snow storm. ALL our daffodils are kaput after only one day of blooming! Not at all sure that the tulip tree blooms survived. And husband reports his daylilies have a translucent look about their leaves which may indicate massive damage to all that had started to show signs of life. And despite it being April, some of that snowfall still lingers since we had another record low last night. I'm beginning to HATE this winter with a passion!

WIPOCALYPSE April 2014 - The Blood Moon (and an eclipse to boot)!

Yep, an eclipse which we could not see here in NW Ohio since it was SNOWING! AAACK! 

This Month's assignment it to describe how we keep our stash organized! I have to laugh at that as organized is a far cry from what my stash is. 

My craft space has six cabinets (two of which are for embroidery supplies, two of which are for quilting supplies and two of which are for papercrafting supplies) in (and on and around) which my stash is stored. Within the cabinets are shelves and the occasional bin into which fabric thread, patterns, kits etc are SUPPOSED to be stored. Unfortunately, many of these bins find themselves either overflowing (pattern and kits) or ignored (floss) and supplies which have been pulled for kitting, or from finished projects or even new purchases all tend to end up on my cutting table (which surface cannot be seen becasue of the piles of "stuff" waiting to be organized.

So I have to say, I do NOT keep my stash organized. It lives in complete chaos!

Since last month's report, I have stitched the following:

• Two Bead Journal Project atc-sized ornaments: "Celtic Owl" and "Peep" 
• The outline for the Roll Your Own mandala "Reloaded" and started on the colored filling
• Bands 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the Wiehenburg "Mystery Sampler

• Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches #104 (Buttonholed Cable Chain), #105 (Beaded Buttonholed Cable Chain), #106 (Cretan Looped) and #107 (Beaded Cretan Looped) 

• Outline and fill for block 5  of the "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler from Elizabeth Almond
• The April Crazy Quilt Journal Project block: 

WIPS to be worked on in the coming month include:

• The Roll Your Own mandala "Reloaded, for which the outlines are completed and the colors have been started
• The Save the Stitches blackwork sampler for which part of the outline of block six is completed (patterns for block 6 and 7 printed off and in my work basket)
• Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches ##108 and 109 (Rice Stitch - two varieties and Square Boss Stitch) which are in my email inbox and await printing.

In addition, more Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches are likely to arrive in that time period, as are at least one more block for "Save the Stitches". New mandalas in the Roll Your Own series (this time circular ones) are also being developed, one of which I have downloaded already). And I hope to get a head start on the block for the May Crazy Quilt Journal Project and the ornament for the May Bead Journal Project. 

All of this, I hope to fit in around two long weekend trips to paper-crafting shows/classes!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Fourteen

I was right. It wasn't a good stitching week! The new TAST stitches languished; Band 8 of the Mystery Band Sampler arrived, was printed out and languished; the Crazy Quilt Journal Block for April and the "Reloaded" Mandala also languished.

BUT... it was a fun two, if slow, mornings at the phone bank (it always is --- we have a regular group who do early mornings the first two days and we spend a lot of time laughing while waiting for the phones calls that never seem to come). And the Improvised Shakespeare Company's performance at the University of "Hello, Kitty" was HILARIOUS!

And I did put in a good three days over the weekend working on my April Bead Journal Project ATC ornament. Tis month, a tribute to those acid yellow marshmallow "treats" (not a fan myself) that seem to represent Easter in this country. Meet "Peep", a newly hatched bird who is finding out that spring hasn't quite sprung around here but, being the ever optimist that he (she? How does one determine the gender or a marshmallow bird?) is, has decided to launch himself upon the world singing!

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirteen

Wondering if week 13 is unlucky... It was for my alma mater's women's basketball team when they got beaten by Rutgers Monday night. And of course, since it was a home game, I HAD to go so that was a night I couldn't stitch... Add in a couple of deaths of friends and, yes, week 13 wasn't a totally good week!

But I did squeeze in stitching in the odd moments and here is what I accomplished!

Band seven for the "Mystery Band Sampler" (here is a photo of bands 1 - 7):

The basic block for the April Crazy Quilt Journal Project:

One color and a start on a second in "Reloaded" (I would have been further along but I had to rip out two of the lighter green patches when I discovered I had stitched the crosses in the wrong direction! AAACK!):

I have three sympathy cards to make - time away from stitching. Two mornings (EARLY mornings, Thursday and Friday) on the telephone banks for the local NPR station and a play at the University Saturday night will further cut into stitching time. And since the TAST for this week is in (two more stitches) and I have a Bead Journal ATC ornament to begin (it's sketched out and the beads have been selected but otherwise...), but I am anxiously awaiting paperwork from our accountant re income taxes so...it looks like week fourteen is going to be a slim stitching week as well. Oh well, life does sometime interfere!