Stitchy Bug resting

I haven't been feeling so hot because of my health problems and my doctor has me on a new drug that has turned me into a zombie so I haven't been stitching for at least a week.  I want to but I'm just so tired and can't focus.  I'm so close to being done with my Vintage Octopus so it is calling me.  Maybe I'll be able to work on it a little this afternoon.

While I've been feeling like poo, I've been watching Flosstube videos.  I watched all of The Stash Queen Videos until the end of 2015 and now I'm watching Coffee Stitcher.  I've learned a lot of stuff from them both.  Every time they mention something new to me I google it.  I finally decided to try evenweave for the first time and just ordered my first ever hand-dyed fabric on etsy.  It's coming from the UK so it will take a little while to get here.  I've ordered all the materials for a pattern I had in my stash that uses special stitches.  Coffee Stitches got me really interested in trying some of those!  Coffee Stitcher has been making me laugh more than anything, especially when I have to turn on captions for his super quiet videos when he's recording at his grandmother's house.  Here is one screen shot I took that cracked me up.  I have no idea what he actually said but I'm sure it wasn't that.  This is from his Flosstube Video #33.

Aaaanyway, I hope I'll get back to stitching soon and can finish my Vintage Octopus.  I love Octopuses and can't wait to hang him up!

TTFN!

Oops, forgot one!

I just realized there is another cross stitch I finished.  I made it for a gift so I didn't share it anywhere and I don't remember when I finished it!  I made this for my sister in law who's name is Joy.  It is so strange because I usually keep my patterns I've finished in a binder and I can't find it.  I did find where I mentioned working on it on my blog.  It is a kit by Design Works and is called Share Joy Chalkboard.  It is a 4 x 6" design and comes with the frame.  I posted about working on it at the end of November/early December 2016.  I must not have finished it in time because I didn't mail it until the next Christmas.  So that means this one is actually my 7th finish and I actually did do one cross stitch in 2016.

7th Finish

Vintage Octopus Cross Stitch

My 2nd WIP is Vintage Octopus by Luna River Crafts on Etsy.  I have been crazy about octopuses lately.  I looked at several patterns and decided on this one.  I love him!  I started this on June 27, 2018 and I'm close to being finished.  

This is the first time that I bought a pattern and the materials separately.  I didn't do a very good job at estimating how big to cut the fabric.  There are only a couple inches of fabric on the sides of him and maybe 5 at the top and bottom.  What was I thinking?  I will just have to get creative when it comes time to frame him.  Another issue I have is with the shading color in the image.  It is so close to the color of the fabric I chose.  I'm using the DMC aida in platinum and the color used for the shading is 822.  Ironically, the fabric is really close in color to how the white paper looks in the pattern picture at the bottom of this post.  Since the light in here is bad it looks gray and you can barely see the shading in the image.  I think I'll end up changing that color to something more visible.  For now I'm just skipping it.  

Progress on July 22, 2018

Max's Moon

Now I am caught up with where I am now so I can share my current WIP's.  The first one is Max's Moon by Bucilla.  It is a 12 x 9.25 inch piece.  I fell in love with it but it is definitely more difficult than the others I have done.  The black aida makes it really hard to see so I can only work on this sitting at the table where my Ott light magnifier lamp sits.  I love it though.  I am allergic to cats so Max will be the only cat I can have. 

I really wanted to start a different pattern that I bought on etsy first but I was stuck waiting for supplies to arrive from DMC.com.  I started this on June 17th, 2018 because I had to work on something.  I was so annoyed with Bucilla after I opened it because the floss was so hard to sort and the fabric was sort of hacked out like they used a hatchet or something.  There are so many shades of floss that are so close and I don't have a color chart yet.  They were sold out at DMC.com so all I could do was google the DMC color number listed and try to figure out which was which by comparing to my computer screen.  It was making me say bad words because so many of the images for the same color were so different.  Bucilla, I hate you.  After I was finally satisfied that I had the colors sorted right I didn't have any energy left to be able to any stitching.  Now I have finally been able to order a floss chart from DMC and can't wait to get it!  

I ended up putting this on hold when my supplies came for the etsy pattern.  So I have Max's head and that's all.  Somehow there are a bazillion colors in just that part.  

Progress on June 27th before putting on hold for a while.  

Cross Stitching Again

On May 19th, 2018 I finally started another cross stitch.  It was an old kit I'd been holding onto for a long, long time.  It was a Weekenders kit called Love of My Life.  I finished it June 17th, 2018.  It took me almost a month because I kept making mistakes that I picked out.  Other times I just didn't like the way something looked so I picked it out and switched colors or something.  I finally got it finished and framed and I love it.  It is in an 8x10" frame and is the first and only finished cross stitch I've done that is hanging on my wall!

8th Finish

Cupcakes Rule!

My 6th finish was my first cross stitch that was bigger than an ornament. I'm pretty proud of it. It was a Bucilla My Quick Stitch kit called "Cupcakes Rule." It's 5 X 7". I loved the design but not so much the floss that came with the kit. If I ever make it again I'll find some DMC colors that will work. This was finished in November 2015.

After this I quit for a while and went back to crocheting and knitting. I didn't cross stitch anymore for about 2.5 years.  

A Beaded Butterfly

My 5th finish was this beautiful beaded Swallowtail butterfly.  I love butterflies!  This is another Mill Hill kit in the Spring Bouquet Collection called Yellow Swallowtail.  I finished this in October 2015 I'm still haven't cut it out since I am planning to make more of the butterflies and frame them together. It came with a magnet to put on the back but I'll probably use that for something else. Isn't it pretty? The lighting wasn't the best when I took the picture so the beads actually catch the light and sparkle. 

Another Cross Stitch Paper Mache Box for Autumn

This is another Mill Hill Treasures kit that I completed in September 2015  Finish #4! 

A Paper Mache Box Cross Stitch Kit

Here is my third Cross Stitch project completed on perforated paper.  It is a Mill Hill Holiday Simple Treasures III kit called "Ho Ho Ho."  I collect boxes so of course I loved this. I finished this one in Sept 2015.

Another Christmas Ornament Cross Stitch

Here is my 2nd cross stitch which I also did in Aug 2015  This was another Stitch 'N Frame kit from nmi/Needle Magic Inc.

Another blog for another hobby and my first cross stitch

About 3 years ago I found a box of some small cross stitch kits in the garage.  I'd had them for a really long time but never even opened one.  I remember when I bought them really cheap on clearance when I was working at Michaels back in 2001.  I figured I should try one and see if I liked it or just donate the whole lot.  So in Aug 2015 I completed my first cross stitch.  It's a Stitch 'N Frame counted cross stitch by nmi/Needle Magic Inc.

I am not good at following all the instructions exactly for any project and I really didn't want to outline this in black. I think it looks good.