Carol Harper's articles with the keyword: completions

Today's discussion topic is: "How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process." Process? You HAVE to be kidding! ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two DMC blues and two DMC greens where metallic threads had been called for.). Only stitched a little on three blocks this time round and didn't finish any of them. SO basically, no progress. so no pboto! 2…

Today's discussion topic is: "What colors – and brands – of floss do you love using? Do you have a particular color that you absolutely love?" I don't think I have a particular color or color set that I prefer over any other. I usually go with called-for colors except for more geometric blackwork pieces and the occasional large sampler, where I may improvise. Then, I may substitute a color that goes nicely with my fabric background, often a variegated if I have it, for all-black patt…

Today's discussion topic is: "What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year? SALs form the majority of my stitchery plans this year. Some are long-term WIPs while others began just this year: • Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014 • "Christmas SAL 2022" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2022 • "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2023 • "Temperature 2023" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023 • "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023…

Today's discussion topic is: "Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash." ​ OK, this one is a toughie because how do I distinguish between WIPs and UFOs? I have a stack of unfinished pieces, mainly needlepoint but also at least one crewel piece and several crazy quilts yet to be quilted. But... On my laptop desktop, I have a file folder labeled "Long-term WIPs" in which I have stored the info for five different pieces. Listed in order from most oldest to most recent starts, th…

This month's discussion topic is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." 2023 Finishes (not FFO): Below are my three finishes for 2023. First is "Happiness is Handmade" by Durene Jones for Lakeside Needlecraft, finished August 21, 2023.Next is the Halloween 2023 SAL from Stitchonomy, finished October 23, 2023. On the right is the Charity SAL from The Steady Thread, finished December 22, 2023. All were 2023 starts...…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." Here goes, starting with my finishes, in order of "finishing": 1. Lakeside Needlecraft "Christmas" SAL 2021. Stitched on white Aida using recommended threads. Started December 26, 2021; finished January 6, 2022:  2. Stitchonomy Christmas 2021 SAL. stitched on ice blue AIDA (not obvious in this photo) in the colors specified (exceptI s…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "When do you begin planning your stitching goals for the next year?" Interesting question that I don't have an answer for. I don't plan ahead beyond working on (and hopefully competing) the projects in progress. ~~~~~Long-term WIPS~~~~~ When I checked in last month, I had only one long-term WIP in my project bag: The Elizabeth Almond "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler, which is roughly 60% complete . No progress this month... ~~~~~Travell…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." This will be somewhat lengthy and photo-heavy. So please bear with me... In January, here is where I was: **** * Long Term WIP: The only long-term WIP in my project bag is Elizabeth Almond's "Save the stitches", shown below - before (November 2014) and now (November 2021)  Clearly, this has been low on my "finiosh-it" list,…

The topic for this month's discussion is: "Which of your project finishes made you the most proud? The most relieved?" To be honest, I have no idea what the answer would be to either of these questions. I'm guessing it would have been one of the many BAPs through the years. Two that come to mind are the "Roll Your Own Mandala" series that I stitched on one BAPiece of fabric as a single project:  This was begun in February, 2014 and completed August, 2016. Since this took two years, it…

The topic of the month is: "Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO." ​Well, it all depends on what you want --- WIP? UFO? The project I will talk about has aspects of both. My longest running WIP (I still consider it that since it resides in my work bag in my stitching area and not in the cabinet of long-unfinished pieces) is Elisabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" blackwork sampler; I started it February 24, 2014: and last worked on it April 9, 2015: It is stitched in…

That pesky cold is back again, along with a sprained lower back… Yesterday morning was husband’s high school class monthly breakfast so we had to get up early to get there. And then there was last night — a night football game, kick-off at 8PM. It was televised so each 15 minute quarter lasted an hour (we finally gave up and left at 11 PM, end of the third quarter, when our team was leading 48 - 17). It was warm for November (70 at kickoff) and the President’s Suite was crowded with people…

Topic: Pick one of the WIP pieces you’ve stitched on this month, and tell us about your stitching journey with the piece. Well, I have two BAPs that have been ongoing since 2013! The first (which I did NOT stitch on this month) is "Save the Stitches", a blackwork sampler design by Elizabeth Almond. I started this back in early February, 2014 and it is now nearly half completed It was last touched in early April, 2015: The other, which I did stitch on this month, was the series of…

A completion, and ALMOST on schedule, finally! The July Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal Project block was finished on August 1! Because it is July, it HAD to commemorate July 4, even though we didn't go to a fireworks display or parade this year. However, we could see fireworks from our house --- some farmer apparently got permission set off a really good aerial show! So... the batik stars, the (VERY PALE) white-on-white stripes and the scattered star-shaped buttons are meant to be a patriotic…

I'm late this week because. after two days lost to stitching (VERY early rising for the phone banks at the local public radio on Thursday and Friday plus Quilt Guild meeting on Thursday night), my lifestyle (HA! As if I had a lifestyle) caught up with me, or more likely, my husband's bout with a nasty cold did, because on Saturday, I felt lousy, and as the week progressed, it got worse and worse: nasty cough, sinus headache that morphed into a whole face pain, and slight fever (Sound familiar ?…

Well, finally stitching again, and it seems that one of the primary causes of my losing my stitching mojo (the lack of stitching time availalble on our cruise to the South Pacific, not the nasty cold I caught coming home) is still in my mind. Notice the color scheme of Tropical Seas which seems to carry throughout this week's completions! "Bride", the third mandala in the Roll Your Own series designed by Tracey Horner, is now complete! I stitched it in the Tropical Seas color pale…

This week was dominated by Christmas aa Borther-in-law's and two nights of catching up on DVDs of "Midsomer Murders" (only four series to go!). But I also beaded. And I got my December Bead Journal Project ornament completed, JUST under the wire! Snowy, my owl, entered an "Ugly Holiday Sweater" contest during this week, and I think he has a chance to win, don't you? And once I finished with Snowy, I pulled out Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches and put in the outlines for installments…

Thanks to International Hermit and Stitch Weekend for December, I finally got in some stitchery! I sat down at the sewing machine and stitched together the last three blocks of my 2014 Crazy Quilt Journal Project: All it needs now is a border (or two, quilting and binding! Yeah, right, ALL it needs! LOL I have two other tops in the same stage of assembly --- requiring borders, quilting and binding. Think I'll get them done before the end of the year? Not likely! But at least I made so…

This WIPocalypse report is to cover my accomplishments for the year! (my finishes, my final before/after photos, etc). This should be a short report given how little I feel I have accomplished this year but I will have my personal wrap-up on December 31, JUST in case I actually accomplish something more between now and the end of the year (highly unlikely with the holidays had upon us, but I will try!)!! FINISHES Quilting: Green Thumb Challenge quilt for my quilt guild "Dossier" b…