Christmas Crafting 2015

This year I have to think up a new plan and that is in the works.

But I also saw something in a Herrschner's catalog and have kind of jumped into that with both feet. I have a few things planned now, but time is of the essence if I want to complete my HAED goals and finish the Christmas presents on time as well!

Sparkly fabric, oh so sparkly!

This is going to be counted counted cross stitch. Working 2 over 2, on opalescent 36 count, so in essence I'm working on 18 count. Finished it's a littler larger than I'd hoped for, but I was somewhat limited by what counts I could get the opalescent in. It's also my first time using silk floss. Not inexpensive, but it's Christmas right?

I'm super excited to see how this turns out. Obviously finished photos won't be posted before Christmas. But depending how this goes, I will be kitting and completing a second one, hopefully in green if I can find appropriate shades of silk for it too. (The original pattern called for green, but I'm more of a silver and red girl.)

I find it slightly amusing that I went to Traditional Stitches JUST for the fabric after I had bought DMC floss at Michaels earlier in the week, and then that kind of all fell out the window when I was left debating fabric in the same room as the silk floss. Ooops!

Hopefully since I've started to think about this now, I will actually have what I want completed by Christmas time this year ... that would be nice!

Christmas Crafting! The Back Story

I've previously mentioned that I make Christmas ornaments and presents for people. I like making something special for my Mom and my 2 sisters K and E every year and I try to keep something of a theme.

I'm NOT one of those crazy people who start thinking Christmas as soon as it feels like fall, but I've been bit in the butt a couple times due to procrastinating and lack of planning. So I've started thinking about it a little earlier this year.

But wait for it, because that isn't what this post is about. I'm so excited for this year's fun that it'll get a post of it's own. Today is about the previous years;

One year I bought scrapbooks when my sisters moved out (we all scrapbook.) I did the first page for each of their books being their move in day to their new house. They were pretty elaborate pages. I think I may have done a page for each of their dogs as well (which they all got when they moved in to their new houses.)

The there was the year I did the House-Mouse cross stitch for everyone.

Fast forward and I made everyone one no-sew quilted Christmas ornament from purchased kits. Mom also got a embroidered table runner that I finished at the last second (no really, I think I finished at 3 am Christmas day and then went to sleep for a couple hours before getting up and gifting it!)

Mom's Ornament, 2013

Sister K's Ornament, 2013

Mom's table runner, 2013

The next year (2014) I made everyone 3 ornaments. At the time each sister had 2 children, so the idea was that the kids could take/keep one when they left - however I didn't ever get so far as to explain that one ...

Sister E's (x3) 2014

Sister K's (x3) 2014

Now, on to 2015 ...

Kids in Candy Stores ...

... that's about how much self control I seem to have lately when it is coming to needle point projects. I like lots of little goals and plans. The problem crops up when you start looking at time for execution of said plan and target. A HAED isn't a little project, even if it is a mini - and most of mine aren't mini's.

Since it's Friday I hit up Traditional Stitches again - which is dangerous.

How do you choose?! (The 2 middle are opalescent fabric)

The issue is projects I have in mind for people. More notably for little people, like my nieces. Except, will they be old enough to appreciate it? Or worse yet. If I start now, by the time I am finished will the design still be something that they will like?!

Right now I am thinking the project for Claire, in Mini. On a hand dyed fabric instead of stitching the background.

Rainbow Corn - by Karen Middleton

So hopefully, on "Dusk" it'll look as good as it would on the "cloud like" blue fabric on the left for the top picture. I liked purple better. It's more girly. However it is also a whole lot more childish (maybe?)

Rainbow Corn overlaid on "Dusk" 32 count Hand Dyed Belfast Linen by Silkweaver

My sister  wanted a needle minder and I wanted to grab a grime guard for the Q-snap frames so I can figure out how to make my own. I also wanted some Thread Heaven conditioner to see how helpful it actually is and then ... well ... the wheels may have fallen off!

Just some of the purchases ...

Faster Than Me!

25-Aug-2015

I first posted about buying my sister a pattern and everything she needed to start back on 10-May-15, so that she too could know that madness that is stitching a HAED!

This is stitched 2x1 tent on 25 count magic guide.

However, even having 2 little kids, I think she's farther along on her pattern than I am on most of mine! (Although in my defense, her pattern only has 32 colors, most of which are black!)

It's looking really good though and she is quite happy with it! I think there is a good chance I can keep her addicted and working on another HAED when this is finished!

Quilted Balls! - The Birthday Presents

I do do some crafting that is in fact, not cross stitch. The problem is I bounce around with everything, and then I procrastinate until the last second when I FINALLY actually finish something.

I think I had this plan about two and a half years ago?

I make quilted Christmas ornaments that I will eventually blog about. They're quite fun and once I have everything cut for them I can piece one together in about a day (aka 2-3 hours of crafting time.)

So I made some for Christmas for everyone. Then my sister redid my niece's room and made a duvet cover - and I had the brainstorm to make a mobile for the corner of the room and it evolved from there.

Unfortunately my older niece has a birthday first, so I had to figure out how to make her one too (to be fair and not play favorites with the kids.) It was a lot more difficult to pick patterns/fabrics/colors and create. So by the time I got M-O-R-G-A-N done for that birthday, I didn't want to finish the other one.

Purple and Pink (her fav colours)

I finally finished C-L-A-I-R-E's rainbow this Saturday. I really like how it turned out.

Rainbow

All the individual pictures:

Portal - First Page Finish!

Not much to say! I finished the first page of Portal over the weekend, so I'm now 1/3 for my 6 month goals. I like all the orange and the black much better now, it looks vaguely like flames!

16-Aug-2015 - First Page Finish

 Kind of exciting even though it isn't much - it is the first page finish I have had on a HAED where it is solid stitching. I like the speed of tenting, we'll have to see if I like the finished product. I do find parking a little more difficult and sometimes I have to think a second while counting as well.

Meanwhile, I have rotated to The Book (QS Once Upon a Time) to finish that partial page to complete my second 6 month goal.

Happy Stitching!

WiP "Wednesday" II

Okay, so maybe it is more Friday ... and maybe some of the  WiP pics are actually from last week on Friday ...

I really did want to finish Lily before the end of July while I was camping. However, it was getting down to quite a few color changes to finish it up and that meant that I couldn't stitch without the stand. Which meant that I couldn't stitch a lot of the time camping. I will say this; HAED's they're not very portable.

So I swapped projects for a bit. Since I did bring Portal with me I started page 1. Lots of black, so easy to be portable at that stage. I still didn't do as much stitching as I wanted, but all things considered, not bad progress!

As of 7-Aug-2015 I was maybe 1/2 of the page done?

WiP 7-Aug-2015

Doesn't really look like much yet. I'll be honest. The black with the brown isn't really my idea of pretty either. It'll look good once it's done, but page by page the picture "unfolding" isn't going to be anything to write home about.

Closer Up WiP 7-Aug-2015

Now today I'm a bit further along. I'd ball park at maybe 3/4 of the page done. Stitches have hit page edges, now I just need to fill the gaps in. Then back to The Book or Lily to finish what I need there to hit my yearly goal target! Exciting!!

WiP 14-Aug-2015