Decision made...

After much deliberation I decide to stitch Patchwork Teddy stocking. This is an older Bucilla kit from 1997. My niece picked it out he year before last and I would like to get all of the kid's stockings done this year. I have 5 to do so we shall see how that goes. Here is a picture of how it will look in the end.

On a seperate note my Janlunn Sprong Sampler came in now I have all four. These aren't as fancy as some patterns out there but there is something about them that struck a chord with me and I look forwarded to making them. Here are some pictures of what they will look like. 

Also, I have two Deminsion kits on their way.

Twilight bridge (cheap off eBay)

Maggie the Messmaker.

Stocking #10

Another WIP finished. I just put the finally stitched into my brother's stocking. This isn't the best of photos but it will do.

I had our mom write his name and used transfer paper to stitch her handwriting onto his stocking. I thought it would mean more to have that part of her as a part of his stocking. Now I am deciding which one to do next of the 11 stockings I have  to do. So many choices.

WIPs

Sorry I don't have any pictures this time. I have been thinking about all of my WIPs that I have going as well as all of the projects I want to do and I was getting overwhelmed just at the thought. So I pulled out a few WIPs and planned to get something finished this weekend. The plastic canvas dollhouse for my daughter is one of the biggest and most time consuming. This will be a long while for the entire house to be finished so I have been considering each room as it's own project. I completed the construction of the first floor hallway. That was a chore since the door is functional, it was a pain trying to attach it correctly. It works, but I just hope no one does a close inspection of the inner seam as it is a bit messy. I have had some thoughts as to scrapping this project all together because it is massive, and I will have to redo the very large foundation, but each time I think of it I just can't bring myself to do it.

The next WIP was my brother's stocking. I was very close to having this finished at Christmas last year but just didn't make it on time. Since then I hadn't touched it. Today I finished embroidering his name and attaching the liner and the back. I only have the hanger to attach, the wreath  for his arm to construct and a candy cane to insert into the stocking and it will be finished. That work is minimal so I have my fingers crossed that I will have it done tonight or tomorrow night. 

After that I plan to crack down on Pansies. This will take a few days to finish the cross stitching and then a few more for all the backstitching but it will be very nice to have something completed. The remaining WIPs are very large projects that will take a very long time to finish. I have heaven and earth designs storykeep Strength, regular Boreas, Mini Kathleen and Summer, and Mini Hit Any Key. As for the dollhouse I really need to buckle down so it will be done in time for my daughter to actually play with it. The next room has a ton of pieces, it is the kitchen. All the cabinets, as well as the trash compactor and refrigerator and stove open. 

All of this came about while thinking about our future. We have talked about moving in a couple of years to Oregon and the thought of packing up so much stuff is exhausting. I started one drawer/cupboard at a time and am slowly but surely downsizing our belongings. Hopefully by the time we really are ready to move it will be an easier process than last time.

Storykeep and other, update

I was working pretty consistently on the storykeep but I did eventually get bored of all those greens. Here are a few updated photos.

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16 or the day boredom set in.

At this point I needed a bit of color, something different. So, I pulled out a WIP. It's a Stoney Creek pattern called Fright Night Friends and it is a cute Halloween bellpull. I was aiming for color and laughed when I picked it up to find the first thing to stitch next was a white ghost. He came out super cute I think. 

This was my weekend project and it worked. It cured my boredom. The next letter has a pumpkin sign that uses a lot of  glow in the dark threads. I may have to purchase more to finish them, also I found I was missing a color. So back into the WIP pile it went. I need to check my supplies to the list before continuing. Fortunately though, this little tangent brought back my desire to work on the storykeep as well as Boreas. I pulled that out last night and got just a tiny bit of stitching done.

And just as little done today.

I think I will keep the storykeep a my travel project and Boreas for my home project till one or the other demands my full attention. Boreas takes a lot longer than the other HAED because of all the color changes and I was attempting to show my son how to cross stitch. He has really been interested in learning.

Story keep 10, 11 & 12

 I used the wrong color towards the top and I had to frog it and redo a lot of it Day 10, before correction.

And day 10 and 11 after correction...

And this is where I am at now, day 12.

I have the first page done and only this last column to fill in before moving to the next row of pages. I love how it is working up. I am already planning my next focus HAED piece. I have quite a few kitted up I just need to decide. Boreas has completely lost my interest even with the better fabric to work with. I'm not going to force it, otherwise I will ruin it. So I am currently waffling between three

Warm at Home.

Christmas Presence, by Miles Pickney

And finally, my newest acquisition, Sugar and Spice by Donna Gellsinger. I am really leaning toward this one and the cat one. I may do both, that way when I get tired of working with so many colors in Sugar and Spice I can turn to Warm at Home.

 

My story keep has three full pages and four partials that total about 5 columns, if that. I think I can get this done soon. At least I hope so. Last two days I haven't worked on it at all, first day I had a migraine and yesterday between work and grocery shopping I was too exhausted.