2016 March Wipocalypse

It is March and 2 days ago was the full moon so that means it is time for a Wipocalypse up date. Last month I missed because I was at our annual Stitching Retreat. So much fun, excellent food and so much talent. I have made a post on my blog about the experience so if you are interested you can have a look.

I am still rotating the same 4 projects and after the retreat added another on so 5 on the go. I am still working on Christmas Cottage a design by Dona Gelsinger and charted by HAED. I almost have another page finish so that is encouraging. Mill Hill Santa is fully crossed and I am adding the beads. It is looking great but oh I hate beading. Disney Beauty and the Beast looks good the plant and background barrier is where I focused. So much BS and boy does it highlight the design. Whooligan's hangout by Glendon Place is coming along well. The tree and owl all finished. Fence is started as is the path.

Then I started an embroidery canvas. It was at my LNS and I just fell in love with the design. I have not done much embroidery but I am having a great time with all the different stitches and some of these fun specialty threads. I am using Pepper Pot silk, Silk Lame', Velvet threads, Metallics, and regular DMC. I also put on a few beads because they in that area they needed that extra something.

In my sewing endeavors I have made 2 more wallets one of the regular kind to carry in your purse. The other one I have adapted into a stitching wallet that holds bobbins. needles, and areas for scissors and other stitching related items.

 

 The Question for this month is Do you use hoops, stretcher bars, lap stands or Q snap frames and why?

 I  use Q-snaps I think they are the best thing to happen to my stitching in years. They hold the fabric on all sides, and they hold it tight like I want it to be. If I need to loosen the fabric so I can work the thread under the stitches on the back I can do so with out taking it completely of. It is also 100 times easier to get the fabric on the frame then is was with hoops. I can also use my lap stand with the Q's and that way stitch 2 handed. 

I will not be able to participate next month. I will be gone on a business trip and not have access to the internet. 

Mid-March updates

I am getting back on track after the wonderful time I had at my retreat. It is sad I had to come back to reality. Go to work daily, deal with making dinner everyday for ourselves, cleaning......... if only I was rich enough to have people do all that for me.........

I got my 6th package from Gadgets, Gizmos and Great Inventions yesterday. This month the focus is on beads and bead helpers. There were bead needles, bead needle threader, Thread Heaven, 2 invisible threads (clear and smokey) a bead box (inside it has sticky foam to hold the beads and on the outside it has a strong magnet set so you can attach the box to your work similar to a needle minder) and a bead scoop to help pick up your beads if you spill or if you have poured then out on a plate or tray. Lastly the little swirly gadgets are to hold your thread when it is on a spool. if you can not get the thread to hold in the slot of the spool you can use these rubber pieces to wrap around the spool and hold the thread. If anyone is interested the spool curlies they are called Peels and are available here http://www.smartneedle.com/PEELS.html

I am branching out just a very little. I found a beautiful canvas at my LNS about 3 months ago and it just was to nice to pass up. During our retreat the LNS gave the attendee's a discount at the store. Well what better time to kit up the project right!?!?! I did that and I have also had the owner help me chart out the stitches that I am going to use. Tuesday I went up and we sat down together to chart the side panels. The gold silk, I am not sure of the stitch but basically it is over 4 over 6 over 4 over 6 from dot to dot then turn 90 degrees and continue. The gold line and the lime green lines are both Elongated Continental one to the left the other to the right. The lime green boxes are Rhodes Stitch. The red velvet is Elongated Cashmere. And the black rectangle has Silk Lame around the frame and down the middle in Continental stitch with flat black silk inside the lines in Framed Cashmere stitch. The black dots are just black beads. I do love the adventure of this piece but I am not sure I will continue embroidery, to much planning the stitches and not enough actual stitching for me. I like my cross stitches much better.

I have a finish I finally completed the afghan for my hubby the stitching has been done for awhile but the cutting of the tassels is so boring I was putting it off. Now it is done and he can cozy up with it. The update for Whooligan's hangout a Glendon Place design. The owl and tree are complete, started just a bit of the fence and the spider web is almost done. Not sure if I want to stitch the spider or just add a charm there in place at the end of the straight line down.

Retreat Week-end

I am just getting back from my stitching week-end. I have gone for the last 4 years and every year is better then the last. We are a group of 4 to 5 stitching guilds and groups from the San Francisco bay area. Our host is at St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, CA. It is a beautiful area and the food is amazing!!! We have a large open well lit room to stitch in. We can fit 45 in there with plenty of room to spread out.

The majority of us are there to work on our own projects. But this year we had 1 group project. We made ORT jars. Our Coordinator put together a class and brought supplies to complete it.

The lady in the green shirt is the coordinator.

These are our completed jars and the single jar is my personal work.

 

 Some of these ladies are so amazing. I wish I could show more of their work but I was only able to get permission from 1 to share publicly. These 2 pictures are her work the Santa is what she stitched this week-end. The stump work is some of the things she brought to share. 

While I was there I worked on 3 different pieces. I finished all the stitching on my Mill Hill Santa. I did not even try to add the beads. I was not going to try beading in a full room such as that. I then did the Sweetheart Tree pattern that I then turned into the ORT jar top.  Our February stitching get together is our annual exchange month. I got the pattern, linen, and silks to complete this design the Saturday before our retreat.  I knew we were going to be doing the class and I decided that the pattern would be perfect for this. And finally I worked on my HEAD Christmas Cottage. I got alot done but of course with the socializing that goes on, looking at others projects and going to dinner you never get as much done as you think you might.

I have already put the deposit down on next years retreat!!!!!!!!!!