August 2016 WIPocalypse Check-In

A ton of stuff going on around here has kept me out of the loop for a while.  School ended, I went on a vacation with my mother, I had surgery, and now Baton Rouge, my hometown, has been flooded.  However, I turned out pretty well in the end so I won't complain.  I have been truly blessed.  School ended peacefully.  My mother and I had a blast on our vacation (a quilt retreat).  My father even joined us to peek in on what we were doing.  My surgery went better than expected and my last results came out cancer-free.  And my home, although penned in by water, did not take on any water.  I am truly grateful all-around.  Now to catch up on my posts:

June-- Topic:  Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter?
I don't find the season matters with my stitching.  It all depends on how busy I am with other things.  Even though I'm technically "off" in the summer, I never am.  I am constantly working around the school delivering teachers' supplies for next school year or attending trainings.  Also winter is taken up by so many holidays I really don't get any time off there either.  I pretty much just grab whatever time I can all year long.

July--Topic: If you are participating in the Olympic Challenge, tell us about your plans – which type of challenge you’ve selected, the pieces you’ll be stitching on, etc.
Oh, what the hey, I'll take another challenge I can't finish.  I'm good at those.  ;0)  I'll do a rotation challenge.  I have my list of rotation pieces each month.  I'll earn a gold medal if I finish any piece, a silver if I stitch for more than an hour, a bronze if I stitch on it at all.  I think I can handle that.  LOL

August--Topic:  Have you ever read any fictional books that involve embroidery?  If so, give us some recommendations?
I have read a few books in the Needlecraft series by Monica Ferris.  They are not great literature, but they are a fun, quick cozy mystery.  I like cozy mysteries so I enjoy them. 

This month, I have been stitching on Tepee Bears by Bucilla, Sugarplum Stocking by Bucilla, Nutcracker Needlepoint by Janlynn, Blue Jean Teddy Quilt by Bucilla, and Christmas By the Letter by Lizzie Kate, and Let's Do Wine by Imaginating.  My focus project this month is Fairy of Destiny by Passione Ricamo.

Fairy of Destiny

Sugarplum Stocking

Christmas by the Letter

Tepee Bears

Blue Jean Teddy

Let's Do Wine

Nutcracker Needlepoint

July Theme-a-licious

This month's theme was July Jubilee.  I stitched on Dicken's Mittens by Cross-Eyed Cricket.  I finished two mittens and started a third.  I completed The Ghost of Christmas Past and Jacob Marley's Ghost.  I began stitching on Bob Cratchit.  I only have 4 mittens left to finish!

Dickens Mittens

Ghost of Christmas Past

Jacob Marley's Ghost

 

Bob Cratchit

Next Month's theme is Airborne August.  I get to stitch on something with wings.

June Theme-a-Licious

The theme for June was Jumanji June.  I had to choose a project with animals on it.  So I decided to start a new project by Stoney Creek called Farm Babies.  I am stitching the birth sampler from the booklet. 

Farm Babies Birth Sampler

Next month's theme is July Jubilee.  I get to stitch a holiday project.

May Theme-a-Licious

The theme for May was Monchrome May.  So I started a new project this month where almost all the colors were purple.  There were a few green areas, but most of the piece is purple.

Let's Do Wine by Imaginating

Next month's theme is Jumanji June.

10 Hour Rotation Finished

I completed my 10-hour rotation on Mr. Bear last night.  Doesn't seem like I got much completed, but I guess I did.  I now have the main teddy bear's head and some of the pillows in the background.  That's why I love before and after pictures!  It shows me I really am getting stuff done!

before

after

May WIPocalypse Check-In

Topic: What were you stitching this time last year and did you finish it?
Last year at this time I was working on four main projects.  I was working on Coke Santa by Stoney Creek, Noah's Journey by Dimensions, and Snowdome Stocking by Donna Kooler.  None of those were finished of course.  They still meander through my WIP rotation schedule.  I did, however, finish Noah's Friends by Jenny Barton.  (We won't mention that I didn't finish it until December).

Noah's Friends

This month, I am currently rotating between Tepee Bears by Bucilla, Mr. Bear by Designs by the Needle, Sugarplum Stocking by Bucilla, Nutcracker Needlepoint by Janlynn, Blue Jean Teddy Quilt by Bucilla, and Christmas By the Letter by Lizzie Kate.  My focus project this month is Let's Do Wine by Imaginating (a new start for a Christmas finish, I hope).

Let's Do Wine

Blue Jean Teddy

Christmas By the Letter

Nutcracker Needlepoint

Sugarplum Stocking

Tepee Bears

Mr Bear

April WIPocalypse 2016 check-in

Topic:  What do you listen to while stitching? Sometimes I listen to Pandora radio while stitching.  I created a radio station with random music.  You truly never know what will pop up on my station (pop, rap, Disney, opera, classic rock, do-wop, literally the possibilities are endless...).  However, 95.9% of the time I am listening to an audiobook.  It's a great way to catch up on my TBR (to be read) list (okay, my TBR mountain).  I check out audios from the library or download them to my phone and listen away while I stitch away.  I'm currently listening to This Body of Death by Elizabeth George (from the Inspector Lynley series).


This month, I am currently rotating between Tepee Bears by Bucilla, Mr. Bear by Designs by the Needle, Sugarplum Stocking by Bucilla, Nutcracker Needlepoint by Janlynn, Blue Jean Teddy Quilt by Bucilla, and Christmas By the Letter by Lizzie Kate.  My focus project this month is Fairy of Destiny by Passione Ricamo.

Fairy of Destiny

Christmas by the Letter

Nutcracker Needlepoint

Mr. Bear

Sugarplum Stocking

Blue Jean Teddy

Tepee Bear