Finally Finished!

Woohoo! I finally have my ninth finish for the year and the very first one from the infamous Bin O'Shame for this year! I am very, very happy with this finish. It is so bright and cheerful and I am so happy that I stuck with it. I began this project in August of 2007, so I am a bit overdue, yea? I would love to find a bright royal blue frame for it. I think it would set the piece off nicely. 

Well, at any rate, here is the current finish and the very first finish from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

As of Thursday, June 7, 2018:

As of Tuesday, June 12, 2018:

Time for me to clean up my stitching area and grab the next project out of the closet. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy stitching! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Got The Blues

I have managed to make quite a bit of progress on my current WIP. So much so, that I am down to the last two colors that need stitching. Both of them are two shades of blue. There is quite a bit that needs doing, and it will be a bit tricky to stitch, due to the placement of the colors, but hopefully, by this time next week, I will have a another finish. This will make 9 for the year, which makes me very happy. 

Well, at any rate, here is the current project, #1 from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

As of Monday, June 4, 2018:

As of Thursday, June 7, 2018:

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Stop And Start Project

It dawned on me the other day that I have put nary a stitch into any of my Bin O'Shame projects this year. I decided to paw through it to see if any were calling to me and I came across this one. Since it was purchased, way back in 2007, I have picked this up off and on and have never completed the piece. I think because there are a lot of colors that are very close together and a metric ton of white that has kept me from making any serious progress.

I have not stitched too much more than the photo from the May 31, 2015 photo. This was actually picked back up in my first year of the Bin O'Shame project clean-out! :O Better late than never I suppose. SMH. 

Well, here is the current project, #1 from the Bin O'Shame for this year:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

When picked back up on Friday, May 29, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

What it will eventually look like:

As of Monday, June 4, 2018:

Given the amount of progress that I have made since I picked this back up on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, I am hoping that this is the year it finally gets finished. It's only been 11 years so far, so I think it is past due! :D

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great start to their week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Know When To Hold 'Em

As in card playing, a good stitcher knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Since last night, I have had not one, but two projects from the Bin O'Shame projects that I have been working on. The one that I picked out after the Mickey Mouse card was finish just gave me all sorts of fits. For the life of me, I could not make the edges of the ornament line up. After about the 6th time of picking out and restitching the same sections, I just decided it was not worth the fight. So, I picked out the remaining stitches, kept the fabric and moved on. It was a small project from 2008, and I probably would have tried to make it work, however, the project was using a hand dyed thread that has been discontinued for many years now and I only have the one skien left. So, discretion and valor took hold and I made my decision and stuck with it. 

The one I am posting today had similar issues. No matter what I did, I could not line up the motifs. So, making the 2nd executive decision within 12 hours, I just cleaned up what I could and called it a day. I am going to turn this into a scissor fob, I think, or perhaps an Altoid tin topper. We will see. Well, at any rate, here is #28 from the Bin O'Shame:

Design: Hearts and Flowers (cover kit)

Designer: Celebrations in Cross Stitch (Samplers)magazine June 1996

Fabric: 18 count Antique White aida by unknown manufacturer

Floss: DMC in 503, 776, 931, 932, 3733 and 3813

Stitcher's Notes: Cover kit Celebrations in Cross Stitch magazine Future Publishing June 1996. Please note that at this time, this chart is not for sale or trade.

Well, I had best be off. Hope everyone has a happy Tuesday! :)

Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Christmas Came A Bit Early

At least in my house today! :)

This is one that stitched up a lot quicker than I thought it was going to stitch up. This is another card kit that I got from a now defunct UK stitching magazine. The backstitching is a bit of a PITA, but I persevered and now I have #27 to show for it. Only three more until my second (albeit unofficial) goal for the year. Woohoo!

Well, here it is. #27 from the Bin O'Shame projects:

Design: Mickey Mouse Christmas Card (cover kit)

Designer: Designer Stitches and Disney

Fabric: 32 count Belfast linen in white opalescent

Floss: Unknown as provided in the kit

Stitcher's Notes: Cover kit from issue 44 of the UK Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine. Please note that at this time, this chart is not for sale or trade.

As of Sunday night, August 2, 2015:

As of Monday night, August 3, 2015:

Once Christmas gets closer, I will 'finish' finish it. Right now, I am just happy that it's done and I can now keep truckin' along. 

Well, I had best be off. I need to clean up the area and get the next project out. Hope everyone is having a great start to their week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Takedown Twenty And A Compromise

I got Sea Flora back out and ran into another wee snag. Two of the purples are a shade and a half off of one another. And me being me, I have managed to lose my place. So, it's time to drop 20 and punt. I decided to start at the very top and then work my way down. I am also treating the project very much like Mermaid Azure  from last year, and I am beading as I go in order to stay on track. Sea Flora will be a weekend only project, methinks. This way, I can concentrate and not have to worry about being pulled away elsewhere. 

I have some grand plans for this one, as the stitch count is horribly off of the actual chart and the fabric is way short. In the end, I think it will be worth it as she will truly be one of a kind! :)

Well, here is where she is at the present moment:

Design: Sea Flora #NC194

Designer: Nora Corbett for Wichelt Imports

Fabric: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117  in B5200, 154, 156, 211, 333, 747, 754, 838,  951, 959, 964, 3371, 3746, 3807 and 3847. 

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads 00252, 02008, 03044, 40020, and 18829

As of Sunday, May 10, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

I have a second project picked out to work on during the week. It's another one from the Bin O'Shame. Once completed, that will mean I have finished 20 out of said Bin O'Shame for the year. That will surpass my previous record and get me within shouting distance of the official goal of 25 for the year. I will probably do another statistical post at that point, just to see where things are. I am so happy that these projects are getting worked up. I will be even happier when I get down to just the HAEDs! :) 

Well, here is the work week project, #20 from the Bin O'Shame:

Design: Japanese Anemones

Designer: Sheila Hudson 

Fabric: 14 count summer yellow aida by Wichelt 

Fibers Used: As provided in the kit. There are no DMC or Anchor numbers on the floss, so I will have to do a match at some point, as I want to stitch this one again as it's so bright and cheery. This is the cover kit from issue 187, June 2007 UK Cross Stitcher magazine. 

Front Cover Of The Magazine:

When picked back up on Friday, May 29, 2015:

As of Sunday, May 31, 2015:

What it will eventually look like:

Sheila Hudson passed away in 2008 after a period of illness. I miss her and her designs so much. She has wonderful shading techniques and her work looks gorgeous on either aida or evenweaves, plain fabric or hand/over dyed fabric. She created pieces with depth and color, with nary a quarter stitch nor backstitch in sight. I have stitched others in her body of work and I have her Fairy Tale Castle from the February 2004 issue 101 of Cross Stitch Collection magazine that is in my 'Rare, OOP and HTF' pile to do:

A wonderful lady from the UK bought this for me and sent it to me years ago. I am hoping that next year's stitching theme will be the 'Rare, OOP and HTF' year and I can finally get to stitch this beauty. I think keeping up with the projects from the Bin O'Shame and interspersing the year with the Rare, OOP and HTF charts would be a good stitching year indeed. 

Well, I have rambled on long enough. It's time to get some things put away and the desk cleaned out. With all of these projects I have managed to finish up, it's gotten frightfully unorganized. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and I wish you all a happy and prosperous week ahead! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Clean Up In Aisle 3!

I wanted just one more from the bin to round out the first three months of the year, and I managed to finish this up just moments ago. This makes 13 from the Bin O'Shame for the year to date. This also means that I am on track to finish 25 from that Bin before the year is out.  I am so terribly excited about that!

Well at any rate, on with the show!

Design: Popcorn kit

Designer: Silver Lining Group

Fabric: 16 count creme aida

Floss: Unknown as provided in the kit

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads in 342014 Petite Black

Stitcher's Notes: Cover kit from the August 2005 Quick and Easy Cross Stitch magazine from the UK. Left off the border as I may turn this into a card.

Before, as of Monday, March 29, 2015:

Finished Tuesday, March 31, 2015:

Well, I best be off. Tons to do still. Farewell March, hello April! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C.