Stitch Maynia - The Medieval Town Mandala

I am a Chatelaine virgin no longer! I have several of these gorgeous patterns in my stash, it was hard to pick just one! On Day Thirty of Stitch Maynia, I started The Medieval Town Mandala.

I will admit, I was intimidated before starting this piece. All the specialty threads, specialty stitches, beads and treasures, let alone the instructions that came with the design itself all made me a bit nervous, but once I got started, I loved every single stitch!

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Truffle from Picture This Plus. This was my first time using Needlepoint Inc. Silk, Gloriana, Waterlilies, Silk 'n Colors and Rainbow Petite Treasure Braid, which are all in this picture. I absolutely loved it and this piece, among any of the others that I love in my rotation, would be one I'm the most tempted to just keep stitching on. Who knows. Maybe I'll work it in so I work on it more frequently. We'll see!

Today is the last day of Stitch Maynia! I'll be starting my final and 35th piece for the month and the next part of the Storytime Sampler will also come out today, so it'll be a two-for-one day! Yay! I've had so much fun with Stitch Maynia, I'm sad to see it end, but I will have 60 (ack!) WIP's to keep me busy!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Sugar Is Sweet Sampler

We're almost to the end of all of my new starts! I can't believe it! I'm anxious to get back to my normal rotation again but I think I'm going to miss starting something new every day!

Day Twenty Nine didn't see a lot of stitching. I wasn't able to start stitching until late in the evening and I had a headache so I didn't make a ton of progress, but I did get to start on Sugar is Sweet Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery:

I really like this sampler, I think it's adorable. It is the second of the three alphabet samplers from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery that I have in my stash. I started one earlier this month (Fibery Friends), the third I'm not sure I will do because I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the theme for that one, but we'll see. Here is where I got to yesterday:

Completely different from the model, right? The fabric I'm using is this month's fabric of the month from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and it's called Highland Heather. This piece is 28 Jobelan, and when it came in the mail, I knew I had to get something stitched on it right away. And because I was in the mood tonight to do a little searching through my stash, I'm going to convert this piece to be all flosses from Mo's Sale (surprise, surprise), and I picked Gelato for the letters. I haven't picked out any other colors for the rest of the sampler yet. I'm just going to pick them as they come up and see what speaks to me at the time!

I did get some fun stitchy mail yesterday. My next Stitchy Box came!

There will be a second mailing from them for this box because one of the pieces didn't make it in time for the mailout, but here is what came in it so far:

There's an adorable owl shaped hand stitched bamboo thread keep from Red Gate Stitchery, a neat spool of a corded thread, a skein each of DMC 4124 (a pretty variegated orange) and Lunar Eclipse from Classic Colorworks, a stitchable canvas drawstring bag, a fat eighth of another canvas-type material that is opal, but I'm not sure of the count or what specific type of fabric it is, and then a fat eighth of 28 Opal Lugana in Winter Solstice from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie! I'm really excited about this box. I LOVE the thread keep - I've never used one before, but some of my smaller Mill Hill kits could definitely benefit from me using one, and it'll be fun to stitch it up too! And we all know I love Stephanie's fabrics, and the rest looks likes it will be really interesting to play with and explore! Another hit in my book!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Stardust Fairy

Day Twenty-eight saw another fairy added to my rotation! This time I worked on Stardust Fairy by Joan Elliott:

The best part about this pattern? It's free! If you want to add it to your stash, go here to download it! Joan's fairies are so beautiful so a free pattern of one is a major bonus! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in Bewitched from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. The pretty purple and green shades remind me of a nebula and I think will be a beautiful background to this fairy!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Spirit of Cross Stitch Angel

I can't believe we're almost to the end of the month! All of these starts have made May just fly by! Day Twenty-seven was dedicated to Spirit of Cross Stitch Angel by Brooke's Books:

This is a neat three dimensional piece that is stitched as separate motifs on two different colors of perforated paper and then put together for the final piece. There are several different angels in this line done in a similar way. If this one works out well, I may do others! I figured this one was a good one to start with though, since it is all about cross stitch!

I was able to finish one motif yesterday, the little dog on silver perforated paper:

Wow, that is not a centered picture at all! Oh well LOL I will be stitching all of the motifs before I cut any of them out. Less likely to lose a piece that way!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Santa

Day 26 was Christmas themed as I started Santa by Jim Shore from Mill Hill.

This Mill Hill kit is different than the others I've worked on. It's a larger piece (5"x5" when done), and it's on fabric rather than perforated paper, but I love it! I adore Jim Shore's work and have several pieces in my home. This will be a great addition to my Christmas decor when it's done. Here is where I got to yesterday:

I couldn't get a good picture with the flash that didn't make all of Santa's beard look completely blurred. It stitched up rather quickly! I think the many, many, MANY beads in this will take the most time, honestly! But that's awhile off yet!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Rainbow Parfait and Robin Hood

I just have to attest to the benefits of stitching therapy. I was not in the best of moods when I woke up yesterday morning. I blame the non stop storming and icky weather we've had in Dallas this spring. I was just grumpy. I didn't want to do anything but stitch, so stitch I did and it helped improve my mood drastically! I worked on two projects, in fact, and this should be my last two project day for Stitch Maynia.

The first project I worked on was Rainbow Parfait by Glendon Place.

I just adore these dessert patterns by Glendon Place and the colors on this one are just gorgeous! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Mesa from Picture This Plus using the Dinky Dyes silks. I adore the colors on this piece, they're just so bright and cheerful!

The second piece I worked on was more muted, but I still like it! It's Robin Hood by Little House Needleworks:

I didn't spend as much time on this piece as I did the other mainly because I decided to stitch on it at the last minute when I realized I still had too many pieces and not enough days left in the month! But any progress is progress!

I'm stitching this one on 32 Lugana in Sand from Picture This Plus. This didn't take long to stitch at all. It's nice to have pieces like this that are less complex than some of the others. The variety definitely helps keep me from getting overwhelmed!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Princess Collection

Day Twenty-Four saw me stitching on another Soda Stitch pattern. This time, I worked on Princess Collection!

I just love this collection of princesses, even if my favorite of the Disney line (Belle) is sadly missing. I had debated stitching this up with the Prince Collection as well, but decided to hold off and save the princes for another time. This is how far I got yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Zephyr from Picture This Plus. The pretty sky blue color will be great for the princesses when they're done.

Yesterday I also got to celebrate my birthday with my parents and one of the gifts I got was a $50 gift certificate to my LNS. I can't wait to go and spend it! Yay!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Plum Pudding

Day Twenty-Three was a very purple day as I started working on Plum Pudding by Glendon Place!

As I expected, I loved working on this piece yesterday and I am so glad I chose to use the called for Dinky Dyes silks. They are amazing to work with, I just love them! Here is where I got to yesterday:

The purples in this are so much richer in person. I'm stitching this on 28 Lugana in Whimsey from Picture This Plus and I just love the purple on purple and the subtle variegation of the silks I've used thus far! It's going to look great when it's done!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Pin Up Girls

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday! I had a great day, including spending time on my next start, Pin Up Girls by Soda Stitch!

As usual with these Soda Stitch patterns, I absolutely adored working on this one! Here is where I got to yesterday before birthday dinner and date night took over!

I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in Pixie Kiss from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. It's a really pretty pink fabric that I think is perfect for these pin up girls!

Until next time!
~Katy

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for my giveaway and for celebrating my blog followers and birthday all at once! My kids picked out the name from all those who entered and the winner is.....

FISCHY CRAFTS!!!

Congratulations! I'll touch base with you to find out where to send all of your goodies! Thanks again, everyone!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - March 2015 Sampler Motif Club

Day Twenty-One had me working on the March 2015 pattern from Carolyn Manning's Sampler Motif Club! This is one of those pieces where the example picture is the pattern, so there isn't a completed model to show for this piece either. I can, however, show you how far I got yesterday!

This is another one of those happy color pieces that was just a joy to stitch! I'm doing this on 32 Opal Lugana in Ocean from Zweigart. It's a really pretty sky blue color that is just washed out in the picture. I also decided to stitch this entirely in Caesar silk from Mo's Sale. I love the bold, bright jeweled colors and every stitch made me smile. When this piece is done, I plan on mounting and hanging it in my Diva Den and using it as the background for my needle minder collection. I think it's going to be perfect!

Today is my birthday and thus it's my giveaway drawing day! I'm waiting until my kids are home from school and will let them draw the winning name, so stay tuned!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Jeweled Apple and Letters From Nora - T

Day Twenty was a two-for-one day! The first piece I worked on was another Mill Hill kit called Jeweled Apple.

This piece will likely end up as the suggested magnet when it's all said and done. I just love the patterns on this, it's so unique! Here is where I got to yesterday:

This is another one of those pieces I think will have more beads than crosses by the end of it! I could have continued, but I was excited about piece number two for yesterday, which was Letters From Nora - T by Nora Corbett.

My daughter's name starts with T and it is my hope when this is done that this can be a piece she keeps for the rest of her life. It's whimsical enough to be good for an almost nine year old to enjoy, but mature enough I think she could keep it with her when she's an adult and out on her own. This is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Willow Wisp from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie using the suggested Classic Colorworks threads. I'm looking forward to when it comes up in the rotation again!

And one last reminder, tomorrow is my 35th birthday (yay!) and the day I will be drawing for the winner of my giveaway (double yay!) so make sure you sign up if you haven't had a chance! You don't want to miss out!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Floss Daily

Day Nineteen saw a fun, simple pattern from Wee Little Stitches called Floss Daily.

I decided I was going to have fun with this pattern. Bright fabrics, raid my stash of hand dyed flosses from Mo's Sale, follow the general color palette but make it my own, and I'm so glad I did! Here is where I got to yesterday:

This was just so much fun to stitch, though honestly I had probably as much fun picking out the colors as I did actually stitching the piece! I am doing this on 28 Jobelan in Harvest Pumpkin from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie and I'm working on the list of Mo's Sale flosses as I work on the piece. My only requirement with the floss I choose is that I don't want to have used it in another piece. I have such a large stash that really, I should have more than enough to find flosses to use for the first time. The white is the only color I didn't change because all stitchers know, bobbins are white!

I already know how I'm going to finish this - in a bright white frame, no mat, just the pretty orange fabric and it will have a prominent place in my mom cave (or Diva Den as a friend of mine named it - I like that name more!) when it's all said and done. Can't wait!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Faces of Joan Elliott

Day Eighteen saw me working on the Faces of Joan Elliott SAL from the Facebook group by the same name. This SAL started last year, I only found out about it through Stitch Maynia after the last block had been released. Luckily, the group is still accepting members, so I signed up! I don't have a full picture to show - because of how it was released, the only pictures of finished products that exist belong to other people and I don't feel comfortable posting those. You'll just have to wait and see what comes of it as I work on it!

I did complete all the frames yesterday (except for one little tiny detail in the upper right corner - noticed that after I took the picture and put things away. Will fix it next time!)

I like having the frames completed in projects like this before I do anything else. I'll start working on filling in the first block next time I work on this piece. I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Aphrodite from Under the Sea Fabrics. It's really a much brighter, almost bubble gum pink in person. I'll try to get a better picture next time!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Edwardian Lady and TUSAL

Day Seventeen saw another Joan Elliott design (can you tell yet that I'm a big fan? Heh). This time, it was Edwardian Lady.

I liked this pattern so much I had two in my stash - which reminds me, there is still time to sign up for the giveaway! The drawing will be this Friday, my 35th birthday! Anyway, back to progress. This is where I got to yesterday:

I'm doing this on a beautiful sky blue 32 Jobelan in Calypso from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. It really is stunning in person. She was a joy to work on today and I can't wait for her to come back up in the rotation!

The reason I had a duplicate of this pattern was because I thought I already had the 1920's Flapper that completes this foursome of beautiful ladies (Medieval, Edwardian, Victorian and Flapper), but alas I do not. If I did, she would have been in this rotation too since I'll have the other three started by the end of this month. That one's just going to have to stay on my wishlist for now!

Today is also the day to report on our TUSAL for the month, and here is my very full TUSAL bowl!

I wonder if I'm going to have too many ORT's for just one ornament this year. We shall see!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Angel of Cross Stitch and Cinderella

I'm now officially in the second half of Stitch Maynia! Because I have more projects to start than days left in the month, I tackled two Joan Elliott projects yesterday. The first was Angel of Cross Stitch.

This is a piece I have wanted to work on for awhile! It was designed using ALL 391 DMC colors available at the time - both a dream and a curse all in one! I know I don't have all of the colors in my stash, but I'm waiting until I get to a color I'm missing before buying it - it was easier than going through all of my boxes of floss, both bobbinated and not, to do inventory! Here is where I got to yesterday:

Despite taking this picture in natural light, it does not do the beautiful fabric justice. I'm doing this on 28 Jobelan in Seafoam from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie. It's a beautiful pale green that I think will work perfectly for this, but it keeps coming out blue in pictures. Oh well!

The second piece I worked on was the third of the Princess series, Cinderella.

I've already started the other two in this series (Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty), so it makes sense to start the third! Joan has another set of Cinderella patterns that I want to get and do eventually, but this one is just beautiful. Here is where I got to yesterday before my elbow and shoulder decided I was done stitching for the day:

I'm doing her on 28 Jobelan in Lady of the Lake, also by Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie. I had used this fabric on a start for another project awhile ago that ended up being scrapped, but I saved the fabric because it's just too beautiful to pass up, hence the larger holes in some of the picture. They'll get covered up and evened out, though, as I stitch - what I stitched so far already covers some of it!

18 projects started, 17 to go!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Wine Glass

Day Fifteen marks the end of the "official" Stitch Maynia but as everyone who reads this blog knows that I'm not stopping at Day Fifteen! Yesterday I started working on Wine Glass by Mill Hill.

This is an adorable kit FULL of beads and considering I was drinking a glass of wine while I was working on this, I did not finish all of the beads last night, but I did make it this far:

One more evening of beading will have this done when it comes up next on the rotation!

We're now on Day Sixteen, or Day One of Stitch Maynia Birthday Edition. I have started sixteen pieces up to this point, so I have another nineteen to go to reach the birthday number of 35. I don't have nineteen days left in the month, so there will have to be a few days where I work on more than one project. Maybe today will be one of those days! We shall see!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - The World's Postage Stamp

Day Fourteen saw another Soda Stitch project, this time it was The World's Postage Stamp.

This pattern is a bit different than the other Soda Stitch patterns I have in my rotation and stash, but I really like it because there are several places I have been to that are represented on this pattern, and where I haven't been to, I want to go to!

This is where I got to yesterday:

Another picture that doesn't do the fabric justice. Really, I should just wait until the morning and take pictures in the natural light. Maybe one of these days I will...but this is stitched on 32 Jobelan in Meadow from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. The pretty, subtle blues, greens and yellows are just lovely and I think will fit this really well.

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - The Bookshelf

Day Thirteen saw me work on The Bookshelf from Little House Needleworks.

Little House Needleworks is not a designer I'm typically drawn to. Their patterns, while lovely, are more primitive in nature and I'm just not typically drawn to that type of pattern. This one (and one other that will come up later this month) are exceptions to that rule. This piece celebrates some of my favorite writers ever and some wonderful books, and I couldn't resist! This is where I got to yesterday:

I'm working on this on 32 Lugana in Doubloon from Picture This Plus. I love the old parchment feel to this fabric and I think it fits the piece perfectly!

If you haven't signed up for my giveaway yet, there's still time! Don't let this pass you by!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - The Biggest Stash

Day Twelve saw me working on perhaps the most appropriate piece in my stash - The Biggest Stash by Cross-Point Designs!

This pattern is just too cute, and the cats in it remind me of my kitties we had to give away after we discovered that my son was allergic. :-( Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in April Showers from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. As usual, late night pictures don't represent the fabric as best as it should, but the greens in the fabric go very well with the greens in the pattern!

Until next time!
~Katy

I really am crazy

Because 15 starts in 15 days wasn't enough...even 31 in 31 days wasn't enough. I've decided in honor of my birthday month, and because it's a nice round birthday at 35, I'm doing a Stitch Maynia Birthday Edition - 35 starts in the month of May.

The pieces I've selected to round out the month include:

Angel of Cross Stitch - Joan Elliott
Cinderella - Joan Elliott
Edwardian Lady - Joan Elliott
Faces of Joan Elliott - Joan Elliott
Floss Daily - Wee Little Stitches
Jeweled Apple - Mill Hill
Letters From Nora - T - Nora Corbett
March 2015 Sampler Motif Club - Carolyn Manning
Pin Up Girls - Soda Stitch
Plum Pudding - Glendon Place
Princess Collection - Soda Stitch
Rainbow Parfait - Glendon Place
Robin Hood - Little House Needleworks
Santa - Jim Shore by Mill Hill
Spirit of Cross Stitch Angel Ornament - Brooke's Books
Stardust Fairy - Joan Elliott
Sugar is Sweet Sampler - The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
The Medieval Town Mandala - Chatelaine
Victorian Lady - Joan Elliott

Because I like doing things in alphabetical order, but I also want to finish part one before I start the rest, I'm going to start this group on the 16th. I need to order a few things thread wise before I start anyway.

Yes, I'm crazy. I know I'm crazy. Hello, my name is Katy and I'm a cross stitch addict! (There are support groups out there, aren't there?)

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Snowflakes

Woo hoo! Day Eleven was a start and a finish all in the same day! I started and completed Snowflakes by Mill Hill yesterday:

It was really nice to have a quick stitch like this to mark off the list. I have several Mill Hill kits in my stash just for this very reason. I enjoy beading a lot, though this was my first time to use bugle beads in addition to the seed beads. I like the dimension they add!

I'm not sure how I'm going to finish this one yet. It came with a magnet, but I don't really think I'll finish it that way. My husband and I give our daughter snowflake ornaments every year, so I may make this her ornament for the year, or I may just make it a separate decoration. I'll decide closer to Christmas and will wait to cut it out then.

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Sleeping Beauty

Yesterday was a wonderful, albeit busy, Mother's Day and I did not have nearly enough time nor energy to stitch as I would have liked, but I did keep up with Stitch Maynia and started my Day Ten start, Sleeping Beauty by Joan Elliott.

Isn't she gorgeous? I really wanted to put more time into her yesterday, but this was as far as I got:

Not much at all, but hey, a start is a start! I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Brigid from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. I may work on this one a bit more today after I start today's start. We'll see!

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway if you haven't already, and if you have, please share it with your friends and fellow bloggers!

Until next time!
~Katy