Bad Blogger

I've been a bad blogger these days. Ever since I came back from vacation, honestly. I'm sorry about that, I really am! I promise it's not intentional, and I'm going to try to do better!

Since my last update, I've worked on several pieces. First, I worked on Victorian Lady by Joan Elliott.

I was very tired the day I worked on this piece so didn't get a lot done, but progress is progress! Here is where I stopped this time around:

This picture is a bit dark, but I'm doing this on 28 Jazlyn in Strawberry Swirls from Under The Sea Fabrics.

The second piece I've worked on was my Wedding Sampler designed by Carolyn Manning.

I love this piece because it's one of a kind. It's going to come up again next week as part of my August ABC SAL for Stitch Maynia. Here is where I stopped this time around:

I'm almost done with the greens on the second page and then I'll be able to work on filling in the roses. This is being done on 14 Count Aida in Crystal Fresco from Picture This Plus.

The last piece I have to report is my second August ABC SAL piece, which was my Doctor Who Clock by Cloudsfactory.

I was able to put in nine hours of time in it for the SAL and was very pleased with my stopping point.

This is being done on a 32 Opal Lugana jewel from Under The Sea Fabrics using silks from Mo's Sale for everything except the white (B5200) and the skin tone, which is Mo's Flesh cotton floss. There really isn't a ton left to do beyond finishing Doctors Two through Twelve!

That's about it this time around! I am going to try to get better about blogging daily again. Never meant to get out of the routine in the first place!

Until next time!
~Katy

Sweet Pea Fairy and The Biggest Stash

The past couple of days saw me working on two pieces. First was the Sweet Pea Fairy by Joan Elliott:

I love this piece, this is the first of her fairies that I started working on. Here is where I stopped:

The last few times I worked on her before this time I was focused on the one over one skin, so it was very nice to work on her hair this time. Plus I think the hair just brings out the beauty of the one over one skin even more! This is being done on 28 Jobelan in Fairy Dance from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

Yesterday saw me working on The Biggest Stash from Cross Point Designs:

This really is an adorable piece I fully plan on hanging in my Mom Cave when it's finished. Here is where I stopped yesterday:

I plan on backstitching this as I go, but still need to finish a little more on the chair (specifically the blanket hanging on the back of it), but I should be able to finish that next time around. I'm doing this on 32 Jobelan in April Showers, also by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

Until next time!
~Katy

Rose Fairy

Yesterday I spent some time working on Rose Fairy by Joan Elliott.

I just love the pinks and purples in this piece, they make me smile! Here is where I stopped yesterday:

Funny as it may sound, it was a joy to work with a Kreinik other than the 032, which I used exclusively on Angel of Compassion earlier this month and is prevalent in many of my other pieces. Can't wait until she comes back up in the rotation again!

Until next time!
~Katy

Rapunzel

Yesterday I got to work on one of my absolute favorite pieces in my rotation, Rapunzel by Joan Elliott.

She's just so beautiful and it's a pure pleasure to work on every stitch for this piece! Here is where I am at this point:

I'm stitching her on 28 Jobelan in Isolde from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and I just love her! Can't wait to work on her again!

Until next time!
~Katy

Medieval Maiden

I was very excited to return to Medieval Maiden by Joan Elliott yesterday considering it's one of my absolute favorite designs of hers!

Isn't she just beautiful? I made a bit of progress on her yesterday:

I'm stitching her on 32 Jobelan in Sailor's Delight from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. I was sad to put her away but I have lots of fun patterns coming up this week for my rotation and she'll be back again soon enough, I'm sure!

Until next time!
~Katy

Faces of Joan Elliott - One More Time

I have finished working on Faces of Joan Elliott for now. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging as consistently this week as normal. I've noticed that when I work on the same piece, it's harder for me to get the motivation to come and blog to show it off than it is when I have new pieces to show daily. I never really realized that before!

Anyway, here is the upper left corner of Faces of Joan Elliott:

And here is the entire piece as of now:

I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Aphrodite from Under the Sea Fabrics, and while I really have enjoyed working on this, but I'm ready to move on to another piece in my rotation!

Until next time!
~Katy

Faces of Joan Elliott Continued

I'm going outside of my normal routine of changing patterns on a daily basis and will be working on the Faces of Joan Elliott SAL for the rest of this weekend as a part of the Get Well Joan Elliott SAL that Stitch Maynia is hosting on Facebook. So! Without further ado, here is where I stopped yesterday on the upper left hand corner of the piece:

She's coming along nicely!

Also, I wanted to announce that thanks to some good friends of mine, I have ventured into the world of FlossTube, which for those of you not already aware is basically the cross stitch community on YouTube. I uploaded my first video yesterday, I plan on making videos on a regular basis and still posting here too, but if you want to take a look, just go here!

Until next time!
~Katy

Faces of Joan Elliott

I spent the last couple of days working on the Faces of Joan Elliott Sampler and will continue to work on it the rest of this week as part of the Get Well Joan Elliott SAL with Stitch Maynia. First, I finished the frames and borders completely:

And then I made some progress on the upper left corner too:

I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Aphrodite from Under The Sea Fabrics. I can't wait to see how far I can get on this before the end of the weekend!

Until next time!
~Katy

Edwardian Lady

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there and the mothers who have to be a father in their children's lives! I hope everyone has a great day!

Yesterday I spent some time working on Edwardian Lady by Joan Elliott.

I decided to work on her beautiful rose basket yesterday since some of my stitches from the last time I worked on this piece led that direction. This is where I stopped yesterday:

I just love the colors in this piece! But then again, it is a Joan Elliott, I shouldn't be surprised I love it so much! I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in Calypso from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and it just suits the piece beautifully!

Until next time!
~Katy

Cinderella

Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly!

Sorry, that song always pops into my head when I think of Cinderella, which is the piece that was in my hoop yesterday.

Anyone who follows my blog knows by now that Joan Elliott is one of my favorite designers. Her pieces are utterly gorgeous, but I happen to also find them relatively easy to stitch, easier than many of my other patterns that some might think are easy. And that was very helpful yesterday because I wasn't able to start stitching until late in the day when the migraine I woke up with finally gave way enough to let me focus, and then I got on a roll. Here is where I got to before I finally stopped yesterday:

I'm pleased with what I was able to get done. I'm doing this on 28 Jobelan in Lady of the Lake from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. The evidence of frogging in the lower right corner of the picture was from a piece I was originally going to do on this fabric but scrapped. The fabric was too beautiful to waste, though, so I saved it after a LOT of frogging, but all of that frogging evidence will be covered up by Cinderella's beautiful skirt.

Until next time!
~Katy

Butterfly Fairy

Yesterday I got to spend some time working on Butterfly Fairy by Joan Elliott.

I say this every time one of Joan Elliott's pieces come up, especially the fairies, but I just love working on her pieces! Last time I worked on her, I finished the one over one skin on her arm so yesterday I was able to start working on the wings.

I'd say she's starting to really look like a fairy now! Yay! I'm doing this on 28 count Jobelan in Lady of the Lake from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie, and it's nice now that I have the outline of the wings started to see where the fabric color is really going to shine through!

Until next time!
~Katy

Angel of Cross Stitch

The first (alphabetically) of my 30+ Stitch Maynia pieces was back in the hoop yesterday! I was excited to get to work on Angel of Cross Stitch by Joan Elliott again.

The last time I worked on her, I didn't get very far in my start. I made a goal to try to finish all the white in her skirt on the page I was working on, since it would give a good guide for the skirt details and moving beyond it, and I succeeded! Here is where I stopped yesterday:

Yay! It's very difficult to tell in this picture, but I'm doing this on 28 Jobelan in Seafoam from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie, which is a beautiful, subtle green color which is just lovely. It's just hard to capture it in a picture!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Victorian Lady and Story Time Sampler

Happy June!! Yesterday saw my last and 35th start of Stitch Maynia - Victorian Lady by Joan Elliott.

I just love the colors on her, it's not necessarily something you would expect but just screams Victorian to me! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching her on 28 Jazlyn in Strawberry Swirls from Under The Sea Fabrics. I really like the way the orange tones pops on the pink fabric!

Yesterday also saw the release of the June frame of the Story Time Sampler! We didn't get the hint until yesterday morning, so we didn't have too much time to guess:

Common guesses were Treasure Island and Peter Pan (I guessed the latter) and I was right! Here is Peter in all his glory:

I think the pirate ship is my favorite part of this piece, and once again my frame color choice was very appropriate with the trees and mermaid's tail both sinking into the frame, which I love. The clouds and Hook's hook aren't easily seen in the picture but they show up much better in person. Here is the full piece to date:

This is being stitched on 28 Jobelan in Melody from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie using all flosses and silks from Mo's Sale. I just love how this is turning out this year!

Today we will also see the Gemini portion of the Zodiac SAL. As a Gemini myself, I'm very excited to see how this portion comes out and will be eager to work on it today!

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 - 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 - 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

Stitch Maynia - Rose Fairy

Happy Mother's Day to you all! Just a quick post now, and another one later with the giveaway information!

For Day Nine of Stitch Maynia, I worked on Rose Fairy by Joan Elliott.

I didn't get a lot done because my son's fifth birthday party was exhausting (fun, but exhausting!), but here is where I got to yesterday before my eyes started crossing:

I'm stitching her on 28 Jobelan in Fairy Dance from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. Incidentally, that's the same fabric I'm using on the Sweet Pea Fairy by Joan Elliott I have in my rotation too. I imagine Fairy Dance will become my staple fabric for the fairy line. We'll see!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Medieval Maiden

Yesterday I started on one of the pieces I was most eager to start on, Medieval Maiden by Joan Elliott.

I fell in love with this piece when I first saw it but had to wait for the chart pack to get it. She and the other ladies in this collection are just gorgeous, I fully plan on stitching them all! Here is where I got to yesterday:

Darn late time of taking the pic and poor lighting, this picture does not remotely do the fabric I'm doing this on justice. It's a 32 Jobelan in Sailor's Delight from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and it's just gorgeous! I must admit, I was reluctant to put this away, but that just gives me something to look forward to when it comes up in the rotation!

Until next time!
~Katy