2022 Welcome back to the Blog with a WIP Parade.

HI all,

Firstly – apologies because I dropped off the Blog circuit again in 2021

After discovering Floss-Tube, I then fell down the Instagram rabbit hole, and most of my work for the past few months has been recorded there…   I did however, try to link my Instagram pics to a banner at the top of this blog.

I will re-attempt a floss-tube again this year.  I did record one 30 minute video with the help of my partner Allan, but he was being a perfectionist (I’ll blame him) and it took too long to process the video and was no longer relevant.  I just never got around to recording another one

From August, as well as stitching and quilting, I took up journaling.   I started with one journal – a brain dump of words and thoughts then swiftly moved onto a dot journal and what I refer to as my art planner.  This is the one where stickers and washi tape and drawing come into play.  I hope to keep all their images on Instagram - #bronnyb_bujo as this is a craft I hope to keep somewhat separate to my cross-stitch.  Having said that, I do have a stitching journal – found it on Etsy (Chris from As the Yoo Flies makes great stitching accessories)

This is what I now refer to for my list of projects.

Chart	Started	Finished
English Floral Sampler	May 2006
Shores of Hawk Run Hollow	Feb 2012
Jeremiah Junction Panel	2020
Meteo de Moutons 2021	Jan 2021
How Doth the Bee	Jan 2021	Jan 2021
Mermaids of the Deep Blue	Feb 2021
Owlforest Kingfisher	April 2021
Robert Burns’ Halloween	April 2021
Dreaming Girl SAL	May 2021
12 Days of Christmas	May 2021
Delft House Row	May 2021
Histories de Moutons	July 2021
One Sheep Open Sleigh	August 2021	August 2021
Cherish Dream Live	August 2021	August 2021
Life’s a Stitch	August 2021	August 2021
Halloween? I can’t I’m Stitching	October 2021	October 2021
Nightmare before Coffee	October 2021	Nov 2021
Blackbirds on a Pumpkin	November 2021
Black Sampler November – Stitchers Hornbook	November 2021	Nov 2021
Dust Bunnies	November 2021	Nov 2021
Queen Bee	November 2021
Do What you Love	November 2021	December 2021
Halloween Cat	November 2021
Christmas Heirloom Tablecloth -2020	December 2021	December 2021
Trouvez l’intruz	December 2021	January 2022

25 Projects in the year with ELEVEN FINISHES

That means only 14 projects in current rotation.   Although I participated in WIPGO last year, I have chosen not to do that this year.  Right at the moment, I am thinking to stitch monogamously on one project at a time, in an attempt to get more finishes.  Straight after finishing Do What you Love – I’ve picked up Dreaming Girl SAL again.   I hope to get at least Part 2 finished if not completing the entire stitch before picking up the next WIP – some of these do not have much to go, but I put them down in order to keep my 2021 WIPGO up to date..

2021 Haul

Although a lot of my online purchases appear to have been relating to my Journals in the last half of 2021, there were a few pdf charts purchased.

Jardin Privè, Modern Folk Embroidery, Durene Jones, Barbara Ana Designs, Creative Poppy, Caroline Manning Designs, Galliana Designs and Owlforest

These are likely to be kitted up and started at some point in 2022.

I also went a bit berserk with floss – Cottage Garden Floss and Silks4U – and fabric from Etsy – Yarn Stories and Tom & Lily Designs.  Shipping from the US proved problematic from September, due to Covid so had to source alternate suppliers of fabric and charts.  I tried to buy from Australian sellers where possible and would often be found scrounging on Etsy late into the evening.

I bought 2 mystery subscription boxes late in the year.  Cascade Fabrics December Mystery Box and Sassy Devils Pouch also in December.  I was impressed with one more so than the other and will be buying more from them during 2022

Photos of my completed works in 2021 follow in no particular order. (included is my first finish of 2022 - Trouvez l'intrudez) Perhaps next weekend I may put together a montage of my 2022 WIP – and that might keep me honest…

 

SMILE AND POINT YOUR TOES

Let’s get 2022 underway !!

Boxing Day Blogaversary, Review of 2020 and Plans for 2021

What a wind up to what otherwise was a very low-key Christmas.   I eventually put up a small tree with stitched ornaments as after such a long lockdown, just did not have my usual Jingle-Jangle mojo running.  

And as I sit in my chair this Boxing Day morning, I look up at my tree and see so many memories of Christmases Past.   I looked back to my first Blog posts – back to December 26 2008 and see the ornament that is most prominent, was indeed finished on that day.  So it is a Blogaversary and have enjoyed rekindling my stitching journey with you all.

 

2020 was for me a Year of Clarity and has been a good year to determine what is important in life.  Family, Friends and Fabric.  I have gained a Grandson this year, with the hope that I will meet him within the month.  Friendships have strengthened with enforced distancing and new friendships forged.  

Christmas Day was a festive day with family celebrating together.  I am so honoured that my Heirloom tablecloth is now used each year and has become part of the family tradition.  My sewing room is organised and has promoted more creativity throughout the year and leading into 2021 I am looking to starting up a Floss-tube to run concurrently with this blog (the aim is to kick this into production in February)

This remaining week of December, I will try to organise my stitching projects for 2021 starting by listing them here.

• '    Meteo 2020 SAL – I need to finish off December houses and to fill in the blanks with appropriate motifs
  
• '    Meteo de Moutons 2021 – This will be stitched on aida and I need to spend the time stitching the paddocks the ‘sheep’ will be housed in.  Although I have charted this, have set my own rules and will not start this before Jan 1^st
• '    Shores of Hawk Run Hollow –
  This is a long running WIP and deserves some concentrated stitching on this chart to move it along.  I do not expect this to be finished in 2021, but might aim for 2022 finish
• '    English Floral Sampler – this was high on my rotation this past year and I finished several squares, could I possibly finish P-Z in 2021?
  
• '    12 Days of Christmas – Boothy Threads – this was suggested some months ago as a 2021 SAL – Surely I only have to finish one square each month??  I looked at it again this morning, and it is a fairly intense bit of stitching, the couching has its own chart.  This might be better as a 2 year project
  
• '    History de Moutons – Jardin Privé – This was the chart that inspired me to revisit the Year of the Sheep.  I’ll be stitching the whole 4 charts as one – I really want to get this started in January
• '    Stitching, Sewing, Quilting – Jeremiah Junction – this is an OOP design from 2004 and I have started it, but would like to put some more time into it.  This will have a place in my sewing nook when completed
• '    Let’s Sew – Ursula Andrews – a mid-project sort of project – stitched with one thread of Needle Necessities on a slightly rayonish aida that was in the box of bits.
• '    Halloween – A sampler designed by me, inspired by Robert Burns.  This is the model stitch for my first chart to be released for sale in 2021 – about July
• '    Raise a glass – A sampler designed by me, inspired by vintage crockery.  This is a model stitch for a design to be released for sale in 2021 – about September

 

This is a list of more than 4 charts.  I am going to rethink about stitching charts on a weekly basis.

What are YOUR plans for 2021? 

Stitching start to November 2020.

 

Hello friends.

One week on from Halloween and a wee bit of a stitching start to November.

Firstly, I had a finish on my Christmas Heirloom Tablecloth for 2019. 

Each square symbolises something for that particular year with the names of those around the table.  As I had a knee replacement in September 2019 and needed a cane to walk both before and immediately afterwards, decided Candy Canes were the perfect choice.    This was finished on Halloween, leaving me plenty of time to stitch on the 2020 Temperature SAL for October.

I really need to work on what motifs to stitch to fill in the gaps.  It is good to see that the month is not completely blue and I am cheered by the little yellow house in the first week.  The 3^rd of November will be the same colour, but that will wait until the first week in December to be stitched.

 

So as I had what I classify as two finishes in the first two days, I justified starting a new project.  The 3 motifs were in an American stitching magazine in 2005 and designed by Jeremiah Junction.  As far as I can tell, they are now OOP (out of print).  I’m stitching mostly with the called for DMC floss, but have decided to use a variegated floss in my stash for the lettering. I’ve changed out the god-bothery sayings on each one, replacing them with something more suited for my stitching nook.  I am stitching all three together as one panel specifically to hang on my wall.  Of course I’ll show my progress as I go here.  This week I should pick up my English floral sampler.

 
This morning however, I woke up feeling the need to cut fabric into itty bitty bits and sew back together again.  So I finished a mini-quilt flimsy, needing only now to put quilt and bind it.   

Then I decided to cut even smaller pieces… these churn-dash squares are 2” finished…  yep.. insane.. mini quiltmakers are insane…  I think this mini quilt will end up about 7” x 9”  They will both be finished as mug-mats and put into the 2020 gift basket.