Love, a Cowboy, a SAL and Maybe a Start?

I misplaced (I have no idea how) the project that was going around in my purse with me, so I got out an old kit to work on.  It's 'Love, Love, Love' by Charmin' Kits.  I am stitching it 'love-row' at a time - here's where it was:

And here it is now:

There's only one row to go - it's the biggest one, though, but I think I can do it pretty quick.  I think.  It's the word 'Love' in rainbow colors.  I think I could make this my first finish of 2016 :D

For my rotation turn - my Cowboy!  The kit is called 'Acquainted with the Night', and is a very old kit by Design Works.  Here is where I was:

I was struck by the sudden need to stitch a horse, and so I did:

I almost finished its shadow, too :D  A little more of the background around it, then I'm going to start the backstitching.  The colors look so weird up close but from a distance, they look like the horse and rider are outlined in light from the golden setting sun.  It's gorgeous, but I'm not sure the picture conveys it.  Ah, well.

I'm a member of a facebook group called Stitch Maynia; I love to read the posts but I never post anything.  I'm a lurker!  But they do monthly stitch alongs with easy rules - just stitch on something that matches the theme!  For March, they have 'It's Not Easy Being Green' where all you need is a project with green in it.  I have another small kit that will be for either my Mum or my sibling, both of whom love daisies:

It's barely started, but would make a nice gift, so I joined the SAL to give it a bump :D  I'll be taking it to work with me in March, along with 'Love, Love, Love' - I'll have a purse rotation, lol!!!  Here's where it is:

If I don't get it done, April's SAL on the group is 'April Showers Bring May Flowers', so I can just keep right on going with the same thing :D :D :D

Finally - I've seen on a few Flosstube videos and stitchy blogs that some people are starting a new project on Leap Year Day... that had not occurred to me but I'm very tempted to do it!  Just a sudden, impulsive start of anything I want!  I'll post tomorrow if I decide to take the plunge!!!

Happy Stitching!

Tama

Some Christmas Framing

I had six pieces framed to give as Christmas presents in 2015 - they got done so close to Christmas that I never found time to get any pictures.  The other day my sibling and I took the ones for my Mum and Dad outside and got pictures of them - still a little bit reflective, but this is probably as good as they are going to get!

'Angel of Grace' by Lavender and Lace, framed in an antique frame my mother has been saving in her closet forever just for this angel!  She is huge, almost four feet high!

I can't tell which picture is better - one has less reflection but the other has better focus... I think.

And 'God Bless America', a Janlynn kit framed for my Dad - I didn't get the other project I wanted to finish for him done, since Gracie took a little longer than I thought she would.  But he loves this and he's wanted it framed for a while.  We already had this frame, too - it matches the others in his office. I think it came out a little large for the project, but my Dad really likes it so who cares?  That's a bit of wicker from the chair at the bottom, not a broken bit of frame :D

Since I supplied my own frames, I got them both framed for a lovely cheap price!  Gracie was $26 and the Eagle was $23!  

I also got four smaller pieces framed, but I am still nagging my siblings to take pictures for me :D Hopefully I will have them soon!  I don't think I ever even showed two of the finishes XD

Happy Stitching!

Tama

'Unspoken' #2

I'm not sure when we are supposed to post our progress on the 'New Stitchy Start' blog, since it is Leap Year and the days are different.  I think that last year we started posting on the 25th but I'm not sure!  I think I'll wait until someone else posts there and then follow them :D

Here's my progress on 'Unspoken' though - I wanted to go ahead and post it, since I'm trying to only post one project at a time for a while, to keep my blogging interest alive, lol!!!

Here's last month:

And here's this month:

More filled in across, and some filled in down the first two columns.  That purple arrow I drew in the top right is the middle of the top row!  I've reached it!  (Part of page 1 is under the q-snap cover.)  Now to fill in those two pages... ha!

I'm one of those little girls who loved horses and grew up and still is nuts about them - for some reason this week, I really, really wanted to stitch a horse.  I did not want a new start, however, so that should give a big ol' clue as to which project I am pulling out next!

Happy Stitching!

Tama

Lovers!

It's been a long time since I worked on this one!  QS Lovers is from a Freebie SAL several years ago on the HAED bulletin board.  The artwork is by Nene Thomas, who I think is retired off the site. Here's the original art:

Here's how they looked last time I worked on them:

And I finished the first page, finally!!!:

Then I got a good bit more work done, mostly on page 3, but a little on page 2 and 4 :D

I'm pretty happy with this one's turn!  I think I'll move on to Unspoken while I'm in a HAED sort of mood :D

Happy Stitching!

Tama

Flower of the East - 2016 #1

So I chose my lovely adopted 'Flower of the East' to work on next - this one I am very, very slow with because she is on the worst, floppiest linen ever and yet I can't put her in a hoop or frame.  I have to work with her in hand - it is the only way I can make my stitches look the same as the ones already done.  I suspect they were stitched in hand, as well.

Anyway, here's where she was:

And here's where she is:

I finished all the cross stitches for the tree branch, all the flowers on the right, all the missing peach shades of half cross stitch in the 'sky', and all the backstitch on the right.  There are still french knots to do, but I'm going to finish the left side flowers and backstitch them, then put her in a Q-snap for the french knots.  There's no way I'm trying to get those done in hand.

As I work on her this year, I'm going to continue working from the top down, filling in all the random missing bits - the lady who gave her to me stopped working in the weirdest places on her!  After I get the tree branch done, there are random missing bits in the parasol to do.

For now, though, she's put away and I'm off to choose my next rotation piece!

Happy Stitching!!!

Tama

A Large Chunk of Wufei!

That title sounds a little weird, lol!

It's accurate, though - Wufei was here the last time I worked on him:

And I apologize for the flash burn, but he's here now:

I have reached the bottom of the pattern!!!  YAY!  I also got several hundred stitches of blue on his chest done.  I'm quite happy with this rotation turn.

I think I know what I'll work on next, but I won't say in case I change my mind in the morning.

Happy Stitching!

Tama

Portrait of Christ #2

Here's where I got to by the fourth - going fairly quick for slowpoke me :D

I remember seeing this kit on several blogs a few years ago and all of them called it difficult - I think that was why I got it.  For the challenge, lol!  There is a lot of confetti and blends but after a HAED - this is easy-peasy.

(Hopefully, those won't turn in to 'famous last words'!!!)

I haven't really picked a project yet for today - I put a few stitches on the October block of my Snappers but I don't think I'm sticking with it.  I feel the need to work on another WIP and then pick up the Snappers on the 10th.

Maybe Wufei will be next!  Nice big blocks of color :D :D :D

Happy stitching!

Tama

Unspoken, Snappers AGAIN, & Another New Start

I worked on 'Unspoken' for maybe 2 of the 5 days he should have gotten - I got distracted by jigsaw puzzles.

He was here:

Now he's here:

At least there are some soft-focus branches starting to show up!

Snappers got another turn but I neglected it, too.  I managed to finish up the September block and all the border next to it:

So Snappers is now 3/4ths of the way done!

The lighting was dim so the colors are still not correct - the leaves are a beautiful medium green and the grapes are brighter purple.  Oddly, the pear looks almost right.

I didn't finish 'Acquainted with the Night' for my father's Christmas present last year (obviously) but I had intended to finish it up this year.  I had some unopened kits laying on my table when he came up the other day, though, and he picked one up and said, "Wow - I haven't seen that picture in years!  That's a really old picture - my parents had that on the wall when I was a kid.  Are you going to stitch that one?"  So of course I am!!!  He may get two stitched presents this year, because I want to finish up Night, as well.

But here's the one he liked - excuse the flash, please:

'Portrait of Christ' - Designs for the Needle by Praying Hands for Leisure Arts.  How's that for a title? lol!  I started it on the 30th, so it's this far:

I haven't worked on it yet today, but I will.  And I will be working on it until the 4th :D  Then I will probably pick the Snappers back up - I want to finish them!  But I may work on Gift of the Eagle Feather first.  We'll see how it goes.

Happy stitching, guys!  I'm admiring all your new starts!

Tama