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

Profits Pouring, and Bent Creek Snappers

Three rotation turns, and two projects!  I worked on my Snappers, then my China-kit, then my Snappers again, because the first time they got very little progress.

So here is where the Snappers were:

Between the two rotation turns I managed to finish up August  (the white gulls show up clearly in real life but not with the camera) :

And get a fair bit of September done:

So now I am almost 3/4 s done with this project.  I need to finish up September Brings and get the border further down on that side.

'Profits Pouring' is my partial-printed, pre-inked China kit.  I had this much done, which is all of Part One:

I did Part Two, which was much smaller - only the second crane:

And started Part Three, which is the blue bird and the flowers in the lower left corner.

There is backstitching in this part for the first time.  My stitching is covering it up, but I have also got a pattern I can go by.  I'm thinking of putting a little bit of backstitching in the cranes' wings, even though it is not called for on the pattern.

I'm having a weird issue with this - sometimes when I'm working on it, the fingers holding the needle will suddenly turn dark red at the tips and they feel like they're burning.  When I stop stitching, it fades in just a few minutes.  I don't know if it's because of some chemical on the fabric or the floss (I have a lot of skin allergies) or because I sometimes have to hold the needle tightly to get the floss through the fabric.  The 11 count with 3 strands should be easier but the dye makes the holes smaller, so it is not easy to pull through.  I'm not sure which is the reason, but it's annoying and slows down my progress with this kit.

I'm working on Unspoken now and will be until midnight on the 24th - on the 25th, I may pick my Snappers back up.  I'm thinking of making them my focus piece so I would have my Mother's Day present for 2016.

Happy Stitching!

Tama

Gift of the Eagle Feather, #1

Here is my first rotation turn for Gift of the Eagle Feather!

It actually only got four days, since my rotation is to pick up something different on the 5th, but that's okay.  I'm pleased with what I got - I'm actually pretty close to the first eagle wing :D

I had left out one project on my rotation list so I just made a new page of '2016 WiPs'.  It's up top!

Hope you all had a Happy New Year :D

Tama

My January 1st Project

Always have to have a new start on January First!

I thought I might start Lavender & Lace's Angel of Hope, which my mother also wants, but I decided instead to start a kit that I've wanted for a long time and finally got my mitts on.

It's a discontinued Dimensions Gold Collection and is called 'Gift of the Eagle Feather'

There's a whole lot of half-cross stitch in my future!

Sometime this year I will also start Angel of Hope, and probably another HAED. 

My rotation is going to be these projects (no particular order)

Unspoken
Gift of the Eagle Feather
Flower of the East
Lovers
Chang Wufei
Monthly Snappers
Acquainted with the Night
and something small.  Don't know what yet :D

I still don't have pictures of the framing but they are coming soon!  Everything looks great :D :D :D

Tama

Mini Moods of Change

While waiting on getting my stitching back from the framer, I thought I would show you guys this pretty thing.

It's a free pattern from the same designer that did the 'Mini Rings of Change' that I crocheted earlier this year.

His shop is HERE, for those interested.

I did this in a few days, on breaks at work, while I was finishing up Gracie at home.  It was done in the last days of November.

It's really pretty - I used Coral, Lt Coral, and Brick Red.  I have no idea what I will do with it.  I will say it was a lot easier and quicker than Mini Rings.  Smaller, though.

I want to make the big version now :D  But I will be good and get back to my large projects of Rings of Change first.

Probably.

PS - I showed this to my brother, and he said it was very pretty, but made him hungry, because I did it in 'bacon' colors.  Men... XD

Angel of Grace

All done up!

I got an extra day as my framer had to close on the 9th so I'm going in tomorrow.  Therefore, I had a bit of breathing room.

Finished her up last night and she's lovely!  There's an ort laying next to her wingtip in the picture, but I plan to take a better one after she's been pressed, anyway.

She's currently drying from a very successful bath.  She's so gorgeous!  I wish you guys could see her in person!!!

She's 11x17 on 32ct Bay Leaf Joblean.  I don't have a start date, and she languished in my UFO pile for years, so I can't really say how long she took.  But she's done and I'm thrilled :D :D :D

I have two more finishes to show you tomorrow - I will be scheduling the post 'cause tomorrow is Framer & Christmas Shopping Day.  I plan to be happily exhausted XD

In the Home Stretch

I am so close to being finished with Gracie!

If she's going to be framed for my Mum for Christmas, she has to be done, washed, dry, ironed, and ready to go by the time I go to bed on the 8th.

So even though I'm close, I have to stay busy!  Tomorrow and Friday I won't have much time to stitch - Sunday, either.  So it's down to Saturday and Monday.

I did up all the roses on her skirt (aka confetti-land):



And I am somewhere around 2/3rds done with the ruffle:



I have to finish the last, large bit of ruffle and then go back and do all the metallic bits that I left.

Then she will be done!

I'm thinking of posting my daily progress just to keep myself on track.  We'll see :D


PS - I also have to get my nephew's Lego-Letter name done by Tuesday evening, but I only have to finish backstitching the bottom border on that.  I'll show you guys soon!