WIP Wednesday 10/21/2015

The same day I created the mermaid I shared last Wednesday, I sketched and colored in a little Halloween scene I planned to make into a fabric postcard or mug rug. Both projects will be quilted and bound into little mug rugs I will share next week.

My list of goals for next week might stress me out a bit, but there is some multi-tasking going on there. Three to four items should be marked off by tomorrow night. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #28 at Super Mom No Cape on October 19th. (If you missed the party on the 12th, you may check it out here!) Done! If you missed the post it is here. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. Finally finished! (For such a small project, it should have been done ages ago.) I will share photos when I add it to my Etsy inventory.

3. Complete my ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 15 post on October 20th. I planned time in my schedule to work on a new sample for this week's stitch, but was called out of town to help a relative that morning. I will combine my Week 15 post with my Week 16 post next Tuesday.

5. Begin embellishing one of Annette's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. The planning stages have begun. 

6. Finish a Halloween fabric postcard. (Or will it be a mug rug? Decisions, decisions...) This will be a mug rug. I just need to quilt and bind it. (Pictured above.)

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #29 at Super Mom No Cape on October 26th. (If you missed the party on the 19th, you may check it out here!) 

2. Complete my ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

3. Share a TAST Weeks 15 & 16 post on October 27th.

4. Finish the Halloween mug rug.

5. Finish the Mermaid mug rug.

6. Share a 1 Xmas Item a Month post on October 25th.

7. Piece a project to complete and submit to the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine by November 1st. (If you crazy quilt, click here to read about making a submission to the magazine.) Here is a sneak peek of the Winter edition to be released on November 1st that Pamela Kellogg shared on her blog. 

8. Create a project for the upcoming Christmas is in My Heart Blog Hop I barely made the sign up deadline for earlier this month at Seams To Be Sew. 

WIP Wednesday 10/14/2015

My stitching time has been limited this week. My main goal was to finish Kathy Shaw's free Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course (ICQC) #102. I almost made it! I have one more task to finish and hope to get that done tomorrow. Today, I finished embellishing this beautiful mermaid design. I am trying to decide if I will sew it into a fabric postcard or a mug rug. (I am leaning toward a mug rug - as it is functional.) I will be sure to share a picture when it is finished.

My sewing machine is out, so I hope to finish up several projects over the next few days. (For me, sewing feels like a chore, but I do love finishing off my embroidery projects.)

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #27 at Super Mom No Cape on October 12th. (If you missed the party on the 5th, you may check it out here!) It will be an update on my HAED Twilight Duel cross-stitch! I had 1,422 stitches completed when I last shared my progress. It has over 3,700 stitches now and should have more by then. Done! If you missed it, the post is here. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. It is oh so close! It is all cut and ready to sew in the morning.

3. Complete my ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs. Almost! I have one task to complete.

4. Share a TAST Week 14 post on October 13th. Done! If you missed the post, it is here. 

5. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Done! If you missed it, the post is here. 

6. Share Annette's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. (They were mailed to me earlier this week and should be here soon!) Done! If you missed it, the post is here.

7. Finish a Halloween fabric postcard. (Or will it be a mug rug? Decisions, decisions...)

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #28 at Super Mom No Cape on October 19th. (If you missed the party on the 12th, you may check it out here!) 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Complete my ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 15 post on October 20th.

5. Begin embellishing one of Annette's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. 

6. Finish a Halloween fabric postcard. (Or will it be a mug rug? Decisions, decisions...)

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

WIP Wednesday 10/07/2015

This week, my work in progress has been Kathy's block for our Under the Sea Round Robin. I shared a sneak peek yesterday in my TAST post and should share the completed block on Thursday or Friday.

Kathy's block will likely include at least one of these charms I colored as part of Kathy Shaw's free Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course (ICQC) #102.

And, it is confession time... I splurged during the last Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) sale and purchased 2 new charts. They are both Storykeeps (relatively small for HAED charts) based on artwork by Randal Spangler. One is SK Effects of Caffeine. The other is SK History of Chocolate. 

Justification for a new start: My current WIPs are too large or require too many supplies to work well as travel projects. And I could have done a lot of stitching during the many hours I spent in waiting rooms with an ill relative last month.

Justification for buying 2 charts: I planned to buy 1 chart, but shipping was the same for 2 and they were 35% off. Therefore, it was more economical to buy 2. And, the total purchase was less than the amount of money I had saved for craft supplies over the past few months. (See how my brain works?!)

Perfect timing: The charts arrived on Saturday. I found most supplies already in my stash on Sunday. Unexpected tire issues on my car lead to over 2.5 hours in a lobby waiting on Monday, so I managed over 300 stitches on the first day. (Without a travel project, what would I have to show for that time?! You see how dangerously enabling my logic is?!) 

I am only allowing myself to work on this project while in waiting rooms, etc., so updates will be sporadic and progress will be slow. This also allows me time to wait for a good sale or coupon before buying the few threads I am missing.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next week, I hope to have more to share.
-Renee

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #26 at Super Mom No Cape on October 5th. (If you missed the party on the 28th, you may check it out here!) It will be an update on my HAED QS Red Hearts cross-stitch! I had 3,072 stitches completed when I last shared my progress. It has over 5,000 stitches now. Done! If you missed the post, it is here. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs. Work on a mermaid was shared in my TAST post (see #4), and the charms above are also progress.

4. Share a TAST Week 13 post on October 6th. Done. 
If you missed the post, it is here. 

5. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. I made progress - part of which is seen in #4.

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #27 at Super Mom No Cape on October 12th. (If you missed the party on the 5th, you may check it out here!) It will be an update on my HAED Twilight Duel cross-stitch! I had 1,422 stitches completed when I last shared my progress. It has over 3,700 stitches now and should have more by then. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Complete my ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 14 post on October 13th.

5. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. (These need to be mailed prior to the 15th. I am aiming for Friday, the 9th.)

6. Share Annette's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. (They were mailed to me earlier this week and should be here soon!)

7. Finish a Halloween fabric postcard. (Or will it be a mug rug? Decisions, decisions...)

WIP Wednesday 09/30/2015

This week, I completed a Christmas cross-stitch from the Leisure Arts leaflet: Christmas Jar Toppers.

This is my 1 Xmas Item a Month finish for September. (If I manage to sit down with my sewing machine, I may have several items to share in October.)

As for my weekly goals...

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #25 at Super Mom No Cape on September 28th. (If you missed the party on the 21st, you may check it out here!) Done! The post is here.

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. Embroidery is done, I just need to sew it together.

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs. Included in my TAST post. I love Kathy Shaw's mermaid.

4. Share a TAST Week 12 post on September 29th. Done! If you missed it the post is here. 

5. Share pictures of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Done! If you missed the post, it is here.

6. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Nope, but I have made progress.

7. Share a 1 Xmas Item a Month Blog post. Done!

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #26 at Super Mom No Cape on October 5th. (If you missed the party on the 28th, you may check it out here!) It will be an update on my HAED QS Red Hearts cross-stitch! I had 3,072 stitches completed when I last shared my progress. It has over 5,000 stitches now. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 13 post on October 6th.

5. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

WIP Wednesday 09/23/2015

If you would like to see some eye candy, I encourage you to visit Quilting in Texas with Mary K. Beard. She shared her gorgeous work on this block that I made for our round robin.

I am afraid I have no pictures of my progress to share with you today. It has been another crazy week with out of town trips to help an ill relative. On a positive note, I get to spend more time with someone I care about. :)

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #24 at Super Mom No Cape on September 21st. (If you missed the party on the 14th, you may check it out here!) Done! If you missed the post, it is here.

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 11 post on September 22nd. Done! If you missed it the post is here.

5. Embellish a block for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Done! For a link to the post see goal #1. 

6. Share pictures of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Sort of done... The post is ready and scheduled to post on Thursday, the 24th.

7. Begin embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #25 at Super Mom No Cape on September 28th. (If you missed the party on the 21st, you may check it out here!) 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 12 post on September 29th.

5. Share pictures of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

6. Finish embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

7. Share a 1 Xmas Item a Month Blog post.

Work in Progress Wednesday 09/16/2015

I do not have any progress to show on the Christmas stockings this week. However, I thought I might share what I harvested from our backyard yesterday. 

My husband loves growing hot peppers for his amazing homemade guacamole. We still have several peppers that have not ripened, so there will be more.

The pumpkins I planted in our garden box are not doing all that well this year. So, I am glad we opted not to transplant the pumpkin plant that sprouted in our compost this year. It is huge. All 6 of these sugar pumpkins weigh roughly 4 lbs. There are 4 more pumpkins on the vine still ripening and a few more that are just beginning to grow. (I love all things pumpkin...) Last night, I made this pumpkin soup (although I added less liquid than it calls for because I had to omit the potatoes) and it was soooo yummy. I loved the addition of fresh rosemary.

Next week, I hope to have more stitching to share. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Renee

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #23 at Super Mom No Cape on September 14th. (If you missed the party on the 7th, you may check it out here!) It will be the second Monday of the month, so I will share progress on my HAED Twilight Duel cross-stitch. Done! If you missed the post, it is here. 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 10 post on September 15th. Done! If you missed the post, it is here. 

5. Embellish a block for the CQI UTS Round Robin. Almost. The TAST photo above is a sneak peek.

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #24 at Super Mom No Cape on September 21st. (If you missed the party on the 14th, you may check it out here!) 

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 11 post on September 22nd.

5. Embellish a block for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

6. Share pictures of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

7. Begin embellishing one of Kathy's blocks for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

Work in Progress Wednesday 09/09/2015

This week has been full of unexpected interruptions, requiring 4 trips out of town. So, I have not made a lot of progress on either stocking this week. In yesterday's post, I shared a photo of the couched tree I added to the snowman stocking. Above is a photo of the completed stitching to date.

Using straight stitches and size 12 perle cotton, I outlined squares along this seam on the Santa stocking. Next, I used a red size 8 perle cotton and created a red ribbon (with French Knots) and a bow (using 2 detached chain stitches) on each gift. The "wrapping paper" on the first three gifts was created with white and green size 12 perle cotton. The first two were decorated with French knots. The third consists of stem stitches. The last two need to be completed. I am just glad real life presents do not always end up perfectly square. My embroidered gifts certainly did not!

Last Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #22 at Super Mom No Cape on September 7th. (If you missed the party on the 31st, you may check it out here!) It will be the first Monday of the month, so I will share progress on my HAED QS Red Hearts cross-stitch. Done! The post is here.

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 9 post on September 8th. Done! The post is here.

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #23 at Super Mom No Cape on September 14th. (If you missed the party on the 7th, you may check it out here!) It will be the second Monday of the month, so I will share progress on my HAED Twilight Duel cross-stitch.

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 10 post on September 15th.

5. Embellish block for the CQI UTS Round Robin.

Work in Progress Wednesday 09/2/2015

Wow! I have been posting pictures of my Santa and the Mouse progress for so long, I had to stop and think about my next WIP to share.

Over the past few weeks, I have been adding Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) stitches to these two Christmas stockings. My goal is to complete them both before Christmas, so they make great WIP Wednesday projects.

Over ten years ago, I cross-stitched the Santa in the first stocking following a pattern by Alma Lynne. I believe it was in the book Alma Lynne's Country Cross-Stitch. (Note: The link will take you to the book at Amazaon.com. I am not associated with the book, but do receive a small credit from Amazon for purchases made from visitors from my blog.) At the time, I attempted to make it into a wall quilt for my husband, but my sewing skills were not up to the challenge. I set it aside to deal with in the future. My seam ripper and I had a date earlier this year, and I worked the piece into this stocking instead.

The second stocking was pieced featuring snowmen from the Daisy Kingdom Christmas is for Families #5223 fabric I purchased years ago. When it is complete, I will probably use a coordinating Daisy Kingdom Christmas is for Families #5239 fabric for the lining.

I did begin working on the Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) Twilight Duel cross-stitch chart based on artwork by Ruth Thompson. (You may see a picture on the sidebar to the right.) However, that project is going to take me ages to finish. I will probably give a monthly update in a Monday Stitchery Link Party post so I can share noticeable progress.

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

Last Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) It is done! 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #21 at Super Mom No Cape on August 31st. (If you missed the party on the 24th, you may check it out here!) Nope! As I sat down to write this post, my mom called and needed my help. Maybe next week!

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. Not yet...

4. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.  Hopefully soon...

5. Share a TAST Week 8 post on September 1st. Done! The post is here if you missed it. 

6. Share a 1 Xmas Item a Month Post. Done! You may view it here.

This Week's Goals:

1. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #22 at Super Mom No Cape on September 7th. (If you missed the party on the 31st, you may check it out here!) It will be the first Monday of the month, so I will share progress on my HAED QS Red Hearts cross-stitch.

2. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

3. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

4. Share a TAST Week 9 post on September 8th.