4th Annual Piggy Bank Savings Challenge

This was my 2nd year participating with the Piggy Bank Savings Challenge hosted by Val at Val's Quilting Studio. 

Last year, I saved $88.48 between August 1st and July 5th. 

(Here is the post where I shared the total & here is how I spent it.)

This year I managed to save $92.52.

(It would have been more, but I took some big, heavy blankets that are hard on my washing machine to the laundromat with a few of the quarters I had tucked away.)

Looking at the funds I saved, it is tempting to splurge on pretty fabrics for a new project.

However, my main crafty goal this year has been to finish some UFOs.

(If you missed the post with the priorities for this year, it is here.)

So, I am going to buy a couple of yards of interfacing that I need for two UFOs and put the rest of the money towards a student loan.

If you would like to see how everyone else did that signed up for the challenge, you may find the links here. 

And if you think you might like to join the fun next year, 

sign ups begin on July 13th for the 

5th Annual Piggy Bank Savings = Money for Quilting Challenge on Val's blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Renee

Twilight Duel Update #20 - July 2017

On June 5th, this is how my Heaven and Earth Designs "Twilight Duel" cross-stitch based on artwork by Ruth Thompson looked.

(I have a confession... I may be splurging soon to purchase a phone case featuring Ruth Thompson's artwork. If you are curious, you may find them here. I am not affiliated with her artwork or this company.)

In June, I added 2,783 stitches. (1,674 of those were added after I shared the above photo on June 5th.)

A full photo of this piece may be found on the sidebar to the right.

39,224 stitches are done, so there are 108,376 stitches to go...

My next update should reach the 40,000 stitches milestone.

Percent Complete:

Project: 26.57% (It was 25.44%.)

Pages 1 & 2: 100%

Page 3: 20.95% (It was 18.94%.)

Page 4: 100%

Page 5: 1.83%

Page 6: 0%

Page 7: 46.63% (It was 28.25%.)

Page 8: 100%

Page 9: 2.73%

Page 10: 0.25%

Page 11: 0%

Page 12: 0%

Page 13: 42.51% (It was 40.87%.)

Page 14: 3.62%

I am linking with Monday Stitchery Link Party #117 at Super Mom - No Cape!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

July 2017

We are already halfway through 2017. Can you believe it?! 

Looking back at the projects I hoped to work on in June (found here), I completed the following:

#1 I finished 1 of the projects for my Etsy shop. Photos will be shared soon.

#6 on my list was to finish embellishing the "E" block from the Crazy Quilting International Hearts Round Robin I participated in back in 2014 and to sew the blocks into a wall quilt. The embellishment is complete! You may see more about the embellished "E" block here.

#7 I did make progress on the crazy quilted Christmas stocking I am making for my son. You may read more details here.

#8 was to finish Block 5 for the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM through Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends. I pieced the block and ironed the applique into place, but still have a fair amount of hand stitching to do. 

Here is my updated list for the APQ UFO Challenge. (My original post about the challenge is here.)

Thanks to this challenge, I have 3 finishes and have made progress on 3 others.

There are a lot of chores and big projects we are hoping to finish around the house this month, so I do hope my crafty time will be productive!

July Goals:

1. Complete 2 projects for my Etsy shop. Sewing this under-the-sea block into an eye glasses case will be one of those projects. 

2. Finish gifts for my friend's daughter.

3. Sew the 6 blocks from my CQI Hearts Round Robin into a wall hanging. (This was #2 on my APQ UFO Challenge list and was selected for May.)

4. Finish embellishing the stocking I am making for my eldest son. (This was #10 on my APQ UFO Challenge list and was selected for June. Current progress may be seen above.)

5. Finish my CQJP 2013 January block into a finished project. (This is #1 on my AQP UFO Challenge list and was selected for July. Please note: the house was stitched from the Stoney Creek Country Living Collection "Cozy Winter Twilight" chart. You may read more about this block here. )

6. Finish Block 5 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM through Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends. (Progress seen above.)

7. Finish Block 6 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM through Sew Incredibly Crazy and Friends. Block 6 is actually a border for Block 5 that was designed by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks. You may see it here.

8. I am participating with The Stitching Hour 2017 on Instagram. It is a personal Challenge inspired by AmbitiousStitches to stitch 1 hour a day from June 1st through August 1st. If you are interested in following my progress, it will be shared here.

Top 5 Viewed Posts in June:

1. June 2017 - here

2. A Floral Seam & a New Book - here

3. "E" Block Progress - here

4. CQI Heart RR "E" Block is Done! - here

5. TAST 76 - here (This was also the 5th most viewed post in May.)

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

Fractal White Tiger June 2017

This month I added 612 stitches to the Charting Creations Fractal White Tiger cross-stitch I am working on for my eldest son. The piece is based on artwork by Ricky Barnard.

The top 4 rows of page 6 are now complete. There are only 5 rows to go!

This is how it looked last month. There was still a fair amount of confetti to fill in above the eye. There are some larger blocks of color coming up, which should stitch much faster. So, I may have more visible progress next month. I hope so, as I am eager to work down to his nose!

I began this project 18 months ago, on January 1, 2016, as part of what is now called the 2017 Stitcher's Group. In that time, I have spent 63 days working on this piece. I cannot wait to finish my current focus piece so I can spend more time with this one.

It is so fun to see a piece of fabric and several colors of thread turn into such an amazing image.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

A Magical Ride!

Several years ago, I purchased Stoney Creek Collection: Cool Friends Book 211. I loved the snowmen and this darling chart for "Magical Ride" was an instant favorite.

Imagine my delight when I discovered stitching a mirror image of the pattern (and omitting the snowy hills) would allow it to fit perfectly onto a patch of the crazy quilt stocking I am making for my eldest son!

This was my first time using Kreinik Blending Filament (which reminded me of tinsel for the Christmas tree that my mom used to buy every year) and I loved the extra sparkle it added to the metal parts of the sleigh. The fringes of the scarf used the Turkey Stitch, which was another first for me.

(If you are on Instagram, you may find all of my "Magical Ride" update photos here.)

This Christmas stocking is #10 on my list for the All People Quilt UFO Challenge 2017, which was the project selected for June. I will not finish it this month, but am very happy with this darling snowman addition!

My progress on this stocking will also be shared on the 1 X-mas Item a Month blog. (There are some darling creations being shared again this year if you want to check them out here.)

I am also linking with Monday Stitchery Link Party #116 at Super Mom - No Cape! (If you do any hand stitching and have a blog, please join the party!)

New Crazy Quilting Books:

For those of you that Crazy Quilt (or want to learn to Crazy Quilt), you may be interested in knowing Kathy Shaw has published another book. If you order a copy from her Etsy Shop by July 3rd, you may take advantage of a discounted price. You may learn more about it here and there is more info and a few sneak peeks here.

Sharon Boggon also released a great embroidery book. You may find it here. (At the time of this post, Amazon lists it as the #1 New Release in Patchwork.)

Please note: I am not affiliated with either book or shop. Links are added for your convenience.

2020 Challenge

Have you heard about the 2020 Challenge? If you crazy quilt (or want to begin) I encourage you to check it out here at Pintangle. You may also see Sharon B.'s first block for her 2020 Challenge here. 

If you are going to participate, please let me know! I really want to join the fun, but am determined to continue marking UFO's off of my list. So, I would love to follow your progress and cheer you on!

Thanks for stopping by!

Renee