August and September WIPs

I'm not sure what brought my attention back to cross stitch, but I'm thrilled it was. I used to stitch every day when I was younger, and my projects slowly became more crochet-oriented. Even then, my adult responsibilities would erode my time and interest in crafting. I'm sure many people can relate to this story! 😀

All summer, I've been feeling restless and "stuck." The endless cycle of work, sleep, work, sleep. I picked up a WIP from many years ago, Epic Pokemon Generation 1 and declared that I would devote a little time to it every day. 

While that declaration hasn't necessarily "improved" my life, I feel accomplished in meeting this goal, and most days, I'm excited to sit down and do a little stitching after supper. Watching the pattern grow and experiencing the understanding that small actions make significant progress has been a joy for me these past few weeks.

Every once in a while, we need little reminders of our incredible powers. ★

With that introductory story done, let's proceed to the pictures!

Where I had left off, sometime in 2017/2018

I resumed stitching this epic project in the third week of August. There was a lot of prep work, such as finding and sorting the threads, tracking my prior progress, and making a list of what materials I still needed. It was a fun trip to Michaels to buy the remaining floss-- about 32 colours!

With that in hand, I could start chugging along on the pattern. I skipped a lot of confetti when I first worked on this, so the first two weeks were devoted to filling in all those holes. Very tedious but oh so satisfying to look at once complete.

I was disappointed to discover that the near-completed Taurus was off by a single stitch. Much frogging was to be done. 🐸

Progress as of September 3

One week later, with 4 Pokemon completed.

As every crafter knows, the temptation to purchase new projects is ever looming. I gave in quite quickly-- and got to knock off a bucket list item! 

I have always wanted to do a pretty fairy or mermaid, such as the ones from Mirabillia and Nora Corbett, but my supplies were limited. (Woes of living in a small town! 😆) Joyously, I found a seller on Etsy that provides complete kits and didn't hesitate.

While it's not either of the creators listed above, the Bella Filipina designs are even prettier! I got Hummingbird Pixie. I love the bright, robust colours. I am a rainbow girl, through and through. <3

I know this project will be challenging, as I've never beaded or worked with Kreinik, but I look forward to the journey ahead!

The first week of stitching!

Week two

I will stick with the challenge I declared for myself over a month ago: to craft every night. I've successfully dedicated an hour daily, about 50-100 stitches a night. I'm enjoying myself quite a bit and see no reason to stop.

Thanks for stopping in and taking a look. Share your stories about dedicating time to your hobbies, and enjoy this picture of my lizard peeking through the mouth of a skull hideaway. 😍

Rico, my Leopard Gecko

October 2016 IHSW

I hope everyone's IHSW's went well. My progress wasn't too bad, considering I managed to squeeze in a finish. :)

I really don't like neutral and earth-toned colours, so filling in the skin was very slow and tedious work for me. I took many breaks this weekend, which I probably should've used to work on one of my other projects, but I'm stubborn and didn't. :P

I decided to wait until my brother's birthday and let him choose how he would like it finished. He can be incredibly picky and hard to please, so I don't want to do anything with it, on the off chance he won't like it. Better safe than sorry!

Pre-IHSW October Update

Well, it's been a while since I last updated, mostly due to life and feeling ill. I've cross-stitched on and off these past few weeks, which I hope will pick up, since Christmas is fast approaching! I do have some WIPs today, and I am determined to make a lot of progress this weekend.

I'm nearly done the Cyndaquil for my brother's birthday, with only the skin tones left. I still have 12 days left before his b-day, so I'm very happy that it will be done early. I'm still deciding if I should frame it, or sew it into a pillow/hanging ornament. :)

I found this free pattern on Pinterest back in September. I thought it would be a quick and easy project that I could have finished by Halloween, but I got distracted by other projects. I don't know if that goal will still be met, haha!

And the final WIP is of a Christmas Sampler SAL featured in CrossStitcher. My local library gets the monthly issues which I discovered recently, so I'm scrambling to catch up (even though there's no need to be "caught up" :p ). I would very much like this complete for Christmas.

That's everything, so I will see you on Monday when IHSW ends. Good luck to everyone participating! :)

Black Cat "Frightful" Finish

I have a Halloween finish to showcase today. I've been working on this very intermittently since about 2012, I'd say. I'm very happy to finally see it finished. I can't wait to get it framed and hung up for the season. :)

Where I had left off last year.

Finished!

You can find the free pattern here: It's Daffycat: Black Cat "Frightful"

August 2016 IHSW

IHSW was a success for me despite my allergies rearing its head: I achieved a finish and even started a new project. Unfortunately, today is rainy and cloudy, so I had to use the flash function on my camera.

My finish is a Deer Silhouette that I will be making into an ornament. I have plans to stitch a red one on green aida as well, to make a set. I found some really lovely felt last year that is all sparkly and Christmasy, which I will be using as the base. Can't wait. :)

I'm tempted to make a blue/white combo as well.

My brother's birthday is in October, and for the past few years now, he's asked for various different stitched Pokemon, but mostly for a Cyndaquil. So that is what I will be making for him this year. If I have enough time, I'll probably work on its evolutions as well.

This image is from "Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire"

This is the progress I made during IHSW.

First Post & Turkey Placemat

This is the first post of my brand new blog, so an introduction is in order. My name is Petra, and I plan to use this to showcase my WIPs and finishes and any other crafty things I participate in. I mostly do needlework, such as cross stitch and crochet. I'm not sure what else to say, just thank you for visiting and enjoy. :)

We're only midway through August, but my mind is already thinking holidays! Before you know it, they're upon you and you're left struggling to understand where the time went. I don't want to experience that this year, so I'm starting early (and orderly). First up will be Thanksgiving Day, which comes in October for us Canadians.

I have a few projects planned, one of which is now finished. The Turkey Placemat is a free pattern that worked up quickly but was bigger than I had expected. I didn't like how the beak looked crocheted (and I didn't think I would like the feet), so I made it out of felt. I also didn't have any fall coloured variegated yarns, so I'm happy the purple-ly one I used looks good. There was a lot of improvisation for this project!