WIPocalypse - April 2018

Hi everyone.

(Late) WIPocalypse time, hosted by Measi's Musings

This month's WIPocalypse is more GradSchool-ocalypse. End of April is not the end of the world for the common student but the end of the semester (I'm lying, it feels like the end of the world).

Between all my projects I had to submit, my exams, papers, grading exams (Teaching assistant job) and everything related to my Master but not the courses, I found some times there and there to stitch procrastinate. Productive procrastination. Mostly Japanese Embroidery.

So my project from last WIPocalypse was there

And now it looks like this

-Paperbag foundation is done, i will add some decoration on top after my group meeting in May.

-Blue iris is done.

-Chrysanthemum is almost done. It needs knots and layers in the middle. I hate knots so much, so it will wait until the end, when i will have no choice but to do them.

-Worked on Yellow Valerian for my monthly groupe meeting. I also had a blue flat silk thread that I didn't want to throw away, i stitch it on the chrysanthemum I'll be doing later ( I need to do the left one before, because it's on foreground)

My goal for May will be finish the yellow, and maybe pinks if I have time.

But maybe it won't happen :  I have a new full time session with courses and more Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant contract beginning in May. I just received a very big scholarship for my grades, so all this hard work of stiching studying pays off :) ... so i will find time to stitch probably. Surely. I always find time. Even if i should be writing.

So far I have put more than 25 hours in this. Including the removing. I began to track my time in February, so it excludes Class time and everything before February ( But I really had no time to stitch before that, so maybe a 5 or 6 hours max ? It won't make a big difference in the end I suppose). It's really time consuming but also very rewarding. I feel like I do not only put a needle in a fabric endlessly without reason, I am learning more each time the thread plunge into the fabric. 

And I am also very slow stitcher, contemplating my piece everytime I have to take the decision where i should put my stitch. I hate doing mistakes. I really hope i will finish this piece before next year.

For the question of the month :

April 29 – Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO

Eeeeeeee. Well. My longest WIP/UFO/WIP (working on and off) is Elegance of the Orient, from Dimensions Gold.

It was my first very big project, I laid my first stitches on it in May 2014 (Almost 4 years !!).  Why did it became a UFO ? I think it's because of Aida 18 ct fabric. When i first stitched on linen 32 ct, I knew i would never come back to Aida. This why lady was sometimes put on the side while i was working on other projects. Also, after summer 2016, i didn't stitch for more than 1 year due to illness. I gradually came back to embroidery last automn.

Last picture i was there

Maybe I should seek to finish it this year, or 2019. I don't know. I do not feel the urge to work on it. I don't like to set unrealistic goals I deeply know I wont respect. I prefer listening to my innerself about it what I really want to accomplish, and this piece is not on my main to-do list. I have other priorities for the moment. (sorry !) So... maybe someday. 

This girl i've been following for long time had just finished it recently. It looks wonderful, you should have a look at it.

Elegance of the Orient - Pull the Other Thread

I hope you had a better month of stitching than me, and that I get more time in May. 

Happy stitching :)

WIPocalypse - March 2018

Hi everyone,

here is my monthly progress as March 25 31 WIPocalypse (almost on time !) . I've been talking a lot about Japanese Embroidery, but i still work sometime on my cross stitch. I've done a lot since my last monthly report, had some new starts on the way ( but no finishes ^_^ )

WIPocalypse rules are here on Measi Blog

So here is the question of the month : 

March 25 – What newer designers and product creators (fabric or floss dyeing, etc) out there have you discovered and recommend?
This year, I discover more of Japanese embroidery. I love de Japanese Embroidery Center designs, and also Midori Matsushima's ones. I love the silk thread, you can do so much with it, it's a pleasure to stitch because of its delicacy and beauty. 

Here are my progress !!  

Warning : VERY LONG POST. TOO MUCH PICTURES. (Joke, never enough pictures)

Japanese Embroidery

#1 Bouquet from the Heart of Japan

I won't lie, March was kinda hard for me. I've made a lot of work in February, but had to remove A LOT (like 6 or 7 hours of work, maybe more) because some things were not quite right.

So it all began here. 

Now it looks like this.  
Well... almost. I was too lazy to take another picture with paperbag done ;)

(It looks so empty without pinks !!! )

#2 Colours of Spring

This piece is a small kit from Midori Matsuchima. I did a little but of work on it, but it was before i has my Japanese Embroidery Class... si it's VERY FAR from perfect. Since i'am working mostly on my bouquet, i don't know when I will comme back on it. Maybe i will remove everything now that i had a complete formation. So here is what i looked like on the last time.

It's a little bit sad. I should really remove everything.

Cross stitch

Most of my time is on Japanese embroidery.... but i still do cross stitch ! Usually when i am too tired to do anything but repetitive movement and counting while watching movie. There is something very relaxing about cross stitching, almost contemplating.

In those 3 years (Ishhh.. ) of not blogging, i did a lot of work. I will try to recall every WIP and new beginnings i made ( And no finishes at all lol). I will try to have NO OTHER BEGINNINGS this year ... easier said than done. 

It all came to this : 

ok so let's go back to my UFO's... WIP's to see what was improved.


#1 Elegance of the Orient

Yesss ! A lot of work done ! 

 

Tadaa ! Lighting is not that good, maybe i will take another one someday.

#2 Jazz café

... and yess ! Improved ! 

Still a lot to do, but coming good !

#3 Mad Hatter

Well.. no. nothing.

Sorry

#4 Pagoda View

  Yes ! A little bit. Not easy to spot on this pictures. I will have another one someday.

 

 Bad lighting and bad phone kills art.

#5 Mini Hogg

Yay ! Moredone. But still unfinished. 

New Starts

This is where it hurts. When you should work on your things and you literally procrastinate cross stitch by cross stitching something else !!!

#1 Charlotte

From Mirabilia, my favorite. But I lost the pattern on my last moving :(

#2 Villa Mirabilia

This lady is so gigantic !!! I did almost nothing 

#3 Mini Birthday mouse.

Okay, I lied earlier when saying i finished nothing. I began AND finished this little cutie.

Ready to put in a card !!

#4 Kimono Sunset 

Annnnd thats it. For my defense, two of them were on a Eventually-To-Do-List. And i finished another one. 

So i think that's it... 

I feel so guilty for having all those WIP. Not blogging made me lose track of what i was working on, and how much of them i had !!!

As we say in french : Admitted offence is half forgiven.

Ok, this was long post. It's the punishment for not blogging for so long. Thanks for having made through it !!

IHSW Report Jan 2015

I've decided to participate to the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (Hosted by Joyce from Random Ramblings )

The rules for this are simple : Stitch all the weekend ! As much as your time permits it !

Exactly what I've been doing because i've been attacked by a terrible cold and fever that left me staying home and doing nothing «productive» all the weekend ...
Nothing productive meaning I felt like my brain was swimming in some jelly. Result : no homeworks and lectures, only sleeping, movies and stitching !  ( A week end of break sometime isn't bad ? )

I made a lot of progression on 3 projects from Friday to Sunday night ( Yep, missed my classes on Friday, I could'nt get out of bed, it was like a truck passed on me while I was sleeping  )


(Sorry for the picture quality, I take them from my old phone ) 

#1 Jazz Café  

Before

After

Close up

Anchor/Maia Collection

Black Aida 16 ct

I've been working on the dress and finished the brown already started.

#2 Elegance of the Orient

Before

After

Little close up 

Dimensions Gold

Cream Aida 18 ct

After doing so much blue in those 2, I relaxed with other colors in the last one ;)


#3 Mad Hatter

Before

After

HAED/ Hannah Lynn

White Lugana 28ct

I haven't done a lot of work on this one, because I like to keep it for when I'm tired of my other projects. This is the main reason why I don't expect to have it finished in 2015...

****

This is it for this month. My stitching pace is slow if I compare to others I follow but it's okay for me. It is not a race, I stitch because I love to ! 

I'm not sure to have time for the next one, because the due date will fall almost in the same period as my exams, and I suppose it would be suicide to dedicace all my weekend on stitching .
Only time will tell !

Hope you had a nice week end full of stitching too ! :)

Hello 2015 !

15 days later...

Happy New Year everybody ! I wish you time, health, love et 50% reduction on thread and patterns for 2015 !

2014 was a great year for me. After more than 10 years without cross stitching, i found my old sewing box covered in dust. Since I had quit my part time job in 2013, it was the first time I had nothing to do during Christmas time. (I had always been working fulltime during the 3 weeks vacations to have more money). And this is where everything started.

One year later, I am very pleased to have a blog and show you my projects and progressions.

***

Everything was listed as new project in 2014, so I don't have picture of before/after to show you.
So, let's go with the progression of my work so far, separated by resolutions. 

To finish

#1 Elegance of the Orient, Dimensions/Gold Collection

I didn't make progression this month, here is just a picture to show you where I am for now. I hope to finish it in 2015

#2 Jazz Cafe, Anchor/Maia Collection

This is the one I've been working the most on during Christmas Vacation. I completed the Elbow, the hairs, a little bit of the flower and almost finished the face (She looks more like a human now ! ) I love working on this project. The thread and the Aida are high quality ( Thanks Anchor kit! ) this is a pleasure to work with thread that's not knotting every 10 minutes ! I hope to give it to my parents this year !

 

***

To make progress

#1 The Mad Hatter, HAED/Hanna Lynn

No work has been done on this one on December. I do it very slowly, I hope to make a little bit of progression this year but i'm not sure to finish it, since I have more enjoying projects than this one. ( Hope it will not become a UFO ... It would be my first one :/ )

#2 Pagoda View, Anchor/Maia Collection 

New start here !! Because I can't bring Jazz Cafe home when my parents are there, I was stitching this one. Here is a picture of the work so far.

And the finished product will look like this :

You can see there is a major difference in the colours (grey and purple) It is because the image of the package I received was this. With purple. Such disagrement to see the grey thread instead of the beautiful purple expected.  

I was sooooo disapointed. I decided to look in my stash where i own more than 200 skeins. I found the 3 purples matching so I began to stitch. But then, I-don't-know-how-many-hours-later, I saw the picture of the two other cross stitch pictures associated with this one :

Well.... the two are made with grey thread. The package lied to me. I will remove the purple thread when I will have more courage. Until then.... I hope to make progress on it.

#3 WOXS Mini's

My little sister paid me a one year subscription of the Magazine The World of Cross Stitching for Christmas, and I will work on the little minis they're sending each month. This is the January project, a little card ^__^

***

To start

#1 Kimono Sunset, Anchor/Maia Collection

I bought this kit on September, and I hope to start it this year. But I will wait to have one of me project finished before! I don't want to have 10 projects in the same time... I don't like the rotation concept ( But I do not judge people doing it ! It's their thing and way to do, not mine !! )

#2 Charlotte, Mirabilia

The last time I went to cross stitch boutique, it was to buy needles ( Only had one left) and new box and bobins because I missed place for all my skeins the last time.
The problem is, I can go there and buy only the things I have to !!!! I fell in the Mirabilia Collection and absolutely had to return home with her :

The owner didn't had the fabric in stock so she ordered it for me. I will receive it in one or two weeks.  I can't wait to do the first stitch !

(Surprisingly, It costed me around 85$ CAN for everything (including taxes) and would have cost me 88,37$ CAN (At today's rate) if i had bought the exact same thing on 123Stitch with shipping fees ... )   

 ***

So, this is it, I hope to be here on January 2016 to see the progress made through the year, and that you'll be still following me ! 

Now is time to get out of the internet's and stitch ! Have a nice week end !

:)

(So sorry if there are mistakes, I try to improve my English everyday !! )