TUSAL Update - February 2015

February jar of ORTs

Hi once again!  It's TUSAL time again!  

I've slowly been unpacking my craft items over the last several days and have been able to settle down in the evenings to work on my "Scenic Bridge" piece as well as another butterfly by designer Gail Bussi.  This should be the fourth and last one that I need to complete before passing them off to a friend to complete a baby quilt.  It's a joint gift from the two of us for another friend who had a baby girl back in October 2014.  The move caused me to be seriously delayed in getting my part completed so this will be a belated gift for an almost 4-month old.  I don't think she'll mind if it's a bit late.  I hope not anyway.  

The next posting is due March 20, 2015.  If you're not sure what the heck a "TUSAL" or "ORT" is, be sure to check out the link to the TUSAL Challenge by clicking on the link on the main blog page.  

As always, Happy Stitching!!!

Joining Turtle Trot 2015

So as usual, I'm a little late to the party.  Hahaha!  Oh well.  Better late than never as they say.

Anyway, I decided to join the Turtle Trot Challenge for 2015, hosted by BAP Attack.  Check out her blog by clicking here or clicking on the link on my main page.  

Here are the Turtle Trot rules:

1. Pick ten pieces to stitch for 2015.

2. Post progress pictures on the 10th of the month.

3. Link up on the BAP Attack monthly blog post so we can all admire your progress and cheer for you.

4. Hop around and see how far everyone's gotten and cheer for them.

Now the hard part...trying to decide what to choose for this challenge.  I think I'll go with the following for now:

1.  "Scenic Bridge" by Barbara Sestok must go on this list.  I've been trying to make myself work on it for a couple of years now.

Finished Design

Progress as of 2.10.15

2.  "Flutterby Trio" by Gail Bussi - Printed in The World of Cross Stitching magazine #204.  I'm actually doing these as separate butterflies to be used in a small quilt for a friend's baby girl.  There will be four butterflies and one square with her name and birth date.  I've completed three butterflies so far but still need to work on the fourth one.  

Finished Design

3.  "Simply Sunflowers" by Paula Vaughan - Printed in Paula Vaughan's Bouquets & Blossoms book.  This one has not been started yet but it's a design that I've been meaning to do for myself for several years now.  Time to get it started!

New Start on the Sunflower Design

4.  "Winter Cardinal" - Information for this piece will have to be provided later.  The pattern is still packed up from our recent move to Charleston.  It's almost finished so hopefully, I'll be able to wrap this one up soon and get it framed.  It's a gift for Christmas 2015.

Progress as of 10.4.13

5.  "Summer Fairy" by Joan Elliott - Again, the design itself is still packed up. Got to find it before I can continue working on this one.  The joys of moving!

Finished Design

Progress as of May 2012

6.  "Fire Goddess" by Joan Elliott - Not to sound like a broken record here, but the design is still packed up.  This would be a new start.  I actually haven't even ordered the fabric yet!

New Start for this Finished Design

There is a possibility that I may not start the "Fire Goddess" until late in the year or even into next year.  If that's the case, I may remove it from the Turtle Trot list and include another UFO or two once I unpack the rest of my items.  Living surrounded by boxes is getting old and I really want to settle down and start stitching on a more regular basis again. [sigh] Little by little, we are getting unpacked so hopefully, it won't be much longer!

Scenic Bridge Update - 2.10.15

Finished design in Magazine

Soooo....I didn't finish the Scenic Bridge project for Christmas 2014 as I had originally hoped.  But I had a good reason!!!  Moving!  At least that's what I keep telling myself.  Ha ha ha!  I've mentioned before that I really don't like this design that much as it is definitely not my style preference but it's perfect for the person it's being stitched for.  It's "Scenic Bridge" by Barbara Sestok and the design appeared in the August 1998 edition of "Cross Stitch & Needlework" magazine.  I've had a hard time making myself work on it but I've definitely made some progress since our move to SC.  I packed all of my other projects so if I wanted to cross-stitch, it has to be on this one as it's the only one currently unpacked!

Here's my progress thus far along with a photo I recently took of the finished pattern in the magazine.  I have made a couple of changes to the colors and the background fabric but everything else is the same.

Previous Progress as of 5.11.14

Current Progress as of 2.10.15

TUSAL Progress - May & June 2014 Update

Last month, I accidentally forgot to post my ORTs for May so this month is a combination of both May and June 2014.  I did do quite a bit of cross-stitching and Hardanger during this time, completing a piece for a friend's wedding and at least one small item that I hope to make into a Christmas card.  I started working on two other small designs for cards that I hope to have finished soon.  And I did manage to work on the Scenic Bridge a little.  Just a little. :-)

The next posting is due July 26, 2014.  If you're not sure what the heck a "TUSAL" or "ORT" is, be sure to check out the link to the TUSAL Challenge by clicking on the link on the main blog page.  

Happy Stitching!!! 

Scenic Bridge Update - 5.12.14

As I mentioned in my last post, I joined an online SAL through Facebook that ran from Friday, 5/9/14 through Mother's Day on Sunday, 5/11/14.  I did make a little progress but wasn't able to stitch as much as I wanted to.  However, it was for a good reason as my husband's family came into town for the weekend and a local barbeque festival held on Saturday.  We had a great time over the weekend and it's always good to see my in-laws.  I'm lucky that way! :-)  On the down side though, I wasn't able to complete as much on Scenic Bridge as I had wanted.  The good news is that I believe there is another online SAL coming up very soon so I'll keep stitching away on this one.  You can see my progress in the photo below.  The top picture is my "Before" and the bottom is the "After" photo.

Progress as of 5.8.14 (top) and 5.11.14 (bottom)

Progress on Scenic Bridge

Over the past week I have been working on the Scenic Bridge.  This is the design that I am not really that fond of but that I believe my friend will love.  I'm trying to finish it for her birthday in August or at least by Christmas.  I think I've made pretty good progress on it thus far.  I've included a couple of photos below.  I snapped these in a hurry so they are not the best quality but it should give you an idea of what I was able to complete. 


Previous progress as of 4/26/14



Current progress as of 5/8/14

I joined an online SAL scheduled for this weekend (May 9th to May 11th) and I'm going to continue working on this piece.  I do have family coming in for the weekend so I'm not sure how much I will get completed but I can at least work on it at night.  We usually watch movies in the evenings so it's a perfect time to get some stitching in.  Wish me luck!

UFO's Spotted EVERYWHERE!!!

Yes, you read that right!  UFO's have been spotted everywhere at my house!  I have so many unfinished cross-stitch and craft projects that it's just ridiculous!  I was cleaning up a little in my home office/craft room and found numerous projects that are in various stages of progress.  I really, really need to stop beginning new projects and work on the ones I have. [sigh]  I doubt that will EVER happen. Hahaha! ;-)

UFO located in my craft room

One good thing came out of my cleaning however.  I found an older design that I started years ago with a good friend in mind.  She loves old covered bridges and mills and I thought that this pattern would be perfect for her.  She even loves fishing!  It's "Scenic Bridge" by Barbara Sestok and the design appeared in the August 1998 edition of "Cross Stitch & Needlework" magazine.  I've had this pattern forever it seems! 

I've stopped and started it so many times that I can't keep track.  It's one of those designs that I think will be perfect for my friend but that I really do not enjoy working on.  It's just not what I would normally work on and does not fit my personal style.  Well, I dusted off the magazine and started working on it again this week.  I'm determined that I will finish it for her this year.  Her birthday is in August and I'm going to make myself complete it so it can be framed for her birthday gift or at the latest, a Christmas gift.  By adding it to my blog, maybe that will help me stay motivated to work on it each month so I can see it's progress.



Progress as of April 26, 2014

With that being said, here's where I am now.  This is the progress that I have made thus far.  It's actually not much larger than the edges of the current design.  It will go up a little to accommodate the roof of the covered bridge and the top of the tree, but the fence in the foreground is where the pattern stops and the sides are also pretty much defined.  Now it's just time to fill it in and complete the backstitching.

Wish me luck!