My Epic Last Post of 2017

This will be the last post of 2017.  What a year I had, stitching wise.  As I'm now back to working full time hours, my stitching time has decreased dramatically, so I doubt I'll ever have as good of a year as 2016 and 2017, as I was, for lack of a better word, a machine.  But I will continue to just plug along with my projects and keep on keeping on.

For my past post I have an update on Wind Moon.  I had wanted to have 2 pages to show you, but alas, I ran out of time and I will not get this page done by the New Year, so I must admit defeat. 

Also, for ease of project, I'll take photos of the page finish with Wind Moon, but I'm only going to take her out of the frame when I have a row finish.  I think it will give it more of a oomph at the completing of a row anyway.  Worth the wait? Let me know if it isn't.

So here is Page 15 of Wind Moon. Like I said, I rushed forward to try and complete page 16, so about half of page 16 is done, but as it's not a complete page, I won't count it.

Not much to see, and kind of a boring update, but there you go.

Now for the really pretty reveal.  Remember the Snow stocking I did?  Well here it is, all stitched up.  I sent her off at the beginning of the month and the little girl I gave it to was able to enjoy her new stocking for Christmas.

She was beautifully sewn by my friend, Arwen.  We used a grey satin base and used a chiffon overlay that had sparkles sewn in to the fabric.  The result was stunning.  I think of all of my stockings, this is the one I'm the most proud of. 

I thought I'd share with you my page finishes for the year.  I don't know how many of you are on Facebook, but I belong to a group called 2017 HAED sal page count (now renamed to 2018) and I just edit my page finishes into the document that they have set up on their page.

For 2017 I had a whopping 28 page finishes.  Not all of these were full pages, but I kept track of the stitches per page. 

Behold:
Adrift
Page 33, 7315 stitches
Page 34, 7410 stitches
Page 35, (Partial) 1140 stitches
Project complete

Snow Stocking
Page 8 (Partial) 2583 stitches
Page 9 (Partial) 2782 stitches
Page 10 (Partial) 997 stitches
Completed January 15, 2017

Meeting on the Turret Stairs (Mini)
Page 1, 7840 stitches
Page 2, 7546 stitches
Page 3, 6764 stitches
Page 4, 7600 stitches
Page 5, 7315 stitches
Page 6, 6460 stitches
Page 7, 7600 stitches

Wind Moon
Page 1, 7040 stitches
Page 2, 7546 stitches
Page 3, 7546 stitches
Page 4, 7546 stitches
Page 5, 7546 stitches
Page 6, 7546 stitches
Page 7, 5782 stitches (partial)
Page 8, 7600 stitches
Page 9, 7315 stitches
Page 10, 7315 stitches
Page 11, 7315 stitches
Page 12, 7315 stitches
Page 13, 7315 stitches
Page 14: 5605 stitches (partial)
Page 15: 7600 stitches

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty darn impressed with myself.  When it comes to the year end, it doesn't feel like I've stitched this much, but here it is, in black and white.  For pictures and posts, just hit the 2017 tag and it will take you through my 2017 posts.

Well that's about everything, my kindred spirits.  As 2017 comes to a close, it's with eager anticipation for what 2018 will bring.

Thanks for being a part of my cross stitch journey and I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful projects in 2018! Until then! 

Meeting on the Turret Stairs, Page 7 is Done

7600 Stitches started October 26 and finished November 13th.  I'm 62% complete. 
I'm sorry this wasn't the clearest photo, I was holding it up by hand in not the best light while trying to avoid a cockatoo on the floor hell bent on biting my feet.  Apologies if it's a bit blurry. I had to be very quick and satisfied with whatever I captured.

I only have two more full pages and then 3 partial pages and this project is done.  I'm super happy with the quality of the mini and I will probably do Mini's from here on in. It's the only feasible way I will be able to stitch even half of the projects on my wish list. 

I can say without hesitation that I am absolutely done with Aida.  I find it so stiff and hard to pull my needle through, not to mention the thread I've wasted because of the fraying. I also find my hand and fingers get more tired working with Aida. So yeah, I'm done.  I just wish that Lugana did 20 count magic guide, because it's so convenient to just put your fabric into the Q-Snaps, or on to the frame and just start stitching.  I'm back to Wind Moon for a page, but I'll probably spend a good 2 hours gridding tonight, as I prefer to grid the entire row. But gridding by hand, I have to say that nothing beats Sulky Silver. That stuff is awesome.  It's so petite that you can't see where your grid was, which is something that the thicker red plastic grid would sometimes do.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back on Wind Moon for a few weeks, to give my poor, aching hands a rest, if nothing else.

Row 2 Finished on Wind Moon

I know, I know, I know, I have been missing in action since August.  I received my adjuster for my Lowrey stand to use with my Quantum frame, and my intention was to just do one page and then post a photo.  But the page was just all sky and the photo was really nothing special, so I kept going... and going... and going...  and now 3 months later I have a row finish AND there is actually something to see, as I have a good chuck of her face done.

I did keep track in my XStitch Journal as I stitched, so the breakdown went as follows:
Page 8:   7600 stitches: Aug 10 - Aug 24
Page 9:   7315 stitches: Aug 24 - Sept 8
Page 10: 7315 stitches: Sept 8 - Sept 26
Page 11: 7315 stitches: Sept 26 - Oct 6
Page 12: 7315 stitches: Oct 6 - Oct 12
Page 13: 7315 stitches: Oct 12 - Oct 24
Page 14: 5605 stitches, Oct 24 - Oct 27

I was also, aside from being over the moon happy with my new Quantum frame and general stitching area set up, which included a beautiful new recliner chair that I managed to buy from a former stitcher for $100, I was curious as to how long a row would take to stitch.  I came in at just over 3 months.  Not too shabby!

But I'm looking forward to going back to work on Turret Stairs.  I've only got one more full row of her, and then a partial row and then she's done, so the prospect of a project finish is exciting, because I won't be seeing a finish of Wind Moon for several years.  But I am loving her.  She'll just be a long term relationship, whereas my mini's will just be flings.  Just intense, and sometimes frustrating little flings.

So there you have it.  Not missing, not abducted by aliens, just been stitching and doing little else.

I should have an update on Turret Stairs within a few weeks.

Meeting on the Turret Stairs, Pages 4 and 5 - ROW FINISH

I know, I know, it's supposed to be a Wind Moon update, but I have a pretty good excuse.  I decided to purchase a Quantum Frame, one that would fit my crazy large Wind Moon. 

For those of you who don't know what a Quantum frame is, behold!  It's the same concept as the Millennium frame, but without the bad customer service and the year long wait.  I had my frame within a month of ordering.  I can personally say I recommend the Omanik factory.  Plus they sent me chocolate in my order. Seriously, who does that? 

Because my frame is so long (90 cm) I also ordered the extra long 14" adapter from Sew and Sew, which I am still waiting for.

When I received my frame, I got so excited to load up my project, so I did immediately.  Er... well, "immediately" might be stretching the truth by a bit.  I attempted  to load my project.  Several FlossTube tutorial video's later, I had it nice and even on my frame, but it was too big for my stand without my adapter.  So I'm waiting for that to arrive before I work on Wind Moon again.  I can tell you I'm itching to work on it. So much so I'm considering taking it out of the frame.  Please, somebody talk me out of doing this! 

But, Wind Moon's loss was Turret Stairs' gain.  I'm done another row and am now officially more than half way done the project. And as I'm off to Toronto on Wednesday, this will be the project I take with me, so there may be another Turret update before you see Wind Moon again. 

I think I also forgot to post a picture of Winter Hat Owl all framed up in his clever red frame. 

Here you go! 

That's about all I have to report at this time. Now I must run and do a marathon laundry/packing/cleaning because I fly out tomorrow at 5:50 am, which means I have to be at the airport at 4:50, which means I have to be up at 3 am.  *Insert not-impressed emoticon here* I think there is going to be some sleeping on the plane instead of stitching. 

Wind Moon, Pages 6 and 7, Full Row is Complete

 Pages 7 and 8.

And a full row is done. 

Thanks to my superior math skills (not) I am actually 12% done, not 1%.  There's a reason I'm not a mathematician. 

So, I posted an update on the Heaven and Earth page and someone pointed out to me that the colours on this seemed "off".  I've seen this project's updates on the HaED Yuku page and it seems just right. I remember when I first saw a wip, I thought it stitched up a little darker than the picture shows, but I still thought it was beautiful.  But this person tagged me to a finished mini where it was much brighter than this one.  So I went on a bit of a research mission, which is not easy, as this is retired from HaED. I found a comment where someone mentioned that this design was re-charted in 2013. 
I'm just wondering if anyone here knows more about that? I'm just curious as to what the difference is.

I bought Indigo Moon and Amethyst Moon when HaED retired Nene Thomas from their list of artists, and I thought I'd had Wind Moon in my stash, but it turns out I did not, so due to Nene just retiring from HaED, Ebay was chock a block full of patterns.  So I bought this one and mini Asaria, assuming they would be the latest copies. But now I'm wondering if my copy is an older copy?  Both patterns were in pristine condition when I received them, and show no sign of wear. I guess it's always possible that  it was someone's old stash, it just seems unlikely. 

At this point I'm only just curious, because A) the chance of getting my hands on the re-charted version is slim and B) I'm 7 pages in and not starting again. I don't really care if she's darker, I'm just going to enjoy the journey and see how she turns out.  The WIP I saw on the Yuku site was beautiful, so if she turns out half as nice, I will be happy.   It just made me go hmmm.

It's coming up to my birthday next month, and it's a biggie. So I've been spoiling myself rotten!  I managed to get my hands on a corner clamp for my Lowery stand (Thanks to Gemma at Lowery for that) and I've ordered a Quantum frame that I intend to use on Wind Moon.  I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!  Spoiled is me!

Well that's really all the news I have to share at the moment.   I hope to have an update of Turret for you in a few short weeks. 

Meeting on the Turret Stairs Page 4 is Complete (and A Little Something More)

I am love, love, loving this project.  I'm especially loving how fast it's stitching up.  I now have 36% of the project completed.  I'm telling you, mini's are the way to go!  I kind of wish I had Wind Moon and my other Nene Thomas patterns as mini's, but there you go. I've already lined up my next two projects to stitch against Wind Moon, and now that I have an excellent and affordable framer, I can get these projects framed as soon as they are complete.

Speaking of excellent and affordable framers, just look at what my talented framer did with Adrift!

It's not the best photo because there was so much reflection in the glass, but it gives you the idea of the matting and frame.  I think he did a beautiful, beautiful job.  My one conundrum is where to hang her, though. She's really big and finding a wall that is appropriate is more difficult than I imagined it would be.  I obviously want her to be in the public area and not my bedroom, but I'm having trouble deciding where.  I think I just need to hold my breath, pick and spot and commit to it.

I also have Winter Hat Owl in getting framed.  I should have him back in a week or two.  I chose the reddest metal frame that I could find and it really pops the pattern.  I can't wait to see it.  I will, of course, share with you as soon as I get it back.

I'm off to work on Wind Moon and should have a row finish  for you in a couple of weeks.

Pages 4 and 5 of Wind Moon and a Little Something More

Pages 5 and 6. 

Completed so far. 

So I noticed a few lines in the project so far, so I'm not sure that my feathering effect is working on this one, so I've opted for the zig-zag style of page finishing. It's a bit more finicky than feathering, but not much.  Feathering seems to be working just fine on Under the Turret Stairs, so I'm perplexed why I'm seeing column lines on Wind Moon, but there it is.  I'm glad I caught it early.

When I went to update my progress bar, I notice my progress went down by 1%.  I guess I had the math wrong and I wasn't so far as 2% done.  I'm only 1% done.   That took a bit of the wind out of my sales, and it's definitely time to work on something else for a while. 

And now for something more that I promised you.

Guess who's this week's Blogger of the Week?  Why this stitcher, right here. 

 

Click here to read all about me!  (Insert Despicable Me soundtrack)  Thanks to Jo for running the Blogger of the Week. 

That's about all the news there is to share.  I hope to have an update for you soon as I start on row 2 of Meeting on the Turret Stairs.