Category: Plans

Let’s Have a Cup of Coffee (or Tea)

Hi everyone!

We’re almost two months away from the end of the year. To be honest, I haven’t had a great year in terms of embroidery; I haven’t been very productive in that area. I just finished one project and I’m about to finish another, which means I don’t have as many completed projects as I usually do in a whole year. I think, if I remember correctly, I only have three. The reason? Well, my stitchy bug wasn’t with me all year. And I pretended not to notice. Honestly, having so many projects has made me a little unhappy. I have a total of 45 projects and it’s starting to feel like a burden (well, not really but I wish I hadn’t started so many. I think it was when I had the startitis back in 2022). And I had even more, but I gave them away, materials and all, because I wasn’t interested in them anymore.

I’ve been thinking about how on earth I’m going to reduce this number. I’m not even keen on working on 4 or 5 or more projects at the same time like I used to. Now I’m more inclined to work on just one until it’s finished. But I don’t think that will be very productive either. Of the 45 projects, I’ve chosen 25 and I’m going to focus on finishing those. So, I’m going to take them on two at a time during the month and dedicate 15 days to each one. If I get bored with that rotation, then I’ll adapt Stephanie’s (MsOhSewCrafty) rotation from several years ago (I think her rotation is a bit different now). I’ll see which of the two I feel more comfortable with at the start of the new year. For now, I’m finishing one that’s almost done (Two Hearts One Love by Victoria House Designs) and then in December I’ll finish a Christmas-themed one (Christmas Tree 2006 by Mirabilia). I might do WIPGO, which has helped me on several occasions, and/or WIPocalypse, which is a challenge or SAL started 14 years ago by Melissa where you set your own rules, decide which projects you want to get ahead on, and there are also other monthly challenges you can choose to participate in or not. She also asks monthly questions that help you reflect on how you’re managing your hobby. I might do both since one doesn’t affect the other; quite the opposite.

We’ll see how it goes. I’ll be back on Sunday with a preview and photos of the finished projects from this year. I still have to take a picture of one of them. For now, happy stitching!

Que Ha Pasado?

Hola que tal!

Estamos ya a casi dos meses para que termine el año. La verdad no he tenido un buen año en lo que se refiere al bordado; no he sido productiva en ese aspecto. Apenas terminé un projecto y estoy por terminar otro lo cual quiere decir que no tengo tantos proyectos terminado como normalmete tengo en el año completo. Creo, si mal no recuerdo, que llevo solo tres. La razon? pues mi stitchy bug (como dicen nuestras compañeras americanas) no estuvo conmigo en todo el año. Y me hice la desentendida. Honestamente hablando, tener tantos proyectos me ha puesto un poco descontenta. Tengo un total de 45 proyectos y como que ya me pesa. Y eso que tenía más pero eliminé algunos porque ya no me interesaban.

He estado pensando en como rayos voy a minimizar este número. Incluso, ya no me llama mucho bordar en 4 o 5 o más proyectos a la vez como normalmente hacía antes. Ahora me llama ir trabajando en uno solo hasta terminarlo. Pero creo que tampoco será muy productivo hacerlo así. De los 45 proyectos, he elegido 25 y voy a concentrarme en terminar esos. Entonces, voy a tomarlos de dos en dos durante el mes y dedicarle 15 dias a cada uno. Si me aburro con esa rotación entonces voy a adaptar la rotación de Stephanie (MsOhSewCrafty) que tenía hace varios años atras (creo que ahora su rotación es un poco diferente). Voy a ver con cual de los dos me siento más comoda al iniciar el año nuevo. Por ahora, estoy terminando uno que ya está casi listo (Two Hearts One Love de Victoria House Designs) y luego para Diciembre terminaré uno de temática navideña (Christmas Tree 2006 de Mirabilia). Tal vez haga el WIPGO, que me ha ayudado en varias ocasiones y/o WIPocalypse que es un desafío o SAL iniciado hace 14 años por Melissa donde tu pones tus reglas, decides cuales proyectos quieres adelantar más y, a la vez, hay otros retos mensuales que puedes decidir si participar o no. También hay preguntas mensuales que ella hace que sirve para reflección de como llevas tu hobby. Tal vez haga ambas cosas ya que una no afecta la otra; al contrario.

Veremos como me va. Volveré el domingo con un adelanto y con fotos de los terminados en el año. Por ahora, feliz bordado!

Stitch-A-Longs

 2022 is upon us. I had written my plans for next year and kinda put together which projects I will use for each SAL. However, I wanted to document the SALs and explanation of each one of them.

  1. IHSW (International Hermit & Stitching Weekend): every 3rd full weekend of the month (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). I will stitch the projects I’m currently stitching during that week.
  2. TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long): every new moon day post a picture of my ORT jar. ORT= Old Raggedy Threads. These are the left over threads I cut after I’m done stitching. I will add a picture of the lunar calendar for reference.
  3. WIPGO; like BINGO but this is Bingo for cross stitch. My board was posted earlier so the projects that will be used are there.
  4. WIPocalypse; a list of projects that will be worked on during the year. I have a total of 49 WIPs but 30 of them will be actively worked on during 2022.
  5. BRRINGO; same as WIPGO but this one is modified to working on a project with specific description. For instance, working on a project with letters, or working on my oldest project, etc.
  6. WIP and Wonders; this one is hosted by Full Coverage Fanatics and it involves visiting the 20 wonders of the world. The whole objective of the SAL is to take a project for each of the wonder and stitch 5,000 for that project. I can use the same project for all wonders or use a different one for each one.
  7. 22,000 in 2022; this one is also hosted by Full Coverage Fanatics and it’s pretty self explanatory: stitch 22,000 in 2022. However, only one project can be used.
  8. HEAVENMANIA; this one is hosted by Tiempo Entre Cruces. The goal is to stitch on a Heaven and Earth Design piece
  9. 22 World Cities or 66,000 stitches; also hosted by Tiempo Entre Cruces. The goal is stitch 3,000 stitches per city. In other words, when I reach 3,000 stitches on a city, go to the next city. We will be starting with Amsterdan on Jan 1st.
  10. Seasonal Stitch; stitch on a piece according to the station we are in.
  11. Sunday Stitch; choose a Christian/inspirational piece and stitch on it on Sundays
  12. Daily 30; choose a project to make progress on a daily basis (30 minutes per day)
  13. MHM; Mill Hill Monday. A Mill Hill project every Monday
  14. Temperature Stitch; cross stitch record of the temperature/weather in my area
  15. Full Coverage Weekend; at this time I have about 4 full coverage pieces and I assigned 1 full coverage every three months. That way all of them will get some progress throughout the year.
  16. Mystery SAL; I only added this category because I currently am stitching on Maple Lane which is scheduled to be finished in February or March and I would like to finish that one.
  17. Stitch from Stash; I had mentioned that this activity was originally created by Msohsewcrafty and StitcherMel made some adjustments. I will join StitcherMel and my budget will be $25. More info can be found on StitcherMel’s blog which can be found on the list of the blogs I follow.
  18. No New Start; I originally wanted no new start in 2022. However, I have one project that I wanted to start in January to Celebrate a very special personal milestone in my life. I will be starting this piece sometime during the week of 1/24 – 1/30. Therefore, no new start starting in February 2021 through the end of the year.

Monthly Marker and Plans

Time for some planning! I’m excited about the new year and the plans I have. Of course, they are subject to be changed but, for now, I’m looking forward to starting my new rotation and finishing some old projects and move on to the next.

So, for starters, the SALs I’m planning to join are:

1. WIPGO

2. IHSW

3. TUSAL

4. No New Start

5. Daily 30

6. Mill Hill Monday

7. WIPocalypse

With the added:

8. Temperature Stitching

9. Seasonal Stitching

10. Sunday Stitching

11. Full Coverage Weekend

12. Mystery SALs

13. Stitch from Stash (maybe?)

So, as I see, my rotation will be as follows:

  • Mondays: Wipgo, Mill Hill Monday, Daily 30, Seasonal, and mystery SAL (5 projects)
  • Tuesdays: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, and mystery SAL (4 projects)
  • Wednesdays: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, and mystery SAL (4 projects)
  • Thursdays: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, and mystery SAL (4 projects)
  • Friday: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, Full coverage and mystery SAL (5 projects)
  • Saturdays: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, Full coverage and mystery SAL (5 projects)
  • Sundays: Wipgo, Daily 30, Seasonal, Sunday Stitching, Full coverage and mystery SAL (5 projects)

I added Mystery SALs because I am still working on one from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery which ends in March 2022 (I think). Once this is finished then I will not have any other and will be able to have more time for the rest of the projects.

I added the Sunday Stitching because I want to make some needed progress on Footprints by Bucilla. I want to be able to hang this on my wall already!

I added Full Coverage because it is tradition for me to work on Full Coverage pieces on the weekends as well as seasonal stitching during spring, summer, fall and winter. 

Temperature Stitching, there is a beautiful piece by Stitchin’ Mommy which is tracking the temperature of where you live using butterflies patterns. I love butterflies! AND I will be able to track the temperature at my new place. 

So, here are the projects that made it to the cut and that I matched to each SAL:

1. For WIPGO this is how my card looks like:

2. For IHSW, I will be stitching on the projects closest to a finish.
3. For TUSAL, well… this is not really a project SAL but more like a “show me your ORTs” SAL
4. No New Start, this is self explanatory. I will not start a new project through out the whole year.
5. Daily 30 project will be Snowman & Friends by Dimensions(which is also part of WIPGO):

6. For Mill Hill Monday, I have Winged Monarch:

7. For WIPocalypse, so far, I have: Coffee Break by Soda Stitch, Air Goddess by Joan Elliott, PHD by Stitchrovia, Needleworker by Little House Needleworks, Home of a Needleworker by Little House Needleworks Too, and Cross Stitch Nation by Heartstring Samplery (all of which are part of WIPGO as well):

8. Temperature Stitching, Temperature Butterflies by Stitching Mommy:
9. Seasonal Stitching, Spring Season by Sandra Cozzolino, Hello Summer by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, Autumn Band Sampler by Tiny Modernist, and Winter Season by Sandra Cozzolino: 
 
 
10. Sunday Stitching: Footprints by Bucilla
11. Full Coverage Weekend – 
January, February and March: La Niguenta by HAED
April, May and June: Paradise Nature by Thomas Kinkade
July, August and September: The Gamer by Gecko Rouge
October, November and December: Four Seasons by HAED
 
12. Mystery SAL: Maple Lane by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Maple Lane is supposed to be finished early 2022 so my list will start to get shorten quickly. Again, this is not set in stone so I may or may not make changes. 
Another activity I wanted to join is Stitch from Stash. But, I like the version from Stitcher Mel. I will read more about her rules so that I can write about it and how I will be going about it.
You may be asking yourself what these activities/SALs are. I will be back with an explanation of each one of them and links to where you can find the aforementioned projects. 

End of the Month Update and July’s Plan

 

June was a good month. In summary, I had 3 finishes:

June Sampler of the Month

Picnic Ants Coasters

A Year of Celebrations – July
But then, I started “Hello Summer” by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. However, it’s a small project so it should be a finish soon. I also joined the Mill Hill Monday wagon and started Winged Monarch on the 7th. I have no hurry in finishing this one so every Monday I will put in a few stitches on it.
JULY’S PLANS
I couldn’t make up my mind about doing Joan Elliott July or Jolly July. So I’m doing both. The good thing is that I only have 2 Joan Elliott’s projects: Air Goddess and 12 Days of Christmas. I will put in a good hour on both of them. The not so good thing is that I have A LOT of new starts this month because I want to do a Christmas ornament from 2013 to 2020. So I chosen the designs out of the Just Cross Stitch magazine Christmas ornaments edition. I already had one finished for the year 2014 so I’ll just need to do the rest. I have a good reason for this but I’ll explain later. So, these are my new starts this month:
Ornaments:
Other new starts:
  • Stargazer by Mirabilia
  • Year of Celebrations – August
  • Snowman and Friends by Dimensions
  • Kringles by Little House Needleworks
  • Christmas Tree by Mirabilia

So, yes… A lot going on in July. But, I’m okay with it. I will be having some finishes as well. First, I’m planning to finish every ornament I start in July plus the Year of Celebration – August. I will be stitching each piece for 4 days. If I have a new start, I will do about 100 stitches and and stich for about 1 hour on Air Goddess. Then focus on the ornaments. 

May Wrap up, StitchMaynia 2021 and June Plans

Stitch Maynia:

I went crazy this month. All for Stichmaynia: a group that will close its doors today. I participated on Stitchmaynia in 2016 with 15 new starts (from the 1st to the 15th). After this year, I didn’t participate because I was busy with other things and followed a strict rotation. I am grateful to this group because I learned so much about things I didn’t know about in cross stitch. I think it was fair for me to participate on its last month. However, I did it from the 15th to the 31st instead and only started 5 during those weekend days. So, this month, I started:

  1. 05/16/2021 Needleworker by Little House Needleworks
  2. 05/22/2021 Sky Blue Street by Soda Stitch
  3. 05/23/2021 Home of a Needleworker Too! by Little House Needleworks
  4. 05/30/2021 The Time for Myself by Soda Stitch
  5. 05/31/2021 99 by Ink Circles

These are all projects that I’ve always wanted to start for a long time. Now I can say that they are part of my WIPs. As it stands, my list has grown to be 28 and have already plans to make it up to 32.

May Wrap up:

I have mentioned that I was planning on doing no new starts in 2022. Therefore, I’m starting almost all of my favorite projects that are kitted up. Some of these will probably be finished this year as I still have some goals to finish some old WIPs.  

I also had a finish which was a start on Stitchmaynia 2016:

  • Pumpkin Passport by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
  • Fabric: 28 count Jobelan in Caribbean Blue by Fabrics by Stephanie
  • All DMC threads (as called for) except the lettering which I used DMC color variations 4240

I originally had used Irish Linen fabric by DMC but hated it. So I restarted it on 01/04/2020 and just finished it today.


June Plans:

June will be a busy month for me stitch wise. I will be participating on the Cross Stitch Camp in Facebook. This is a virtual camp where we are given a challenge monthly. These challenges have the objectives of doing new things, starting new things and finish them in a month. This camp is a summer camp which will run from June to August. I thought it was interesting and loved the idea. I will be starting the June Sampler of the Month which I made a post about it. 
In addition to this, I went back to my previous rotation. Changing rotation every so often is my way of keeping my stitching bug busy and not give it the opportunity to even think about leaving. So, I will be stitching on 9 projects through out the month. My focus piece to finish out of my old WIPs is Picnic Ants Coaster by Sharon Pope which I started on 06/10/2017. I will be stitching on this piece (and finish it) for 6 days. Along with this, I will have the June Sampler of the month as another project to finish in June. The other pieces are:

May Plans

1 week left this month… Time flies. 

Plans for May

Focus: 

  • Finish Pumpkin Passport
Monthly: 
  • A Year of Celebrations: June
  • Cafe Menu

Yearly: 

  • Continue with Temperature Typography

Seasonal: 

  • Spring Season

Full Coverage: 

  • Bathroom Luxury 

Birthday Project(s): 

  • Pumpkin Passport on the 16th
  • Bathroom Luxury on the 4th