Completely Timely IHSW

What, it's only a week late, shhhh...


I didn't do much over the weekend. Lately my husband has been working tons of overtime with us waking up at 5am 6 days a week. We are both sooo not early birds even though it's better to accomplish things while it's so cool in the morning. I finished my larger, secret gift and am still in the planning stages of my next gift so I wanted something quick and morale-boosting.

roses, not female anatomy...!

Of course it was a thrift store find. :) These little kits are easy, quick, and usually need adjustments to their patterns. The lettering on this particular pattern was positioned weirdly so I moved it around trying to get a better "flow" between words / lines. I also changed the little blue dots to French knots (they were just regular cross stitches) because I needed more practice with them anyway! I cut off the hanger on the frame and filed the rough edges. Instead of that, I glued a small magnet to the back of the piece and it is now a fridge decoration.

Technical Details

• "Mother's Love" by the New Berlin Company #30526
  
• 2 over 1 on 18-count white Aida.
  
• Finished size: 2" x 3" (5,1cm x 7,6cm)
• Started: August 16, 2014, Finished: August 17, 2014. Unknown hours.

Cross Stitch Tag - Part 2

Here is part 2 of the cross stitch tag rambles! The first part can be found here~

Question 9: Do you stitch for gifts or keep for yourself?
As of late, it seems like it's been nothing but gifts! Don't get me wrong, I love making gifts for other people but I have very low confidence in my abilities. It terrifies me to give handmade stuff to people other than my mom (because all moms love stuff from their kids, right?). If the gift is going to a known-to-stitch person, I'm less afraid because I feel that they will appreciate it. I do keep all my Final Fantasy stuff; after all the designing and stitching and tearing out my hair I'm never going to part with them!

Question 10: Favorite finished stitched piece?

Southwest Spirit

I found this piece in a thrift store back in 2010 with the border and a bit of the background started. All of the floss was included in little floss-a-way baggies and the pattern was in pretty decent shape. It smelled horrible. I had to wash it at least twice because I was nearly overwhelmed with cigarettes. Admittedly, I purchased it mind of picking out all the stitches and using the fabric for something else. My mother saw it though and really liked it, so I decided to finish it up. I am glad I did because it was so much fun to stitch! My absolute favorite part was that little brown pot on the left. It was also the first piece I ever stitched on a floor stand and that may have contributed to the love, haha. It's so much easier to stitch using both hands.

Question 11: Worst experience while stitching?
Washing a finished project... that bled! After some panic and frustration with less harsh methods, I bleached the spot. Turned out fine!

Framed, and in sunlight!

Question 12: What do you love and hate about cross stitch?
Hate: FROGS. There is nothing that can demoralize me faster than a stupid counting error. It's like a downward spiral of frustration and despair until I'm convinced I'm the most worthless human on earth for not being able to count. Then projects get half-abandoned until I put on my big-girl panties and stop sulking. :)

Love: I MADE A PRETTY PICTURE! But seriously, there is something incredibly satisfying about making a picture come alive with nothing but a needle and "string" (as my husband lovingly calls it).

Question 13: Have you introduced anyone else to cross stitch?
Hmm, I don't think so. My friend recently picked it up but she's crafty anyway so I don't think it counts. She's already blazed way past me with all her Q-snaps and adorable needle minders and making her own Q-snap cozies ahaha.

Question 14: The first project, did you finish it?
Alas, no. The afore mentioned stamped kit is still unfinished and will probably never get completed. There's a childish sort of charm about it, I suppose.

Question 15: How do you store your floss?
Bobbins, bobbins everywhere. After picking up a 1000-pack of plastic bobbins off of Amazon, I find myself using them to relax between those odd jobs around the house. Harvest the garden? Wind a bobbin. Trim the sidewalk? Wind a bobbin. I definitely need more plastic bins to store my floss but I'm being horribly picky and wanting bins in different colors (I can only find clear around here.). A friend found purple and blue ones at a Micheal's or Jo Ann's but the nearest one of those is over two hours away. Not an easy trip by any means.

BOBBINS

Whew! I hope you survived my longwindedness. I need to get my tiny IHSW report up (timely as ever~) with an equally tiny stitch. I am happy to announce that the pink is completed on my slightly larger project and it didn't wind up being two full skeins. VICTORIES.

Cross Stitch Tag - Part 1

Well, I'm sure you have realized I like a good ramble and what better way to ramble than to be asked questions! I found these on Cathy's CraftyCat blog and of course couldn't ignore them. :D I added in a few pictures to break up the wall of text haha. And after typing up some answers, I realized that perhaps I like to ramble a bit too much and have broken this post up into two parts so as not to inundate y'all with a wall of words.

Question 1: How did you start? Who introduced you to cross stitching?
I started back in 2009 after deciding on a whim in a thrift store to try one of those tiny kits that come with a tiny plastic frame. I think my mother had attempted to get me interested in it back when I was just a wee little Rosey as I have a stamped piece with stitches started on it that would put everyone to shame ahaha. At the time, however, I was much more interested in being outside All The Time and one would never know where exactly I was in the woods at any given moment (perhaps contributing to some early gray hairs on Mom). Digression aside, that little kit from 2009 (which now hangs on my Mom's fridge) was the 2nd beginning. Then I discovered cross stitch on the Internet. From then on it was game over. :D

Question 2: Favorite theme or designer?
I do like video game themes as well as anime/manga designs (though I haven't really stitched any manga yet!). Iffin's I'm looking to buy, I like stuff found on SODA Pattern Mall/SODA Stitch Indonesia and the swirly designs by Alessandra Adelaide. Buuuut... I have never bought a pattern from anyone! All the patterns I've stitched were found in thrift stores or created by me.

Question 3: What brand of floss do you use?
I mostly use DMC as it's the only thing I can find around here. The nearest LNS is not-so-local 50ish miles away and while they actually carry the full line of DMC and Anchor, DMC is all I ever buy. I have, on occasion, used Sullivan's floss but I'm not overly thrilled with how it stitches. The exception -- it seems like Sullivan's black is better than DMC 310 but I may have had old skeins of 310 to reckon with. I am sure hand-dyed special flosses are wonderful but I have yet to run across any!

Question 4: What is your fabric of choice?
I use hardanger for anything that stays with me, it seems. Other than that, I'm not really picky. I have plenty of 14-18 counts lurking in my stash that I dream up plans for and never do haha. I have (always had) bad eyesight, so higher counts like linens are difficult for me even though they look so magical once stitched.

Question 5: Do you use a needle threader or are you a floss licker?
Lick that floss! I'm hopeless at keeping things within easy reach or in one place so it's much faster to use things that are conveniently attached to me -- like my mouth.

Question 6: What brand of stitching frame (or hoop or otherwise holder) do you use?
I have no idea what brand my floor stand is. It was an open box item at Hobby Lobby but it came with no paperwork nor was it stamped with any brand. Hoops are just your standard plastic ones (obtained from yard sales or thrift stores). I 1000000000% prefer stitching with a stand though. I have not-so-great wrists that protest after a lengthy stitching session with hoops. Plus, I can stitch two-handed on the stand which makes work much faster!

O_o

Question 7: How many projects have you finished?
According to my finishes page, 20! Of course, not all are cross-stitch and I have several tiny finishes that never got photographed so that number could be more or less (super accurate answer, right?).

Question 8: How many completed works are hanging in your house?
One! No, two! I bit the bullet and got FFVII professionally framed and it hangs in out in our living room. I have yet to get FFVIII to the framers and because it's a bit bigger and awkwardly shaped, it will be even more pricey and I have to work up the courage to spend that much money. The second is a tiny kit with plastic frame (thrift store find!) that declares to all who use the kitchen sink, "all work and no pay makes a housewife". Just as a public service announcement. :b During holidays, the count tends to go up, especially Christmas! I love stitching little ornaments (An actual finish? How could I?!) so even if they're buried amongst the boughs of a Christmas tree, they still count. :D

I didn't take a picture of it actually on the wall, but I can assure you it blends in quite nicely with our small collection of video games.

Welp, that's it for part 1! I hope I didn't bore you too much. I'll put in a little teaser picture of my current WIP just to prove I am doing something besides hearing my own head rattle:

behold, pink

Makes it easy, right~? I must admit that pink is not my favorite color in the world and after going through a skein of it (and possibly another skein will be used up as well), I'm a little pinked out! This project is around 2/3s complete though, so I will keep plowing along. I shall not be defeated!