Jack, Risky Behaviour, and Questions

Hi all! Hope everyone's been hanging in there with the heat. It seems to be hot everywhere!

I've had some disappointments in the last 2 weeks, this past one included. Then my 14 year old sewing machine died. So how did I react to all of this? Why, I went on a new start marathon! Doesn't everyone else do this? Haha. 

Halloween Quaker by From the Heart NeedleArt. I made a mistake with that black row at the top. The model shows empty and full, empty and full all the way over. Well, I was filling in each diamond shape and it was too late to frog. Now I have the ends empty of stitches and full stitching in between. I'm using WDW Straw linen.

I bought Merry One as a kit with floss but without the fabric. I have a little more stitched since I took this picture.

The lighting is bad. I had to change my fabric several times because the Swan (goose?) was disappearing. My most favorite Christmas carol is this one. Little Lamb is not too big. Hopefully, I'll have a finish by Christmas!

This chart came with the fabric and silks. First time stitching on this Gingham fabric and its alright. I put pins in to keep count of long lines of stitches.

Jack, oh Jack! I was having fun stitching on this. That green pin is how far over I have to stitch yet. The fabric called for was 36ct Abecedarian but my piece was too small so this is 36ct Legacy but not sure. So the fabric will fit on this one. Jack brings me to my question: Tent stitch. The wording in Jack calls for Tent stitch but I have no idea how you do Tent stitch. To me it looks like over-1. To those of you in the know, is it like over-1? I've searched for it but just found needlepoint tent stitch. I'm tempted to just do over-1! Help!

I hope these pictures aren't too blurry.

I have three other starts that were small and finished already. I'll show them on a future post as I don't want this one to turn into another novel! It's looking like it!

After I stitched my bad feelings away, I picked up this WIP-Christmas Wreath Pin Cushion by Beehive Needleworks

The wording is to be over-1. I stitched in Ch only to find I'm way too over to the right. I was putting in the word Merry on top and counting in from the green leaf when I found what I done. Frog!!!! I'm glad I didn't stitch Christmas in!

Just One July turned into Two! I finished Autumn Delight by Barbara Ana! Yay!

The pattern came in a magazine but it's being sold as a chart now. This is a Crazy finish. It's so cute! I love the little houses and the kitty peeking out from the tree. Glad to have this done. The other finish in July was Pumpkins and Sunflowers.

I've been watching Flosstube lately, and subscribed to this woman who stitches on some big things and look what she did with the 12 Days of Christmas from PSS. Remember the SAL the designer was offering late last year? 

Would you look at that gorgeous pillow! The fabric is dyed and sparkly and it almost looks like she used the called for floss colors. I abandoned that SAL after stitching one whole day but Debra's pillow makes me want to dig out all the printouts and try this again on an identical fabric. After all, my plans for 2017 are Big, Big, Big! What's another BAP (Big Appendage Project, sounds better than the alternative!)! Yeah, I'm crazy that I'm already thinking of next years stitching, lol.

I dropped out of the exchange Dixiesamplar was hosting. There are too many things on my mind right now. I'm also just going to stitch whatever but Halloween and Christmas designs are definitely being stitched. The two finishes this month were a big deal for me as they both were over a year old WIPs. 

That's it folks! I want to welcome the new followers on Google and Bloglovin', Welcome! The more the merrier! My next post I'll have my finishes on. I miss my sewing machine :((  Thanks for commenting everyone! Take care!

Warning-Lots of Orange!

Hi all!

Today I celebrate the finish of my JOJ piece-Pumpkins and Sunflowers!

I look at it and think..it's not so big! I hope the pictures aren't blurry for you like they are for me but glasses on would help! The fabric is Lambswool Jobelan, darker than this pic. Two days ago I came thisclose to putting P&S down. I kept looking at the backstitching for both flowers and thinking I just can't do it! Each petal-backstitched. Then I read Justine's JOJ finish of the Pirate ship and was inspired to quit whining and just do it, lol. Her Pirate ship had much more backstitching and the design is so much bigger than this. After I had that middle flower done, I started backstitching the big pumpkin and the leaf at the top. And so on and so on. The two big leaves gave me heartburn with the 4 or 5 different greens, but I got her done! She took a bath and a rinse and now her pictures. The magazine is Cross Stitch & Needlework Nov. 2008 and she had been kitted up from 2008 to 2014 when I finally started it. I'm not sure what I will finish it into. I know for sure my next project will have no backstitching!

And I FFO'd two of my stitching. Remember this one and my quest for the white base?

Kansas Sunflower Pincushion by Lindsay Lane Designs. I winged it on this one. I put in a running stitch at the edge of the fabric to pull it and stuffed it with polyfil but when I got it into this container, it puckered up like crazy. Putting in the ric rac kind of straightened it out. That ric rac is called Italian Custard by Dames of the Needle, 1". So it has taken its place amongst my pincushions that I'll never stick a pin into.

In keeping with this Orangey post, here's Things That Go Bump in the Night 

I can't remember which JCS magazine this was from, maybe a Halloween issue. Sewing in the ric rac was a dicey proposition but I sweated it out. It turned out well! The back is also the fabric on the front.

Thank You, Justine, for your unofficial SAL! I had successful finishes in May and now July. I'll be picking out another WIP to work on for the rest of this month. Something that I'll have a good chance of finishing in the 16 days left.

The middle of July is upon us and Terri at Dixiesamplar has announced the 2016 Haunted Harvest Exchange and I'm joining. If anyone is interested, see her at Dixiesamplar's Exchange Group on Facebook. 

I believe that's it! Thanks for your comments last post! I thought I would respond to a few comments here. Here goes:

Carol, you're a fussy eater and I'm not an adventurous eater. I have to know what the mystery meat is or I won't eat it! The nice thing about Blue Apron is it takes me out of my comfort zone and I'm getting my veggies, too!

Heather, there is definitely cooking involved, and prep work too! I'm not crazy about the prep work but these meals are getting me away from fast food. The only thing I'm not crazy about is all the dirty dishes I'm creating for the piles of garlic and other ingredients that I'll be using a little later!

Okay, now I'm done! Hope you all have a great weekend and do some stitching!

Giveaway at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

Christmas in July. Favorite Things Give-away! Enter now!

http://victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.com/2016/07/christmas-in-july-favorite-things-give.html

My Autumn JOJ

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! The last four days have been filled with a rodeo, a parade, fireworks, and stitching on my JOJ WIP in between all that. JOJ stands for Just One July that Justine is doing where you work on a WIP for the entire month. I decided to drag out a WIP that hasn't seen the light of day for almost a year! Here's Pumpkins and Sunflowers before..

And after...

Lots of progress, stitching about 3 hours a day plus a little today. 

Below is what it should look like..

When it gets boring stitching the inside of the big pumpkin, I move onto another section. Now I have the other sunflower and the two leaves left. Lots of backstitching also. I really think I can get this finished before the end of this month IF I ignore the noise the Spooked LK sampler and other WIPs are making!

Some of you may know that I'm an empty nester and I'm divorced so I live alone. Lately, I've been eating fast food a lot and we all know how healthy that is! You have all heard of Blue Apron? Well I thought I would give it a shot. At $30 off the first time, I signed up for two servings and you get 3 different meals. I stretched it into 6 servings/meals for $29.99. Regular weeks are $59.99. I'm not sure I  can do it every week though. So here's what my first meal was..Blackbean Pork burger and Green Beans..

I have to say it was very tasty. The green beans have sesame oil and a Japanese seasoning on it. It was all pretty good. Tomorrow night it's Fried Chicken breast with Kale Slaw. We shall see...

I now subscribe to 3 Flosstubers and last Thursday night found me and ET watching a floss tube..

ET is the youngest and the runt of the cats I have and I think she was getting into the Flosstube!

Alrighty, that will be that! It has cooled down here some after last weeks monsoon rains. June gets hot here and that tends to usher in our monsoon season. It should be dry the rest of this week.

Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is off to a good one!