Adios April!

Helloooo! Happy Sunday! Thought I would drop in for a last post in April. It's going by fast so let's see what I've been up to.

I've been up to a Happy Dance! I finished Jack's Bash by Plum Street Samplers...

Love it! The 2nd time I have stitched this, I'm keeping it! On 36ct Frieze by Atomic Ranch fabrics with the called for floss. I spread the yellowish thread around to balance that big yellow flower which was a mistake but it's fine. I will get this framed at the Attic in Mesa. I've been seeing framed stitching from the Attic on Facebook lately and I think they do a great job. I avoid Phoenix in the summer but I will drive down to get Jack framed. 

Next up? The ceremonial burning of the taped together graph of Jack! Lol...

Just kidding but I'll run it through the shredder. I have no intentions of stitching this again.👍🏼

I took the next day off from stitching but after that I picked up my Leap Year SAL project Deer Mug by Shannon Christine...

The color of the fabric is a little washed out but isn't it just cute? I think the area that gave me problems was the 'whipped cream'. Four colors involved and the usual losing track of what goes where. Two more stitches needed in the froth and I'll be done with that part. The face of the mug is fun but all that white in the border...not! The following charts in this series all have that border but in different styles. I have seen other Mug stitchers leave out the border but I'm going all in! 

I took a break from all the white to pull out a longtime WIP...

This is Warm Wishes from the 2012 JCS Ornament issue. Last time I just had that top border. Here's how it looks...

in the magazine. It's pretty.

Alright so now we're up to what I'm stitching next to keep Halloween going...

Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler. The fabric looks like that used for the model. It'll be my first time stitching on a Colour & Cotton fabric. I'll start it next week sometime.

It's Maynia!! I'm starting two patriotic designs from my huge PDF pile. It's part of my #GreatPDFPurge to knock down the pile. Here's the first one...

I still have to grab more DMCs though. 

Next is...

This calls for 36ct but I'm doing mine on 32ct Lugana. The stitch count is only 55 x 33 so I want it bigger. 

I went and joined a swap on the FB group that Julie Kursave runs. I can't think of the name at the moment but that's where they've released the Charlotte Warrington sampler. Anyway, my recipient lives in Washington State and after doing some research, she likes patriotic pieces. So I'm stitching both patriotic pieces above and FFO them before May 24th. I'm glad I joined. I missed the exchanges that Teri/Dixiesamplar ran.

I think that's it for the stitching. I have pictures of my yard and what's growing. I have no pretty landscaping or irrigation.

Look at my century plant!!!..

It has gotten bigger, the stalk, since last Monday when I first noticed it. This has been growing for the last 20+ years, ever since my dad brought it home when it fit in the palm of his hand. Crazy! It seems to grow daily. 

Next are irises in my backyard. They have spread...

These are from those I uprooted in the front yard and threw them back here. It's pretty, a sea of purple.

Now we have this monstrosity, as big around as a truck tire. I think it might be Thistle. I'll let it grow and see what happens...

So stay tuned!😆

Last but not least, a giveaway!! I have 2 charts of this pattern...

You won't get the red sock but the natural colored one, one chart. I don't know how I ended up with 2! That never happens to me. So the usual rules: mailing in the US, be a follower. If there are more than 1 person by May 11th, I'll draw names. So the pattern uses beads but I don't think you'll need to put them on. By Sisters & Best Friends. 

Good luck!

Alrighty, I believe that's all I had and that was plenty. No news on the arsonist and the reward has risen to $55,000. I'm sure he's lying low. We had summer like temps last week, I turned off the heater but then it rained so it's back on! I'm a wimp!

Take care, you all! See ya next time☺️

Stuff!

After a lunch of pizza and diet Pepsi, I am now ready to do a blog post! Hope you're all doing well. I have progress, a couple of new starts, a finish, and some plans. Here we go!

I have progress on Jack's Bash...

It's getting there! I've run out of GAST Raven which is why Jack has no feet! I need it for the Raven in the birdcage, the outline of the big flower vase, and his feet. So for now I'm filling in the lawn which to me is worse than the over 1 verse! Jo mentioned adding the yellow to other areas of this to balance it out. The bouquet the lady is holding has equal amount of yellow and rust. Also the 2 flowers below her dress are yellow. There's a big flower next to Jack and that will be yellow too. The yellow is GAST Brandy. Thanks for your tips, ladies! 

I'm working without a script so bare with me as I skip around. I need to write notes down, haha.

Next up, new starts. They're ornament size. I had a piece of 32ct black linen so I thought I could get a Valentine's Day small going...

It's supposed to say Hugs & Kisses from Shannon Christine. It's in time out because that whole bottom portion is 1 stitch too many to the right. You can see it in the picture. The problem began with the Ampersand, and then I counted off from it to start the S. I've decided to extend the K to the left to at least align with Hugs. It's just a tiny thing. There are more of these Valentine's freebies on her Facebook page. I have room on my fabric to stitch 2 more. They are super cute!

The next start is a Christmas ornament from the JCS ornament issue 2015. So I browse a FB group called Stash Unloading~Cross Stitch Only. I was looking through an album of accessories that were being sold and saw a large-ish button that looked very familiar..

This is my picture but the sellers pic showed only the button. I snapped it up and found that the floss came with it and sure enough it was like the button for this particular design...

I loved the design but I wasn't too crazy about tracking down the button. Simona the designer has a website but I didn't think to find the button there. I bought it for $10 and seller told me it was more on the designer's website. So win win!

Here's the finished stitching...

It's on 32ct Platinum using the Romy's Creation floss, and it's just cute. Took me 3 nights to stitch. As for FFOing it, it'll be a flat ornament. I can't imagine trying to turn it inside out with the button sewed on if I made a pillow. Here's how it looks, button not attached yet...

Love it😍It's called Christmas Carols.

I had joined a Patreon for Hello from Liz Matthews and look at what one of the offerings  were for last month...

She's mentioned they'll be available next year or was it this Fall?? Brain burp, sorry about that. I have a plan for these, using off white linen and DMC for blocks. I think if I used 36ct I could get them down to the size that would fit on a piece of styrofoam, already in a rectangle size, from Michael's or Hob Lob. On another PDF are A for Aida, S for Sampler, L for Linen, and another that I can't think of at the moment.

I have a few plans for the months coming up. First I'll wow you with this picture ...

What in tarnation is that? That pile is freebie/PDF printouts! I think I have more printouts than I do of real paper charts! Face palm. I really need to put a dent in this pile so starting in May, I will pick a project from that pile and stitch it, once a month. As long as I have a piece of fabric for it, I'll start it. No worries, that top copy is a Scarlet House freebie. In addition, Stitch Maynia begins soon so I've already picked two Patriotic designs from the pile to start May 1. I'm certain I'll have Jack done, the Valentine's piece adjusted. AND....since I had so much fun stitching Jack, I've decided to always have a big Halloween piece going. I have one in mind to start in May, or as soon as Jack's done. 

So when I get back at the end of the month, I'll show what the Halloween project will be, the 2 Patriotics (maybe 3) will be, and the first PrintOut Purge, tbe official name, will also be, lol. The Great PrintOut Purge!! I hope to have the Christmas ornament fully finished too. I made it public so now I have do it!

A little housekeeping...

On the Easter bloghop post, Erica said that the large framed Bunny I showed reminded her of Harvey. I had no idea of who Harvey was so I googled. It does! It's a 1950 fim of a 6ft+ invisible rabbit, friend to an eccentric man named Elwood P. Dowd. Sounds interesting!

Yes, Carol, I still have some of the cording that I won from you, just 2 colors left now. I really need to learn how to make cording. 

That's it for stitching.

Some terrible things have happened here in the last couple of weeks. April 1st, a huge 4 or 5 floor apartment complex under construction went up in flames. I live about a mile away as the crow flies. I was woke up at 1:30 am after hearing strange noises outside. It was the wood burning. Same night, someone vandalized the high school, and then 4 days later went back to do more damage. The apartment complex is a $60mil loss and the ATF got involved. I work at a middle school right next to the high school, and we've had our own vandalism in the last month and a half but not as bad as the high school. So we have an arsonist living amongst us. The police presence at both schools has been high which is welcomed because my coworker and I leave work at 10pm. It's been rough. So say a little prayer for us here in Prescott Valley AZ that this person or persons are apprehended. Here's the view from my bedroom window...

Pretty scary

This post has turned into a novel and my phone hasn't gone bonkers! 

Take care and see ya next time!