Dance with Me!

Hey Blog Buddies,

Come dance with me!

 

 

I've just finished a project

and the happy dancing is in full swing...

 

I was going to give this project just a week in the rotation,

but when I finished the allotted segment

I felt so good--and it was so close to being finished--

that I decided to just go for it.

 

Can it be??

After an entire year...

Yes!

Crabby All Year by Raise the Roof Designs

Started:  June 2, 2012

Finished:  May 29, 2013

The above photo shows my button-sewing work area.

As you can see, I needed:

a magnifier so I could see;

a box with all my DMC floss

to match the color of floss to each button;

photos of the months for button placement;

a portable phone so I wouldn't have to get up to answer a call;

and an iPod (music makes every task more pleasant).

I had everything but a glass of wine--

and that wouldn't have been a good idea!

 

I started this project last June with the June "row"

(April, May and June)

so this is the last row that I finished.

I had February and March (and the header)

to finish when I picked this up about 10 days ago.

I just noticed yesterday that I was missing

two tiny heart buttons for the header.

I decided to rummage through my stash

and came up with the black star button.

It was from Joann's, and the holes are

much bigger than the JABC buttons

called for in the design.

It was a dream to sew on!

Those are little chicks being blown around

in the March square, BTW.

 

I also ripped out, recharted and restitched the word

"Rabbits!" in the May square.

 

This is the way it was originally charted.

I thought the lettering was too small.

What do you think--would you have changed it?

 

The July design is my favorite.

But sewing on two buttons,

one on top of the other,

was not my favorite thing to do.

JABC buttons have tiny holes!!

 

Some stitchers have changed out

the flower buttons in the December square

to something more closely related to money.

While they don't relate to the theme of Bills,

I thought they were cute--so they stayed.

 

Are you up for looking at the whole thing one more time?

Why not!

 

This is such a goofy design--

it was a lot of fun to stitch,

even though I might have lagged a bit at the end.

 

That's it from here.

Until next time..

thanks for visiting!

IHSW: May 2013

Hey Blog Buddies,
I signed up for the IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) this month even though I knew I would be able to stitch only on Sunday.  BUT... I was able to put the finishing touches on two projects!  The first was my knitted cowl, which I started at the end of February.  And now I'm all ready for...  November?

Molly looks a little glum here.

She's thinking, "It's 80+ degrees and dinner time.

Why do I have to pose in this woolen cowl?"

Yes, that is a black T-shirt that she's wearing

to protect the knitted cowl from her black hairs.

Needless to say, I was rather disheartened

when she plopped herself down on the carpet

which attracts dog hairs like a magnet.

 

You can see in this photo that the wool is

variegated--it's kettle-dyed--Malabrigo Merino Worsted,

and the color is Red Java.

The cowl is long enough to wear as a sling for your arm,

although I'm hoping I won't need it for that.

Molly was disrobed and fed immediately after

this photo was taken, and all is now forgiven.

 

My second finish is my Prairie Schooler Heads Up Witch:

 

Her face was originally charted as orange,

but I thought that any self-respecting witch

would have a green face.

Stitched 1 over 2 on 40-count Heritage linen, as usual.

I was going to use my Gloriana silk for the black,

but I've somehow misplaced it.

Don't know how that happened,

I have so few stitching supplies!   hehehe

So I thought I'd try No. 12 pearl cotton.

I used it on her mouth and eyes,

but it was way too chunky to continue using it

for the rest of the black,

so I switched to Crescent Colors Blackbird

for her hair, hat and clothing.

She is the April ornament for

the Halloween Ornament SAL 2013.

You can see everyone's ornaments

by clicking here.

I may be a month behind, but at least

the ornie is finish-finished

 

I should be starting the May ornament now,

but instead I decided to give some love to

Crabby All Year, which has been neglected recently.

I didn't stitch enough on it to show here,

but I hope to have February finished soon.

 

To see what my fellow hermitters did this weekend,

click here.

 

That's it for now.

Hope your weekend was fun!

Thanks for visiting!

March IHSW: ... finally!

Hey Blog Buddies,

I do love my International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) stitch-a-longs!  I didn't have too much time to stitch on Sunday, but I made up for it on Saturday.  The "finally" is because I finally stitched the January square from Crabby All Year!  It missed its turn in the rotation last month, and I wasn't super-enthusiastic about it, but I'm glad it's done!

 I made the "W" and the "C" much larger than charted, just because.

This square is actually more appropriate around here

this month than this past January when we had only a trace of snow,

as opposed to the 9 inches we had almost two weeks ago!

You can see from this photo that I also started on the header

since I've now made my way to the top row of the piece.

I finished the (January part of the) header after the sun went down,

so I had to take this with a flash,

hence the totally different color of the fabric and threads!

Actually, I think this is more representative of the real colors.

I also did a little sewing

(trying to piece together a table topper to match my

Circle Dance wall hanging),

and a little knitting

(on the same cowl that you've already seen),

but I'll show these when finished so as not to bore you to tears.

To see what my fellow hermitters have been up to,

go here.

Hope everyone had a fun, stitchy weekend!

Thanks for visiting!

Still Crabby in 2013

Hey Blog Buddies,
Thanks for all the great comments you've been leaving!  I really do appreciate them so much!

Raise the Roof Designs' Crabby All Year is one of those rare projects from my 2012 WIPocalypse list that made the jump with me from 2012 to 2013.  It is still very much a WIP, and I finished up December this week:

That blue on the check is a bit brighter than in real life.

The amount on the check is "2MUCH" -- heheh.

There was an error on the chart that I didn't catch:

the pen was supposed to be blue (as in their photo)

but the color listed on the chart was salmon.

I know, no big deal.

But the coins on the bottom were charted as copper pennies

which I thought might "clash" with the pink,

so I changed them to nickels and a dime.

I have no idea why the buttons for the month

are little flowers, but they are.

I am growing a little weary of this lovely BAP,

but not to worry:

I intend to keep plugging along.

Only three more months to go!

And the header.

And all the buttons.

Oh, and I'm changing the size of the word for May.

It looks like 2013 will be the Year of Halloween

here at The Southpaw Stitcher.

I joined Lainey's 2013 Halloween Ornament SAL,

and we are doing one ornament a month.

The theme for January is pumpkins.

I'll be working on my January ornament this weekend.

So hopefully I will not be whining about

how I need more ornies for my Halloween tree come October.

(If I do, just slap me!)

Speaking of stitching for 2013,

there's a list of this year's goals under my blog header.

It's longish, but I don't think it's as unrealistic as last year's.

Or maybe I'm being delusional.

And it's good for a laugh.

That's it from here.

Have a great, stitchy weekend!

And thanks for visiting!

The 2012 WIPocalypse-Final Report

Hey Blog Buddies,
For those of you celebrating the holidays, I hope you had a wonderful time.  I did.  I even managed to carve out time to stitch!

In an effort to catch up with the actual calendar month, I stitched two months' worth of Crabby All Year this month.  If I do the same thing in January, I'll be caught up.  October you've already seen--here is November:

That cat is awfully fat!

I don't know if he's a relative, too, or just a friend...

I've also made progress on my Circle Dance quilt top this month:

I've been sewing just three blocks per day.

As the tortoise said in the fable:

"slow and steady wins the race."

About a week ago I decided to sew

what blocks I had into rows.

Above are four of the five rows I've sewn together.

If I keep at it, this should get done

in a couple of weeks.

I've also made progress on Hare's Christmas.

I'm hoping to finish it soon, and

will show you a photo when that happens.

We survived the Apocalypse and even the WIPocalypse, too!  This was a fun SAL, and though I didn't complete everything on my list--it was a really ambitious list--it kept me focused throughout the year.  I had 22 projects on my list, 12 were finished, 3 are WIPs in my current rotation, and 7 are (cough, cough) still UFOs.  Of those seven, there are only two that are still calling my name.  I'm working on my 2013 to-stitch list, and it's really hard to get it down to a manageable size.  I'm trying to be more realistic about what I will actually have the time to stitch next year!

All of my 2012 WIPocalypse before-and-after photos are on a separate page.  If you have some time and are so inclined, grab a cuppa and click here to peruse them.

Have a good weekend!

And thanks for visiting!

Zombies in December!

Hey Blog Buddies,

Several days ago I was looking at my Victoria Sampler Tudor Tassel ornament chart--just the cutest thing--thinking I should start it, but when I started looking at the finishing instructions, it gave me a headache.  I realized what I needed to do at that point was some nice, mindless block stitching, so out came Crabby.  Of course, I'm a couple of months behind (October was up next) but who cares if Halloween was six weeks ago!  It finished up fast, so here is October from Crabby All Year:

I'm pretty sure those green things

are zombie hands coming up out of the ground

beside the headstone.

Again, I just placed the buttons on top of the piece.

I'm going to have a lot of buttons to sew on

once all the stitching is done!

The other thing I wanted to share with you

is a gift I received yesterday from my friend Anne.

Isn't this just the cutest thing!

It's about 3 inches long, and it's already on my tree.

Knitting a mitten is something I wouldn't do,

but I do love my newest ornie.

The colors are just perfect!

Well, that's it for this time.

I think I'm going to do something more seasonal

for IHSW this weekend.

Don't know what IHSW is?

Head on over to Joyce's blog

to find out about this fun monthly SAL and join us.

Until then,

thanks for visiting!

September is an Ugly Month

Hey Blog Buddies,

Hope you had a great weekend.  Between all the made-from-scratch leftovers that my friend Joyce sent with us on Thursday (yum!) and the stitching/sewing I got done, it was a good one for me.

First up, as you might expect from the title, is Crabby All Year's September.  Yes, it is ugly, but that's why I like it because all of Crabby's months are ugly in some form!

There was a lot of stitching with this one,

between the bag of leaves and the large pile of

(you guessed it) leaves.

I just placed the buttons on top

to pretty it up a bit and so that

you can see what the finished product

will look like.

I'm sure that there are parts of the world

where all the leaves fall off the trees in September,

but here in northern Illinois it's more like

late October/early November.

However, the ladies have something different planned

for those months.

While I was plugging away at September,

I was also busy cutting fabric for my quilt.

I finished that task, much to my surprise,

and thought I'd start out with sewing a small block.

The plan is to crease the two pieces down the middle,

line up the creases and pin.

The first two pieces:

sew the two curved sides together.

Hahahahahaaaaaaaa!

They suggest using the one-pin method,

but that didn't work for me.

I need three pins, one in the middle

and one on each end.

I'm acquainted with many people

who could whip this out in the blink of an eye.

I am not one of them.

But I did get a block finished:

Not really perfect, but kinda close.

For me, this is as good as it gets.

If all my blocks turn out like this,

I'll be a happy camper.

The  construction of the above block took a long time--

and a lot of stress.

I only had to rip out two seams.

My goal is one per day, until I reach seven.

Then, it's on to the larger pieces.

In the meantime, I plan to start another stitching project

from my 2012 list.

It's the hand embroidery that will keep me sane.

Until next time,

thanks for visiting!

November IHSW: Assisi, Batiks and September

Hey Blog Buddies,

I had no finishes this time around--and I knew that would be the case going into the weekend--so I decided to do something a little zany for me:  three starts!  I'm feeling a little chatty today, so maybe you should get a "cuppa" or an energy drink before we embark on our journey...  ...Got everything you need?  Good, let's go!

As the year draws to a close, I keep glancing at the 2012 goals list on my sidebar.  Now I knew quite a while ago that I wouldn't be able to finish all the projects, but it would be nice to at least put a few stitches in all of them.  So that is the reason for the three starts.

First, I chose Christmas Elegance by Milady's Needle.  Here is what the pattern looks like:

I chose the top left version,

only I'm doing it in green silk.

The difference between the top and bottom versions

is that one is the negative image of the other.

In other words, the top trees have the background stitched

and the bottom trees are the opposite.

They call the top versions Assisi stitching.

Normally in Assisi the entire background is stitched

and the design is left blank.

That's true here only for the tree.

Since I was doing the design with one strand

on 40-count linen, I was somewhat concerned about coverage.

The directions suggested doing "Two-Sided Italian Cross Stitch"

for better coverage, and the stitch was even diagrammed.

The best way I can describe it is

a cross stitch with a back stitch on the left and bottom.

This makes for a very dense, chunky stitch,

even if you're using only one strand!

I did the border in regular cross stitch and

decided to do the potted tree in Two-Sided Italian Cross Stitch.

You would not believe how long it took me

to stitch the pot!

And no, ripping the pot out at this point

is not an option.

Ripping anything more than a couple of stitches of

Two-Sided Italian Cross Stitch is not an option!

I don't have a crystal ball,

but this little guy might not get finished

by the end of the year.

Next I decided to go for another challenge:

Elisa's Backporch Circle Dance quilting pattern.

Sewing curves (shudder).

Here is a photo of the pattern to refresh your memory.

I wasn't crazy about the fabric in this photo,

so I decided to start over with some very bright batik fabric instead.

Don't worry--I hadn't gotten far

and the above fabric was used to make

some very cute ort bags this summer.

No sewing yet, just cutting,

and only 12 pieces of each element cut.

I'll need to cut 40 total of each of the smaller elements,

and (ahem) 106 of each of the larger.

But it's a start--and I love the fabric!

The last is not technically a start

since I've been working on this project a good part of the year,

but it's a start on a month.

Yes, Crabby All Year is back after an extended absence!

You can tell this is September, right?  No?

Well you'll be able to recognize it soon,

because I plan to finish September

before I move onto anything else.

That wraps up my November IHSW.

To check out the other hermitters,

visit Joyce's blog here.

Hope you had a grand weekend,

and got some stitching in, too.

Thanks for visiting!

WIPocalypse 2012 - August Blue Moon Report

Hey Blog Buddies,

The dog is done!  Yes, I'm talking about Boris by Plum Street Samplers.  Once I got all of the frogging out of the way, he seemed to go very quickly.

He gives everyone a menacing stare

because he'd like to be thought of as a bad-a**,

but you know he's in touch with his feminine side.

Why else would he have gotten that

lovely sunflower tattoo?

I substituted green for the ecru in the bone,

so it would show up.

(The ground really is ecru and not pink, like in the photo.)

The top piece of "fruit" in the bowl was originally charted as ecru, too.

I decided not to stitch his whiskers

because I thought it made him look too much like a cat!

I bought a frame for him, and I'm going to attempt to frame him myself.

The frame is only 8" x 8", so how hard can it be?

(You probably shouldn't answer that!)

I did some work on Crabby all Year, too.

Here's April:

Imagine that you see long, straight stitches on the tax form.

(The folks at Raise the Roof advised stitching them last.)

The entire Crabby design is very specific not only to the USA,

but also to areas that have a humid continental climate,

like northern Illinois.

So to those of you not living in the USA I ask,

do you pay income taxes in April like we do?

If not, what month are they due?

I even finished August!

We use an herbicide on our pathetic little lawn

so we don't have dandelions there,

but they actually grow in the cracks in the sidewalk!

Here are the five months which I've completed thus far:

The piece won't look wavy once it comes off the scroll frame

and gets mounted and framed.

But I can't not show you my monthly progress (heaven forbid!),

so you'll be looking at waves for quite some time!

I also started and finished the third LJP ornament

which was featured in my last post--I won't make you look at it again.

Only two more of those ornaments to go!

One finish and three mini-finishes from my WIPocalypse list:

 "I done good" this month!

To check out everyone else's WIPocalypse progress,

click here.

Until next month, have a fun and safe Labor Day holiday

if you're a USA blog buddy.

To all my international blog buddies, have a groovy weekend!

And thanks, as always, for visiting!

WIPocalypse 2012 - First August Report

Hey Blog Buddies,

First, I'd like to thank everyone for all your kind comments.  They warm the cockles of my heart.  I love you guys!

This might be my shortest WIPocalypse post ever!  It's not that I haven't been making stuff--it just that the stuff I've been working on hasn't been on my list, and "my" rule is that it has to be on the list you see in the sidebar to be featured in a WIPocalypse update!

So, as for Boris, the poor fellow saw no action since the last full moon.

I did have a big finish about a week or two ago, Rainforest Revisited, which many people saw, so I won't bore you with redundant photos.  It's still at the framers.  If you missed the post about it, click here.

And last, I did manage to stitch July from Crabby All Year:

This one is very appropriate for a lot of us this year!

All of the months have their own buttons,

but I won't be sewing them on until all the stitching is done.

July actually has four buttons: two large white and two small gold.

Stacked, they give the appearance of a fried egg.

I couldn't resist putting them on there to show what it will look like.

I did start another month, but won't show it until it's done,

hopefully by the time that the blue moon appears

at the end of this month!

Until next time, hope you get lots of time to stitch!

And thanks for visiting!

WIPocalypse 2012 - July Report

Hey Blog Buddies,

The year is half over, but am I half done with my WIPocalypse list?  Uhhh, no.  Here's what I accomplished last month:

This was a quick start and finish.

(And see, it did get framed!)

I have had this Lizzie*Kate chart for several years.

Here is another start of a chart that I've had for a while.

(Raise the Roof's Crabby All Year)

The finish on this one won't be quite as speedy.

If I can complete two squares per month,

it should get done this year.

Rainforest Revisited got a tiny bit of love.

Here's where I was at last month:

And here's where I'm at now:

I stitched the three squares in the current top row,

which is actually the second row of the piece.

I also recently started Plum Street Sampler's Boris.

That didn't turn out too well (see previous post).

But here is the new and improved Boris:

He looks so much better (IMO).

The area of the fabric that I frogged

almost looks like aida cloth now (heheh)!

But those puny-looking letters have to be redone, too!

Will everything on my list be completed

before the end of the year?

Realistically, no.

I have a fair amount of commitment stitching

staring me in the face.

And there are two or three recently-purchased (cough, cough) charts

that are just begging to be stitched.

But I'm pretty certain Rainforest will get done.

And there will be other finishes from the list, too.

Stay tuned...

Click the dragon on my sidebar

to find out more about this SAL.

Hope your month has been productive.

Thanks for visiting!