Hall of Shame

Certain stitching bloggers from time to time "show off" their UFO's, whether for a challenge, a SAL or other reasons.  I had mentioned mine a while back, and thought that I would catalog them here, in hopes of (shaming myself into?) finishing one or more by the end of this year.  I probably have fewer than some, but more than others.  I do find, however, that my UFO's seem to have one thing in common:  they are all, except two, from either a class or workshop that I once attended.  So here they are, all 14 16 of them (I just found two more as I was going through my stash), from the most recent to the oldest...

1.

Austin Patch, a 2017 workshop given by Tony Minieri

through my local ANG chapter.
This is Tony's model.

I've got a good start on it, haven't I?

2.

This one is Fire and Ice by Toni Gerdes,

another 2017 workshop hosted by my ANG chapter.

This is Toni's model that she brought

for our inspection.

This is what I was able to finish in class.

The stitching is fun and easy, but the silk thread

needs to be ironed before using.   (sigh)

3.

This trio of ornaments is from the

2016 Illinois State Day workshop hosted by

my local EGA chapter.

These were the three colorways

and you needed to pick one for your kit.

I felt that I needed to support my chapter by attending.

That's all I'll say.

Here's my start.

That's a practice motif on the lower right.

4.

This was a 2016 boutis workshop held after

a regional EGA meeting.

The finished needlebook is beautiful.

Here is my start.

Yes, there are stitches on that fabric,

you just can't see them

because the thread matches the fabric.

5.

This is very sad.

This is my challenge project for my local

ANG chapter this year.

The deadline is the 4th Saturday in June.

As you can see, it will be a

very cute, 3-sided Christmas stand-up.

One day.

I have not worked on it at all since last June,
when it was chosen by the members
from the three projects I brought to the meeting.

I've thought about it a lot, though.

There's still time, but I may end up

paying the $10 penalty for not finishing.

This is where I'm at.

It's been sitting around since 2016.

6.

This is called Dresden Doodle.

It was a blackwork workshop taught by

the redoubtable Marian Scoular in 2015.

Each participant received a large piece of

fabric with the design drawn on.

Then we were given a variety of "diaper" patterns,

and told to have at it.

 Here are some of Marian's stitched models,

three showing various Dresden designs.

7.

This was another 2015 workshop, this one

taught by Ellen Chester.

Participants received the wooden carry-all,

with instructions and materials for a pin cube,

needle roll, pipkin, ruler cover and scissor case.

I did stitch and finish the pin cube!

I've shown it here before, but you don't

mind looking at it again, do you?

None of the other pieces

have even been started.

8.

This was a 2015 cyberclass on

reversible cross stitching.

I think I was confused about the half cross stitches,
so I put it aside.

Here is what I've stitched so far.
And it is reversible.

The material provided is very nice.

Looking at these now, I think

I should just finish them up however I can.

I have enough material for

four little coasters.
They won't take long to stitch.

So what if the back isn't perfect.

9.

This project really fell into my mental dustbin.

I had it listed under "Kitted" instead of "Started"

in my cross stitch app.

But rummaging through my stash

I did find that I had stitched a wee border

for one ornament.
It's kind of hard to see.
The wavy lines may be due to the
flecks of metallic thread woven into the canvas.

This was a class from my ANG chapter.

If I finish it, I'll get another pin for my nametag.

But on the other hand,
 I may already have enough pins on my nametag.

However, I'm not quite giving up on this one yet.

10.

This was a 2014 pilot class that I took through

my ANG chapter.

We were given the middle and the right trees

to stitch and give feedback to the designer.
All required feedback was given.

The one on the right is done.

The middle one is not.

11.

This is Elizabeth Almond's 

wonderfully generous 2014 blackwork freebie called

"Save the Stitches."

I fell in love with it back then.
Yes, it is huge.

I don't have a photo of anyone's finished piece.

12.

Ah, the Little Bee Eater by Trish Burr.

This was a needlepainting class

that I took at the 2014 Nordic Needle retreat.

Since then, I took another needlepaintiing

class with Tanja Berlin.

(I did finish that piece.)

I plan to rip out what I started

and do this one Tanja's (better) way.

Honest, I do.

13.

This is from the 2011 EGA Indiana State Day.

The piece is Ruby of the Forest by Marsha Papay-Gomola,

who is a wonderful teacher with a great sense of humor.

Take a class from her if you get a chance.

I swear, every single year I say to myself,

I need to get this guy finished up.

I've got all the padding done,

and a lot of the stitching on the bird.

Those were the only tricky parts.

The finished size would be a small ornament.

I can do this.

14.

This was a 2011 workshop hosted by

my EGA chapter.

My start is on the left.

As I was examining it today,

I find that it will finish to an odd size (5.3" square).

I have a 4x4-inch box.

Maybe I can eliminate some of the borders

and make it fit into that box top.
It's a plan.

15.

This is a workshop that I took at a
2010 EGA regional seminar.

Here is the teacher's model...

Yes, it's supposed to be a nametag, but it's
almost 5" in diameter which, to me,
seems too big for a nametag.
We did do most of the tricky parts in class,
and it wouldn't take long to finish stitching,
but I'm not sure how I would want
to use this piece, if I ever finished it.
Hmmm.

16.
And finally, last but not least...

This is truly my oldest UFO.
It's a dresser scarf that I started
around 2000-2001, before I started keeping records,
using one of the patterns from the hundreds 
in this cool folk art embroidery book
that I bought back in the day.
I'd give you the title--I still have the book--
but am not sure where it is right now.

Unfortunately, when I peeked into the bag 
to check which colors I had been using,
I saw that the red is an overdye: Buckeye Scarlet.  Uh-oh.
Someone wasn't thinking when she chose her colors!
Not being able to wash a dresser scarf is not a good thing.
It's probably the end of the line for this one.

Well, that's it, I think.
If you've stuck with me through
all my thinking out loud, congratulations!
We'll see which, if any, I finish
by the end of this year.
My deadline piece
should be at the front of the line--
and it has the most left to do
(after Save the Stitches, of course).

Hope your projects are going well.
Thanks for visiting!

April Stitch-from-Stash, a Finish and a RAK

Hey Blog Buddies,
How are you all doing?  I'm kind of excited that I have my second finish in a month, but we'll get to that a little later.  First, my Stitch from Stash report.  I knew going into April that this would be my cheat month because of the Nordic Needle Retreat.  (Did you know that they maintain a rather comprehensive boutique and a wide range of snacks in the hotel conference room set up for stitching between classes?  How is a person supposed to stay strong?)

To refresh your memory, the items pictured above are what I purchased in Fargo.  For full disclosure, I bought a package of floss bags that didn't make it into the photo.  The book and the magnifier/light were a little pricey, but it could have been much worse!

But prior to going to Fargo, I stopped off at my LNS.

Because... Cheat Month! 

Here is a very large, very expensive piece of 28-count pewter Lugana.  The photo doesn't capture how nicely mottled the color is.  The fabric and the Kreinik will be used for the Save the Stitches blackwork freebie found on the Blackwork Journey blog.  I don't really want to start another large piece this year, but this project is calling me.

Then I started talking with Cathy (yes, the owner of my LNS and I are on a first-name basis) about the Prairie Schooler Alphabet charts, and she mentioned that she is having trouble getting one or two of the titles.  They are over ten years old, and I decided not to wait any longer and had her order the remaining five titles that I needed, plus another PS oldie.  Fortunately, she was able to get all of the titles I asked her to order...

I really love all of these charts!

So that's it stash-wise for the month of April.

I can't see that I'll need anything else this year

unless I run out of thread on a WIP or something.

Now for the exciting (to me) news--my finish:

Here is Libby Sturdy's Bejeweled Tree #3

from the pilot class I took earlier this year.
This was worked mostly in Kreinik
with a couple of cards of Neon Rays thrown in.
Blingy!!

(Picture me standing up, shaking my hips and stirring a big pot.

Frightening, no?)

Last but not least, I received this groovy RAK

from Moonsilk Stitches

I love the creepy-crawly centipede fabric,

the nifty ribbon with witches and bats

and the cool skull, cat and skeleton embellishments.

What a fun package!

Thanks again, Moonsilk!

That's it for now.

Thanks, as always, for visiting!

Stitch from Stash ... and Sparkly Stuff

Hey Blog Buddies,

Stitch from Stash

It's almost the end of the month, so it's time to give my Stitch from Stash report.  I spent $23.72--not great but still within the budget.  For that I got some DMC floss, a Tunisian crochet book (I want to learn how to do that this year), and I broke down and purchased a chart (YZ from the Prairie Schooler Alphabet series).  I was gifted DEF and then decided I needed the entire series--what can I say?

Sparkly Stuff

I did the February installment of the

Laura J. Perin Nordic Panel SAL.

It's the band on the bottom:  the gold half eyelets with the red zigzags running through.  This was all stitched in metallic ribbon.  You can't really tell in this photo, so I took a photo in direct sunlight, something I normally avoid:

 

The gold now looks like gold,

but the red zigzag still doesn't appear to be shiny.

Trust me, it is.

So far, this has been an easy SAL to keep up with.

The current installment only took a few hours.

Continuing on in our glitzy theme, I mentioned in an earlier post that I went to a workshop recently.  Workshops and classes are exempt from SFS rules if you don't let the projects become instant UFOs.  The ANG National Seminar is coming to Chicago this year, and our chapter did a pilot class with Libby Sturdy.  For those of you who may not know, a pilot class is a regular workshop, but involves giving a teacher/designer feedback on her instructions before he/she unveils a design.  Libby will be teaching these designs for the first time at the national seminar, and since the catalog listing all the classes came out last week, I can now show you what they are:

This is her Bejeweled Tree Trio, and we did the middle one and the one on the far right in class because they are the more challenging ones.  Well, no one actually finished them in class, but we started both of them.  (heheh)  Libby has hers finished off in a gorgeous triptych.  All of these trees are stitched entirely in Kreinik metallics, with a couple of cards of Neon Rays thrown in for good measure.  There are lots of beads and sequins to add even more glitz.  If you look closely, the "snow" in the background consists of white beads.

Here is my start on the tree farthest right:

Again, I took the photo in direct sunlight.  The yellow and purple on the ornaments are stitched in Neon Rays.  Neon Rays and I have an adversarial relationship, but we are learning to play nice with one another.  (It's rayon ribbon that frays if you look at it funny.)

However.  These are really fun and colorful trees, and the more I complete on this piece, the more I want to do, just because it gets cuter and cuter!  Would definitely recommend taking this class if you happen to be going to the ANG seminar this year.

I won't show you the middle tree yet because it's nothing but a mess of parked threads and "spaghetti" which is what almost all pieces look like at the end of a workshop.  The above piece is the one I'm giving my feedback on, and it needs to be completed first. 

So that's it from here.

Hope you got some stitching time in today.

Thanks, as always, for visiting and all your wonderful comments.

Fair Results and Rainforest, Framed

Hey Blog Buddies,

Thanks so much for all your kind comments about my pyramid!  (I will miss it when it's gone.)  To answer the question "Why 39?":  I am making one for each of the 27 people who will be attending my embroidery guild's workshop in September.  The rest will be sold at my quilt guild's boutique in November.  (Do I belong to too many guilds?)  And I will keep one, or maybe two, for myself.

Yesterday I got my stuff back from the Lake County Fair!

Front Row:  Uptown Stitcher by Libby Sturdy,

NOEL by Erica Michael, Soar by Brenda Gervais

Back Row:  CT13 by Alessandra Adelaide

No Sweeps or Champion ribbons,

but I'm quite happy with how I did.

And today, I went to pick up Rainforest Revisited at the framers.

This is Sue at The Great Frame-Up in

Orland Park, IL.

She does all my framing.

I love how it looks--you can tell I'm not a fan of ornate!

This one will go up next to Rainforest Crunch.

Now that I have two that can hang in the space I've picked,

I can take down all the small Christmas

pictures that have been up since last year!

That's it for now.

Hope you get time to do something fun today.

Thanks for visiting!

Uptown Stitcher: The Farewell Tour

Dear Patient Blog Buddies,

You may have thought (hoped) that you'd seen the last of our old friend, the Uptown Stitcher, but she's just come back from the finisher, and I just knew that you all are so interested to see what she looks like now, and wanted one last look at her.  You do want one last look, don't you?  (I thought so.)   She went on a "trip" and I'm sharing her vacation snapshots.  She insisted on doing the narration:

"What is this supposed to be?

The International Quilt Show?

Are your readers that gullible?"  ... U. Stitcher

"I'm at The Library of Congress, right?

This is embarrassing."  ...U. Stitcher

"I guess this is supposed to be the Lincoln Park Conservatory.

Any 4-year-old can tell I'm perched on the

back of a sofa in someone's living room!"  ... U. Stitcher

"If you think this is the Morton Arboretum, think again.

I was stuck into a bush in a rather scruffy looking backyard!

I think I'm getting a sunburn and I feel faint."   ... U. Stitcher

"I'm surprised she didn't make me pose with this beast!

The minute I arrived here, it tried to dismember me!

I fear for my life!!"  ... U. Stitcher

"Beast?  Is there a beast in the house? Where can I hide?

Is my new chew toy handy?  She would comfort me."  ... Molly

"In the microwave?  Really??

I have fallen into the clutches of a madwoman!

I must phone the authorities!!   ... U. Stitcher

Well, that's all folks.

You can kiss her good-bye.

I will be dealing with her diatribes

for quite a while, I fear.

For those of you wondering about

the details of the finishing,

her base, back and piping

are all purple Ultrasuede.

Hope you are having a good first week of spring

(or autumn, as the hemisphere dictates).

And thanks for visiting!

WIPocalypse 2012 - March Report *EDITED*

Hey Blog Buddies,

February was a short month (even though we had an extra day), and it's WIPocalypse report time already!

This month I have four items, including two finishes!

I included this in the WIPocalypse because

I had had it kitted up for a l-o-o-ong time.

This month I started it and got

the four center squares finished.

Another chart that I've had for some time

is Springology, and I knew I needed one or two

spring designs for my stitchy bookcase.

So I started and finished the Spring design last week.

The most exciting news of the year so far (at least for me)

is that, after ten years, I finished the Uptown Stitcher!!

If you're new to this blog, click here to see my post about it,

complete with close-ups.

And, finally, we have to talk about the swirls.

(Yes, I'm afraid we must.)

I'm still plugging away at CT13.

Here's where I left off last month.

And here's where I am now.

Yes, there are leaves in the design...

many, many leaves, not just the few that you see here.

And I decided to make the woefully undersized pot green.

(The design calls for only one color:  red.)

I actually added a row of stitching to the pot,

and it is still really, really small.

But it's not supposed to be true to life, is it?

I'm really glad I signed up for the WIPocalypse.

I made my list at the beginning of the year and,

with one or two exceptions, have really stuck to it.

Even though it's only March, I've realized that

there's no way that I'm going to finish

all 22 projects, but they're all on my radar,

and that's a good thing.

To see the links to everyone's progress on the

WIPocalypse this month, go here.

That's it from here.

Hope you're having fun doing what you're doing.

And thanks for visiting!