Bugs and Rabbits!

Hey Blog Buddies,

During the WIPocalypse update, I mentioned that I had started on Raise the Roof's "Crabby All Year" and showed you my start for June.  I had originally intended to do only one "month" per rotation, but enthusiasm got the better of me this week.  So here is June:

I'm not a fan of bugs, but I do like this square.

My favorite is the caterpillar.

The designer calls it a centipede.

But I had never seen a red and yellow centipede

(and I've seen a lot of centipedes!),

so I shortened it's legs,

and it's now a cute little caterpillar!

The lettering and the "gnats" flying around

appear to be black,

but they are really DMC 939

(dark, dark blue!).

I had intended to continue on to July, but--hello!--

April, May and June are all on the same row!

So I backtracked to May's rabbits.

And here is May:

The design called for DMC 420 for the rabbit,

but I substituted WDW's Cappuccino.

Stitchers like me probably should not use overdyes.

Notice how stripey the rabbit is?

That's because I almost always

insist on crossing my stitches the Danish way.

But this design is a little zany anyway,

so the rabbit stays the way he is.

It seems like the lettering could be

a little larger in this square.  Hmmm.

I'll wait until the project is finished

before I make any decision to change the letters.

The weather in these parts has

been just beautiful the last couple of days.

Hope the weather where you are

is just what you like.

Thanks for visiting!

Ukrainian Ornie: A Finish-Finish!

Hey Blog Buddies,
I figure if I keep on finish-finishing ornaments myself, "someday" I will be adept enough to do it so that (a) they're to my liking and (b) I quit pulling my hair out during the process.  In the meantime, here is my little Ukrainian whitework project, finished as an ornament:

It really looks cute finished this way.

My first attempt at making the cording went awry.

(My cord was just a little too short.)

So I was determined that my second cord

would be long enough--and it was.

You can't see the tassels in this photo

because they hang about 12 inches

below the ornament!

If you would like to learn how to do this whitework technique

and live anywhere near northwest Indiana

(or would like to go on a road trip),

my Guild is hosting a workshop

on September 8, 2012,

and anyone is welcome to sign up!

And bring a friend!

We have lots of space now,

but the number of students is limited.

Click the photo of the ornie on my sidebar

to get all the details.

Or email me--that would work, too.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Thanks for visiting!

WIPocalypse 2012 - June Report

Hey Blog Buddies,

May was a much more productive month for me than April, so I've got a few things to show you.  Let's start with a finish!  Here's the before photo:

And here's the finish,

Alessandra Adelaide's CT13:

Rainforest Revisited by Needle Delights Originals

also got some love in May.

Here's the before picture:

I added eight more squares since then

(the top and bottom rows):

Last and probably least,

at this point anyway,

I made a start on Raise the Roof's "Crabby All Year."

It's on my list because I've had the charts for quite a while.

So, say hello to June:

"B"?  Really??

Yes, June is "Bugs!"

I had a bad moment with it this morning.

As you can see, I did measure for the center and

basted a line down the middle.

Trying to be careful here

because this is another BAP.

I'm doing all the months on one piece of linen.

Then it hit me:

there's an 80-thread header I forgot about!

I vaguely remembered Joy at House of Stitches

telling me I was getting a little extra

when she cut the fabric.

(I think my measurements were

almost equal to the width of the fabric.)

So I counted, and there's plenty of room at the top!

Whew!!

That's it for this month.

Hope your month was productive, too!

And thanks for visiting!

Ort Bag

Cute little ort bag

(or thread catcher, if you will).

Instructions for making one are here.

I found this a while ago

on Patty's blog.

So thanks, Patty!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

And thanks for visiting!