WIPsTag Archives

WIPocalypse & the Great Stash Diet™

Here we are with 2012 quickly approaching. In fact, in many parts of the world, it’s already arrived. I still have just a little over three hours to go until it arrives for me here in California. That gives me just enough time to outline my plans for the 2012 WIPocalypse and my own Great Stash Diet™!

Part of the WIPocalypse SAL is to post a list of the WIPs you want to work on during the year. I sorted through all of my WIPs (*gulp*) and then decided which pieces I want to focus on as part of the WIPocalypse SAL. With that, here’s my plan with links to my current progress photos on the existing WIPs:

Finish at least 12 pieces in 2012

Celtic Christmas – Lavendar & Lace (started 25-Sep-05)
Hannah Beeby 1816 – Timeless Designs [started 24-Mar-08]
Sophie’s Stocking – Shepherd’s Bush (started 16-Feb-09)
Lady Alexandra – Mirabilia (started 13-Aug-11)
My Mirabilia Round Robin piece – RR starting late February/early March
Debbie’s Mira RR
Jocelyn’s Mira RR
Julie’s Mira RR
Sophia’s Mira RR
Stephanie’s Mira RR
Tanya’s Mira RR
Tracy‘s Mira RR

As time allows, work the additional pieces below (in no particular order but listed by start date) as well as any other new pieces I start (must already be kitted and will be added to this list once started). I don’t have current current progress pics of most of these pieces. I’ll link the ones that are available and I’ll post the others if and when the time comes that I work on the piece.

Taj Mahal Garden Mandala – Chatelaine (started 1-Jan-07)
Le Quaker a 6 Mains – Broder Ensemble/Le 498/AMAP (started 5-Jan-07)
Moonlit Garden – Blackbird Designs (started 19-Jan-07)
Halloween Fairy – Nora Corbett [started 12-Aug-08]
Plum Blossom Kimono (canvas) – Margaret Bendig (started 20-Jun-09)
The Southwest (Sea to Shining Sea series) – Little House Needleworks (started 10-Oct-09)
Book of Spells – The Good Huswife (started 13-Feb-10)
Needle (Dictionary Series) – CherryWood Design Studios (started 01-Jan-11)
Snowed In (6 Fat Men series) – Lizzie Kate (started 22-Dec-11)
Royal Holiday – Mirabilia (planned Jan. 1 2012 start)

If you want more information, check out the FAQs here. If you’re interested in joining us, you can sign up here. Who’s taking part you ask? Check out the huge list of participants!

In addition to taking on the WIPocalypse, I’ve also decided to undertake my own Great Stash Diet™ for 2012. Since my stitching goals for the year are pretty clearly defined, there’s really no need for me to be spending lots of money on stash as I normally do. So, my goal for 2012 is NO stash buying, with the following exceptions:

Any fibers needed for the RR or existing works in progress.
Stash purchased with gift certificates.
Kit for a class I’m tentatively planning to take in June.
One birthday stash order in February from Drema using my birthday discount.
My auto-ship ornament of the month series from Little House Needleworks.

So, that’s it. That pretty much encompasses my stitching plans for 2012. What about you? Do you have any stitching, craft, or hobby plans for 2012?

Until next time …

31 December 2011

Stitching

4 comments

canvas, Cross Stitch, Great Stash Diet, Stash, WIPocalypse 2012, WIPs

Lady Alexandra Update & TUSAL 2012

I’ve really been enjoying working on Lady Alexandra from Mirabilia lately. She’s the only piece I worked on this week. I got kind of side-tracked away from stitching when I learned on Thursday that my uncle suddenly wasn’t doing well due to complications of his Parkinson’s disease. He ended up passing away on Friday and I just been out of sorts emotionally since then. So, I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked this week, but progress is progress, right? As always, click to biggify.

Fabric: 32-count Ice Blue linen (Wichelt)
Fibers: Recommended DMC & Mill Hill Beads
Progress as of 20 November 2011

I also wanted to make a quick mention about the 2012 edition of the TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long). I haven’t participated in a couple of years, but decided to do it again in 2012. If you are interested in participating or learning more about it, you can visit Sharon’s blog (a.k.a. Daffycat) to check out the details.

Until next time …

21 November 2011

Cross Stitch

3 comments

Family, Lady Alexandra, Mirabilia, Totally Useless SAL, TUSAL, Uncle Alex, WIPs

Alex Update

I’m still plugging away on Lady Alexandra by Mirabilia and loving every minute of it. I worked on her off and on over the long holiday weekend. Here’s my latest progress photo:

Fabric: 32-count Ice Blue linen (Wichelt)
Fibers: Recommended DMC
Stitched 2-over-2
Progress as of 5 September 2011

Until next time …

6 September 2011

Cross Stitch

4 comments

Lady Alexandra, Mirabilia, WIPs

Lunching with Alex

I’ve had a new lunch partner this week — Lady Alexandra. As always, click to biggify.

There’s still not that much to show yet, but I’m off to a decent start. If you look closely, you can almost make out her clutch purse. The stitching on it is actually completed. The rest of it will be blinged out with beads in true Mirabilia fashion.

I’m not sure exactly what it is about this design that I find so appealing, but I just can’t seem to put her down. I find myself clock-watching all morning to see how much longer I have to go until I get to stitch on her again. Given how little I’ve actually stitched in 2011, that might be a good thing because I seem to have my stitching mojo back.

Until next time …

17 August 2011

Cross Stitch

12 comments

Lady Alexandra, Mirabilia, Progress Pic, WIPs

Damn You, Nora Corbett …

for making a new design so beautiful that I couldn’t resist it the moment I saw it. I think this may be my all-time favorite Mirabilia design, even more than my beloved M fairy I finished a couple of years ago!

The was only one change I made when kitting it up at my LNS today. Instead of using the Wichelt Twilight Blue/Smokey Pearl called for in the chart, I used their Ice Blue instead. I couldn’t resist starting this beauty immediately. I’ll post a progress pic as soon as there’s enough progress to actually see something.

Until next time …

13 August 2011

Cross Stitch

4 comments

Mirabilia, New Starts, WIPs

Oooo, I’m Stylish!

I managed to set aside a little more time this weekend for working on my Winter Band Sampler. This is such a fun stitch! I wish I had more time to work on it, but between work & school, I just don’t. Here’s my updated progress photo of my band sampler:

Click to biggify

I joked on the Facebook group tonight that at the rate I’m currently able to stitch, it may take me until 2014 to finish my 15 projects for the 2011 Crazy UFO/WIP Challenge. It was meant to be a joke, but there might be a certain level of truth to it as well.

I also wanted to thank my dear friend Tiffany for giving my blog the Stylish Blogger Award. We met through a website called The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans that I discovered a while back through my weight loss efforts. (The editors there recently honored me so much by asking me to join them as a Contributing Writer.) Tiffany and I went on to both be members of Team Shrinking Jeans last year to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team in Training. She’s an amazing woman and I feel blessed to call her my friend!

So this award comes with a few rules, so here goes…

Rule #1: Give thanks. Done – see above.
Rule #2: Share some things about myself. I know some of you will know many of these already, but here we go.

I once appeared in a TV commercial with Johnny Cash and Richard Petty.
I am a baseball fan and have visited over 30 major league baseball parks.
I’m a college football junkie, especially when it comes to the University of Tennessee. My running joke is that you might take the girl out of Tennessee, but you’ll never get me out of my orange leisure wear.
I’ve sang on both the stage of the Ryman Auditorium (former home of the Grand Old Opry) and of the Opry House (current home of the Grand Old Opry) in Nashville, TN.
I grew up in Lynchburg, Tennessee which is the home of Jack Daniel’s Distillery. Throughout my childhood, the population was listed as 361 people, but the county went metropolitan in 1988 so the population is now listed at around 5700. Notable residents (past and present) include frontiersman Davy Crockett, University of Tennessee legendary coach Johnny Majors, and rock & roll legend Little Richard.
I worked in the country music industry in Nashville for nine years and once attended a pool party at the home of Tammy Wynette.
I have visited 47 of the 50 US states. The only ones I still haven’t visited are Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
A few years ago, I appeared in an infomercial for Leslie Sansone‘s WalkBlaster workout series.

That’s probably more than anyone cared to know so I’ll stop now. Here comes the fun part. Now I get to pass along this award to some other bloggers so we can all learn more about them, too. Since I know most of my fellow Sisterhood ladies have already received the award, I’m going to pass this along to some stitching/crafting bloggers that I think are pretty stylish:

Tracy
Terri
Annette
Missy Ann (despite her questionable taste )
Michele
Valerie
Jenna

Ok, that’s it from me for now. It’s getting close to bedtime and I still need to go sweep up the kitchen because my new dishwasher is being delivered and installed tomorrow.

Until next time ….