Mid-Year Recap - for WIPocalypse

 Sorry for the long absence from my blog, but not a lot to report as I spent most May watching my new granddaughter.  My daughter had to go back to work the end of April and since it was only until the end of the school year, didn't make a lot of sense trying to find daycare for her when I really didn't have anything to do ;)  So I opted for watching her vs. stitching.  I had absolutely no stitching done in May and hence nothing to report.  I've been stitching a little bit in June, but not as much as I should or really want.  I'm still trying to figure out this retirement thing.  

Let me back track here for a minute - this is my monthly check in for WIPocalypse, which is a SAL for people like me who have lots of projects going and need to get them done before the world comes to an end.  If you want to see more, you can go here:

WIPocalypse

The question for June's post is a mid-year recap of how we are doing with our goals.   So here were my projects that I wanted to work on this year:  The projects highlighted in yellow are my focus pieces that I really want to make a lot of progress on, maybe not a finish, but enough that you can tell they were worked on during 2021.  The rest are ones that I want to work on, and if close enough to a finish, getting a finish.

1	American Flag Quilt	Rosewood Manor	2015
2	Autum Quaker	Rosewood Manor	2015
3	Family Tree	Thistles	2018
4	Four Mouring Angels		restart 11-2020
5	Family	Dragon Fire Designs	2016
6	Guardian Angel	L&L	Nov-20
7	Ice Angel	L&L	2004
8	Inspire Others	Hearts Content	2015
9	Letter A Mermaid	Nora Corbet	2015
10	Lucky 13	Amy Bruecken	2019
11	Noah's Ark Afgan	Curtis Boehringers	1996
12	Peace Angel	Lavender & Lace (L&L)	2015
13	PeliCan	Courney Collection	2015
14	Peter's Patch	Shepard's Bush	2013
15	Angel's Song	Shepard's Bush	2014
16	Earth Dancer	TIAG	2014
17	Walking to St. Ives	Indgo Rose	2015
18	jVexation Sampler	Plum Street	2017
19	Votes for Women	Nebby Needles	2020
20	Charland's Stocking	Shepard's Bush	Nov-20
21	Peter's Stocking	Shepard's Bush	Nov-20
22	Coming to America	Thread with My Needle	12-12-2020

    

I've worked on Autumn Quaker, Family Tree, Guardian Angel, Letter A Mermaid, Lucky 13, Noah's Ark, Peace Angel, PeliCan, Walking to St. Ives, Votes for Women (done), Charland's Stocking - stitching done, need to finish into a stocking now and Coming to America.  So not too bad, but no where near where I thought I'd be by now.  

What have I don't in June?  Good questions.  First I got myself a new canvas - this is a voodoo doll from a shop in New Orlean's.  I can't wait to get this puppy on the stretcher bars, but right now I have several other canvases to get done.  I've seen other's working on this and there are so many options.  Some have done it all in basket weave, others have used all kinds of speciality threads and stitching.  So my mind is going crazy with options - I know there will be glow in the dark thread for sue - thinking the white and green :)

If you are a needlepointed and have some suggestions I'm open!!

My Peace Angel has gotten some love this month.  I worked my way down and over to the bodice of the angel.  She has a lot of white, so not very exciting to stitch.  There is some yellow, but it's really pale, so you can't tell.  I think I can work on her face next and get the rest of her bodice done.  Debating whether to do the face over one like the rest of the angels I've done, so save myself the stress and just do it over two....I will probably do it over one just to be consistent.   I need to go and fill in around the wings some more.  My plan is to work my way over to the other wing and then start to go up on the wing.  Or I night go back to the top and work it down.  Not sure yet which way I'll go, just know I want to get this one done and framed.  

Next is my Letter A Mermaid.  I'm part of the NoStart2021 group and this was one of my identified project in one of their mini challenges - you could stitch on a called for chart or something by that designer.  So she got several hours of loving this month.  She will come out again as I'm not that far from having the stitching done at least, there are a lot of color changes and most of them are so close that you wonder what the designer was thinking, but I'm sure the original threads had more color changes in them so it made sense.  The beading will be another issues for another day, but once I get the stitching done it won't be hard to get the beading done, there is a LOT of beading :(.

Next is my Lucky 13, this was a spin for May, so I worked on it and got another motif done.  the spiders, the next one is a candy corn that is cute.  Not sure if this one will come out again this year, but who knows.  I can do each motif in a day or two depending on how many hours I stitch.  I would like to get this one done this year, it is cute and will look really great with the rest of my Halloween designs on my wall.

I wanted to work on my Walking to St. Ives, it was calling to me. So I got the alphabet completed and most of the two men done. I did a little more of the blackwork border, but not a lot.  This one will be worked on again as I really do enjoy it and would like it done.  I think the next section are more works - maybe the start of the poem?  Words tend to go fast once I get my rhythm going.

I spent a little time on my Children's Book shelve.  Can't see the basket weave I've done on some of the background of the shelve.  I have found a stitch I like for the wall part and will see how that works out during July. I have this one on my new floor stand, so it's out all the time now.  I want to get more work done on it so I can pull out my other canvas called Friends - which is Max and the monster from Where the Wild Things Are.  

I've been watching youtube lessons on learning how to finish canvases into ornament and/or pillows.  I have several that are ready to finish, so excited about getting started.  I still need to buy some more supplies and find someplace to put my hook so I can make my own cording.  More to come I'm sure :)

The last picture is puzzle that my son got me for Christmas.  I got a puzzle board that I could close the puzzle up in while not working on it so Ms. Kitty wouldn't be able to "help" me with it by knocking pieces off.  it is 1,500 pieces and was slow start, but then I got into my groove and got it done.  I had some moments that I thought I was missing pieces, but as it turned out, I just had a few pieces in the wrong the places.  Once I figure it out, they all fit in and I had them all.  Now to flip it and glue it together and into a puzzle frame.  I have a 2000 piece puzzle my son got me for my retirement that will come and play, just need to figure out where I'm going to set it up as my puzzle board is too small.  I might get a frame and just cover it every night????  

Last is a little bit of sweetness.  I sure do miss this little lady now that I'm back in MI and she is still in KY.  I will see her next week and then again in August when we get her baptized up here in MI.  My husband likes to FaceTime with her almost daily and sometimes he gets a smile, other times he gets her temper - she is so much like her Paw-Paw or Pop-Pop.  

We'll also celebrate my parent's 70th wedding anniversary in August, so lucky to still have my parents, and I enjoy the time I get to spend with them.  My sisters and brother are coming as well as assorted nieces and nephews.  the party itself will be small - maybe 20 - 30 people in total.