Time Marches on, and so does the month of March - time to check in

 Dear Blog

How are you doing?  Life has been Ok this month, busy at work, but all deadlines met, so can't complain.  Now time to move to April and see what that month brings.  During these busy months I so enjoy my few hours a day to stitch.  I think I stitched about 28 days this month, which is great.  

So it's time to check in with WIPocalypse, which is hosted by Measi Musings.  Each month we post what we've done and answer the question of the month.  If you want to see/learn more go here:

WIPocalypse

So the question this month is what color or brand of floss do we love and what is our favourite color.  

I'm not a brand snob, I will use anything BUT rayon, really don't like rayon hence the angel that has been in process for about 20 years now.  If you look at what I'm stitching you'd think I love muted colors, the warm browns and tans because I've been doing a lot of reproduction samplers lately, but in all reality I love bright colors - reds, blues and purples are my favourite.  I do have charts that use those colors, I just haven't started them yet.  maybe one year I'll have a bright color year.  I do love to stitch with silk threads, it feels like butter, so when given the option to use silks I will (ok when the budget allows), but otherwise I use DMC, anchor, Weeks, Gentle Arts and others.  There are some I would love to try, but they aren't carried by my local shop, so haven't tried them YET, but I will.

So what have I done this month?

First up is a Summer's Basket by Symbolic Gestures.  It is an old kit that I go maybe 20 years ago and decided it really need to get stitched.  its about 1/2 done now and if it comes out again it can be a finish.  

I'm not crazy about the colors on the linen, but it's in process so it will be finished at somepoint and then we'll see if it gets framed or not.

Next up is All Creatures Great and Small by Barbara Ana Design.  

I really love this one and I'm thinking I have a page finish and the start of the next page.  I love the pigs.  

I saw this one at a shop and decided I had to have it, but they were out of the charts, so I got another one - Eye of the Sparrow instead and at the time thought it just wasn't meant to be, but then I saw this chart at another shop and decided I really like it, so I got it, and now both of these BAP on in works.  It will be several years before they are done, but that's OK I'm a process stitcher, I love the journey and the end is just icing on the cake.

The next one is a finish - it's Vexation Sampler by Plum Street.  I started out using the colors called for, but then decided to go for it and added other colors. 

They don't all melt together real well, but I'm OK with that, I love it just the same.  It has many personal changes (AKA frog visits that didn't get ripppppp out), but in the end the corners met up somewhat.  

I'm hoping to take this one to be framed in April and then it will go to live with my granddaughter in KY.  Never too young to learn your time-tables!!   This was my second multiplication table, and I have a third one in my stash to start....I love math what can I saw, every room needs to have the table so visitors can practice .

Next up is All things Unseen by Lizzy Kate.  This was a mystery - 3 parts, but in my true fashion I waited for all parts to be released so I could see the end results and decide if I liked it enough to stitch.  

Obviously I did because here it is.  I'm working on pages one and two together.  Again it is personalized by me with using the wrong colors in the wrong places and some counting mishaps, but unless you had the original next to it, I don't think you can really tell where all the mistakes are, so I'm letting it go!!  I love the saying on this one.  I would like to have this one done this year, but most likely it will be a 2025 finish.

The last one I worked on in March is Coming to America by With Thy Needle & Thread.  It was originally a market exclusive release in 2020, I got the kit from my LNS, but didn't start it right away.  When I did, I tried out several different linens in different counts and finally settled on this one.  The creams and whites don't show up too well, but decided I just wanted it done, so there it is.  

I'm ready to start the section with all the names, which I'm hoping will go faster than the rest has gone.  Don't know anyone who came over on the Mayflower, my ancestors all came afterwards, some through Ellis Island, others through Canada.  But I like the chart and though it would be fun to do.  I liked the middle section, but not real thrilled with her rest of it.  It will get done, but it's not a top priority on my list.

I have one more that I've been stitching on, but no pictures yet, I only take pictures when I'm ready to put it away so I can post my progress on my WIP Warrior FB album.   I will show off that one next month.  I've put in a lot of stitches, but it really doesn't look like it because I'm working on a house, which is on the biggish side, but not as large as some I've seen.  I think I figured it will about about 4,200 stitches, on 40 ct.  Will be glad when the house is done - two more days and it goes back in its project bag for another day.  The house won't be done.

Leaving you with a little smile and hope for summer to arrive and this year not be full of rain like last year.  My granddaughter is learning how to swim.  She loves the water and looks forward to her lessons each week.  This summer should be fun in our pool with her and I'm sure she will love the parks with the sprinklers.   I grew up spending weekends at some beach with my family as my Dad was a scuba diver and they scheduled dives in different lakes around Michigan all summer long.  

Hope you all have a wonderful stitchy month and made great progress.  I love seeing what others are doing.  I so envy all the full coverage people.  I would love to do one, but given my epic failure on a chart that was about 60% full cover, not sure I'd ever get through the confetti stitches that really make it look so great.  Maybe when I retire I will venture with a small one.

See you all in April :).  for those in the path of the eclipse would love to see pictures posted - maybe I need to pull out one of my charts with plants or moons on it to work on that day.  We aren't in the path in MI, but our house in KY will have 98% totality, unfortunately we won't make it down there to see.

Sandy