July is coming to an end and Summer will be too soon.........

Welcome to my monthly update of what I've done since my last posting.  I've been enjoying this year's journey and I'm enjoying updating what I've been doing.  Hard to believe that 2025 will be hear soon and I'll have another year of stitching in the books - but lets not get too far ahead of myself - it's only the end of July now.

This month's question is being asked by WIPocalypse very own MEASI'S MUSINGS - RAMBLINGS OF A GEEKY WITCH.  I'm enjoying her FB page and being part of her community of stitchers and hope she continues this for many, many years.

The question for July is - Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?

I don't have any that are technically difficult to work on because I have enjoyed doing speciality stitches and such for many years and have some excellent books that tell me how too.  I was lucky enough to model stitch for a designer who used different stitches in her designs.  I also enjoyed doing band samplers back in the 1990's (Just Nan, Shepard Bush Indigo Rose to name a few).   I also don't have any projects are difficult because of pattern itself, like a full coverage - which to me would be a difficult stitch.  I do have one that is difficult just because it was started for my oldest daughter who we lost to cancer 9 years ago.  I started it for her before her daughter was born, but it got sidelined for other things and just lingered for years.  When she got sick I thought, maybe if I work on her angel it will keep her safe, but it didn't and we knew she wasn't going to win her war.  She won a few of the battles, but in the end the cancer won as we knew it would.  So it's difficult to work on because when I do pull it out I think about her and miss her so much, so there are a few tears and it makes it hard to read the chart.

I also don't enjoy the thread, it's a rayon which is hard to stitch with, and has lots of blending threads that are added to the DMC.  I really love my conversation, and I do love the angel and it did come out this year for some love and I did get some progress.  It will be done at some point, maybe for a great-grandchild.  

Now for my update on what I worked on in July -

First up is my SB Stocking - Peter's Stocking.  I'm doing this one for our new great-grandson who arrived last week.  I need to add the name at the top and then get the embellishment pack to sew on it.  I will add a little something special but need to figure out what that will be, I have some ideas, but nothing set yet.  

This is an older stocking, so not as much detail.  There is supposed to be a row of flowers at the very bottom, but not fond of them, so going to leave them off.  

So I was going to do Christmas in July and thought I would start the other stockings I have kitted up and ready to go - I have 3 of them ready to go and a 4th one that I need to cut the fabric for and it will be ready as well.  Well I've decided I'm not a seasonal stitcher, regardless of what I tell myself.   I am very much a stitch what moves you at the moment type person, but I did start another stocking

I started Marie's stocking.  My niece is having a baby in October, so need to get another boy and girl stocking ready because they decided to be surprised with the baby, which I totally support.  Knowing what you are having is like buying your own Christmas presents and then wrapping them and putting them under the tree and trying to act surprise when you open them up.  I know there are things that they don't know, like eye color and hair color, but still the biggest part of the surprise is not a surprise.

Here is where I am - that dress was a lot of stitching!!  I need to move the q-snap so will pull this out again maybe in September.  Happy with what I got done.

Next worked on with my Rosewood Manor American Quilt Flag - I managed to get almost 3 more states done and started on the words under the one State.   This is another one that I really like the design, but not enjoying the stitch, a lot of back stitching and color changes and one stitch here and one stitch there.  

I don't think this one will come out again this year, but who knows if it will call to me again.  I figure at the rate I'm going it will take me about 10 more years to get this one done - so maybe it needs more than one week a. year of love.  

Next up is a new start and a time out!!  My Mom loves owls and so I got these charts several years ago and thought they would be a fun fast stitch and I would make her some ornaments for her tree. 

Well my mom has dementia and while she still knows who I am most days, she really isn't aware of her surroundings and wouldn't be able to enjoy the owls.  I've given her a few things over the past couple of years and they sit in drawers.  So my feelings aren't hurt because I understand, so figure I will save my stitching time for other things.

But I thought I would still love doing them and maybe give them to my siblings for their trees.  So why not start with Tribal Owl 01??   This is what it's supposed to look like - decided I really didn't want to do black and red, and I got pack of different colored linen and decided I would change the colors and do them on those linens - easy-peasy right?  

Well this is the one I started.  The frog visited often (thinking he's set up residency in my home) and it's off someplace by ONE STINKING THREAD!!  So I either need to takeout back to the error, if I can find it OR re-start it.  I decided I really didn't like the colors I picked, in person the colors looked good.  Did a floss toss and on the material they looked good, but stitched they look too much alike.  So going to change to something else and probably start this one all over, just need to find the threads.  So this one got put into a project bag and put into time out.  When I pull out this project again, I might start with a different owl - I have 4 of them, so can pick and chose.  The are all about 50 x 60, so I think I can get them done in a week or less IF the frog stays at bay.

After that disaster I pulled out His Eye is on the Sparrow by Heartstring Samplary, which I really love.  I have a page finish and started on page 2, I think there are about 12 pages, so I have a long ways to go before this one will be completed.  While people complain that they don't like stitching the same thing twice on samplers, I figure by the time I get to the right side of the pattern I will have forgotten about stitching those motifs on the left side LOL.  And if I was off, it gives me another chance to get it right the next time LOL.  I generally work no more than 1 week on anything, but I keep telling myself, just one more motif and I'll put it away.  Since this picture I've finished up the vase at the bottom, the rest of the word Sparrow and more of the border at the top.  I might work on it one more day and then put it away.  Will see tomorrow.  I know I won't get another page finish as there is a big a** house that will take some time to get done.  I'm thinking I'm doing this on 40 ct, so while it will be big, it won't be huge and I should be able to get it framed and find a spot on the wall for it.

Now for a quick peek at my new great-grandson - how in the world did I get so old??  I am not as old as all those people who said they graduated with me.  But in my defence I was a very. young mother, I got married right out of high school and had a baby, then decided I needed to grow up, so got rid of the hubby, went to college with 2 kids in tow and got my degree in accounting.  So I'm not all that old LOL

My grandson says his son is a very easy baby and doesn't fuss too much, I just laugh and tell him that won't last long.  It's the quiet ones that you have to watch - they can get into the most trouble.   Griffin arrived and weighed in at 7 lbs, my grandson when he arrived weighted in at 12 lbs, so he was a wee one compared to his dad.

Enjoy your month and can't wait to see what others are getting done.