Baby Patchwork as of 5th March 2012

I've been concentrating on Baby Patchwork as my friend's baby is due to be born in the next couple of weeks. I've done another 922 stitches since my last post which makes it 46% complete.  I'm really enjoying stitching this and planning in my mind how I will set out the baby's name and birth details.

I don't know if you've noticed but I've set up a new page which is my "Stitching Journal".  I'd seen a lot on other forums about people keeping track of their progress with a stitching journal and I thought I'd utilise my blog to start one of my own.  Basically it's just a small entry (nearly) every day detailing what I've stitched that day and anything else I want to keep a note of.  Mainly it's for me but of course you're all welcome to read along with me.  I've also spent some time going through my "must do" projects and these are now listed on my "Current & Future Projects" page.  I've grouped them by size (stitch count) and my intention is that when I finish a small project I can add a new small one and if I finish a large project and can add a new large one etc.

Anyway I'm rambling now because it's the middle of the night and I am up with my little boy who unfortunately has chicken pox.  Very tempted to do some stitching but don't know if my sleep deprived brain and tired eyes could really make much progress!

Here's a couple of pics of my poorly (yet still cheeky) little boy.

Piece finish Happy Dance for Nativity as of 29.02.12

I'm really pleased with the progress that I've made on the Nativity.  I'm  keeping up with stitching one piece a month and have now completed the largest piece.  So doing a small happy dance for a piece finish.  I have now completed 16.7% of this project.

I've mainly be concentrating on the Baby Patchwork Birth Sampler as the baby I am stitching it for is due to be born mid-March and I want to get it finished as soon as I can after he is born.  I've completed 1,232 stitches since my last update which now makes it 37.9% complete.

Updates as of 23rd February 2012

Well after my quick post last night I thought I'd update you on the progress for which I can show you pictures.

First update is of the plastic canvas nativity.  I completed the smallest piece of the set which is the baby Jesus in the manger.

I'm very close to finishing the largest piece of the set which is the background, I just need to fill in the blue and do the back stitching.

                          

I've done a little bit more on the Six Fat Men.

Finally this is a picture of what I am going to add to my rotation next.  It's called String of Hearts and was in issue 206 of Cross Stitch Collection.

First Happy Dance of 2012!

Well I've stayed up way past my normal bed time to complete my first finish for 2012.  Unfortunately it's one of my secret projects so I can't put any photos up yet but hopefully it won't be too long until I can.

Still having a little dance even though I can't share it yet.

WIPocalypse - 07.02.12

My second WIPocalypse update.  Unfortuately this month I seem to have added more to my stash than I have done work on my WIPocalypse projects.  I am under no illusion that any of my new additions will be completed this year though.


Forbidden Doorway SK SAL - HAED - started 08.01.12 - completed 567 of 21,258 stitches which is 2.67% complete.

Hanging Loose Christmas Ornaments - Cross Stitcher Magazine (November 2011) - as of 18.01.12 12.5% complete

Nativity - first part started

Secret Project 2 - Baby - I will be able to post pictures of this later this year -  two thirds of first afghan square finished

Living with Charm - Lizzie Kate - Part 10 complete as of 14.01.12

Cinnamon Cat Birth Sampler - started 21.12.11 - 2,957 of 11,068 stitches - 26.72% complete - no progress since last update

Gerbera Daisy Cushion - Just Cross Stitch Magazine - 23,726 of 28,224 stitches - 84.06% complete - no progress since last update

Hickory Dickory Dock QS - HAED - 20,344 of 26,775 stitches - 75.98% complete as of 02.01.12 - no progress since last update

Secret Project 1 - Ink Circles - I won't be able to publish any pictures of this project but will update my stats - 11.49% complete - no progress since last update

Six Fat Men - Lizzie Kate - 3 out of 6 complete - no progress since last update

Miscellaneous as of 04.02.12

I'm making good progress with my secret project and have probably done about a two thirds of the first square so far.  The fabric I am stitching it on is quite difficult to work with so it's taking me much longer than a normal project would but it's nice to stitch on something different for a change.

One of the goals I have set myself for the year is to complete the 24 Christmas ornaments on plastic canvas from the November 2011 issue of Cross Stitcher Magazine.  I am hoping to turn them into some form of advent calendar so I need to stitch at least 2 a month to reach my goal.  Up to now I have completed 3.  I am substituting the french knots with beads and some of the backstitching with metallic threads with the hope this will add a little sparkle to the ornaments.  So having completed 3 of 24 ornaments I have completed 12.5% of this project.

I've also started stitching the plastic canvas nativity which I hope to have finished for Christmas.  There are 12 pieces in total so at 1 piece a month it seems like quite an achievable goal.  Also they are quite basic designs and have large blocks of colour so I am hoping when the light gets better I may be able to stitch on them in the car going to and from work.  I've started with the biggest part of the set which is the background and here's my progress so far.  If you want to see the finished design you can find it here.

I was thrilled to see on Jill Rensel's blog that she has framed a Living with Charm piece.  It just looks stunning.  It is my goal one day to have one of my pieces framed by Jill.  Here's the link if you want to look.

I'm extremely excited to have signed up to stitch my first Chatelaine - I've chosen to stitch the Anniversay Fairy Tale Castle.  The first part is released at the beginning of April so I have until then to save up my pennies and then decide whether I am going to stitch it in the recommended silks or use the DMC conversion.  I'm thinking I will have to go with the DMC conversion but we'll see.

I've also splurged again in the HAED sale and bought the four Randall Spangler story keeps recently released.  I will also get the fifth one when it comes out as I want to stitch them all on one piece of fabric.  I'm thinking a hand dyed piece so that the fabric acts like matting in between the pictures but I'm not sure yet what colour fabric I will stitch on.

Forbidden Doorway SK as of 14.01.12

I've not made a great deal of progress on the SK SAL only completing 567 stitches which makes it 2.67% complete.  I am moving on as I have to do some work on one of my secret projects.  Here's my progress picture so far.

I've also completed the next section of Living with Charm - I now have only 2 sections left to do.

As I am working on one of my secret projects next there won't be an update for a while.  

WIPocalypse - 09.01.12

So here's my first WIPocalypse update.

Cinnamon Cat Birth Sampler - started 21.12.11 - 2,957 of 11,068 stitches - 26.72% complete

Gerbera Daisy Cushion - 23,726 of 28,224 stitches - 84.06% complete

Hickory Dickory Dock QS - 20,344 of 26,775 stitches - 75.98% complete as of 02.01.12

Living with Charm - Part 9 complete as of 03.01.12

Secret Project 1 - I won't be able to publish any pictures of this project but will update my stats - 11.49% complete

Secret Project 2 - I will be able to post pictures of this later this year -  not yet started

Six Fat Men - 3 out of 6 complete

Forbidden Doorway SK SAL - not yet started

Baby Patchwork as of 07.01.12

I've been stitching on Baby Patchwork for the last few days and have now completed 2,957 of 11,068 which is 26.72% complete.  On the original pattern the name and birth details are done in cross stitch and look quite bulky.  I've decided to stitch the whole background in white and then back stitch the details, I think it will look better this way and will also enable me to fit more information in.  So here's the progress picture.

I've also completed part 9 of Living with Charm which makes it 75% complete.  I now have a deadline to finish this project which is spurring me on.

 I also had a lovely surprise this morning.  I received £100 of Hobbycraft vouchers after entering a competition in Cross Stitcher Magazine.  I had only said to a friend of mine yesterday that I sometimes wondered if anyone actually won these competitions - well I guess someone was listening and decided to prove me wrong.  The ironic thing is I took my Christmas money to Hobbycraft a few days ago and bought everything I needed so I guess the vouchers may have to wait awhile before I spend them.  I can't decide whether to splurge on a couple of big items or just keep myself in threads and needles for a while.

Heather's Giveaway

Heather is having a fantastic giveaway of CCN and LHN charts - please visit her blog here and enter to be in with a chance of winning.

Hickory Dickory Dock as of 02.01.12

I've now completed a further 1,078 stitches on Hickory Dickory Dock which makes it 20,344 of 26,775 complete which is 75.98% complete.  I can see the outline of the second mouse coming out from the bottom left of the clock face I've decided that I want to get this completed by June so I can submit it for the HAED reward program.  At my current pace I should be able to achieve this as long as life doesn't get in the way.

I've also completed part 8 of Living with Charm and am pretty close to finishing part 9.

Next I am going to work on Six Fat Men again.

Baby Patchwork as of 26.12.11

A good friend of mine is pregnant and I asked her to choose a birth sampler for me to stitch for her little boy.  She chose Baby Patchwork by Cinnamon Cat which I started on 21.12.11.  I have done 1,600 stitches and it is now 14.5% complete.  It's stitched on 14 count cream aida, 2 over 1 full crosses.

I was a bit unsure of the colours when I first started stitching it but I think they come together really well.

I've also finally got round to framing my Home of a Needleworker which I finished earlier this year.

I'm really pleased with how it looks and I'm hoping it will be hanging on the wall before the end of the year.

I had a lovely Christmas.  My little boy is 2 in January and he was so excited with all his presents.  He was even more excited when he got up the next day and they were all still here, I think he thought he only had them for one day!

Hickory Dickory Dock as of 20.12.11

I've finally picked up Hickory Dickory Dock again, it must be at least 6 months since I last worked on this.  It is one of my WIPocalypse goals for 2012 and I am determined that it will be finished next year.  My niece will be 3 in August and as it is her birth sampler I think it's about time it was finished.  I did 1,583 stitches on it this time which brings it to 71.96% complete.  I have now reached the bottom left hand corner so this is the full height of the piece.

Thanks for reading.  I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and  Prosperous New Year.

Six Fat Men, Gerbera Daisies & Living with Charm as of 19.12.11

Sorry I haven't updated for a while but I've not been at all well, still not 100% to be honest.

I finished the third part of Six Fat Men a few days ago and here's the picture.

I've also managed to get some stitching in on Living with Charm.

I also picked up a UFO which is so near to completion I don't know why I stopped stitching on it.  It's my gerbera daisy cushion and is now 84% complete.

I'm starting to put my list together for the 2012 WIPocalypse and am looking forward to making some progress towards some finishes.  I think I've decided not to take part in the Crazy January Challenge but I am going to try and stitch some much smaller projects over the next 12 months so that I can have some finishes.

Inspire as of 01.12.11

I gave in and started Inspire on 23.11.11 and have managed to complete the first page.  Granted I did cheat and start at the bottom right hand corner so the first page I have done is page 40 which is the smallest page but still it's a page finish.  I've done 2,604 stitches which means it is 1.05% complete.  So far it's a good mix of confetti and larger areas of solid colours so I can swap between the two and not get too frustrated with either.  I am stitching on 22 count white aida 3 over 1 tent stitch.

Poppy Brooch as of 23.11.11 - COMPLETE

One of the secret projects I mentioned I was working on last time was a poppy brooch from Issue 246 of Cross Stitcher Magazine.  My sister had seen the brooch and mentioned she would like to stitch it at some point and as she is always making things for me and my son I thought I would make it for her.  The magazine said to stitch it on red felt using waste canvas but I chose to stitch it on plastic canvas instead which I think has worked really well.  I then stitched red felt to the back and attached a brooch pin.  My sister was over the moon with it when I gave it to her which I was pleased about as I was a bit worried that she had wanted to actually stitch it herself.  Anyway less words here's the pictures.

I'm making good progress on one of my other secret projects and have stitched about 10% of it.  It is for an event that is happening in 2013 which I can't go into much detail about without giving away the secret.  So unfortunately there won't be any photos of this project for a long while.  I am well on track though to get it finished in plenty of time which I am happy about.

I'm going to be starting on Inspire next which is a new start that I just cannot wait to get to.  I made myself work on the secret project this week so I could keep on track but I've been itching to start Inspire.

I've also signed up for the HAED BB 2012 SAL.  I chose one of the SKs, I think it is called Enchanted Doorway - it's a picture of a lady with a dragon on her shoulder and I'm looking forward to receiving the information about that in due course.

Six Fat Men as of 15.11.11 - Part 2 Complete

It's been nearly a month since my last update and I only have one photo to show you.  I have been stitching on other items but unfortunately I can't show you pictures of these at the moment as they are all gifts.

I got back to doing Six Fat Men and have now finished part 2.  I would love to have this finished for this Christmas but I'm not putting any pressure on myself as this normally leads to me giving up on a project entirely.

So here's my update with part 2 complete.

The picture really doesn't do the colours justice they really pop against the fabric and I just love how it's all coming together.

I was overwhelmed this week to receive three RAKs from HAED from a friend whose blog I've been following for a while.  I am desperate to start this one

It's a Lisa Steinke design and as I have blogged previously I love her artwork and just can't wait to make a start on this.

I am also contemplating taking part in the 2012 Crazy January Challenge so I'm thinking of little projects that I can start as part of that.

Six Fat Men as of 16.10.11 - Part 1 Complete

I started another new project this week!!  It's the Six Fat Men Series from Lizzie Kate and I am stitching it on 14 count opalescent aida in Dragon's Evening Sky from Crafty Kitten Fabrics.  As soon as I got the fabric in the post I had to start stitching and here is the first Snowman complete.

I love the design and I love the way the colours pop out against the fabric.  I've got the second part of the series all ready and I hope to have the other four parts in the next few weeks and I will hopefully get the entire piece stitched before Christmas.

I also got a little under 700 stitches done on Train of Dreams and I was loving stitching it but just couldn't resist this new start.  Can't decide what to stitch on next so think I'll sleep on it and see how I feel tomorrow.

Just to update you on my previous posts about baby Isla, unfortunately she lost her battle and went to be an angel.  My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Shy Baby as of 08.10.11

Since my last post I've been working on Shy Baby and also made quite a lot of progress on my Lizzie Kate Flip it With Charm.  So here's the pics.

I love that I can see her mouth now and the bottom of her nose.

I'm really enjoying the simplicity of this design and it has made me look at my stash in a different way and I can't wait to stitch more of the smaller designs I have which I know I will finish.

So strangely enough I have a strong desire to do some stitching on Train of Dreams which is odd as I've never enjoyed stitching it.  I saw a progress pic someone else posted recently and it really made me want to make some progress on mine.

On a non-stitching note with reference to my previous post I am asking for you to say a little prayer for Isla as she is in a very serious condition at the moment.

Can I Borrow Your Voice

This post has nothing to do with stitching but a story from another blog I read has really touched my heart and I wanted to share the families story with you all to see if anyone can help.

I am not as eloquent as other bloggers out there so I have copied this post from Motherhood Truth.

As a blogger I read MANY blogs. Some are funny off the wall stories and some are a look inside the blogger's life. People start blogs for many reasons but end up using them for something they never thought they would.

The Anderson's started a blog back in July to simply keep their friends and family up to date on their pregnancy. At 26 wks"peanut" arrived while they were on vacation, miles away from home. Not only did dad have a new baby that was 14 wks early but he had a wife that was on life support.

"Peanut" was then transferred to a hospital 2 hrs away, which meant dad would drive 4+ hrs a day to see his girls.

Mom was finally transferred closer to baby and woke up after about a month, but baby continues to stay critical and mom is still healing.

You can read their entire story HERE

As a mom that went through a hospital experience with a child (although very minor compared to this) I know one thing adds up. The bills. Not just the hospital bills but the everyday bills that continue to grow and don't stop just because this family's life has paused. The money needed to feed dad, and get him things to live on because he is so far from home. Finances then become another burden on top of the stress of a sick child, and in this case a sick mom.

While this family has a huge support system I cannot help but think I can and HAVE to do something. I am in the US and they live in the UK.  What could I do?

At one point I tried to ignore my need to help, but I just couldn't. I went to bed praying for this family. Praying I would get up and see their blog and everything would be better. I woke up with an urge to help. I decided I NEED to help them pay for things since I cannot be there to physically help them.

 I have emailed the family and they have only confirmed myNEED to help them, not because they asked for the help, but because they felt they couldn't accept but were so grateful. I didn't give them a choice, the hardest thing for parents in a situation like this is asking for help.

After another email I was told they would accept my help to raise money for them on a couple conditions. One of them brought me to tears.

* Depending on what they need they would donate half the money to BLISS, a charity that helps preemies (baby's born too soon, too small, too sick) and their parents across the UK. 

This family is going through something most cannot even imagine. A time when they have ALL RIGHT to be selfish and live for them, but they are looking to help others through our help!

THIS IS WHERE I NEED YOUR VOICE!!


I have had the family set up a Paypal account. I am asking people to donate what they can, IF they can. I am also asking fellow bloggers to donate ONE blog post to this family and/or a Tweet and/or Facebook Post. You are more than welcome to copy and paste this post, or just parts. Whatever is easiest for you!

If you do not want to post this story on your blog I understand but hope you will still send people here to help!

I have absolutely NO contact with any money sent. It all goesDIRECTLY to the family so that they can access it when they need it!

*Because I have NO contact with the money I will not know how well we are doing. If you make a donation I would love for you to shoot me an email or comment just saying you donated. I do not need to know how much, I just want to know if this story is actually getting out. Danielle@Motherhoodtruth.com

If you have ANY questions AT ALL please Email me. My goal is to help this family, I will sit here and answer 5 million questions if I have to in order to make sure they get the help they deserve!

Want to Donate Money?

No amount is too small! Every dollar will GREATLY be appreciated!

*Go to Paypal
*Click "Send Money"
*Enter the amount you wish to send and check "Friends and Family"
*Enter their email address mattaanderson {at} mail {dot} com
(Sorry I do not care if I get the spam, but I want to avoid the family from getting spam)
*Fill out the rest of the information asked of you

Please note that Paypal will do the currency exchange for you with the money being sent. It is a small fee in comparison to the other options of raising money. 


I am aiming high...I want to try to ease the financial burden from this family so they can just focus on getting better! I also know that at this point even if we mange to come together and get $100 it will help them!

Please help me help this family that deserves all the help they can get! We have voices! Let's use them for a good reason.

Thank you in advance to anyone and everyone that donates, whether it is money, a post, a tweet or a FB update!

**Update**

This comment was left by Matt (dad) and I just wanted to pull it up here so you guys can see how grateful they really truly are!

"Thank-you so much for this Danielle. You have written a lovely post dedicated to us and we can thank you enough. From the very bottom of our hearts we have been touched by your willingness to want to help and your selfless carign nature. 

Also big thank-you to anyone re-posting, tweeting, FB, G+ and specially those donating to us. We are eternally grateful. 

Matt, Lauren & Isla x"

Giveaway Winner

There were only two people who commented on my giveaway post who expressed an interest in winning the Home of a Needleworker pattern so I used a random number generator to pick either 1 or 2 and the winner was number 1 - Jo!  As it was also her birthday yesterday I think it's quite fitting that she should win.  So Jo if you can e-mail me your postal address to obsessivecrossstitcher@gmail.com I'll get your prize sent out asap.