30 Minutes of Stitching

 I set a timer and worked on Springhill as Karen Kluba said her birthday was last week. 

Here is where I started:

And here is where I finished:

Not a ton of progress, but a little is better than nothing.

Royal Garden is Moving Forward

 Well, my husband went to spend time with my daughter so I had extra stitching time this weekend. 

So I watched a bad movie:

And stitched

All the sprats heads are done!!!

IHSW for July

 I was so lucky this month! Our church hosted a scrapbook event and I went and stitched all day! Well, not all day. I sat and chatted too. And ate. And did a few laps around the gym. But mainly I stitched!

So here is my starting spot for Agnus Dei:

And where I ended:

I took Royal Garden with me:

And I finished the sprats heads in one corner. (Hard to talk and count with them!)

And I ripped a bunch of stitches from my Bristol Squirrel (I made a mistake on some of my x's!)

Pretty orts, don't you think?

And where I ended:

I would like to get this stitched so I can learn how to make a berry with my local Embroidery Guild of America.....

Gifted Gorgeousness for July

 This is a wonderful SAL put on by Jo over at   Serendipitous Stitching  . It has to be a gift for someone, a gift from someone, have the word gift in it....You get the idea!

This is going to be a gift for my mom, if I ever get it done:

Agnus Dei-Modern Folk Embroidery

I am so close to getting that right border done! I do the little circle motifs as a treat...

If I was smart, I would work on Agnus Dei until it is complete, but I never said I was smart...

So I started a new project:

Bristol Squirrel Partial

How could I resist?!? It will be a gift for my mother in law who likes squirrels.

An Abandoned Project

 This isn't really a WIP, but I haven't worked on it in ages. Does that make it a UFO?  Anyway, I pulled it out to stitch on with some girlfriends this past weekend:

I don't think this is quite done but I am not sure what to do. And we decided it looks like a face...I must fix that. When I get back to it.

TUSAL for July 2021

 Today or yesterday was the new moon in July and we are supposed to post a photo of our orts. This is the Totally Useless Stitch a Long :

Yes, I went back to my mason jar. I like keeping them all until the end of the year. I still use my wooden one. I put things in when I am Zoom stitching with friends.

Are the Eyelets Done?

 I think I did all the eyelets on this piece! Yipee! 

I wonder if I am half-way through this project? I am not trying to rush it. I enjoy it so much.

Because This Project is a Year Old

 Well, I think it is a year old....My blog only has a photo from August, but I think I started in July...

Here is my first post: Royal Garden

I wanted to try the Chilly Hollow stitch in a thinner thread as I didn't like my tension. I tried the Silk Lame Petite in the same color.

This is the whole piece:

With the regular Silk Lame:

With the Petite:

It is much smoother with the Petite, but I don't like the how it covers. Luckily this is easy to remove. I think I need to yank on my thread a bit more....And can I finish this piece in July?
 

Answer to the Eyelet Question

 I think it is hard to understand the eyelet stitch unless you have images. So let us give this a go!

 I started the E with a waste knot:

 I did three legs of the first eyelet and then moved to the next eyelet. I did three legs on it and moved to the next eyelet where I did four legs before moving on:

 Doing eyelets this way keeps the tension correct on the  thread and opens the holes in the center. It also keeps the thread from dragging behind and blocking the hole. And it keeps you from having to weave under the back of your eyelets!

 As you can see, I went out and then back. It really helps when stitching these things. If that is as clear as mud, comment again and I will try to make a video. (My college students are home and can help with the technical bit!)

Happy 4th of July!

 Hope you are able to spend this holiday with family and friends!

Agnus Dei Progress Report

 I have been able to make some serious progress on this piece. 

I need to dig through my stash to find a thread that I like to do the center, as I want the Lamb of God to be a pure white. The thread I am using is variegated and I don't think it will work.

So close to having that little bit meet.

Can I concentrate on this piece and get it done in July?
 

July is Here!

 First, let me answer Nicole's question about eyelets: the idea behind eyelets is to make a small hole in the center of the eyelet. Some stitchers say there doesn't have to be a hole, but there should be no threads covering the center where your thread goes down into the center. If you want to keep the back neat and tidy and the front so you can see a hole in the center of the eyelet, it often helps to plan a path around each letter doing half, or less, of each eyelet. I will try to remember to take photos when I  work on my next letter to show how it works.

Anyway, after that long-winded not very good explanation- here is my calendar for June:

I missed a few days stitching, but that is life. But I also completed two projects! 

First up, Ode to Palette color wheel class:

I made it into a cover for my bullet journal. Perfect stitching? No. But it is done and I learned tons about color. I highly recommend Natalie Dupis class.
I also finished my great-niece's birth sampler, but you have seen that already. 

I'll try to take a photo of Agnus Dei to show you my progress.