A Strand at a Time

 MH 1656 is moving forward:

End of October 2026

 I thought I should share my progress on my WIPs for the end of the month.

I've been working on ornaments which I will share after I give them away.

But in no particular order:

Alice Ellen Usher by Sassafras Samplers : I hope to get the row done before November 1.

MH 1656-HATS

I need to fill the motifs with satin stitches or double running stitch. But I think I will move to the next section and see if I can get it done.

Tilos Primrose by Avlea Folk embroidery 

Not a ton of progress but I have stitched on it.

Phoenix Band Sampler -Northern Expressions Needlework 

I'm a little further along but forgot to take a picture.

I started Red Rocks, Bright Sun by Wendy Moore 

And a finish! Elizebth Goldsmith Pin keep by Fox and Rabbit. It was an exclusive for the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild 

Well Now What?

 I have been making progress on MH 1656 but I have run into an issue.

There should be two leaves mirroring the other side where I put the red circles. But they won't fit. 

I will leave this for today. I will have to do something with those areas.

A Little Stitching. A Little Ripping

 

MH 1656 is beautiful but requires a lot of brain power.

October Already?

 I have been struggling with MH 1656. But I keep pushing forward.

I was feeling pretty good about my progress when I realized I was way off on my counting. Rip, rip, rip.

But I am learning!

Gifted Gorgeous September 2026

 So, this is the day we post photos of things that are gifts from someone, to someone or whatever!

MH 1656 was a gift to the designer from her husband:

I am making a bit of progress.

Rise Above the Waters was a gift from the designer to Sassy Jack's to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Because It's on My Mind

 I decided to pull MH 1656 by Hands Across the Sea. I haven't really worked on it for quite awhile. Removed some stuff and added a leaf .

This is also a MAGIC project for the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild.

The green on the left came out - third time. It's in the wrong spot.

January WIPocalypse Check In

 Melissa's question is what is your oldest WIP in your stash.

Mine is definitely Venetian Delight by Ro Pace. This is what it should look like if I would ever finish it:

 I know why I haven't touched it. I don't like that it requires two pieces of canvas.  I doubt I will touch it this year, but I do plan to work on another old WIP, MH 1656 by Hands Across the Sea:

I need to do some ripping and finish the last third, but it is too pretty to abandon.

I fully finished my blessing sampler-SA Marsham by Sassafras Samplers:

 

And I have made serious progress on Christian Henry by Sassafras Samplers:

Harmony of Nature Casket is moving forward too:

Hopefully I can FOCUS in February and get my WIP list down. But I am thinking about another start....
If you have time, join me over on the FIBERTALK YouTube channel Sunday February 1, 2026 for a stitch in public day. We will be on from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Who knows what kind of trouble we will get into.

Tudor Rose Sampler Guild -MAGIC

 My Annual Good Intentions Contract (MAGIC)- is the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild's yearly challenge. Here's my list:

Christian Henry by Sassafras Samplers:

Harmony of Nature Casket -Thistle Threads 

Phoenix Band Sampler - Northern Expressions Needlework 

My Beloved - MH 1656 Hands Across the Sea 

Rise Above the Waters - Jackie du Plessis 

MH 1656, My Beloved

 This piece has been in time out. I need to decide what I'm going to do with her. I know I need to do some frogging as the band I'm working on is incorrect. The first photo shows where I currently am working:
This is a photo of what I have done so far...

M is for Gifted Gorgeousness (!?)

 Well first off, today is the day we are supposed to post photos of stitching that has to do with gifts. If you want to full scoop, head over to Jo at  Serendipitous Stitching and she will fill you in on this fun SAL.

This piece seems to have moved permanently to my basement. It is a shame, as it is lovely and I so want to finish it and hang it on the wall. If I would just stop starting pieces and taking classes....

I'm so mad at this piece, I don't even have a current photo! That may mean it needs to move upstairs and get stitched!

Gifted Gorgeousness for December

 This fun SAL is the brainchild of the lovely Jo of    Serendipitous Stitching        .   You are supposed to post a photo of something that is a gift to you, from you or you can squeeze into the gift category. This piece is the later.  MH  1656, My Beloved was a gift Nicola Parkman received from her husband. She charted it and released it and I am busily trying to stitch it.

It took me forever to stitch the yellow and pink band and I have decided it needs to be removed. Well, just the yellow. I will rip it and replace it with the green that is below. The section I am currently stitching is a doozy! I spent an hour last night just thinking about where to start. While studying I realized, the yellow needs to come out.

Gifted Gorgeousness for October

 I am doing very little on my sampler, but here is my progress. I have gotten distracted by my other projects.

Have I made any progress since last month? Probably not. Oh well. Good intentions and all.

This SAL is hosted by the wonderful Jo of    Serendipitous Stitching  . Go check out her blog and see all the wonderful things she has been stitching!

Gifted Gorgeousness for September

 This SAL is the brainchild of Jo over at    Serendipitous Stitching  . I have pulled my sampler back out and am fudging my way through the Montenegrin stitch.

Here is where it was last time I showed it:

And here is where I am now:

Not a ton of progress, but I am moving forward!

A Little Bit on My Beloved

This piece is taking me forever! I spent a full evening and this is all I was able to accomplish:

This might have been two evenings....

And here is my progress on Royal Garden:

I was missing a color of perle cotton which I think is on its way to me....But I couldn't wait so I started with a thread I had in my stash. I think it works!

WIP Wednesday

I forgot how nice it is to see progress of the work I have accomplished.  I was looking for something on my blog the other day and it was fun to see old projects. Hopefully, that will encourage me to blog more often.

I pulled MH 1656 back out of time out:

The flowers are done incorrectly, but are staying. I just need to keep moving on this piece.

I also spent a little time on Agnus Dei:

I love watching the patterns develop.  What are you currently stitching?

A Little Montenegrin Stitch!

I am so excited! I was working on MH 1656 and discovered I placed the Montenegrin stitch in the wrong spot! I could not fudge...

 Out it came!!!

I spent last night listening to FiberTalk and a book on tape. While listening I managed to get this much stitched:

This is very complicated. I have a bunch more to put in and it feel like I will never get done.  But I will keep plugging away because it is gorgeous.

IHSW Post

I managed to get some stitching done this weekend.
I am still struggling with the Montenegrin stitch on My Beloved. Because it is gardening season, I don't have a ton of time. And this stitch takes a lot of time and brainpower. I may have to put it away until I have the energy and time to work on it.  
I have pulled out Agnus Dei as my go to piece when I don't feel like thinking. The little x's are making me happy.

I'll Try Again This Month

It is International Hermit and Stitch Weekend. I think it is hosted by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching .
It is the third weekend of the month and the idea is to stitch as much as possible over the weekend.
I plan on working on MH 1656 although the Montenegrin stitch is still giving me fits. Yes, I have the Amy Mitten book which is very helpful, but I am still struggling.

I also need to finish another mask. My friend Cheryl gave me blanks and shared instructions to make this.

I have another one to assemble. She is such a good friend.

My Beloved Progress

I am stuck on the Montenegrin stitch. I can do it horizontally but the next section  is stumping me...

I did a little practice piece but am still struggling. I will work on it some more when I have some quiet time.