Finishing month

It sure feels like August - hot and humid.  The weather forecast keeps saying "Expect thunderstorms".  Clearly, I need to adjust my expectations because we have not had a drop of rain since last Sunday and every day the forecast has said "Expect thunderstorms".  So, I think I'll stay inside and stitch - or sew.  I have decided that this month will be "finishing month".  I have a number of items that I have finished cross stitching and haven't "finished" either into a functional or decorative item or framed.  Then I also have a few BAPs - that are UFOs.  And a few new projects.  I've decided that anything I have actually started qualifies for finishing month.

So - in no particular order - here they are.

Poppy biscornu from Faby Reilly.  I have the back started and the front just needs beads and backstitching.  The biscornu are easy to finish and I can easily do it even in front of the TV.

Boo Club from Lizzie Kate has been stitched for some time now.  I created the twisted cord a while ago but then I decided that I didn't really like the black and white cord.  I have a few different backing fabrics to decide between but the cording is really where I'm stuck.

Here we have French Country Owl from JBW Designs on top, then April Robin Button-Up Birdie from the Victoria Sampler.  Then I have Moonlit Kitties which is a Buttons and Beads kit from Mill Hill.  And under that I have Dizzy Busy Bees from Sweetheart Tree that I'm going to finish as a biscornu.

I've had Fairy Idyll as an Unfinished project for more than a year now. I really want to work on her.  I also still have Indian Summer Reflections from Chatelaine that I stopped working on when I ran out of black marlitt.  I did recently find some more of the discontinued thread so I want to get back to that design.  I really do love this mandala.

And, I recently started Shakespeare's Fairies and Dressmaker's Daughters.  I've got my work cut out for me.

Ready for Beads

So, I think my Moonlit Kitties is ready for beading.  The stitching took a little longer than I expected.  It's hard to see, but there is a good amount of blue stitching on the blue background which isn't difficult - I just didn't realize it was there when I looked at the photo of the model.

Moonlit Kitties Buttoned and Beaded kit from Mill Hill

It is finally raining here (without hail or tornado warnings) and cooling off.  Tomorrow the boys and I will brave the giant weeds that have grown up near the tomatoes in the garden and have at them.

I hope cooler weather is in store for the countless folks who have been dealing with 100 degree days for weeks now.

Kitties and a bunny

I've finished the Garden  Bunny Buttoned & Beaded piece stitched by my friend, Phyllis.

Once the piece is stitched, you have cut it out from the perforated paper square.  I always dread this part.  I am one of those people who tends to hold my breath when I'm cutting something.  If there is a lot of cutting involved, this can lead to some serious light-headedness.  I just have this feeling that I can really damage something when I cut it.  It's not like stitching with the wrong floss where I can just frog my stitches.  Cutting the paper - and even worse, a thread - is way more permanent than making a few stitches.  You should see me working on a hardanger piece.  At least I don't turn blue-ish any more once I learned that you can weave in threads if you make a mistake.  But, it is still nerve wracking.  Using a serger is likely to kill me.  Sewing and cutting the fabric at the same time!

So, all that being said, I find that it is easier to cut while looking at the back of the piece.  The distraction of beads and buttons is not on the back of the piece.  I have also tried cutting the paper on my own pieces after the stitching is done but before the beading.  It worked well on the pieces I have done, but I can see how it might make the beading tougher on some pieces where it would be nice to have a little extra material to hold on to.

Garden Bunny after going through the Xyron

The new cartridge for my Xyron finally arrived and I was able to get the back of the stitching good and sticky and apply the light blue felt.  I stitched right through the felt to attach the little bowtie.  Then I added a magnet to the back rather than the pin backing that comes with the kit.  I think a lot of people are more likely to use these little pieces as magnets than as pins.  Isn't he cute?

Garden Bunny all done

It's been a busy week so I've made only a little progress on Moonlit Kitties.  Now there's a moon to go with my spectral kitties.

Moonlit Kitties

Still need to squint

You still need to squint to see the cats, but I've made some progress on the moon.

I like this design.  It reminds me of cool fall nights (or the cool full moon with clouds floating by that we saw after the Harry Potter movie this weekend).  Given how hot it is here now, those cool fall nights are looking pretty good.

This Moonlit Kitties kit and a whole bunch more are available at NeedleartsGallery.com