2023.03.22--WIP Wednesday

What a wicked Wednesday!  No, not really!  It just sounded so pleasingly alliterative unlike "Happy Wednesday".  I'm attempting to remember to write a post more often these days as the first quarter is usually the slowest time in retail.  Which means both of my Etsy shops are a bit slower as is my day job at the custom picture frame shop.  Not working so hard that all I want to do is sleep!  

With that said, it's allowing me a little self care time by pursuing my favorite activity...cross stitching!!  I've been working on the Mackintosh Rose Blackwork SAL from Lakeside Needlecraft (2019).  

2023.03.19

I thought this would be a good one to get back into the swing of things as it has large sections using the same thread color.  If I'm too tired, I tend to stop when I have to rethread my needle.  This entire pattern only utilizes five colors which keeps the rethreads to a minimum.

2023.03.21

 

Additionally, this past weekend was the IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend which begins on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

Looking back through my blog posts, I haven't shared about this since June 2021!!  That's because right after that I got serious about my Etsy shop and have been designing, creating and selling like a mad woman ever since.  I'm happy to report I passed 1000 individual sales earlier this month!!  

2023.03.22

But back to the cross stitching, here is the latest photo of this work in progress.  It shows the beginnings of the blackwork stitching that is to fill in the circle all around the roses.

2023.03.22

Oh, and that needle minder?  That is Vlad Tepes, the 14th Century Transylvanian count also known as Vlad the Impaler.  You knew he was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula didn't you?  Yep, the classic tale of the Transylvanian vampire who moves to England for better hunting, LOL!!  I'm a huge Dracula fan, but that's a story for another time.  But you can purchase the acrylic needle minder in my Etsy shop by clicking here.

As always, feel free to check out all the craft supplies and cross stitch accessories in my shop:  The Lady Kay Designs 

Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.

Slainte Mhuth, 

2021.06.23 WIPs Wednesdays

This month's International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) had the theme of butterflies.  My daughter, Avalon, loves butterflies and we had previously picked out this pattern from Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) a mini size of Butterfly Effect from the artwork by Kate Powell.  I chose a pale sky blue hand dyed Aida from Mystic Fabrics from my stash and started at the bottom center.  The needleminder is from the cover art of the book "The Mists of Avalon" by Marian Zimmer Bradley. 

This story is what prompted my mom to suggest naming my daughter Avalon Rose.  As I was looking for the right name to accompany my son's name, Tristan William.  Their names are a reflection of my history background with a focus on English monarchs.  Which also explains the Henry VIII pattern I'm working on, LOL!!  

Tristan is named after the character in the movie, "Legends of the Fall" portrayed by Brad Pitt.  His middle name is honor of my stepdad William "Bill" Vanderheid and my stepbrother William "Little Bill" Vanderheid.  

After mom suggested Avalon, I knew her middle name would be Rose not only for my city, Portland, called the "City of Roses", but also for a very dear friend, Cecil aka Tonya Rose.  This would solidify our family as part of the "Rose" drag family forevermore.  

Slainte Mhuth (Much health)

IHSW--May 2021

IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend always starts on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

But as I work weekends, my stitching is confined to the evenings.  As this is the month of May, this weekend's stitchy time falls during Stitch Maynia.  This year my goals are towards finishing--completing stitches in a pattern AND finishing stitchy items into FFO's or Finally Finished Objects.

But as my weekend hours are limited, I worked on completing some patterns.  The first one I completed this weekend is my oldest living WIP--A Right Royal SAL that I started on 2018.06.26

But after many stitches over many months, along with many beads, I finished it up on 2021.05.24

Next up for the weekend was finishing a stitchy gift for a friend--Bumblebee which I started last summer on 2020.06.26.

The gorgeous hand dyed fabric named "Opal" was created by Mystic Fabrics and it shows it off to perfection!!

It feels so wonderful to have two finishes from this past weekend!  I'm looking forward to more finishes and of course more starts!!

That's a wrap on IHSW for May.  I look forward to seeing what June and PRIDE month brings!!  Feel free to leave a comment or a link to your blog post below.  Until next month...Be Well!!

Slainte Mhuth (Much health)

IHSW--April 2021

IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend always starts on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

But as I work weekends, my stitching is confined to the evenings.  I started off with "Simplicity Vintage"

It's difficult to tell in this picture but those are not all the same color stitches.  There are blue stitches and then there are blended stitches which are made from using two different color threads in the needle, in this case the same blue with a dark gray.

Next I worked on "Letters From Hogwarts" which is a SYOA--Stitch Your Own Adventure.  It has a story written that as you read it you choose which path to follow and it gives you different items to include in your pattern.  I'm so far behind as many people have already completed their stitching of it.  But I'm following the Slytherin path in anticipation of gifting it to my favorite daughter.

On Saturday I worked on my HAED SK Maleficent.  She's been neglected since I messed up the 100 day challenge back in February when we had the winter storm and lost power.  But she's slowly progressing.

Saturday I had an outing with some wait time so I did a little stitching in the wild on the Plague Doctor.  He's on 14 count Aida so I can see this without my magnifying lamp, LOL!!  This makes for the perfect on the go WIP that I always carry.

Finally on Sunday I stitched on our first president, George Washington.  Although, after I took the picture I thought it might be Beethoven!!  We'll see how he turns out, I might have to rename him!!

That's a wrap on IHSW for April.  I look forward to seeing what May brings!!  Feel free to leave a comment or a link to your blog post below.  Until next month...Be Well!!

Slainte Mhuth (Much health)

March 2021 I.H.S.W.

IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend begins on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

As I work weekends, I don't get to lock myself away to stitch for three days but catch some time each evening before bed.  This month I'm trying to finish up the test stitch I've been working on that I've named "Test Stitch Bio" as it's based on a video game series called "BioShock".

Here is the starting point on Friday, March 19, 2021...

And here is the stopping point late Sunday, March 21, 2021...900 stitches later.  

I know the image on the right side of the words is difficult to decipher, especially if you don't know the video game (like myself), but my son reliably informs me this is a character from the video game series called "Big Daddies" which are:

"Big Daddies (Mr. Bubbles to the Little Sisters) are 

heavily spliced (genetically mutated and altered) human 

beings whose skin and organs have been grafted into 

antiqued, heavily armored atmospheric diving suits." 

[According to Wikipedia] 

 

Hopefully, I can finish it this week and we'll be on to another pattern for next month's IHSW!!

Slainte Mhuth!!  Cheers! 

 

IHSW--International Hermit & Stitch Weekend

"HERMIE"  Line Art by Heidi Brass     Color Art by Andi Whitmer

From Dictionary.com
her·mit (noun)
1. a person who has withdrawn to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
2. any person living in seclusion; recluse.
3. Zoology: an animal of solitary habits. (ex. hermit crab)
4. Ornithology: any of numerous hummingbirds of the genera Glaucis and Phaethornis.
5. a spiced molasses cookie often containing raisins or nuts.

 

AND...

6. a person, who for one weekend a month, puts aside time to stitch in seclusion, with the knowledge that elsewhere in the world, others are doing the same.

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) takes place every 3rd full weekend of each month, from Friday till Sunday. In our very busy and hectic lives, IHSW is a chance for us to squirrel some time away for ourselves and "Hermit and Stitch." It is a time set aside to take care of us and our love for stitching.

Imagine this scenario:

You, in your favorite stitching spot, set up with your current WIP or a new start, with some music, tv, audible book, or a podcast in the background, stitching without a care in the world. You feel the excitement grow as stitches begin to take the shape of a leaf, a waving flag, the folds of a skirt, the wing of a bumblebee, the windows of a building … (LOL!!!)

The rules are simple:

1.  Due to international time zones, the weekend is loosely set to start on your Friday and end on your Sunday night.

2. You can stitch as much or as little as your time permits, on whatever you like, and however you like.

3. You can stitch on as many different projects as you like or just one all weekend.

4. Post pictures of your weekend on your blog the following Monday (or Tuesday) and/or in the FaceBook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/757401391130415

5. Visit other blogs and if you're so inclined, leave a comment. These are always appreciated. Here's the original post where I got the info:  https://joysze.blogspot.com/p/international-hermit-and-stitch-weekend.html


Frequently Asked Questions:

Is there a set amount of time I have to stitch to take part?
No. You can stitch as little or as much as you want.

Do I have to kick my significant other and kids out of the house?
No... unless you want to. In that case, you can tell them it’s part of your IHSW rules. 

I'm not sure if I'll be able to stitch much, if at all, this weekend. Should I join in?
A resounding "YES!!" Even if you only get a few stitches in, that's a few stitches closer to your finish. Furthermore, it gives other stitchers and new hermitters a chance to check out your blog. :)

Can I invite other people to join IHSW?
Of course! The more the merrier. :D It would be great if you'd like to promote this on your blogs. Just direct them to the FB group. Also, feel free to display the IHSW button on your blogs. 

Does joining IHSW mean I can't blog that weekend?
No. By all means, blog as much or as little as you'd like. If you blogged over the weekend, it just means that fellow hermitters and other visitors will have more to read, and that's always a good thing. :)

What if I don't have a blog? Can I still join?
Of course you can. Just go to the FB group. Of course, we'd love for you to start a blog... it makes stalking following you that much easier.

Do I need to stay in all weekend?
No, you don't. In fact, if you had to go out every day of the weekend, that's ok too. 

Slainte Muth!  Cheers!!