May WIPocalypse WIP or UFO?

          

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 2 of them, one new start and one focus project but both from Nora Corbett.

First up was the fourth in the Zodiac Girls series (for me) from Nora Corbett.  This is Scorpio: 

stitched on 32 count Scorpio Murano from Sparklies

You can see how many beads she is going to have from some of the gaps!

The second project is Fairy Idyll by Mirabilia. 

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

I decided to focus on her wings this month and stitch them 1 thread over 2 to give a more translucent look to them.

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

May - How do you personally distinguish between a Work in Progress (WIP) and an Unfinished Object (UFO)?

For me, a WIP is a project that I will stitch on at least once a year during my Longest Day Marathon even if I don't pick it up at any other time.  A UFO is a project I have got tired of and no longer want on my list.   I might stitch it one day, I might not.  I don't often UFO projects these days as I am more careful about what I choose to stitch.

Out of all the WIPs I have at the moment, the one most likely to be UFO'd is the cover kit from Cross Stitcher magazine that I started on a whim in January:

stitched on 14 count Aida

I thought it would be a quick stitch but it's taking too long and there are other things I'd rather stitch.  But it is cute and there's only the sky to do now which is 3 or 4 shades of blue and purple.  Then the backstitch.

April WIPocalypse Favourite Fabric

         

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 2 of them, both were new starts.

First up was Evanora from Nora Corbett, sister to Claire who I stitched last year.  I'm using the same unnamed fabric. 

stitched on 28 count evenweave from an unknown dyer

The second new start is Summer from Cricket Collection.  I stitched Spring last year:

stitched on 32 count Lugana in Wandering Ivy from Silkweaver

The fabric is a pale mottled green I was given several years ago.  The charted fabric is a pale lavender but this is summery too and the colours look good in real life.

I'm planing to stitch the first three letters this month and the next three next time it comes up on my WIPGO Board.

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

April – Let’s talk fabric – what is your go-to fabric dyer, your preferred type, count, colour, etc?

Here's the totals for my current WIPs:

14 count Aida - 3
22 count Hardanger - 1

25 count evenweave - 1

28 count evenweave - 4

30 count linen - 1

32 count evenweave - 3

32 count linen - 2

35 count linen - 1

So evenweave is my favourite fabric and 32 count is my favourite count!

I do prefer 25 or 28 count for stitching over 1 or for stitching on black but for most things 32 count will be my go-to choice.

I do like the higher counts for the chance to make things smaller and only use one strand.

Out of the 3 Aida projects, one is my oldest WIP, one is the Temperature SAL on Aida banding and the other is a cover kit I started on a whim.

My current favourite dyer is Sparklies due to Chromatic Alchemy going out of business.  There are a couple of UK dyers whose group I belong to on Facebook who dye a batch of fabrics and offer them up which is a good way of getting a range of fabrics.  

To be honest, as part of Stitch from Stash, fabric is the one area I really can cut down on spending.  I have plenty of fabrics in both 28 and 32 count in a variety of popular colours already.  I want to use those older pieces instead of stashing them.  Hence the Silkweaver for the Summer piece this month.

March WIPocalypse Favourite Designers

        

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 2 of them.

First up was Fairy Idyll from Mirabilia, her first outing for this year.  I worked on this portion:

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

The purple bedfrills are a conversion to co-ordinate better with my fabric.  The charted colours are shades of pink.  You can see the large rabbit appearing too.

After her I moved back to my oldest WIP, the Art Nouveau Head by Custom Crafts which has been called four times so far this year:

stitched on 14 count white Aida

I'm working away on the golden colours in her headpiece at the moment.

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

March  – Which are your favourite three designers?

According to my Happy Dance blog, Just Nan is by far and away the top designer for finishes, over 110 to date.  Joan Elliott has 31 entries and Mirabilia/Nora Corbett 27 combined.

I think I would agree they are my Top Three.  When I first started this blog I listed those three plus Lavender & Lace and Teresa Wenztler as my favourites as well as my ambition to stitch a Chatelaine one day!

I would possibly add Circle Cross for her blackwork, maybe to replace Joan Elliott as I haven't stitched so much of her newer designs.

Here are my favourite finishes from my Top Three:

Mirabilia - Sleeping Beauty

Joan Elliott - 12 Days of Christmas

Just Nan - Scream House

February WIPocalypse SALs

       

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 2 of them and had 1 finish.

2. Craft Collection Art Nouveau Head

6. Cottage Garden Samplings Year in the Woods - 

The Swans is a finish

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

February – What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year?

Obviously, WIPocalypse!  My other SALs are

Fully Finished Gallery - show anything you have FFO'd on the 10th
Gifted Gorgeousness - post anything gifted on the 15th
Smalls SAL - last Friday of each month
The TUSAL - post on the New Moon each month

I don't tend to SAL actual designs as I have my rotation planned and it rarely fits in with other people's plans.  But if you are stitching anything that I am stitching do let me know and we can call it a SAL!

I also tend to avoid Mystery SALs having been bitten once or twice.  I wait until most of the piece has been released and then see if I still have FOMO and want to start it!

January WIPocalypse Oldest Project

      

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 1 of them.

2. Craft Collection Art Nouveau Head

stitched on 14 count white Aida

I did finish two of my WIPocalypse choices from 2024.  Both were started in December and finished at the start of January so I'll show them here:

Shannon Christine 12 Days of Christmas

Life in Stitch Aslan

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

January – Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash.

Rather handily, my oldest WIP was my focus for this month.  Back in 2011-12 I was very keen on starting things.  I had discovered forums and blogs in 2010 and started my own blog in 2011.  This particular project was one I'd bought before my older son was born and started as part of my "11 in '11".

I stitched for about 14 hours and got this far:

By the end of the month I had got this far:

And that was pretty much it for 2011.  Apart from my annual Longest Day Marathons it had not been touched since, until last year when I worked on it a few time for the A-Z Challenge in my IHSW.  At the start of this year it looked like this:

stitched on 14 count white Aida

You can see how much progress I've made this month looking at the photo at the top of the blog post.

After this one I have three WIPs started in 2012, two of which are massive.  After that it's my Chatelaine from 2017.  So not too bad for older projects.

In total I have

Prior to 2020 - 6 WIPs

2020 - 2024   - 5 WIPs

2025              - 4 WIPs

January WIPocalypse Introduction

     

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World. Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.


January - Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year


Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.

This is the list for 2025:

1. Mirabilia - Fairy Idyll - 6 WIPGO numbers
2. Craft Collection - Art Nouveau Head - 6 WIPGO numbers
3. Cottage Garden Samplings - 12 Days of Christmas - 2 WIPGO numbers
4. Nora Corbett - Evanora - 2 WIPGO numbers
5. Nora Corbett - Zodiac Girl Scorpio - 2 WIPGO numbers
6. Cottage Garden Samplings - Year in the Woods - 2 WIPGO numbers
7. Cricket Collection - Summer - 2 WIPGO numbers
8. Satsuma Street - Aquarius - 2 WIPGO numbers

As you can tell, I am also taking part in WIPGO again.  This is a FB Bingo group.  You choose 25 goals for the year and each month the Admin pick two numbers to focus on.  When you have met your goal, you tick off that block.  You can give yourself rewards for completing a row or a column.

Here's my WIPGO board:

For January the numbers 11 and 20 have been called.  They are both for my oldest WIP, the Art Nouveau Head.  I started this one in 2011 but have owned it for much longer.  I bought the kit when I was still working full-time back in the 1990s.  It is stitched on Aida but at least it's a nice soft one so not too much of a chore. 

Here's where I started:

And here's where I am now:

stitched on 14 count white Aida

My evening projects throughout the year will be the Annie Beez 12 Days of Christmas Stockings.  They are a quick stitch so that will leave me time for other Smalls too.

Here's Day 1:

stitched on 28 count Black evenweave

I got close to a finish on Aslan from Life in Stitch in December and will be adding a length or two of white each day until I finish it.  I'm currently filling in the tree:

stitched on 28 count Black evenweave

I am also going to be stitching a Temperature SAL, a much simpler design than the last two years.  This will be a basic bar chart with one stitch per hour, charting the minimum temperature for the night and the maximums for the day.  But here's the clever part - the days start and finish when the sun rises and sets so you can see the progression across the year.

stitched on 14 count Aida banding

I charted the last four months of 2024 on a spreadsheet and here's how that looks:

The WIPocalypse posts are the last Sunday of each month

My other SALs are

Fully Finished Gallery - post anything fully finished on the 10th of each month
Gifted Gorgeousness - post anything gifted on the 15th
Smalls SAL - last Friday of each month
The TUSAL - post on the New Moon each month

Finally, I will not be continuing with the Blog Hops this year. I know that is disappointing news for some of you but they are just one thing too much.  I intend to visit your blogs a little bit more often and have made a start already, commenting on a few this morning!

December WIPocalypse Annual Review

     

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.

Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for this year.

1. Sweetheart Tree - September Strawflowers  - Finish
2. Shepherd's Bush - Halloween Trifles  - Finish
3. Rainbow Hunter - Alice Bottles - WIP
4. Drawn Thread - Spot of Summer
5. Drawn Thread - Spot of Autumn
6. Lizzie*Kate - Sampling Christmas  - Finish
7. Shannon Christine - 12 Days of Christmas  - WIP
8. La Broderie - Quiet Hour Sampler  - Finish
9. Shepherd's Bush - Amaranth - Finish
10. Full Circle Designs - Moonshadow Mini - Finish
11. Hands on Designs - Nevermore  - Finish
12. Living on the Rainbow - Haunted House  - Finish 
13. Joan Elliott - Faces SAL  - Finish
14. Stitchy Princess - Alice in Wonderland - Finish
15. Life in Stitch - Aslan  - WIP
16. Tra La La - Couer de Sorciere  - Finish
17. Cottage Garden Samplings - 1st Day of Christmas   - Finish
18. Nora Corbett - Claire - Finish
19. Nora Corbett - Capricorn  - Finish
20. Maria Brovko - Evening in the Shire  - Finish
21. Cottage Garden Samplings - Year in the Woods - WIP
22. Primitive Hare - Hocus Pocus Cabinet - Finish
23. Cricket Collection - Spring - Finish
24. Cottage Garden Samplings - Halloween Sampler  - Finish

18 projects ticked off from the list this year (but one was a triple finish, three were parts of a series which makes 23 individual finishes).

There were only two projects that didn't get touched.  The two Drawn Thread Spots both got bumped in favour of seasonal projects, my Just Nanathon in May and Dark October.  The two December picks are both WIPs but close to a finish.  The final two are both ongoing series where I finished some of the designs but not all.

Here are the 23 WIPocalypse Finishes - I did have more finishes this year, these are just the ones from my "24 in '24"

I've been thinking about doing a  "25 in '25" for next year and have decided not to pick 25 projects out.  I really want to try focus on my oldest WIP and on one larger project.  I have put together my WIPGO Board which is a FB group where you make a Bingo Board for 25 of your projects.  The Admin calls 2 numbers each month and you reward yourself for completing rows or columns. 

So I do have "25 in '25", it's just that there are 2 projects with 6 numbers each, 6 projects with 2 numbers each and 1 Longest Day Marathon.

My evening project will be a lovely chart I received for Christmas, the 12 Days of Christmas Stocking by Annie Beez Folkart because clearly I do not have enough 12 Days designs in my rotation...

I've got a list of Smalls I will stitch if I finish each stocking before the end of the month.

Finally, I do hope you are all enjoying this time of year - the planning for the New Year, when everything is possible!  The fun of going through our stash and working out what we would like to start.  The promise to work on those older projects and keep up with the SALs too!

November WIPocalypse Planning

          

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World. Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for this year. This month I stitched on just 2 of them, we've still got 6 days to go so they might be finished by the end of the month.

10. Full Circle Designs - Moonshadow Mini

stitched on 32 count white linen

20. Maria Brovko - Evening in the Shire

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

November - How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process

I do love to make plans and I start thinking about the following year almost as soon as I start the current year!  For example, 2023 was a focus year where I stitched on Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow every month.  So I knew I'd make 2024 a rotation year and stitch some of the smaller and medium designs I had in my stash and then 2025 would be a focus year again.

The focus will be Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll and also the Art Nouveau Head which is my oldest WIP now.  Having decided on those two, I make a list of the series I want to work on:

Nora Corbett Zodiac Girls

Nora Corbett Pixies
Cottage Garden Samplings Year in the Woods

Cottage Garden Samplings 12 Days of Christmas
Shannon Christine 12 Days of Christmas

Cricket Collection Seasons
Stitch it Picasso Zodiac Signs

Stitch it Picasso Dragons

Firewing Designs Dragons

Shepherd's Bush Herbs

Then I look at my individual charts and see which ones I want to add in.  

What do I want to use for my evening stitching?

What shall I choose for Dark 13?

How about IHSW?  Another go at the A-Z or one project the entire year?

Then I fit things onto my WIPGO Board.  Looking at the list, there are 10 series plus the two focus pieces.  So I could put each project down twice with the goal of "Stitch for 2 weeks" and use the other two weeks for the focus projects.  

It can and will change before 1st January but that's half the fun!

October WIPocalypse Stash Storage

         

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World. Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for this year. This month I stitched on just 2 of them but did get both finished.

11. Hands on Designs [never.more]

24. Cottage Garden Samplings Halloween Sampler

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

October – How do you organize your WIPs and stash?

I have managed to get all my WIPs into 2 places.  The projects bags with the charts and any special threads all live in this bag:

If the design is small enough to fit into an A4 plastic wallet or rolled up inside a kitchen roll tube then it's in the project bag.

If not, then it's rolled up inside an old wrapping paper tube and stored on top of this cupboard:

Each of the tubes has the name of the project written on the outside of the tube so I can find the right one quickly.

My DMC all live in Floss Away bags on rings inside this large bag.  It holds the entire set of DMC in one easy to carry bag:

My speciality threads and metallics are in another similar bag.  Kreinik and beads are in boxes near my stitching spot.  Fabrics are in the cupboard where I store my charts and FFO'd pieces when not on display.

Unfortunately, all these places are in different rooms of the house!  I'd love to have just one craft room and keep everything in one place but that's not possible right now.  So the stuff I use every day is in the kitchen, stuff I use regularly is in the living room or the bedroom and stuff I need less frequently is in my utility room where I have a large cupboard to store all those things you only want once every few months.

September WIPocalypse Learning to Stitch

            

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World. Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for this year. This month I stitched on 5 of them and had four finishes.

2. Shepherd's Bush Halloween Trifles

11. Hands on Designs [never.more]

12. Living on the Rainbow Haunted House

16. Tra La La Couer de Sorciere

24. Cottage Garden Samplings Halloween Sampler

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

September – How did you learn to stitch?

I actually stitched my very first piece in Year 2 in Primary School.

After that, there was a long break until I saw a friend cross stitching a design for her baby son in 1993.  I was intrigued and thought it looked easier than sewing or embroidery because of the squares on the fabric.

I bought a small kit and started immediately, following the instructions in the kit:

After I'd got the basics I moved on to stitching with metallics, stitching on black, stitching on linen etc.  In the pre-internet days there was no-one telling you that something was supposed to be difficult!  You just tried it out to see how you got on.

Some of my techniques remain from the original kits - I'm a centre starter and much prefer to start that way.  Some developed from my own habits, I stitch using "secured needle" because it's practical when travelling and with cats or small children around.

The main change I have made is from stitching ////// then \\\\\\\ for rows to stitching each X individually.  I realised I prefer the tension and the look of the stitches when I do them individually.