Slow Sunday Stitching - September 14, 2025

 This week I started Rotation #6 for the year.   I am clicking through the slots about every six weeks or so - right on goal

Blackbird Designs "And to All a Good Night" is up first in the historic slot.   A couple of hours in and I've finished the grey on the roof and got a very, very small start on filling in the stars.  1666 of 6140 stitches (plus a few Queen and Smyrna stitches).    About 27.1% completed.   

Keeping up with the daily projects, including hitting the 75% mark (by stitch count) on the Mead Dragon!  And finishing the Just Nan pincube for the finishing slot.

Linking up with the SSS folks (current round-up here).

Full Coverage Milestone (3/4 done) AND 2025 Rotation #5, Slot #4 (Pictorial)

Even though I posted a month end progress report just a week ago, I'm checking in to report the next major milestone on the Mead Dragon.   I hit the 75.00% mark on stitch count.   This is also (at 40 hours for this rotation) the end of the pictorial slot for 2025 Rotation #5.  Total stitch count is 70,871 of 94,500

And where the rotation started for comparison 

Great progress since the rotation started on 7/23.  I finished 10 hours on the historic and modern projects, got the not counted thread project to the 'finished stitching' point (hopefully FFO in the next rotation), and the finishing slot had the Just Nan pincube as an FFO.

Rotation #6 will be:

• Pictorial slot continues with Mead Dragon.  My goal for the year was 35,000 stitches and I'm very nearly there (34.7K)!  A minimum of 100 stitches a day is a good pace and one I can keep up, I think.
• Historic slot continues with the 'Christmas in July' start of Blackbird Designs "And to all a Good Night" (Loose Feathers #11 kit).   I hope to get into the brickwork of the actual house during this rotation.
• Modern slot continues with the Just Nan "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees".   There's some over one in the next section and a bunch of back stitch and beading, then finishing.  I doubt I can get all that done in 10 hours, but I would like to finish the stitching.
• Not Counted Thread slot - finish on the floral tote.   I found a tutorial last night on how to put the zipper in!   Time to get out the sewing machine.
• Finishing from the under the bed box.  Need to choose a new project.   There are a couple of Christmas gifts for the grandkids that need to be a priority.

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: Just Nan Pincube

Four Just Nan free patterns (with purchase of the charm) from 1997-2000.

I have been able to find two of the patterns online - "My Fair Ladybug"

And "Noah's Rainbow"

The other two sides are unknown pattern names (if anybody recognizes them, let me know)

Pincushion fabric is a scrap from my quilting stash

I'm debating if I want to add cording, but I rather like it plain.  I have thoughts around making other cubes that open or have scissor slots, but I have to get better at cartonnage (box making).

Slow Sunday Stitching - September 7, 2025 AND Rotation #5, Slot #3 (Not Counted Thread) Changeover

Opps!  I almost forgot to post the month end updates for August.   I took the pictures last Monday though, so here's the Daily Temperature Stitch Log project.   August was a new stitch to me - Diamond Framed French Knots.

Here's a close up and you can see the little one strand French Knots in the center of each diamond.   We have had a cooler summer than usual.  We never got over 99 degrees F / 37.2 degrees C.   Usually, we have at least one or two days into the triple digits!  So I didn't get to use the 'hottest' two colors for this project.

And here's the entire thing so far.   September is Scotch Stitch worked with the edges touching.  This is one of my favorite filling stitches for both counted thread and needlepoint.   It makes lovely little square pillow shapes and it's pretty quick to do.   You just have to be careful on the tension; look forward to seeing that next month.

color is a little washed out - it was very sunny in my sewing room

And the dragon is coming along.  See the month end status report post for all the numbers and details.

And I got the embroidery done on the floral tote.  When this comes up again in the rotation, I will do the lining and zipper.  Overall, I'm pleased with how the stitching on this came out.   

I do want to get better at the satin stitch.  I went with a casual take on it for the large flowers since the petals were rather random in size and shape.  But I really admire those tight, precise rounded shapes in the Victorian/Edwardian linens.  I want to be able to reproduce that look at some point. 

What's up next?   Confession time.  I have not been keeping up on my WIPGO finishing board.   In January when I set my board up, I marked on my tracking spreadsheet to 'work on this slot every weekend' and that hasn't been happening.  I think if I treat it like a regular rotation slot and require at least 5 to 10 hours before I can move on, I won't skip it.   I don't mind finishing, but if I wait until I'm 'in the mood', there's huge time stretches where nothing gets to FFO status (Fully Finished/Framed Object).  So the Just Nan pin cube needs to come out of hibernation and get its top and trim!  Here's the starting point:

Not worked on since May!

Oh, and I finished the fall colors charity hat this week.   I need to cast on another hat sometime this

coming week.   I am on the last ball of the white fluffy yarn; I hope I can squeeze out one more hat because this yarn is vintage and no longer made.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current roundup).

Full Coverage Month End Report - August 2025

August was not as good as some months on the Full Coverage piece, but I still met my personal goal of 100 stitches per day on average.   Mead Dragon got 3,304 stitches this month, which brings the yearly total to 33,374 and the project total to 69,467.   I am at 73.51% and am working on Row 247.

I did sketch in the bottom of the drinking horn to see how much confetti insanity is left.  Answer:  A LOT.  Patience and persistence will win the day though!

Where I started the month for comparison:

Pattern:  Mead Dragon

Art:  Stanley Morrison

Charting: Paine Free Crafts

Fabric: 28 count EZ grid Lugana by Zweigart

Stitch: One over one full cross

Slow Sunday Stitching - August 31, 2025

Not a lot of stitching time this week, what with school starting back up (I am transport and tutor for my grandson).  Carl has a hard semester coming up - Public Speaking for starters.   We'll get through it.

But I did get a couple of hours in on the Floral Tote.  Working on the center set of motifs.  Just four large flowers to go to finish up the embroidery, then there will be lining and probably a zipper so I can use it as a project bag.

Since I'm back in the carpool business, I also got the new charity hat all the way up the start of the crown decreases.

Everybody in the US and Canada, have a safe and happy Labor Day/Bank Holiday weekend!  Everybody have a good week, no matter where you are located. 

Linking up with the SSS crew (current round-up here).

Slow Sunday Stitching - August 24, 2025 AND Rotation #5, Slot #2 (Modern) Changeover

Busy weekend - Carl had a 5K on Saturday.   (It was a wet run but he didn't melt 😅) So of course, I had to cast on a charity hat to have something to work on while he was running the course.  

Fall colors LOSY hat (link to my Ravelry page):

I kept up with the daily stitching this week, and after getting off to a rocky start last week, the remaining rotation hours on Just Nan's "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees" flew by!   I finished the middle band (except for the beading) and got the first step of the center square completed.   I'd hoped to get a little further, but I lost a couple of hours to that frog visit!  

Time spent frogging and fixing mistakes does count in my timed rotation slots.  It's a part of the needlework journey, after all. (It happens to all of us. 😟😕) Next time I work on this, there are more eyelets, more cross stitch and backstitching, but what I'm really looking forward to is the little over one bees!  

Here's what this project looks like at the 30-hour point:

And here's where I started the rotation for comparison:

fabric color is truer in this photo

Linking up with the SSS crew (current round up is here).  Then I'll be getting out the surface embroidery project - the floral tote.   I haven't worked on it since my grandson and I went on our road trip in late June/early July before Independence Day!  

ETA:  The race was at a small lake near our city and went along the shoreline. I think I got a good picture of him at the finish line:

The mis-matched socks are deliberate;

it's become his 'signature style' for luck in races.