Slow Sunday Stitching - April 19, 2026

Well, the Modern slot in the rotation got over 5 hours this week, which got me to the end of the embroidery on the Shepherd's Bush "Violet Roll".   So, starting this afternoon, I need to finish up the applique on the second side of the heirloom lace band, remove the second basting thread, and then get started on the beading.   Of the 11 bands, 7 of them get at least a few beads.  But luckily, there are only two colors of beads, so it should go smoothly. (Hope I didn't jinx myself! 😉)

Once I get the beading done, I'll take it off the scroll rods and get started on the finishing.  Several steps remain.

• Pull the threads for the ribbon rows top and bottom.
• Insert ribbons but leave flat for now.  Knots to finish off the ribbon ends.
• Pull threads for the hemstitch areas.
• Set up hemstitch sections and complete all but the center back area on each end.
• Flat fell the center back seam.
• Complete hemstitch across the back seams to fully finish both hems.
• Attach charm to center bottom area.
• Gather bottom ribbon and tie in bow.  Stuff firmly.  Gather top ribbon and tie in bow. 

Even with all those steps, I'm hopeful to get to a finish by next weekend!

The other project that I've been working on is the L&L "Santa of the Forest", which is my current pictorial.   

This week, I added 1,136 stitches, which brings me to a total of 4,096 or approximately 11.8%.  The percentage will be approximate on this project because I manually put it into Pattern Keeper (using the directions from Sarah, Stitching Mommy.  Link is to her YouTube tutorial).  Since this was my first big pattern conversion, I did make some mistakes.  I'm keeping the paper pattern close by to double check the partial stitches and things that just look 'wonky'.  Looking at you the green pixel in the middle of the beard (because @ and O are NOT the same thing - totally my fault LOL and fixed in the stitching).  But even with the occasional missing or incorrect symbol, it's going SO much faster than other large format patterns I have done in the past.   I mean, I am over 10% complete already and I've not even been working on the actual stitching for a month.  Stitching started on March 23, though there were hours of pattern converting and set up prior to that date. 

Going to try to get down past his mouth this week, since there's a bunch of partial stitches and backstitch in that area.  Those few bits of backstitch on his nose make all the difference, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of his face will look like.  I am NOT, however, looking forward to his enormous beard.  In fact, see that rounded void over on the right side?  That's an owl perched on his shoulder and I'm saving it for when (not if) I get so sick of DMC Blanc, Ecru and three creams and tans that I just can't take it anymore!  Another plus for having the chart in PK is that the ever-increasing stitch count is extremely motivating - good for backgrounds (like on the Mead Dragon) and huge chunks of block stitching.

I'm not planning on sharing this project every week, but I will show it at least around the mid-point of the rotation and at the end (with a comparison picture of where I started the rotation).  I'm trying to put in a minimum of 110 stitches a day, and I usually put in quite a bit more to get to a good stopping spot.  I don't do a "daily 30" or a "daily choice" kind of project since my rotation is so small, but I am really enjoying putting in daily stitches on my pictorial projects. 

Linking up with the SSS crew (weekly list post).  They keep me motivated!