Full Coverage Month End Report - March 2025

 

A really good month for my Mead Dragon (art by Stanley Morrison, charting by Paine Free Crafts).  One over one on 28 count EZ Grid Lugana fabric by Zweigart.

I stitched 4,117 stitches in March.  That brings my totals to 48,970 / 94,500 or 51.82%.  I stitched on her every day, and only three days were less than 100 stitches with NO days less than 70 stitches.   I am completely done down to row 165.

Where I was at the start of the month for comparison:

As you can see, I got into the drinking horn - you can really see the handle and the rim starting to take shape.  And the front wing is shading into the honey colors now.

The mock up of what she should look like when finished:

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 30, 2025 AND 2025 Rotation #2 Slot #2 (Modern)

Spring has come to Kansas; there are daffodils and hyacinths up and blooming everywhere.  I'm so glad to see them.  I need to plant more spring and fall bulbs, for sure.   My neighbor is really into bulbs and perennials; their yard has color pretty much from March to November.  (Goal!)   There are also several spring festivals in the area; one is at the local historic house museum that's just a few blocks north-east of my house and I LOVE their tulip displays (I'll try to get photos and share when that festival happens this year). 

Stitching is coming along.   I'll have updates on the daily temperature stitch and the full coverage project next week.  I can't believe that April is almost here already!

The main focus piece this week was the KC Plaza Stitching Bag.  And I've hit a milestone - the first side stitching and beading is complete!  I got rest of the cityscape beads and the border backstitch and beads done this week.

Side One is Complete!

Detail of the remaining finials and the lanterns/sconces

I also got a small start on the beading for the fountain side.  Which brings me to ten hours and to a decision point.  The problem is this:  I have committed to a "Start A Long" with Brenda (@HandworkManiac) in May.  We will be starting a Just Nan piece - "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees".   That project will fit into the "modern" category, so the stitching on the KC Plaza Sewing Bag really needs to be completed by the first of May.   In order to meet that deadline, I'm going to expand the slot for this project and work on the second side until it is also completed.   I'm hoping to have it finished by the middle of April.

That will give me the last part of April to finish up Rotation #2 with the vintage crewel project.  "Majestic Eagle" is also very close to a finish.  But unlike the sewing bag, there's no deadline on that one, so I'll just do a standard ten hours on it.

If I have time in April, I need to have another "Finish Frenzy".  Both of the WIPGO calls for April are for the Just Nan pincube that I started last year.  AND there was a call for it in February.  I didn't even get it out onto the worktable last month because I was so caught up in the Mead Dragon.  That's not a good way to get things FFO!  The Sewing Bag needs to be included in WIPGO so that it doesn't languish in the 'under the bed box' for a year (or years!).   I should probably redo my board to include it once the beading is done.

Speaking of finishes, I did manage to get the Timberline Santa off my table, see the finished post for the details.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current round up).  Even when my rotation runs off the rails (which it seems to do frequently), these folks are always a source of accountability and inspiration.

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "Timberline Santas: Norway Spruce" by Mill Hill

Last of the three Timberline Santas that the grandkids gave me for Christmas 2023.  All designed by Sandra Cozzolino for Mill Hill.

I especially enjoyed the beading on the sled runners and ropes on this one.   

Since my travel project for a while will be charity knitting for the "Warmth Project", I'm going to start slotting an ornament in every other time or so in the modern slot.   We'll see if that makes enough progress.   I have six 'family ornaments' kits in the stash and another three for my grandparents on my 123Stitch wish list.  Plus, I need to find ones for my sister, son, daughter in law and both grandkids.  So many more of Sandra's kits in my future LOL.

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 23, 2025

After finishing up 10 hours on the BBD piece (see the changeover post for the stopping spot this round), I have moved on to the second item in my standard rotation, the KC Plaza Sewing Bag.   I'm back to working on the cityscape side, putting in the over one and starting on the beading on that side.

I signed the project with my initials on the carriage door and put in the beads on the axels of the carriage.

And I'm committed to finishing this by the end of the year now - the finish date went in on the clock tower, along with the beads that top the finials on the tower, the rather 'sputnik' looking top of the tower and the globes on the streetlamp.  So much pretty bling!  I have a few more beads to do on two of the other buildings on this side (more finials and lanterns),

In other stitching news, I hit the halfway point on the Mead Dragon.  I'm keeping up with my 100 stitches a day goal on it so far.   See this post for a picture and details.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current link party).  Our moderator, Kathy, asked for a poll on our favorite needles.  I am partial to John James; I especially like their beading needles.   Lately I've been liking the Bohin needles; the tips are excellent, not too pointy, not too dull.

Milestone on "Mead Dragon" - hit the halfway point!

I have hit 50%!!! 47,250 of 94,500 stitches.   She's looking beautiful!!  I have been filling in all the gaps that I left in February.  While Full Coverage February was going on, I focused on sections where there were a fair number of stitches of the same color close(ish) together; I wanted to make a lot of visual progress as quickly as practical.  Now I'm putting in the smaller numbers around those bigger areas.  Everything is done down to Row 160.

Rotation Changeover - 2025 Rotation #2, Slot #1 (Historic Inspired)

 

At the end of Rotation #2 on the Historic Reproduction/Inspired piece, Blackbird Designs "Blessings and Kind Wishes".  This time I finished off the right-side zigzag border and completed the first part of the verse (the fourth line and the two grape clusters). Plus filled in the scene with the storks that's inside the cartouche.  AND started the roof of the house.

Here's where I was at the end of the first rotation of the year for comparison:

I'm really sad to see this one go back into the WIP basket.  But that means that I'll be happy to get it back out when its number comes up again.

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 16, 2025

It was a pretty good crafting week.  The weather is heading towards spring, though very windy.   I'm sure you've seen the pictures on the news of the dust storm out in western Kansas that caused a huge highway tragedy and still has Interstate 70 closed.  The vehicle count is up to 71 and the loss of life is also rising.   Please keep those affected and the first responders working out there in very difficult conditions in your prayers.

But here in eastern Kansas, it's just very windy.  My charity knitting group hasn't met for several months due to all the snow and ice we've had since Christmas.  Most of our members are older, and are no happier about driving in bad weather than I am.  But we are up and running again.  I have cast on another LOSY hat.  This one is rather 'goth' looking LOL.  Hopefully someone will like it.

Stitching has seen a FINISHED OBJECT!  I am not quite calling this Mill Hill kit done.  It is the "Timberline: Norway Spruce Santa".  You should see the FFO post very soon!  I just have to cut it out and put the backing paper on.  I really enjoyed this one; that little bird looked very odd while it was in progress but once the beads went in, it was perfect.  The beaded ropes were fun to do, too.  I even have the twisted cord for the hanger done (up in the right-hand top corner).

I also made good progress (8 hours of the 10-hour slot) on the Blackbird Designs piece "Blessings and Kind Wishes".  I'm not crazy about my fabric choice for this one.   I should have gone just a bit darker on the linen color.   It is so hard to pick fabrics online!   I think the stork motifs would have shown up better on a slightly darker color.  But this far in, I'm not going to restart it!  Maybe I should do an outline stitch in the darker grey (or its DMC equivalent)?   I'll decide when I get closer to the end.  

That first bunch of grapes on the right side took SO much longer than it should have.   I ended up frogging those eyelet stitches TWICE.   Me and eyelets.....  I love them, but always seem to have issues.  They came out nice in the end, though.  Time to roll up the scroll frame and start work on the bottom half.   More words and a vase with birds on the left and chunky house on the right.  Halfway point though.   I should hit the ten hour change over point on this slot of the rotation by sometime this coming week. 

Linking up with the SSS crew (current round up).  PS:  The yarn for the crewel eagle made it over from the Kansas City needlepoint shop and is a decent match to the vintage kit materials, so it will be ready for me when I get back around to it.   Thank you, Florilegium!!  (Link to their website.)