Slow Sunday Stitching - November 9, 2025 AND Rotation #6, Slot #4 (Not Counted Thread) Changeover

With the finish on the "Floral Tote" (link to the FFO post), it's time to choose a new 'not counted thread' project.   I have five candidates.

1) The cutwork tablecloth that matches the napkins that I did back in 2021.   It is 'only' card table sized, but considering how long the one and a half napkins took, I'm putting it off.

2) The cutwork runner that I re-booted in 2023.  I do want to do this one since I have the matching piece finished.

3) The "Bateau Bayeux" crewel class.   

4) The "Leafy Tree" surface embroidery class.

5) A vintage German needlepoint that was a gift from my late mother-in-law.

I feel really guilty about all of these - classes I paid for and never started; multi-project sets only half done.  But I'm choosing to do the needlepoint first.  The reason is that it's by far the most awkward to store.   Even rolled up, it doesn't fit in the 'stash' bin.   There's no stitch plan or cover photo with the canvas, though the threads are there.  But I think I'll just do it in the 1960s style of all Continental Stitch.   

I've done some Google image searches, and it seems as if several German needlework companies used this artwork as the basis for kits over the years.   "Old Farmhouse" is the title translation.  Most of the ones I could find on Etsy had very little additional information, but they all seemed to consider this style and design as "Vintage".  Oma brought it back from visiting her brother and his family in Germany in either 1987 or 1988.   But it was a thrift find then, so may well date much older.

I need to get some stretcher bars to set it up for the next time this slot comes around, and I need to sort the yarns for it, too.

The finish on the Floral Tote also completed Rotation #6 for the year.   There's enough time to squeeze in one more round, I think.

So Modern Slot up first - two projects in it.  The finishing on the Just Nan "Butterflies" doorhanger and then continuing on my birthday start of the Drawn Thread fob.   

I got the charm attached to "Butterflies", selected a backing fabric and got everything cut out.  Today's task is to decide on a cording color and make the cording.  Since I'll have everything out, I think I'll make black cording for the "Boo" fob, too.

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

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK and SEWING PROJECT - Floral Tote Bag

 This FFO counts as both Needlework (for the embroidery) and Sewing (for the zipper and lining). 

This project was given to me with all the materials by a co-worker when her sister passed away.  The sister was a needleworker and I purchased most of her DMC thread stash, and Wilma delivered it to me in this unfinished tote.   

Designed and produced by Fairway Needlecraft Co.  Item #71654.  The price sticker is from Ben Franklin, which left this area around 1995.  OLD Stash!

I used the tutorial from Notches Sewing for the zipper and the one from Sewingly Carol (#6) for the lining with a box bottom.  (Both links to the YouTube tutorials.)

The zipper and lining turn this into a project bag with handles - very useful.  I used a 16-inch / 40.5 cm #5 jacket zipper from Amazon (not an affiliate link).

The lining fabric is quilting cotton in a solid lilac color from the stash.  Left over from a project when JC was a baby!  Eventually even 40-year-old fabric has its moment LOL.

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 2, 2025

 Hope everyone who celebrates had a fun and safe Halloween / Samhain / All Souls Day.   We had great fall weather and since it was a Friday, there were tons of Trick and Treaters coming by.   The grandkids are at the age where they are busy with friend's parties.  Ah teenagers LOL.  But the neighborhood kids were fun, as always. I even decorated a bit; I especially like the end of the mantle in the dining room that's besides the stairs to the upper floor.

The framed piece is "It's Halloween" by the Drawn Thread, and the stand up is " I Can Drive a Stick" by Just Nan.  (Links to the FFO posts.)  Knitted ornament is "Oisin Owl".  (Link to my Ravelry page for the details.)

And now it's November!  My monthly reporting is due.  First up is the Daily Temperature Log.  Pattern is "Temperature Stitches" by Sarah, Stitching Mommy on Etsy.  October's stitch is the counted thread version of the Lazy Daisy.  

I'll admit it's not my favorite block; the spacing is more irregular than the other blocks, so every day was a careful count.  And it's hard to keep the tension on this stitch even plus the tacking thread at the end of each petal is basically a tent or straight stitch over one thread on a petal that is only three threads deep.  That's a much larger proportion than when you do the same stitch on a traditional printed project.  So the flower petals appear very 'pointy'.

But all in all, when you look at the entire project, those little flaws don't really stick out too much.  You can certainly see where the fall cold snap started!  (Finally.)

The Mead Dragon is also looking good.  I'm resisting the urge to power to a finish.  I may be at over 80%, but that's still over 18,000 stitches to go!   See the month end post for details and a comparison photo.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current roundup here).

Full Coverage Month End Report - October 2025 AND Rotation #6, Slot #3 (Pictorial) Changeover

 Another decent month on the Mead Dragon (art by Stanley Morrison, charting by Paine Free Craft).

I completed 3,475 stitches this month.  This brings me to 40,182 for the year and 76,275 in total or 80.71%.  I am currently working on Row 272.

She's looking really good, I think.   You can see the rest of her tail and the trailing edge of the wing very clearly now.  And the hints of the reflection of both curves down at the bottom.  The 'reflection' is in the bottom 20 rows, and if you zoom in, you can see the basting for the bottom corners and center line.  Still months of work to go, of course, but having all of the remaining elements sketched in makes me feel like the finish line at least exists!   

I haven't got my first color with zero stitches yet.  But there are 10 colors with less than 30 stitches remaining, so that milestone can't be far off.  I'm not planning on color completing; I'll just let zeros happen when they happen.  My goal for November/December is just to continue 100 stitches minimum per day.   No pressure if I don't get that many, though.   The holidays are always crazy.  Speaking of which, I need to go grab another bag or two of candy.  Carl and Alexis (and me, I'll confess) have been raiding the Halloween stash and I don't want to run short!

Here's where I started the month for comparison.

Slow Sunday Stitching - October 26, 2025

Well, I only got a little bit done on my birthday start on the Drawn Thread "Boo Scissor Keeper" project.  But what I do have is cute!  These two pumpkins are pretty much the bottom left quadrant of the fob (once I get the rest of the vine and foliage double running done).

Not trying to get this done by Halloween or anything.  It's actually going into the next rotation in the Modern slot.  Goal on this was just a solid start, which I have.

I did have a finish this week, though.  The Willow Hat hasn't made an appearance in a while.  I did run out of the fluffy yarn, but I had a pretty good substitute in my yarn stash.   The new yarn is lace weight, though, so I used it double to get to the DK weight that is used in the lower part of the hat.   Only needed it for the last few rounds, and I had plenty of the green sock yarn.   The replacement yarn is a brighter white, so I kind of wish I would have striped it with the creamier white for a few rounds.   As it is, the line of demarcation shows up.

But at least it's finished and I'm not going to rip it out now.  Those fluffy acrylic yarns are a BEAST to frog back.   No new cast on yet - I'm sort of feeling a scarf maybe.   I'll need to look though the stash and see what I can find.

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

Slow Sunday Stitching - October 19, 2025 AND my birthday start

 Next week is my birthday.  Plus I finished the stitching on the Just Nan project, so the 'Modern' slot will be empty soon. That means I get a new start!

It's so cute!  It's the "Boo Scissors Keeper and Purse" from the Drawn Thread.   I've had it kitted up for years and I just want to stitch something fall or Halloween and not a major multi-month project.   I'm planning on just doing the fob/ornament, BTW.  I'm going to be getting the linen set up after church and will be stitching on it in and around the finishing that I'm working on.  

I've got it all kitted up, and I have even picked out a backing fabric with little yellow/orange moons.  Very seasonal.

Re the Just Nan piece.  All the stitching is done and beading is done, too; see the Changeover post for the details.

Linking up with the SSS crew. Current Roundup.

Rotation Changeover - 2025 Rotation #6, Slot #2 (Modern)

 

All the stitching is done on Just Nan's "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees" class and it's all beaded.   When this slot comes up again, I will need to make a couple yards of cording, add the floral charm and get it all assembled as a doorhanger.