Slow Sunday Stitching - June 28, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #4 Slot #4 (Pictorial) Changeover

Quick life update - Alexis broke her foot again.  They had to put in screws and a plate this time!  Poor kid, she's back on crutches.   It almost makes me wish she'd stop doing gymnastics!

I've been working steadily on "Santa of the Forest" by Lavendar and Lace.  My goal is 110 stitches a day and I exceeded that number every day during this rotation!   I'm now at 14,635 stitches (approximately 42.17%) and put in 6,532 stitches this rotation.   It's close enough to the end of the month that this post can also be my month end check in photo for June.  I'll report on the total stitches for June and the first few days of July next week.

The bear is almost done - just his paws left.   I'm not sure where I'm going next.  I need to bring the cloak down and there's a checkered shirt sleeve showing where Santa's arm is supporting the bear cub in the crook of his elbow.  But there's also a little forest vignette just to the left of the bear's head inside the fold of the cloak that looks interesting.  Decisions, decisions - but bear paws first 😀.  

Here's where I was at the beginning of the rotation for comparison.  Quite a difference since I finished the beard, added some to the sleeves and finished the owl and most of the bear - it's been a productive six weeks!

This also brings me to the end of Rotation #4.   Time to get out the vintage needlepoint and launch into Rotation #5.   I'm clicking through the projects are a pretty good pace.  It helps that I'm not doing any SAL projects currently, though I am tempted by several, especially a couple of patriotic pieces.

This coming week has a couple of extra bell rehearsals for the annual Fourth of July service at the Cathedral.  Always a lot of fun.  Linking up with the SSS crew (current week is here).

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "Made in the USA" patriotic fob by Olde Willow Stitchery

This little project has marinated in the stash since 2004 when it was a SAL on the Legacy Embroiderers Online Guild.  There was also a needlebook, which was released in September 2004, but my husband had just passed away, so I did not get that part downloaded before the SAL ended and the patterns were no longer available. Due to all that, I have linen and threads remaining from the purchased kit to do another patriotic project!

Pattern: "Made in the USA" Fob/Ornament

Designer: Olde Willow Stitchery

Fabric: 28 count "Fawn" linen by Lakeside Linens 

Threads: Olde Willow custom dyed threads as charted 

Stitches:  Cross stitch one over one, outline stitch, Rhodes Stitch heart

Finishing:  twisted cord from the blue thread in the kit

fabric for back from the quilting stash (I think it's an old Debbie Mumm fabric, but I don't have a selvage to check.)

Finished size 1.5 x 1.5 inches / 4 cm x 4 cm

Started 6/9/2026

Needlework completed 6/19/2026

FFO 6/26/2026

Slow Sunday Stitching - June 21, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #4 Slot #3 (Modern) Changeover

 

About 1.5 inches / 4 cm square on 28 count linen over one

Well, the fob stitching is finished.  I have even made the cording for it from the blue floss.   I have a nice deep red fabric with tiny American flags on it for the backing and I'm going to try to get the fob assembled and trimmed today or tomorrow (depending on how busy I am this afternoon).   I'll link up the FFO post when I get there.   (ETA:  took longer than I thought it would, but got it finished!)

I have also put in about 160 stitches on the "Toymaker Santa" travel project and right at 1,000 stitches on "Santa of the Forest" for my daily pictorial piece.  I think I'm going to spend this next week focused on that project with a changeover post/ end of month post next week.  Then I'll restart the rotation.

With the finish on the fob, I'll need to pick another new Modern project.  There's a bunch to choose from, but I think I'll be doing a small band sampler with a stitching theme called "The Collaboration Sampler".  It is from 1998 and was designed by three designers - Shepherd's Bush, Just Nan and Charland Designs.   They actually did four annual designs.  One of them is Christmas, one is Celestial and I don't remember the fourth one (Friendship, I think).   On all of them there were three charms - one for each section and the color pallet for all sections coordinated.   I have the patterns and charms for all four, but the first one is the only one that is fully kitted.  The other three are in the 'chart pack or partially kitted' area of the stash list.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of what it will look like, but here is a shot of the materials, including the bell pull banding and hardware, the charms and beads and a glimpse of the colors.   

I'll be setting up the banding and basting the center lines so I can start it right away when the "Modern" slot comes up in Rotation #5.

I haven't reported lately on my knitting.  The cowl just hit the 2/3 point (safety pin marker on the side of the piece).  Since it's being knit in a fingering/heavy sock weight yarn, it's not going as fast as the worsted scarves.  But it's coming along.

Linking up with the SSS crew (here).

Slow Sunday Stitching - June 14, 2026

Well, the little over one patriotic fob by Olde Willow Stitchery is well started.  It's at just under five hours, including the set up / charting into Pattern Keeper (48.58% complete for the cross stitching on the front of the fob).  There will also be some back stitching and a Rhodes Heart stitch in the center; there's right at 1000 stitches in this little thing if you count the BS and specialty stitches.

The other project that I've been working on, and the one that has actually taken most of my time this week is "Santa of the Forest" by Lavendar and Lace.   I'm at the 1/3 point (35.56%) and well into the bear cub.  I also brought the sleeves of Santa's robe down to between rows 110 and 120; I think that I will finish off the bear and move the fabric up before I get back into the robe colors.  I will be in the bear for a while - his chest, back and paws cover even more space than his fuzzy plump face!

All in all, not a bad week for needlework.   I'll be linking up with the SSS crew (this week's round up).

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "Heirloom Santa: Musical Santa" by Willmaur

 

Willmaur Heirloom Santa:  Musical Santa

Designed by Sandra Cozzolino

Added Mill Hill beads

• to instruments - gold metallic MH00557
• tunic edges - grape matte MH62042
• boots - gunmetal MH0081

This ornament is in honor of my mom. She was an elementary school music teacher for most of her working life, even after she retired from the local school system.  She taught beginners in all the orchestral instruments and piano.  This Santa with his horn, drum and stringed lute is as close as I can get to her multi-talented gifts.  We'll just pretend he has a flute (for the woodwinds) tucked into the back of his belt and a keyboard of some type back home!

Slow Sunday Stitching - June 7, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #4 Slot #2 (Historic) Changeover

We had several rainy days this week, so there was plenty of time for indoor crafting lately.  I got all ten hours in on the Blackbird Designs project - "It's Berry Time".  This is going to make such a cute drum.  I love the little group of birds along the bottom edge.

And where I was at the beginning of the rotation for comparison:

I also put in about 1,000 stitches on the "Santa of the Forest" pictorial - I say "about" because I'm still working on the Sunday stitches - picture on that one next week for the mid-month check in.

I'm off to a church event this afternoon but will figure out what I'm doing for the Modern slot when I get back.  I'm kind of thinking something patriotic.

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

Slow Sunday Stitching - May 31, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #4 Slot #1 (Not Counted X Stitch) Changeover

Ten more hours in on the Vintage German Needlepoint kit "Alter Bauernhof" by Tapex Viennia, for a project total of 50 hours.  This time around saw the finish of the barn, the greenery right around the barn foundation, and the upper part of the path to the farmyard.   Then I moved over to the left side to do the big lilac tree.  And man, that thing was a pain - so much confetti with very close colors (all the greens).   But I powered through it and even got in some good work on the timbering on the house!  When this comes around again, there will be a total focus on the rest of the house. 

And the back so you can really see the progress.   The constant color changes in the tree means that it looks pretty messy in that section.  I wasn't really able to stitch 'basketweave style' much at all, though I did try not to have carried threads that were too long.

for comparison, here's where I was at the start of the rotation:

AND, it's the end of the month.  I stayed up after midnight last night to get Sunday's stitches in on "Santa of the Forest" by Lavendar and Lace.  It was not a hardship; I am by nature a bit of a night owl.  Total stitches this month were 4,383, which brings me to a project total of 10,336 or 29.8%.  I have completed 11 colors so far in the face and owl.  

Santa's Beard is finished! (It is such a focus that I feel it needs to be capitalized!) And the shoulder owl (which is so cute) is done too.  Plus it's time to move the fabric up.  I think I'll continue to work on the robe sleeves, and bring the red down and around the bear cub's face a little bit more before I start to fill him in. 

Where I started the month for comparison.

It's been a good week stitching wise!  This afternoon, I'll be moving on to the Blackbird Design piece.  After all that foliage confetti, a monochromatic project sounds like just what I need.

Linking up with the SSS crew (this week's round-up).