Slow Sunday Stitching - July 5, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #5 Slot #1 (Not Counted X Stitch) Changeover

First of all, Happy Birthday to both Canada and the USA!  We had the annual big patriotic service at the church, and the handbells played my favorite version of "Amazing Grace" (and the "Finlandia" intro for "God Bless America" - which I also like a lot).  Then we had hours and hours of fireworks all over the neighborhood (Dela is not a fan LOL - but she did better than last year.  She just needed to be under my feet instead of pacing and shaking the entire day.)

But having a dog glued to me meant that I got a lot of stitching done, and I actually finished ten hours on the vintage German needlepoint piece "Alter Bauernholf / Old Farmhouse".   60 hours in it now.  

And the back so you can see the progress without the painted canvas

I had hoped to get more of the yard done, but the house was more fiddley and took longer than I thought it would.  To make matters worse, I ran out of white and the DMC "Blanc" is a bright white instead of the creamy white from the kit.   I was able to at least color block the part of the house facade that is the farthest forward instead of having a diagonal line or some other obvious break, but I wish I'd put some of the bright white into the clouds and mountain snow instead.  Not pulling out those areas - it doesn't bother me that much.  I did notice just now that I forgot to put in the long straight stitches for the wagon wheel spokes; I'll do that the next time I have black on the needle.

And where I was last rotation (end of May) for comparison:

I have also been working on the "Santa of the Forest".  During the last three days of last month, I put in 402 stitches for a June total of 4,701.  Then so far in July, I've managed 645 stitches.  That's a project total of 15,682 or approximately 45.19%.  Total for the week was 1,047.

 

Linking up with the SSS crew (a little later than usual because we slept in after the fireworks went on until almost 3 am!!!) - this week's link party is 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).

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 12, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #3 Slot #1 (Not Counted X Stitch) Changeover

 Well, I got my ten hours finished on the vintage German Needlepoint "Alter Bauernhof / Old Farmhouse".  It is now at 40 hours, and it's getting down into the fiddley bits, with more trees and bushes and the start of the farm buildings. 

As usual, a picture of the back so you can actually see what is covered in yarn and what is still paint 😉.

I finished the roof on the house, the church walls and got a good start on the barn (the roof and all the timbering is finished).   When I pick this back up in the next rotation, I'll finish off the barn walls and work on the lilac tree over on the left side by the farmyard.  I've been kind of putting it off since it's got all four of the greens and lots of confetti scattered stitches; when I had that combination on the trees by the church, it was NOT FUN.  But it will fill in a nice chunk of that side of the piece, and the rest of the bushes will seem easy! 

And where I was at the end of the last rotation as a comparison.   

Next up starting today is the "Violet Needleroll".  I'm hoping to get it done, if not FFO'd, during this rotation. 

And speaking of an FFO - the Rib Scarf is done! (link to Ravelry page).  It ended up five inches wide and VERY squishy due to the broken rib pattern.  Length is just short of 80 inches - nice and wrap-able.  I recommend this pattern; it's easy to memorize and makes a very nice unisex scarf

Linking up with the SSS crew.  (Current round up here.)

ETA:  934 stitches into "Santa of the Forest" this week.  Now at 8.53%.  Picture next week, sorry.

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 4, 2026

 Happy and blessed Easter to all who celebrate today!  Handbells are playing at the main service, so this will be a very brief recap.  Not difficult as I have only worked on three things so far in April.   The first one doesn't have a photo, but I put 688 stitches into the Santa of the Forest since the first (see the changeover post here for what it looked like then).   5.84% complete. I'll try to get a decent photo for next week's post, but since it's a 'daily 100 stitches pictorial', I may only update once each rotation or month like I did with the Mead Dragon, unless you all want a weekly update.

Second is my knitting.  The charity scarf is over the 3/4 point and the last ball of yarn is down to the size of a baseball and shrinking rapidly. 

yellow marker is at the halfway point

Third on the list actually has the most time in since the rotation restarted on the first.  The vintage German needlepoint "Alter Bauernhof / Old Farmhouse" has five hours in already!

And the back so you can see the progress.  I finished up the right-side horizon and tree line, then moved over to the church to finish the walls and the bushes/trees around it.  Now I have started working on the farmhouse roof and am finishing my threads over on the barn in the right middle distance.

I've used all but two colors now, so the palette area is almost filled in.  (Some needlepointers fill the sample palette in first, but I do each color when I use it the first time.) I am so tempted to jump into the timber area on the house or barn just to get those last two done.  But I will be good.  The two roof areas shouldn't take too long (I hope).

Linking up with the SSS crew (weekly link party).  I'll be back after church to see what everyone else is up to.

2026 Rotation #2, Slot #2 (Not counted X stitch) Changeover

 It didn't take me long to finish up 10 hours on the vintage needlepoint this week.  There is a total of 30 hours in this landscape so far.  I got the rest of the pine trees on the left done (and finished up my thread over on the right) on Sunday and put in the left side meadow area on Monday (again finishing up on the last thread over on the right).  I'll work on that area on the right when I pick this project back up for 2026 Rotation #3.   

And the back so you can actually see the progress - basically all mountains and trees this time around.  

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

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 15, 2026 AND 2026 Rotation #2 Slot #1 (Historic) Changeover

 Well, I don't know if it was because I let the ruined Blackbird Designs piece dry between attempts at fixing it or if I inadvertently set the dye that bled out, but that project is toast.  I'm actually not all that upset now that I've had time to process; it was 28 count two over two and a size that would have needed a custom frame.  I'll restart it on 36 or 40 count at some point in the future with the goal of making it into a bell pull or wall hanging.  I think I'll actually like it more.   So the pattern (which is still readable - more splashed than drowned in the disaster) and the leftover floss is back in the 'to be kitted' stash and I'll happily get back to it at some point.   

But what that means is that I have not finished a Blackbird Design, so I picked out another one of their projects - "It's Berry Time".  It is another one of the original Loose Feathers designs (#37 from 2009).  Kitted by Old Mill Stitchery, which was my favorite semi LNS.  I wanted something with an actual alphabet for the 'year of the alphabet - 26 letters for 2026' and I don't have a monochromatic sampler on the go right now.  I AM going to bleed test and possibly vinegar bath that floss, though!  I'm a bit disenchanted with fancy floss after the last couple of weeks.  I'm also going to run the numbers for either working it over one or putting it on a much smaller count linen with the idea of a drum or spool finish.  Until I make that decision, I'm not ready to set it up and put the first stitches in, so I'm calling the "Historic or Prim" slot done for this rotation.

 

But the BIG news this week is that I finished Mead Dragon!!!  See the Finish post for all the stats, but I can't help showing her off again.  She's getting a well needed bath (which should also erase the grid marks), blocking and the basting removed; then she's off to the framers.  I'm not going to try to frame her myself!  I'm thinking maybe a chunky dark frame.

What's up next in the pictorial category?  Meet "Santa of the Forest" designed by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum of Lavendar and Lace.  He's stitched on 32 count two over two.  There are blends, and I'm replacing the scattered metallic one-stitch 'stars' with beads, so I can't easily downside it. The called for fabric is "Natural" by Wichelt.  I'm using "Raw" Belfast by Zweigart, because I don't care for the more open weave of Wichelt linens. I did not purchase the metallic thread when I kitted it up c 1995, but DMC still makes it (it's the 284Z on the short wide spool, not the skein sparkly stuff or the Diamante on the long skinny spool).  I need to order that and get the floss away bags set up and edge my linen.  I have a cut of linen that's 18 x 27, so it's going to be a bit tight on the side margins.  Once I straighten the fabric, it will be closer to 17.5 inches wide, but if the framer needs me to, I can add muslin on the sides.  I've taken the time to put the pattern into Pattern Keeper, and I can't wait to get it started - trying to enjoy the set-up process, it's part of the journey.

I concentrated on the Dragon after last Saturday's disaster, but she was done early Wednesday morning.  So I pulled out the "Old Farmhouse" vintage needlepoint and have been working on it since then.  I have about six hours in so far.  I've finished up both the mountain peaks and started in on the forest along the ridgeline on the left side.

As usual, a look at the back so you can actually see the progress.  I think I'll continue down this area until I get to the lilac bush/tree by the house; that should keep me busy through the end of this rotation.  Then next time around I will move over to the distant trees on the right behind the barn.  Lots of trees LOL.  

In house and garden news, this week I have had contractors in.  I am getting a new deck!  The old one was built by my dad in the early 1980s (so fifty years ago!) and had some areas where the joists were failing - not good; I didn't even trust it to hold the grill.  Dela keeps growling at the workmen out the sewing room window but loves on them when I let her out into the back yard. Silly🐕

And then there was this.  New travel project cast on - a charity scarf in seed stitch rib this time (link to my Ravelry page).

A travel project in its native habitat.

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

2026 Rotation #1 Slot #3 (Not Counted X Stitch) Changeover

Ten hours on the Vintage German Needlepoint Kit "Old Farmhouse / Alter Bauernhof".  I finished the rest of the clouds and sky, and then I did the bell tower and the roof of the church that's in the background.

As usual, back to show progress better.  Also note the additional color swatches!

And where I started this rotation (back) for comparison. I also like working on it better now that it is on proper stretcher bars.

When this comes around again in March, I'll work on the mountains next.   

Slow Sunday Stitching - January 25, 2026

 I hope everyone in the US is safe and warm.  Here in eastern Kansas, we missed the forecasted ice storm.  It was already well below freezing when the precipitation started, so we got snow - about four inches so far and it's supposed to end soon.  We need the moisture - it's been a dry fall and winter.  But I have discovered that those lovely windows with the northern light in my new sewing room means that it got a little too cool to be comfortable.  So no quilting in the snowstorm!

I moved into my bedroom where it's warm, hunkered down, and stitched all day Friday and Saturday though.  So this week saw a bunch of stitching.   I already have over six hours in on the Vintage German needlepoint 'Old Farmhouse / Alter Bauernhof'.  My grandson did an AI search for this pattern and identified it as a "Vintage Tapex Vienna printed canvas needlepoint kit".  AI likes my stitching LOL, and described it as "in good condition with consistent stitching on a sturdy frame".  Carl can obviously work image search better than I can because I just came up with similar very vague Ebay listings when I tried it.

As usual, you can't really see the stitches against the painted canvas, so here's a shot of the back side.  I finished off all the clouds and got all the way to the left upper corner with the sky blue.  (Also note that the canvas has been edged and mounted on stretcher bars.  I am much happier with how it feels to work on now.)

Not too bad, considering that I only really started seriously working on the "Not Counted X Stitch" rotation slot on Wednesday.  The first couple of days this last week, I finished up the ten hours on the Blackbird Design piece "And to All a Good Night".   See the changeover post for the details. 

I've also been keeping up on the 100 stitches a day on the Mead Dragon full coverage piece - more details and a picture on that next week.

Knitting is also coming right along.   I have about two inches left before I start the second crown.  This is admittedly a rather confusing photo.  The cast on crown is tucked up into the body of the hat all the way to where the white marker (center of straight section) is at the eventual start of the brim.   The red marker (which almost disappears into this warm colored yarn) remains the edge of the cast-on crown and when the current knitting reaches that point, I will start the cast-off crown.   So somewhere around 70% complete, I would estimate.

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

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

Let's get the leftover stuff from last week out of the way first.

The November section of the Daily Temperature Log was done in "Norwich Stitch".   This is a specialty stitch that I'd never come across before.  

 It builds up from a 6 x 6 cross in layers to make a sort of basket weave effect.   Very interesting texture and easy to do.   Plus the stitches were arranged in a regular grid last month, which made it an easy to memorize and execute section.

And the entire thing prior to starting the December section - which is large Octagonal Eyelets.  You'll see that section (and a finish) on New Years Day!

I did post the Mead Dragon last Sunday when I finished working on it, but here it is again with a link to the stats post for November.  She's coming along.  Currently (after another week of work) at just over 85%.

In addition to the daily stitch on the Temp Log and at least 100 stitches on the Mead Dragon, I have been working away at the vintage needlepoint from Germany.  I got the materials to extend the sky and figured out places and a technique of 'speckling' the two colors to keep from having a harsh line between them.   You can see that the new yarn is just slightly brighter blue, but within the variation of a summer sky.   And since there's no harsh edges, it looks acceptably deliberate.

Working ten hours got me halfway across the sky and clouds that take up approximately the top quarter of the piece.   When this comes up again in the rotation, I'll be working on the cloud areas on the left side and the sky areas around them. 

And the back so you can see the progress: I've been working this piece in hand because I don't have appropriately sized stretcher bars, but I am not loving it.  It's hard on the hands and I can't use my floor stand to stitch two handed.  

also fixed the place where I'd carried a thread across the tower by mistake

Plans for the rest of December until I restart the rotation on New Year's Eve.

• Finish December section of the Daily Temperature Log.   Measure it for a frame.
• Continue the daily progress on the Mead Dragon. (This is slot #4 on the last rotation of the year)
• Frame the Majestic Eagle crewel piece to give to my grandson for Christmas
• Make the Unicorn needlepoint into a box pillow for my granddaughter for Christmas.. (after the Christmas stocking disaster - see below - she decided to have it framed instead, so she got a 'promissory note gift', and it will be framed in the new year.)
• Get the design wall set up in my new sewing room (!!!!!)
• Piece the rest of the blocks for quilt backing "It was the 80's.  
• My son's dog got ahold of Carl's stocking - it needs a MAJOR repair (see this post).   (ETA, repairs done, but waiting for embellishments from 123Stitch.  ETA Again:  Finished and hanging up with my stocking!)   

Don't worry, the destructive canine was not Della. She only carries around plushies, socks and other fabric things and stashes them in her bedding undamaged.  I think she remembers having puppies.

Quilts Ahoy.  I'm feeling the urge to sew for the first time in years. Here's the finished top for "It was the 80s".   I haven't worked on it for five years.  But eventually everything gets their turn.

Linking up with the SSS crew where you can see some amazing quilts and needlework!  They keep me motivated.

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 30, 2025

End of the month (almost).  But I didn't stay up late to do my 100 stitches on the Mead Dragon after midnight last night, and I won't know what the high temp for today is until midnight tonight.   So you'll get the end of November report next week; though I'll post the month end stats on the Dragon later today when I finish working on it.  (ETA:  That post is here.)

What I CAN talk about right now is the vintage needlepoint.    I've put in just short of 5 hours on it so far - all in the sky area.   As I reported, the kit is short on materials for the Continental Basketweave technique that I chose.   So I've been jumping around working on 'puddle / cloud' shapes to work in some replacement materials in different shades or dyelots of blue (still waiting on my order from 123 Stitch). 

On a high-quality painted canvas like this, the paint color is closely matched to the yarn and it's hard to tell where the stitching is actually completed.  Here's a shot of the back of the canvas for reference.  The rightmost quarter of the sky is completed, and I've moved over to the center clouds, leaving a large gap just above the tower for the replacement color to fill in.

Notice that I've only used three colors so far.  I'm glad I decided to start at the top, though.   Best to get that unwelcome revelation about the material shortage when I still have time to course correct.

Linking up with the SSS crew - they get me through the rough patches! (Current roundup is here.)

"Houston, we have a problem....."

I'm working on the new start for the 'not counted thread' slot on my rotation.   This is the vintage German needlepoint. 

That is one quarter of the blue yarn.  The scissors are pointing to where the one quarter point of the canvas is.   Yep, not nearly enough yarn.    

Here's the entire sky and clouds area

Since I don't have a cover page or instructions and this kit is a MINIMUM of 35-40 years old and maybe much older, there's absolutely no chance of getting matching materials.  A close-ish color match done in 'cloud / puddle' shapes in the center top around the church tower and over on the left side would probably look OK and give enough coverage to eke out the yarn.  Even a summer sky has various shades of blue, after all.

Luckily DMC still makes 4 ply wool tapestry yarn.  However, I don't have a color card for the wool.  So I just sent an order off to123Stitch for several 8-yard hanks of various pale blues.  (And three shades of bright green just in case it's not only the one color that's short.)  I did check the stash, but the only blue tapestry yarn I have is way too dark for a summer sky.

I'm guessing that if this kit is older (post war up to the 1970s) that the materials are not generous due to material shortages and therefore it was meant to be done in half cross, not continental stitch.  Half cross puts a lot less yarn on the back of the project and also distorts the canvas badly due to all the stress on the ground being in a single diagonal direction.  Continental stitch done basketweave style (which is the technique that I'm using) is so stable that you barely need to block the canvas when done since it distributes the stress of the stitches equally in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

You know, I am going to be happy when I finish up the vintage projects.  It seems like every one of them has materials issues! 

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).

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 27, 2022

Another week of a quick post before I dash out the door to church.   This week I am reading the lessons.  

Hope everyone in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving (and opps, forgot to wish that to those in Canada last month, sorry.) And if you aren't in North America, hope your fall (or spring) is going well. OK, enough chatter about things not related to crafting LOL.

On the knitting side of things, in addition to getting the ends all woven in on Bob's stocking and both stockings handed off at the family Thanksgiving lunch I got quite a bit (close to 8 inches/20 cm) done on the garter stitch XBF scarf.  I calculate this is close to the halfway point (2/3 of the length) and it's still good travel knitting even as it grows.  

Big news on the needlework front this week,  I got the Unicorn Pillow finished (link to Needlework Rotation post).  Not FFO of course.  I need to buy a zipper and the velvet or velveteen fabric for the back and cording.   But it is stowed safely in the under the bed box until I'm ready to tackle that. 

Next up is Dutch Beauty.   I'm going to be working on the Mama Swan, which is all that I have left on this piece!   Here's where I'm starting (after church today).

Last but not least, I set up the new piece for the challenges for Full Coverage Fanatics (on Facebook).  "Sugar Skull" will be a gift for my co-worker and occasional car pool buddy Victoria.   I'm pretty sure she doesn't follow my blog, so it should be safe to show it here.  I WAS going to start this on Friday and I did get the pattern into a binder and all of the floss sorted, bobbin-ated and bagged.  But when I went to put the fabric on the scroll rods, what I had marked from the stash as a fat quarter had a chunk used out of it and was only 10 x 12 inches.   Running the numbers, that would give me just about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of margin.   Granted this will be framed close in a vintage oval frame, but that's a little TOO close for comfort.   I prefer a three inch margin.   So I have another piece 28 count pale blue evenweave on order.  It's not like I don't have plenty of other things to work on!

one over one full cross on 28 count evenweave

Linking up with the Slow Sunday Stitching crew - current round up is linked here

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: "Unicorn" pillow top, 2022 Rotation #5, Slot 1 (not counted thread) complete

 Vintage kit (early 1980s) by Candamar Designs Inc. 

Needlepoint and crewel on 12 point canvas with Paternaya wool and cotton floss, faux goldwork.   Started in 1981.    Size is approx 14 x 14 inches (35.5 x 35.5 cm)

Will be finished as a box pillow for Alexis for a future Christmas.

goldwork on the horn came out well, I think

Goldwork on the Unicorn Pillow

 First of all, I want to be clear that this is not real goldwork.   That is done with actual precious metal threads and beads.   But it's a close approximation with faux metallic threads and all of the same techniques as actual goldwork and for those of us with limited crafting budgets, it's good practice.  

I have already laid in all of the tent stitch base in eight strands of very fine metallic DMC thread (the old metallic on the spool - not sure it's even being made any more).  That many of the thread strands approximated the diameter of the stranded cotton that I used for the white backgound.  That covered up the painted canvas diagonals, so the first step is to lay those out again.   It's hard to see, but the green basting stitches are where the diagonal couching will go.

Then I started in on the point of the horn; I'm going to work it from point to base.   Each 'twist' of the horn will be one length of the heavy gold cord.   The first section will go all the way around the point of the horn.  From then on each length will go along the base right to left, up the diagonal and across the top again from right to left to the point where the next twist happens.    All of the loose ends will be plunged to the back at the end and overcast on the back to secure them.

Here's the first 'twist' with all the heavy threads taken to the back and the second twist outlined.  I'll continue to work my way down the horn.  Still photos just don't capture all of sparkle and shine of the metallic threads.   It's really quite 'bling-y' in real life!