Slow Sunday Stitching - January 12, 2025 AND Needlework Changeover for 2025 Rotation #1, Slot #1 (Historic)

We got more snow - a total of 18 inches / 45 cm!  Every time we get more or less shoveled out, we get more winter weather - ice again last night (sigh).  I'm already SO over winter.

Good crafting time though!

I finished up the ten hours on my Blackbird Designs project that's in the Historic slot of my rotation.   "Blessings and Kind Wishes" - Loose Feather's #31.  I got the top three lines of lettering on the left, and the entire wreath on the right top quadrant completed.  I even established the very top of the right-side zigzag border.

And where I started this rotation for comparison.  (Fabric color is truer in the picture below).

Next time up, I'll do the scene of the storks on their nest inside the wreath and try to do the center line of the lettering with the clusters of eyelet grapes on both the ends. There's a lot more stitching in this little sampler than it first appears, and that's not even considering the house that fills the bottom right corner entirely!

Next up is the Plaza Sewing Bag - the upper border on the second side.  The first side took about 15 hours, so I expect this round will take about the same - maybe a bit less because the basting is already done on this side.   Each repeat of the border scrollwork motif is indicated by the vertical yellow basting.  I've got nearly an hour in on this round; rice stitch is SLOW!

I've kept up so far on both the 'temperature stitch a day' and the goal of 100 stitches per day on Mead Dragon.  There won't be pictures on those until the end of the month, but at least there's some small progress every day.

The travel project got another movie and a couple of episodes of Murdoch Mysteries; I should probably just acknowledge it as the winter 'TV watching project' since I'm not driving in the mess outside unless I absolutely must - therefore no actual 'travel' stitching has occurred!  It is now at 1,300 stitches.   The bottom half up to the scarf is done other than beads and a few detail stitches.  Next up - Santa gets the rest of his scarf, a head, and a hat!  Then there is the tree he is carrying and a bird perched atop it.

Linking up with the SSS crew (this week's roundup is here).  Dela and I are hunkered down and enjoying the snow days.   Though she doesn't think highly of the snowplows; they were working on our street last night and she woke me up barking at the noise and had appropriated the bed in the time I walked out to the living room to see what was going on😏.

Slow Sunday Stitching - December 15, 2024

 Well, Dela is settling in well.   I got her microchipped and licensed with the city.   Housebreaking has been a real success, and walking in harness is coming along well.  We are starting obedience classes soon.  But first she has to have some dental surgery.  Poor baby.  I'm pretty sure her being a somewhat picky eater is probably due to mouth pain; she likes soft treats and food better than crunchy treats and kibble.

She likes to sleep under my desk in the footwell - nice in the winter, like having a living foot warmer 🐕😄.

Christmas things are a bit crazy, including extra rehearsals, kid's programs and so forth.  Somehow being retired has not included being more organized! (2025 goals) 

On the crafting side, I'll admit that I haven't been very productive, but I did get some travel stitching done on the last of the Animal Santa set of perforated paper ornaments.   Looking back, I notice that I have not shared any 'in progress' pictures since I started this one back in September!

The 'Feline Santa" Ornament by Willmauer has the Santa completed (except the beard/moustache which goes in last) and the first of the three cats has been started.  I'd kind of like to get him done so I can get him up on the tree.  So I may make finishing off the white fluffy kitty on his shoulder and black tuxedo cat down by his ankles a focus this week.

Linking up with the SSS crew.

Slow Sunday Stitching - December 1, 2024

 First Sunday of Advent! Where has this year gotten to?   It's been a busy one, for sure and I'm going to be even more busy now.

Meet Dela - she's a five-year-old Australian Shepherd rescue.  Blue merle (dappled) coloring, with only a very faint creamy tan flash.   And very striking heterochromia eyes - only the bottom half of her left eye is blue.  

She was a breeder mom in a puppy mill - so right now she has no idea how to be a dog.   We are working hard on figuring out how to potty in the yard and walk on a leash.   Taking her to my vet tomorrow and getting her teeth looked at - they look terrible.  Also getting her stitches out from being spayed.   Luckily, she isn't entirely unsocialized; she's a bit of a velcro dog - if I stand up, she stands up.  If I go in the bathroom, she goes in the bathroom; sort of like having a toddler LOL.  But better than not trusting people at all!

Needless to say, there was not much needlework this week.  (Though I did meet my full coverage goal for November.)  Knitting is a bit easier to pick up and put down, so I did get the new hat up to the crown decreases.  I don't have any of the labels done, so I'm going to do the donation next week and should have this finished by then, too.

Linking up with the SSS crew.