Finish #2 for 2026

Finish #2 for 2026.  Swedish Horses from Modern Folk Embroidery.  Used 6 skeins of dmc 3799, one over one, on 28 count Colour and Cotton lugana in the color Haunted.  A start and a finish this year.  

Sampler Game Board was added to - from way back in 2018.  I had 2 houses finished before, and I finished 4 more houses this time, and 2 more are almost finished.  There are 32 houses total.  But just a couple days had me wanting to pull something else.

This is Alphabet Song from Courtney Collection.  I added just one word....   Why.... which does not show in this photo since this was a picking it back up photo, not an after photo.  It was last worked on in 2019.  I was actually looking for a different Courtney on this fabric, so after one word, it got tossed back.

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  This was something that was also a random grab, and with another pattern in the same bag.  I started Death By CrossStitch - Long Dog Samplers - but I could not tell you if I ever finished it or not.  I knew I certainly would have bought Life after Death, and it was last worked on in Dec 22, 2022 according to random notes that could be wrong.  So I picked this back up, and I have worked on it for a day so far.  I'm enjoying adding to it.  Below shows my progress.

The last two photos certainly show how far off the colors are on my camera.  Neither is correct.  It's a bit more golden than the bottom photo.  But not as golden as the top photo.  I am using Anchor black. 

5 of 24 pages

 

Courtney Collection - Mermaid's Folly (Mirrored).  This is 5 of 24 pages completed.  That bottom row is a third of a whole page.  I have done a few jigsaw puzzles lately.  As of now I am back stitching my two pages for March on the red Winter Kalidoscope design.  Got a couple patterns from market, and the cookbook.  A few flosses, and some cuts of black fabric - so I could do a pattern from market, and one from my stash.  Got all the stitching copies made, they are kitted up.  But I am enjoying the red one, once I finally pick up the needle. 

A new mirror image start...

Modern Folk Embroidery - Winter Kaleidoscope.  Working on the upper right corner.  Doing my two pages for February.  Pages 13 and 14, of 20.  This is still just barely starting the first of the two pages.

This is Mermaid's Folly from Courtney Collection.  A new start for me this year.  The bottom one is finished, and I am doing the mirror image again on the top.  It is 24 pages, and this is three pages completed, and one skein of dmc black used at this point.  I wrote that it took 8.25 skeins doing the first one.  It is PTP 28 count, Brash, one over one.  I finished the first one mid December 2020.  Finished it is 18.75 inches by 7.5 inches.  I did try working on something else that I have already started, but that did not seem to last very long.  I have completed several of the Courtney Collection patterns with both the original, and mirror images.  

Two Finishes...

Variant of Interest - Long Dog Samplers.  A finish!  Finish #12 for 2022.  Anchor Black 403 floss, used 7 skeins, one over one, on 28 count Brash Lugana.  I LOVED this...  It is my breast cancer project.  And I know the designer had in mind the pandemic when she named the design, but for me, it also means breast cancer that doesn't appear as the lump we are all taught to feel and check for. 

Knightmare (mirrored) - Courtney Collection.  Finished tonight.  Finish #13 for 2022.  Done on 28 count Dove Gray jobelan using dmc 3799.  I was stitching this before I noticed I had a problem, and I got halfway done before starting the Variant of Interest project.  And I finished the other half after having the breast removed. 

They are still on the same piece of fabric, same floss.  

There are so many things I could say about having breast cancer.  My local breast cancer group did help pay for the biopsy and appointments to get me diagnosed.  I have always said I would be fine with a breast being removed, and when it happened, I was.  But it's not what you expect.  The breast removed was not a big deal, but whoever sewed this did a crappy job.  I refer to it as an 8 year old boy home school sewing project.... and he is not happy about the assignment, or clearly doesn't care about the results.  I have two cleavages, and a corner.  WTF???  I can't make this up.  The painful part is the lymph node arm stuff.  Wow.  Nobody is saying that at all. 

It took me days to finally pick up the needle again.  I wanted to, I just couldn't.  It took a bit longer than I expected.  But I'm back, and stitching.  Their next plan is to start chemo.  But basically, I had something that was stage 2/3, and I should survive this.  But they do a body scan in a couple days looking for anything else weird.  That's scary.  I'm not scared of the chemo, but that body scan,  that I am a bit worried about. 

Still Stitching...

Long Dog Samplers - Variant of Interest.  A new start, this is the first skein completed, using Anchor black 403, on PTP Brash 28 lugana, one over one.  It will easily fit on a fat quarter.  It's LOVELY.

Before I was working on Courtney Collection - Knightmare ( mirrored ).  I think I have half the pages completed, but the remaining pages are solid stitches compared to the completed ones.  I do have the original version completed on the same fabric.

Long ways to go when you can see the areas missing.  My stitching bug was very low.  Had been donating platelets again.  Then my body decided to come up with something weird, and trying to figure that out has been goofy.  I even paid to get a test, was taken back to the test area, then told because I HAVE a problem, they won't test me because I don't have a doctor.   They tried to get me a doctor by stopping and calling places for me, could not find me anybody willing to order me a test or take me as a referral knowing I was there to get a test and HAVE a problem... the testing place gave me back my money, and said - go away...  That's crazy.  Their website says specifially, you do NOT need a doctors order to get their services.  But when you get there, they do.  They said - go to the free clinic, here is the address.  I can't do that...  I have no insurance, but I can pay for tests, I can pay to go to a Urgent Care type doctor.  Which was $131 to get me in for them to say - yep, you need a test.  We will have the test schedule person call you... and now it's been 24 hours, I haven't heard from that person yet.  Really bad karma to take a spot that a sick and poor child needs if I can afford to go and pay somewhere else. But today is 3 weeks since I noticed the problem.  I always felt I was good enough that they would take triple bags of platelets and my whole blood...  and they have 60 times since I started giving this time... but if I needed anything, am sick, I'm gonna die before I can get them to help me.  And it's true.

This, then That, then the Other Thing...

 

Salem Sisters 2 from Plum Street Samplers got started...  on white, which was a crappy fabric choice basically.  But I was enjoying stitching it, till I realized it looked like a stitchers first project...

Then I tried picking up from the already started stuff.... decided to try filling in pages, but I could not even finish filling in that peacock on the lower left....

Courtney Collection - Knightmare ( mirrored ).  Decided to start the mirror image of this one.  But I didn't last at this one very long either.

 This was Barbara Ana - Love Never Fails... which I decided to restart.  This version was on a sort of suggested color fabric, but her dress disappearing bothered me.  So I ordered two possible different fabrics, and it got restarted.

And this is the restart version so far.  My camera is not doing this color justice at all.  It is called Peach Rose lugana 28 count.  I would say it's a cantaloupe color.  So far, it looks really good on this.  And it's way outside my comfort zone of usual colors.  It would fit on a fat 1/8, which let me by a couple different odd colors to try.  So I started the projects by trying to put something on just white, and feeling disappointed I had picked that, and ended happy with trying a Peach Rose fabric.  Actually, I think I'm gonna like this fabric more than the suggested brown tone.  

Other than starting new things, which everything I started is part of a set, and a restart... and trying to work on something started... it was good.  But honestly, now I'd like to do a restart on that Salem Sisters design.  It's a quick stitch.  Doing it again after finishing this one, no problem. 

Finish #6 for 2022

 

Finish #6 for 2022.  Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  Stitched one over one using dmc 938, used 7 skeins, on 28 count PTP Doubloon.  

Just to show the project completed.  The bottom one is the original pattern version, and the top one is the reverse image that I just completed.  Same cut of fabric, same floss, both took 7 skeins of dmc each.  The bottom one looks a little wonky on the side, but they just are not laying flat.  It's really easy to get a mirror image pattern, and a good copy shop will not charge extra to do it.  

This was the first time I did a mirror version. And it's still my favorite.  The only ones I have framed and on the wall.

And also Beasties. These don't look like they match, but they do, it's just a weird photo.  I also have the original version of Knightmare done, and plan to do the mirror version.  And I'd like to do Mermaid's Folly in the mirror version too, but that's a big sucker, and I only have the original version done so far. But if you have a designer you like - doing mirror images - kinda fun. 

Working on the final page.

 

Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  Finished two more pages, and on the last page.  Trying to get another finish.  Below is what it looked like when I picked it up this time.

17 of 20 pages completed

Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  Finished more pages.  It takes 7 skeins of dmc, and I have used 6 skeins at this point.  Three pages to go, but 17 of 20 completed.  Time to take a break from this project and pull something else random. 
 

Another Page Completed...

Courtney Collection - Pelican (Reversed).  Finished another page, 13 of 20 completed.  Tried to complete another page of feathers, but it was slow going.... so I needed to alter the plan.  I decided to outline the edges of the pages I had left to do.  You can see I have 7 sections partly completed.

This was what it looked like when I picked it back up again. 

More pages completed...

MFE SAL 2021 - This is the November section completed. 

Then I finished 3 more pages of the Pelican (reversed). This is 12 of 20 pages completed.  The right hand side is completed.   

Page 9 of 20 completed

Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  This is 9 of 20 pages completed, and 3 of 7 flosses used.  Well, it took 7 flosses to do the original version on this same fabric.  Not halfway yet. 
 

Slow Random Progress...

 Modern Folk Embroidery - MFE2021 SAL - Completed October section.

Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  Filled in another lower row page something.

Lizzie Kate - ABC's of Christmas.  Where it was when I picked it back up, and where it was after I worked on it.  The right side half is almost filled in.

The Scarlett House - Floral Motif Sampler.  Filled in areas randomly. 

It took a Month...

Finished the September section.  Modern Folk Embroidery - MFE2021.

August section completed. 

Courtney Collection - Pelican (reversed).  Finished page 7 of 20.  Bottom left side.  

Stitching Comforts from Needle Bling Designs.  A design I bought, so I'm gonna stitch it.  It was a new start, and I got a long ways into it.  It's not a favorite.  I tried it on a different fabric, and then restarted it on white with dmc flossed. 

Blackbird Designs - Cats on Parade.  A finish.  On Gingerbread lugana PTP 28 count, one over one.  Used Anchor black.  Still need to do the stars for the top and bottom if you make it into a roll.  But it's not very big, so I'm not sure what to do with it.  Finish #10 for 2021.

That's a 4 inch ruler, and it's wider than 4 inches, but it does make you realize it's not very big.  

It was a weird month.  I had two teeth pulled.  I tried to give blood, and that failed.  I got poison ivy using my new string trimmer.  My energy is just zapped.  It was crazy hot.  I'm trying to do better.

Finish #7 for 2021

Finish #7 for 2021.  The Linen and Threads 2020 SAL - Friends and Family.  PTP Gingerbread lugana 28 count, one over one, dmc 154.  Used 3 skeins of dmc with a bit leftover.  I changed one motif, added a random alphabet to fill in.

This was what it was when I picked it back up.  Mostly I just didn't like a motif, and it took me a while to find something, then kinda just made one instead. 

Courtney Collection - Beasties (mirrored) - finished two more pages.  Again, PTP Gingerbread and dmc black.  Two pages left and the frog hanging from the birds mouth. 

This is where it was when I picked it back up again. 

This One....

 

Courtney Collection - Pelican ( Mirrored ). This is 2 skeins of dmc used.  I completed 3 more pages, 6 pages total.  Then I wildly decided to complete the border outline.  Hahaha....  And it actually came out correct on the first try.  There are 20 pages total, and these are the easy pages.  Below is what it looked like when I picked it back up again. 

This was July 2020.  Below is the not mirrored version that I completed.  It took 7 skeins of dmc floss.  Using same fabric and floss DMC 938 and 28 count PTP Doubloon lugana, one over one.

It's a little over 12 inches wide and 10 inches tall.  But I am still trying to do PAGES each time, and a SKEIN of floss each time.  I have so many things, with so many pages.  But it is a dent each time.  This is gonna get tossed back and something else will get pulled.