Another finish!  I recently discovered Cloudsfactory and I must say she is my new favorite designer.  Her stuff is just so cute and full of my favorite nerdy things!  When I saw the Doctor Who - Don't Blink design I simply had to start it immediately.  Blink was one of my favorite episodes, the weeping angels are wonderfully creepy and there is just something about the don't blink speech that appeals to me.


I thought the fabric I had started Luna, Sol, and Stella on would be perfect for this (I found the fabric too tight to stitch over one on with my failing eyesight).  Sadly, while still perfect, the colors just didn't want to cooperate and I had to do some switching.  The text in purple was supposed to be grey, but that just blended in.  The green back stitched text is the worst, but by the time I got to it I had already frogged and restitched so much due to color that I just decided to go with it.  *I* know what it says and since it will probably rest forever in the box with the rest of my finishes it doesn't really matter.

I also have progress to share on Darkling Mini.  Page six is complete and I'm now a bit over halfway on her.  Hopefully I get back to her before yet another year goes by!

Once I was done with The Tower of Stony Wood, I did a page on Treasure Hunt Bookshelf.

This is the large version of the chart, and while the detail is not readily apparent, it is there if you know what to look for.  For example the name of the book is "The Spinner" which you can just about make out.  And there is a spider web across the top portion of the two books, which just looks like randomness unless you know what it is.  Still very subtle, but there nonetheless.

I'm really enjoying this one, although the shear size is just daunting.  104 pages altogether!  Yikes! I will need to start working on this one more than once a year if I have any hope of ever finishing it!

When I was finished with the page, I wasn't sure what I wanted to work on next (I have not been able to decide on a new rotation), so I checked my "Strip List" report and picked the one that showed the least amount of time to finish.

That was An Emblem of Love.  Which I finished in four days (which made me happy since the report estimated it would take 14).


So two finishes to start off 2015!  Much happy dancing ensued! 

Shortly after my last post I decided that The Tower of Stony Wood was the one thing I definitely wanted to get finished before I die so I've been working exclusively on it since then and yesterday I finally finished it!  And, no, I'm not on my deathbed or anything, but I'm on the downside of my life now and have come to the realization that there is no way I'm ever going to manage to finish everything I have started. 

Anyway, here it is in all it's glory!


Click here for the website if you're interested in the details.

I am nearing the end of my neglected projects (one left) and it has been quite interesting.  Things I thought I would really enjoy I found that I didn't and things I thought I wouldn't I did. And there is one project that I love and hate at the same time and still don't know whether it should be delegated to UFO status.  I haven't gotten caught up with updating my web pages so I'm only listing the ones that I have updated.

First is Mouline Rouge.  This is one I thought I would enjoy and turns out I didn't.  I guess stitching all one color was not as relaxing as I thought it would be.  Or maybe I've just lost my taste for quakers.  This will probably end up on the UFO pile.


 Next was Noah's Sub.  It had been quite a while since I worked on this and the last time must not have been the most pleasant experience since I only did about 100 stitches or so before packing it in.  I approached this one with trepidation - I love the design but the actual stitching?  The love of the design won out and I worked on it for over two weeks.  I thought the animals would be tedious but it was so much fun seeing them emerge!  I can't wait to work on this one again now and will probably put it into a "favorite" position when I finally get back to a regular rotation.


Finally (as far as the updates go), is The Phoenix.  My feelings are mixed on this one.  I really love the design and it's not that big so I kept at it even though I wanted to just throw it across the room because the actual stitching is so awful!  Quarter stitches everywhere and a backstitch chart that is so hard to follow I was growling in frustration the whole time.  I also messed up the colors on the backstitching pretty badly and hated doing it so much that I left it. I will probably finish this one though... I know I'm going to hate every minute of it, but the finish product will be lovely (even with all the messed up backstitching)!

Next up was Morning Dew, which I have not worked in for seven years.  I had considered regulating this one to UFO status since it's the only project I have on Aida fabric and, well, I haven't work on it for seven years.  But I decided to give it a go since I did have to expend some effort to even find it (the kit being out of print) and so at one time I did *really* want to do it.  So...


I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I quite enjoyed working on this.  The picture does not do it justice, the colors are so vibrant and the design is lovely! I hope it doesn't take me another seven years to get back to it!

I hope not, but I really should have gotten more done in the last month.  Maybe it's just the weather, which has really been getting to me.  I hate the cold and there has been way too much more than usual.  One morning I got up and it was -5 F! I actually had to then double check to make sure my desktop hadn't somehow started reporting the wind chill in the status bar rather than the actual temperature.  I've never seen it get that low for the 20+ years I've been here and even getting into the single digits is rare.  Now we're into February and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight.  So, I'm just depressed.

Anyway...

I started working on my neglected projects.  First off I finished Heaven Above. 

It was nice to have a finish to start off the new year.  I don't imagine I'll see another anytime soon!

Next I worked on Frog Prince.


I must admit I have a love/hate type of relationship with this project.  On the one hand I love it since it makes me think of my youngest daughter.  When she was small she had beautiful ringlets and loved frogs, plus this is one of her favorite designs.  On the other hand, the conversion so far has not been very good.  The artwork is just not this dark. I am hoping that when all is said and done it will come together like I have seen other HAEDs do.  So I will persevere, but for now I'm going to work down rather than across. So this is the first page, plus the first 35 rows of the second.  And while I still think it is far too dark, I can see some detail there.

Finally, Houses of Hawk Run Hollow.
 
Sadly, I did not enjoy working on this at all.  Maybe it was just the block itself.  Those dogs are just ridiculous, I mean are they flying or what?  I am looking forward to the next block (when this project comes up again three years or so from now), gotta love that cow!

Updates on:

Dream Dance Fear...  Sad that there won't be much to see on this one for a while, but at least I do love stitching blue!



And Flower Power... It's been a very long time since I worked on this one and it was a lot of fun getting it out again. 


I was so happy that I received the fabric for Treasure Hunt Bookshelf along with some q-snap extensions and new clamps right at the beginning of my Christmas break.  I was so excited to be able to start this and have two uninterrupted weeks to work on it!  I added the extensions to my q-snaps (two each on the top and bottom, giving me a 23" x 11" frame), bundled and clipped the fabric using these scroll rod covers from Amy's Sewing and Cross Stitch and some hair clips. This worked great and I was so pleased that I seemed to have tamed the excess fabric beast.  And then I stripped the knob that tightens the clamp on my stand and couldn't get it to grip the q-snap.  I would be going out the next day and figured I would stop at Lowe's and pick up a new knob, but in the meantime I thought I could just use a regular nut to hold it.  Tightening that caused the bottom of my clamp to snap off!  I was devastated... particularly since the gentlemen who made the stand has passed away and I can't get a replacement.  My whole day was absolutely ruined!  And the incident put a rather gloomy damper on my spirits for the remainder of my vacation.  I did finally manage to jury-rig something using the clamp from my Lowry stand so that I could at least stitch.  I had hoped to get more done, but time spent moping and scouring the internet for a replacement clamp (or stand) made a pretty big dent in my progress.  I managed just a little more than a page.


And here is a picture of how I managed the fabric:


The scroll rod covers were just the ticket.  The elastic on the ends helped hold the big roll of fabric on the end while also containing the excess at the bottom. 

One of the other things I did over my break was update my web pages.  In doing so I became really sad about how some of my projects have been neglected.  I have some that I still want to do but haven't touched for 10 years!!  So I wrote a query for my database to give me everything I haven't worked on since before 2010 and have decided that I am going to have a turn at each of those 19 projects before restarting my rotation.  So yesterday I screwed some metal plates onto the bottom of my clamp (which I had previously super-glued back together) and started work on Heaven Above, which I have not touched since 2007 and for a while had considered not finishing it at all since I originally started it as a memorial sampler in honor of my brother and then decided this Memorial Sampler would be better.  I will continue on it until it is finished which shouldn't take more than two weeks and it will also be nice to start 2014 with a finish (particularly since I had no finishes in 2013).

And now, sadly, I must prepare for my first day back to work.  I am really not looking forward to it...

I've finally hit the half-way point on Darkling Mini.  She is stitching up very well and I'm seriously considering swapping out a couple of my other projects for their mini version.  That way I still get the pleasure of stitching them and might actually also get to finish them! 


I'm also dying to start Treasure Hunt Bookshelf.  The only question is do I go for the enormous version or the simply very large version?  Michelle posted a mock up of the bottom corner of each on Heaven and Earth Designs Facebook page and I have to say I'm leaning toward the enormous one.  Just what I need, another project that I probably will not be able to finish in my lifetime.

And this brings up a question that Cathy asked.  How to handle all that fabric?  I have a StitchMate floor stand (which I absolutely love, but sadly the gentleman who made them has passed away) and a Lokscroll frame.  I love this thing, the largest size the have is 30" and everything fits on them except Peace, Flower Power, and Hannah Lynn Montage. For those I have tried a variety of things.  I purchased a couple of 48" dowels and was using clamps from my q-snaps to attach the fabric and the sidebars that came with the floor stand (you stick the ends of the rods through holes in the sidebar and then tighten it down).  That worked okay enough for Peace (although I damaged the q-snap clamps since they weren't quite big enough), but it was nigh impossible to roll up Hannah Lynn since you need a couple of inches clearance at each side to grab.  Then I found some 48" scroll rods with the No Baste velcro from American Dream Products and decided to give them a try, but it was really hard getting the fabric tight enough.  I might try them again when I'm down to the second row of pages and can roll some of the top fabric around the rod.

Ultimately, I end up back with the q-snap frames.  I twist up all the excess fabric and gather it together in a pony tail holder to keep it contained and out of the way. 

So far I have managed to stick with the new rotation... kinda.  I've been following the order, but not the timing.  For example, I was enjoying Bubble Flower so much that I decided to keep going until I reached the edge.  So instead of four days, I worked on that for two weeks or so. I'm going to dispense with the commentary and just post the pictures:

Dream Dance Fear


Hannah Lynn Montage


Beauty and the Beast


Days of Advent (Rahab Block)


Tower at Stony Wood


Bubble Flower



As always, clicking on the names will take you to a web page with more information.

And, finally, I wanted to share some pictures from the marvelous adventure my daughter and I had at Universal Studios!




We had the best time ever and even after a week didn't want to leave!  Can't wait to go back (another year of penny pinching, but it is SO worth it)!

Well, so far so good.  Of course, it's only been a couple of weeks! 


First up was Babysitting.   This is from the original chart, which has been retired.  It is small and does not have as many colors as the one that is currently available, but still looks pretty good (imo).

Next I worked on Ballet Pigs.  I hadn't work it this one for over three years!  I don't know why it took me so long to pick it up again, it is such a whimsical design and so much fun to watch those little piggy smiles appear as you are stitching.  Sad to say, though, I had some trouble with the light bands.  Drat these aging eyes!  Hopefully stronger reading glasses will help with that.


And finally, my precious, Darkling Mini.  Unfortunately, I did not make much progress.  For one she came up during the week and I was home late most days.  And second I was too distracted by the weird thumping thing that was happening in my chest.  It had been going on for a week, and while I am pretty sure it's not actually my heart (since I can still exercise with no problems), it certainly feels like the thing is trying to jump out of my chest through my throat.  I think the underlying cause is anxiety, which I have been having a lot of trouble with lately, and then worrying about what the heck it was certainly didn't help with that!  I cut out my morning coffee and ate almost nothing for two days and it seems to have finally stopped.  So probably stomach related, which was probably caused by the anxiety, and maybe made worse by the caffeine.  If it starts again, I'll go to the doctor.