November WIPocalypse / Nov 27th Monday Update

Finally jumping back in with WIPocalypse. Which will include my last week for my normal Monday update. Since I'm jumping back in let's just see what I focused on so far in November then hopefully December will be a normal WIPocalypse update.

First what's WIPocalypse. Measi has a blog and setup this fun blog event for us to post. The last Sunday (or as soon as we can haha) we are to post an update for the WIPocalypse and then check in our her check in post. The idea of WIPocalypse is to finish all our WIPs before the apocalypse. I think we keep the world from ending because of our piles and piles of WIPs haha. I personally use this as an excuse to keep track of what I work on each day in a journal. Then I can report what I worked on since the last check in. I have missed checking in my last post was in January this year. Let's see if I can fix that. I did see she is hosting again next year which I'm thankful for.

So what have I focused on this month??

Season 2 by Hands on Design -- 4 Days I've been doing one a month this year. I've kept up even. 

Exchange Piece for a Private Exchange -- 3 Days Finished up this fun Durene Jones Freebie to exchange...

Hello Four Seasons Fall Gnome by Soda Stitch -- 9 Days. I wanted to finish this one up before December 1st. So I focused on it till finished...

Now I have the whole set of these finished. Love them!!!

Last week I worked on 2 pieces...

Dragon Eye by Eva's Design -- 2 Days

My Semi Sane FB group had a prompt for a challenge Near or Far. Since this is a closeup on the dragon's eye I used it for near. Any progress works I added 900 stitches.

Hedgehogs in the Snow by Stoney Creek -- 3 Days Worked on this one for the weekend. Added 776 in. Didn't seem to be able to get into it this time around but least I have some progress...

Measi also gives us a fun question each month Question of the Month: What is your favorite way to finish ornaments and/or smalls? I love to make a pillow ornament type finish like the exchange piece. Then you can sit it on a shelf. Either that way or with my sewing machine and fabric on the back. In hand is always better because don't need to wait for the sewing machine to be out haha. 

Fred had the week off and it was really nice. He went deer hunting in the morning and evening each day. No luck for him this year. My dad got one opening day. Then got another same day Bev got one on Saturday. So we have 3 done up in the freezer. We do the processing ourselves. It's a lot of work but so delicious when we can use the meat all winter. My dad has a large meat grinder so we make hamburger type meat out of all we can use. Dad said he thinks we could do it on our own we have learned pretty well. Of course I'm not as good as they are at doing it haha. Just a few years of experience over me. Thanksgiving went great. We were invited over to my Grandmother's since we don't have anywhere else to be. It was a nice time with my 2 sets of Aunts/Uncles, Dad and Step Mom, and Grandparents. 

I'm madly planning my stitching. My focus for December. My focus for next year. My LOVE for stitching is just going crazy! It's so fun to be so in love with it again. I'm trying not to jump in over my head too but it's hard because I want to STITCH all the THINGS!!! Haha. 

Have a great week. Love yourself. Smile. Find your happiness. We have a fun weekend ahead. I want to switch out Fall for Christmas. I want to stitch as much as possible too haha. I need more time!!!

Nov 20th Monday Update

Howdy again readers. We had a busy day getting groceries but I remembered to get my post posted. So let's see what I worked on last week.

I've been madly working on the Autumn Gnome. Every day but Wednesday. Wednesday was computer work, Jeremiah eye doctor, groceries day.

Anyway guess what?!?! Last night the final stitches were put in...

(23) November 19th

Hello Four Seasons (Autumn Gnome)

(Stitched Individually)

From Soda Stitch

Stitched on 32ct Light Blue Lugana

Using Suggested DMC Threads

Started Sept 27th, 2023. Took 11 Days.

Whole Set Took 49 Days

 

I love how each one turned out. The little piles in the wagon are perfect. The gnomes outfits. Just love them. So glad I did this set this year! I have a set picked out to do for next year. Need to get them kitted up.

 

My exchange piece was received so I can share it as well...

 This was what I decided to stitch for my partner...

(22) November 7th

Woodland Deer Freebie

From Durene Jones

Stitched on 14ct Aida

Using Suggested DMC Threads

Started Nov 5th, 2023. Took 3 Days.

 

I really liked it a lot (and almost kept it haha) but Elaine said she loved it too. So I'm happy to have parted with it. Maybe I'll stitch it again sometime. 

Over the weekend Fred has his radio event. He enjoyed it a lot. He was happy with the ticket sales and they hope to host it again next year. Saturday was opening season for deer hunting. My dad got a small doe. So we did up the meat for the freezer Sunday. 17 quart bags with probably 2 pounds each I think. Yum. Fred has off all week so hopefully we'll get a few more. Spike just wants the bones haha. 

Have a great week! Love yourself. Smile. Happy Turkey Day!!! We plan on eating ourselves miserable.

Monday Update

Lots to talk about today. It's been a busy stitching week again. But first I wanted to share that I participated in an exchange which I haven't done in YEARS. Needlecraft Haven in a nice online bulletin board type of group.  I seen a few of my blog friends joining in their exchanges so thought I would check it out. The exchange I joined in was called a Valentine's Exchange. We were to include a paid of socks (Valentine theme), 2 matching DMC and a card. My package is taking the long way there. First my husband's postage machine didn't put enough postage on it so it showed back up at my house. Now it's taking the long way to get from Indiana to New York. I will sure be glad when it finally shows up safe and sound. I'm going to show what I sent because I don't think my exchange partner reads my blog...

3 pack of Socks, 4 DMC, card, and little piece of fabric. This is what I received in the mail...

The chocolate sure looks yummy. It was a lot of fun and definitely not my last exchange. I missed joining in.

Now let's look at what I stitched on last week...

Every day I put a half hour into the Heart freebie for the Embroidery.com #lovetostitch challenge. Here is what it looks like right now after Day 16...

Sunday the 9th a new plant came out but I worked on 99 Bottles to get the 4 bottles in. Monday I was busy and only got a little start on the 5th plant. Then Tuesday was a long day and I only got in my 30 minutes on the heart freebie. Wednesday a new plant came out. I felt way behind. Of course the 5th plant and 6th plant were big ones. Never fails. #5 was finished Wednesday. #6 wasn't finished until Friday. Saturday I really really wanted to finish #7 and #8 so I could be actually caught up. I did it!!! Here it is now...

#6 was the tall one in the pink pot. It's called a ficus lyrata or fiddle leaf fig. #7 is the hanging basket and I love it so much. It's a Devil's Ivy because she said you can't kill it. Sure I bet I could haha. #8 was back up on the shelf on the right in the blue pot. It's an aloe vera plant. With that I was finally caught up. I was curious how long I worked on it last week because it felt like FOREVER. I put in 16 hours and 59 minutes on this one!!!! Total now 32 hours and 54 minutes. Told you I feel like it's taking forever. Wow!!! 4 more plants now though. Then it will be done. Next up is a chinese money plant AKA pancake plant that goes on the top shelf on the right. Can't wait to see where the others go.

Sunday since I was actually caught up on the plants I pulled out Beer Dragon. It was called for both squares of my WIPGO board. If you haven't heard of that it's fun challenge where you make a bingo type board filled with projects you pick out and goals. Then you set rewards for each bingo you get. Each month 2 squares are called. 3 and 23 were picked this month and I had 200 stitches on Beer Dragon for each square.

Here it was before...

After 546 more stitches...

So my WIPGO goals for the month are complete. Wohoo! I will update the page on the tab at the top. I think the next numbers get picked on the 27th.

So this week's goals. Keep up with the Heart Freebie and 2 plants on the Homely Houseplants SAL. Since we have a weekend away planned the Friday and Sunday plant will have to wait till we get home. Then I'll play catch up again till it's finished. So hopefully I can mix some other stitching in there too. We'll see. My dad is retiring Friday so we are going down to celebrate with him. Plus a weekend at the cabin. We are very happy about that. It's been since Christmas. We miss it. No outside work so I'll take some stitching with me don't worry.

Hope everyone has a great week!