Serpentine

I got this one framed - a while back now, but I forgot to take a photo. I have now and here it is.

For the Love of Chocolate

I started For the Love of Chocolate by Nancy Cucci on the 12th November 2022. It was a class with the Cyberpointers chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. Haven't got very far yet, but at least I'm stitching.

Steampunk Clocket

Last year I was signed up to go to The Great Escape, and I was going to take Shirley Pygott's class Steampunk Clocket. The Great Escape was cancelled, but Shirley went ahead with the class in a new venue. So I started this piece on the 26th March 2022 and finished it on the 8th November 2022.

June WIPocalypse

My June update starts with another finish - St Nicholas Cathedral from Mill Hill.

So then I started on the Queen's Crown from Amy Mitten - I'm not far enough into that to take a photo yet as all that can really be seen so far is Amy's pattern on the fabric. But never fear - there will be photos in the future as I get more actually stitched. I've also done a bit more on the piece I'm designing myself - that's one slow process - it makes me really grateful for other people's patterns :)

Yesterday I took a short 90 minute introductory needle felting class at Auckland's Woolfest Aftermath. Here is the little kitty head I made. It still needs work - but I think I got the basic idea down. Maybe now I'll get on with those projects that have been sitting on the shelf for a while (cue laughing).

Some Finishes

I finished the quilt top, and sent it off to my mother who finished it for me and gave it to the recipient. Thanks Mum :)

I also finished a beaded bug class with Julie Hennessy and the North Shore Embroidery Guild.

I started a class at Great Escape with Anne Marie Moorhead called The Catnapper.

And I finished the gift I was stitching - His Name is Jesus from Joyful Expressions.

I'm almost finished Mill Hill's St Nicholas Cathedral.

And I got framed for the guild exhibition Mr Gecko, Flyways, Bargello Fun, and Hot Air Balloons.

July Wipocalypse

Whoops - I seem to have missed a couple of months there. Nevermind - I do at least have semi-good excuses. The last half of May and the first half of June I was doing an online course in Software Testing - trying to see what a new career might look like :) - although now my fixed term contract has been turned into a permanent job, so I may not have to worry about career changes for a bit. Then the rest of June I was madly scrambling to get myself sorted for July - finishing off my notes for the project I was leading for Cyberpointers, sorting out our trip down country for my Grandmothers 90th birthday, and sorting out my trip to the biannual ANZEG conference (Association of New Zealand Embroidery Guilds). So not much stitching in there, but a lot of other things going on.

Finally last week, in the middle of writing this post, I had to take a trip to my other grandmothers funeral - it was good seeing family and getting to spend time with Mum and Dad, even if the reason for seeing them all was sad. But I'm back now, and trying hard to get back on track.

Which brings us to July. July is exciting. First there was Bargello Fun, designed by Carol Algie Higginbotham - the chapter book project I led for the Cyberpointers chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. You may remember I was stitching it earlier in the year, but didn't feel I could share pictures until the meeting was over - well, now it is, so I can now show you the finished product.

Then we have the biannual ANZEG conference and embroidery school. This was my first time at conference and I really enjoyed myself. Nelson is a lovely town right in the center of NZ (so yes, I walked to the center and took a photo to prove I was there). I took two classes - Folded Boxes from Gary Clarke, and Peacock Splendour from Maree Talbot. Unsurprisingly neither of these is finished.

The Center of New Zealand

Folded boxes - see how the pattern is on the back and we're stitching from the back to make the pattern on the front.

Her finished casket was just stunning - I'd love to do the whole thing one day, but realistically, don't think I would as it's not my favourite type of stitching so can't see myself spending that much time on it.

And some photos from the gardens in Nelson - those textures and patterns...

Finally (I think, hopefully I haven't missed anything) is an update on Beetlewings and Bling. The best update of all too. It's finished!!!!

(one trying to show the 3D shape)

Oh - and the other project I'm looking at starting is a knitting one. I visiting Woolfest at the end of May and purchased 8 balls of the deliciously soft Bohemia Gothic wool from Outlaw Yarn, in a beautiful wine colour. It's 45% Polwarth, 45% Alpaca, and 10% Possum. I did have a pattern in mind when I purchased it, but now I'm not sure if it's the right wool for it, so I'm still browsing patterns and thinking.

Just to finish off I'll give you some photos from the bottom of the South Island - after Grandma's funeral we did a little bit of sightseeing so I'll share some of it with you.

In sorting these photos I discovered I've developed a very bad habit of putting my finger over the lens. In my defense, on the boat I was trying not to drop the phone - there would have been no retrieving it from the bottom of Milford Sound. And as always (at least in my case) the reality is so much better than the photos.

April WIPocalypse Update

Here we have Beetlewings. He's looking really good, except that he doesn't photograph very well (at least with my skills). I had hoped to have him finished, but oh well, there is always next month.

I've also started on the gift I planned, but I'm not showing that one off here.

And - don't faint - but I finally pulled out the quilt top I was doing for DD, only she's too old for it now, so I'll do it for my niece instead. Hopefully I'll finish it before she's too old for it too. Although I have got further than I remembered, so there is that :)

March WIPocalypse update - with photos even!!!!

I finally have some pieces I can photograph for you. Ok, so the first one isn't much - I didn't get anywhere near as far as I wanted on Allure (I blame work and chores for getting in the way of prime stitching time :) ). But progress on my class that I took at the weekend is going great. So I've put Allure to the side for now and want to finish Beetlewings, Beads and Bling first.

I've also decided that when I get a chance I'm going to add a new list to the side of my blog - all my WIPs and finished projects listed by designer - because I was trying to find the name of a design this afternoon and it took a long time scrolling through the list to find it. It would have been much quicker if I could have gone straight to that designer. But that's a project for another day and will probably just go underneath the lists already there, not replace them or anything. Not that that is probably of much interest to anybody but me :)

So onto the important things: Stitching!!!

Allure (Carolyn Mitchell):

I haven't got very far, but I think once I get going properly it will go quite quick. The class is only up to lesson 2 as well, so I'm not too far behind (says me hopefully).

Beetle-wings and Bling (Julie Clemett):

My class piece from The Great Escape. Doesn't s/he look good? (I still haven't made up my mind whether this is a girl lizard or a boy lizard, and their name keeps changing too). I'm hoping to get this finished quite quickly - I'm going to concentrate on this until it's finished I think.

I've already put in my registration for next years Great Escape - my number one choice is The Catnapper.

Oh - and I found a picture of this little Mill Hill kit on the camera - it doesn't appear that I've shown this to you before. OK, full disclosure - I didn't stitch it. I picked it up prestitched at the guild auction one year, and I finally put it together back in November. Found the instructions - it's called Everygreen Stocking and it's from their Charmed Stocking range.

Flyways finish

Flyways is finished. OK, so I finished it a month ago, but it's still a finish.

Lambkin Hill (and a couple of others)

A few weeks back I finished Lambkin Hill.

Then I started and finished in a couple of days this little kit of a cat from Mill Hill.

I also finally finished the finishing from the finishing class for standups on Charlie's First Landing. Really there was no reason for it to wait so long - all it needed was the cording tacked down (and DD did most of it for me - guess she got sick of waiting too).

After that I decided it was time to pull out some WIP's and try and finish them off before I get distracted by the next shiny thing. So I pulled out Desert Diamonds, Flyways, and Hot Air Balloons (which isn't really stitching anymore - I only need to glue the stuff that I forget the name of on all the lines).

Oh - and a photo of Blackwork Cats framed

Blackwork Cats

My blackwork cats are coming along. I've now finished two cats and am working on the third.