Floss Friday #102

Today my daughter turned 30! It just seems like yesterday when she came barreling into our life. She has always had a strong independent nature that has thankfully been channelled into a productive lifestyle. Happy Birthday Caitlin. I love you.

Now for our first stitchy update in August. Let’s check it out!

July WIPGO Update

I just noticed that both of my WIPGO project for July were Summer themed!

PROJECT #6: Let’s Talk Summer Pillow by Hands on Design

This is the last chart for the Summer series to be completed. I really thought I would make more progress than I did. It looks like I am about one third done. Love these colors ~ So happy!

PROJECT #23: Pop of Summer by Bent Creek

This was new start in July. I have never worked with pearl cotton for a cross stitch project. I usually use it for wool projects or crochet. The coverage was fantastic. Loved working on this humming bird project!

August WIPGO Projects

Project #12: Snowman Collector: The Shepherd by Cottage Garden Samplings

Just started this one this week as part of my July starts. I had to wait for some missing floss. I probably could have started before they arrived, but then I forget that I am missing something. That little swirl is the beginning of sheep wool. The Shepherd is the third of twelve in the Snowman Collector series.

My goal is to work on five times this month.

Project 15: July Stackables by It’s Sew Emma

This is a series that I started in 2023. When I finish this one, I will be two thirds done. My goal is to finish July Stackables this month. If I finish July in less than 5 sittings, then I will start August this month. Such a fun series to work on.

Starts & Finishes

This week I had three starts and one finish. It seems like a lot, but because I was on the road so much my stitching time was very limited so this week I was cramming 3 projects per day. So here is what we got:

START & FINISH: July Year of Celebration Season 2 by Hands on Design

I keep thinking this series is less stitching than it really is. Although it is only 49 x 49, it is jammed packed with details. Those barns at the bottom and the quilt blocks at the top were just adorable. Stitching the corn was plain fun!

START: Mr. September Calendar Gnome by Charlie’s Needle

Here we have Mr. September’s hat started with Classic Colorworks Ladybug floss. It will be fun seeing how this one evolves. Love this 28ct legacy lugana fabric/cloth. Just a little hint….think owls and apples.

START: Snowman Collector: The Shepherd by Cottage Garden Samplings

Yea this is the same photo as above. I couldn’t figure out how to do this without a repeat which I normally stay far far away. LOL! This is my August WIPGO project. I look forward to some good progress in August.

What do you thibk about the change I made in the border for this collage stitch? I am really loving the DMC S5200 look. It is a pain to work with as it is very slippery but looks fantastic!

WIP Update

Now for everything else I worked on this week. As I mentioned, I was having to do triple duty some nights to make up for the lack of stitching this month.

August Calendar Crates by Stitching with the Housewives

I finished up the roof filling in brown everywhere this week. I also finished up the quilt and beehive as well as starting to add bees 🐝 and sunflowers. 🌻 I almost done with the center of the chart.

2024 SJ Temperature Library by Kristi’s Corner

I have a lot left to do in August for July. I guess that is what happens when you are on the road. 😂. It shouldn’t take too long. Starting tonight I will work on a few books a day until I get all caught up. The end of June and beginning of July is very RED which means HOT.🥵 I am sure you are all aquainted with the heat wave that swept the nation in July. I am loving this library concept.

Fruit of Plenty by Modern Folk Embroidery

This was started in 2021 as my first traditional sampler. This sampler taught me how to read and stitch from multiple pages, how to have white work, to pick a path. I have just loved working on this project. When I finally finish, I am going to be over the moon! I am working on the house motif right now. Looking good huh?

This project is being stitched on 16ct white aida with Weeks Dye Works Ismarlda and Lagoon.

WIPGO Project: July Stackables by It’s Sew Emma

I started my mug of lemonade last night. I am stitching with Classic Colorworks Cloud which is so pretty. This project is being stitched on 14 ct white marbled pineboard aida with Classic Colorworks floss.

Upcoming Plans & Thoughts

As part of my migration from one month to the next, I usually track total wips beginning and ending. For July I started with 21 WIPS, I had 5 starts and 4 finishes, which means I ended with 22 WIPS. I only worked on 12 WIPS during July. LOL! I need to add that discipline to my quilting.

I am starting August with 22 WIPs of which, I am actively working on 11. One less than last month. So when I was working on my planning calendar for the month, I feel like I have lots of room for flexibility. Here is what I have planned for next week:

• Finish July Book Shelf in the 2024 Temperature Library
• Work on The Shepherd – 2x
• Work on July Stackables
• Autumn Baskets #3
• Let’s Talk Summer
• Start August Year of Celebration
• August Calendar Crates
• Fruit of Plenty
• Green House

My idea is that I will focus on working my WIPGO projects this week and work on finishing the July Book Shelf. It is a good plan. Check back next week to see how far I actually got on that plan. Rarely does it go as planned, but without a plan, nothing happens.

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Peggy Stockwell, San Jose, CA