Arbitary August Days 23-28

 Happy Saturday,

Well here we are at the end of August.  Did you get a lot of stitching in this month?  So far, I have stitched a great deal but no finishes yet.  I have been working on Snarky Nurse, and with this weekends challenge, I have a shot of finishing it.  I have 1 more day in Arbitary August plus I have it as a focus project for the Strident event in Wip Warriors.

Day 23- I stitched 200 stitches on Macarons by Riolis.  It is so fun.  I worked as much yellow as I could.  I started the yellow macaron at the bottom, finished the yellow half-stitches and some of the flower.  

Day 24- I stitched 218 stitches on Cinnamon and Honey by Ink Circles.

Day 25- 150 stitches on Celebrate 4th of July by Madame Chantilly.  I worked on only red.

Day 26- 246 stitches on Christmas Sampler by Durene Jones.

Day 27 - 194 stitches on Panolpy of Posies by Tempting Tangles.

Day 28 - 120 stitches on Jasmine Fairy by Nora Corbett.

I was just reading Ann's blog here about putting in a strand or two for Sampler September. That seems managable since I have other challenges for September.  This is where I need your opinion.  Next weekend is Focus on one project for the weekend.  I have 3 that I want/need finished.  Let me know which one you want me to focus on and I will work on it.

The Choices are:

1. Christmas Sampler by Durene Jones.  I am about 85% complete on this project.  It was started in 2024 and I want it done this year.

2. Jasmine Fairy by Nora Corbett.  This is for my sister Dawn.  Would like it done by 2027 if possible.

3. Salem Quaker - I am about 40% done and it is from 2024 too.

Well thanks for checking out my progress and I appreciate the kind comments.  I hope you have a great week!

Happy Stitching,

Arbitary August Days 17-22

 Happy Saturday everyone,

Gosh, time really gets away from me.  I can't believe it is time for another update.  I have really enjoyed this challenge and the ablility to work on most of my projects.

Day 17 I worked on Celebrate 4th of July by Madame Chantilly.  I know I will love the finish but the progress is soooo slow.  I am not sure if it is because it is a paper pattern or not.  I was able to get 200 stitches in.

Day 18 and 21 was A Royal Alphabet by Rosewood Manor. I completed 458 stitches total.  Not bad for working on a paper pattern.  I am trying to finish the red stitching in the upper right hand corner and then I will do all the gold bits.

 

Day 19 was Funny Bunny by Riolis.  I love working on this because the bunnies just make me so happy.

I completed 220 stitches.

Day 20 was Arabesque by Jan Hicks.  I stitched 205 stitches and mainly concentrated on the large motif in the right-hand corner.  That is the most detailed part of the chart.  The alphabet should go much faster.  I doubt I will finish it this year but I am hoping for an early finish for 2027.

Lastly, Day 22 was Snarky Nurse.  I am working extra on this project so I can get it done next month.  I am over 50% complete.  I am going to finish the white in the nurses hat and the bottle cap lids and the bottom of the needle so that the first 2 pages will be done. I am getting frusterated with this project because my stitches are getting loose.  It is hard for me to do the pin stitch on Aida fabric so I just try to anchor it like before.  I think I am just worried about the tales showing through on the white fabric.  Maybe I will put it in a nurge hoop so I won't put my hands on it as much. Oh well.  

I have decided not to participate in the ABCingo in Magazine Monthly challenge this year.  Primarily because I am very active in the WIP Warrior Facebook group and I don't want to overwhelm myself.

I will be doing the acrostic for September in Magazine Monthly Challenge.

The theme is Destination.  I chose Jasmine Fairy by Nora Corbett

Acrostic:  B R I G H T

B - Funny Bunny - Riolis

R - Macarons - Riolis

I - Cinnamon and Honey - Ink Circles Design

G - Garden Lady - Dimensions Gold Petite

T - Panopy of Posies - Tempting Tangles

Well I hope you have a wonderful stitchy week.

Mary

Arbitary August Days 11-16

 Good Monday Morning,

I hope everyone had a great week.  We didn't do much, but I got a lot of stitching in.

Days 11 and 16 was a new start.  It is Halloween Bottles by Emma Congdon.  It is in the October 2025 CrossStitcher Magazine.  I did a total of 554 stitches.

Day 12 was Cinnamon and Honey by Ink Circles Designs,  I was able to get 255 stitches completed. I love this color pallet and the cute bees around the borders.

Day 13 was Granny Sunflowers. I have been working on this almost every morning as my 50 stitches a day project.  I would love to have this finished by October.  The black Aida is challenging but the results are so pretty.  I don't have an accurate stitch count but I am over 51% complete.

Day 13 and 14 was Snarky Nurse.  I stitched a total of 606 stitches and 37.16% complete.  I have been working extra on this project also so I can have it done next month.

Well that is all for now.

Thanks for looking and Happy Stitching!

Arbitary August Days 7-10

 Hi everyone,

How are you doing?  I hope you had a fun weekend with lots of stitching.  I have been looking forward to watching the 2026 Football Hall of Fame for several months now.  Even though no one from my team went (TB Bucs), I always cry and find their speeches inspitational.  My husband's team is the NO Saints, so we watched Drew Brees induction.

Well I can't wait to show you what I stitched.  I really enjoyed each project.

For day 7, Garden Lady by Dimensions Gold Petite was chosen.  I switched out the 18ct Aida to 28ct antique white evenweave.  Here is the cover:

Start: 

Stitched 212 stitches.

This chart was a Mother's Day gift from my sons.  They are always sweet and try to get me crafty things as presents/

Day 8 was snarky nurse.  Next time it is called I will finish filling in the white in the nurses hat.

Start:

Finish: 340 stitches completed and 14.7%

Day 9 is Blue Dragon Fairy by Kustom Krafts.  It is funny, I am not eager to pull this out to work on it but once I do, I don't want to stop. Part of my problem is that I don't do a lot of full coverage and I need to invest in easy grid next time.  I am sure it will help a great deal.  Anyway, I hope to finish it in 2027.  We will see.

Here is the cover photo.

Here was the start:

I stitched 315 stitches.

Day 10- Arabesque by Jan Hicks.  I love Art Deco,  Art Nouveau and stained glass designs, so I was instantly drawn to this design.

I don't have a start photo but here is the end.  I completed 243 stitches and 36.72%

 Well that is all for now.  I hope you have a great week.

Happy Stitching

Arbitary August Days 4-6

Happy Friday everyone,

I hope you had a great few days with tons of stitching.  I am happy to say I have managed to complete each day on time and with at least 200 stitches. It is so satisfying when I compare the before and after photos; the difference that even 200 stitches make is wonderful.

Day 4 project is called Panoply of Posies by Tempting Tangles.  I have had this in my stash for a few years and decided this was a perfect time to start it.  This is one of the projects I started during my birthday month of June.  As a tradition, I try to pick out a few projects to start as a celebration.  I went through my kitted up projects and decided to pull this one out.

I am choosing my own DMC colors that are different than the Dinky Dyed floss Deb chose.  I love these kinds of charts where you can pick your own colors.  I am doing it on a 32 count Belfast Linen.  I love stitching on 32 count but my eyes don't.  

Here is a before picture:

I was able to complete 220 stitches and is at 1.8% complete.  I am so glad I have Pattern Keeper because otherwise I am scared how much I could potential mess up.

Day 5 was Granny Sunflowers by Carolyn Manning Designs. You can buy PDF’s and all of her current  designs here. She is so talented. I am stitching this on 14 ct black Aida. 

I stitched 213 stitches and am at 47.52%.  I hope to get in stitches at least 5 times a week as my daily 70.  My goal is to finish it by the end of September or early October,.  This is a start from 2025 and I feel confident it will get done before the time change.

Day 6 was a kit from Riolis called Macarons.  This kit uses cotton floss instead of wool/acrylic.  

I was able to complete the pink cookie, work finish the pink part of the ribbon and start on the pale yellow of the daylily.  

Every time I pick up this WIP, I think of my husband Bill. When I first started it, he thought they were colored hamburgers.  He cracks me up.

Well that is all for now.

Have a great weekend and Happy Stitching! 

Arbitary August Days 1-3

 Good evening everyone,

I have completed 3 days of Arbitary August and the F in forest for the MMC.  I have averaged over 200 stitches each day, which is wonderful.  I hope you are making a ton of progress on your projects too.

Day 1 was Funny Bunny by Riolis.  I love this kit so much.  I changed out the Aida to 14ct Vintage Blue Whisper by Zweigart and the kitted wool thread.  Here is the before picture:

I was able to complete 236 stitches.  I mainly worked on the grey bunny and the leaves.

Day 2 I stitched on Jasmine Fairy by Nora Corbett.  I coffee/tea dyed 28ct evenweave fabric and am using the called for floss and beads.  I usually bead last after it is washed and ironed.  It is going to be a gift for my sister, Dawn.

If is hard to believe but I stitched 236 stitches on this project too.  I concentrated on the green in her dress.  She is so pretty.

Today is Day 3 and I stitched on Salem 1692 Halloween Quaker by Witchesgardencrafts on Etsy.  It is on 14ct Aida I hand dyed with the called for floss colors. Start:

I completed 241 stitches today and it is at 41.66%.  

That is all for now.  I am going to post a keychain that I worked on next time along with more progress on my projects for Arbitary August and MMC challenge.

Until next time,

Mary

A cute little finish.

 Happy Friday y'all,

I hope you have had a great week of stitching.  I had a very productive week.  I have participating in Wip Warriors Facebook Group this year and have gotten so much accomplished.  I was going to stitch A Royal Alphabet by Rosewood Manor for the last 4 days of the week but really wasn't feeling it. So after a day of stitching on that project, I dropped out of the challenge, and decided to spend the last 3 days of July on The Hopper House by Melisa at Pinker n Punkin Quilting blog.  She is so sweet and offers so many beautiful free charts. I started this a few months ago but didn't work on it a whole lot. 

I made changes to adapt to my fabric choice. I dyed this aida last year and found it in my stash.  I thought it was perfect but I had to change the pink to purple.  I also omitted the tree she charted on the left side.

Now I am ready to start on Snarky Nurse.  I have 4 days dedicated for the August Arbitary challenge  and can't wait to start it.

Thanks for stopping in.

Hugs and Happy Stitching!

Mary