Articles by Carol Harper

Today's discussion topic is: "Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash." My oldest would have to be Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" SAL. Stitching on antique white Lugana (28ct) using DMC 310 (with substitutions of two shades of blue and two shades of green where the pattern called for metallic threads.). This is a BIG piece, and I suppose that is why I got sidetracked --- that and the blackwork which seemed to be getting more and more complex as I went on... I sta…

My current WIPS are: ​ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two DMC blues and two DMC greens where metallic threads had been called for.). 2. Stitchonomy "Christmas Market" 2024 SAL. Stitched using kit fabric and DMC floss. Part 1 of 8 is shown. Part 2 requires backstitching. Part 3 has been issued but not started. Part 4 is due out on the 8th of January., but not to the general stitching public so I can't sho…

Today's discussion topic is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." Rather than rewrite 12 months of posts, here is the link to my 9 completions of 2024: 210920746822434353.weebly.com/my-stitchery-2024.html and a list, in order of completion: • Fox & Rabbit "Temperature 2023", completed January 1, 2024 • Stitchonomy Christmas SAL 2022" Finally added the beads/charms in February 2024 • Stitchonomy "WINTER 2024" SA…

Today's discussion topic is: "How do you begin planning for the next year with your stitching? Tell us your process." Process? You HAVE to be kidding! ~~~~~WIPS~~~~~ 1. Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014, on white lugana in mostly DMC 310 (with some scattering of two DMC blues and two DMC greens where metallic threads had been called for.). Only stitched a little on three blocks this time round and didn't finish any of them. SO basically, no progress. so no pboto! 2…

Today's discussion topic is: "How do you organize your WIPs and stash?" Please excuse the sounds of hysterical laughter (bordering on sobbing, to be honest) as I answer this question because organization is my curse and my failure. My WIPs are piled on top of a bag in my bedroom, by my bed (I stitch in bed...), each in its own ziplock or project bag along with the required floss, fabric, and (occasionally) pattern (More often than not, I use my iPad's "Books" app to store patterns a…

Today's discussion topic is: "How did you learn to stitch?" To be honest, I don't really remember! I know I watched PBS to learn crewel and took up needlepoint soon after, sometime around the late 1960's. I think my first cross-stitch piece was completing an eyeglass case kit for a friend's wife in grad school (late 1960s - 1971). She was trying to make it as a gift for her Mother and give up and asked me to finish the stitching. I guess I just applied my understanding of stitchery from the…

Today's discussion topic is: "Do you belong to any stitching groups or guilds (either in person or virtual)? If so, tell us about them." Easy answer - no. I do some SALs that are sponsored on Facebook by some designers and I do post my progress on their SAL facebook pages but this doesn't strike me as being the same as belonging to a group. As for guilds, I belonged to a quilt guild for several years and was their unpaid website manager for many of those years (even though quilti…

Today's discussion topic is: "Which of your current WIPs do you consider your most difficult piece to stitch?" It all depends on what "difficult" means. Several of my long-term WIPs have difficulty associated with them. Three examples from my current stitching rotation: "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit, their 2023 SAL: the border. I always find borders difficult and usually pray that they actually meet up. This one didn't! And while I have (just this month) found where I went wrong, it wou…

Today's discussion topic is: "Half-year recap: How are you doing with your goals so far this year?" Here are my 2024 goals, as stated in January 2024: Goals for 2024 (in addition to finishing two Fox & Rabbit SALs): • beading the "Christmas Banner 2023" by Stitchonomy and "Hope & Strength" by Glendale Place • putting at least a few stitches in Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches" • finishing "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy 1. Fox & Rabbit SAL 2023 - making progress…

Today's discussion topic is: "How do you personally distinguish between a Work in Progress (WIP) and an Unfinished Object (UFO)?" It's a matter of time away from the project and whether or not the subject/theme of the project is interesting me enough to finish it. In my stash, WIPs are being worked on, albeit slowly and intermittently. For example, right now, I have two "new" projects I'm working on, and three WIPs which get, at most, two or three days of stitching before I move on t…

Today's discussion topic is: "Which designers have you discovered lately?" Not sure that I have discovered any new designers lately. I have found one blackwork designer a year ago: Cliffside Stitches cliffsidestitches.com - I have been collecting weekly SAL pdfs from their facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/976911076971090 , but I haven't stitched anything yet. Been too busy trying to finish up my backlog of WIPs and there is still a huge stash of charts purchased over the…

Today's discussion topic is: "What colors – and brands – of floss do you love using? Do you have a particular color that you absolutely love?" I don't think I have a particular color or color set that I prefer over any other. I usually go with called-for colors except for more geometric blackwork pieces and the occasional large sampler, where I may improvise. Then, I may substitute a color that goes nicely with my fabric background, often a variegated if I have it, for all-black patt…

Today's discussion topic is: "What stitch-a-longs (SALs) are you participating in this year? SALs form the majority of my stitchery plans this year. Some are long-term WIPs while others began just this year: • Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches", begun in 2014 • "Christmas SAL 2022" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2022 • "Kingdoms of Life" by Stitchonomy, begun in 2023 • "Temperature 2023" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023 • "Royal Gardens" by Fox & Rabbit, begun in 2023…

Today's discussion topic is: "Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash." ​ OK, this one is a toughie because how do I distinguish between WIPs and UFOs? I have a stack of unfinished pieces, mainly needlepoint but also at least one crewel piece and several crazy quilts yet to be quilted. But... On my laptop desktop, I have a file folder labeled "Long-term WIPs" in which I have stored the info for five different pieces. Listed in order from most oldest to most recent starts, th…

Today's discussion topic is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." I really have little new to post here since I completed my December check-in so I will summarize briefly: 1. My 2023 finishes were "Happiness is Handmade", a Lakeside Needleecraft SAL designed by Durene Jones; the "Halloween Sampler 2023" by Stitchonomy; and the "Charity 2023" SAL by The Steady Thread 2. Since the last post, I have made progres…

This month's discussion topic is: "Recap your accomplishments for the year! (Your finishes, your final before/after photos, etc)." 2023 Finishes (not FFO): Below are my three finishes for 2023. First is "Happiness is Handmade" by Durene Jones for Lakeside Needlecraft, finished August 21, 2023.Next is the Halloween 2023 SAL from Stitchonomy, finished October 23, 2023. On the right is the Charity SAL from The Steady Thread, finished December 22, 2023. All were 2023 starts...…

This month's discussion topic is: "What is your favorite way to finish ornaments and/or smalls?" I haven't stitched or "finished" any ornaments or smalls in a LONG time --- MOST of what I stitch is medium to large and intended for a frame or some sort of hanging banner. However, when I DID make ornaments, I usually went the way of flat-folds or pillows. ~~~~~WIPs~~~~~ What I stitched on in November: I decoded that I wasn't making a lot of progress in rotational stitching where…