September Look Back

It's a few days late, I know, but I couldn't begin posting for October without first doing my September Look Back.  I haven't worked on it in a few days, so it still counts as September's stitching!

In case you missed last months post, I've decided to do a quick recap at the end of each month to show how much progress has been  made on the projects that I'm currently working on.  This will include showing the back of the work (a general stitching taboo)!

Since I've only worked on Wild Thing this month, it will be the only update for this look back.  I'm very excited about being right at the finish line for this project!

Here was what Wild Thing looked like at the August Look Back:

Wild Thing - End of August 2011

...and here is how far it's come since then:

Wild Thing - End of September 2011

Back of Wild Thing - End of September 2011

Only a few more hours of work (if that) and this sampler will be ready for framing.  I've got 12 days to get it all done so it can be entered in my county fair, then it's off to hopefully hang on Rowan's wall!

Thanks for stopping by... happy stitching everyone!
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I'm a WINNER!!

I know I'm behind in posting a Wild Thing update (no, it's not done yet) but I just had to pop over here and share:

I WON!!

I am beyond excited to have won a giveaway on a fellow craft blog.  The best part is I have been thinking about this one ever since I entered and was really hoping to win this.

Wanna know what I won?

This totally awesome Coffee Bean Tote Bag which was made by Bec over at smallbirdie.  I'm such a huge fan of repurposing things and this bag is the perfect example of taking a throw-away type item and turning it into something useful.  The best part?  Teal is my favorite color!!  Yay!!  =)

You can find the post >>here<< which contains the tutorial to create a repurposed coffee bean tote bag of your very own.  The entry was a guest post by Bec which was hosted by Allison of little lovelies.

Both blogs are absolutely lovely, with lots of neat ideas for DIY and repurposing.  Take some time now to head over and check them both out!

Big thanks again to Allison and Bec.  I can't wait to see this adorable bag in person!  =)


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9/24/11 Wild Thing

I really love the weekends.  Saturdays for me mean 1) no waking up before dawn, 2) happy children who aren't forced to run on a schedule for the day, and 3) plenty of time to stitch!
Backstitching is one of my favorite parts of a project.  I know, I know -- that sounds crazy, right?  The general consensus that I hear is that backstitching is one of the most hated parts of a project.  Personally, I love the way it really brings out all of the details and how quickly a blob of random colors turns into something amazing.  Now that all of the main stitching is done for Wild Thing, the only thing left is the backstiching and a few french knots (which I do hate).

Here's today's update:

Overall Progress

 Top half of project has all circles outlined and the title completed.

Giraffe

 Mr. Giraffe is 100% complete!  I'm wondering if doing the french knots was a good idea just yet.  The other day, I bought a set of off-brand Q-Snaps (which I'm really loving!) and I'm worried that these french knots in the center of the flowers may be in the way when I go to move the frame.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Lion

By far my favorite animal to backstitch.  The lion's mane is made up of 3 or 4 different colors which all blur together until you start to backstitch.  You can really see this when you compare the top part of his mane with the bottom (un-backstitched) part.

My plan is to finish the lion by tonight, which leaves me with the monkey and the panda left to do plus the wooden frame, the circles at the bottom, the leaves and then the information.  Crossing my fingers that this will be 100% done by the end of next weekend!

Happy stitching everyone!
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9/23/11 Wild Thing

Crunch time, folks... baby Rowan has arrived!  As much as I'd hoped to be done before he was born, I'm happy with the amount I've gotten done with all the craziness that's been going on.  I'm on the home stretch with this sampler now and I'm hoping to have it done in the next few days.

This picture was taken last night around 9pm -- everything complete but the backstitching!

I decided to lose a little bit of sleep working on the backstitching while catching up on my overloaded DVR.  Before I finally called it quits for the night, I snapped this picture:

I love how the backstitching really makes the letters stand out.  I'm going to finish the letters and the circles first, then move on to the animals themselves.  The very last thing will be adding Rowan's information to the bottom and then it will be complete!

The entry date for the county fair is October 14th (I believe) so I should have no problem being done in time.  While the "prize money" isn't that great for anything entered, it would still be nice to win!
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9/5/11 Wild Thing

What what??  Two post updates in a row?  It's been a good weekend.  My housework has suffered greatly, but I've gotten a lot done on this project and it's looking so good!

Started on the panda bear yesterday (which just so happens to be my favorite part of this sampler!) and couldn't put it down until he was finished.

I love the colors for this part of the piece and the way his feet hang out over the edge.  Although I'm saving most of the backstitching until the very end, I couldn't help but do a bit on his face.  he looked a little creepy without a nose and mouth! 

Now that my long weekend is practically over, I won't have as much time to work on this.  My friend just updated her status to say that she's heading to the hospital and may be in labor which is so exciting!  Once the panda is totally done, then the hardest parts are over with and I can get started on all the little details. 

Tomorrow, our daily grind of school days begins again.  I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and gets lots accomplished today!!
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9/7/11 Wild Thing

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! 

I sat myself down yesterday, determined to finish all the stitching for the monkey panel on Wild Thing, and I did!

There's a light at the end of the tunnel!  =) 

I found out the other day that, if I want to put this piece in my county fair, it needs to be completed by the 15th of October.  If I can keep up the pace set yesterday, that should be no problem!  Then I'll send it off to my friend once the fair is over with. 

Enjoy your 3 day weekend (if you have one!)  =)
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August Look Back

I've decided that every month, I'm going to take the time to look back and see what I've accomplished over the past month.  To make it really fun, I'll also be posting the back of my projects --I can hear the gasps of horror already!-- because I think the back of a project is just as important as the front.  Don't hold it against me though!  I know that you can create a beautifully stitched project and have a back that looks crazy, but I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to my stitches.

This month we're going to start with Cinderella Wishes Upon a Dream.  Unfortunately, I have noticed that there are NO updates in August for this project.  Ugh.  I didn't realize that!  So, I suppose I'll just put up how it looks now, and next month I'll have something to compare it to.

August Look Back - Cinderella

View of total project - August 2011

Reverse side of Cinderella

Wild Thing has gotten a lot of my attention this month since that baby will be born in the very near future.  Let's see how far it's come:

Wild Thing - August 5

August Look Back - Wild Thing

 Not as much progress as I would have liked to complete, but it's still coming along nicely.

Reverse of Wild Thing - August 2011

(Is it sad that I just realized where my "missing" needle has been?  LOL  At least it's stuck where it should be and not lost in my couch cushions!)

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  If you should decide to do a Look Back of your own, please let me know in the comments so I can see how far you've come this month. 

Have a great day everyone!
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