Week Two of WIPGO 2023 brings me to ABCs of Parenting by Lizzie Kate. This is the first of Lizzie Kate’s patterns that I’ve ever stitched, although I have a few of them in my stash. I love the style of LK’s patterns, although like many designers, I get a bit limited due to the religious nature of many of them. This, thankfully, was one that was much more universal.
I acquired the pattern and some enclosed floss via a freebie table at either Stitcher’s Hideaway or Celebration of Needlework sometime 2019ish. It was charted with a mix of Crescent Colors (now Classic Colorworks) and DMC, but whomever had stitched it before donating it to the freebie table had converted the entire thing to DMC. I have decided to go the DMC route, providing any missing colors from stash with “as close as possible” conversions of my own. The irony being that it was the DMC colors I needed to swap! That’s the beauty of patterns such as this – you really can’t go wrong with whatever you choose. I’ll likely make a few changes along the way. I already changed that small diamond shape next to “fair” to a yellow instead of the same color as the text.
ABC’s of Parenting by Lizzie Kate as of Jan. 6, 2023 – stitched on 28 ct cream Monaco with DMC conversion (listed below).
I began my version of the project, like Week One’s Colonial Sampler, for the #nye12x12 stitch-a-long on December 31, 2021. I’m stitching it on 28 count cream Monaco (evenweave) over two with two threads. My photo to the left has the fabric showing it as quite white, but it’s a cream that borders a light lemon yellow.
Getting these first couple words in was a little tricky – the chart is quite small and not the clearest. But now that I have this initial bit in, I expect this to fly pretty quickly. Most of the piece is simple one-stitch wide lettering. It’s easy to bounce placement of new motifs and letters now.
My conversion, based upon the anonymous stitcher’s conversion, is as follows. Originals are Crescent Colors unless noted:
ORIGINAL COLOR
CONVERSION COLOR
Blacksmith Blue
DMC 3799
Eve’s Leaves
DMC 3364
Prickly Pear
DMC 3609
Queen Bee
DMC 676
Red Ribbon
DMC 3350
Tyler Boy Blue
DMC 813
DMC 829
DMC 420
DMC 937
DMC 3346
This is one of those pieces that I could stitch up pretty quickly, so although it’s only out right now for the two days of WIPGO, it may come up later for one of my focus months to complete it. We shall see. 🙂
Kicking off Week One of my WIPGO year is The Colonial Sampler by Betsy Stinner. I adopted this project from the stash of my friend Sandy after she passed in 2017. I know that Sandy attended the class held by Betsy, but I don’t know when it was. The pattern does not have a copyright date printed in it.
Sandy either completed or reused the fabric for the small pillow class teaching piece in the bottom right corner, as that fabric was missing. She never started the full sampler. The entire kit was together. I was happy to take it as a piece to remember her by as I stitch.
It’s a fun sampler with a variety of bands in different stitches – cross stitch, four-sided stitch, back stitches, herringbone, satin stitch, three-sided Italian cross, darning patterns, smyrna crosses, Greek stitch, queen stitches, etc. The flosses are all silks – a mix of Soie d’Alger and Silk ‘N’ Colors. It’s stitched on 32 ct Raw linen from Zweigart and measures 107w x 189h. This is what I’d would consider a medium-sized piece.
The Colonial Sampler by Betsy Stinner as of Jan. 5, 2023 – stitched on 32 ct raw Zweigart linen with charted silks.
I began my version on New Year’s Eve 2021 as part of the #nye12x12 stitchalong held via Instagram. It really hasn’t seen any work since January of last year, though. I started on the top band, but massively screwed up my counting – so abandoned the original start down in a corner of the fabric (until I feel like frogging it out), and instead decided to start dead in the middle to ensure I had things counted correctly. I can’t remember what I did wrong on the original – but I clearly was annoyed enough to just jump on the fabric! That’s not a common thing for me to do.
The Finnegan’s Fog silk, which is that blue to grey dye down the sides is a color I just loooooooooove. It stitches so pretty and just has this mysterious look to it. My photograph has a dark line in the center under the green – but that’s just a shadow, not stitches.
My plan for this WIPGO is to fill in that center band (“Band 11”) with the called-for satin and smyrna stitches. It’s not a particularly complicated band, but will be a very pretty starting point to make some nice progress.
This year I’m going to do a weekly series to re-introduce the majority of my current projects back onto the blog through a WIPGO post. I’ll be showing the finished photo and the status of it as of the night I post, and a little background on the project. By the end of the year I’ll have all of the two WIPGO boards I’m running this year introduced. Think of it as a (very) slow motion WIP parade. A more live-action WIP parade will be coming to my FlossTube soon as well.
If you’re unfamiliar with WIPGO, it’s a play on BINGO. Pick 25 goals (or 24 with the traditional “free space”) that will challenge but not overwhelm you. It can be on a single project, or as many projects as you choose. It can be specific or as broad as you like. Put the goals into a 5 by 5 board, just like a bingo board, and number the squares 1 to 25. Every month on the 25th, the founder of WIPGO, Jessie, pulls two numbers randomly and those are your goals to complete for the month. On the month she pulls #13, there are three goals active. The goal is to get as many squares completed as you can over the year. Totally for fun – the only rewards are ones you make for yourself and maybe some silly bragging rights on Facebook.
This year I’ve decided to run two boards with almost all of my current WIPs spread across them. My goal is very simple – just stitch for two days on each project. No stitch or time minimums. Just put some stitches into each project this year. If by chance I finish a project before it gets called – I have a couple more projects I can add into the boards that are started. Otherwise I’ll leave them as a free space to put some extra love into something.
Here are my two boards:
January’s called numbers were 6 and 10 – so this month I’ll be putting stitches into The Colonial Sampler by Betsy Stinner (Earth Threads), Apache Wedding Blessing by Kooler Designs, Mute But Not Silent by Amy Mitten, and ABC’s of Parenting by Lizzie Kate. Those will also be the projects I feature here this month.
It seems like a lot – but that basically equals a week and a day out of the month to get stitches into four separate projects. Not that bad, honestly. I’m planning to do most of my stitching on these projects on Friday and Saturdays.
On Sundays I’m planning a wrap-up post of all of my stitching for the week, and then you’ll hopefully see my progress if I keep myself on a bit of a schedule! 🙂
Last year I joined the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild(abbreviated TRSG going forward) to participate in an online class for Amy Mitten’s Mute But Not Silent project. The class was great – a blend of new-to-me stitches (cut work!!!) and some history about Dutch samplers. I’d also been curious about joining a formal stitching guild, but have felt the EGA to be a bit too intimidating and not quite cross-stitch friendly, so it was nice to discover a group that is supportive of cross stitch and a variety of different styles. I’ve enjoyed putting names to faces with some stitchers who I’ve seen in Facebook groups over the years, too! The group is local to the Dallas, TX area, but for now they are meeting virtually. Until it goes back to in-person meetings and isn’t accessible, it’s a great opportunity for me to learn, branch out, and get a sense of how a guild membership can work (and as they’ve been doing this for over 20 years – it’s going quite well!)
One of the things that TRSG does every year is a project called M.A.G.I.C. – My Annual Good Intentions Contract. MAGIC goals are ones stitchers choose themselves for projects that they’ve already started that they intend to finish – either in stitching or to be fully finished (FFO’ed) if stitching is already complete. There’s a form on the membership website to enter in your pieces (due by February 1st), and a couple progress check-ins will be done during meetings through the year. Totally fun, just to keep folks motivated. 🙂
So I’ve entered my M.A.G.I.C. list for the year onto the website. Now I just need to get these suckers done this year! My list is as follows:
Witches Wheel (Glendon Place) – The stitching on this is done, but I have all of the beading to do. Ideally I’d also like to get this framed so I can enter it into this year’s Big E fair.
Jade Band Sampler (iStitch Designs) – I am currently on week 11 of 30 on this sampler. If I just stick with this, I should be able to complete this easily in 2022.
The Castle (Teresa Wentzler) – I completed the stitching on this way back in 2005. It’s never been framed, and that needs to be rectified. So this is a FFO goal.
You Were Hatched (Teresa Wentzler) – I have the Celtic braid corners to complete on this ornament before FFOing this in time to hang on my tree next Christmas. I’d had this stalled for a while because there was a time that I was going to create this into Max’s birth sampler… but then I went another direction. So ornament it will be!
Mirabilia Round Robin (Mirabilia – customized) – Completed back in 2011!!! Not framed!!! What’s wrong with me?!? So yes – big FFO goal for the year. This needs to go on my wall. Soon.
A Stitch for Sweet Freedom (Lindy Stitches) – This cute little piece is one I started last January for Inauguration Day. I’d like to have it completed by the end of this year.
Apache Wedding Blessing (Kooler Designs) – Crosses are done, but I completely burned on the backstitching on this. The friend it was intended for will celebrate her 20th anniversary in a couple years, and I’d like to have this done for then.
Bird & Berry Box (Barbara Jackson) – This project was via a class I took through Celebrations in 2020. The class was short and I didn’t really get to work on it much, but I’d like to get all of the smalls stitched and assembled this year.
Winter Welcome (Park Hopper Bart) – I received this pattern in the recent Nice Box from Black Needle Society, and it’s so stinkin’ cute!! Not large at all, and it’s a design that should also be easy to frame. So my goal is to get this both stitched and FFO’d.
Christmas Pin Pillow (Kathy Barrick) – This is another project I received fully kitted in the Nice Box. I started this on New Year’s Eve, and would like to complete it this year. My goal is to only finish the stitching for now – if I can FFO it, great. I’m not sure yet how I will finish it (kinda need to get a sense of the finished size first).
Flying Lesson (Silver Creek Samplers) – Silver Creek is quickly becoming one of my “whimsy pattern” favorites. I received this project in the Black Needle Society’s Trick or Treat Box in October. My goal is to stitch it. Unsure for finishing quite yet.
I Love USA (Mani di Donna) – In 2020, Celebration of Needlework was held remotely, like so many other things. I supported the retreat by paying for my membership and my normal classes, even though I’d be sitting at home in front of my computer. Mani di Donna’s project was one of the eight via the Round Robin class on Friday evening – an event I enjoy participating in every year. It’s a small fob and flosswinder set. My goal is to do both the stitching and finishing for this.
Temperature Tree 2022 (Stitchin’ Mommy) – My intention had been to complete this tree in 2021, but I wasn’t able to get things done… so it’s becoming a 2022 temperature tracker instead! Fully stitched. I’ll FFO it in 2023.
It’s a lot of things to try to finish, but I’m optimistic. Many of these projects are either small, or just need final framing. In true “me” fashion, I made it official by creating a planner checklist page for myself. Now that it’s in writing, it’s an official goal! 🙂
Last year I stumbled upon an interesting stitch-a-long called WIPGO, which was themed as a year-long Bingo game. It was created by Jessie Marie on her FlossTube, “Jessie Marie Does Stuff.” Draw a 5×5 Bingo board, number the squares right to left, 1-25. Leave the center square (#13) as a free space, and then fill the rest of the squares with goals. The goals are entirely up to the stitcher, but reasonable goals are strongly encouraged. The goals don’t have to all be different pieces, nor do they have to be just cross-stitch. As Jessie has said, “Your board, your rules.”
On approximately the 27th day of the month, Jessie draws two numbers (three, if #13 is called), and those are the “focus” squares for the following month. The goals don’t have to be finished in that specific month, but it’s a guide to help you to choose what to focus on. Every month on the second full weekend is “WIPGO Weekend,” an optional incentive focus on your WIPGO pieces. Conveniently – that’s this weekend! (and it’s a long one!)
Last year I tried a goal of 1,000 stitches for each project on my board – which actually worked well until I got to the month where I had my current Jeanette Douglas piece, “Love to Stitch” box, and all of the specialty stitches that made counting a little tricky. I fell off my rhythm, and the rest of the year kinda fell apart.
I’ve decided to try a new goal format for 2022 because I really like how this SAL is set up. Each WIP has its own goal for the month, and I think I’ve made them varied enough to be challenging but reasonable and interesting so that I don’t feel like I’m forced to just count stitches.
Here’s my board for 2022:
Numbers 2 and 19 were called for January – so I outlined them and color-coded the month on the right (since I’m keeping my sheet as a hard-copy chart in my planner). When I finish the goals for each project, I’ll color the entire square in to show that it’s done for the year.
Here’s where I started for January on the two called pieces:
Jade Band Sampler is by Carol at iStitch Designs. Every year for the past several years, Carol has designed a band sampler themed to a color. There have been approximately a half-dozen of these so far. They are released in small sections averaging 30-40 stitches high every week for approximately 30 weeks of the year, and are suitable for stitching either over one or over two.
I am currently on week 10 of 30, and am stitching mine over two threads on 28 ct banding. It’s going to be LONG when it’s done – nearly 2 meters in length. For now, I’m planning to finish it as a scroll under hurricane lamp glass. I eventually hope to have a house where I can hang it (and the Denim sampler for 2022) on a long wall. 🙂
My goal on this piece for WIPGO is to finish 4 weeks of the SAL, so to finish through week 15 (I’m not counting week 10 as one of those weeks since it was already started). I would like to fully complete the sampler this year, however. My WIPGO goal is just the “reasonable” one for the year!
Mute But Not Silent by Amy Mitten Designs was an online class I took in September 2021 via the Tudor Sampler Guild. I loved the style of the class – the sampler is a Dutch-influenced new design using motifs to tell a mystery story. The story was divided into three parts and read during the class, and each of the motifs represented something within the story – and also part of life in the Netherlands during the historical period in which the story takes place. I thought it was a very fun way to teach a sampler and embroidery history class!
This was a kitted project for the class, with 32 ct. Zweigart linen (ecru/ivory – not specified) and Amy Mitten’s hand dyed silks from her brand, Fibers to Dye For. They’re all named after phrases from murder mysteries!!
We were asked to baste the fabric prior to the class, which is why you see purple lines. I almost never do any gridding, but there is a bit of skipping around if the piece is stitched according to the story. I’m working the first motif, representing the father and sailor of the story, right now. My goal for this WIP is to finish Part One of the class. It’s an ambitious goal, but I do have all year to do it.
I’m making good progress this weekend on Jade Band, but need to get going on Mute to make progress before the end of Monday. I’m hoping to complete that first motif by tomorrow night.
Off to get a little done before bed. Happy stitching all!
