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WIPGO 2023 – Week 28.5 – Denim Band Sampler

July 28, 2023 1 Comment

Since there are 6 WIPGO projects for July with #13 called (the traditional Bingo “free space”), I have extra entries. This is the last feature for July.

There is no finished sample for this piece – Denim Band Sampler was a mystery weekly release sampler from 2022 in 30 parts, starting in January and ending in August. I was great for the first six weeks, keeping on time… moving right along. And then something happened, either illness or work related, and I fell off the wagon. I’m on week… 7… I think… at the moment.

*Denim Band Sampler by iStitch Designs as of July 1, 2023 – stitched 2 over 2 on 28 count banding with random blue chosen floss.*

I am doing my sampler in a big mix of floss from Mo’s Sale on Facebook and HandDyedbyRolanda on Etsy. I have no specifics about what floss is going where. I just start the next band with what feels right at the time, and how I personally interpret the pattern in each band. It’s charted as just block stitches with no recommended color. My only goal was to introduce blues that fall on the “denim” spectrum. So that gives me a lot of flexibility to stitch.

iStitch has put out a yearly themed band sampler for the past several years. I’ve watched my stitching friend, Becky, finish all of them so far. My friend Amy has also finished one. They’re not complicated bands, and approximately 30-40 stitches in height is added on every week. This is one of two iStitch band samplers I joined. The other one, the Jade Band Sampler, will be coming up later this year in WIPGO. I decided not to join the 2023 one, even though it’s quite pretty, since I had two of them on the go. I can always go back and purchase one of the others if I feel the need to do another. I think two will likely be my limit, though.

Since I’m stitching this over two, the final piece will be exceptionally long – the banding is 2 meters in length! For now, the planned finishing is to gently wrap it around an antique wooden factory bobbin and place it under hurricane glass to show off some of the stitching. BUT… if we’re ever in a house that has a high enough wall (up stairs, for example), I might finish it as a bellpull for length. The Jade one will be of similar length. They could be striking pieces on a long wall!

I plan on putting a bit more effort into this one next year, since I Love New England is the current “must get done” focus. Between Jade and Denim, I should get at least one of them done next year.

WIPGO 2022 Plans…

January 16, 2022 No Comments

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!