potty mouth stitching

i admit it. i've been known to use a few choice 4-letter words when the need arises. but stitching those 4-letter words? that's a fun (and provoking) concept that i'm ready to try...

subversive cross stitch has been around for years, heck, there's even websites dedicated to it. and it goes beyond just cross stitch. needlepoint patterns are being offered with those cheeky phrases and words we're dying to display! chilly hollow and needleartnut are both stitching the same subversive canvases right now and it amps the stitching game up to 11! 

for this particular project, i am choosing to stick with cross stitch patterns since it gives me the finishing style i desire. what's the project? my home away from home, my office. i decided a few weeks ago that i needed to seriously re-vamp my desk decor and add some flair - what better way to showcase my personal style than some sassy cross stitch? 

i've been on the hunt for patterns that speak to me, whether it be personal interests (favorite tv shows, phrases, etc) or just the irony of a traditional pattern and modern words, i love it all!

this is going to be just a fun side project with no real deadlines that i can work on if i need a change of scenery from my needlepoint stash. do you love it? hate it? 

the maiden voyage on a brand new canvas. also, Iowa.

true story: i'm a Texas girl. and as a Texan, it can sometimes be lost on us that there are other states in the continental US besides our own. i never dreamed that i would eventually end up with midwestern boy from the state of Iowa. want to know what came to mind when he first mentioned where he was from? 

turns out it's a beautiful and picturesque state, and actually does look like a travel brochure

fun fact: my mom still gets Iowa confused with Ohio and Idaho

the point of this brief geography lesson is that i've been trying to incorporate both of our home states into my needlepoint, and actually discovered that it's a little harder to find Iowa-themed needlepoint canvases (compared to the over-abundance that is offered for Texas)

this petei santa is the trifecta for the Iowa canvases that i've stitched. my man may not be winning any awards for being the Iowa State Alumni-of-the-Year but he is going to appreciate this cute canvas on our Christmas tree dadgummit!

anywho, i started by stitching his face/hands as shaded, then found the perfect shade of splendor silk and finished his coat and pants. 

his boots followed in sparkly kreinik to follow the directional pattern of the pants. 

i chose to coordinate the diagonal mosaic from his pants and carry it over to his hat for a little symmetry. the belt is padded satin stitch with a shiny gold kreinik belt buckle. i wanted to keep it relatively tame since i'll be beading the words (spoiler alert).

next on deck: a little fur, a little beard, and then a little beading! have a happy little weekend!

2nd nativity set complete!

could it be? 

(this is me in my living room after the last stitch)

we are all singing a joyful chorus after this finish!

what's that? you'd like to see the entire finished set in one post? 

seeing them all together makes me appreciate the entire set even more. they look so cute and i can't wait to someday see them finished and sitting on the mantle (not this Christmas guys, back into the finish pile for another year)

still trying to decide what to stitch next. i haven't made any new purchases in a while, but i'm trying to be good. i think for now i'm going to stick to something small while i wait for the stitchy finish high to subside. 

heavenly stitching

i was able to get through a huge chunk of her dress while binge watching the last 2 episodes of "stranger things" 

(watch it! it's amazing!) 

sleeves are diagonal mosaic, yoke is a 3-1-3 brick stitch, and skirt is an alternating wave variation. 

metallic motif was added to the sleeve trim and hem next, and now she is ready for the background!

i'm trying to figure out what to stitch next, which is always the hardest challenge for me. part of me wants to dive into another big project (remember my mackenzie childs stash that is going on 4 years and counting?) and then part of me wants to keep it simple and just stitch a small ornament from my stash. 

decisions, decisions!

the last "new nativity start" post

what a momentous occasion! it is the last "new start" of this nativity set, yippee!

it is also the ceremonious "i get to throw away every bit of thread i was saving from every nativity canvas kit for this entire project" day. that was quite a treat. 

her face, hair and halo...looking extra angelic

onto the wings! you'll notice a very subtle gauzy stitch over them, with the perfect amount of kreinik to outline how delicate they are. 

dress is next, then the much dreaded background, but SO CLOSE!

don't get me wrong, this has been a super fun project and i love each and every canvas in this set, but have you ever come to the end of a project and just been so beyond ready to get it over with? yep, that's me currently. 

busting my hump to finish this one...

ugh. yep, still working on this one. i really got into the rhythm of quick finishes for these canvases, so excuse my lack of posting since this one is taking a bit longer!

after stitching the navy portion of the blanket, i turned my focus to the hem. first up: a little more very velvet

next layer: kreinik silver cross stitches

lastly: more purple kreinik and some fringe. ta-da!

aiming to finish the background tonight, and then comes the daunting task of the tassels. yikes!

happy hump day!

who am i kidding, you knew this post title was going to be a bad pun...

isn't he cute? he's also way larger than the past few canvases in the series, so this might take over a week

his fur brings him to life! his slanty little side eye is my fave.

i was feeling adventurous, so i started stitching the hump....

a lovely variation with petite very velvet? sign me up! 

here's hoping i can devote some serious time to finishing his hump and get some practice on tassel-making. 

that's a thing, right? 

what an a**!

ok before you unfollow me and stop reading my blog forever because of the offensive title....just hear me out. 

as you know, i was SUPER excited to start stitching these nativity animals and dove right on into the stitch guide. 

unfortunately the guide seemed to have conflicting instructions and there were multiple fibers included and i started to mildly freak out and search the web for other pictures of the stitched donkey so i could compare.

i was also getting antsy and felt like i had to at least start something, so i stitched his face in a shade of merino. 

after i took a picture and got a second opinion from mason, i freaked out, ripped out, and re-stitched his face in the other color of merino provided. 

after consulting more pictures on the internet, and looking at the image from the stitch guide, i counted to 10, turned my TV to the Bravo channel, reminded myself that this is just a fun hobby and not the end of the world, and resolved myself to re-stitch it again in the first thread. 

if you are counting, we are up to 3 times that i stitched this damn donkey. 

luckily he's small so it was still done in one day, but still. 

i don't mind airing my dirty needlepoint laundry. this art is all about trial and error, trying new techniques, ripping out and re-stitching. but most of the time we're so focused on the pretty finishes and less on the process it took to get to that point. i love how my donkey is starting to look, and in the end it might differ from the stitch guide, but it's mine. and i appreciate the journey that it takes to finish each individual canvas (some more than others).   

executive first assistant to the chief sheep officer

ok i admit it, i'm a little anxious to start stitching the cute animals, but technically this is the next canvas in the set so i'm powering through. 

don't get me wrong, this guy is equally cute. 

skin, turban, and beard stitched (he's aliiiiiiiiiiveeeeeee)

"a stitching study"

first layer: gobelin with some skipped tent stitches

second layer: remaining tent stitch in wool

third layer: red tent stitches and the completion of the bottom hem

the sweet and simple shepherd

before i started stitching the shepherd, i had to pack up all of the kreinik that was used on the majestic wisemen. i was skeptical as to how this sweet guy could even compare to the fancier canvases. but sure enough, with a beautiful design and the perfect choice of decorative stitches, this canvas started coming to life too.

the headdress and gown took a brief part of the afternoon...

followed by the robe a day or two later

i can't wait to stitch his little crook! the silhouette is just so sweet, can't you just imagine him in a field of sheep?

little bit of progress!

i was really motivated to get the weekend chores out of the way early on saturday so i could devote my afternoon to this guy, and getting a head start on the robe.  

i'll be trying to make some serious strides towards a finish this week since we're going on a weekend getaway for mason's birthday! yippee!