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. 

fab finishing!

look at the pretties i got to pick up over the weekend!

i made a goal that i would try and send 2 projects to the finisher after a big completion, so that my finish pile becomes more manageable and that i stay accountable for finishing what i started! (literally)

OU Santa stitching

OU Santa finish

This poor thing has been languishing in the finish pile since 2013, so it was way overdue for its date with the finisher! 

Patti Mann pig stitching

Patti Mann pig finish

Stay tuned for another big finish update!

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. 

baaaaack with a finish

apologies in advance - i neglected to take progress pictures so i don't have much to show for myself, but aren't these guys cute? 

this makes finish #11 for the nativity series, which means i only have 1 more left! 

i need to seriously give some thought to what i will possibly start working on next...another series? a small ornament? a larger canvas i've been avoiding? 

how do you decide?

fun finish!

sorry for the accidental break in posting! seems like everything got busy all at once, but i have still managed to find some stitching time. 

isn't he cute??? my tassels are "meh" but i love the overall look of this piece. so regal and elegant (and by far the largest in the whole set)

i've been working on the last animal canvas (sheepies) but in the hubbub of our lives i forgot to take progress pics along the way. forgive me?