Zen with Jen

I didn't mean to. But as we were hopping in the car for a trip to the airport to pick up family yesterday, I grabbed my travel project bag, and threw in my hand-stitching supplies, and my Zen with Jen embroidery that I'd begun back in October.

I'd let a lot of hand-stitching supersede the Zen project - sashiko and Christmas ornaments and oven mitts - but after working on it just for 30 minutes on the road, I realized how close I was to finishing it. And so later that night, I did just that.

You may remember I started with a spool of variegated dark red perle cotton. And I stitched with that alone for quite a while. But as you can see, I added in some lighter reds, orange, and purple later in the process. I really enjoyed creating the mix.

The piece is square, but my hoop was not. So I chose to just stitch what I could easily reach within my hoop. If the need arises later for me to stitch out to the edge, I'll find a way to do that. For now, I don't have a further purpose for the 'finished' stitchery. Even Jen herself used hers more as a meditation/calming project than with any intention of a future use. So I'm good with that, and calling this project done for now. 

I confess I felt a little aimless not stitching a design per se. And the markings on the cloth were a little small and pale for my older eyes. But I did like the idea of stitching on fabric that wasn't necessarily designed for handwork. So all in all, it was a good exercise and I'm glad I did it. Now back to the tea towel.

Hand-Stitching WIPs

I don't think I have ever, ever, had so many handwork projects underway at the same time! Handwork is what I do in the evenings while watching TV with hubby, so it's not like it's taking away from my quilting time. But still. It's gotten to be A LOT. From the oldest to the newest (I think)....

Bow Tie quilt - Totally hand-pieced top that now, of course, needs to be hand-quilted. It'll happen. Next up is finding a backing or piecing one from stash, then basting. The project started with Jenn McMillan's 100 Day Summer Sewalong in 2021, and I certainly hope to have it finished early in 2023.

Stitch Along with Jen embroidery - Begun back in October, I've made really good progress - better than shown here - but it got set aside when the next bright thing caught my eye.

24 Days of Sashiko - Also begun in October, I kept up pretty well, and had a finished top completed in mid-November. This one also needs a backing - and batting?? - before I hem it with some simple stitching.

Dropcloth Snowflake ornaments - Right after Thanksgiving, I put a hold on all the other handwork to squeeze in these ornaments before Christmas! I've made really good progress on three of the four, but still have a ways to go.

Hand-Stitched Oven Mitt - Oops! Last week, I saw a Zoom class was going to be offered with Aaron Sanders Head @aaronsandershead, and when I saw the class sample, I signed right up. What a wonderful and relaxing morning yesterday starting in on this project. I think the Snowflakes and the mitt will both be vying for my time in the days ahead.

So I probably shouldn't admit that I have two more handwork projects planned for the coming weeks, but honest, I'll just keep stitching, and I bet I have one of these finished soon. All bets are off, though, which one it might be!

Snowflake Sampler :: X and O Star

After waiting weeks and weeks for the Snowflake Sampler to begin, it's finally started and I have one block finished!! It's my first time using Aurifil Cotton Floss, and it's felt great so far. I'm using a variety of variegated floss paired with #8 white perle cotton, and I've found my size 5 Bohin Embroidery Needles are perfect for this task.

So this is chicken scratch embroidery. The base of X-stitches felt oh-so-familiar; and the weaving with the floss, new and exciting (you know, for handwork). I did make a tiny little goof, as I got so in the groove with the weaving that I didn't leave the center four squares open for the orange weaving per the pattern instruction. Oh well, I added my own little detail and I'm happy enough with the result. The X and O Star block measures 11" square, and I've got one more block assignment yet this month, so I expect I'll be back before long to share it too. I was just too excited to wait!