Slow Sunday Stitching - Olympics

Welcome to the hand stitching olympics! 

You get a bronze medal if you take out your project today and put some stitches in!

You earn a silver medal if you stitch on more than 1 project!

And you get a gold medal if you actually finish a project!

Congratulations to everyone who is a hand stitcher in 2024 - you all get participation awards! 🤗🤗

I finished a couple of things this week - gold medal for me! 

The hand stitched binding is completed on my Dancing in the Stars quilt. This was the 2023 Scrapdash mystery quilt project for the February Super bowl. I added a top and bottom border to make it a rectangular quilt, instead of a square as the pattern called for.  

Finished size: 48" x 57"

It was made all from stash and scraps and I am so delighted with how it turned out! Yah me!

Well, and also yah for Roxanne who quilted it for me! Can you see the lovely quilting pattern she created?!? It perfectly matches the theme of the quilt.

This week I have also  enjoyed participating in an instagram challenge organized by Katie @thenaptimestitcher. The challenge is called #Stitchthesummerolympics and a different stitching challenge is issued for each day. 

During the first week I have finished 3 cross stitched pieces!

1) First I completed Mini Strawberry Sampler (a lovely free pattern given to us by Melisa at  Pinker'nPunking Quilting and Stitching). It measures 5" x 3.5" on 14 count (beet dyed) Aida cloth. I will fully finish this in the same way as I have finished the squirrel sampler, and the pumpkin sampler. I just adore these little wallhanging projects, and can't decide which one to start next! It will be apple season soon, so maybe I'll start the mini apple sampler? Or maybe the sunflower sampler?

2) My second project was started for the "Stitches and Pages" group hosted by Katie the Novel Stitcher. The novel we read was "Funny Story" by Emily Henry, and we always pick our own stitching project to work on. 

I stitched a design from the "Really Cross Stitch" book by Rayna Fahey. This one is already framed and sitting in my office tea room as a tribute to our infectious disease experts who brilliantly navigated covid days and helped us to survive the covid era. Some of our clients did not make it, and it was tough going for us for a couple of years. 

The Stitches and Pages zoom meeting was lots of fun as we discussed the book and our projects. The next book will be posted next week - click here to see the possible choices if you are interested.

3) This Wild Whimsy Bear pattern was started on our annual family camping trip and was finished during the first week of the olympics. It was stitched mostly with Classic Colorworks threads on 14 count tea dyed Aida cloth. I plan to finish this for a Christmas gift.  It measures 4" x 3".

I also wanted to mention in case you missed the World Embroidery Day celebration for July 30th on Sarah Homfray's Youtube video. I enjoyed seeing the video clips submitted by stitchers around the world showing their embroidery.

(And P.S. If you are interested in having your name in the draw for the Fat Quarter Shop mystery quilt kit, you need to leave a comment on my youtube channel and I will pick a winner at the end of August)

And that's what I've been up to. I'm a tiny bit obsessed with the olympics and plan to be in my stitchy chair every evening this week watching the highlights of the day. Are you watching the olympics? Are you hand stitching so much your hands are sore like mine?!? Link up your blog post below and share your projects with us.

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