WIP Wednesday: Helix Nebula #1

Happy Wednesday everyone! I know it’s been a long time since I last did a work-in-progress Wednesday post, but I’ve started a big new project and I’m gearing up for May’s #30for30crafting challenge, so I thought today would be a good day to start posting my WIPs again!

Introducing my latest cross stitch project, the Helix Nebula:

This is just (part) of page one (out of 12).

The finished piece is going to be as big as my X-Files cross stitch, 270 stitches tall and 234 stitches wide on 18 count Aida (that’s 63,180 total stitches). It uses a lot of colors. Not sure exactly how many but this is my box with threads just for the project (and there’s about 6 more that I have out on my worktable and not in the box):

The pattern is self-made, based on this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX).

As you can see, I’m still working on the outer edges and haven’t made it to the nebula yet. Here’s a close up.

Lots of confetti stitches!

Advertisement

WIP Wednesday: Simpsons Couch #1

Today’s work in progress Wednesday update showcases a new project, the Simpsons on their beloved couch!

This is actually one of two cross stitch projects I’m working on, the other being a small hoop, but that one is a gift for a friend, and I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

Eventually the Simpsons are going to take up most of the 15 by 18 inch piece of aida cloth I’m stitching on. You can see the silhouette of Homer emerging on the left, particularly his belly. The two straight vertical lines on the far right are going to be a floor lamp. You can probably tell that I’m working this a page at a time. Except for a few stitches on each page that are far away from everything else, I’ve finished three of the six pages.

What are you working on this Wednesday?

WIP Wednesday July 22

I missed WIP Wednesday last Wednesday because I was busy seeing the sights of Portland with my parents who were visiting (OK, we really only saw one sight, the Portland Japanese Garden, but then we got really nice matcha lattes downtown).

But I’ve still been working hard on the signal flag sampler. I finished the cross stitching on the alphabet flags and started on the little flags that will eventually read “England expects that every man will do his duty.” Then there’s just a lot more backstitching and more cross stitching to go!

And then today I also went to the quilt shop and got a ‘quilter’s dozen’ of fun patterned fat quarters. I do have an idea for some of them, but some I just got ’cause they’re so darn pretty.

That’s all for work in progress Wednesday! What are you working on today?

Steotchalong Week 1

I’m having fun participating in my first mystery stitchalong with the 3rd annual Steotchalong! Who knows what the pattern will end up being, although I’m guessing based on years 1 & 2 that it will be slightly subversive and pop-culture influenced.

How it works is that Steotch is releasing 1/8 of the pattern each week between now and August 3rd. For some reason I thought that this would mean we’d get the pattern for all the stitches in a section each week, but of course that would make it too easy to guess what the project was going to be. Instead, each pattern is some scattered stitches. I stitched up week one yesterday, here’s what it looks like:

 

Does anyone have any guesses about what this is going to be? I think the top parts are going to be some floral border or accents. I have no idea what the gray-brown blob is supposed to be. A dinosaur? The Death Star? A Rorschach ink blot? A weird cave/cliff… thing? I haven’t a clue.

WIP Wednesday: I Didn’t Forget!

I took a picture of my work in progress cross stitch this morning, but then I kept forgetting to post it when I was at my computer. There are still a few hours of Wednesday left here, so here it is!

As you can see I have added a few more flags since last week, and I fixed the mistakes I made on the “Z” flag. Tonight I’ll work on the “K” while we watch some new television. We finished up Buffy the Vampire Slayer last night, and now we’re starting Angel.

In other news, the Malcolm Tucker cross stitch chart is now available on Craftsy, so go buy it!

WIP Wednesday: Five Flags Down

I want to apologize in advance for the dark photos, but the sun in Portland has decided to take a vacation. I’ve finished five of the flags on my signal flags sampler:

And since people have been asking for an explanation:

Each flag represents a letter. Now you may be wondering why I say that I have five flags finished. Well, obviously, the Y isn’t done yet, and even though the Z looks done, I actually made it two squares too short and I have to go back and pick out all the red and redo it. I literally threw this piece across the room when I discovered that last night. I’ve had to do too much unpicking on this project! But I like how it is turning out.

WIP Wednesday: Malcolm Tucker

I finally finished the X-Files cross stitch! Pictures will be forthcoming, but until then, I have started a new project. It is just a simple hoop of a quotation from Malcolm Tucker, a character in the British TV show The Thick of It. As you might imagine if you’re familiar with the show, the piece contains some strong language, so click through to see it (but not if you’ve got easily offended persons looking over your shoulder):

WIP Wednesday: More than 88.2% Complete

Another Wednesday, another progress shot of my X-Files cross stitch:

A few days ago I calculated how finished I was: 55,572 stitches complete out of 63,180 total (that’s 88.2%!). I’ve done at least a thousand stitches since then, so that puts me over the 90% mark! Sometimes I need numerical reassurance that it will be done at some point.

WIP Wednesday: Old and New

Today for Work in Progress Wednesday I have an old project and a new one:

First the old — but with new, beautiful text!

And the new project, April’s Flower of the Month.

This flower of the month is much harder than March’s, the pinks look too similar and it gives me a headache. It doesn’t help that it’s been rather dark and cloudy recently. But today it is sunny, and so is the forecast through the weekend, so there should be plenty of light for stitching!

What are you working on today?

WIP Wednesday: Don’t Stop Believing

Another week and another progress shot of the X-Files poster cross stitch:

Now with letters!

As you can see, I completed the sky and started on the final bit: the lettering at the bottom. I decided that I wanted to fill in the letters with white stitching, not just leave the white canvas to show, so it will take me a bit longer. But what’s another few thousand stitches when you’ve already done so many?

What are you working on this Wednesday? Share in the comments!