WIP ~ Midnight Enchanter

Well, for the last week I have been working my butt off trying to finish this Midnight Enchanter.  The left is what it looked like previously.  The right is the new WIP picture. I have finished off quite a bit.  I still need to finish the moon/planet, hands, backstitching and charms.

Monopoly Board FINISHED

Finished today at 10:27 p.m. - Started 9-10 years ago.



New JAIL

Errors on Monopoly Chart to save others some time!

I only have one Community Chest left to do and I will be done.  I cannot believe it.  I kinda took June and July off and didn't stitch since too much was going on.  In the last couple of days working on this pattern I have found some major errors in the last parts I have been stitching.  I am just thankful that I found them.  I will need to post all the errors I have found to help out other stitchers out there in not having to figure it out too late. 

Page 1

1. Luxuary Tax if off centre, move to one square to the left.
2. (Note I changed 444, 517, 550, 995 to all different colors that I felt matched better to the original board)

Page 2

1. I changed the jail guy completely.  I felt he looked like a ghost.  I bought a transparent 14 ct pattern and put on my board and stitched him how he looked.
2. Reading Railroad, I added a \ at the end of the train to make it look more realistic.
3. I changed the colors 800 and 602 to colors that matched better.

Page 3

1. The Community Chest on this page is different from the other 3.  The black area on the middle left as an extra square.  Circle one other on a different page and do all three the same as that one to ensure they all look the same.
2. Fixed Pennsylvanna Railroad and added \ to the end
3. Electric Company.  I did not like that it didn't look round so I changed it to make it more round. Add one or two rows to the top of the light bulb. I also changed the inside a bit to make it look more like a lightbulb.
4. I changed the colors 977 and 600 to match better colors

Page 4/5

1. The Chance area is 17 spaces above Baltic when it should be 18 spaces like the Community chest area.
2. The H on Chance should be stitched the same as the H on Community Chest.
3. The space from the x x x x x, to the CHANCE is one space higher then the Community Chest and should match.
4. The Chance spaces are wrong.  The space should match the Community Chest area.  It should be 21 x 14 with the 4 outlined x's at each corner.  However, if you look closely at the Chance Area vs. the Community Chest it is 20 x 13 (13 on one side and 14 on another)  They really mucked up on this.
5. Under the Monopoly I changed the S on Brothers to make it match the other spacing of letters, the B so it doesn't look like an 8 and the 8 to make it look like an 8.

Page 6

1. I did the backstitching on the Free Parking all in two strands.  I liked this better.  I didn't not stitching the white in this as to me it seemed silly since the fabric is white already.

Page 7

1. The Jail man's hand looks crazy and so I changed his hand and added a collar to his sleeve.  Trust me it looks way better and if you look at the board he wears a blue jacket , white sleeve and than hand.  I love mine.  (see picture to relate to what I mean)
2. Faix the B & O Railroad by adding the quarter stitch \ to the end
3. Water Works: I just stitched the outline.  I didn't not stitch the white floss.

Page 8

1. Fix Short Line by adding \ Stitch.

Updated WIP (Work In Progress) Monopoly Board

Pictures to come!

I will be posting some pictures this weekend.  Two sides fully done (backstitched etc).  One side almost done and the 4th side is getting the letters stitched on.  I will show a progress picture this weekend.

Note: I have made tons of changes to this pattern. 

1. Backstitched everything, even though the pattern didn't request it.
2. Changed the jail main completely.  The pattern man looks like a dead ghost with two mouths.  I love him and it will make my pattern unique to me.
3. The Policeman "go to jail" will be changed too.  I do not like that the pattern messes up his hand.  I swear his hand is bigger than his head????
4. I changed most of the colors for the spots and color matched it to my Monopoly Board.  I am sure that the amount of DMC colors that were out when this pattern was created was slacking.  So my goal was to match it better.  I love the results and it also makes mine different from others.

I did notice that 1 out of the 3 chests were different and of course the one chest I stitched was the one with the error, so what do I have to do, I have to pull out a section and re-stitch it but such is life.

After I am done this pattern, I will be garage sale searching for an end table with a glass top to have someone have it framed inside the table so my family and I can play on it.  I cannot wait.  Almost 10 years ago I started this pattern and I now want it framed in a table yesterday.  LOL.  If I can find two end tables I would be thrilled because I have a chest game pattern that I could stitch for the other table.

The only thing new is I am binding all my cross stitching into binded books so that they are more organized for my daughter and I.  I have 4 done so far and I love them.  Table of contents.  Easy to find a pattern.  I still have many to bind, but I am done making all my table of contents for each book.

I hope by Sunday I will have a picture up for you and that all I will have all the lettering done on my board.

Decision Made

Well I had no opinions on which project I should do next. So the decision is all mine.  I decided that I should finish my Monopoly Board.  Note that I believe I started this in 2003.  I changed the colors to match the board better.  I was sure that when this pattern was started there were not as many DMC flosses out there as there are today.  I badly want to finish this and have in framed inside a end table under glass so that we can actually play on it.  Wait for updated pictures.  :)

Finished Projects

Here are some of my Finished Projects:

Completed Cross Stitched for Designers

2008 Completed Cross Stitch

2005-2007 Completed Cross Stitch

1991-2004 Completed Cross Stitch

WIP which one to do?

Here are some WIP's (Works in Progress) that I am trying to decide which one to finish next.  I am not allowed to start any new projects until I either sell some of these or finish them.  I am tempted to sell "The Kiss" (it is a kit, comes with everything but I guess that is only if someone is interested it buying it.)  Anyway, hopefully I can get some suggestions on here and which one I should finish next.

What I have done so far                                      What it would like finished

The Watergarden by Chatelaine Designs

The Kiss by Lanarte

Monopoly Board

Heaven & Earth Nouveau Mermaid "Water" (my challenge all 1x1)

Midnight Enchanter (The Wizard) by Dimension Charts & Charms

Now which one to finish?  That is the real question?

Touching the Autumn Sky

It has been a few years since I last cross stitched.  I decided that I am going to get some projects that have been works in progress for some time now and this is the year I am going to do it. 

I started to try and finish "Touching the Autumn Sky" by  Mirabilia.  I started this a few years ago and after working on it for about a week I have finally completed it. 

I love her.  I did her face and hands 1x1.  You will notice that in her dress I changed one of the colors to just the purple instead of blending it with another color and to me I like it this way.  The fabric I put her on is a hand dyed fabric by Sugar Maple Fabrics  I believe called sunset but unsure as it is discontinued.

I loved swinging on a swing when I was a child.  My grandparents had a swing built into two huge trees by their house and I spent a lot of my childhood there.  In fact, chances are that if I was missing, no matter what time of day it was, I was at that swing.  It was hard when they took it down, even harder when the house sold.  No more swing, no more trees.  I thought if I did this pattern and framed it that I could remember the good times I had with my childhood swinging.  The thinking I did or just plain felt the wind blow my hair, listened to the birds above me chirp, feel the sun beat down on me or just plain watch all around me.  It was a great time and I want to always remember it.