WIPocalypse August Update

 Well, I’m back again having missed another month. I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired to do loads of stitching over the summer so progress was fairly slow until recently. 

In the last two months I have worked on Canadian Beauty a bit more during Joan Elliott July, and then I started some new small projects during August. 

Here is where Canadian Beauty is at:

I started 3 new smalls and finished one of them. The first ties in really well with this month’s question, which is:

Have you participated in any of the mystery SALs on Facebook (or other social media)? What do you think makes a successful mystery SAL?

I purchased a mystery Winter Animals SAL from Etsy Seller Fourboysandanlgirl. I liked the subject, was feeling ready to start some Christmas stitching and I wanted to try out and support a designer I hadn’t stitched before. There will be four patterns, and so far I have completed the first, which is this cute little bear:

I really enjoyed stitching him, he was very simple and quick to stitch. I’m going to make him up as an ornament and give him to Lucy at Christmas. I think the key to a good mystery SAL is having just the right amount of mystery, so the theme is clear and the size of the design, but the actual pattern is a mystery. Also having options is good, there are some options on the text for this one. I remember when I did the free Joan Elliott Faces one a few years ago, some people didn’t like the Cat so they just chose pieces from her other patterns to replace it. 

The next piece I’ve worked on is also a Christmas ornament for Lucy. It is from a Jannlynn kit with 8 ornaments based on vintage toys. I’ve had this for years and I don’t remember where I got it. Lucy has seen it in my kit box and asked for the train so I promised I’d make it for her one day and I’m keeping my promise. It’s nearly finished, I only need to finish the border and do the back stitch. And of course the making up, but I’ll worry about that later...

The last project I’ve worked on is another cover kit. It’s three biscuit-themed coasters. This one is to work on, on rainy days when Lucy and I ended up watching films (Or more accurately the same film over and over again...). I need something that is for Lucy, but that I don’t mind her seeing, and isn’t too irresistibly exciting for her. That way she lets me work on it for a while but doesn’t bug me too much about when it will be finished!

So that’s it for his month, fingers crossed that I’ll remember to post for September.