November Orts for my TUSAL Report

Well I'm a few days late reporting my orts for this months's TUSAL report but better late then never.  Here are my orts from my recent projects.

Good thing there is only one more new moon for 2018 or I may have to get a bigger jar for my orts.

The orts are mostly from the two hand embroidery projects that are currently being worked

And a crochet project the granny square afghan

oh and the two completed hand embroidery pieces

If you are curious aobut the TUSAL check out the link and read what its all about  and perhaps you will join us for next months Ort report. 

https://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-totally-useless-stitch-long.html

Showing my Orts for The first TUSAL of 2018

The chill weather continues here in Ocala with tonight's temps expected to drop to 22 degrees, these old bones are feeling the cold this week so the remedy for that is staying inside as much as I can and stitching a little, reading a bit and sipping hot tea.

Tonight is the new moon which brings out the Ort report for the 2018 Totally Useless Stitch Along or TUSAL hosted by It's Daffy Cat's blog if you are curious as to what the TUSAL is all about check out the link here:

http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2018/01/we-start-another-totally-useless-year.html

Here are my orts so far for January 2018, not as many as I would have liked but enough to see I have been stitching.

Orts and thread catcher

orts jar

I'm getting better at using up most of the thread/floss on my needle, I noticed with my December orts I had quite a few longer pieces of thread most likely from finishing the color and pulling it out of the needle and dropping it in the thread catcher instead of just sticking the needle with thread in the pincushion, live and learn.

I think I mentioned I am taking part is Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) this year and I'm also taking part in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) so I thought I might combined both and use the TAST stitching as some of the embellishment on the Crazy Quilt blocks.

buttonhole and running stitch

The first two stitches are the running stitch and the buttonhole stitch, I also have some lazy daisy a french knot and straight stitches in the mix.

Yesterday the 3rd stitch is the fly stitch so I made a bunch of different sizes to fill in the square. I will probably make a few fly stitches leaving a short tail too on another area of the block.

fly stitch

I made a little more progress on my little sunshine piece. I am using Anchor variegated floss throughout.

sunshine

It's Wednesday so here is what I'm reading another book for the Library Love reading challenge, Shirley Jackson's Let Me Tell You.

Here is the link if you are curious or are looking for a reading challenge for this year.  http://angelsguiltypleasures.com/2017/12/sign-up-open-2018-library-love-challenge/

Ort report, TUSAL for September 2015

Once again its the monthly New Moon (time does fly) and we all know what that means, its TUSAL time.  Here are my ORTS for this months Tusal, Not sure what a TUSAL is well simply put its the Totally Useless Stitch A Long hosted by It's Daffy Cat click the link if you want to know more or want to join too.
http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html

Any way here are my orts most are black threads from the Hocuspocusville Quilt blocks, that's block

number two under the threads ther white threads are from the fabric edges, there are a few green threads in there from my Holly King piece I work on when all those black threads make my eyes blur.

My ORTS jar is nearly full but there is room for the next few months ORT Reports left in 2015 I just tamp them down and keep on stitching.

If you save your Orts and aren't sure what to do with them here is a short tutorial on making Ornaments.http://hugsarefun.com/embroidery-floss-ornaments/

Well that's my September Tusual Ort report.

We are having a rainy Sunday here in my neck of the woods so I plan to spend a few hours stitching.

May New Moon Tusal Report

Time flies by so quickly, it seems like only yesterday I was posting the April Orts report and here I am posting May's Ort report.

May orts

I have to say taking part in the Totally Useless Stitch Along aka TUSAL has motivated me to stitch a variety or projects and it has fed my thread obsession, just a bit.

Here is what I have been working on since my last Ort Report,

greenman #2

The Greenman #2 hand embroidery piece is stitched and I have one more corner Celtic knot to finish.

I have to say stitching this piece has been a labor of love and the photo does not capture how truly beautiful it is.
Just off my crochet hook is a second amulet bag this one in green. I used the same pattern as the blue

one I made, same weight crochet thread and same steel hook size 6 yet there is a slight difference in

the size which I attribute to the stitches on the blue being loose which often happens when I work a pattern for the first time, more so when I use such a tiny hook and thread, stitching the green bag I was much more comfortable with the hook and thread.

One thing I should have done was crochet the second bag in any color but green, after weeks of stitching the greenman I wanted a break from the color green, which I will get when I begin some of the new pattens I bought.

A few new patterns arrived in the mail last week which I should be posting ort reports on in the next few months, two are from one of my favorite design studios, Crab-apple Hill.

poppy project bag

sunflower stitchery folder

And two patterns from Bird Brain Designs, I made sure to purchase the floss kits and perle cotton balls along with the patterns to save time hunting down the colors I need.

 My growing obsession for Crab-apple Hill patterns began with Hocuspocusville which I plan to have on my light box this week. I would love to make 2 of each block, one in all black as shown on the

pattern, and one in bright colors, this will depend on the time it takes to trace each pattern so I may only do one set for now, when I purchased the pattern a few years ago I also bought the fabric and the floss so I am all set to stitch once I get the patterns traced onto the fabric.  I plan to trace all the patterns first then start stitching, and I'm planning a Greenman #3.

If everything goes as schedule this week on Thursday I will attend another hand embroidry class which will focus on fill-in stitches. I may use one of the motifs from this pattern set.

Well that's my TUSAL report for May, not sure what an ort report is all about click on the link to Daffy Cat's blog and read all about it.
http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html

Happy Spring and March TUSAL report

Well it's the first day of Spring and as in years gone by I awoke with an internal restlessness and the urge to hit the road for an adventure of sorts and oddly enough to declutter my nest.  I felt the mild stirrings of restlessness for a few weeks so I will have to appease the stirrings soon and take a short road trip soon.

Here is my Ort Report photo of my Ort jar filling up rather nicely this fine Spring New Moon day (that was a mouthful), followed by the current projects I'm working on.

What is a TUSAL you ask, and what the heck is an ORT jar well if you want to be in the know click the link and learn all about it from daffycat, you may find you want to join in too.
http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html

My lastest progress on Greenman #2 in the Q-Snap frame, I've had to take a few days off from stitching to let the split on my finger heal so this week when I had time I put in several rows of crochet stitching to my shawl, my new yarn bowl is peaking out.

The new yarn bowl with dragonflies, there is room enough for a large ball of yarn or several yarns. Since I haven't had time to get into the pottery studio and this piece just took my breath away I bought it, I purchased it here http://stores.ebay.com/californiahandmadetiles

So far the shawl is currently 32 inches across this photo shows a more accurate  color of the yarn but fails to show the luster.

The quilt blank I put together to embroider different Greenmen designs which are currently in progress. The blanks are 8x8 inches just the right size to work comfortably in hoops or frames.

This ends my Ort report for the month of March, I really enjoy taking part in the TUSAL= Totally Useless Stitch a Long, it makes me want to stitch more.

Here is what I am currently reading,  this week both books are by authors I haven't read before which helps fill my goal of reading 12 new to me authors.

 The book by Maria Semple had me from page one, last night I couldn't put it down and read into the wee hours of the morning.

This book by Lisa Van Allen I chose for my reading books with thread in the title. Its a personal little challenge I came up for myself to get me reading when I hit a slump.  So far I have read A Single Thread and A Spool of Blue Thread.

Some day this week I will be planting the OldHami bamboo in my garden and clearing away the fallen twigs and ever growing weeds.

I wish you all a very Happy Spring

Tusal Ort report and what I have been stitching February 2015

Here is my Orts jar for the February New Moon it's rapidly filling up with threads which is a nice thing to see and I am so glad I joined TUSAL(Totally Useless Stitch Along) again this year.

Feb 18 2015

Here is where some of those threads came from

Greenman #1

The stitching on my first Greenman hand embroidery piece is completed and I am happy with the results.

Some of the Herringbone variation stitches from this months Joyful Embellishments group I like this stitch and had fun changing the size

The pistil stitch above the herringbone needs more practice but my knots are beginning to form nicely.
I made some of the blocks for the quilt class I am taking, class didn't meet on the 13th and won't meet on 20th so I am working on the log cabin blocks from the class I missed on the 6th.

I have a big pile of fabric orts too this month. I had some trouble controlling the rotary cutter and I made a few to get a straight edge. Ugh!

Here is Greenman #2 just off my light box I think I am going to crayon tint before I begin to stitch.

Greenman #2

These Celtic Knot pieces are on the bottom and top corner of the greenman #2 piece which I have on

a eighteen inch piece of fabric whether it will stay in one piece when I am done is anyones guess.

Currently on the light box are a few Goddess pieces I have been planning to put together for some the small Goddess with the spirals is traced and waiting to be stitched after I cut it off the fabric.
I like the simple lines for hand embroidery.

One last look at my Orts jar which may need to be replaced soon with all the stitching I have planned, uncertain what an Orts jar is and curiuos to what TUSAL stands for check out the information here at daffycats blog http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html
and join the fun it it may just be the thing you need to get you stitching again.

First TUSAL Report for 2015

It's January 20th which means it is time for the New Moon TUSAL ort report, here is the photo of my January Orts jar, as you can see I have been stitching quite a bit, or just wasting lots of embroidery floss and sewing thread.

Here are a few of the things I have been working on since January 1st. in no particular order.

I have finished piecing my crazy quilt block and have just begun to add the embellishments, many of the threads in the jar came from this piece, not only did I move around a few pieces to get better placement, those beautiful butterfly and dragonfly pieces fray terribly.  On a whole I am happy with the outcome, though I didn't care for the random piecing method until I received some wonderful tips from a facebook group I joined, which is work clockwise from the center piece out. The next time I do a crazy quilt block I'm going to try the flip and sew method.

The Celtic Knot piece was completed on New Year's Day and I do like the look using the green printed fabric.

These are the first and second week stitches I'm doing with the Facebook stitch a long at Joyful Embellishments.

week one

week two

I am truly enjoying the challenge of learning these embroidery stitches, for January we are doing variations of the feather stitch, which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine in all its guises. One or more will be the first stitches I use on my crazy quilt block.

The last item to add bits of thread to the jar is my Greenman which I began stitching at last Thursday at the Thread Therapy group.

While looking at the photo I may go another way so don't be surprised if the green thread is in the jar for next months Ort report. Not sure what an ort or a TUSAL is follow the link below and read all about it.
http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html