Jolly July Update

 How is your Jolly July going??  Mine is going great.  I am managing to keep up with all my cross stitch projects and have to say, I am really enjoying Boo Crew...and Letters To Santa.  Many of you know how much I love a good mystery, and these are no exception.

Part 1 of Letters to Santa

Letters to Santa is a pattern from Fat Quarter Shop and the cost is quite minimal for the PDF chart.  Every Friday you get a new section emailed and build the mystery one stitch at a time.  The first section released July 1st was the border, which reminds me of how the old airmail envelopes used to look.  When I first moved to Canada from England....40 odd years ago, this was how I communicated with my parents.  No cell phones or internet back then.  

Working on the black 14 count aida is not as hard as it looks.  I stitch in the evening with a light around my neck and a piece of white copy paper on my lap, under the aida cloth.  Much easier to see the holes.

Part 2 of Letters to Santa

Part 2 released July 8th and was super easy and quick to stitch.  Letters go so quickly...I am so excited to see what Part 3 will be tomorrow.  Do you have any guesses??

Boo Crew is the other super fun mystery QUILT and STITCH along from Fat Quarter Shop, and this one is FREE!!  I am actually doing both the quilt and stitch along...

Part 1 of Boo Crew

The chart releases every Tuesday in the month of July.  I am stitching mine on the called for Peaceful Purple 14 count Aida, using DMC floss.  This is much easier to see than the black ha ha.  One of the things I like about these patterns, is they don't use a ton of thread.  7 for this one, and if you don't have the called for fabric, they offer lots of great substitutes.  My friend Brenda is stitching hers on a Hazy Grey dyed aida.  It's so neat to see the difference in both of them.

I am not finished part 2 which released this week, but here it is so far...

Part 2 of Boo Crew

I just love the hat...it's so super sweet.  Tonight is my catch up night, so plan on finishing this section - which is the letter O - tonight.  Tomorrow on my Youtube video, I will show you how the quilt sections are coming along.

Leave me some comments below on how your #JollyJuly2022 is coming along.  Until next time...craft on.

Camping and Cross Stitch....does it work?

 We finally got out on the road with our 19' travel trailer this past weekend. I can't believe this was our first time, normally we are itching to go camping in late May.  The first trip we never go too far, and it's only for 2 nights so we can restock the cupboards, remember how to use everything and make note of things we have forgotten.  Our first trip was to Rideau Provincial Park located on the historic Rideau Waterways, in Kemptville, which is 40 km from Ottawa.  

Our trailer all set up

Didn't take us too long to get set up, and after we had taken Toby for a walk around the area for a million air pee's, we were ready for a cool drink and some relaxing.  This is when I pull out the cross-stitch.  

Letters to Santa

I have to say, it was so peaceful...sitting in the shade, stitching away on Letters To Santa with Toby lying at my feet.  That is, until a wee little red squirrel decided to have a full on conversation with Toby!! Letters to Santa is a paid for weekly Mystery Cross Stitch from the Fat Quarter Shop...click the link above for more details.

The weather was glorious the whole time we were there, not too hot....or humid.  Most of my days were sitting outside stitching and listening to music or the squirrel and Toby's conversation.

One day we took our 2 year old grandson for a few hours, and went to the beach.  Then paddled and splashed in the water.

Toes in the sand

Toes in the water

In the evenings, to avoid the mosquitoes we lounged inside, watching TV and naturally, me stitching.

Jungle Welcome

Toby being Toby...sleeping

I have to say, having all my projects in different bags, with their own set of floss, scizzors, pencils and patterns really helps keep me organized.  I think I may need to make a little floss catcher for all the little endy bits.  Something small...what do you use?  

And as for forgetting something, we did...something REAL BIG....the kettle!!!!  

If you want to know how my Jolly July 2022 stitching has been going, check out this weeks Tobyknits Flosstube:    

Until next time...craft on!!