Holiday Project Recap

After another long disappearance, I am going to spend the next few posts trying to catch up on all the projects worked over Christmas. I know it was several months ago when I said I would start writing again, but I don't know if I was ready to pick it back up. I am not a writer never have been.I don’t do grammar, and I’m dyslexic.So, really what is the point of this blog? I guess that I still want to share my experiences, and things I learned along the way. Maybe share a few insights into my life at the same time.

I recently read a book given to me by my boss. It is called “One Word” by John Gordon. It is about not making resolutions but finding a word to define your year. My word for this year is GROW, and I think this blog is one way to see how I grow.

While I am still trying to find my writing groove. I will share with you two cross stitch projects. This first project was littered with good intentions. It is a kit from Bucilla, that should've been a birthday present for my mom.

Finished pieces before framing - follow @schnautzy on IG for project updates

Now finished, six months late, it has been hung above my bed. My biggest current project is #findinghome. I have spent the last four years of my life owning only what I can fit in my car to move from one place to another. Well I have found home here in Texas and have started to nest. This project became part of a gallery wall. For anyone curious most pieces are from Hobby Lobby and I got them for half off.

This season the baseball team I work for had “Ugly Christmas Sweater Jerseys” for our Christmas in July promotion. Well, I spend so much time looking at the top, I started to wonder if I could do something with it. So here is my first custom cross stitch pattern. It is  57 x 57 and no I can not tell you what that is in inches.

Each item and many others were graphed out one-by-one and pieced together with love. Most design elements were pulled directly from the jersey. The few elements that were not, were pulled from google searches then put to graph papers.

making charts off of the jersey mock up 

I thought, at first, it would look best framed or in a hoop. Until I realized I mess up cutting it out and neither one of those things would be possible. I ended up turning it into a pillow ornament. The back pieces was hand knit in stockinette match the size. Sewn together with on a sewing machine and stuffed with leftover yarn pieces.

Overall I am mostly happy with how this one turned out, but I learned several lessons about framing cross stitch pieces. Like, be generous with white space for framing and type of framing. Also creating an even square out of an uneven square it not an easy task. Corners are not forgiving and when in doubt add a bow.

Once I finished this piece I gave it away, and never wrote down the final pattern. That makes this a one of a kind gift. To only maybe be replicated later.   

Neither project went quite as planned, but overall I can say I am happy. On that note I will wrap up this post with a summary of what happened by between now and last February. Work, accepted an internship position in January of last year. In October I was officially full-time with a new title and a slew of new responsibilities. Boy and Kitten are still in GA. There is a strong chance that Boy will graduate in May and then find a way to join me here in Texas. The only things my life is currently missing is those two. I am doing what I love, I work for one of the best teams in baseball, and I think I have started to find a home for the first time in about five years. It is one of the best feelings to start to think I have a place to call home.