The first full week of June, what did I do?

 My stitching/crafting group decided to do a different craft each month this year.  I found this craft at Michael's; one of the freebie sheets.  So in January we started it.  Th craft is a shag rug made using fabric, latch hook, and latch hook canvas.  Only 3 of us decided to do it.  The hard part was cutting out the fabric in 1 inch by 6 inch strips with the pinking shears.  I bought 6 yards of fabric like the pattern suggested.  Well at first I was putting a strip in every column but every other row.  It was really thick but used a lot of fabric; I had put in 3 rows.  So I put it aside.  Then this week my cats kept laying on it and scratching on it.  So, I decided that the rug would be one of my next finishes.

 I took out all of the strips that I had put in and restarted.  This time I put the strips in every other column and every other row.  At the same time I staggered the columns for more coverage.  I worked on it for 3 evenings.  This is what I have so far.  I ran out of fabric strips and had to buy more.  While I was getting my fabric at Hobby Lobby, the lady who works there asked me what I was going to do with the fabric.  I told her I was cutting it into strips using my pinking shears.  She showed me a cutting tool that uses the bigger heavy duty ruler and makes the pinking shear cut.  Tomorrow I will cut up the strips for the second have of the rug.  I will let you know how the cutting system works.

 The second project that I completed this week was a punch needle Christmas kit.  I think my sister-in-law Mari or my sister Jennifer bought these kits.  They decided that they didn't like punch needle and gave them to me.  I'm thinking that it was Jennifer because Mari gave punch needle ornaments in our family exchange one year.  Well anyway,  I started this a year ago on our girls retreat in July.  It was about halfway finished.  I'm still learning on this it is not as easy as you would think.

Yesterday Jennifer and I went to town to buy the supplies for our groups project today, String Art.  I wanted to buy a kit but we couldn't find one.  So I bought my thread and wood.  When I got home I varnished the piece of wood with mahogany.  Then last night I found my picture.  I love daisies.   I decided that making the vines would be  complicated, so I am going to use my cousin Liz's wood burning tool to make the vines.  I had a good time, making this.  I am going to make it into a key rack. 







The last completed project was for my sister Bridget.  I don't think that I have crocheted her an amigurumi.  So while I was surfing the net for my string art pattern, I came across this cute little coffee cup on crochetjp.com.  It is a really quick crochet only three parts, the cup, the coffee, and the handle.  I gave it to her today at our stitch group meeting.  She loved it and now Jennifer wants one. 

I made progress on a couple of my other projects.  Here is the progress on Sam's Socks, Shorts, N Such by Raise the Roof and on my needlepoint Halloween Pudgy.  I have 3 more panels to complete for the Pudgy.  This was a needlepoint kit that I bought only.  There are five panels.  Each month I received a stitching guide and the threads to work on the panel.  Two months of kits completed one panel.  I completed one panel last year at the stitching retreat and started another one.  I want to complete this panel before the stitching retreat so that I will start on a new one at the retreat. 

 Now I don't know about you but I have like 6 bags in my living room and/or office with stuff started.  One of my goals is to only have one bag.  I bought fabric for my sister Jennifer to make a tote bag for me.  It will be a large charm bag with about 4 long pockets and about 4 to 6 square pockets, and a pocket on the side.  The idea is that each long pocket will contain a needlepoint, a cross-stitch, a punch needle, stuff like that.  The square pockets will hold my crochet yarn.  The side pocket will hold the framed project that I would be working on.  I hope that we finish it before our retreat.  I would love to use it as the bag to carry all of my crafts for the week.

Well thanks for stopping by.  I have to go, two of my nephews want me to build a tent in the bed while they watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and the Lego Movie.

Sharon