July 2024 - Summer Vacation and Squeaking in a finish

July was a great summer month - it started with a trip to Michigan to visit one of my best friends. We hadn't been to her cottage on Houghton Lake in two years and it was really nice to go back. We spent a day in Traverse City enjoying a good meal and some great views of Grand Traverse Bay. My daughter has a friend working near there, so we picked her up for the day and both sets of friends had a good time together. 

Morning views from the patio in Houghton Lake

Grand Traverse Bay

We came home, made a quick turnaround and headed to Massachusetts for our family vacation. We visited historic sights in Boston, Lexington & Concord, Salem, and Lowell and then headed to Newburyport and Plum Island for a few days near the ocean. I really enjoyed the history of the area. It was really warm and humid while we were there, so I also enjoyed some time indoors stitching :) 

The Old North Church, famous for "One if by Land, Two if by Sea," Boston

The House of Seven Gables, Salem

Gelato on a warm afternoon in Newburyport

We had about a week and a half home before we traveled south to see my cousin and her family. We made our annual trip to Holiday World and had a great time. We normally go in late May and the weather has been cool the last few years, so it was fun to go in July and spend some more time at the water park side of the amusement park. 

I was able to get quite a bit of stitching in between and on the trips, and made a push to finish up a few things that have been lingering for a while so I'd have a few finishes for this month. 

My one stitching finish for the month is one where I've had the stitching part done for a while, it was just waiting for me to add the buttons. I finally did it one night and I love how this one turned out. I am not sure yet how I'll finish it, but I think it will be a great piece to display around Halloween. 

Spooky Fence by Raise the Roof Designs
Stitched on 32 count. Stormy Night Lugana with a mix of called for an stash threads

My fully finished object (FFO) for this month is also one that's been waiting for a while - I made the "pumpkin" part of it at the end of last year, but didn't have the right color twill tape for the stem. I tried to dye some but it didn't work well, so I kept my eye out and found some great options at Keepsakes when I was in Ohio for Stitch-Con. I think it turned out so cute - the stem is a little fragile, so I will have to store this one with care, but I can't wait to display it in the fall. 

Philanthropic Pumpkin by Hands on Design
Stitched on a scrap of linen with called for DMC threads

My third finish for the month is a crochet piece. I've been working on the Calm Cowl since January and didn't have that much left to finish it up. I have been stitching a few rows at a time for a long time now and decided one night to power through and get it done. I really like how soft this cowl is and look forward to wearing it when the weather cools a bit. 

Calm Cowl (kind of flat) - it's hard to take a cowl picture

Cowl on me (don't mind the t-shirt that doesn't match it at all!)

I did just a little quilting this month, fixing seams on some reindeer blocks I've been working on since last fall. I found that some pieces weren't cut correctly and some of my piecing was off - it has been a good lesson in double checking measurements as you go. I was able to get 5 blocks fixed and had 8 complete by the end of the month. I need 13 in total, so being more than halfway is good. 

At the end of the month, I started a stitch-a-long that goes through the Summer Olympics and I've had a good time selecting different pieces to work on to match the theme of the day. 

Some of the WIPs I've worked on for #stitchthesummerolympics
with @thenaptimestitcher on Instagram

Here are the stats for the month: 

Stash Report with Donna at quiltpaintcreate - no changes from last month, no fabric added or used:

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 16 yards
Net fabric used: 7 5/8 yards

Stitching time report with Kate at Life in Pieces:

28/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting time = 90%

FFO Challenge Projects: 

Stitching Projects - 1 finished, 1 FFO'ed = 41 waiting to be FFO'ed
Quilting Projects - no change = 9 quilts waiting to be finished

In August, I will continue to stitch on WIPs for #stitchthesummerolympics and then plan to do a bit of a finish-palooza. I have 13 WIPs going at the moment and that's a little high for me, so I am hoping to get it under 10. I have several small/mid-sized projects so should be able to achieve that goal. I'd also like to get another quilt on the frame and quilted so that I can keep moving on some of my finished quilt topcs. 

Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you have planed for August. Is summer still going strong or starting to wind down for you?