July 2023 - Vacation, lots of finishing, and some stash usage

Our July started with a big trip - we took a family vacation to the Pacific Northwest, spending 10 days in Washington and Oregon. It was a really great trip and we saw so many wonderful places. We lucked out with perfect weather, great accommodations, and good food at every stop. The trip included a weekend in central Oregon so that I could attend the Sister's Outdoor Quilt show for the second time (my mom and I went together in 2008). And our time in Portland included a stop at the cross-stitch shop Acorns and Threads - wow, what a shop! Here are a few highlights from the trip (the pictures loaded in the opposite order as we took them). 

Deception Pass State Park in Washington

Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show

Mount Hood Lavender Farms

Mount Rainier

The Space Needle in Seattle

Once we got home, we slept (thanks to a red eye and jet lag, it took us a couple days to get back to normal!) and I spent time in my basement. I had big goals to do some cross-stitch finishing this month and I am happy to say I achieved them. I ended the month with 5 new FFOs (fully finished objects) and hit my goal for the year (24 FFOs) with the last one! I can't believe I hit my goal in July, now it will be fun to see how many more I finish before the end of the year. 

Christmas Joy ornament by Praiseworthy Stitches - this is a kit I purchased at Needlework Market and stitched during StitchMaynia - it was a fun finish and I can't wait to hang it on the tree! Stitched with kit linen, thread and beads.

Dahlia by Mill Hill - I stitched this one on the kit perforated paper with the called for thread and beads last year - I finished it just like it shows on the kit picture, with a white Mill Hill frame and
the butterfly button glued on the front. 

Polar Opposites by Mill Hill - another kit finish, this one on Aida with kit beads and threads, framed in a dark blue Mill Hill frame - this one's a little older, stitched in 2018. 

She Believed She Could by Lizzie Kate, stitched on a mystery linen, I think 28 or 32 ct and a pretty light green with called for threads (except I changed the words to be all one color - they were charted in two colors but I didn't like how that looked). I made this one into a flat fold with three color twisted cording (the first time I made it!) made from
DMC Perle Cotton.

Sunshine House by Little Stitch Girl, stitched on 28 ct. Flax linen with called for threads. Finished on a decorative piece from Hobby Lobby (with a magnet). 

I also had three stitching finishes this month - the first was a piece I started on vacation and finished the day after we got home. This was a really fun stitch and I enjoyed using Aida I dyed Denim Blue. I changed a few of the threads to make it look better on my fabric and to make the cardinals a better red, all with DMC threads. 

Prairie Birds - Cardinal by Prairie Schooler, stitched on 18 ct. hand dyed (by me) Aida

The second stitching finish was Sunshine House which you've seen above - it was great to get this finished and FFOed in July! 

I also finished a project that I've been working on all year (on and off). This is National Parks Birthday by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and it was a Christmas present from my mom. I really enjoyed stitching this one and made two of the park rangers into my nieces, who both worked at National Parks in South Dakota during college. It was so fun to add a little personalization to this piece. It is stitched with DMC Threads on 25 count Natural Pearl Linen that I loved - I have since learned that it isn't made anymore but hope to find some at a shop or on a destash group as I would really enjoy stitching with it again. 

In addition to all the stitching, I spent a little time doing some sewing and quilting. I am making the Delightful Duffel for my daughter as a graduation/off to college gift and it was high time to get it started! In the last weekend of the month, I got it cut, fused, quilted and then subcut into the individual pieces to be assembled. I am working on it over the next few weeks as I have to have it finished before we head out in mid-August! 

All the pieces ready to go!

Fusing the fabric to the interfacing with my Cricut heat press (love this tool!)

The quilted piece

All cut out and ready for assembly!

All in all, it was an action packed month with travel, stitching, finishing, and quilting - in addition to work, teaching a new driver (my son), and a visit from the cousins. 

Here are the stats for those who like to follow along: 

Stitching time report with Kate at Life in Pieces: 25/31 days for 81% 

Stash report with Donna at quiltpaintcreate: 

Fabric added this month: 0 yards

Fabric used this month: 5 yards (all for the bag)

Fabric added year to date: 6 1/2 yards

Fabric used year to date: 13 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 6 5/8 yards

FFO Challenge tracking: 

Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -5 FFO = 38 projects waiting to be FFO'ed 

Quilts: 11 quilts waiting to be finished (no change from last month)

Wishing you all a great August - thanks for reading!