Lori (thornton37814) crosses her x's in 2023

I had a little bit of haul at the end of the year. The two in the foreground were among my gifts from family members. The back right one was purchased at a used bookstore on my way down to my brothers' house for Christmas. I paid $5 for it. I also picked up a couple of older magazines and some charts for 45 cents each. Nice haul for very little. The other two were picked up in a library friends' store when I visited the library for genealogical purchases. The Christmas books were half-price. One was marked $3; the other $1; so I paid $2 total.

Last night I participated in the New Year's Eve 12 x 12 challenges hosted by Kea (who has her own YouTube channel) and Pam of Just Keep Stitchin'. We began at noon and stitched on 12 different projects--one per hour. Some did all new starts; some did all WIPs; like many others, I did a combination. I didn't necessarily make tons of progress on anything with such a short time per project. I had issues such as tangled fibers, stitches I wanted to look better so I ripped out a bunch, etc. I also needed to eat, feed cats, pet cats, etc.

It was an Instagram event with lives at noon, 4, 8, and 11:30. I posted updates each hour. I'll try to post what I worked on here. However, I'm going to try to pull the information together before I post each. I didn't have time to fill it all out in my project journal.

My new year, new start piece will be an older Oberlin Samplers chart called Cincinnati that I purchased last year. I'll try to post a photo of it tonight or tomorrow.

My next post will be my 2023 WIPGO card.

Here's my 2023 WIPGO card.

Here's how WIPGO works. Jessie Marie of "Jessie Marie Does Stuff" calls two numbers using a random generator each month. If the number 13 is called, she calls a third number as many people use that as a free space. The numbers are announced on the 25th of the month before to allow people to gather things, if needed. It's "your board; your rules" otherwise. Most people set their own goals in terms of hours or days. Some people put other things in the slots such as "organize craft room" or "no purchasing for 14 days" or something like that but most people just put projects. A lot of people put projects on more than once. If you finish a project before it is complete, you can mark it out or replace it. (Your board; your rules.)

I'll post here what the monthly calls are:
January: 6 and 10

JANUARY WIPGO COMMENTS

6. "Live on Little" by Plum Street Samplers. The model of this is stitched on a fabric from Fox & Rabbit, an Australian company. The company is having trouble getting the base fabric, and shipping woes around the world slow what does arrive. My LNS doesn't try to stock the fabric. I have everything kitted except the fabric. I hope to purchase it Wednesday at my LNS. I'm thinking I may end up with "Platinum" but I'm going to look at the options and see if something else calls to me when I put my fibers atop it.

10. "Winter Cometh" by Summer House Stitche Workes. I absolutely love this seasonal series. It was on my wish list, but the family didn't purchase it. They did get me a gift card to 1-2-3 Stitch so I could have purchased it there. However, I stopped on my way to my brother's at a couple of LNSs en route. I remembered seeing this pattern at the one in Decatur, Alabama. Since the shop was just barely out of the way coming back, I stopped to purchase the pattern, fabric, and 3 DMC fibers (although I substituted one of those that was browner than the greener tone pictured that I preferred). I also had to substitute fabric as no one can get Lakeside Linens now. I ended up with Flax for it. I liked the shade of the 36 count Flax better than the 40 count so I purchased it even though I'm comfortable stitching on 40 count. It's one of the ones I started last night so you'll see this one as soon as I get my act together enough to make the individual posts.

New Years's Eve 12 x 12 - Noon hour stitch (WIP)



Design: Pot of Gold
Designer: Susan Bates
Source: Cross Stitcher #375 (October 2021): 30-33
Fabric: 28 count Jade Lugana from Picture this Plus
Fibers: all DMC

I discovered that I really should have done more to prepare for the new starts in my New Year's Eve stitching event. If I'd measured, prepared floss, etc., some of them would have had larger starts. None of them had that much progress. Of course, I had cat distractions sometimes. I also had fibers breaking on me with a couple of patterns. I made mistakes (or noticed a stitch that wasn't laying right) that required a little frogging and going back to make it look better on a couple.

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 1 pm (New Start)



Design: Kitty Cat Row
Designers: Marsha Worley and Elizabeth Nowlin (Bent Creek)
Fabric: 32 count raw natural linen
Fibers: Gentle Arts & Weeks Dye Works

Here's a link to what the completed chart should look like: http://www.bentcreek.com/item/Kitty%20Cat%20Row

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 2 pm (WIP)



Design: Joy and Good Cheer
Designer: Brenda Gervais (With Thy Needle and Thread)
Fabric: 36 count flax linen
Fibers: DMC, Weeks Dye Works, Classic Colorworks

Here's a link to show the design: https://hobbyhouseneedleworks.com/products/with-thy-needle-thread-joy-good-cheer...

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 3 pm (New Start)



Design: Bobby
Designer: Kathy Barrick
Fabric: 28 or 32 count baby lotion linen (I didn't write it down, but I seem to recall the color being that.)
Fibers: DMC

I kind of wish I'd purchased the silks when I kitted this one. It didn't use that many, and I'm sure it would be striking.

Here's a link to show the design: https://www.acornsandthreads.com/shop/c/p/Bobby-chart---Kathy-Barrick-x59531436....

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 4 pm (WIP)



Design: Lady Liberty
Series: American Trilogy
Designer: Twin Peak Primitives
Fabric: 28 count vintage country mocha linen
Fibers: DMCs

Here's a link to the design: https://www.twinpeakprimitives.com/product-page/american-trilogy-lady-liberty-1

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 5 pm (New Start)



Design: National Parks Birthday Club
Designers: Amanda Jennings & Ashleigh Anderson of Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
Fabric: 32 count vintage country mocha linen
Fibers: DMC

Here's a link to the design image: https://www.thefrostedpumpkinstitchery.com/products/national-parks-birthday-prin...

My sister-in-law used to cross stitch. A lady who is a resident in the nursing home where she works had a cross stitch that someone started but didn't complete for her. My sister-in-law offered to do it for her, but she had difficulty seeing it so she didn't do well. I picked it up while at their home over Christmas. The back is a "rat's nest" compared to my backs but it's not the worst I've seen. There are counting errors, and I can't wait to get the pattern to a copy machine when I go back to work this week so I can mark what has been stitched. It's really hard when someone else stitched it and their method differs from your own. I'll put this in rotation with a goal of finishing it and mailing it. I really don't think there is enough kitted fiber to finish it without getting some from my stash, but the DMC numbers are there.

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 6 pm (WIP)



Design: God Bless America
Designer: Jerianne Van Dijk (Janlynn Needlecraft)
Fabric: 14 count white Aida from kit
Threads: kitted DMCs

I found an online site that offers the kit so there's a picture there: https://crossstitchwarehouse.com/god-bless-america-2

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 7 pm (New Start)



I'm going to be elusive. This one is my StitchCon small. It will be difficult for someone to know what I'm stitching. I probably won't show progress photos of this one. I hope to finish it early so I can fully finish it and get it ready for the exchange in June. I'll show photos of it and whatever small I get in June. I will say it's an older pattern!

I had put this one away after spring last year. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to stitch until I pulled it out for the event. Fortunately it is on my WIPGO board for 2023.

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 8 pm (WIP)



Design: Berry Patch
Designer: Hello from Liz Mathews
Fabric: 36 count Milk & Honey line from Fiber on a Whim
Fibers: DMC

Here's a link to the design so you can see how cute it is: https://www.fatquartershop.com/berry-patch-cross-stitch-pattern-hello-from-liz-m...

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 9 pm (New Start)



Design: Quilt Shop
Series: Hometown Holiday
Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks
Fabric: 28 count natural linen
Fibers: DMC, Classic Colorworks

Here's a link to the design's image: https://www.fatquartershop.com/quilt-shop-cross-stitch-pattern-hometown-holiday-...

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 10 pm (New Start)



Design: Yesteryear
Designer: Diane Williams (Little House Needleworks)
Fabric: 30 count (possibly the called-for 18th century stone by R & R)
Fibers: DMC

I've had this one kitted for many years. I didn't write down the fabric or the count, but I had to spend time getting the count to figure out what I'd allotted for margins.

(PS - This hour should have been a WIP. I didn't have any other WIPs that I could remember to go in this except for one that I can't find. I don't know what I did with it. I haven't worked on it in years.

Here's a link to a photo of the design: https://www.123stitch.com/item/Little-House-Needleworks-Yesteryear-Cross-Stitch-...

New Year's Eve 12 x 12 - 11 pm (New Start)



Design: Winter Cometh
Designer: Summer House Stitche Workes
Fabric: 36 count flax
Fibers: DMC 823, 926, 3011

I substituted 3011 for the called-for thread because it looks closer to the model color. I wanted to stitch it on the called-for 40 count linen from Lakeside Linens, but the designer quit producing when she had trouble getting the base fabric. The model must have been stitched from stash since it is a 2022 design. I substituted the flax which looks about the color in the photo, but I liked the dye lot better on the 36 count than the 40 count for this design. I may regret using 36 count because now I'll need to stitch the other 3 seasons in 36 count.

Here's a photo of the pattern: https://www.summerhousestitcheworkes.com/shop/winter-cometh

Here's my "New Year, New Start" piece for 2023:



Design: Cincinnati
Designer: M. M. Waldock (Oberlin Samplers)
Fabric: 28 count white lugana
Fibers: DMC

Seems like you were very productive. Sounds like a fun event. I used to do a lot of cross stitch and I loved doing it. But my eyes just aren't good enough anymore (even with extra help). I did buy a pattern last year but I'm not sure when I'll start it.

That's a great haul of books and magazines! And you definitely ended the year on a high with all those projects!

What an interesting/fun event. You certainly have a lot of projects on the go now. As a Cincinnati native, I'm especially partial to the design in >16 thornton37814:.

>17 dudes22: They have so many gadgets now including great LED lights and magnifiers--even ones that fit around your regular glasses--not just the old style ones that are disks under the lights.

>18 PawsforThought: I debated whether or not I wanted to participate. I think my take-away is that I need to be more prepared for it. Of course, I didn't get back into town until the night before and had to decide which 12 projects made it to the event and get the project bags in order. I even cut one piece of fabric in advance. Having a corner gauge did help, but not enough as marking the exact starting point would have. There were some quilters participating too.

>19 lauralkeet: The StitchCon small and the piece I'm doing for my sister-in-law are not on the WIPGO board but they'll be in high rotation the rest of the year. The ones on the WIPGO board will get at least 8 hours this next year and some will be finished. I found that pattern on eBay last year when I was looking for Cincinnati designs. The pattern is marked up a little more than I wish it was, but I'm delighted to own it. It's from a time I lived in Cincinnati so it doesn't bother me that things like "Riverfront Stadium" are on it. I went there many times and seeing it on my board will bring back memories.

In other news, I finally got my 2022 Book of Days marked with all the projects from the New Years' Eve 12 x 12 event. I ordered a purple pen I want to use in the 2023 one so I'm just keeping track of what I work on daily until it arrives. I'm a very disgruntled Amazon shopper now. I pay good money for Amazon Prime, and it's going to take them 10 days to get a pack of pens to me. Fortunately I think I have a set of these at work so I may snag one from it when I go back Thursday and replace it when my set arrives. I purchased those anyway. A non-returning student worker left one of these purple pens on her desk when she departed. I decided to try it for something I needed and loved it. I ordered some of my own because it was coming in handy for that project. It really writes smoothly. I just searched my old Amazon orders for it. I suspect I could probably have found one like it at Walmart or some place like that--perhaps in a set with other colors. If I think, I'll look for a multi-color set when I place my Walmart order this week. It might be fun to use more than purple in the Book of Days. I just wanted something other than regular ink this year.

That's a cool way to approach all your WIPs, Lori!

>22 MickyFine: I didn't really have that many WIPs, but many of them are now technically WIPs after New Year's Eve. Some are just things I already had kitted or partially kitted. A few will be new starts. I haven't really decided which Pine Mountain Pillow kit I want to stitch. I have two or three on hand, but I want a few others, including some of a different style than the ones I own. I may order one of those.

I ran up to the cross stitch shop just to sit around the table and stitch today. (I also purchased one skein of DMC fiber.) It was really busy. Two brand new stitchers were brought in by other customers. It was fun to see the things they'd be stitching for their first solo projects. One customer had the biggest haul of patterns I think I've ever seen someone purchase. Another came in because the two yards of fabric for the design she was going to stitch arrived. One of the usual Saturday crowd was not there because it was snowing at her house. She lives about an hour north of the shop. We always order something for lunch, and someone goes to pick it up. They chose Italian today. I opted for the grilled chicken salad. I think I was the only person not overstuffed later. I think I chose wisely. I ate just the right amount, and this place used only veggies in creating the salad (other than the piece of grilled chicken).

I made really good progress on "Live on Little," which is one of my January WIPGO calls. The owner Sandra was surprised how many stitches I put in. I thought I was stitching slowly in comparison to my usual stitching. I'll try to post a photo either tomorrow or Monday of it and the other piece I'm working on the most. I'll be working on my StitchCon small over lunch at work, I think. I'm probably about halfway through my WIPGO goal time-wise on that piece. I suspect I'll put in additional hours, but I do need to work on some on the project for the lady in the nursing home where my sister-in-law works. (She's in charge of the dietary department.)

I used to love to cross-stitch until my eyes gave out. Some rainy day I must go through my cross stitch patterns to see if there would be any you'd be interested in.

>25 tiffin: That would be nice. I'm putting together some of my stash I know I'll never stitch (or stitch again) to go onto the giveaway table at the StitchCon retreat in June. I probably won't part with some of the designs by favorite designers--at least for a bit. I am trying to gradually downsize as I know I will probably retire to a smaller space.

I kept forgetting to take photos. This shows progress through last night (January 10).



Pattern: Live on Little
Designer: Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers
Fabric: 36 count Affogato by Fiber on a Whim
Fibers: Weeks Dye Works & DMC (substituted 3866 for 822 in the called-for)

Here's one other one in progress:



Pattern: Winter Cometh
Designer: Summer House Stitche Workes
Fabric: 36 count Flax
Fibers: DMC 610, 823, 926

I actually filled in the letters in that brown/green color in the box last night, but this was before I did that.

OK - I think I get it. I had to go back and look at your first couple of posts. So the numbers picked for this month were 6&10. These are the ones in those blocks. So you only work on these two this month unless you finish one?

No. I'm working on a small for StitchCon as well, but like most people, I won't be showing that one until it is gifted. (I think I showed my start in the 12 x 12s on it, but I don't think anyone can identify it from that little bit I did. It's at a point now where it could be identified.) I'm also working on a couple of other pieces this month, but I didn't work on either last week. I'm nearing my goal in terms of hours on "Live on Little." I did make completing "Winter Cometh" the goal. Generally I put an hour goal on larger pieces and a completion goal on smaller ones.

Oh - I see.

Ok I just noticed you're doing 36 count and I'm boggled. So tiny! 18 count has been challenging for me (although the fabric being black hasn't helped).

>31 dudes22: :-)

>32 MickyFine: I like 40 count too, but it's difficult to find right now because they are having trouble getting the base fabric. You do stitch over 2 with the higher counts usually, but many patterns combine over 2 and over 1 stitching nowadays. (I'm not doing any of those, but I anticipate a time when I'll be doing it.) 36 count is about the equivalent of stitching on 18 count (because of the over 2 thing). That said, the fabric does sometimes shrink in the dying process so it will be tighter on an overdyed fabric. I think Picture This Plus' fabric is the tightest. The all-one-color ones are usually pretty easy to see. I think I'll pick up a small piece of 46 count and 56 count fabric when I go to Cincinnati later this year--just to try them. I need to choose a smaller design for both--probably just an ornament of some sort. That will be enough to "give it a go."

Pattern: Live on Little
Designer: Paulette Stewart of Plum Creek Samplers
Fabric: 36 count Affogato (Fiber on a Whim)
Fibers: mostly called-for DMC, Weeks Dye Works, Classic Colorworks; substituted DMC 3866 for DMC 822

I'm just a little over 8 hours on this one which was my WIPGO goal. I can make a nice X on spot 6. I'm enjoying stitching on this so I'm sure it will come out some more this year as I have time. I'm going to focus on meeting my goal on the next one (next post of mine below) which is a finish. When I do that, I'm sure I'll put this one back in rotation. (PS - There is fill-in to do around the stuff in the box and much more above this!)

I continue to also stitch on a small during work which will be used as my StitchCon giveaway piece. I will take photos when I complete and fully finish it, but I will not post those until it has been gifted.

Pattern: Winter Cometh
Designer: Summer House Stitche Workes
Fabric: 36 count Flax (Zweigart)
Fibers: DMC 610, 823, 926

WIPGO goal is to finish this one. I have a little left in this light blue section. Then there are three smaller sections of the other two colors to go. I think the next section only has 3 triangles in the border.

I'll focus on this one at home until it's done and then stitch some on a couple of other pieces, including the Live on Little above.

Thanks for the referral! I'm all signed up and as usual have jumped in with both feet!

Happy crafting, all!

>36 LyndaInOregon: You're welcome! When I saw your post, I thought you'd love our little group!

Oh, those are looking lovely!

>38 scaifea: Thanks. I'm hoping to finish Winter Cometh before the end of the month.

The WIPGO calls for February are 7 and 11.

My #7 is "Cincinnati" by Oberlin Samplers. I'm very much looking forward to working on this one.
My #11 is a project from this year's Nashville Needlework Market which is not held until March. Therefore, I'll just move over to #12 which is "Kitty Cat Row" by Bent Creek and do #11 when #12 is called.

ETA: I ended up just moving the pieces in the squares to make it simpler.

Pattern: Winter Cometh
Designer: Summer House Stitche Workes
Fabric: 36 count Flax by Zweigart
Fibers: DMC 610, 823, and 926
Finished: 28 January 2023

There are 3 more seasonal pieces. I'm trying to decide if I want to do a flat finish on something magnetic where I can swap seasons or if I want to do them as pillows for a dough bowl.

Beautiful work.

>42 mnleona: Thanks. I was really excited when the lady who owned the cross stitch shop here in Morristown until she retired commented on how much she loved that project.

>39 thornton37814:: Maybe you need to do Winter Goeth for the end of Feb.

>44 tiffin: LOL. There is a "Spring Awakens" design.

>41 thornton37814: Beautiful!!

>46 scaifea: Thanksk!

>41 thornton37814: Love this piece! Whenever I see your selections, I want to run and pick up my needle...but then ...I pick up a book instead. Maybe someday I will balance out the demands of my life to work in both passions. In the meantime, I get great pleasure of seeing your work!

>48 beebeereads: It's a great piece. I picked up the spring one last weekend. I hope to work it in with WIPGO calls. I've got to spend some time working on syllabi for a conference. Although the conference doesn't begin until May 31, the "handouts" are due March 1. That's going to cut into my stitching time the rest of this month. I'm hoping for some stitching time during spring break in early March although I'll be putting together materials for those talks then as well as updating a handout and slides for an April presentation. Sometimes life gets in the way of stitching and reading.

>48 beebeereads: - I feel the same way. Although it's been many years since I've done any cross-stitch, I miss it. I did recently buy a pattern to try again, but my eyes ain't what they used to be - as they say.

>49 thornton37814: Yes, work/life balance is so hard to maintain. I thought retirement would ease that, but honestly the to do list changes, but the deadlines remain. Not complaining though. It took me a year or two but I adjusted to retirment and wouldn't change it.

>50 dudes22: For me the hands have failed. I can still stitch, but sitting with a book is less stressful I guess. Life evolves and changes. Embrace the good times!

>50 dudes22: While I was in the cross stitch shop today, we had someone come in to purchase one of those lighted magnifiers. Later a lady came in who was selling her fairly new one, and one of the ladies stitching at our table purchased it from her. I know some people like those magnifiers like Liz wears on the Country Stitchers floss tube.

>51 beebeereads: I think it depends to me on the book. I usually find stitching relaxing. Some books can be tedious while others are quite enjoyable.

Design: Kitty Cat Row
Designers: Marsha Worley & Elizabeth Newlin of Bent Creek
Fabric: 32 count raw natural linen
Fibers: Gentle Arts, Weeks Dye Works
Progress to 5 February 2023 when I met my WIPGO goal for the month.

Design: Cincinnati
Designer: M. M. Waldock of Oberlin Samplers
Fabric: 28 count White Lugana
Fibers: DMC
Progress to 10 February 2023; about 3 hours remaining to meet this month's WIPGO goal

Design: He First Loved Us (free pattern)
Designer: Susan O'Bryant of Sweet Wing Studio
Fabric: 28-30 count mystery linen from Colour and Cotton grab bag; shade is gray with beige undertone
Fiber: Weeks Dye Works Cayenne
Pattern modifications: Pattern called for Weeks Dye Works Crimson and DMC B5200. I wanted the hearts to pop more than the white appeared to pop on the model so I decided to stitch them in all red and opted for Cayenne instead of Crimson.
Began: 11 February 2023
Finished: 12 February 2023

My Birthday Haul
Design: Bristol Berries I
Designer: Erica Michaels
Fabric: 36 count Antique White Linen from Zweigart
Fiber: Soie d'Alger #945
I plan to stitch the sampler featuring the orphanage begun by George Mueller in Bristol, England.

I really need to post updated photos. I'm done with "Kitty Cat Row" except for the colonial knots. I'm hoping to get them put in at the cross stitch shop today. I think I put a few more stitches in on the Cincinnati chart, but not a lot. I've worked on Strawberry Faire for a Stitch Along, and the strawberry will be gorgeous but it sure is "fussy" to stitch. (There are a lot of single stitches where you can't really run your thread under a couple.)

March's WIPGO numbers get called today so I'll find out what my requisite pieces will be for that month. (I've also got WIPGO tied to some books in my TBR stash so I'll find out what I'm reading too.)

I'm really excited about Nashville Needlework Market releases. The shop owners will be visiting and picking up everything we've pre-ordered as well as shop inventory. You can find a good gallery of new designs at Keepsakes, a Cincinnati cross-stitch shop. I've given my list to my LNS (local needlework store). The only thing I might add at this point would be an "exclusive" design--which means it's one that has to be purchased at market and cannot be ordered from distributors--at least for a certain period of time. I added one of those after I placed my order, and I could be adding more.

>57 thornton37814: Keepsakes looks like a great place to visit.

>58 mnleona: It really is a great needlework shop. They've done a good job keeping up with the market releases and posting them.

Design: Kitty Cat Row
Designers: Marsha Worley & Elizabeth Newlin of Bent Creek
Fabric: 32 count raw natural
Fibers: Gentle Arts: Barn grey, Brethren blue, Harvest basket, Oatmeal, Shaker white, Shutter green; Weeks Dye Work: Bark, Hazelnut, Mulberry, Onyx, Seaweed, Pecan
Design finished: 25 February 2023. (It was done except for the colonial knots on 21 Feb 2023. I needed some help with those because mine kept falling through. It took several attempts, but I finally got the hang of them after the cross stitch shop owner helped me.)
Special note: My cross stitch owner found a free chart the designer issued years ago that adds 21 buttons to the design. I may purchase a couple buttons a month until I have them all, but I didn't want to spend about $40 in buttons right now. I think it would be cute with them.

This is a WIP (Work in Progress). I'm stitching it for the Strawberry Faire Stitch Along hosted by "Helen D."

Design: Strawberry Faire
Designer: Robin Sample of October House Fiber Arts
Fabric: 36 count Antique white linen by Zweigart
Fibers: Classic Colorworks: Lemon Grass, Persimmon, Chocolate Mousse; DMC 165, 407, 815, 3033, 3348, 3781, 3831

I'm using the "fancy floss" for the same fibers Helen D. is (and DMC for the ones where the variegation of the fancy floss really won't make a lot of difference because of the way the design is) although I had to substitute chocolate mousse for brown hen because of availability at the time I ordered it. My cross stitch shop had brown hen, but after comparing the two, I decided I could get by with the chocolate mousse and didn't need to purchase brown hen. (It will go on a bird to the right of the strawberry.)

love the cats and the strawberry.

>62 al.vick: Thanks!

I don't know how I missed this thread, but what a lovely collection of work (finished and unfinished). I especially like "The Winter Cometh"....

>64 avaland: Thanks! I'll be uploading the finished Strawberry Faire this weekend. I finished it yesterday.

I failed miserably at keeping this thread up last year. I've stitched all year long. I will try to catch you up on at least some of my finishes after I get my 2024 thread up tomorrow. I'm hoping to finish something tonight. I will begin two big projects tomorrow. One is my official "New Year, New Start" and is a sampler that was an exclusive to the Homespun Needleworkers Facebook group. ("Mary Gypson" by Whilst Iris Naps) The second is a stitch along (SAL) that the local group of cross stitchers that meets at the library is doing. It's "Pandemic" by Long Dog Samplers. I'll post a link to my new thread when I start it.

My 2024 thread is here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/356830