Cross Stitch Bonanza #15 : March is Marching Along
Well, I went to the second meeting of the ladies and fiber arts. There was a person there doing traditional latch hook rug making. Not like the kits you can get at the craft store. It requires a lot more love and even dying your own wool. Fascinating. I don’t even know how you would get started with that. But the lady belongs to a guild where they help out newbies. As promised, someone brought me a beginner’s embroidery kit. Along with a booklet with the different stitches and a lamp. I don’t have great light in my room so the lamp will get used. Especially if I go back to working on my Bone Garden project with the dark green fabric. I’m not sure what I’ll work on next actually. I’m feeling at a cross roads. I will discuss that in plans.
Starts
I have an unexpected new start! All the materials came for Eleven Rabbits and I got to work on it. Patterns by Jed X Stitch are now my favorites. I don’t know if that will always be true. For the moment, they tickle my fancy. I didn’t want to wait. I’ve put in about a thousand stitches, I’m taking a break because that dragon is huge! I should have started with the bunnies, And the dragon is appearently a vegetarian dragon so the rabbits are safe.
WIPs
This month in the Catkin and Lillie Patreon community is monochrome March. Were we share our work on monochrome projects. I decided to show my Gothic Bat some love. I’ve neglected it onluy having worked on it for a few days back in October 2025. The pattern is great and the fabric is perfect for this. It is a geometric pattern and I find it kind of tedious to work on. It is the same thing over and over again. I like the look but don’t enjoy the stitching as much. I’ve done enough now that I can work on the center. So, I might start that if I pick it up again. I’m going to put this down for the month and work on other projects.
Plans
I might have two more starts this month. Yipes. I am worried about my WIPs piling up. Especially since so many of them are large projects. This is why I didn’t start a Modern Folk Embroidery this month. The only one that I want to do is gigantic. Larger than most of my other WIPs. One start is small and the other is mediumish. I don’t feel too bad about it. I have project bags ready for both of them.
Spring Start
The firt is a start for the spring equinox. I asked members of the Catkin and Lillie Patreon to join me. Many people said they would start on March 20th as well along with me. That felt really good. Kat and some other people are working on Spring Equinox by Joan Elliot. I’m sure some other Flosstubers might as well.
I’m working on Spring Wellies by Shannon Christine ↗. Didn’t realized they were a designer out of the UK. In the US, we call these rain boots. Not nearly as much fun to say. I like this pattern because it reminds me of spring rain. Which is my favorite time of the yeaer. I love going for walks with my umbrella.
I’m doing it on some 28-count opal lugana that I have in stash.
Raven
I acquired this pattern only this month ↗ a sale. It is also by Yasmin’s Made With Love and is a monochrome. It is similar to my Gothic Bat. This one features a Raven and is in more of a Quaker style. I’ve had trouble deciding on a fabric for it. The model stitch fabric is no longer available. But, i think that I’ve landed on the one that I want. This pattern would look lovely on Purple Koi by BeStitchMe ↗. I purchased some 40-count in this colorway. It might be hard to see black on the dark patches though. I think that I’m okay with that. I do have some alternative fabric choices though if I don’t like it.
Japan Quaker
I’m also going to work a bit on the gift for my best friend. Which is a Quaker with Japanese motifs. I’m hoping to have it done around memorial day for her. It is only about 8,000 stitches and I’ve already started working on it. I think that I can complete it in two months.