WIPocalypse Stitching with the Peepers

The weather was unseasonably summer like and the peeper chorus was loud even through closed windows.  Here is the progress that the peepers inspired.

I can never get the cloth color right in the pictures.  This is stitched on 32 ct. Waterlily linen with HDF silks.

The before picture:

The after:

I had hopes of finishing as this is just below the half way point but my small attention span too me back to canvas.  

I restarted the Laura J. Perin Lilac Collage - this time on the canvas called for in the chart.  More on that later.

In Search of More Old Pieces for WIPocalypse

Strangely, it was kind of sad to finish off the old Dragonfly row.  I'm thrilled it is finished but I am also a little sad.  It has been in the WIP pile for a VERY long time.

It wasn't alone.   I went diving into my old WIPS for some more contenders. 

Crossed Wing's Warblers 2 Bellpull.

 The cloth is actually a mocha color which my camera never seems to pick up.  I don't know anything beyond point and click so it's most likely me not setting something properly in it.

At least 1 have 1 bird to show for 10 years "work."  This is 32 ct. Mocha Belfast, worked with 2 strands of Anchor.  I used the Anchor conversion printed on the chart - which can sometimes be quite funky in pattern contrasts.  I went through a thread phase inwhich I was converting everything to Anchor.  The results were more vibrant but with not always the best shading results.

I have since become more lazy and just work with the ever more discreasing quality DMC on projects when I can't afford the high quality relatively inexpensive (for silk) HDF silks on conversions.  I still think Anchor is the better, stronger cotton fiber over DMC but it is tougher to find and the conversions can be problematic.

This is as far as I got on bird 2 because I thought I made a mistake when I couldn't find my place but after I frogged then restitched, I discovered that I had it right the first time just that my brain couldn't figure out where I should have started in again.  

The gray birds get a little depressing so this wip didn't stay out long.

I have since taken out my version of Ink Circles Croakworth & an old Lu Fuller kit whose cloth I switched out to a 40 ct.  Pictures of those next time.  If I can find my Quaker Go Away Banner, I will take pictures of that, too.  I was more in the mood to work on that than Croakworth but one Quaker style isn't that much different from any other.

WIPocalypse: Dragonfly Quilt Row A FINISHED!!!

Granted, it wasn't that large and it shouldn't have taken 10 years (or thereabouts) but it is finished.  It could have been finished years ago if I had only kept picking it up but I didn't.  I didn't even LIKE working on it at several points.  

I have loved every minute I have worked on it since picking it up for the WIPocalypse and the 2012 HAEDless stitching challenge.  It is done.  Scary part is that I'm tempted to now start another row instead of picking up another old piece to finish off.

Here are some closeups: 

 This is block 4.  The directions recommended putting some pottery shard or something like that in the medallion.  In a past medallion on MW's Bluebell mini, I put in a small crystal.  I couldn't conveniently find one I liked for this so I just stitched in the attribution information.

Some pictures of the border.