April WIPocalypse!

First, as promised in my earlier post, here is my quilty-thing.  (This is "sideways" - the top is the left-hand side of the picture.)

It already doesn't quite fit on my little basement table...and I'm planning to add a row to the top and bottom to make it longer.  Right now you can (hopefully) make out the three rows I have started so far - look for the red strips!  The one on the top left, with the skulls and crossbones, should be lined up off the top left corner of the tan map fabric.  So it was decent size to begin with, but the addition of more rows should make it close to twin-sized.  My daughter is just tickled with the fabrics, and I rather like them myself!

Here is the "Wise Old Owl" kit - note the broken threads from where I removed my first attempt at assembly.

Given that neither DH or I got the jobs for which we interviewed on the trip where I bought this, perhaps it is appropriate that I can't get it together properly.  I think the next time I try, I'll 1) use upholstery thread and 2) turn it from the top (instead of the bottom as the instructions indicated).  While this isn't finish-finished, it does fall under my WIPocalypse goal of doing more smalls, so there's that...

And here's a bit of progress on "Family Treasure III."

I wouldn't say I've been ignoring it, but I HAVE been working like mad on that darned owl...plus Just Nan's "Wings" lives by my chair upstairs, and I'd like to get that finished before I go to Celebration of Needlework at the end of the month.

Finally, Measi's question of the month:

Which specialty stitches do you love doing on projects? Which do you dread?

I love Algerian eyelets and Smyrna crosses.  I especially love the Smyrnas when they are done over enough threads and with the right amount of floss so as to look delicate and different - for example, I've done some that called for the stitch to be done over 2 threads with 2 strands of floss, and I felt that they just looked like big lumps of floss when they were finished.  I could barely tell them from a regular cross stitch!

In terms of dread....satin stitches.  I think I pull them too hard, because they always look "lumpy" to me, with thin spots and too-big holes.  I've been told in the past to try a laying tool, which helped somewhat, but they still aren't my favorite.  That could explain why "Wings" is still languishing - all the fairies have satin-stitched skirts!