TUSAL #3 and Wipocalypse #3 ...

Just sat down to do a belated (yet again) post and realised how long it has been. I am sorry for the lack of posting, but I am back now. Just had a few crazy weeks, so did not get much time to update anything (not just my blog). Sadly, I also have been stitching less and less. I blame the doll making personally.

Dolls you ask, it is a small project mum and I have been working on. She is in charge of the cutting and sewing them up, I am in charge of needle sculpting, face drawing, and hair at the moment. I am currently sewing hair on strand by strand, which I am estimating is taking me 15-30 hours per doll. I am almost finished the second. I will definitely time when I begin on the third to get a better number. Hopefully, I will feel confident to share some photos in my next post.

Anyhow, onto the updates, TUSAL:

last month

last month next to year so far 

2014 including last month

And Wipocalypse update seen me stitching:

Christmas Candle:

January 2014

March 2014

Oh dear, I felt I was doing great progress until I put these two pictures next to each other. Quite a few nights went into this one!

Lean on Me

February 2014

March 2014

It is not very noticeable but I have completed all the backstitching in light grey. Onto dark grey next.

QS Literate Dragon

February 2014

March 2014

March 2014

The project that has seen the most of the stitchy hours input. 

I am participating in a 2014 HAED goal challenge over at their official forum board. The goals I set myself for the year are:

• Complete page 4 on Christmas Candle
• Stitch approximately a page on QS Literate Dragon
• Start and stitch 1 page on QS Poisonous Beauties

QS Poisonous Beauties will hopefully be my next start. I had the needed threads back since I purchased DMC for the dragon, but I decided to try some pregridded fabric for the project, which has recently arrived. More on that in the Stash update later in the month. 

Speaking of the delivery ... I have also bought the needed threads for some other projects, including the Margaret Sherry SAL I am participating in this year. The bigger question is: why do I sign up to so many things?

Also I solemnly swear that I will limit my spending on cross stitch and other craft supplies even further, as I am beginning to save up for a new printer. I know, there is nothing technically wrong with my current one. But once you spend about £160 in ink cartridges (and that is just the last 2 months or so and I do search for online bargains and rarely buy them full price) you realise that an inkjet printer is only suited for those that print less than I do. Laserjet is the way forward and although costs 5 times more to get, and ink cartridges same, it prints about 10 times more according to google. So not only I think this will be a great investment ... it will also be good to the environment (less cartridges and packaging material wasted). The problem is I need somewhere between £100 - £300 to get one, and then I'd guess about £200 for ink. The total comes higher than my standard monthly salary, most of which goes to pay bills, food, student loan ... So onto saving, and I do hope it will take less than a year to come up with this money. 

Anyhow till soon,

P.S. Thank you for all your lovely comments, sorry if I did not get around to personally responding to all of them.
P.P.S. To be updated with the photos of where I like to stitch.