Mischievous March - all four National Parks finished!

Hello all!

As you know, Mischievous March is one of two mini new start binges I like to have each year with the aim of starting - and finishing - four projects during the month.

My track record for actually finishing them has not been good, with only 1/4  and 3/4 finished from 2021 and 2022 respectively.

This year however, by dedicating the majority of the month to these new starts, I amazed even myself and have now finished all four - yes, all four - pieces; three during March, and one in April. And here they are:

But I didn't stop there.

I continued on and backstitched a frame around each one and then added the name of the park - the former because I thought the stitching might look better framed, and the latter to remind me which park is which! The picture is backstitched in two strands and the name in one. I did think about stitching all of the names and frames in brown or black or dark grey to keep them consistent, but decided that picking out one of the darker colours from each design would be better. So here are the designs as they look now:

Grand Teton National Park by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Started - 4th March 2023

Finished - 8th March 2023

Total stitching time - 13 hours 35 minutes

Grand Canyon National Park

Started - 11th March 2023

Finished - 17th March 2023

Total stitching time - 13 hours 25 minutes

Rocky Mountain National Park by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Started - 18th March 2023

Finished - 24th March 2023

Total stitching time - 13 hours 35 minutes

Hot Springs National Park by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Started - 25th March 2023

Finished - 16th April 2023

Total stitching time - 13 hours 55 minutes

For designs of only 40(ish) by 45(ish), I'm really impressed with the detail, especially from a distance. I'm pretty certain these will not be the only four designs out of the 63 I will stitch!

But, as you know, I'm now in the full swing of my April A-Z Challenge, so my concentration is elsewhere for a while.

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #4 - Hot Springs National Park

Hello there!

My goodness! This has just been the final weekend of Mischievous March; where has the month gone?! 

For the final start I chose Hot Springs National Park (column 4 row 5) as I fancied stitching a waterfall, albeit a small one!

Hot Springs, located in Arkansas and covering an area of just 22.5km2, was designated a National Park in 1921. It had been the first 'Reserve' to be created in 1832 and until 2018, when Gateway Arch NP was created, had been the smallest National Park. Here's my start over the weekend:

Hot Springs National Park from 63 US National Parks by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Antique White aida

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 40 minutes

I've had a really good month of starts and stitching, but now it's time for a change. My next post will reveal something completely different for April.

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #3 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Hello again!

Week three already, and this week I chose to start Rocky Mountain National Park (column 8 row 2).

Rocky Mountain was designated a National Park in 1915 and covers 1,076km2 in Colorado. The colours and design are similar to Grand Teton, but different enough to keep it interesting. Here's my weekend start:

Rocky Mountain National Park from 63 US National Parks by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Antique White aida

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 15 minutes

Like previously, I won't give away how much of last week's Grand Canyon I completed before starting Rocky Mountain, but will say it's been a very successful month so far ;)

I'll be back next Monday with the fourth and final MM new start, although there will be a surprise post between this one and that!

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #2 - Grand Canyon National Park

Hi all!

For week two of Mischievous March I chose what is probably the most famous natural land formation in the US, the Grand Canyon (column 9 row 6).

Grand Canyon National Park, covering an area of 4,863km2 in Arizona, was designated a National Park in 1919. I chose it more because of its famous status than the design, although do like the blend of the sepia sky with the orange and claret rock. Here's my start over the weekend; only five rows away from reaching the bottom:

Grand Canyon National Park from 63 US National Parks by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Antique White aida

Stitching time to date - 4 hours 10 minutes

I won't give away how much of last week's new start, Grand Teton, I completed before starting this one, but wonder if I can achieve the same before starting the third one next Saturday ;)

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #1 - Grand Teton National Park

Hi all!

Welcome to Mischievous March 2023!

After saying I had no real plans for 2023, the temptation for Mischievous March began to creep in and I could no longer resist!

For those who don't know, MM is a mini new start binge, aimed at containing that new start craving by starting four 'small' projects during the month - one each weekend - and posting about them the following Monday.

My track record at actually finishing these new starts is not that good though, as I still have one from 2021 and three from 2022 to complete. But this year I am dedicating March almost exclusively to these four new starts so, with any luck, they should also become four finishes.

The projects I have chosen are all mini landscapes of US National Parks by TeenyWeenyXStitch on etsy. Although there are some I'm not so keen on, I thought they were all quite detailed for their size (roughly 40x45). Here's TeenyWeenyXStitch's collage of 60 of the 63:

The first National Park I chose, simply because I like the scene and the colours, was Grand Teton in Wyoming (column 1 row 3). This park covers an area of 1,300km2 and was designated a National Park in 1929.

Because I made Saturday a stitching day, I achieved a huge amount over the weekend:

Grand Teton from 63 US National Parks by TeenyWeenyXStitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Antique White aida

Stitching time to date - 8 hours 5 minutes

So far so good then. Fingers crossed this will become a finish before the second new start next Saturday.

Take care,

Rachel x