Three starts and two finishes!

It's been a busy few weeks since my last post. With a 60s Weekend at 'The Railway' followed by a weeks holiday in Belgium then a few days at home, a couple of days at my boyfriend's followed by a weekend in Scotland.  With all that travelling I've been busy stitching.  Firstly my Belgian holiday stitching was 'In the night' by Jardin Privé. I began when we emerged from the Channel Tunnel in Calais and finished it before we came home.

This was stitched as charted using DMC floss on 32ct opalescent white linen. The only change I made was stitching it with one strand of floss rather than two. For the last twelve months or so I have been framing most of my own work.  This frame came from Wilkinsons and is a 7" x 5"photo frame made out of solid wood. I've used this style frame a number of times and this was my last one. To my disappointment Wilkinsons no longer stock this range so for my next batch of framing I had to buy a different type of frame.  Here it is with 'Trick or Treat'.

And a larger frame with 'Witches Riding By'

It turns out that this range of frames better as the way the back clips on is more secure. So that's the framing over with, back to the stitching. I had a couple of backup projects in my stash bag just in case I finished 'In the night'. The first back up project was the 'Owl Winder Pocket' from Just Nan.

Here it is made up.

This was stitched as charted on 28ct opalescent raw linen with DMC floss. I also started 'Warm Water Wash' from Raise the Roof Designs.

Progress has also been made on White Nights, but not since last week. I hope to continue with this after the weekend.

That's all for now. Happy stitching!

The results are in!

Thanks to everyone who voted in my 'What to stitch over the summer holidays' poll.  The winner was 'In the night' by Jardin Privé. This is now kitted up and in the sewing bag ready to go on holiday, along with another two projects, just in case.

Late last Thursday I put the final stitch in to my Tuscan Gardens II UFO.

This has been a UFO for a number of years. I have the third Tuscan Garden project in my stash, let's hope that when I eventually start to stitch it, it does not have the same fate. I finished the larger Tuscan Gardens I a number of years ago.  I do have two more Christmas themed projects which have become UFO's over the last twelve months, I started stitching on one of those again last weekend. Progress pics on that one next time maybe.

So far this week I have been stitching White Nights. My aim this week is to finish the lower portion of the middle building on the left and right hand side. Here is my progress so far.

I was lucky enough to receive a blog award from Becka, The Stitching Lion, thanks Becka.  At the moment I am not in a position to pass this on, maybe in a few weeks when things are a bit less hectic.

Happy stitching!

Nearly there!

Look at what I managed to achieve after a weekend at 'The Other Railway'

There's not much to do now! I might be tempted to try and complete Tuscan Gardens 2 this this week, wait and see. I would have finished all the cross stitching on this project if I hadn't finished the DMC mini kit snowman.

I've not decided how to finish this off as at 4" x 4" it's a bit too big for a Christmas tree decoration (I don't have a massive tree).  Any ideas?

Last week I managed to complete the sections of the White Nights border I set out to do. I was also able to make a start on the central buildings. here are the border sections before the project was rolled up.

Finally Waxing Moon's Simply Welcome came back from the framers. The frame is a bespoke frame especially for this project.

Thanks to everyone who has voted on my poll on the sidebar. If you have not all ready done so there is still time to vote. more information can be found in the previous post.

Happy stitching

The border is started and help is required.

Last week I made good progress on White Nights. I started and finished the tallest tower. The previous week I completed the other three towers, which only needed the odd stitch and the beads putting on. This is a picture of the first two towers.

Last night I started on the border. My aim, this week, is to complete the small section of border on each side so that I can roll up in order to stitch the large central group of buildings.

There are now only fourteen school days left until we break up for the summer holidays and my mind is turning to holiday stitching.  Some time will be spent on White Nights but I fancy a new start but what?  So, in order to help me choose I'm going to have a poll.

These are the choices.

In the night ~ Maggi Co's Village range from Jardin Privé

Counting Bats ~ Just Nan

Winter Arbor ~ The Drawn Thread

Three Gables ~ The Cross Eyed Cricket

The poll will close on Wednesday 20 July. So please help me out and get voting!

Please register your vote in the poll on the sidebar.

A quick update!

Shock horror almost three weeks since my last post!  however, on the stitching front things have been progressing.  After finishing the Three Tulips Humbug I started Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden, also by Just Nan. what with one thing and another I've had a couple of disturbed stitching weeks so I can't tell you how long it took to stitch. However, I can tell you that the finishing took an evening.  Here is the needle book before finishing.

Here it is made up and inside Lady Scarlet.

The back has a the same design but in a different colour.  Here it is.

Last week I went on a school trip to the University of Manchester. Whilst travelling to and from the event I began a DMC mini kit. I did a little bit more on it yesterday after wearing myself out tiding the garden, on probably the hottest day of the year so far.  The subject of this project?

At 'The Railway' this weekend I was able to put a few stitches into my Tuscan Gardens UFO. There really isn't that much to do on this one and with another 'Other Railway Weekend coming up I have high hopes that this will soon be finished.  This week it's the turn of White Nights. I did make some progress on this last week but not enough to show.  So to finish here is Tuscan Gardens.

Happy stitching!

3 Violets Humbug is finished

This evening I finished 3 Violets by Just Nan.

This was stitched as charted using DMC floss. The fabric should have been 28ct Zweigart periwinkle prism, cashel linen. However, it soon became apparent when I started stitching that The Silver Needle had supplied me with 32ct instead of 28ct so the humbug is slightly smaller than it should be!

So what next?  I have kitted up another Just Nan project which I might start tonight but next week I might go back to White Nights. But then again I might not, as with one thing and another, I will only have two stitching evenings next week.  I might just have to finish my latest start!

All the threes...

So last week, half term here in the UK, there was a slight change of plan.  I went to my Mum and Dad's for a stitchy Bank Holiday Monday and took with me Witches Riding By. I got on quite well and decided to try and finish it during the week, rather than go back to White Nights.  Late on Tuesday it was mission accomplished. Here she is

This was stitched, as charted, with DMC floss on the recommended fabric, 36 count Sand  Edinburgh linen. I took the one over one option with the face and arms, a magnifier was needed for this bit!  As you may know I like to stitch on planes, trains and in the car, not with this project. The 36 count fabric was just too fine, in fact I don't want to stitch on such fine fabric in the future, if I can help it.  Having said that I started, and finished, a new project on Wednesday and what was it stitched on? 40 count gauze!

This was a Rainbow Butterfly Pin from Rosewood Manor. This is the stitched piece.

Here it is in it's mount.

So that you get a true idea of the finished size here it is with my stork scissors.

Next my third finish of the week!  This is Catgirl & Catboy from Jardin Privé. This was stitched on 32 count opalescent white linen.  I stitched this with one strand of Soir d'Alger 3446 instead of the suggested two strands of DMC 310. The other alteration I made was the noses of the cats. I used pink for the girl and blue for the boy. I also made a major error with this piece, but as it wasn't noticeable I left it in.  The two cats are four stitches closer to each other than on the chart, I can't count!

The next three is my latest start,  the 3 Violets Humbug from Just Nan. Most of this was stitched at 'The Other Railway'.  Here's the proof, taken in Bewdley North signal box on The Seven Valley Railway.

This is the progress so far

The thread picker was christened!

As promised here are some update photos of my progress on White Nights this week. Unfortunately I've had to christen the newly manufactured thread picker I showed you last time!  The purple tower did have a roof. It was only when I came to fill in the windows, the last job on the tower that I realised I had missed out a whole row of stitches. Hopefully I will be able to re stitch this before going to bed.

Here is the building on the opposite site.

This weekend is a' Railway Weekend' so stitching will take a back seat until Monday but the good news is that next week is half term so there should be plenty of opportunities for more stitching, probably on White Nights as I feel like I'm on a bit of a role with this one at the moment!

Happy stitching!

More White Nights and a beading project!

At the weekend I was able to finish the beading on the south side buildings of White Nights.  Here it is, turned the 'right way up'.

I was also framed  Little Witch from Shepherd's Bush.

Over the weekend I also started something new. This is Catgirl & Catboy from Jadin Privé's Maggi Co's Village range.

I am stitching this on 32ct opalescent white, the same fabric I'm using to stitch White Nights.
Last night I had a short break from stitching and made this thread picker using left over Mill Hill beads, some other left over beads (the coloured ones) and a #26 needle. I'm quite pleased with the result!

Work continues on White Nights. Progress pics on Thursday.

Happy stitching!