Progress at last

Having been in a stitching slump for the last few weeks things appear to have turned a corner!

This week I achieved my goal of completing the bottom two corners that make up part 6of White Nights. Here is a close up of one of them.


This is what the whole project looks like, probably for the last time, as the next time it's on the rotation it needs to be rolled up.


I managed to finish both corners by Thursday evening so I was able to stitch on something else. I decided to finish the Just Nan Winter Hearts Humbug. This is what it looks like before it is made up.


This is a bad photo of the finished humbug. I'll try and get a better photo in natural light next week.


Have a great stitching weekend.

Stitching slump?

Yet again, as anticipated, next to no stitching was done last week. A small amount, and I mean very small amount, was done on The Green Santa.


This weekend was a 'Railway Weekend'. I was guard on the train on Saturday so no stitching was done on Yoyo's Christmas Design SAL and I was training in the signal box on Sunday so no stitches were added to my UFO. Here is the progress I have made on this so far.


This week I'm hoping that nothing will get in the way of a good stitch. White Nights is back this week and I'm working on the bottom corners. Next week I will be starting something new. For those of you who like surprises don't look at the next photo.

Next week's new start is...


'Tea with honey' from Just Nan.

Happy stitching!

Hiding from Thanksgiving!

I confess, what with one thing and another, no progress was made on The Green Santa this week but it is on the rotation for next week. However, with a busy week coming up at work it's another fingers crossed job for that particular project.

I have managed to do some stitching on smaller pieces. Another Secret Needle Night project was started and finished. This one is called Hiding from Thanksgiving!


The turkey, in disguise, is my favorite and so has a photo all to himself.


With the imminent release of the next Just Nan Spring Humbug I thought I'd better get a move on and stitch the Winter one. This is all stitched up with the recommended floss. Some of the beads have been attached but not all.


Having done 'school stuff' for the last six or so hours I'm off to have a shower and hopefully later on I will be able to put some stitches into my Christmas ornament for Yoyo's Christmas Design SAL' another project which has also been woefully neglected.

Happy Stitching

TUSAL and two finishes!

Firstly here is this month's picture of my ort flask. As you can see it was enjoying the sunshine amongst the spring flowers in the garden.


Last week on the rotation it was the turn of Barnabee's Quest. It's finished! I've started to make this into a bell pull but still have a little way to go before it is finally finished.


This is an out of focus photo of the whole thing.


Having had such fun with The Crazy Carrot, last post, my Mum gave me another Secret Needle Night project to do. I think this one is called 'The Haunted Hideaway on 13th Avenue'. I stitched it as charted but added a glow-in-the-dark ghost in the window and by the fence. The ghost is based on the one from Just Nan's Fraidy Frog. I also gave the cat green glow-in-the dark French knot eyes. I'm probably going to finish this as a cushion cover, but then again can a girl have too many bags?



This week on the rotation it should be The Green Santa. As yet not a stitch has gone into him. Maybe I will be able to report some progress in my next post!

Happy stitching!

The Crazy Carrot!

Over the Easter Weekend I stitched The Crazy Carrot, February's design for Secret Needle Night from The Silver Needle.

Here it is stitched up.

This really is a bright design and used lots of different types of floss, the likes of which we don't see in the UK. Once stitched, the problem was what to do with it? I had a go at making a book bag.


The fabric is suede effect and very thick. I'm not too happy with the way the handles went on but it will do for now, until I find something else to do them in.

Happy Stitching

The first Biscornu of 2010 and other stuff

The other evening I finished the Anniversary Biscornu, the first biscornu finish of 2010. First there is a photo of the underside and then one of the completed biscornu with my stork scissors so that you can get an idea of the size. The usual mirror shot will be in the sidebar. This took over an hour to make up!




Yesterday, with snow falling, we took a trip to Harrogate. During the journey I was able to stitch Just Nan's Fraidy Frog from the 2009 Halloween issue of Just Cross Stitch.


This week has seen White Nights back in the rotation. I have managed to complete two more houses. Tonight I will do a little more work on the corners, well that's the plan.


Happy Easter!

WIP update and a finish.

As I predicted in the last post not much progress was made on the Green Santa last week, but at least, some progress is better than no progress.


We went to 'The Railway' this weekend so I had an opportunity to work on my handbag stitching project, the Santa tree skirt being too big to take with me. This is the Anniversary Biscornu from Just Nan. This biscornu is a shop exclusive for Country Crafts in Greeley, Colorado and has been in the stash since last June. This is the first side completed.


The fabric is the suggested 28ct Zweigart Opal Rainbow Dreams Cashel Linen. The dimensions of this biscornu are 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches.

I managed to finish the cross stitching on my third ornament for Yoyo's Christmas Design SAL.



And finally... my Dad finished his Poppy Screen from Millennia Designs. This is a massive project as you can see from the photo here. The only place big enough to show it off is the stairs, hence the funny angle of the photo.

A finish and frogs!

Yesterday I finished Open House!


This was stitched as charted with DMC floss on28ct lilac cashel linen. The buttons are from Just Another Button Company and are the ones suggested. The only button I've missed off is a pumpkin one which covers the stitched pumpkin by the steps. I have the companion piece to this, called Three Gables but I will not be starting it until the summer. Here is what it will look like. I will be doing mine on the lilac linen.


My next spooky stitching project is going to be this.


This piece is called Witches Riding By and is from Lavender Wings, it was a Christmas present from 'The Other Half'. It is stitched on 36ct linen using two strands of floss. I've not stitched on this count before. Will two strands make the work look bulky? Two strands have to be used as some of the colours are blends. So do I go with the 36ct or change to something bigger? Any advice would be appreciated.

I thought I would give you an update on my UFO. Michael Powell's Tuscan Gardens ll.


The backstitch really does make a difference. Next week it's back to the Green Santa. However, I know some evenings are going to be taken up with school stuff as it is the last week of term so I'm not expecting to get as much stitching in as normal.

Finally, spring has arrived and the pond is full of frolicking frogs!

TUSAL

Here is this month's picture for the Totally Useless SAL.



The threads are starting to go up the neck of the flask, but there is still plenty of space in the flask itself, maybe I should shake it?

This week's dilemma is what to stitch! Should I carry on with Open House, and hopefully finish it, or do the Santas? Strictly speaking it should be White Nights but we break up for Easter next Thursday so I'm going to do that during the first week of the holidays so that I can stitch on it during the day as well as the evenings to progress Part 5 a bit more.

Open House is almost there

This week I stitched on Open House. There's not much to do now, only the leaves, the gate and the white parts.