Summer round up

Every post this year I seem to be apologising for my lack of posting.  As per usual though, there has not been a lack of stitching.  In no particular order, this is what I have been up to since last time.

Firstly the Easter Quadrielle from The Sweetheart Tree.

This came as a kit and is stitched on 28 ct Buttermilk linen with DMC floss.

Here it is made up.

Next The Drawn Thread's Summer Jumble. This was stitched on 34 ct Cafe au Lait Legacy Linen, I think, not the recommended Devonshire Cream linen. it was stitched with the recommended silk floss.

I replaced the Stars and Stripes heart with a butterfly of my own design.

Next up are three Just Nan finishes. Firstly Sherry's Scissor Pocket, an exclusive design for Country Crafts in Colorado.

This was stitched on 28 ct Zweigart Opal Rainbow Dreams Cashel Linen with the recommended DMC floss.

Next is Oakley Owlet.  I stitched this last year. this one is for my mother in law, who took a fancy to my one the last time she came to visit. This is stitched on 32 ct Platinum Belfast Linen rather than the suggested Stone Grey linen with the recommended DMC floss.

The final Just Nan finish is Lorelei Lamb. This was stitched on 32 ct white Belfast Linen again using the recommended DMC floss.

And finally, my last two finishes to share with you. These are both from Shepherd's Bush. Firstly A Full Heart followed by My Home Fob. These are parts one and two respectively of the Shepherd's Fold project. these both came as a kit and are stitched on 32 ct hand dyed linen stone stems with the recommended silks and other floss.

I an eagerly awaiting the next art of this project and some new arrivals from Just Nan.  There are still a few weeks of the school holidays left and I have another two projects on the go, both of these are from Lizzie*Kate. Hopefully I will be able to show you those next time, which, fingers crossed will not be in another four months!

Happy stitching!

Progress since January

So  much for the New Year resolutions! Despite the lack of blogging there has been activity on the stitching front.  This is what I've been up to.

Firstly I have a number of Just Nan finishes to show you. As per usual these are stitched on the recommended fabric with the recommended DMC floss. Lets start with Love Birds Tree, the first in the Charmed Heart Trees series from last year.

When I finished this project my next Just Nan one was Little Princess Snow, one of this year's limited edition ornaments.  Here she is before finishing.

And made up.

My final Just Nan finish was the Porch Garden Mice humbug, again before finishing and then made up.

I finished, but not in time for Valentine's Day, B My Valentine from The Drawn Thread.  This was stitched on 34 count Cafe au Lait Legacy Linen with the recommended NPI and over-dyed silks.

Each of the blocks are just under and inch square, the magnifier was needed to stitch this one!  I will probably finish this as a bell put when I find some suitable backing fabric. I enjoyed stitching this one so much that I decided to start the Spring Jumble also from The Drawn Thread. With it being the school Easter holidays I finished it in three days!

This one was stitched on 34 count white Legacy Linen again with the recommended NPI and over-dyed silks.  I do not have a massive stash of silks. These two projects came kitted up from The Nimble Thimble.  I did frame this myself putting it into a wooden photo frame from Wilkos.  The other Jumbles in the series are the same size so I will swap them in and out of the frame according to the season, when I have finished them.

And finally, some Halloween finishes.  This is the Hocus Pocus Freebie from Shepherds Bush, the chart came free with the button.  They recommended stitching this on 19 count Cork Summer Khaki linen.  I do not have any 19 count anything but I did have some 28 count Summer Khaki left over from another project.  To make this approximately the right size, so the button did not seem too big, I used three strands of floss over three strands of the fabric.  I tried to use the suggested over-dyed floss. Where I didn't have the correct colour I substituted on that was almost there.  Again I framed this myself in another photo frame from Wilkos. This took a day to stitch.

Another project that I will frame myself will be this next one, The Boys are Back in Town, a freebie chart from Just Another Button Company which you get when you but the button pack.

This was stitched on over-dyed linen, the chart suggests 30 count graphite from Weeks Dye Works but I don't think this was the fabric used.  It was stitched in the correct suggested floss with the exception of the spider's web which I did with glow in the dark white thread from Krienik.  I also finished the remaining circular Halloween ornaments from JBW Designs that I had been working on but then photos were not very good so I will need to redo them.

At the moment I have three things on the go, one of which is near completion.  That leaves a space on the rotation, which has gone out the window, and it will be taken by the my latest Shepherd's Bush acquisition! More about that next time, hopefully, and fingers crossed next time will not be in three months!

Happy stitching!

The final finishes of 2013

Yet another two months since my last post! Must do better in 2014.

Again though a lack of posting does not mean a lack of stitching.  In no particular order here are my final finishes of 2013.

Peppermint Snowflakes Tree by Just Nan.  This was stitched on 32 ct Opalescent Raw Belfast linen with the recommended DMC floss.

Again from Just Nan the limited edition Cardinal Tweet also stitched on 32 ct Opalescent Raw Belfast linen with the recommended DMC floss.

I also stitched this Just Nan freebie, Christmas Hearts, as a Christmas present for a friend at work. This was stitched on 32 ct Opalescent White Belfast linen with the recommended DMC floss.

My final Just Nan finish, and was I glad to see the back of this one, was Emma and Eliza's Christmas Hat. Again stitched on the recommended fabric, 28 ct Dark Teal Cashel linen for the tree and 28 ct Opalescent White Cashel linen for the tree skirt, with the recommended DMC floss.  I enjoyed stitching the tree. The tree skirt for some reason, was more of a challenge.  I ended up frogging considerable portions of this not once but four times!  Then to add insult to injury when making it up I realised I had used 32 count linen instead of 28 count, despite checking.  So I had to re stitch it and guess what, made the same errors again, only two lots of significant frogging this time.

Other smaller finishes included these two Christmas ornaments from Shepherd's Bush. I Saw from the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament edition and Santa's Flight from the 2009 edition.  These were stitched on left over bits of 32 ct linen with a mixture of the recommended over dyed floss and the DMC alternatives.

My family ornament for 2023 was Let it Snow from a Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament edition but which one I don't know.  This was stitched on 28 ct Misty Blue Cashel linen with the recommended DMC floss. I forgot to take a photo of these prior to giving them away so I am awaiting a photo to be emailed. I will show it to you next time along with the first finish of 2014.

I hope Santa enhanced everyones' stash this Christmas.  Best wishes for 2014.

Happy stitching!

I'm still here, honest!

OK, so two months since my last post, not good.  I did have lots of good intentions, new school year, post every week.  But along with the new school year came a new job and it's taken up more time than anticipated.  Stitching in the evening has become a thing of the past and the weekends are my only opportunity to get anything done.  Time spent blogging is less time stitching so this blog has been neglected.  However, you'll be glad to know the stitching hasn't!

Last time I posted it was The Drawn Thread coming up next on the rotation. I did manage to make some progress on The Cat's Meow but not as much as I'd hoped as there was some frogging to do.

The noses on the mice are black beads, I think the ones I have used are too big and need replacing with smaller ones.  I have not stitched on this project since the beginning of September.

I have been having fun with some Just Nan ornaments.  Firstly Oakley Owlet

This was stitched on the recommended 32ct Stone Grey Belfast linen with DMC floss.  Here he is made up, sitting on a wine cork so you can see how big he is.

Secondly, Gingerbread Jingle Mouse

This was stitched on the recommended 32ct Antique Almond Belfast linen with DMC floss. Here he/she is finished.

Another Just Nan finish was Christmas Cheer

Again this was stitched on the recommended fabric, 32ct  Zweigart Summer Winds Opalescent Belfast Linen and stitched with DMC floss.  The frame is the one designed for this project.

I also continued stitching the Halloween ornaments from JBW designs and finished them in small frames from Framecraft.

And finally, some Christmas stitching, Poor Robin from Shepherd's Bush.

I'm not quite sure how I will be finishing this one off.

Next week on the rotation it's back to Halloween stitching.  Will I finish the remaining six Halloween ornaments from JBW Designs, who knows!

Anyway I hope it was worth the wait.

Happy Stitching!

Two more finishes!

So my first blogging New Year's resolution went out of the window, to post every week.  In my defence, things were pretty bad at work last week and I had to do quite a lot at home.  Anyway I should be back on track from now on.

At the end of my last post I said that my second week on the rotation world be something from The Drawn Thread starting with the Winter Arbor.  Here is my progress after a week.

So for the third week on the rotation I have chosen to do something by Just Nan. My first choice was Sunny Summer Happy Garden.  This was a cheerful stitch, what with all the bad weather we have been having.

This was stitched on the recommend 30ct Weeks Dye Works Morris Blue linen with the suggested DMC floss. There should be a backstitch border around the project which I left out.

As this was a reasonably quick finish I was able to stitch on a WIP over the weekend so I managed to finish the Creepy Pin Cushion from Shepherd's Bush.

The final week in the rotation is going to be a Christmas project week so it's back to the tree skirt!

First up on the rotation

This New Year I have decided to re-instate the rotation, and stick to it!  So for the first full week of the month I'm going to stitch something with a Halloween theme. I have chosen to do the Lizzie*Kate Halloween Rules Double Flips.  I am going to stitch these all together as one piece as I have the frame for it, a gift from Father Christmas in 2011.  These are being stitched on 32 ct Chestnut linen with the recommended over-dyed floss.  Wast week I managed to complete three of the flips.

I have included the scissors in the photo because when I have seen this project on other blogs it has seemed much bigger than it really is. My next dilemma is what to do about claiming a finish? Do I only claim a finish when all twelve flips are completed or do I claim each one or do I claim two flips as a finish as this is how you buy the charts?  Suggestions please!

At weekends I'm often away from home for one reason or another so I usually take a small project away with me.  This weekend's one also had a Halloween feel, the Creepy Pin Cushion from Shepherd's Bush.

On the rotation for the second week of the month is something from The Drawn Thread starting with the Winter Arbor so progress pics of that next time.

White Nights came back from the framers and is now on the wall.  This is not the best picture but it shows you how big it turned out!

Happy stitching!