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!

White Nights Update

It's unusual for me to post twice in a week but I'm so pleased with my progress on White Nights that I have decided to share it.  The south side buildings are finished, with the exception of some beading and three Algerian eyelets. Here is the full view.

This is a close up of the centre portion.

This weekend is a non railway weekend. I might start something new or I might continue with Witches Riding By.  Next week I'm going to continue with White Nights.

Weekend Stitching

This weekend was spent at 'The Other Railway' and involved a very early start, 05.15 on Saturday morning, but it was light, so I was able to start stitching as soon as we hit the motorway. Well to be correct start frogging! I had a bit of a bad week on Waxing Moon's Welcome having to frog the M and the E with their connecting vine. That error was quickly rectified and then I noticed that I had stitched the centre heart in the wrong place. That was the early morning frogging job.  Anyway, the heart was re stitched and the lazy daisy garland completed all before elevenses.

The bespoke frame for this project is waiting at the framers so i will post another photo when it is framed.
I spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday stitching Witches Riding By from Lavender Wings. There's still quite a lot to do on this one but I hope it will be finished soon. I was going to continue stitching on it this week but as I have four evenings to myself I'm going to go back to White Nights.  Here is how I left Witches Riding By.

Happy stitching!

A finish and a start

This bank holiday weekend I finished Trick or Treat from Shepherd's Bush.

This came as a kit. The fabric is 32ct lambswool linen and the floss is a mixture of Soie D'Alger and Mori silks.  The moon button is really great, here's a close up.

The new start is Simply Welcome from Waxing Moon Designs. This is my progress so far.

Happy stitching!

Spring Frills is finished!

The Easter weekend was a railway weekend with a differnce. Good Friday was spent at the Seven Valley Railway, to be known from now on as 'The Other Railway' where the new BF is a signalman.  Saturday and Easter Sunday were spent at 'The Railway' which is actually the Llangollen Railway in North Wales. The BF went back to ' The Other Railway' on Easter Monday whilst I went to my mum's.  So over the weekend I was able to do quite a bit of stitching, finishing Just Nan's Spring Frills humbug. Here it is before it was 'finished'.

Here is the humbug made up.

This week I have continued stitching Trick or Treat from Shepherd's Bush.

I'm hoping to finish this over the Royal Wedding weekend and hopefully make another new start, fingers crossed.


Holiday Stitching

On Friday 1 April we broke up for the school's 'Easter Holiday', more appropriately renamed the 'Spring Holiday' as we have gone back to school before Easter has happened.

Time was spent between home, my BF's home, 'The Railway' and our holiday destination. Anyway, good excuse to start something new!  Although at 'The Railway' my Tuscan Gardens UFO did get some work done on it.

The first, yes first, new start was Just Nan's Spring Frills Humbug.

Now because this involves quite a few floss colours it was not suitable for taking abroad, well that's my excuse, so my holiday stitching was Trick or Treat from Shepherd's Bush.  The holiday consisted of flying to Munich and staying there for two nights then travelling by JetRail to Budapest for a three night stay before flying back home.  Although I had my stitching with me I didn't do any on the flight out. The first opportunity I had was on the train journey between Munich and Budapest, which lasted seven hours.  But disaster, so so it seemed, I had forgotten to pack a hoop!  Luckily Trick or Treat is stitched on Permin linen, which, if anyone has used it, is like stitching on cardboard so I was able to stitch 'in hand', not my favourite method. Anyway the results don't look too bad.

Here are a few photos from the holiday. Firstly Marienplatz in Munich followed by the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest and the view from Budapest's Citadel.

I hope everyone has a great Easter break.  I'm off to try and finish my two new starts!

Happy stitching!