Not Much To See Here.......

Just about squeaking in with a November post, but as the title suggests there isn't much to show stitching wise for the passing of November!  When I did stitch (mostly last week whilst off work), I finished the first part of Band Sampler and being made up of smaller motives it made for a fun stitch:



40ct with DMCs

 

I've made a start on the second part as you can see, but I doubt I will finish this one by the end of the year, especially knowing how little I've been stitching these last few months.  It was only an arbitrary thought anyway, so the world will not implode if it gets carries over to next year.

 

I did buy a new chart (shock horror!) - it was one I had admired for a while but wasn't available in the UK so I contacted the lovely Karla and she got it in for me.

 

I did think about having another stash clear out but have decided to put it off until Spring to see if I still feel the same and don't do anything I would regret later!  I haven't lost my stitching bug, I still enjoy it when I do pick it up, but there are other interests that I want to pursue and focus on when I have spare time which would be of greater benefit to me shall we say.

 

I'm still looking forward to starting my planned new projects in January - they might be the only projects I end up stitching for the whole of the year, but stitching with AVAS silks on 40ct linen will always be a joy regardless of when I pick it up!

 

Happy Stitching!

OAAT October

It seems that of late I've turned into a OAATer, who would have thought it! I decided to stick with Stéphanie until she was finished, here is what she looked like at the start of October and for most of the month actually as I didn't pick my stitching up for a fortnight......

 

 

After a lot of over 1 darning on 40ct.......
 

 

 

I was considering having a new start after a brand new chart dropped through my letterbox, but I gritted my teeth and kept on darning.......

 



 

 

 

Until the happy event on Sunday evening when she was finally finished!

 

 

 



I'm really pleased with the finish, considering it is made up of two of the most common and simple embroidery stitches (cross and running) I think the end result is very effective!

Speaking of darning samplers, I've decided that I am going to part ways with Antje Reints.  I still love darning samplers and plan on doing more, it's just that stitching time is short and I need to be stitching on projects that really float my boat.  I wondered what I would do with the fabric, as I had started the central darning cross in the middle and then inspiration struck!  I will use it as my doodle cloth for next year!  At 36ct it's the perfect count to practice any new stitches and I might even make it my practice to add all the different stitches I'll be using, old and new, to it.

That leaves one WIP left to finish before the end of the year and I will be very happy to get back to it.  This is where it stands at the moment:

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into another OOATer!  While I was off work last week, as well as darning my heart out, I also prepped my projects for my January starts for next year.  I have to be in the mood for kitting and cutting so I struck while the iron was hot.  I decided to treat myself to AVAS silks for the Darlene O'Steen sampler that I plan on starting, but more on that next time as I think there have been enough photos in this post!

 

Happy Stitching!

2017 Needlework Musings......

This is going to be one of those posts that is more for my benefit than my poor readers.  So if you aren't in to plans and general rambling, feel free to skip...........:)

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I think it's fair to say that I am one of life's planners!  My stitching is pretty much wrapped up for 2016, so that's when I start to think about what I want to do in 2017.  What I want to stitch is easy, how I'm going to achieve it, well that's another story!

So as for the what, here's a little selection of next year's projects:

 

 

 

I'll be stitching projects from both of the books and treating them as "learning projects" as a way of improving my stitching techniques, reading around the subject and generally enjoying immersing myself in a project.  I'm looking forward to the Hardanger and using entirely new-to-me-threads that thanks to a specialist lacemaking and tatting shop I was able to source online in the UK.  I'm still wavering on which of the samplers in The Proper Stitch to go for.  Being a Tudor nut, I'm thinking maybe I should go for the Tudor Rose Sampler but the other two samplers are beautiful too.

 

Alongside that will be more samplers including a piece I have wanted to stitch for about five years by Reflets de Soie.  It's a redwork sampler to be stitched using the AVAS silks and flax linen in the left hand side of the photo along with a bit of ribbon work.  At 250 x 400 stitches, I'm hoping the bands of letters will be a soothing stitch to possibly last the year.  Then there are the other samplers pictured which will be stitched on high counts of linen probably using Nina's gorgeous threads.

 

Once again it will be stitching from stash which is what I have basically done for the past two years.  The only exception would be completing my collection of Nina's silks and cottons and buying linens as and when I need them. My Pinterest board is so full of the many patterns in my stash that I want to stitch that very few on my wishlist make it much further than that these days!

 

Now for the how.........  I no longer have the time and energy I used to have to stitch.  I'm okay with that, after all my life amounts to more that the number of stitches I make and the stash I buy (or don't buy in my case!).  This means that when I do get a chance to stitch, the project has to tick all the right boxes - otherwise I feel I just as well sit making random stitches in a piece of linen to no end and to no avail!  I've been stitching for long enough to know what I love and what works for me and basically that is what 2017 is all about - quality not quantity I guess.  Taking patterns I love and using the stash that I love to stitch them.  I see no point in starting a project just because I can, which is why despite the fact that I've been contemplating starting another Chatelaine for a while,  I haven't done it because they no longer tick all the boxes for me.  I like to have projects that are easy, mindless, soothing stitching and I like to have projects that are challenging and 2017 is going to be a mixture of both.

 

Where this leaves blogging I don't know, less stitching means less to blog about - but I'm thinking I should be able to manage a monthly update.  I've really enjoyed the bits of OAAT stitching I've done this year (thanks to Justine), so that will be something I will be taking forward to next  year. 

 

I'm really looking forward to my projects for next year and a much more chilled approach to my stitching. By now you know that I'm not much of a "social stitcher" and all the hoop-la that goes along with that side of things - but it's nice to share what I've done in this little corner of the interweb :).

 

 

Thanks for reading.........

 

 

Happy Stitching!

Solo September Success!

Yet again I have had success with Justine's OAAT SALs!  Head on over to her blog to see how everyone else has done - I need to catch up too!

I chose a new start, Alice in Wonderland by The Little Stitcher,  for my Solo September piece and am happy to report I put the final stitch in her last night.

 

I had hoped to stitch her in 100% of Nina's threads, but overcame my OCD about this when it came to the central quote as I couldn't find a colour strong enough for 1 over 2 stitching on this shade of fabric.  I figured that AVAS Soie d'Alger would be a silk worthy enough to sit by Nina's beauties, so went with that - the rest are my  own assortment of Nina's silks and cottons.

 

 

 

Thank you for another great solo stitching month Justine!  I shall be back with another post next week about my stitching plans and thoughts for 2017 (yes you read that correctly!) and can definitely see myself incorporating a bit more OAAT stitching as it has worked well for me this year.  No more stitching for the remainder of September for me, I have a TBR pile that needs working on, so will dedicate some time to that hobby instead!

 

I have three WIPs left and plan on working on one for each of the remaining months of the year as well as shoehorning in a new Winter start in the hope of having another clean slate for the start of the new year.

 

So until next week........Happy Stitching!

Solo September after an Abismal August!

I can count on one hand the number of times I picked up my stitching in August, I blame the Olympics!  Also I'm not brilliant in the summer with big projects, I lack the concentration!  Anyway, here is my paltry progress on my two samplers:

Stephanie Desmidt 1844 stitched on 40ct with DMCs

Band Sampler (SANQ) stitched on 40ct with DMCs

Thanks to my little stash sale, I have been indulging in the other joy of stitching: planning and stashing for future projects!  I have the majority of my projects for next year planned out and I'm very excited about them, some of them I have wanted to stitch for years so I am looking forward to 2017!

 

On to the matter at hand - Solo September!  This is a SAL being officially hosted by Justine and you can join in the fun here.  The idea being that you stitch on one project for the entire month, or until you finish it then you may start another but only stitch on that one!  I was quite successful in April and July with this idea so figured it couldn't hurt for September.  Now I could have chosen one of the samplers above to stitch on for September, however I felt a new start was necessary to get me stitching again after such a drought this month.  So here are my materials for my new start tomorrow:

 

 

 

Looks quite autumnal doesn't it!  The design is by an Italian designer and is based on a classic English children's book, I think the (Disney) thread colours of the main character laid on top in the picture above give it away.......... any guesses?

 

I'll put you out of your misery, this is what I will be stitching for Solo September, one of four new starts that I hope to squeeze in before the end of the year:

 

Alice in Wonderland by The Little Stitcher

I'll be stitching Alice on 40ct Vintage Country Mocha linen with a selection of Nina's lovelies, silks and cottons probably knowing me :).

 

I look forward to seeing what everyone else will be stitching in September!

 

Happy Stitching!

WIP Update and a Little Destash!

After Cinders I was craving my hand dyed threads and 36ct/40ct linens so I picked up Home of a Needleworker which had been neglected pretty much since March!  I am happy to report that it was finished last week and I really should get a frame for it and finish it properly!!!

Stitched on 36ct linen with my choice of Nina's lovelies!
 

 

 

I've now moved on to Stephanie, who I made a tiny start on back in May, here is a scruffy progress pic of her as I was too lazy to tart her up for the photo lol:

 

Stephanie Desmidt 1844 by Reflets de Soie on 40ct linen with DMC

 

The thread colours remind me of cream, caramel and chocolate which is a bit of a shame considering I can't actually eat any of that stuff!  I'm going to stick with her for as long as I can and then pick up my other sampler for Justine's Solo September.  I would like to finish my 3 current WIPs and the 4 new starts I have planned for the remainder of the year in 2016.  I already have my projects for 2017 pretty much planned out including some projects from this book which I am very excited about!

 

You may have noticed that there is a new tab at the top of the page - I have had a bit of a destash, nothing too drastic though!  I'm running out of room and need to find new homes for a few things.  There are some charts, fabric and threads for sale if you wanted to have a gander and you know where to find me if you would like to make a purchase.

 

Happy Stitching!

A Successful Just One July!

Thanks to Justine's Just One July SAL, I have finished Joan Elliott's Cinderella!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was stitched on 28ct Brittney Opal in Speckled Egg by Jodyri Designs using all the recommended DMCs and MH beads and the metallic were swapped for PTBs.  I'll never be a 100% OAAT stitcher, but every so often it's good to stick with a piece until completion to ensure that it does get finished!  I love Joan's designs, but one a year would be enough for me and I will make sure I spread out the project for the whole year.

 

 

Eager to get back to my hand dyeds and 36/40ct after almost two months of stitching on Cinders.  Also considering having a little destash, so stay tuned..........!

 

Happy Stitching!

Just One July So Far.........

Stitching is done on Cinders, just the backstitch and beading to go:

Not sure if there will be a finish before the end of July - but the end is in sight!

Happy Stitching!

Cenerentola marches on!

True to my word since my last blogpost I have been working exclusively on Cinders when I have had the chance to pick up a needle and thread.

Here is where I started with her this month, I hadn't touched her since mid March:

 

Here is how far I got with her this month:

 

 

 

 

Just the castle, carriage, hair and skin to go and the small matter of miles of backstitching and a few beads!  I won't have the chance to pick up a needle now for a week or so, but I'm hoping I can carry on with her in July and at least get all the cross stitching done on her - if not push for a finish!

 

Happy stitching everyone and thank you for stopping by and for all your lovely comments and messages!

Sneaks back in..........

Whilst I've been silent on the blogging front, I have been stitching up a storm - just haven't felt like yapping on about it, though I always keep my Current WIPs and Finishes tabs up to date.

So here is a post about it all - brace yourselves!

Since my last post in April I have had 7 new starts, 4 finishes and now have 5 current WIPs to date, so let's start with the new WIPs that I've added to Cinders and my LHN:

 

Stephanie Desmidt by Reflets de Soie on 40ct, which I decided to stitch using the DMC conversion making it a very economical project stitched from stash - though I must say the temptation to purchase the required AVAS was strong :).  Again another darning sampler, I'm having a thing for those at the moment as you will see later......

 

 

 

Another sampler, this one is taken from SANQ and is just called Band Sampler and is designed by Susan Haverson.  It's not a reproduction sampler, more an adaptation, but it is based on a sampler stitched in 1656 by Margaret Woodleigh.  Another one stitched on 40ct with the DMC as charted all from stash :).

 

 

The final new WIP is yes you guessed it another sampler, but this is an almost 100% darning sampler.  It is taken from GOSM and is titled Antje Reints Darning Sampler.  It's being stitched on 36ct linen with my choice of Nina's gorgeous threads, so another stash neutral start :).

 

Now for the finishes!  First up were the next parts of Mabel's Hardanger SAL, Rounds Four and Five:

Round Four - stitched with a variety of threads from stash including Jodyri Perles

Round Five - my very psychedelic version using Jodyri's Sunshine State perles


 

I also started and finished a Dinky Dyes Design that had been in my stash for years.  Slight sacrilege though as whilst I did use a few Dinky Dyes silks (from an oops bag so not the named colours called for), I did use a few other brands of silk as well......... 
It's Wave Dancer by Stacy Tippin:

 

 

 

I think the design originally called for one colour of bead and 2 colours of krenik, but I used several different colours of bead and at least 5 different colours of Rainbow Gallery PTB and PSLB!

 

The last finish I have to share was completed over the weekend.  The designer herself actually sent me the chart as a thank you for talking about her designs in one of my videos.  I loved stitching it and was so pleased with my colour choices, although I don't want to see a Greek cross in quite some time!  The design is A Little Victoriana by Loopylou Designs:

 

 

 

 

This one was stitched on 28ct using DMC 3033 and Jodyri Designs antique silk in Brighton Beach

So that's the scoop on what I've been up to, basically stitching from stash and having a lot of fun doing it!  I did purchase a few new blackwork charts from Banu though (Seba Designs) as she was having an amazing sale due to the very sad fact that she has to shut her Etsy shop for a while as Paypal doesn't want to operate in her country.  I look forward to picking out threads for those designs though settling on choices might take some time!

 

I think for the month of June I will focus on my oldest WIP - Cinders, I would like to get her in the finish pile even if 28ct over 2 isn't so much my bag anymore.  I love her, but may fiddle around with the fabric count on the next of Joan's ladies I stitch.  If Cinders gets too much and I need a change then I will switch to my LHN which is 36ct 1 over 2 with gorgeous hand dyed threads just to mix it up a little.

 

Let's see how much I can get done - though with the weather having been sizzling and gorgeous these past two weeks I'm not sure there will be much progress lol!

Big Berthe!

Justine and a few other bloggers are committing to stitching on the same piece throughout April and it seems I have unwittingly joined in!

Here is what Berthe looked like on 1 April, exactly the same as where I left her mid way through January:

 

And here is what she looks like now:

 

 

 

All finished!

 

 

As a side note I just have to mention every time I say Berthe I think Bertha, which reminds me of the children's TV programme in the 80s which people of a certain age will remember and then I get the little song in my head..........anyway I digress..........

 

I absolutely adored stitching this one on 40ct 1 over 2 with beautiful AVAS d'Alger.  For the sake of anyone that has visited this page as a result of searching for info on this piece, I will say that some of the lettering on mine may be in a different colour than charted - only because I was short on one colour of silk (I think it went walk about) so I just used an excess I had of another colour that was in the chart's colour palette.  Also of note is that, as is the case with a lot of repro samplers, the border is not symmetrical :).  All those cross shapes that make up the border are identical, except for one which has a "leg" four stitches long instead of three - always worth examining the chart carefully!

 

I particularly enjoyed working the pattern darning sections, and a few darning samplers have been pinned to my wishlist for a rainy day so there will definitely be more in my future!

 

 



 

 

I have at least two other Reflets de Soie samplers in my stash which I am now very much looking forward to doing.  They are the perfect project for when stitching time is limited as the colours used are minimal and you can quickly see progress being made even if only a letter or two is completed per session.  Stitching with 1 strand on 40ct makes for much faster stitching too - no railroading required!  A few years ago I'd always thought that HAEDs would be my easy stitching projects, but the thought of stitching one now makes me feel almost claustrophobic - I need my stitches to be able to breathe lol!

 

No idea what I will be working on next, I had started LHN's Home of a Needleworker last month so I might carry on with that.  Still don't think I can face Cinders just yet, so maybe an entirely new project is in order!

A Change is as Good as a Rest!

That is certainly true when it comes to my stitching, as thanks in part to a Bank Holiday weekend, four of the seven new starts I had kitted in my last post are now finished and I even bought some new threads which I haven't done in months and months!

Firstly I started and finished a small that I just loved the moment I clapped eyes on it - it's a freebie from Hands Across the Sea Samplers which you can find on their blog.  So looking forward to future releases from Nicola and Sandra, but in the meantime I stitched this little design on some 40ct using AVAS silks from stash:

As is usual for me - pictured with its proposed finishing materials -
though has yet to be actually finished lol!

 

Next up was a design I've had in my stash for four years or so, as it was a spring design it seemed appropriate to finally get on and stitch it!  Initially I'd picked out Glorianas for this one, but I changed them out for Dinky Dyes silks and Caron cottons as I wanted a softer look to it.  The design is Spring Basket by Abi Gurden, you can see I changed the original design a bit as I swapped the jessicas for spider web roses to balance out the texture of the basket.  Here it is stitched on 28ct soft yellow (would you believe!) linen:

 

 

Then I moved on to a band sampler by Alchemy Stitchcraft (AKA Christine) - again another design that has sat in my stash for years - why?!  It certainly feels good to get stitching on these!  Natasha's Violets was a pure joy to work on, I had forgotten how much I love whitework and pulled threadwork, so I've put projects containing them in the queue for a later date!  Again as I am stitching from stash I subbed out the silk serica with a #5 DMC perle and I didn't have the right shade of PTB, so used a strand of DMC with a strand of blending filament to create my own :) :

 

 

This chart ticked so many of my favourite boxes: band sampler, purple, pulled work, white work, bargello - needless to say, more of Christine's charts will be making it in my TBS pile.

 

Finally another finish that it feels good to tick off my list!  The Mojo Sampler by Abi Gurden was a SAL on The Stitch Specialists Yahoo Group back in 2014.  I can't link to it directly as it has yet to be put on general sale and only 60 people have this chart - but you can see Abi's version here.  This design has been buzzing around my brain since its release as I could never settle on my colour choices.  Purple was a no brainer of course, but what would I use for the contrasting colour, green, blue, pink?  None of them were pushing my buttons until it came to me that I could use purple as the contrasting colour :).  So I chose light, medium and dark purple solid Dinky Dyes silk and 2 light and dark HDF purple variegated silks stitched on 28ct lugana and here is my version:

 

Now if only I was any good at cartonnage, that would make a very good box lid!

So that has been my stitching over the past two weeks - no idea what this month holds stitching wise but at least I seem to be back on track!  Hopefully as long as I can get the mix of projects right, size and content (even if it does mean abandoning Cinders for a few months) then business will resume as normal.

 

Happy Stitching!

Stash Diving

As stitchers we are all different - some of us stick to kits, others will only use high counts of linen, some stick to crosses, other like to use a more mixed bunch of stitches, whilst others shudder to alter anything about a pattern and someone else just can't leave a pattern without adding their own touches to it!  We all know what makes our hobby enjoyable for us.

I think anyone who has followed this blog for even a few posts has a pretty good idea of what camp I fall into, which explains why stitching 3,000+ cross stitches in 3 shades of blue DMC on Cinderella was doing nothing for my creativity and I was losing the will to stitch.  I had an inkling this might happen as I had a similar feeling when I was stitching Mirabillia's Red last year.  When it comes to stitching, I'm much more about the journey than I am about reaching the destination in 90% of my projects.  It explains why I love chopping and changing colours and stitches in projects as it keeps it interesting for me as the project comes to life, all the more so if it means learning a new technique or stitch.

Don't get me wrong, I love Cinderella and she will be finished this year - but I think her stitching needs to be spread out over the year, no way could I go OAAT on her.  So here is where I leave her for the moment:

 

 

I haven't forgotten Berthe Massiet either, although I haven't picked her up since the beginning of January, but I think I can chip away at her whilst stitching on my new projects :).

 

I had a day off yesterday, so spent it cutting fabrics and picking threads for 7 new projects all of which have me much more enthusiastic about picking up my stitching again.  They range from small to medium-small projects and I think only one is kitted with most of its original colours, everything is kitted entirely from stash of course, some are 100% cross stitch - others not so much!  Here is a sneak peek:

 

 

It was nice to be reunited with my thread collection again, so far this year the only drawer that has seen any action is the Caron drawer for Mabel's SAL, so it was nice to get reacquainted with them all again!

 

Here's hoping to more stitching taking place at Milkybar Towers!

Round Three and Stash Musings

I think my colour choices for this month's Round in Circles definitely shows a longing for blue skies and fluffy clouds - something seriously lacking in our weather at the moment!

 

I don't very often use hand dyed fabric for Hardanger, something about having to cut parts of it away just seems to go against the grain with me!  I've used 28ct Lugana in In the Clouds by the now long gone Sugar Maple Fabrics, #8 and #12 white DMC perles, three colours of PTB and two different sizes and colour of MH beads.  It was lovely to stitch something other than crosses and now I'm back working on Cinderella - once the stitching is mainly completed on her I might treat myself to a new start!

 

Speaking of new starts, was anyone else like me and told themselves that they would under no circumstances peek at any of the new releases from the Nashville TNNA Market - but then their curiosity got the better of them and they couldn't help themselves!?  So many gorgeous new releases from Gigi R, Plum Street Samplers, Cottage House Samplings, Nikyscreations, and The Scarlett House to name a few!  French Woolens has made it right to the top of my list so I expect as soon as Karla at The Patchwork Rabbit gets that one in it will find its way into my shopping basket!

 

After stitching from stash for just about the whole of last year, I now find it surprisingly difficult to add to my stash at all, not a surprise where charts are concerned as I was never one for collecting those - but the prospect of new threads just doesn't have the same effect anymore!  This last week though I did purchase my first new pattern in over a year, because when you have the rest of a set you have to buy new additions :).  I'm really hoping that Ambra releases a pattern for my favourite artist Henri Matisse one day!  I have great plans for this little set that will require a bit of planning, playing and experimenting, maybe they will make good summer projects for this year.

 

I also signed up for Abi Gurden's latest SAL, Seasons Sampler (despite it being a semi mystery design) over on the Yahoo Stitch Specialist Group.  Me being me, I won't start it until I have all the parts towards the end of the year even thought the first part has already been released.

 

The other reason why I probably won't go mad on new charts is that as well as having the full set of GOSM, I now have the full set of SANQ after ordering the 1991 - 2000 DVD:

 

 

There have been lists a plenty made of designs that I want to stitch from them, which has the knock on effect of me wanting to get on and finish my current WIPs so that I can start on something new. 

 

Last but by no means least, I had an email a few weeks ago from a stitcher that had been looking through my Pinterest Stitching Wishlist.  She had contacted me as she had seen a chart on my list that she had in her stash and knew she would never stitch and wanted to know if I would like it - so of course I said yes please!  I was very happy when this dropped through my letterbox, especially as it had become hard to find in the UK:

 

 

Huge thank you to that stitcher for her kindness and generosity!  I'm currently in the process of choosing threads for it, with only three colours required you would think it would be easy, but with so many gorgeous shades of hand dyed red thread available you'd be surprised lol!

 

That will probably be it from me until the end of the month, when hopefully I will have something worth showing in the way of progress on Cinderella!

 

Happy Stitching!