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!

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...........:)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!

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!

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!

I'm Done With Stitching!

Well, stitching in 2015 that is!

A few days ago I put in the final stitches in to my final finish of the year, Catherine Agnes by Indigo Rose, gifted to me by the lovely Dana (you may know her as Parksfarm here and there) and she was right - I loved (almost!) every stitch!

 

I stitched this using 28ct Quaker and a mixture of Jodyri Antique and Regular silks (with a Caron Wildflowers used just to outline the cutwork) and it was packed full of speciality stitches (closeups of which you can see here if you are interested).  It did include the stitch that a lot of stitchers love to hate (except the crazy ones that love them, not mentioning any names you know who you are!) and I was very proud of myself that I powered through and did them at great cost to a now very bent straw needle - Bullion Knots, 28 to be exact !!!!

 

 

Not perfect but the best I've managed thus far!
 

Now that piece is completed I have the final results of my stitching for 2015!  With a clean slate for the start of 2015 I managed to have 50 starts and 50 finishes - more finishes than in the past three years combined!

 

I didn't start the year intending to have that many finishes, I knew I would have at least 27: 12 freebie projects, 12 hardangers and the 3 medium size projects I'd picked last year. 

 

The number of finishes would explain how I managed to smash my Operation Threadporn goal total!  At the start of the year I wanted to use 12% - 15% of my hand dyed thread collection in my projects, but was dubious as to whether I would ever manage it!  I can now reveal that in 2015 I managed to use 26.43%, which I am chuffed to bits with as when your collection is in the four figures that's a lot of different threads!  I loved stitching from stash, in the truest sense, as 92% of my finishes were stitched from stash - patterns, fabric and thread, changing threads and fabric to suit what I had already.  Of course it helped that I didn't purchase hardly any threads, especially in the latter half of the year - my sister was right, having a percentage as a goal was a real motivator!  The last few months I have only bought #8 and #12 white perle, white #9 beads and black AVAS - all needed for current projects.  The whole challenge really did cure me of my need to own all the threads - I knew my favourites before, but now I'm really sticking to them, quality over quantity and all that.  Consequently I've halved my stash budget for 2016 so as not to be drawn into temptation again!

 

The other part of Operation Threadporn was to try and fully finish more of the pieces that I stitched, which worked until about halfway through the year, then all I wanted to do was stitch!  The fact I told myself I "had" to do something was probably the reason for my rebellion!  However on the positive side, the 10 FFOs I did have were 10 more than I would have done last year lol!  I'm never going to be a finisher - neither me or my friends that love my stitching have the room in their houses for it to be displayed properly.  As much as I love my stitching, I don't have the room for all the things I finish - so they go in The Drawer where they take up far less space as I am not giving up stitching!  I'm still trying to figure out where I can display ONE of these (and I have many that I want!!) as wall space is already scarce in my little apartment!

 

The other thing I was keeping tabs on this year was the number of different stitches I used in all my pieces.  I gave up counting sometime in September, by which time I had already used 60 different stitches, so my total for the year will come in at around 70, probably 80+ different stitches used in 2015.  That pretty much confirms that although I am interested in all types of embroidery, its history and technique - counted threadwork is where my heart lies and where it will settle.

So having already discussed my (lack of any real) plans for 2016 here, I leave you with four little teaser shots for the projects I've kitted for January - not including Mabel's first piece for her SAL as until I see the design I cannot pick the colours :).  One of them is my New Year's New Start for 2016, by a designer that I have not stitched before and the others to be stitched as and when the mood takes me in January and beyond:

 

Answers on a postcard.........

 

Thank you to everyone that has stopped by my blog this past year and to all of you who comment/email/message me and encourage me in my stitching - I hope you are all having fun planning your new starts for 2016!

 

Happy Stitching!

2016 Stitching Manifesto - The Marie Kondo Method

Warning:  This is an entirely verbose blogpost, these thoughts have been buzzing around my brain and are written here more for my benefit than for your enjoyment - so please feel free to skip!

In case you haven't realised, I am one of life's planners.  I love lists and being organised is essential to my wellbeing - I'm one of those tidy home equals a tidy mind freaks :).  The same is very much true with my stitching, I've never caught startitis and designs that require either a large amount of time or money (or both!) are never entered into lightly!  I've also never been one to jump on the bandwagon at the drop of a hat (which is faster then the blink of an eye) and have realised this year that I am not much of a "social" stitcher!  This post will be laying out some thoughts and musings on my plans for next year - so if that type of thing isn't your bag I completely understand!

2015 saw a feat never to be repeated - I very much doubt I will ever have that many finishes in a year again!  2016 sees a vast reduction in my stitching time and to that end I've come up with what might seem like a very odd "goal" for 2016: I do not want to commit myself to stitching on anything next year!  When I have the time to stitch, I want to be enjoying it, not thinking I have to finish Project X before I start Project Y and start kitting Project Z.  To quote the great Marie Kondo, I want all  my stitching to "bring me joy" - joy because it is a design I love and because I am choosing materials that I love working with.

That being said I still have a list of projects for 2016,  currently there are 33 designs on it (all already in stash), though I think next year I will be lucky if I finish half of them!  I like to know I have choices, options and variety in my work so they are a mix of small and large, plain cross stitch and counted threadwork, hand dyed and DMCs and simple designs to the just plain terrifying lol! 

I won't name project names (that would feel like too much commitment!) but I can tell you that a fair few of them will be coming from SANQ and GOSM (the acronym and initialism I spoke of previously).  I have the complete collection of The Gift of Stitching magazine (and earmarked a whopping 124 designs I love!) and the 2001-2010 Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly DVD (33 sizeable designs earmarked) and some of those definitely deserve to see the light of day on fabric!  Designs from GOSM have been swimming around my head for years and they will provide another excellent opportunity to stitch from stash!

However I will say that some of the designers on my list for 2016 include (but are not necessarily limited to): Blue Ribbon Designs, Plum Street Samplers, Cloudsfactory, Reflets de Soie, Joan Elliot, Willow Hill Samplings, Stitching Alchemist, Papillon Creations, Darlene O'Steen, Tournicoton, Marie Suarez and The Little Stitcher and even................a HAED (I haven't gone totally bonkers - it's only a QS and an outline design at that!).

You might notice one designer conspicuous by their absence - Chatelaine.  I could bore you with my reasons as to why I've decided that for now I won't be starting Serengeti, but in a nutshell it comes down to this: I just wasn't feeling it!  I was far more excited about other designs on my list, so it got bumped!  I know for a lot of stitchers Chatelaines are some sort of Holy Grail, but after finishing a few (evidence here) I don't feel that way about them.  Don't get me wrong, some of them are truly stunning designs and I may very well next year take elements of them to work on, but I have bigger fish to fry, other cats to whip (an idiom that sounds so much better in its native French, but then everything sounds better in French to me lol!) as I expand my counted threadwork horizons!

Operation Threadporn was a real eye opener to me and has helped me face my stash demons.  There were things I knew to be true, but Operation Threadporn  helped me to face up to them and think about the way I use my stash.  Three things stand out and I will write them here as a reminder to myself:

1.  I find more contentment and joy in using what I have than acquiring more of what I think I need.
2.  Not all threads (especially silks) are created equal.
3.  Quality over quantity - I would rather have 1 skein of Thread A than the 5 skeins of Thread B that I could get for the same price.

Carrying on with the theme of using materials that bring me joy, there are a few thread brands that I will be expanding my collection of next year.  In 2015 over 90% of my finishes were sourced with materials entirely from my stash, so I think I have earned a few extra threads for good behaviour ;).  After using so many different threads this year, I am much more aware of what I value in a thread, from how it feels to even how soft or harsh the variegation is.  There will be no more buying of random threads, but there will be threads bought that fit with the style and colour palette of the way I like to stitch.

In 2016 I will continue to stitch from stash, as I carry on chipping away at my thread collection!  I also want to try and use up certain fabrics in my stash where possible to free up space for new arrivals!  There were some thread drawers that were barely opened in 2015 - the future does not bode well for these!  I am undecided as to whether I will have a little destash of thread and fabrics that are no longer me - I may give them another year, the collector in me is hard to silence!

That is a lot of talk with no pictures - so here is a tiny montage of possible projects for next year:

If you've reached the end of this you must be a crazy person - but I applaud your endurance!  I'm really looking forward to my stitching projects for 2016 and I hope you have projects on your books for next year that you just can't wait to put needle and thread to!

Happy Stitching!

And Then There Were Two.........

......WIPs that is, as Living with Charm by Lizzie Kate is now complete!

 

I haven't added on the charms yet - I'll wait until I finish it properly to do that as I don't want them catching on anything while it's "in storage" lol!  I'm really happy with the way it turned out, even though it wasn't stitched on my preferred fabric (I'm not a fan of Permin/Wichlet linen, I'm a Zweigart girl), but what is a stitcher to do when you win an auction for a metre of it for £6.00 on eBay!  I also ended up with a few full skeins of thread left over, which is never an issue for this stitcher - more to add to the drawers!

 

Speaking of thread drawers, although I feel as though I've talked enough about my storage and threads on the internet - I haven't done it on this platform, so I thought I would show you how I store threads and fabric as stitchers always like to know about that stuff for some reason!

 

Last year I decided it was high time that instead of storing my stitching supplies in various boxes here and there, I would collate my supplies in one place!  I figured as the value of my stitching stash runs quite high (the value not necessarily being what I paid for it:)), it was worth investing in some decent storage that would work for me.  This is what I came up with:

 

 

 

Two custom storage towers from the Really Useful Boxes company which houses my entire fabric and thread collection!

 

The smaller drawers are mainly jam packed full of floss away bags like this:

 

 

 

 

Or with perles like this:

 



 

Each of the thread brands has its own drawer or drawers, depending on the amount I have, so for example this is one of my Caron thread drawers:

 

 

There are other supplier specific drawers for Jodyri Designs, GASTs, Dinky Dyes, Gloriana, Thread Pickerz, Mo's Sale and Threadworx etc, as well as some for hand dyed perles, miscellaneous silks and miscellaneous cottons.

 

 As you can see I store all my hand dyed threads in floss away bags - I don't like my special threads getting kinky on bobbins (the same rule does not apply to DMC and Anchor, I'm very devil may care with those!).  I put an index card in each one, so if the thread is for use in a particular project I can make a note on the card and it also gives the bags some strength, making them easier to file in the drawers! 

 



 

I only begin to kit projects up a few at a time as I come to them, so some threads in my collection are ear marked for different Chatelaines and other special projects.  I just choose to keep my threads as one collection rather than spread across a lot of kitted projects.  Threads that I have used already this year as part of Operation Threadporn are denoted by a little stick on crystal, so as I flick through my drawers looking to pull threads for a project I know which ones I have used already this year (the rule being no duplicate threads allowed this year!).

 

 

So that covers the little drawers, but just in case you were wondering what is stored in the others - in the medium drawers you will find my hand dyed fabrics and fat quarter finishing fabrics along with trims and other notions:

 

The larger bottom drawers house "The Drawer" (of finishes) along with my plain metres of evenweave and linens and my Anchor (100% complete) and DMC (90% complete) cotton collection (all bobbinated in boxes):

So there you have it - a sneak peek into my stash!

Happy Stitching!

The End of an Era!

It was with a tinge of sadness that I opened a stash parcel that I received yesterday because it was my final thread club package from Michelle at Jodyri Designs!  I have been a member of Michelle's thread club right from the beginning with thread number 1(Sapphires in case you wondered) and yesterday received thread number 250 (To Kill A Mockingbird).  I am now the happy owner of every regular cotton that Michelle has in her collection - as well as a few *ahem* limited editions, silks and perles............

I love Michelle's threads and they will always hold a special place in my heart, not least because she named one of her limited editions with me in mind last year lol!  I still have a few in her Solos and Tie Dye line that I would like to add to my collection and I'm pretty sure some more perles will be making an appearance in my stash at some point.  I've got several kitted designs that I've chosen Jodyri Threads for, including The Drawn Thread's Butterfly Garden which I can't wait to start - so plenty of Jodyri stitching going on instead of just Jodyri stashing :).

Anyway this brings me to my stash report for the month.  I'm actually quite pleased with how little I've been stashing compared to previous months - the sister stash method seems to be working for me!  Here are my purchases for the month: my Jodyri threads, a hoop seat frame and a goldwork book!

 

I never thought I would be the owner of a seat frame!  I know that some stitchers use them for cross stitch, but for the most part I use scroll frames as I like the entire width of my fabric to be stretched.  Also in the past I've stitched mostly larger designs and just could not be bothered to keep moving a hoop around all the time and creasing up my fabric (the same reason why I've never used Q Snaps).  For my smalls I use a hoop that the entire design fits in, but I've never felt the need for a stand......until I began my goldwork.  It is very hard to couch metal threads with just one hand!  You need both hands free and so all of a sudden the seat frame became a must have and essential tool.  Funny how things change, so never say never!

 

I absolutely adore the goldwork book.  It is everything I hoped for, especially as I have been patiently waiting for it to be published for months!  A review of the book can be found on Mary Corbet's website if you are interested.  I can see a few more in this A-Z series being added to my needlework book collection - probably Crewel, Stumpwork, Embroidery Stitches 1 & 2, Needlepoint and possibly Ribbon Embroidery when it is published in September.  Every page is jam packed full of step by step photographs and full of inspiration (I've had them all out of the library at some point so know exactly how useful each will be, I don't think I have ever bought a book "blind"!).

 

I've been working on Confetti of Hardanger and Jodyri Butterfly Quote and have almost reached my "goal point" on both for the month so will be back with a WIP round up in the next few days.  Part 2 of Milady's Blossom Garden came out yesterday so I expect that may get stitched up too, especially seeing as we have ANOTHER Bank Holiday weekend in the UK.......

 

Happy Stitching!

A Sneaky New Start

How has your stitching week been?  I've been stitching up my Threadporn projects, which I'll reveal at the end of the month, but for now here were my thread choices for them. 

For my Hardanger SOTW square, May seemed like a pink month to me for some reason so these were my choices - no hand dyeds again, so they don't count towards my thread totals, but I really love using DMC variations perles for some reason!

 



 

My freebie project for this month is from Les Chalets des Perelles and I decided to stitch it all in silks as I haven't raided my AVAS stash so far this year, so I chose mainly AVAS, a few HDFs and a Waterlillies silk:

 



 

So the stitching is all done, just the finishing to do.........

 

I also decided to have a sneaky new start on the new SAL taking place over on the Yahoo Stitch Specialists Group, which is exclusive to its members.  It is called Milady's Blossom Garden by Abi Gurden and is a drawn thread band sampler with a new part released each month. 

 

I decided to crack open my Gloriana stash for this one as I haven't used any yet so far this year.  I still get in the mind set of saving them for a special occasion as they are one of the more expensive brands of silk - but as Operation Threadporn has taught me, there is more joy in using threads than there is in just collecting them :).

 

So here is my floss toss on good old 32ct white Belfast linen:

 

Glorianas in Carmine Rose, Birch Brown, Leaf Green and Blythe Green
Dinky Dyes Madi's Rose and a Cascade House yellow silk

 

And here is Part 1 stitched up:
 

 

I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into the drawn thread work when it appears!

 

Next week I hope to be in the mood for Hardanger and pick up Confetti so that I can get the last of the squares filled, in preparation for the final mammoth part next month.  I'm thinking next month might be a month of finishes, which means that maybe July could be a month of new starts............

 

Somewhere along the line this week I passed 10,000 page views, so a big thank you to all of you that stop by and read my ramblings!

 

Happy Stitching!

Progress on Confetti of Hardanger

I've been plugging away on the buttonhole stitch border of Confetti of Hardanger this past week and it is finally complete along with parts 5 and 6.  As I said on Instagram, I will never win awards for my buttonhole stitch but it's done!  Stitching white on white and having one hole shared by five stitches in #5 perle isn't always easy and all those corners ugh!

 

 

Each of the inner cut squares are a part in themselves, but I think the part that will take the longest will be the final part where I have to cut the whole of the kloster block border and add in doves eyes and buttonhole bars.....think that's a month's work right there!

 

Here are some close ups of Part 6, wrapped bars:



 

 

 

And Part 7, woven bars:

 



 

Finally, earlier in the week I had my penultimate delivery of my Jodyri monthly threads and FOTM which is one of my favourite Limited Editions ever - Amethyst (in Brittney Opal):
 

 

 

My only stash of this month - the sister induced stash diet is obviously working :)!

 

Next month sees me get thread number 250 - the last in the regular cottons range at Jodyri.  From June the ten thread a month club will be starting at number one again so an ideal time to join :)!

 

According to my stitching plan for the month, I have part 8 of CoH and some goldwork to do before month end - as well as "finish finish" my freebie thread challenges pieces for the month, so that should keep me out of trouble!

 

Happy Stitching!

Hardanger - Don't Fear the Squissors!

It might come as a surprise to you, but I actually hate starting new stitching projects.  Don't get me wrong, I like picking a pattern, kitting it up, cutting fabric and the eventual stitching of it - but I hate staring at that blank piece of fabric all ready to stitch on in the frame.  I start to doubt myself: is the fabric the right way around, is my starting point really 3 inches in from the edge/in the exact centre of the fabric, are my thread choices the right ones?  I hate those initial first stitches and it's why I dither over new starts.  I've had two projects buzzing around my brain so I just decided to start them on the same day and get the worst over with!  One was Box of Delights and the other was A Confetti of Hardanger by Bee's Needleworks.

I've had Confetti of Hardanger in my stash since 2012, when it was offered as a group SAL as part of the Stitch Specialists Yahoo Group, a group run by the designer of this chart, Abi Gurden.  I've wanted to stitch this chart since then, but actually waiting this long proved fortuitous as the perles I've chosen to use for it didn't exist then, but they do now!  The perles I'm using are hand dyed by Jodyri Designs and Michelle is one of the few dyers I know to hand dye matching perles in #5, #8 and #12.  I'll be using Jodyri's beautiful Alaskan Beauty perles for this one, along with possibly some complimentary DMC solid perles and white, the mainstay of Hardanger stitched on 25ct white lugana:

 

The pdf chart comes with very detailed instructions for each of the 14 parts, so even if Hardanger is new to you, everything you need to know is included.  There are a few filling stitches in this one that are new to me, so I'm looking forward to adding them to my list!

 

Here is Part 1, Klosters and Extended Klosters stitched in #5 perle in Alaskan Beauty:

 

 

 

Here is Part 2, Cable Stitch and Doubled Back Stitch stitched in #8 white perle:

 

 

 

White on white is a bit hard to see so here are a few close-ups, Cable Stitch:
 

 

 

And Doubled Back Stitch, which was the first time I'd ever worked a stitch from the reverse of the fabric!

 



 

The hardcore Hardanger (aka cutting) doesn't begin until Part 6, so I still have a few parts to go before squissor fear sets in!

 

I've also had my stash for the month arrive, my monthly thread and fabric from Jodyri Designs as well as a fantastic book, The A-Z of Whitework:

 

 

I've never been a fan of generic stitch dictionaries, I much prefer books on specific techniques and the stitches and facts relevant to them individually.  I was so pleased when I discovered that the A-Z series was being reprinted again as Search Press had bought the rights to them.  I didn't want to pay up to four times the price for an OOP copy!  They are a brilliant series of books and I think, along with the RSN guides, tell you everything you need to know about individual embroidery techniques.  Mary Corbet has fantastic reviews of these titles on her blog, so no need for me to go into detail.  I've got the A-Z of Goldwork on order too, which hopefully should be arriving in May.

 

Last but not least, it's about time I got on with my Operation Threadporn projects after two new starts, so here are my proposed thread choices for my projects, the finishes to be revealed at the end of the month, (yet more Wildflowers, Mo's Silks and Silk Mill silk):

 

 

 

Happy Stitching!

 

Les Dentelles - Penultimate Part!

Not much stitching has been going on here, but quite a bit of reading and research has been taking place........

 

My sister also very kindly gave me an exemption on thread purchases so that I could buy the AVAS I needed for my Scarlet Letter Sampler, A Flamestitch, that I plan to start for my Autumn/Winter project this year.  After I heard the terrible news about the AVAS factory fire, I wanted to make sure I had the threads I needed sooner rather than later.  I now have all the threads I need for my projects this year........

 

 

 

I have finished my Operation Threadporn freebie project for February, I just need to find some buttons for the finished finish and get it sewn up over the weekend, but here is a sneak peak:

 

 

 

And finally.........I've finished Part 8 of Les Dentelles, all ready for the release of the final part on Monday:

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to starting Plum Pudding with Nic on Sunday :).

Happy Stitching!

Les Dentelles and other happenings

On Monday Esther at Brodeuse Bressane released Part 7 of  Les Dentelles SAL (taking place on FB and her blog) - only 2 more parts to go!  I'm stitching mine on Oatmeal Cashel linen and using Anchor 778 and 387 (Ecru by any other name) and Caron Wildflowers in Maple.  I'm also using DMC #8 perle in Ecru for the blackwork element.  I would have preferred to use a #12 perle but #8 was what I had in the colour I wanted so in the spirit of stitching from stash that is what I used!  Here are Parts 1 - 7 completed:

 

I wanted to go for a light and delicate feel to match the title of the piece (Lace), so neutral tones on neutral fabric was what I went for.  For the top part of Part 7 I used what I will describe as a woven lattice stitch, as I prefer the look of the longer lines and like to add a bit of texture!

 

In other news, I received my monthly subscriptions from Michelle at Jodyri Designs - always a welcome package in this house! 

 

 

The FOTM is gorgeous as are the new antique silks.  The only problem is that I think I have welcomed more hand dyed threads into my stash this month than I have used - which means Operation Threadporn might be a bust for February.........oops!  There are still 10 months to go though!  My sister was no fool when she put the percentage rule in place.......

 

Speaking of my sister, have I mentioned that she is in charge of my stash budget this year?  It's not as frightening as it sounds though and has worked out very well so far, making me focus on what I really want to have and not just randomly spending stash pennies on silks (my default setting!).  Branching out into new areas of needlework inevitably means new stash, but the items have to be on my wishlist before they are even considered as a viable purchase!  If it's a request for more (unnecessary) threads, the chances are it will get vetoed.  In fact for March and April I am not allowed to purchase any more threads outside of my subscriptions, so good news for Operation Threadporn if nothing else!  In fairness though, my sister is the only other person on the planet aside from me that knows the full extent of my stash, so she knows that I am not lacking in the thread and fabric departments!

 

I've pulled threads for February's Operation Threadporn projects and will be stitching them for the rest of the month.  I changed my mind a few times, but that's all part of the fun and here are my final selections - projects to be revealed at the end of the month:

 

 

Finally I gave a very talented friend of mine my Jodyri Dragonfly finish from a few years ago and a bunch of fabric I'd been saving for a "special project" as you do (except this time I was obviously right to do so!) and she made me this gorgeous pin board which now hangs above my desk in the craft room:

 

 

 

Happy stitching everyone!

 

The Kindess of Stitchers

I think it is a truth universally acknowledged that stitchers are some of the most kind and generous people out there.  I appreciate that I am slightly biased in this area, but if anyone else is reading this I'm sure they will agree!  The stitching community abounds with RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness), whether it be gifting chart, fabric or threads or a wonderful finish made just for you.

I've been on the receiving end of such generosity several times, but what I like most about it is that it means I have a memory of that stitcher, of a connection we shared, that is never forgotten.  I remember each gift received and the kind hearted stitcher that gave it to me, I remember that stitcher as I use the materials they generously gave me.  So, I know that there is a beautiful skein of purple Polstitches floss (amongst other things) in my stash from Lesley, two gorgeous skeins of Caron silks (purple shades again) from Tiff and some wonderful fabric and threads (yep you guessed it purple again!) from Nic.  Last year a generous stitcher in the US sent me about 10 or so precut packs of linen as it was a fabric she could no longer stitch on, but she knew it was a fabric I loved.  I've had charts RAK'd to me that I enjoyed stitching all the more so as someone had picked it out especially for me:


HAED Mini Unleash the Butterflies stitched with HDF silks
Hand painted mount by Passifloral - special treatment for a special piece ;)

This year has proved to be no different, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank two stitchers for thinking of me.  The first is Lynda, the designer behind LoopyLou Designs, who after seeing a video where I featured one of her designs (Floral Spring) sent me one of her beautiful charts as a thank you:

A Little Victoriana by LoopyLou Designs

The colours for this design are so elegant and I can't wait to stitch it and of course finish the designs as they are intended to be finished!

This week I also received an exciting envelope all the way from Australia from a stitcher that I "met" on the Cross Stitch Forum.  The envelope contained these beauties:

An amazing selection of hand dyed cotton and silk, perle and stranded threads!

 

To say I was thrilled with the contents is an understatement!  Collecting hand dyed threads for me is a (dangerous!) hobby in itself separate to my stitching with them, so I was excited to see a few threads from Aussie dyers that I had yet to add to my collection!  A huge thank you to Marilyn for a stitching parcel that made my day!

 

Kindness and generosity are not always shown by tangible things like threads and fabrics though.  One of the most precious gifts any of us has is time.  Stitchers are generous with this too.  I know that I would not be the stitcher I am today if it wasn't for those of you out there that have shared your knowledge, experience, WIPs and finishes via your blogs or on stitching forums.  Those of you that have shared tutorials and taken a great deal of time to photograph or video each step.  Stitchers have shared a wealth of information and even if you find your question still goes unanswered, they are always happy to help!

 

To all those stitchers I say thank you and have a great stitchy weekend!

 

Happy Stitching!