Goals for the Remainder of 2015

In a slight change to regular monthly goal lists, I've decided to make a list of the things I would like to have done by the end of the year.  I didn't manage to achieve everything on the list for last month, but considering I didn't pick up a needle and thread for 15 days and still managed four finishes and a bit of progress elsewhere I'm fine with that!

This time of year I get the itch to just go crazy and start something I have my eye on for next year - but as with this time last year, I want a clean slate for January 2016 :).  The 2016 Pinterest Project Board  is full to the brim and I can't wait to get stitching on it!  So in a bid to give me more options to work on what I want when I want for the remainder of the year, I've picked threads and fabrics for my last four Threadporn projects too.

Here is the list!

• Finish A Flamestitch, here is where it is at currently:

I could easily stitch on this one until it's done - such a joy to stitch!

 

• Finish Summer (Autumn) Tree of Stitches (not stitched on in October): 

 

 

 

• Start and finish my final Autumn/Winter new start - Catherine Agnes by Indigo Rose, pattern gifted to me by my lovely stitching friend Dana: 

 





 

• Complete October, November and December SOTW Hardanger squares:

Top: December's Threads Bottom: November's Threads

 

• Complete Snow Poem Tree by Erynne Chard (freebie, blog no longer available) and Winter Solace by By The Bay Needlearts (freebie from a past BTB newsletter):



 

 

• No stash spends for the remainder of the year unless I run out of AVAS on Flamestitch
• Try and properly finish a few things here and there
• Kit up a few projects from stash in preparation for next year!

 

Don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a little while - I'll be hunkered down working on completing that list!

 

Happy Stitching!

 

 





 

The Elements Series is Complete!

Finally the series that has sat in my stash for four years is complete and all in a week's worth of stitching!  Crystal Waters and Fresh Air have been added to the pile of finishes for the year.

For all three of the samplers I used threads from stash, I happened to have the majority of silks and cottons required, but I used different beads and metallics to what was called for.   The charts called for Kreinik  but I'm a Rainbow Gallery girl :) and I have quite a collection of random Mill Hill and Delica beads so it's always a good feeling to be able to use stash!

 

So here are the finishes, firstly Crystal Waters:

 

 

I love the little silver metallic whales!

 

And then Fresh Air:

 

 

Rhodes butterflies - one of my favourite stitches!

Thankfully the delicate hardanger section survived!

 

I've also picked my threads for Operation Threadporn this month.  Originally  I had planned to stitch another freebie, pulled threads and fabric for it, but then came up with better options - the only problem being they were fabric and threads which were not in my stash ha ha!  So that idea has been stored for another day and I went with a different freebie which has already been stitched up and is waiting to be finished.

 

 

 

So that's my past week in stitches!  Not sure whether I will accomplish all the goals I had for this month, but a possible six finishes is not to be sniffed at I guess!

 

Thank you to all of you that stop by and to those of you that comment on my little stitching adventures!

 

Happy Stitching!

Green Earth Sampler Finished!

I just couldn't face stitching the 2,000+ eyelets required for the next band of A Flamestitch, so I decided to pick up and finish something small instead that required more than one type of stitch!

Green Earth Sampler by The Victoria Sampler is done!

 

 

 

My favourite parts were the bargello, but also the snowy evergreens in the centre.  I thought it was a clever idea by the designer to use several fly stitches to create their shape - I shall store that idea away for another time!

 

These type of designs where a variety of counted threadwork techniques are used are my absolute favourite to stitch.  I plan on stitching more like this next year, just on a "slightly" larger scale lol - I think I may have scared myself!

 

Not sure what I will pick up next, possibly Crystal Waters as it shouldn't take too long to finish and I also have my final new start for the year to get on with!

 

Happy Stitching! 

Endless Eyelets!

The end is in sight though - only one more band of eyelets to go on A Flamestitch!  I had toyed with the idea of replacing some of the eyelets with other stitches (Rhodes and rice) but decided against it - it is a reproduction sampler after all.  Eyelets really aren't all that bad, here is where I got up to:

 

I'm still head over heels for this one, but will put it down for the month once that last band of eyelets is complete.  There are other pieces waiting patiently in the wings!

 

Speaking of which, last Saturday I finished off  Jane Austen & Me:

 

 

 

I adore the finish, Moose Drool and all!  The other advantage of 40ct is that with a smaller finish an "off the shelf" frame is a much more likely prospect, so I shall be keeping my eyes peeled..........

 

Changes may also be afoot in my stitching plans for next year, with an acronym (well at least the way I say it it is!) and an initialism featuring heavily in my plans :).

 

Happy Stitching!

Milady's Blossom Garden Finished!

After not so patiently waiting for some size 9/0 beads to come from Sew and So, I finally got to finish off Milady's Blossom Garden as the final (ish) part was released over the weekend:

 

 

It's hard to photograph the details, but as with so many pieces the beads really were the icing on the cake with this piece.  I love the effect of the suspended beads with the somersault stitch, so the 9/0 beads were worth the wait and I will use them again in future drawn thread pieces I am sure.

 

There is an optional seventh part that comes out next month which are the instructions for hem stitching the border of this piece.  I may very well finish it that way, but for the moment the stitching is done and I am counting it as my 33rd finish for the year!

 

Happy Stitching!

September Operation Threadporn Report

This month saw fantastic results for Operation Threadporn, but before I talk statistics, here are the projects!

Firstly there was September's SOTW Hardanger square.  I decided to change things up a bit with my materials by using a chocolate brown lugana rather than my usual white.  I also chose to use a much stroked but lesser used perle in my stash, my only silk #5 perle.  Try as I might I could not get a photo showing the true colours of this piece, but here it is anyway:

 

 

I really like the satin stitch braid border and will try and remember that one for future smalls.

 

 

In celebration of the last series of Downton Abbey airing in the UK, I stitched this freebie from The Sampler Girl and *shock horror* actually finished it!  I will add that my baking skills far far outweigh my sewing skills lol!

 

 



 

Loved loved loved using 100% Nina loveliness for this stitch, they made the project extra special!

 

So how do the Threadporn stats read after all those new starts?

 

Percentage of hand dyed thread stash used to date: 21.36%

Number of different stitches used to date:                57

Number of finishes to date:                                     33  (10 of which are FFOs)

I've surpassed the 20% mark, which in real terms means for this year I have used well over 200 hand dyed threads in my projects!!  Not sure if I can make it to 25%, but that would be a tidy number to round off the year with.............

Happy Stitching!

September Achievements and October Goals

Posts to follow on evidence of the below!

September Goals

• Complete Part 6 of Milady's Blossom Garden - 99% DONE, waiting on some 9/0 beads to finish off three drawn thread bands
• Stitch September's SOTW square - DONE!
• Stitch a freebie project for Operation Threadporn (as yet undecided) - DONE!
• Finish Butterfly Garden by The Drawn Thread - DONE!
• Start A Flamestitch by The Scarlet Letter (very excited about this!) - DONE!
• Pin down my Autumn Winter projects and make a start on any or all of them! - DONE!  Have chosen seven new starts and started six of them!

The graphical representation:

 

 

October Goals

• Stitch October's SOTW Hardanger square
• Stitch a freebie project for Operation Threadporn (as yet undecided)
• Finish Jane Austen & Me by The Sampler Girl
• Finish Green Earth Sampler
• Finish Fresh Air Sampler
• Finish Crystal Waters Sampler
• Start final new start for Autumn/Winter
• Stitch on Flamestitch
• Stitch at least another two parts on ATOS

 

I'll be back in a few days with an Operation Threadporn report and hopefully a finish on MBG if the beads arrive :).

 

Happy Stitching!