WIP Update!

Not a great deal of stitching has been going on at Milkybar Towers this week, so I'm going to have to get a move on if I want all my current projects to be finished before the start of the best sporting event on the planet ;).

I've cut the border for the final part of Confetti of Hardanger and am looking to get that finished next week hopefully:

 

I've also been chipping away at Jodyri Butterfly Quote and just have the word "world" to stitch, so looking for a finish this weekend then it will be off to the fabric shop to find suitable fabric and trimmings!

 

 

I just love this colour!



I've also picked my colours for my thread challenge pieces this month, I think I must have been influenced by all the blue sky we've had around here lately!

 

The colour combination for my hardanger piece this month may prove interesting, but I had that Watercolour in my stash so I figured I might as well use it and step out of my comfort zone!  My freebie piece this month is a bit selfish as it is no longer available, it is by The Sampler Girl aka @bzmama on IG aka Tanya Marie Anderson.  Nowadays she is much more about the knitting and yarn, so if you love that too check out her ravelry page, blog and vlog!  I do miss her Jane Austen inspired designs, but I have a few in my stash to keep me going yet ;).

 

Here's to having a more productive week next week!

 

Sidebar:  Thank you to everyone who entered my vlogaversary giveaway last week and who left comments on my video.  There were 170 entrants and the winners have been drawn and notified and their charts will be in the post in a few days!

 

 

Have a good weekend everyone and Happy Stitching!

May Operation Threadporn Report

Slightly later than usual, here is the monthly progress report on my thread challenge for May!

Once again for my SOTW hardanger square I choose DMC and Anchor perles for the design - pink seemed to be my theme for the month!

 

This was the first time I'd stitched unevenly woven bars and I really like the effect - plus the fact that it makes it easier to run your thread underneath them on the back!  I'm not sure what I will do with my 12 hardanger squares at the end of the year, maybe I will pinch Jo's idea and scrapbook them along with a record of threads and stitches used.

 

My freebie for this month was taken from this blog: Les Chalet des Perelles (I love a good French needlework blog if anyone has any suggestions!) and I decided to stitch it in silks, mainly because when I saw the colours I knew I had an excellent selection of pinks, reds and greens in hand dyed silks!  I thought I would have issues with greys though - I mean who has several shades of grey in their silk collection??!!!  Urm that would be me - I'd forgotten I have approximately 12 shades to choose from!  Anyway here is my finish,  a little stretched canvas:

 

 

 

I know I'm not particularly adventurous with my finishings, but for me after years of never finishing ANYTHING, even ornaments, pillows and canvases are a vast improvement!

 

 

I also have an update on my Jodyri Butterfly Quote (chart available for free on the Jodyri Designs FB group), I've finished all the words in Unicorn Magic, just need to add the words "butterfly" and "world" for a finish.  I decided that all the nouns should be in a different colour thread so I'm waiting to decide on colours (either Crystal Seas or Deep Dive) for "world" after I've stitched the word "butterfly" to see which blends in better:

 

 



 

This means that the stats up until the end of May are:

 

Percentage of hand dyed stash used to date: 10.99%

Number of different stitches used to date:     38

Number of finishes to date:                          17 (9 of which are "finished finished")

 

Once I start my summer stitching I am confident that I will reach the magical 12% stash goal and possibly by year end will have surpassed the 15% I thought impossible!  I will definitely be rolling Operation Threadporn over into 2016 as it is really making me think about my thread usage.  Using such a wide assortment of threads in close succession also makes for great comparisons (or not so great in the case of some threads!).  Whilst I think that I am cured of my thread buying addiction (though The Sister says we must remain vigilant for signs of waivering!) I definitely know which threads I would focus my stash pennies on in the future should I wish to add to my collection :).

 

Happy Stitching!

A Long Awaited New Start

I thought it was about time that I started watching Poldark - I had six episodes of it on the PVR and as a Cornish maid I figured I'd better check it out.  I usually avoid any dramas where actors attempt to voice a Cornish accent - they inevitably fail and come up with some generic Westcountry "ooo arr where's my tractor" accent which just bugs me.  Friends had assured me that the accents weren't too bad so I took a chance.  It's so funny to see places portrayed on screen that you know like the back of your hand (Charlestown for example) and it makes you realise how much they splice things together for the end result!

What has this to do with stitching?  Well if I was going to have a TV marathon I needed a stitch to accompany it, some easy straight up cross stitch.  I've stitched my Threadporn projects for the month and I can't touch Plum Pudding until May so tragically I had to start something new :).  I have had a certain design in my stash for two years, but kept changing my mind on fabric count and colours - until finally I kitted it up at the end of last year and told myself I couldn't change my mind!

Any of you that are members of the Jodyri Designs FB Group will recognise it as you can find it for free in the group files.  I can't show you what the design looks like as it doesn't have a front cover, only the actual chart but it's called Butterfly Quote.  The quote is "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly" and the word butterfly is in the shape of one.

Here is where I've got to, I'm stitching it on 36ct Edinburgh cream linen over 2 and using Jodyri cottons:

 

 

I've chosen Unicorn Magic for most of the text because, well it's purple and the word caterpillar is in (the appropriately named) Poisoned Apple as the colours reminded me of the book The Hungry Caterpillar.  I'll be using The Sunshine State for the butterfly wings and Nevermore for the body.  I may carry on with this over the weekend as well as making a start on the buttonhole stitch border on Confetti of Hardanger which I have been avoiding!

 

As for Poldark?  When it comes to period dramas it's no Downton and I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner), I guess it depends on whether you like your Cornishmen dark and brooding (I don't and mine isn't :)).  I would say that the star of the show is definitely the scenery and it makes me realise how very lucky I am to have lived in this little county for all of my life!  I just have to hope that all the millions of people that have been watching Poldark don't all want to come to Cornwall on holiday now - otherwise they'll be no room on the beach for me this summer........emmets ;).

 

Happy Stitching!