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!

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!

A Weekend with Jane

Here is my penultimate Autumn/Winter start!

This is by a designer who I absolutely adore and have stitched several of her pieces in the past.  One of my favourite things to do as the nights draw in is to curl up with my stitching in front of a good film, or more likely in my case - stream a TV boxset lol!  Making sure that things match appeals to the OCD part of my personality, so when what I watch mirrors what I stitch I am a very happy Janeite!

I am of course speaking of Tanya Marie Anderson AKA The Sampler Girl (@bzmama on IG).  Although she focuses less on cross stitch now, if you are into knitting podcasts and videos you should check out her YouTube channel and blog.  In the meantime I still have a few of her stitching patterns squirreled away for future Austen marathons and those days when only Jane will do!

Here are a few of my previous TSG finishes from the past:

At Home with Jane

 

 

Elinor Dashwood Holds it Together



Sound of Music (freebie)

Sense & Sensibility

 

And here was my new start for the weekend:

 

 

I've chosen to stitch it on 40ct linen 1 over 2 entirely with silks - my new favourite combo as it appeals to me not only because of its delicacy but also its frugality!  The chart calls for 15 different shades and I picked out silks from my stash covering seven different brands - including one shade imaginatively called Moose Drool :):

 



Glorianas, Dinky Dyes, HDFs, Waterlillies, Carrie's Creation, Thread Pickerz and AVAS!

 

And here is where I got to, with Emma and P&P for company:

 

 

 

I was so tempted to carry on stitching it for a finish - but I still have one more new start to squeeze in this month and the final part of MBG came out over the weekend too..........

 

Happy Stitching!

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!