Seasons Greetings

Just a short post sharing three small decorations I have made this month.  I bought the wooden ornaments from Etsy and then made my own design to stitch on them.

I hoped that the design would remind the recipients of the Poinsettia as this is something that I associate with our family Christmases.

I used some overdyed floss from my stash - I can't remember which ones I used unfortunately as I put them away!  I used the full six strands for the satin stitch to get the coverage.  I then glued some fabric to the back to finish them.  I gave them to three of my relatives and I think they liked them.

I have two more blanks which I intend to stitch the same for myself at some point.

This is definitely my last post before the Christmas season so I will wish you all well for the festive period.

Keep stitching and smiling

Jodyri Christmas Mystery SAL 2016 - Part 3 - FINISH 19 of 2016

I was lucky enough to be asked again to stitch the model for a Joydri mystery SAL. This time the theme is Christmas.

The design is being released in three parts and this is the third and final part.

I am stitching it on 18 count cream aida.  The design is charted in Jodyri threads but unfortunately I didn't have the recommended thread for the star so I subbed it with another Jodyri thread St Clements.

The other threads you can see are the recommended Jodyri threads - Emerald Forest, Ruby Slippers and Sapphire.

Keep stitching and smiling

Jodyri Christmas Mystery SAL 2016 - Part 2

I was lucky enough to be asked again to stitch the model for a Joydri mystery SAL. This time the theme is Christmas.

The design is being released in three parts and this is the second part.

I am stitching it on 18 count cream aida.  The design is charted in Jodyri threads but unfortunately I didn't have the recommended thread for the star so I subbed it with another Jodyri thread St Clements.

The other threads you can see in part 1 are the recommended Jodyri threads - Emerald Forest and Ruby Slippers.  Can't wait to stitch the next part.

Keep stitching and smiling

Christmas Mystery SAL 2016 from Jodyri Designs - 01.03.16

I was lucky enough to be asked again to stitch the model for a Joydri mystery SAL. This time the theme is Christmas.

The design is being released in three parts and this is the first part.  If you're interested in joining the SAL you can find it here.

I am stitching it on 18 count cream aida.  The design is charted in Jodyri threads but unfortunately I didn't have the recommended thread for the star so I subbed it with another Jodyri thread St Clements.  I was a bit concerned that the yellow wouldn't show up against the cream aida so I worked the thread so that the orange would be surrounding the outside of the star.  I am really pleased how it turned out.

The other threads you can see in part 1 are the recommended Jodyri threads - Emerald Forest and Ruby Slippers.  Can't wait to stitch the next part.

Keep stitching and smiling

Candy Cane Cottage - Country Cottage Needleworks - 06.07.15 - FINISHED

I joined in an event in a Facebook group I am part of about stitching a Christmas ornament which began on 1st July.  I've decided to stitch the Santa's Village series from Country Cottage Needleworks as individual ornaments.  I am planning to hang them like bunting over the festive season.

I don't have a before photo to show you as I started stitching this on 1st July and finished it today 6th July.  The first one I have stitched is called Candy Cane Cottage.  I used all the recommended threads but I changed the snowflakes from being stitched in DMC white to Kreinik 032 as I wanted them to have a little sparkle.

I used the recommended Poblano Pepper from Crescent Colours and was slightly disappointed with the outcome.  It's not as variegated as it is in the picture and I think I could have got the same effect with the DMC alternative.  I suppose that's the chance you take with overdyed threads.

So here are my progress pictures:-

I've got one more day of my self-imposed stitching holiday before I get back to stitching on the models I have committed to and I think it may be a new start.

Keep stitching and smiling

Twisted Band Sampler - Northern Expressions Needlework - 18.01.15

I can't tell you how many times I have had to frog sections of this since I last updated.  All due to my own carelessness either missing out a section of cross stitch which doesn't show up until you try and stitch the next colour next to it - this resulted in frogging nearly half a band of cross stitch, or using the wrong colour - I did this twice - the first time I just picked up the wrong colour and stitched for about an hour before I realised and the second time either it was a difference in dye lot from DMC or I had somehow wrapped a thread from a different colour skein round the wrong bobbin.  The is still some of this "wrong" colour stitched into one of the bands and at the moment I am leaving it there as it would be too difficult to unpick.  When I have finished the entire piece I will look at it again and decide whether I can live with it or if it needs unpicking.  Knowing my OCD tendencies it will be unpicked but I cannot face it at the moment.

Anyway less talking and here's the latest update picture.

I'm doing well so far with the Stitch from Stash although we are only 18 days into the New Year!  I will do a separate post later in the month regarding Stitch from Stash and showing the stash I have acquired so far (within my budget of course!).

You may remember my last blog post where I talked the big talk about my stitching plans for 2015 and at the time I had all the good intentions of sticking to it.  However I am so enjoying stitching the Twisted Band Sampler that I don't want to rotate onto anything else at the moment.  

Also I am currently undecided about the AAN Christmas Mystery SAL.  It is a beautiful design so far as all Alessandra's designs are but I think I am going to wait until a few more parts come out before I decide whether or not I am going to stitch it.  It is going to be such a large piece that I don't want to start stitching and decide in a few months that I'm not going to finish it so for the time being that one has been put on the back burner.

I'm hoping to receive my order from Crafty Kitten in the next couple of weeks that I paid off last year before I started Stitch from Stash.  It's got everything I need to stitch Plum Pudding by Glendon Place and also everything for the new Lizzie Kate Mystery - Things Unseen which I have only seen the first part stitched of so it may still be somewhat of a mystery by the time I get all three parts.

Keep stitching, smiling and destashing

Holly & Hearts Sampler - Christmas Mystery 2013 - Lizzie Kate - FINISHED 21.02.14

So happy to be posting my first finish of 2014.  I had so little to finish on this piece I really don't know why I didn't finish it last time.

Here are the pictures I took of my progress with this piece.

I really enjoyed stitching this piece.  I got the thread pack with the charts and the colours are beautiful.

I just need to save up now to get it framed - hopefully before Christmas.  If anyone is interested in buying the patterns I am selling them via my Facebook destashing page.

Keep stitching, smiling and destashing

Christmas Mystery Sampler 2013 - Lizzie Kate - as of 18.01.14

I've been working on the Christmas Mystery Sampler this week and am really close to a finish but I'm putting it down because I'm treating myself to a new start, but more about that later.

Here's my progress picture.

I decided to do satin stitch for the windows instead of cross stitch and I am also going to do this for the door.  I've also decided to change the colour of the door as I love the maroon/red colour and am going to use this.

Now call me stupid but do you see all those letters in light green in the background.  It took me until I stitched x, y and z before I realised they were letters - I thought they were just supposed to represent snow and were odd shapes!  Looking at the picture now it is so obvious they are letters I really don't know how I didn't see it.

So my new start is the Chatelaine Seaside Mystery - I've already received parts 1-3 of the pattern but have been waiting until I paid off my layaway for my fabric and threads to arrive.  Well my parcel came this morning and the hand dyed fabric and speciality threads are absolutely stunning - I just cannot wait to get started.  

With regards to the stitch from stash I have now spent my budget for January of £15.19.  I decided to buy silks from the Silk Mill for my Chatelaine to substitute for the DMC threads - they cost me just over £25 but luckily I still had some Christmas money left.

Keep stitching, smiling and destashing

Merry Christmas by the Letter - 23.08.12

I've had a new start this week it's Lizzie Kate's design Merry Christmas by the Letter.  Here's what I've done up to now.  I do love Lizzie Kate designs they are so simple but so effective.  Before anyone thinks I've spelt favourite wrong it's the American spelling and the O is going to be represented with a button which I will add at the end.  I've also changed the colour of the border as it was originally meant to be in DMC 712 which is the same colour as the M and the E and it wouldn't have shown up on the fabric I'm using.

I've been having a tough time in my personal life in the past few weeks.  I've got a history of depression and anxiety and unfortunately it's all flared up again.  I think it's because we are in the middle of moving house and I really don't cope well with stress.  There is also an emotional element to the move which I'm finding more difficult to cope with than I thought I would.  We are buying my grandparents house, my grandma passed away nearly 4 years ago and my grandad passed away earlier this year.  On one hand I am so happy and excited to be moving but on the other hand I feel a great sadness that we are only able to buy the house because my grandparents are gone.

I've got so much I need to do for the house move it seems to overwhelm me and I feel paralysed and end up doing nothing.  I don't even seem to be able to keep up with the normal everyday household jobs like washing the pots and ironing etc let alone do anything towards the move.  Even my stitching hasn't been able to calm me recently.  I just can't seem to settle on a project and I've ended up addling lots more WIPs to my rotation.  It's a complete contradiction when with all things domestic I don't want to do anything yet with my stitching I just want to keep starting new projects.

We met with our solicitor yesterday and went through all the paperwork and there are just a few loose ends that need tying up and then hopefully we will be moving before the end of September.

I'm trying to set myself small goals everyday but find that most days I don't even accomplish half of them.