Gifted Gorgeousness - May

Our Internet has been erratic this past month and the telephone company seem to be no closer to solving the problem, whatever the problem is. This will be a short post as I wish to get it up while I can.

First up is a quilted throw that I started back in late November. I followed Jenny Doan's tutorial (Missouri Star Quilt Co) on how to make this Double Friendship Star quilt. The recipient received it last month and was delighted with it. I admit I was pleased with it too.

Double Friendship Star - Missouri Star Quilt Co

Front

Double Friendship Star - Missouri Star Quilt Co

Label and close up of quilted star

Double Friendship Star - Missouri Star Quilt Co

Back

My other item of Gifted Gorgeousness is my long delayed start to Tea with Honey. This is a Travelling Pattern which Jo has passed on to me. After debating which colour fabric to use as I had no Light Sand Cashel linen I settled on Flax. Then I discovered that Light Sand is also know as Latte! I'm glad that I'm happy with Flax as I would hate to restart this project. Oh, I've just noticed that I've missed some stitching in the green border. I must fill that in first thing later today.

Tea with Honey - Just Nan

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Flax Cashel linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

If you are not familiar with Gifted Gorgeousness which is hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching, you can find the full details of how it operates here.

Gifted Gorgeousness and Fully Finished SAL - February 2021

As often happens with me, my Gifted Gorgeousness and Fully Finished Gallery SAL items are mostly the same items. Hosted by Jo and Rachel respectively, details of how these SALs operate can be found here and here.

Each year, Needlecraft Haven has a Valentine/Friendship exchange. This year we stitched a design of approximately 50 x 50 stitches or 2500 stitches to finish anyway we wanted. I chose to finish this free Janie Hubble design as a pincushion/scissor holder. It and a stitched card were sent to Christine. The pincushion is sitting on the backing fabric. Unfortunately this free chart is not available at the moment as Janie Hubble's website is being redesigned. 

Love - Janie Hubble

Fabric: 32ct Antique White linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

My card design is from Just Nan's Heartfelt Trio. I have now completed two out of the three designs. The other is Happy Birthday which I stitched and showed in last month's Small SAL.

Forever Friends (Heartfelt Trio) - Just Nan

Fabric: 28ct pale Blue linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

I will show what I received in our Needlecraft Haven Valentine exchange in a later post as it is still in the mail to me.

This free humbug design from Jean Farish was stitched with gifted fabric from Clare and thread from Angie (Needlecraft Haven). As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think this would look better if there was more contrast between the fabric and thread. Oh well, I know for again.

Vintage Hearts - Jean Farish

Fabric: 28ct white evenweave

Thread: Dragon Floss-Friendship

I also stitched this free design from The Drawn Thread and finished it as a small pillow. I didn't have the suggested Gloriana silk threads so I used what I already had.  Two of the pink threads used in this design were gifted by Clare and Justine (Needlecraft Haven). The small piece of fabric that you see is what I used to back it. This is all I have left of this Liberty Lawn fabric but I intend to buy some more as I like it so much.

All you need is Love - The Drawn Thread

Fabric: 32ct pale lilac linen

Threads: DMC 814, 819, Soie d'Alger -3023, 3025, 2114

Weeks Dye Works - Moss

Gifted Gorgeousness 2020 and Needlecraft Haven Valentine Exchange

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching where we display the crafted gifts we have made, used or received. Full details about how it works and how you can join in can be found here.

As it's February we had a Valentine's Exchange at Needlecraft Haven. No stitching was required this year. Instead we exchanged socks with a heart or floral theme and included two skeins of threads that matched the colours in the socks. This is what I sent to Katie.

Needlecraft Haven Valentine Gift
sent to Katie

Justine sent me this lovely selection. As always the chocolate didn't last long.

Needlecraft Haven Valentine Exchange
received from Justine

I think it was back in late 2017, maybe early 2018 that I stitched this mini quilt top for a doll's bed. As part of my intention to complete outstanding projects this year I finally finished it this week. It will be posted to its new home shortly. While making this mini quilt I found that half square triangles are not as straight forward as I thought they would be!

Doll's quilt

A friend of my sister is competing with their dog in the agility section at Crufts this year so I stitched this card for them. I hope they do well.

Good luck card for Crufts 2020

Gifted Gorgeousness - May 2019

Where has the past month gone? It seems no time since my last Gifted Gorgeousness post. Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching where we display the crafted gifts we have made, used or received. Full details about how it works and how you can join in can be found here.

The hand quilting on Holly's baby quilt is about half done. It will be now be put away for a couple of weeks as I won't be around to work on it.

Holly's baby quilt

Fabric: 'TAO' Modele Depose, 'Black Tie' Oasis Fabrics

design 60-137, teal fabric with orange/white stripe

My main focus recently has been stitching this Good Luck card for my sister and our mum's dog, Sonny. They took part in the dog World Agility Open Championships at Ermelo (Netherlands) earlier this month in the N. Ireland team. She and Sonny didn't win any prizes but they managed to reach one final which I thought was good given that this was their first time in an international competition.

Poodle on dog walk frame - design worked from a scanned photograph

Fabric: 32ct Jobelan Sunlit Pool, The Crafty Kitten

Threads: DMC- 318, 3799, 3787, 931, 927, 612, 677,

738, 728, 402, 950, 841

A short update

I'm pleased to say that I achieved my goal from last week, that is, to get my hexagon quilt to the 'sandwich' stage.

Here it is! The dark red fabric with the deep cream pattern is the backing fabric and will also be the binding.

I want to start quilting the rosettes ... now. Maybe I'll take it on holiday with me next week. We are self-catering, so there is a chance that I might be able to do something in the evenings? That's probably wishful thinking.

Design: Josette found in Magic Patch hors serie, no. 91,

'15 quilts miniatures'

Fabric: Moda charm pack 'Icicle Kisses'

I've started stitching "The Perambulating Poinsettia" that I won in Christine's of The Alchymyst's Study give-away. I plan to finish it by the end of the month so that it can continue its travels via a give-away here. I took lots of photos but I found it very hard to capture the true colours of my fabric and thread. This is the best I could manage.

Little House Needleworks - Potted Poinsettia
Fabric: 28ct Cashel Flax linen
Threads: Atalie - Les 4 Saisons, Carmen and Desert

When the cows come home

Or in this case when Lizzie Kate's 'Midnight Cow' comes home. Now that I have a short term work contract until the end of July, very little stitching will be done. Therefore my Alpine Seasons Garden has been put away until August as I don't like working on it in short bursts (one hour or less).

As a result, this Lizzie Kate design is perfect for travelling with me so that I have something to hand if I feel like stitching in the evenings. Based on recent experience, I am quite tired in the evenings, so it is more likely that I will content myself with reading during the week instead of stitching.

I hope that you are getting more stitching time than I am at the moment.

Midnight Cow - Lizzie Kate
stitched on 28ct Jobelan Dark Red
using recommended Sampler Threads and DMC

A chicken pincushion in cross stitch

My sewing group seem to have a 'thing' about chickens. For the past three months, most of the group have been making a project sized zipped bag in the shape of a chicken. We've previously made chicken pincushions and keyrings. Having missed the first week of the project, I decided to give making the zipped bag a miss.

However, I recently came across this free design (scroll down the page) from Creative Workshops from Hetti for a humbug chicken and stitched it for our next meeting on Thursday. My beads are smaller than I would have liked but I decided to go for a right colour and wrong size combination rather than the right size but with the wrong colour for the design. I think this cross stitched chicken pincushion will be popular.

Chicken Humbug - Creative Workshops from Hetti
stitched on a 28ct light Taupe-like evenweave with unknown fils à SoSo thread

A Stitcher's Day Exchange and progress on Alpine Seasons Garden

The Friendly Stitchers forum recently had a Stitcher's Day Exchange and I received my stitching exchange from Mouse on Saturday. She sent me this beautiful ornament, fabric, ribbon and scissors. I've attached my latest scissor fob to these pink polka dot scissors as they go so well together.

Stitcher's Day Exchange from Mouse

In return I sent Mouse this hanging ornament which has a pocket on the back to hold needles and/or scissors as well as two skeins of thread and a packet of Bohin needles. I like this free design from Glory Bee.

Stitching Days - Glory Bee Designs
Stitched for Mouse for Stitcher's Day Exchange

Reverse of stitched ornament for Mouse.
Pocket added to hold packet of needles and/or scissors

 I'm expecting slow progress on this next section of Alpine Seasons Garden. It is solid cross stitch with a lot of thread changes. I only managed to stitch most of the bottom right hand corner over the weekend.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
Stitched on 32ct Belfast Summer Khaki linen with recommended threads
Progress as at 12 April 2015

The sun is out, so if I go and finish the housework now, I might get some time to sit outside and read this afternoon.

A mini scissor fob

Back in January/February, I stitched Just Nan's 'Tiny Beaded Heart' but until now, I didn't finish it. Last week, I finally made it into a scissor fob. So after adding a little heart on the reverse side of the fob, here it is.

Tiny Beaded Heart - Just Nan
stitched on 28ct Cashel linen

Reverse of scissor fob with small cross-stitched heart

If I were to stitch this again, I would add a backstitch border around the heart (4-6 threads out from the design) before stitching the two sides together as it would frame the design and make the fob a little larger.

Nevermore ...

Well that's how I feel after stitching this double-sided key fob on 28ct evenweave, 1 over 1. I didn't really enjoy it and if it hadn't been for a little seven year old girl who loves all things 'Frozen', I would have put it to one side and never looked at it again.

However, an aunt's love knows no bounds and it is now in the post to her. I just hope that she hasn't switched her affiliation to Cinderella before it arrives.
 

Elsa - Crafty Guild
stitched on 28ct white evenweave

Anna - Crafty Guild
stitched on 28ct white evenweave

Slow but Sure

I think that is probably the best way to describe my stitching at the present time - slow but sure. Well, it is certainly slow.

I've stitched some more on my BBD as part of the Needlecraft Haven SAL. I'm looking forward to finishing this as a small stocking.

Joyeux Noel - Blackbird Designs
stitched on 28ct Cashel Platinum

At my sewing group, I'm working on this kit from Shepherd's Bush, Peace and Plenty. Given that we talk as much as we stitch, I am not working quickly on this one.

Peace and Plenty - Shepherd's Bush kit

Later in the week I will spend a day finishing my stitched finishes. Among various things that I could complete, my priority will be my two exchange pieces - the stitching is done, they just need to be made into something!

I follow some wonderful blogs but today I'd like to mention 'Stitches by Carin'. I've only recently discovered this blog and she has the most beautiful finishes. I will be looking at them in the future for inspiration on how to finish my stitching.

More starts

I've signed up for two exchanges and I joined the Blackbird Designs (BBD) SAL over at Needlecraft Haven.

On Sunday, I started on 'Joyeux Noel' from BBD. I will need to change one of my threads as it blends into the fabric too much. You might have spotted the holly sprig under the word 'Noel'; that thread will need to be changed. At the moment I'm undecided between a more beige cream or an off-white. I will try both and see which I prefer, if either.

Joyeux Noel - Blackbird Designs
stitched on 28ct Cashel Platinum

I've started stitching on an Easter exchange, also at Needlecraft Haven and though I'm unable to show it just yet, here is the colour selection I am working from. I am really pleased with this colour combination.

Thread selection for Needlecraft Haven Easter exchange

My second exchange is over at Friendly Stitchers and it is for Stitcher's Day. I haven't decided what I will do yet but I have an idea of which colours I will be using as my partner has expressed a preference for pinks and greens with maybe a touch of blue.

So I will definitely be busy over the next few weeks. I haven't forgotten about my 'Alpine Seasons Garden', I am just having a short rest from working on it. I thought of setting up a rotation cycle for working on all these projects but I know it wouldn't suit me. Even though, it would probably help me to be more efficient, I prefer to work on something until time constraints say 'hey, it's time you moved on to something else'.

An overdue finish

Fairy Moon - Mirabilia
stitched on 28ct Smokey Pearl Cashel (I think)

First up today is an unfinished project that has been waiting since about mid 2011 for me to add the final 30 or so beads. I had almost finished Mirabilia's 'Fairy Moon' when I ran out of beads. By the time I got a new packet, I had moved onto something else and this project went into my 'someday' pile. 

I plan to get this framed as it is too large to do anything else with it. That is definitely for 'someday'.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
stitched on 32ct Summer Khaki Belfast linen

I feel I've made some good progress on Alpine Seasons Garden this week. The octagon border is almost completed - just 2.5 sides of backstitching around the Rhodes stitches and it will be done. Then it will be seasonal alpine trees scenes. I'm looking forward to getting onto this next stage.






I also finished the stitching on my Elsa ornament. Instead of making two separate ornaments, I'm thinking of making this a double-sided ornament with Anna on the opposite side.

Elsa - Crafty Guild
stitched on a 28ct White evenweave

Mid January - already?

I'm still in a flitting mood as I move from one project to another.
I've stitched a little more on the border of Alpine Seasons Garden. It's rather creased at the moment. Can too much ironing distort the fabric? I mean ironing the non-stitched area.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
stitched on 32ct Summer Khaki Belfast linen

I know two little girls who are mad about anything to do with the Disney film Frozen, so I thought I'd earn myself some Brownie points by stitching them each an Elsa and an Anna ornament. I'm not so keen on stitching 'characters' so I'm now thinking that one set will be made up as ornaments and the other as key fobs. I'll stitch the key fobs over one. Here is my start on Elsa which is a free design available at Crafty Guild. I'm stitching the mini versions.

Elsa - Crafty Guild
stitched on a 28ct White evenweave

I've also stitched my card for the Sweet Feet Valentine exchange on Needlecraft Haven so I can't show that until next month.

I'm still stitching my jumper but I think I've ripped out as much as I've knitted. Just when I think I've got the hang of the cable stitch, I knit it in the wrong direction! Knitting was supposed to be what I did when I didn't need to concentrate so much. Obviously I should have stuck to stocking stitch if I wanted to do that. I'll post a picture next time. Hopefully I will have completed the back by then.

A goal for 2015

I'm not into making New Year's resolutions but I have decided to set myself a stitching goal for 2015. It is to complete the stitching on Chatelaine's Alpine Seasons Garden. For those of you familiar with Martina Rosenburg's designs, you will have spotted that I only said stitching. From what I've read, attaching the beads is almost like doing a separate project - so whatever I manage to do in adding beads will be an additional bonus.
Here is where I currently am on this project. Sadly the photo doesn't do the colours justice as the light has been so poor these past few days.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
stitched on 32ct  Summer Khaki Belfast at 3 January 2015

Just Nan December update

Here is my final Just Nan finish (stitching only) for 2014. It's Mitten Men. This took me much longer to complete than I expected, but at the rate I stitch, I should have learned by now that I don't do 'quick stitches'. Given how poor the light has been during the past couple of days, I'm pleased to see that the four blue sequins show up in the picture. I should manage to complete this as an ornament for Christmas 2015; Ha! Ha!

Mitten Men - Just Nan
stitched on 32ct natural Permin linen

I'm glad that I joined the Just Nan SAL in 2014. Without it I probably wouldn't have completed five Just Nan finishes - Patience, Sunny Summer Happy Garden, Beach Roses, True Blue heart and Mitten Men.

It's the most wonderful time ... Day 2

 

Front of holly ornament from Frances
Friendly Stitchers Christmas ornament exchange

 

Back of holly ornament from Frances
Friendly Stitchers Christmas ornament exchange

I haven't been very active on the Friendly Stitchers forum this year but I couldn't miss their Christmas ornament exchange. Frances was my stitching partner and she sent me the lovely holly ornament (shown above) with matching Christmas threads and holly napkins.

I love the way that Frances signed the back. I must do something similar in my future exchanges, where appropriate.

Partridge in a pear tree - Needlecraft magazine
Sent to Frances, Friendly Stitchers
Christmas ornament exchange

The ornament I sent Frances was of a partridge in a pear tree. I know the design comes from an old issue of Needlecraft magazine but I can't find it at the moment in order to say which edition.

This also highlights an issue I have right now. My stitching stash has got disorganised, so in the New Year I will need to reorder it so I can more easily find what I'm looking for.

A Contribution to History, a Finish and a WIP

I couldn't resist the phrase 'A contribution to history', it makes me smile. I haven't done anything dramatic or earth shattering; just stitched my initial using DMC 321 on a 15cm square piece of linen and sent it to the Textile Museum Parc Wesserling in Alsace, France. DMC are having a permanent exhibition where the stitched initials will be displayed along with the names of the participants. Closing date for contributions is 12th May. Further details are here (in English) and here (in French).

Initial M
Stitched on 32ct white Belfast

I completed Little Blue Bungalow,(a free design from Blue Ribbon Designs) which is the 2014 chart for the Birthday thread exchange on Needlecraft Haven. The picture below shows an unfilled pillow as I need to buy some more filling. I love how the colours really stand out and fortunately I had some suitable pink/fushia fabric that I could use for the pillow.

Little Blue Bungalow - Blue Ribbon Designs
Stitched on Goldrush 32ct Murano by Crafty Kitten

I have started the Mojo Sampler, which is the current SAL on The Stitch Specialists. I've decided on a combination of purples (DMC 333, 340, 3746) and yellows (DMC 725, 744). Unfortunately, the yellow backstitch lettering isn't showing up too well on the fabric. If I am still unhappy with it when the SAL is completed, I will switch it for another yellow. The lettering reads 'I love to stitch'.

Mojo Sampler - Abi Gurden, Bee's Needleworks
The Stitch Specialists SAL
Stitched on 32ct White Belfast

Just Nan SAL 2014 - February post

In my mind, I'm a quicker stitcher than I actually am in real life. So despite thinking that I would have Just Nan's Patience sampler finished, I have only passed the half way point. I'm more used to stitching on the recommended fabric now but I wouldn't rush to buy it again. I'm very happy with the look of this sampler and wish I could take a photograph that does it full justice. About halfway through Row 6 I lost my rhythm and ended up removing and restitching the same section of the row about 4 times! Thankfully I got it sorted in the end. To see the progress of others in the Just Nan SAL 2014, just click here.

Just Nan 'Patience' as at 28 February 2014

January Just Nan 2014 SAL Update

Here is my progress on Just Nan's Patience Sampler. I expected to complete the first band and I probably would have, if I hadn't miscounted the positioning of the centre piece after the first rose! So after some frogging, here it is.
I'm stitching on the recommended 30ct Liberty fabric and I'm still undecided as to whether I like it or not. I feel that the fabric holes are 'big' compared to 32ct. Silly I know, but as I usually stitch on 28ct or 32ct linen, it just feels different. Still love what I have managed to stitch though.

Just Nan 'Patience'
Stitched on 30ct Legacy