Fully Finished Gallery and Gifted Gorgeousness - January 2024

Rachel, The Ten Hour Stitcher and Jo of Serendipitous Stitching continue to host The Fully Finished Gallery and Gifted Gorgeousness respectively. If you click on the link for their blog, it will take you to the page which explains how you can take part if you wish.

With Christmas gifts I have plenty of GG to show this month but I will start first with my Fully Finished item. It's the Jardin Privé temperature SAL from 2022. I finished it as a cushion which will be on display in the spare bedroom. As you can see, January was the coldest month in 2022 and we had a long, hot summer.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

I have also finished Just Nan's Tea with Honey. My cube is ready and waiting for my miniature tea set to arrive. When I've added the tea set pins to the cube I will post a photo in February's Fully Finished Gallery SAL.

My dear friends at Needlecraft Haven sent me the following gifts:

Gift from Clare

Chart, fabric and thread for Faby Reilly's Lily of the Valley Biscornu

Santa Ornament

Clare gifted a Faby Reilly biscornu chart, fabric and threads to each of her Needlecraft Haven friends and those of us who wish to, are stitching our gift as part of Needlecraft Haven's Biscornu SAL.

Gift from Gill

Charts are Little House Needleworks Woodland Sampling and 

Bianca's Scissor Pocket from The Cat's Whiskers. 

Two skeins of silk thread from Dinky Dyes

Gift from Julie

Socks, ribbon and a finished ornament, 

Mary and Joseph from Shepherd's Bush

Thank you once again Clare, Gill and Julie.

Gifted Gorgeousness - December 2023

It's hard to believe it is nearly the end of the year, making this the final blog post for Gifted Gorgeousness in 2023.  Hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching, this is a good opportunity to share the crafty gifts we have made and/or received each month.

December the first was our exchange opening day at Needlecraft Haven. I stitched Clare a snowman ornament and a robin Christmas card. The robin is a free design from La Comtesse & Le Point de Croix which can be found here and the snowman is from a Brittercup Design that was gifted to me by Ursh, a former Needlecraft Haven member. The snowman is stitched on a fabric that was gifted. I've shown the back of the ornament as well as I was pleased to find I had a piece of fabric that would suit.

Christmas Robin - La Comtesse & Le Point de Croix

Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Newcastle white linen

Threads: DMC 349, 630, 869, 3363, 3767, 3831, 3841

Winter is in the air (scissor fob design) - Brittercup Designs

Fabric: 25ct Unknown  evenweave latte fabric

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Back of Snowman ornament featuring another Snowman

I received this pretty ornament and other items from Gill. The threads are gorgeous and I'm looking forward to using them. In real life the bells on this ornament look 3D. The chocolate didn't last too long (LOL).

Needlecraft Haven Christmas exchange from Gill

I have completed the stitching on the Just Nan travelling pattern Tea with Honey. I have stitched 2023 as the year of completion on the base. That is my incentive to fully finish it as a cube before the year ends.

Overview of completed stitching and beading

Tea with Honey - Just Nan

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Flax Cashel linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Base of Tea with Honey with year added

Centre design of Tea with Honey

In 2022 Jardin Privé offered a free floral Temperature SAL on her site. I finally completed the stitching at the beginning of this week. I still intend to fully finish it as a cushion cover.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

I am stitching something for myself. My intention is to complete this reindeer design from Punch Needle & Primitive Stitching (PNPS) as a drum pincushion.

Reindeers Winter - Liezbeth Gottschall of Thistles,

in PNPS Winter 2015

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Belfast Natural linen with a gold thread

Threads: Suggested DMC threads except 3023 for 3024 and 3053 for 3052

I wish you all a Happy Christmas.

Gifted Gorgeousness and Fully Finished Gallery SAL - July

Between visiting family and this heatwave I managed to squeeze in some stitching during the past month.

For those of you unfamiliar with Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness and Rachel's Fully Finished Gallery SALs, further details can be found here and here.

Increasingly I find it difficult to find birthday cards that I like to send. My taste hasn't kept pace with that of the card industry. As a result I stitched this card for a 60th birthday and it is both my Gifted Gorgeousness and Fully Finished item this month. The cupcake design is free on Durene Jones's Facebook page.

Cupcake - Durene Jones

Fabric: 28ct Crafty Kitten Jobelan Just Peachy

Threads: Recommended DMC threads

There has been no progress on my Alpine Seasons Garden this month but I have managed to catch up on my Jardin Privé Temperature SAL. Here is the midway point at the end of June.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

As the heatwave continues, stay cool and safe.

Fully Finished Gallery - June 2022 and Needlecraft Haven Jubilee Exchange

I actually have something to show for this month's Fully Finished Gallery which is hosted by Rachel, The Ten House Stitcher.

At Needlecraft Haven we had a Jubilee coaster exchange and I stitched this Commemorative Crown free design for Gill (no blog). It was my first time putting stitching in a round coaster and I imagine it will be awhile before I do it again. It was fiddly! I added some lettering, ER II and 70 years in silver but I couldn't get it to show up well in any photographs. I should have used another colour such as purple. Why purple you might ask.

Commemorative Crown design - Jenny Barton www.gathered.how

Fabric: 28ct Brittany Ivory evenweave

Threads: Suggested DMC threads except Krenik 102HL for

DMC Light Effects Gold and a gold sewing thread for backstitch

Well, it so happened that Clare stitched the same design for me and she used purple which as you can see below is more effective. As an aside, purple is one of my favourite colours.

This is not the first time that Clare and I have stitched the same design in exchanges.

Finally an update on my Jardin Privé Temperature SAL. Here is how it looked at the end of May. As you can see, it is definitely getting warmer. I haven't started on the strong reds yet but I'm getting there.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

Happy Easter and Gifted Gorgeousness - April 2022

Happy Easter. We had an Easter card exchange at Needlecraft Haven and I received this pretty card from Clare. These colours are so delicate. I wish I had an Easter egg tree in my my garden :)

Easter card from Clare, Needlecraft Haven

For this exchange Clare was my partner and I stitched an egg design from The Cricket Collection.

Tisket-a-Tasket Egg - The Cricket Collection

Fabric: 28ct Jobelan, The Crafty Kitten, January 2018 Limited Edition

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

I'm still stitching on my Jardin Privé Temperature SAL and this is my progress as at 31 March 2022. The range between my daily and minimum temperatures in March is broad.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

In recent weeks I wasn't able to stitch as much as I would have liked on Chatelaine's Alpine Seasons Garden nor Wiehenburg's Cottage Garden SAL but at least some progress was made.

The final side of the border on Alpine Seasons Garden has met up (bottom border) and I am currently filling it in. When that is completed I'll have 'just' the corner flowers to stitch and then it will be time to start beading.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine as at 9 September 2022

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen

Threads: Recommended silk threads

I'm still stitching the first part of the Cottage Garden SAL. While I like it on the cream fabric I wonder if it would 'pop' more if I had used a fabric that was slightly darker. I'm not inclined to restart it so I will continue on cream.

Cottage Garden SAL - Wiehenburg

Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Ivoire/Cream

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

To see who else has taken part in April's Gifted Gorgeousness and to learn more about it, please visit Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.

Smalls SAL - February 2022

It's time for my Smalls SAL linkup hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread. I haven't alot of stitching to show for this past month but here it is.

First up is my Mini Valentine Bouquet which you would have already seen on my Valentine's day post. I'm loving this free series from Jeannette Douglas and I'm looking forward to downloading the next design tomorrow from here. 

Valentine Mini Bouquet - Jeannette Douglas

Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Light Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC conversion

As it is the end of the month here is my update on Jardin Privé's Projet Météo. I'm expecting more variation on the colours of my flowers over the coming weeks as Spring arrives. 

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

Smalls SAL - January 2022

It's the first 2022 link up for the Smalls SAL hosted by Mary and I'm pleased to say that I have some stitching to show.

First up is Baked Goods from Little House Needleworks. If you think "I'm sure I've seen that recently" you are right as I stitched it for our Needlecraft Haven Christmas Ornament Exchange. I liked it so much that I had to stitch one for myself. This pattern was a gift from Clare and at Needlecraft Haven we have made it our Travelling Pattern in 2022.

Baked Goods - Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Sand linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads and chose 3865 for ecru like colour

I've admired Jeanette Douglas's designs for some time and her free Mini Bouquet Sampler during 2022 has given me the opportunity to try some of her designs. I am stitching each month's design individually with the intention of completing each one as a scissor fob. I am using her suggested DMC thread conversions and I'm pleased with the end result in the mini pineapple bouquet.

Pineapple Mini Bouquet - Jeannette Douglas

Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Light Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC conversion but used 3011 for both stems and leaves

My final 'show and tell' is not really a small. I'm taking part in Needlecraft Haven's Temperature SAL and here is my progress as at 30 January 2022. I know temperature SALs have been around for some years but I had never done one as I had no idea what I would do with the finished piece. When I saw the floral temperature SAL from Jardin Privé, I knew immediately that I wanted to stitch this one. I plan to finish it as a cushion cover.

Projet Météo 2022 - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart Light Lilac linen

Threads: Suggested range of cool, warm and other DMC colours

and using a 4 degree Celsius range between colours

Smalls SAL - JULY 2021

This month I'm showing both my June and July small stitching as I forgot to link up last month!

This SAL is hosted by Mary and all those participating for the July check in can be found on her blog here.

My 12 Days of Christmas SAL at Needlecraft Haven continues to be the focus of my small stitching. 

Sixth and Seventh Days

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads for red version

Sixth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

Seventh Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

Smalls SAL - May

Mary of Mary's Thread hosts the Smalls SAL on the last Friday of the month. It is an opportunity to share our stitching on small projects during the month.

As in previous months, the 12 days of Christmas continues to be my focus for my monthly small projects.

Fifth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads for red version

Fifth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

I also wanted to 'test' an alternative to white fabric for my next Just Nan sampler so I stitched this little design from Follow The Needle on lilac linen. The effect is more delicate that I would like for the main design so it looks like white linen will be used.

Scissor fob rose from Follow the Needle - Just Nan

Fabric: 32ct lilac linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Smalls SAL - April 2021

I'm continuing to feature my 12 days of Christmas stitching in the Smalls SAL. This is hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread. If I complete anything else that meets the criteria during each month that will be a bonus.

First up is Jardin Privé's design. I'm stitching this as one piece and I've started to add the border. Rather late in the day I've realised that I haven't left as large a border space on the left hand side of my fabric as I should have had. The border will fit in but I will only just have enough additional fabric for finishing. 

Fourth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads for red version

Here are my four calling birds from Plum Street Samplers.

Fourth Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

Smalls SAL - March 2021

Yet again the last Friday of the month has been and gone and here is my stitching for the Smalls SAL hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread (this link opens on the explanation of how the Smalls SAL works).

I only have my 12 days of Christmas smalls to share this month as I'm saving my other 'smalls' for Easter Sunday.

First up is Jardin Privé's 3 French hens. This was a quick stitch. I must start stitching the border for this design rather than leave it until it is the last thing to do.

Third Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads for red version

On my Plum Street Sampler stitching, I've started to toy with the idea of  stitching a number of gold motifs according to the day, so that the third day would have three, the fourth day would have four and so on. It might mean some adjustments in how I counts things, such as one pair of shoes would count as two gold motifs in nine maids-a-milking. I don't want the gold to dominate in each day. If I decide to go ahead with that idea, I will need to add another gold ornament to the tree below and change the colour of a gold pear on the first day. I shall think some more about this.

Third Day

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

Smalls SAL - February 2021

The last Friday of the month has been and gone and here is my smalls stitching for the Smalls SAL hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread.  Other than my Valentine stitching which I have covered in earlier posts, the focus of my smalls stitching in February has been Day two of the 12 Days of Christmas. I am doing these as a SAL with Needlecraft Haven and on the FaceBook page 12 Days of Christmas Cross Stitching. 

Second Day

The Twelve Days of Chrismas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads for red version

Second Day

The Twelve Days of Chrismas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

I need to decide how I would like to finish the Plum Street Samplers designs as I don't want to get to the end of the year and have all twelve of them to complete at once!

I have one other small design which I am in the process of fully finishing as my design for Martina's Stick 6in 2021 and I will show this  in a couple of days.

Until then, take care everyone.

Smalls SAL - January 2021

Mary is again hosting the Smalls SAL where, on the last Friday of the month, we show any small projects that we've worked on. Full details can be found here. 

Like I often do in January, I've stitched a number of small projects. This year it has been helped because I'm taking part in both the Needlecraft Haven and Facebook groups for The Twelve Days of Christmas SAL. So I should maintain a certain momentum in my stitching throughout the year; assuming of course that I don't fall by the wayside.

I'm working on both the Jardin Privé and Plum Street Samplers designs for the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I've chosen the red version for the Jardin Privé and I'm stitching it as a single piece. It was the border for this design that attracted me to it so it had to be completed as a single project. Here is my day one.

First Day

The Twelve Days of Chrismas - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 28ct Zweigart Vintage Country Mocha linen

Threads: Suggested DMC threads

I wanted something different for my Plum Street Samplers project which I had decided to complete as individual pieces. After a lot of searching I found a blue/silver, white and gold interpretation on this Japanese Blog that I fell in love with and decided that I wanted to do something similar. 

I haven't decided on my final finish for these so I have omitted the border for now. I might add it later if I decide that is what I want.

First Day

The Twelve Days of Chrismas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32ct Zweigart White linen

Threads: DMC 415, 932, 3750, 3820

As it's always useful to have a supply of birthday and other occasion cards I thought that it would be nice to send close family and friends a stitched card this year. This little design from Just Nan was an ideal starter. I only need to finish it as a card now.

(Happy Birthday) Heartfelt Trio - Just Nan

Fabric: 28ct pale blue (not Zweigart) linen

Threads/Embellishments: Suggested DMC threads plus sequins

Finally this little Pineberry Lane sampler was a quick stitch. It only took two evenings and that included the time to chart the names that I wanted to use.

Good Dog Marking Sampler - Pineberry Lane

Fabric: 28ct Crafty Kitten Sept 2018 Limited Edition linen

Threads: Suggested DMC except 3031 used for 3021

 

Finished - Patchwork de Chouettes

I've enjoyed stitching this project as the colour combinations have been so delightful. I've got Eiffel Quaker lined up for my next Jardin Prive project later this year. It will only need 3 different coloured threads compared to the 22 different colours that there were in this design.

Patchwork de Chouettes - Jardin Privé
Fabric: 32ct Light Mocha Belfast linen
Threads: recommended DMC threads

Owls

Not one but two owl projects this time!
I've completed part four of my Patchwork de Chouettes SAL as seen below. I am partway through part five and I hope to show that next week. The more I stitch this project, the more I fall in love with the colours used.

Patchwork de Chouettes - Jardin Privé
Fabric: 32ct Light Mocha Belfast linen
Threads: recommended DMC threads

My next owl was a group project in our sewing group. Many of the ladies made a number of these owls but for now I've settled for one. However, I think I will be making a second one before the summer as my nieces have shown an interest in owning this one. So I think they will have one each.

Owl with hearts

Patchwork de Chouettes Part 3

This is a short update on my stitching. I'm still working on Patchwork de Chouettes even though I've fallen behind in this SAL. It is now on Part 5 but I will soon catch-up as I've already started Part 4 since taking this photograph. This is a colourful design which I am enjoying stitching.

Patchwork de Chouettes - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Light Mocha Belfast linen

Threads: recommended DMC threads

Patchwork de Chouettes, Part 2 and the Ten-a-day SAL

Here's a short update on my recent stitching.
I'm alittle behind on the Jardin Privé Patchwork de Chouettes SAL but I've now completed the second part.

Patchwork de Chouettes - Jardin Privé

Fabric: 32ct Light Mocha Belfast linen

Threads: recommended DMC threads

My Just Nan ten stitches a day project is slowing progressing. Here is it after 42 days.

Mermaid Heart - Just Nan
Fabric: 32ct Rue Green Belfast linen
Threads: Recommended Au Ver a Soie