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.

Easter Exchange

I took part in the Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange again this year. Like last year, participants had to stitch an Easter card and stitch an egg shaped ornament. I found this lovely free design from Passione Ricamo for the egg ornament and stitched this design from Primitive Acorns after seeing it on Carin's blog, which I sent to Dusty.

Easter Lamb - Primitive Acorns stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct Natural linen
Easter 2012 - Passione Ricamo stitched on 28ct Natural linen

I received my card and ornament exchange from Lindsay. She also included a packet of Bassett's Jelly Bunnies, which I admit didn't last beyond Easter Sunday. That's what happens when you have a sweet tooth like me. I didn't eat them all myself, they were shared with my husband!

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

Finishes

Well, I finally made myself sit down and finish off some stitched projects. It was a slow process but I got there in the end. Two of these I can't show yet as they are for exchanges but the other two I can as they have been received.

First up is my double sided ornament of Anna and Elsa from Frozen. These were free mini projects from the Crafty Guild. I knew I had to finish these, sooner rather than later, as the tastes of a 2 year old girl can change quickly. Thankfully, Disney's Frozen is still popular.

Else - Crafty Guild
stitched on 28ct white evenweave

Anna - Crafty Guild
stitched on 28ct white evenweave

It was the birthday of a dear friend during the week so I stitched Lizzie Kate's 'Dogs leave paw prints'. This is the third time I've stitched this, so I think most of my dog loving family and friends have now got one. 

Dogs leave paw prints - Lizzie Kate
stitched on 28ct Permin Sandstone

Since it was St Patrick's Day last Tuesday, I baked a Porter Cake for my sewing group which met on Thursday. Most of the ladies were surprised to be served a cake which included Guinness but it was successful. Everyone took a second piece of the cake as well as a copy of the recipe I had used. Since I don't often bake, I was very pleased that they liked it. No photo of the cake as I never thought to take one.

I'm away for a few days next week but when I get back, I will be stitching on Alpine Seasons Garden again. It has been neglected during the past two months.

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'.

Sweet Feet Valentine Exchange

Participants in this year's Needlecraft Haven's Valentine Exchange had to stitch a card with a love/friendship theme and include a pair of socks accompanied by a matching skein of thread. My stitching partner, Deb, was very generous, as you can see, as she included heart themed fabric with her gifts. I love all this pink and I'm not normally a 'pink girl'. Thank you Deb.

Gift received from
Needlecraft Haven Sweet Feet Valentine Exchange 2015

I'll show my efforts next time.

January Just Nan

I so enjoyed stitching my Just Nan projects in 2014 that I thought that I would like to continue with a monthly post on my Just Nan stitching in 2015.

For January, I stitched Tiny Beaded Heart. I am going to finish this as a key fob.

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

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.