Gifted Gorgeousness - August 2020

The 15th of each month seems to keep coming round more quickly as the year progresses. Nevertheless, it is a good opportunity to showcase the stitching and/or craft gifts that we have made or received. All the details on how Gifted Gorgeousness works can be found at Serendipitous Stitching, the blog of Jo, our host.

Now that our heatwave is over (for the time being), I have been stitching on my Alpine Seasons Garden. As it was my husband's Christmas present to me several years ago, he likes to see my progress. He's also looking forward to the day when it is completed and framed so that we can both admire it. We've already decided where it will hang.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine

as at  17 August 2020

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen

Threads: Recommended silk threads

Stitching Friends Summer Blog Hop

 

This year's Summer Blog Hop from Jo of Serendipitous Stitching is an opportunity to get to know our stitching friends. We each write something to describe our stitching friend and choose a design we think they might like. I will reveal my partner at the end of this blog post.

My stitching friend lives in France and has been delighting her blog readers for almost nine years. She regularly takes part in Jo's blog hops, especially Gifted Gorgeousness.

She has many interests which include stitching, painting, sewing, crochet gardening and photography. As she also enjoys travelling I thought she might enjoy this free design 'Love Paris' from Madame La Fee

Love Paris - Madame La Fee

or perhaps she might like to escape to some Alpine Mountains like those in my Chatelaine 'Alpine Seasons Garden' which is slowing being stitched.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
as at 08 August 2020
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen
Threads: Recommended silk threads

If you haven't yet guessed, my Summer Stitching friend is ...

Jocondine 

All the participants in the 2020 Summer Blog Hop can be found in this post from Jo.

Smalls SAL - July 2020

Two more 'smalls' have been completed in my Little Sheep Virtues/Sheep in the Meadow project. I have completed Patience and Faith. As you can see below I am now stitching the central piece of Sheep in the Meadow. This centre section is almost finished but I haven't taken a more recent photo yet.

Little Sheep Virtues - Little House Needleworks and
Sheep in the Meadow - Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Natural line
Threads: Recommended DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads

I also stitched my first Redwork embroidery piece during July.  The FaceBook group Love & Hugs from Australia are running a Love & Hugs for Christmas SAL and this was the first design block published. I have decided that I will stitch each block in DMC 498. My plan is complete this as a wall hanging so the surrounding fabric decision will be made later.

Designed by Helen Stubbings Hugs ‘n Kisses
Fabric: White poplin
Thread: DMC 498

Let the People Choose! - July 2020

This is the first time that I've taken part in Jo's (Serendipitous Stitching) Let the People Choose! SAL but it was one that I could not miss - 'The designer that you have stitched the most'. Those of you familiar with me will know that my favourite designer is Just Nan so it is no surprise that she is the designer that I have stitched the most.

However I have a long way to go before I can compete with Jo's 80 finishes as I have 32 to date. All but 12 of these were given away in exchanges. Some of my finishes are missing from the collages below as there are at least four designs that I've completed that were given away before I took a photo. So here are my Just Nan finishes:

The top left design in the collage below is a WIP called Mermaid Heart. Pulling it out for this photo reminded me that it still needed to be finished.

Gifted Gorgeousness - July 2020

I'm pleased to have something to show for Gifted Gorgeousness (GG) this month. GG is hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and is an opportunity to show your crafting where basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift to or from you. Full details on how it works can be found here.

I've finished the Silver Wedding Anniversary design gifted to me by Julie of Julie's StitchyKnitter Journal. This is a lovely design. Thank you Julie, I've enjoyed stitching it. I'm hoping that the card will arrive in time as post from France to the UK is taking 12 to 14 days to arrive instead of the usual 3 to 4 days.

Silver Anniversary - Nia cross stitch
Fabric: 40ct cream Zweigart Newcastle linen
Threads: Recommended DMC and Anchor Marlitt threads

I've stitched the design suggested by Christine in Needlecraft Haven's Stay Safe Exchange. I just need to decide on how it will be finished.

Think Happy Little Thoughts - La Comtesse & Le Point de Croix
Fabric: 32ct Crafty Kitten Murano Just Pink
Threads: DMC 729, 817;
Olde Willow Stitchery linen threads 222L Octagon Blue
and  unknown 2013 Bleu Pastel

Finally, I intend to finish this design by Hinzeit as a scissor fob. It was stitched one over one and I omitted the 'Cure' letters on the the key. The fabric is a beige evenweave that was gifted to me at my sewing group. This free design can be found on Hinzeit's website, here.

Hope Cure 2020 - Hinzeit
Fabric: Unknown 28ct Beige evenweave
Threads: Suggested DMC threads

Gifted Gorgeousness - June 2020

Another month, another Gifted Gorgeousness. Hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching this is an opportunity to share stitching projects/items that have been gifted to us or that we will be gifting. 

I'm stitching a silver anniversary wedding card using a chart gifted to me from Julie of Julie's StitchyKnitter Journal.  I've had the chart for over a year as originally I thought the silver anniversary was last year. Once I realised it wasn't, the project went on the back boiler until now. I love how the thread colours are blending with each other.

Silver Anniversary - Nia cross stitch
Fabric: 40ct cream Zweigart Newcastle linen
Threads: Recommended DMC and Anchor Marlitt threads

My Alpine Seasons Garden was a Christmas present from my husband several years ago. It has had very little attention during the past weeks as the weather has been so dull. The only addition has been about 20 light grey stitches on the extreme right of the snow capped mountains. I prefer stitching on it when it is bright as I think I concentrate better. Well, that's my excuse.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
as at 16 June 2020
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen
Threads: Recommended silk threads

My evening stitching continues to be Little Sheep Virtues. I have now completed 'Hope' and I've started stitching 'Patience'. There will no more stitching on this until I have finished the Silver Anniversary card.

Little Sheep Virtues - Little House Needleworks and
Sheep in the Meadow - Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Natural line
Threads: Recommended DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads

I've also baked a one pot yogurt cake as recommended by Christine. I didn't have a suitable cake tin so I found a slight variation of the recipe she suggested, here and baked it in a 2lb loaf tin. I used Greek yogurt and added a splash of lemon juice and some lemon zest and it tastes good. Half of the cake has gone in the freezer, for eating at a later date.

One pot yogurt cake with lemon flavouring

Stay Safe exchange

Clare at Needlecraft Haven is inventive and given the disruption/delays to postal services over the past couple of months, she decided to arrange a Stay Safe exchange. To our partner we each had to email a link to a free cross stitch design, a cake or biscuit recipe and recommend a film or T.V. series. My Stay Safe email partner was Clare and it was difficult making my selections as there are so many things I thought Clare would enjoy. If I was sending the email today it is more than likely it would be different!

My stitching design was Sweet Summer by Lizzie Kate.

I sent two recipes for my cake choice as these are both favourites of mine. The first is a no-bake Baileys Cheesecake. I used 2 tablespoons of Baileys rather than a miniature bottle and I found that plenty. My chocolate cake recipe is one that I've used for years.

Baileys Cheesecake with a
flaked chocolate decoration

My favourite chocolate sandwich

My film choices were The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and The Green Book.

After World War II, a writer forms
 an unexpected bond with the residents
of Guernsey Island when she decides
 to write a book about their
experiences during the war.

A working-class Italian-American bouncer
 becomes the driver of an
African-American classical pianist
 on a tour of venues through
the 1960s American South

I received my Stay Safe exchange email from Christine. Christine's design from La Comtesse et Le Point De Point is ideal to encourage positive thinking.

My fabric and thread choices
(for now)

La Comtesse & Le Point De Croix

A lemon flavoured yogurt will be added to my shopping list at the end of the week so that I can try this Yogurt Pot Cake from Nigella Lawson.

Based on her suggestions among my viewing choices this summer will be The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Misbehaviour.

A group of women hatch
 a plan to disrupt the 1970
Miss World beauty competition in London

A housewife in 1958 decides
to become a stand-up comic

 













Thank you Clare for organising this exchange which enables us to share those things that we enjoy.

Smalls SAL - May 2020

Most of my stitching this past month has been done in the evening as during the day I've been busy doing family history research. I sit down at the laptop for a short while in the afternoon and the next thing I know, it's dinner time!

However, I managed to 'finish' a couple of smalls. I stitched Peace and Love on my Little Sheep Virtues sampler. I still find this a relaxing project for the evenings.

Little Sheep Virtues - Little House Needleworks and
Sheep in the Meadow - Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Natural line
Threads: Recommended DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads

My second project was Shepherd's Bush All Seasons Scissor Fob. I love the colours and delicate look of this design. I still have to fully finish it but I'm getting there.

All Seasons Scissor Fob - Shepherd's Bush
This was a kit so all fabric, threads and embellishments were included

Fully Finished Gallery SAL - May 2020

After reading Clare's post on her fully finished item (FFO), I decided that I would join in this month as I have one! Generally I'm slow to finish my stitching as something unless I have a reason for it, usually an exchange or gift.
The Fully Finished Gallery SAL is hosted by Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher and it is an opportunity to show off our FFO.

I have a lack of summer stitching to display so I stitched The Drawn's Thread 'Spot of Summer' and finished it as a pillow. I've had this kitted up for a while so I have no excuses really for not stitching it sooner. It was a quicker stitch than I was expecting.

Spot of Summer - The Drawn Thread
Fabric - 32ct Zweigart Sand linen
Threads - Suggested DMC threads
Charm - Sunflower charm included with chart

Take care everyone.

Smalls SAL - April 2020

It's the end of the month and now's the time for another Smalls SAL check-in. This is hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread.
I stitched three small items this month but I've still to decide how I would like to finish them.

First up is La Poule. I received this chart from Clare of Aimtu's Stitching for Christmas.

La Poule - JBW Designs
Fabric - 28ct Zweigart Natural linen
Threads - Recommended DMC threads

Shepherd's Bush has this free design available which I fell for. I stitched it on a mottled green scrap of fabric that I had.

Ewe be well - Shepherd's Bush
Fabric - 32ct Fabric Flair mottled green
Threads - Suggested DMC threads

Finally I stitched this rose. I am considering finishing this as a rose scented sachet. That won't happen until the lockdown restrictions are eased and I can buy something rose scented to include in the filling. So who knows what my thinking will be by then!

Rose - Teaching model at a beginner's class in 1993
Fabric - 28ct White evenweave
Threads - DMC 309, 776, 899, 3346, 3347, 3348

Works in Progress

During the past month I've started a new project and went back to an older one.

I had put Alpine Seasons Garden away as I was finding it cumbersome to stitch it in a hoop, in hand. So earlier in the year I ordered a Lowry Workstand and some Elbsee easyclip scroll bars. I'm finding it easier to stitch on this project though I'm not yet comfortable with such long scroll bars. The important thing is (from my point of view) that Alpine Seasons Garden is seeing some progress again. Over the past two weeks I've stitched the top left section of the trees. With all the colour changes it's coming along slowly but I still love it.

This is where I started

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
as at 02 April 2020
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen
Threads: Recommended silk threads

and here it is today.

Alpine Seasons Garden - Chatelaine
as at 28 April 2020
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Sand linen
Threads: Recommended silk threads

I'm glad I took a photograph of my starting point as it shows me that I am making progress.

My new project is Julie M's ( I'll cross that leg when I get to it ) mixing of Little House Needleworks' Little Sheep Virtues and Country Cottage Needleworks' Sheep in the Meadow. I've admired it since 2014 (!) but I was only able to buy the charts last year. It's a lovely project to work on and I find it relaxing.

Little Sheep Virtues - Little House Needleworks and
Sheep in the Meadow - Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 40ct Zweigart Natural line
Threads: Recommended DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads

So as you can see, I've plenty of stitching to keep me busy.

Gifted Gorgeousness - April 2020

Even though I'm confined to the house, time is still passing quickly. It seems no time since I last posted for Gifted Gorgeousness. This is hosted by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and details on how it works and how to take part can be found here.

I took part in Needlecraft Haven's Easter Exchange. With postal services being disrupted we had a virtual exchange on Easter Sunday where we posted a photo of the exchange pieces we had stitched but without saying who they were for.

I had stitched both a card and an ornament. With staying at home I thought it would be pleasant to imagine a trip up the Eiffel Tower at Easter.

Pâques à Paris (part of design) - Les Brodeuses Parisiennes
Fabric: 28 ct Zweigart White linen
Threads: Suggested DMC threads, stitched one over one
Spring! - Just Nan
Fabric: 28 ct Sky Blue (I think)
Threads: Suggested DMC threads with a
gold brown bead used for matt gold beads

I hope everyone had a good Easter and that you are staying safe and well.