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Sunday 20 March 2016

Official IHSW


Many years ago (2011!)  Joysze of Random Ramblings coined the phrase Hermit and Stitch Weekend where you spend as much of the weekend as possible stitching.  This became very popular and also International.  Hence IHSW.  It always commences the Third Friday of every month and there is a sign-up post on Joysze's blog.  Or there was for the first few years!  Recently she has been a tad busy with one of those job things people insist on getting.  Presumably to pay for her Chatelaine habit?

Anyway, Kaye and I kicked her out of hibernation and got her to hermit instead!  So now we can see who else is hermitting each month and not feel alone, even though hermits usually are alone, it's nice to have company while you're being alone.

Here are the guidelines for IHSW and here is March's sign-up page.  You can also copy Hermie the crab onto your blog to show everyone you have joined in.

Enough (Random) Ramblings, what did I stitch this weekend?  The focus of all my IHSWs this year has been Elizabeth Shephard by The Scarlet Letter.  This is a long term project started back on Day 14 of the DUCJC 2015 and worked on each month since then.  She is a Quaker so you get a mini Happy Dance with each complete motif.

This is the motif I focused on this weekend:


I also added quite a few of the red parts elsewhere in the sampler:

stitched on 30count linen using AVAS silks.

There is one more large motif and then five half motifs.  At the current rate of stitching she could be completed by the Autumn.

I squeezed in a little more progress on Nora Corbett's J is for Me:

Stitched on 32 count Love-in-the-Mist by Crafty Kitten

And I did some scrapbooking!  That side of the craft has been neglected while I have been working on the first three Alphabet Fairies to meet the deadline.  I finally got this piece mounted on a suitable page:


January Wordplay by With Thy Needle & Thread

Here is the post where I talked about the designer and the project

I also took some inspiration from Anna the Stitch Bitch and attempted an Exploding Book.  This is a kind of origami "book" rather than an gunpowder plot.  I made a little dummy version first and was pleased I did because there are two ways of doing the folded-in parts and one works better than the other.  Then I made a proper version using black card.  Then I realised I did not have any scrapbook papers suitable to decorate it so I had to spend an hour on the internet searching for some!  Luckily my favourite online scrapbook company had an entire book for half price!


And I stitched some more of the L*K Sampling Easter and The Primitive Hare Christmas Cube which you can see over on the Christmas Ornie SAL Blog or wait until the Smalls SAL post at the end of the month!

Finally, the Easter Blog Hop is almost upon us.  I have collected a lovely long list of names this year but there is still a day or two left if you want to be a picture poster.  Drop me a line before Wednesday which is when I will be emailing further instructions to those already signed up.

30 comments:

Justine said...

Hurray for hermitting! I've had a hermitty day today but was out shopping at the NEC stitching show yesterday. Your J is lovely as is the Quaker piece, not my thing but I really enjoy seeing them being stitched.

Kerryp77 said...

Hurrah! I love a post where you show ES. I think it's my favourite piece you have on the go at the moment. I'm liking the J fairy. Fairies usually aren't my thing but I love her pose!

Looking forward to the Easter hop

Bea said...

Whoa, you made good use of your hermitting weekend. Elizabeth is looking really good and I'm so pleased you are doing a letter fairy for you.

Linda said...

Great progress Jo. I love your scrapbook finish. I have never been interested in scrapbooking.

Linda

Mini said...

Great progress on all your projects. Yay for finishing finishing the word play piece.

Jan said...

Wow! Hermie kept you in very good company this weekend. Love looking at the progress of your Quaker piece.

Barb said...

I do love the way you scrap-book with the stitching. That beautiful Quaker is coming along so well!

Preeti said...

Lovely stitching !! 'J' for Jo is sure going to be the best piece I guess:)

Brigitte said...

I would call that a very productive IHSW weekend, JO. I have already seen the new medallion that you added to your beautiful Quaker project. And you even made progress on the J fairy.
I love your new scrapbook page with the wordplay. And now I have to go to Vikki's blog and read more about the Exploding Book. Sounds interesting.

Lili said...

Beautiful stitching, the quaker piece is very pretty!
January wordplay scrapbooking is amazing!
Happy stitching!

Mouse said...

COOOOOOO I actually hermitted with out realizing tooo ..lol .. got my section of an RR finished PHEW .... well done on all your stitching and scrapbooking too ... love mouse xxxxx

Lady Stitch-a-Lot said...

It looks like you got a lot done during the weekend, everything looks so nice :) I especially love the scrapbooking you did =)

Rhona said...

Wow....you had a very busy weekend!

Keebles said...

I don't think I ever stopped doing IHSW until it started back again...ugh! I have to try to do better next month (but the April A to Z puts a bit of a crimp in EVERYTHING in April, so no promises!).

Heather said...

Awesome job this weekend! I couldn't hermit I spent all of Sunday traipsing around a theme park lol

Katie said...

I was glad to see the official IHSW back too. Love your stitching and scrapbook page.

Christine said...

Can you have a Quaker hermit? Lovely stitching either way

Kaisievic said...

Hi Jo, so glad that we managed to help Joyce find her IHSW mojo again and you have a fabulous selection of stitching to show for your hermitting. January wordplay looks fantastic and I am so glad that you have started an alphabet fairy for yourself.

Claudette497 said...

Thanks for getting the hermit back on!

geeky Heather said...

Elizabeth Shepherd is looking lovely! I can't wait to see this origami book thing...my imagination is failing me. =)

gominam said...

Lovely work! Your scrapbook pages are awesome. The sampler is gorgeous, great progress:)

rosey175 said...

Exploding book sounds like a pop-up book gone crazy! It will be interesting to see yours. Great work on your J, it has a nice road traveling down the stem. You've had a productive IHSW. I did a whole lot of not touching a single craft!

Sarah in Stitches said...

Beautiful stitching progress! :D

Emma/Itzy said...

Nice to see hermitting is back! I missed this one but hope I can join next month!

Rachel said...

Such a busy weekend! It's amazing how much we can get done when children are otherwise occupied! :)

Carolyn said...

Jo,
Isn't it great to see Joysze posting again? I'm glad you and Kaye kicked her out of hibernation. Your stitch on the motif is looking great along with the letter J. I'm liking your scrapbooking page its nicely done. I look forward to more of your updates.

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

Lovely stitching,love your Quaker piece.You had a productive weekend:)

Renee said...

Jo, your stitching projects are both gorgeous! I love the scrapbook papers you found, too!

Leonore Winterer said...

Good thing you got Joysze out of her hibernation! Half a year can go by so quickly when you don't look. Great progress on your stitching and scrapbooking as well :)

diamondc said...

Jo: Your scrap booking piece is adorable, love it, your Quaker Piece is beautiful, I look forward to seeing the finished project.
Letter J is so sweet.

Blessings
Catherine