Recovering from the Marathon!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my Marathon Post.  It was such a fun day and so much easier and less stressful than trying to do a Start A Day like the DUCJC.  I will definitely be doing it again next year.  It was worth taking the time in advance to sort out the projects, making sure the charts, threads and fabric were all in one place.   And didn't they look great all laid out on the bed?

Thanks for the feedback on Bande de Dragons too.  I think I will be taking Christine's advice and cutting down what I have already done and completing the segment of the border as a stand alone piece.  Then restarting the design on a higher count over one.  It's not just the scratchiness of the fabric it's the large scale.  I am used to 32 count or 28 count hand-dyed which shrinks.  14 just seems enormous and it's a big design to start with.  25 count over 1 will bring it to a more manageable size.

At least three other bloggers joined me for the day:

Brigitte at Brigitte's Place

Melinda at Family Business

Kerry at Ramblings of a Biscornu Addict

edit to add

Carrie at Crafting Paws

Why not pop over and see how they got on?

Prior to my Marathon we had IHSW hosted by Joysze of Random Ramblings and I made some fantastic progress on my Elizabeth Shephard sampler which has been my designated IHSW project for the last two years.  Here's where she was before the weekend:

And here she is now:

I stitched the rest of the swan motif, all the one to the left and some brown border!  There really is just one weekend of stitching left in her and then I get to choose another long term IHSW project.

Prior to that I continued with the Daffycat Reindeer series.  I completed six of the designs and made them into a cube finish.

Stocking Reindeer

Ribbon Reindeer

Star Reindeer

Here are all six together:

And here's what I made them into:

I mounted each square on some thin card and then whipstitched them into a cube.  I threaded some beads onto a piece of cotton thread to make a hanger and then the other ends of the thread to make some beaded tassels at the bottom of the cube.  Now all we need is Christmas!

I also completed another one of my Just Nan smalls, Beehive Violets:

stitched on 28 count evenweave

Which meant a new start on Big Bee, Little Bee, also by Just Nan:

stitched on 28 count evenweave

There are four of those beehives to stitch and some corner border too.  This is quite a stitch-dense design compared to the previous one and is taking a little longer.

The day after the Marathon I had quite a lot of household things to do which were held over from Monday.  And trying to decide what to stitch first out of all the choices!  When I completed my 30 minutes on Teresa Wentzler's You Were Hatched I noticed that the dark blue did not meet up with the lighter blue I'd stitched for the DUCJC.  I thought the best thing to do was find the error and fix it right away than put it away and not want to face the frog.

So here is where I left off after the Marathon:

and here is where I was after the frogging session:

All of that top blue was out by one row.

And here's where I am now:

stitched on 28 count lilac evenweave

I've stitched all of three of the blues and most of the lightest blue, you can really see the design taking shape now.  Of course, those four colours are actually eight because it's a Teresa Wentzler which means Blended Threads!  This was intended as a Birth Sampler for the Small Boy, he's only seven after all!

Finally, I'm still really behind on blog reading but intend to try and catch up over the next week.  So sorry, if I haven't been to visit recently.  Also, if you took part in The Longest Day Marathon, let me know and I'll add you to this post with Brigitte, Melinda and Kerry.

Serendipity Strikes Again!

Remember the name of my blog and the little sub-heading at the top?  Well, serendipity has struck again!  Last post I showed you the lovely pile of DMC Susan had sent me as an early Birthday present for stitching the Chatelaine Gardens of London Mandala.  It just so happens that Martina has been running a Daily Discount on FB.  Each day she chooses a few charts which have 20% off for one day only.  And I just so happened to spot this on the one day London was included!  So now it's mine.  Isn't that perfect?

I have the long list of speciality threads needed and a quote from Crafty Kitten to kit them up (approximately £150).  It would be cheaper to get them from European Cross Stitch (who are in the US ironically!) but then I would have a huge customs bill to pay.  So it's swings and roundabouts.  I do plan to look carefully at the chart and decide if I really need all the different threads, Waterlilies in particular are very expensive for what they are.  So if anyone wants to "sponsor a skein" I promise to write your name on the bag and think of you whenever I use it LOL

Last Friday was the second Friday of the month which means Christmas stitching.  The theme on the Christmas Ornie SAL blog is Animals or Pets.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to stitch some more Daffycat Reindeer.  Here is the first one:

stitched over one on 28 count sparkly evenweave

I also did a little scrapbooking of finishes:

The Sweetheart Tree - Finger Fun I

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The Little Stitcher - Winter Woods

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And here is the most recent finish, mounted on a calendar page of one of Monet's Waterlilies paintings.

Just Nan - My Fair Ladybug

And a little close-up of the Ladybird charm I got from SewandSo:

Here's my progress on the next Just Nan piece I've been stitching:

Beehive Violets

Once I finish the pink smyrna stitches there is some gold and the beads and it's done.  I am in three minds what to stitch next in the evenings!  Either another Just Nan small, the Primitive Needle Sampler Susan sent me or an Ink Circles Spooky Mandala.  I just can't decide!  Daytime is easy, Little Snapdragon will come back once I have finished the Christmas Reindeer.

Finally, an apology if I haven't visited your blog recently.  I've got a little behind with reading and commenting.  Not sure why but I seem to have had less time to read them in the evenings than usual.  Maybe we should have our tea earlier so I get a longer evening!

Warning - This Post Contains Explosives!

As promised in my previous post here are some photos of my exploding book as inspired by Anna the Stitch Bitch.

And here's how you make one:

1. Take some squares of thick paper and fold them in quarters and one diagonal

2. Stick them together so the corner squares overlap

3. Cut up some patterned paper into squares just a little smaller than the quarters of the original squares

4. Stick some of the patterned squares onto the plain paper

5. Cut the rest of the patterned squares in half and stick the triangles on either side of the folded parts

(feet shown for scale)

6. Stick your cross stitched pieces onto the flat squares

7. The whole book, simply attach a front and back cover and some ribbon ties

Obviously they are not full instructions but if you Google "Exploding Book" you will find several tutorials in words and pictures or on YouTube depending which you prefer.

The designs in the book are by Just Nan, her Moon Riders and Crow Jackers minis.

This week I have continued with Little Snap Dragon by Kustom Krafts:

stitched on 32 count Murano Evening Sky by Crafty Kitten

I focused on his tail this week.

I also completed Just Nan's My Fair Ladybug and now my little brass ladybird charm has arrived I can attach that, scrapbook it and show you later.  I started another Just Nan small, this one is Beehive Violets:

stitched on 28 count evenweave

The whole centre of that piece will have a honeycomb stitched in gold metallic and a bee charm added so I'm leaving that until last.

Finally I received a lovely parcel earlier this week.  I was expecting my ladybird charm (and one or two other things to justify postage) so I wasn't surprised when the postman delivered a padded envelope.  But it was yellow, not white like SewandSo's usual envelopes.  And franked US with a customs slip.  Once I opened it I found a present from Susan Yellow Flower Meadow; some L*K charts she offered to me (which I had forgotten about), another cute 3D Nutmeg Cottage chart, some gorgeous purple linen and an awesome Hallowe'en sampler from Primitive Needle!

40 count Zweigart linen

And a floppy parcel wrapped in pretty tissue paper.  What could be inside?  Some more fabric?  A project bag?  Or half a shop of DMC?  Look at all these lovelies!  They are all the DMC needed for the Chatelaine Gardens of London which I intend to purchase for my Special Birthday!

Thank you Susan!  You are awesome!