A blog trying to focus on all the nice things in life, those moments when everything turns out right. Finding the perfect fabric for that chart you love, the ideal sampler quote, just the right picture in all the 1000s of magazines you own. Meeting people who share your interests and obsessions and totally understand why you NEED that chart when you already have enough to last until you're 104
It's TUSAL time, the Totally Useless SAL where we all show our ORTS and link-up on Daffycat's blog.
Here is my TUSAL jar with two projects:
I am continuing to use the Tiny Decisions app to choose my projects this week. This was Sunday's choice - Brew Ha Ha by Plum Street Samplers. A nice quiet day in saw almost all the alphabet get completed.
stitched over one on 32 count Platinum Linen
Monday and Tuesday saw Raven from Nora Corbett come out twice in a row. I got lots of black stitching done along the bottom of her dress:
stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten
Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop. For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part. A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet. On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.
I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!
I meant to make a post for my Friday 13th stitching this month but time got away from me! So I'll include the latest instalment on my spooky conversion of Lavender & Lace's Enchanted Alphabet too.
For Friday 13th, I picked up Raven one of the Bewitching Pixies by Nora Corbett.
stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten
The Pixies are not very big and this wouldn't take very long if I dedicated her as a focus piece, maybe next year. She is not on my WIPocalypse list for this year but I will pick her up again on the next Friday 13th and for Dark October too.
My current piece for the Hallowe'en Ornie SAL Blog is Jardin Prive's Happy Hallowe'en Night and this month I stitched a spider:
stitched on 32 count Cognac linen
I also added a spider to The Enchanted Alphabet:
stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily by Sparklies
For new followers, this is my conversion of the Lavender & Lace design Enchanted Alphabet. I have loved this design ever since I first saw it but it features the world's Frilliest Child and she just wasn't my style. So I hit on the idea of stitching it all in black and adding some spooky touches. So far we have some spiders and a couple of pumpkins as well as a black dove. There will be little ghosts, bats, cats and other spookiness once I have completed the lettering. Because I had to move some of the letters I want to wait until the end to see where the spaces are.
Finally, if you want to join us for our themed Hallowe'en stitching please click on the link and then send me an email:
Welcome to the April Gifted Gorgeousness link-up. The link-up date will continue to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.
The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.
In the past month I have stitched a few gifted pieces and received some lovely gifts myself.
12 Days of Christmas by Just Nan - chart was a Christmas present:
Diamond Bouquet by Just Nan - chart was a gift:
Nest Egg by Satsuma Street - fabric was a gift:
Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs - Birthday present:
Raven by Nora Corbett - chart was a gift:
stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten
Most recently I have picked up my Chatelaine, Gardens of London to be my focus piece for this month. This was a Birthday present:
This is the part I have been stitching, the variegated grey/brown which represents the pavements of London. Instead of spending over £7 on a skein of Gloriana I am using a Jodyri thread called Goblin King (approx 90p) which looks fantastic! One street done, three more to go.
And on to the gorgeous gifts I have received! First of all, a lovely Easter card and bunny from the equally lovely Wee Witchy Steph from Show and Tell:
Close-up of the bunny:
The next parcel was from the lovely Beth in IL from Beth's Needlework. She sent me this lovely Bunny card:
(I believe it is a Mill Hill)
and a parcel of goodies:
including some linen, a chart, the threads to stitch it and my very first Victorian Motto Sampler and Silk N Colours threads:
The final gift was from one of the crafters who go to my regular Friday coffee and craft morning. Because I couldn't attend in the school holidays she came round my house for coffee, saw my project bags and said "I could make those". She had a good look at them and last week gave me this one!
It is as tall as an A4 sheet of paper and a little wider so it holds a chart in a plastic jacket perfectly with room for some threads, scissors and a flat ORT tin.
Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month. Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "April Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month. And link to the actual post, not just your blog. It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.
Please could you remember to link up as well as make your post. There have been a few people making GG posts but not linking. Which means they don't get entered into the draw. If you have technical or memory issues, just leave a comment and let me know!
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Finally, the Easter Blog Hop is now over and I will be announcing the Winner tomorrow!
ten disgusting old men are prancing about all over what used to be the garden - before the geese and the swans and the cows got at it; and several of them, I notice, are taking inexcusable liberties with the milkmaids. Meanwhile the neighbours are trying to have us evicted. I shall never speak to you again. Emily 12 Days of Christmas (Correspondence) - John Julius Norwich
Oh dear, poor Emily. Although Joan Elliott's Lord-a-Leaping is rather joyeous and full of life he has enough decorum to keep to his own block and not bother the milkmaid above him. He's clearly practising for the day Ribbon Gymnastics is a gender-neutral sport in the Olympics:
He has a few spaces for beads to be added. So, sorry to Kerry, I have nothing for Theme-tas-Stitch Opulent October!
Here is where the piece was last month:
And here we are now:
All that red in the Piper was stitched on the 11th and 12th Days of Christmas earlier this year so I have a nice headstart on that block.
Those of you that have been blogging for a while now may recognise that little fellow as Hermie, the mascot for International Hermit & Stitch Weekend hosted by Joysze of Random Ramblings. Joysze has not blogged for a while although some people have continued to hermit and stitch alone.
Well, she has resurfaced and has been persuaded to revitalise IHSW on Facebook. If you'd like to join us, then just click on Hermie and it will take you to the group.
So what did I stitch for IHSW (or Numb-bum weekend as it is also known!)? The next project in my Dark October stitching - Nora Corbett's Bewitching Pixie Raven:
I used every setting on my camera trying to get a decent picture of the fabric and that one above is perfect - taken with the iPad! Here's a camera photo so you can see the stitching better:
stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten
Finally, there's still time to sign up for the Spookiest Hop on the Block - the Trick or Treat Hallowe'en Blog Hop. All you have to do is leave a comment or send me an email. I will send you a letter of the alphabet which you show on your blog on 31st October along with some spooky stitching. We all hop around collecting the letters which will spell out a spooky word.
