November IHSW

 

IHSW or International Hermit and Stitch Weekend always starts on the third Friday of the month.  It's a chance to lock yourself away and focus on your stitching for the weekend.  You can take part on your blog or via the Facebook page - IHSW on Facebook.

This year I am trying something different for IHSW - an A-Z Challenge!  These usually take place in April and people stitch one letter every day except Sunday.  I don't want to swap projects daily so thought I could do 2 or 3 letters per IHSW instead.

The letters T, U, V and W were designated for November.  I went for 4 letters as I don't have anything for U or V so it still worked out as two letters for the weekend.

First up was Stitch It Picasso's TEMPERATURE SAL for 2023.

It started here:

And finished here:

stitched over 1 on 25 count tea-dyed evenweave

I was doing quite well with that one until May 2023 when I put it to one side to do my Just Nanathon and never really got going on it again.  I do have all the temperatures recorded so it will be on my list for next year to try finish off.

Next up was another TEMPERATURE project, the tree from The Steady THREAD.   That went from here:

To here:

stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers

On Sunday I went for Papillon Around the WORLD in 80 Stitches, another older project which has stalled.

That went from here:

To here:

stitched on 28 count white evenweave

I think I might try get all the borders done next year and then think about the fill-ins.  It's very satisfying to complete each shape.  There are 32 altogether and I have stitched 13 of them.  If I stitch one or two a month then that would get them all done next year.

Next month will be X, Y and Z.  I have one project which will cover both X and Y and nothing for Z.  So hopefully 2 days stitching on one project will see some good progress.  Despite it being the weekend before Christmas!!

Finally the next IHSW will be 20th - 22nd December so make sure you note the date in your diary or come and join us in the Facebook Group - IHSW on Facebook. If you don't do Facebook then you can check in here by leaving a comment on my post.

November Gifted Gorgeousness Link-up Post

          

Welcome to the November Gifted Gorgeousness link-up. The link-up date continues 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.

The Halloween Sampler from Cottage Garden Samplings was my focus for Dark October and a finish.  This was stitched on gifted fabric.

stitched on 40 count linen called Witch's Brew from Zweigart

Nevermore from Quaternion Creations was stitched on the same fabric:

I also finished this adorable little chameleon which was a gift from Jocondine:

Miguel le Cameleon from Fil'anthrope

stitched on 36 count dark green linen

Need to get him FFO'd before the 10th of next month.

Continuing progress on this one as we cool right down, we're currently in the greens although I need to catch up on the last couple of weeks of leaves.

Steady Thread - Tree of Life Temperature SAL

stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers

I record the temperature each day and then stitch the leaves on the Sunday morning.

Finally, 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 "November 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.

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Finally Fully Finished Fun for November

    

Hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher

This SAL is designed to motivate us all to do something with that box of Finished pieces instead of just storing them under the bed.  We will all be linking up on Rachel's blog on or after the 10th of each month (10 Hour Stitcher - 10th of the month).

I've got two FFO's to share this month, both Halloween themed.

The first is the Couer de Sorciere from TraLaLa which I finished into a primitive heart shaped pillow:

Here's the back, which is a piece of fabric from a sample book I was given.  It's expensive stuff - £75 a metre!

Slightly cheaper was this pumpkin shape from The Works!  It was raw wood which I painted using some watered down acrylic paints.  Start with bright orange and add black until it looks right then brush it on as a wash:

The designs are the Halloween Trifles from Shepherd's Bush with my own charms added.

I seem to have run out of spiders so used this web charm instead.

I just mounted each piece around card and used double sided tape to stick them to the wooden pumpkin.

Finally, I finished little Miguel le Camelion but not FFO'd him so you'll see him for GG and then FFO'd in December.

November Plans

At the start of the year I made a list of 24 projects I want to stitch this year for my "24 in '24".  The order I stitch them in is going to be determined by the WIPGO Board.  Jessie-Marie calls two numbers each month and those will be the two projects I stitch that month.  One small and one medium.

In October, the numbers were 8 and 17.  These related to Cottage Garden Samplings' Halloween Sampler and Drawn Thread's Spot of Summer.

I finished the Halloween Sampler and didn't even start the Spot of Summer.  That can roll over to 2025 along with Spot of Autumn.

stitched on 40 count Witch's Brew linen from Zweigart

In the evenings I stitched the Steady Thread Halloween SAL:

stitched on 30 count tea-dyed linen

In November, the numbers are 14 and 16.  These relate to Maria Brovko Life in the Shire and Full Circle Designs Moonshadow Mini "A Child's Dream".

A while back I bought a batch of charts from Ukrainian designers to support them and this is one of them:

I haven't decided what fabric to stitch it on, I want to make sure the black backstitch shows up well on the blue.

The other chart is an old one I picked up in a needlework shop just because it was sweet.  I like a mini sampler and it came with the moon button. 

Here's a close-up of the design:

I'll stitch the sampler rather than the needleroll.

Finally, I am making plans for 2025!  After a year of small/medium designs I have two larger pieces I want to focus on and then keep up with some of the series I started the last couple of years.  Designs such as the Zodiac Girls, the 12 Days of Christmas, The Year in the Woods.  I'll publish my finished list next month as it's very much a WIP at the moment.

November TUSAL

    

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current projects:

The main project is the Halloween Blackwork from The Steady Thread:

stitched on 30 count tea-dyed linen

This one is a cute little extra for the month.  The lovely Jocondine sent me a beautiful gift package for my Birthday which included a kit for Miguel le Cameleon.  Apparently Miguel is an icon who comes in a variety of designs, this one is the Skeleton, perfect for Halloween.

stitched on 36 count dark green linen

Finally, a big Thank You to everyone who linked up for my Spooky Link-up, I'm going to be hopping around and visiting everyone this weekend.

October Stitch from Stash and Pie

 It's time for pie!

Most of the month was spent on my Halloween Sampler from Cottage Garden Samplings which I managed to finish:

stitched on 40 count Witch's Brew linen from Zweigart

Once I finished the main sampler, I cut off the bottom of the fabric and stitched this little small from the JCS Halloween Special 2024.  This is from Quaternion Creations and is called Nevermore.  I left off the words from the bottom of the design.

stitched on 40 count Witch's Brew linen from Zweigart

I have enough fabric to stitch one or two more smalls.

I added some more of the border to my Blackwork Temperature Tree:

I also started this cute little Skeleton Chameleon from Fil'anthrope:

stitched on 36 count Dark Green linen

The evenings were dedicated to my Steady Thread Halloween Blackwork and my pie looks like this:

It now looks like this:

stitched on 30 count tea-dyed linen

Finally, Stitch from Stash and my spending was higher that expected:

The local wool shop is closing down and were selling off everything at a discount including DMC at 60p a skein.  Yes, my US friends, that is very cheap for us!  So I grabbed the colours I needed plus some of the variegated threads I wanted.

I also went over to the needlework shop in the next town to collect my JCS Christmas magazine and while I was there picked up two of the Cottage Garden Samplings Year of Houses charts.  I won't get all of them, just the ones I particularly like.

I bought these two.

I also like the Hobbit House, the Tree House and the Haunted House.

Halloween Spooky Link-up 2024

   

This is the time of year when I'd usually do my Trick or Treat Blog Hop but due to circumstances beyond my control, I just haven't had time to organise it this year.

Instead, we will have a Spooky Link-up party all week!  Just make a post on anything spooky; stitching, decorating, crafting etc and link up below.  Make sure you come back and visit some of the other bloggers too.  We've all noticed visits and comments dropping this year so it would be nice to show some spooky love to our fellow bloggers.

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Here's what I have to share with you all.  This year I have been stitching for Dark 13 each month.  I chose the Halloween Sampler from Cottage Garden Samplings and stitched on word per month

At the start of the month I had completed up to I:

And now we have a finish!

Here's the whole piece:

stitched on 40 count Witch's Brew linen from Zweigart

I just need to find a square black frame that is big enough for this design.

I did manage to FFO the three Halloween Trifles from Shepherd's Bush, using a wooden pumpkin board from The Works.  I mixed up some orange acrylic paint with a splash of black and diluted it with water to make a paint wash which turned out really well.  Then I mounted each of the three pieces to card and stuck them to the board with double sided tape.

I didn't have the right charms so I just chose some from my stash

I realised I had used all my spider charms so used this bigger web instead:

Very pleased with the final result:

Here are some more photos of my Spooky Stitching on display this year:

Finally, enjoy the Spooky Link-ups!

        

all from Hyraea