September 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 weekend I focused on to my Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas design.  My goal is 3 blocks on this for the year and there's only 3 months to stitch (not stitching Christmas in Dark October!) so I need to get cracking.

Last month I completed all the Olive Green background for Day 2 first and here is where I finished:

I forgot to take a photo at the start of IHSW but here is the current  progress:

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

All the fill-in on the 2 is going to be gold metallic!

Today is also the first posting date for Clare's new SAL - The Topsy-Turvy SAL.  This month the theme was New Year.  Unfortunately I haven't got space for a new start but I did stitch on the project I was working on on 1st January - 12 Days of Christmas from Stoney Creek so I am going to see if Clare allows shoe-horns!

Finally the next IHSW will be 15th - 17th October 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.

Gifted Gorgeousness September Link-up Post

      

Welcome to the September 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.

Deb sent me the charts for the Stoney Creek 2019 Ornaments which were my Stitchmas project this year. I started all 12, one per day and will be completing one per month.  September is for Ladies Dancing:

stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave

The WIPGO Board chose Fairy Idyll for August.  The chart (and extras) was a gift from a friend.  By the end of the month I had reached this point:

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

Gathering Eggs by Nora Corbett, the chart was a gift from a friend.  This was a triumphant finish at the start of this month:

stitched on 35 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

This next project is stitched from charts which were Birthday gifts and on fabric which was a giveaway gift.  It is my spooky conversion of the CCN Main Street designs.  I completed my third shop this weekend.  The Cafe became Cauldrons:

stitched on 32 count Murano in Charcoal Slate from Sparklies

I'll do a full post about the changes I made later this month.

The Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas kit was a Christmas present:

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

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 "September 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, I received a lovely gift myself from Kerry in Stitches.  I won a giveaway on her Flosstube channel and she sent me a box of loveliness which I have not had time to photograph yet so I will add the pictures in when I do!

Finally Fully Finishing Fun for September

  

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).

Very little FFO'ing this month, just one small framed piece again!  This is another freebie from The Primitive Hare for Beltane, the May Day festival which I didn't stitch in May because I was doing Maynia..  Framed the same as the other three I have completed in the same multi-frame.  The goal is to have all eight done by the end of this year.

stitched on 35 count Cream Linen

Here are the first four framed together:

Mabon, which is the Autumnal Equinox, will be framed next to Lammas and then I will work my way up the left hand side of the frames so they are viewed in a continuous circle.

Each design has a different backing card from the same set of papers so the colours co-ordinate but hopefully go well with the appropriate season.

So that's it for Fully Finishing, hopefully I will get a few more done this month.  I did paint some charity shop frames black ready for Halloween!

Finally, it's WIPGO Weekend and I will be working on my Country Cottage Needleworks Hallowe'en Village conversion.

Here's my starting point, any guess what this shop might be?  We already have Broomsticks and Grimoires.

stitched on 32 count Murano in Charcoal Slate from Sparklies

 

September TUSAL and my Stitching Library

   

It's TUSAL time!

Here is my TUSAL jar with a finished project:

Your eyes do not deceive you, that is indeed Gathering Eggs by Nora Corbett all finished!

Here are some more photos to prove it:

I just love the colours in this design

The background is stitched using 1 strand and the girl using 2 strands

Such a pretty border

I chose the fabric specifically for this part where it shows through to form the ground.

Here's one with a ruler so you can see how tall she is - 10.5 inches

stitched on 35 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

What's on my Shelf?

This is a new feature I'm going to include on my TUSAL post until I run out of books! I started a Page on my Happy Dance blog for my Stitching Library and realised what a huge task it was so decided to break it down to one book per month. For the next four years...

I chose this month's book totally at random off my shelf.

Title: Cross Stitch Wit and Wisdom
Author: Joan Elliott
Publisher: David & Charles
ISBN: 9780715324769

I own a few of Joan Elliott's books as I'm a big fan of her work and it was an easy way to acquire a lot of her designs!

The tag line on this book says "designs with words to brighten your day" and there is a very wide range of wordy and pictorial designs here.  Something for every occasion!

I really like these oriental cards

Lovely wedding sampler

Designs for teenagers

Grandparents

And women in the prime of their life!

I've not stitched an entire design from this book yet but I did make a couple of cards:

These were cards for two people who worked with the Small Boy when he first started preschool.

The top one is part of the wedding sampler Joan picks out to use as a card.
The bottom one is the phrase from one design and a border from another.

As with all the other books I have shown, picking this one up again makes me want to stitch more from it!  I love those Chinese Maples in the first picture.

Finally, I am waaaaaaay behind on blog reading so I must apologise.  I will do my best to catch up.  And with replying to comments too!

The People Chose Sewing

   

This SAL is all about what you want to see on the blog. Each month I ask for suggestions for themes and then put them up to the members of the IHSW Group on FB to vote for their choice. This is what they have chosen:

September - Sewing

October - Leaves

November - Funny

Sewing and stitching are two entirely different things, two different hobbies although they do overlap a lot.  You can sew your finished stitched pictures into something practical like a project bag or a quilt.  Or you could add cross stitch embellishments to a piece you have sewn.

Or, if your sewing skills haven't advanced much since you were 5 years old, then you can stick with cross stitch featuring sewing themed items!

As soon as I saw this featured piece in The Gift of Stitching magazine I knew I wanted to stitch it.  It took some time because I started at a period when I was starting a lot of things and didn't have a good rotation going so projects got neglected again.  This piece languished from 2012 to 2019 when I made it a part of my WIPocalypse "19 in '19" and completed it in the September.

This is My Lovely Sewing Tools by Marie Suarez:

Stitched on 40 count white linen using the DMC conversion apart from a lovely red variegated thread I had in my stash.  I also made a few changes.   I used a mixture of one strand and two to create texture.  I added the beads in the border, the flower centres and the heads of all the little pins.  Those pin heads are on of my favourite things.  I added charms and buttons according to what I had which would fit.  This is 40 count so I needed tiny things.

There are lots more photos on this post here - Happy Dance for My Lovely Sewing Tools

Now it's over to you.  All you have to do is make a post on the theme of Books, mention The People's Choice SAL (you can copy the picture I used at the top of this post and in my side bar) and my blog. Please link up using the URL of the actual blog post, not the home page of your blog.   I look forward to seeing what you all post.

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Finally, I need your suggestions for the next poll.  Anything, no matter how obscure, weird or random will go into the poll.  Keep the theme suggestions to a single word or two - so you could have Cats, or Green, or Holidays, or Warmth etc.   Really anything which could be illustrated in cross stitch.

August Stitch From Stash and Pie

 It's the end of the month and time for some pie!

As I mentioned before, I have set a goal of three block of the 12 Days of Christmas by Bothy Threads and had only stitched one.  So I needed to get going on Day 2, I set a goal to stitch all the background this month and succeeded.

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

I love how you can clearly see the number and the two turtle doves already.  I'll be focusing on this piece in September to get the Day completed.

Fairy Idyll was another success with a week's stitching seeing a large part of the dress completed:

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

The next design is a surprise new entry to the charts!  When I got my subs copy of Cross Stitcher magazine I was instantly drawn to the cover picture of a 3D Greenhouse and had to start it immediately!  I stitched for three days at the start of the month and another three at the end.  My goal is to complete the white frame and then fill in colour by colour for the plants.

stitched on 28 count grey-blue evenweave

I am stitching the two sides as one piece to save having to whip stitch along the roof edge.

You've seen all the rest of the projects.  I had hoped to get both Follow the Needle and Gathering Eggs ticked off this month but it's impossible to bead with my son at home so I am going to wait until he's back at school and have a couple of days dedicating to beading.

This means only one number (number 8) was completed on my WIPGO Board for August but I did make good progress on some projects and September is looking good too.

Finally, Stitch from Stash.  I bought nothing except the two special Just Cross Stitch magazines which I ordered from Sparklies.

I haven't got the Halloween one yet as I also ordered some fabric for my Birthday in September but I hear it is a good issue so I am looking forward to receiving it soon.

August WIPocalypse Proud and Relieved

        

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World.  Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "21 in '21" for this year.  This month I stitched on 6 of them and met 1 WIPGO Goal.  

5. Nora Corbett Gathering Eggs

stitched on 35 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

10. Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count Lime Green Linen

12. Mirabilia Fairy Idyll

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

13. Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

16. Hands on Design Scary Apothecary Coffin Paint

stitched on 28 count Radioactive Linen from Chromatic Alchemy

17. Just Nan Follow the Needle

stitched on 28 count Lilac Brittney evenweave

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and 21 in 21

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too:

August – Which of your project finishes made you the most proud? The most relieved?

This is a really difficult one to answer!  I am proud of a lot of my work.  I do try to challenge myself, changing colours or fabrics, adding personal touches and so on.  

One piece that I am particularly proud of is my Hallowe'en conversion of Lavender & Lace's Enchanted Alphabet.  I loved the actual alphabet as soon as I saw the design but wasn't so keen on the child and bunny.  One day it came to me - stitch it in black on orange fabric and make a Hallowe'en special!

stitched on 32 count Murano in Tigerlily by Sparklies

There is a full post on this on my Happy Dance Blog - Lavender & Lace - Enchanted Alphabet

I don't often stitch things which are a relief to finish because I try to choose projects I know I will enjoy working on.  But this old project definitely fits into that category!  I loved the design and started it way back when I still used aida.  This was a horrible scratchy aida that actually gave me a friction burn on my wrist from rubbing when I stitched.  In the end I decided to stitch just one portion of the border and call it done.

The fully finishing plan is to fix the border around a circular box and make something nice for the lid.  Then use the letters to make cards for people whose names beging with those letters!

It was definitely a relief to mark this one off the WIP list.

Finally, there's a new SAL in town!

Clare from Aimetu's Stitching has created this SAL where we stitch un-seasonal things!  The full list is as follows:

September - a design to celebrate New Year

October - any design for Valentine's 

November and December - springtime designs

January - Easter stitching 

February and March - summer designs

April - a little treat for myself, any small design I fancy

May and June - autumnal designs

July - a design for Halloween

August - Christmas stitching 

And you can find more details on her blog here - Aimetu's Stitching