The First Pie of the New Year

We have reached the end of the first month of the year so it is time for the first pie of the year!  And the first reckoning for Stitch From Stash.  Yes, I am SFS again.  I don't have a lot of spare money to spend and what I do have I spend on my hobby.  So I won't be claiming fictious money for my finishes but I will be monitoring my spending to see what my weaknesses are!

2017 was the year of the Magazine whereas 2016 was Charts closely followed by Fabric, thanks to two large purchases for my special Birthday that year.

You've seen most of my stitching progress this month already for my WIPocalypse post.  But here's another new start!  This is another one of my "18 in '18"; Satsuma Street's Libra.  For my husband and my older son (also my Dad and my Grandad, there are a lot of Libra men in my life!).

stitched on 28 count Black Jobelan

Not much there but you can tell it is Libra already.  The goal is to stitch the smaller bird on the left this month; the larger bird on the right next month and the base the following month.  Then move on to Aquarius for my younger son.

You can see from the Pie chart that I spent 2 days on that design:

The Discworld Mappe got the most days as my January focus piece followed by 12 Days for 12 Days of Stitchmas and Dracula which has been my work lunchbreak piece.

Here is the expenditure for the month:

January
Mrs Peggotty Alice	£5.32
JN Chart return	-£10.00
Belfast Fabric	£13.95
JN Charm	£2.31
Total	£11.58

There is a return on there because the chart I ordered last month was supposed to come with an embellishment pack but it was missing.  So SewandSo gave me a rebate which I spent on some 32 count County Mocha (a store cupboard essential) and a cute charm for my last Just Nan Small:

Noah's Rainbow and Charm

A lot of the Just Nan charms are no longer available so Nan is discontinuing the charts.  I was lucky to snap this one up.  Most of the rest of the charms are generic butterflies or bees but this one is unique.

It doesn't bother me if I don't use the charted charm, half the fun is finding an alternative on eBay or Etsy.

Finally, a number of people have already signed up for the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop but there is still time for more.  The deadline for photos is 10th February.  In case you are stuck for inspiration, here are a few freebie designs.  Most of these would stitch up in a few days:

Lots of Sziv (hearts in Hungarian!) - Amint a fejemből kipattan

Valentines Heart - Anne les petites-croix

Love you to the Moon - Barbara Ana

Heart - Brigitte Dadaux

Un peu d’Amour et d’Amitié - Chalet des Perelles

Valentines - Cyber Stitchers various designers

Keys to my Heart - Erica Michaels via Rainbow Gallery

Mini Floral Heart - Le Grenier de Zoe

My Heart Leaps Up - Hands On Design
Valentine's Stitches -Hands On Design

Love, Black cat and Heart - Happiness is CrossStitching

Valentine Cat - Happiness is Cross Stitching
Valentine Birdie - Happiness is Cross Stitching

Isabella's Blog - Swirly Heart

My Valentine - iStitch Designs

Manydesigns - La Contesse le Point de Croix

Couer by Les Marottes de Nathalie

Valentine - Mindi, Joie de Vivre

Cherub with Heart - Mirabilia

Speciality Heart - Olga Maxden

Heart of Hearts - Miss T

My Happy Memories - You Hold the Key

My Happy Memories - Love Birds

Love Never Fails - The Primitive Hare

Red Heart - Renato Parolin

Be My Valentine - Sandra Longan Designs

VariousDesigns - Stickeule
Bee Mine - Stitchers Anon

And of course we must never forget the Patron Saint of Free design - Gazette 94!

22 Couer - Gazette 94

(there are 22 designs labelled Couer or Heart).

January WIPocalypse SALs

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.  For me, this will be my "18 in '18".  I started this idea back in 2011 with my "11 in '11" which was not a success.  Since then I have gradually made my targets more realistic!

Just for fun, here is my old 11 in '11 list:

I completed three of them in 2011 - Frosty Morning, Heart from Stitch Graffitti and Bluebeard's Mermaid.  How funny to see Joan Elliott's 12 Days of Christmas on there which finally got stitched last year.  The Art Nouveau Head is a UFO and the rest never even got started!

Anyway, I've done better than that this year already, having stitched on 9 of my list in January.  You can see the full list here.

1. Lavender & Lace - Enchanted Alphabet Spooky Conversion:

I stitched the S

stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily Murano by Sparklies

2. Lyndisfarne Designs - Discworld Mappe:

From here:

To here:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom dyed by Sparklies

3. Just Nan - Summer in the Square (10-a-Day)

stitched on 32 count Light Mocha linen

4. Donna Kooler - Zodiac:

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

5. Jardin Prive - Happy Hallowe'en Night:

stitched on 32 Cognac linen

6. Dam Good Crafts - Dracula:

stitched on 32 count Amortentia Belfast from Chromatic Alchemy

7. Just Nan - 12 Days of Christmas:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

8. Mrs Peggotty - Alice & Flamingo:

stitched on 25 count blue evenweave

so close to the bottom left corner now!

9. Just Nan - Diamond Bouquet:

stitched on 28 count lilac evenweave

Pretty impressive!  Apart from the JN Ornaments for my 30-a-Day everything I have stitched this month is on my WIPocalypse list.   Anyone would think I liked 32 count fabrics...

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

January 28 – What SAL’s are you participating in this year?

Obviously the WIPocalypse!  And these ones too:

Zodiac Club - post the first Saturday each month

Gifted Gorgeousness - post anything gifted on the 15th
TUSAL or Totally Useless SAL - post your ORTs on the New Moon each month

Hallowe'en Ornie Blog - a different spooky theme each month

Christmas Ornie Blog - a different festive theme each month
IHSW - 3rd full weekend of each month

Smalls SAL - last Friday of each month

As well as SALs I also host 5 blog hops a year.  You can read all about them here and I have listed them on this post too:

In February we will have the Secret Stitching Sweetheart for Valentine's Day - send me a suitable picture and I will forward it to another participant, hop around the blogs to see who got your picture.

At Easter it's the Easter Treasure Hunt - sign up and be allocated a letter, post a picture and your letter at Easter, hop round the blogs (like an Easter Bunny) and find the Mystery Phrase.

During the whole of the Summer we usually have the Summer Postcard Hop - send me a picture for a postcard plus a holiday message, I will forward it to another participant, hop around the blogs to see who got your postcard.

At Hallowe'en it's the Trick or Treat Mystery Phrase - same as Easter but spookier!

During Advent I will host our Calendar - sign up and be allocated a dated door, post a picture on your day and add some information about your Christmas traditions. I copy the pictures onto my blog so we have the full calendar for everyone to see.

Finally you can see from the list of Hops that the next one will be the Secret Stitching Sweetheart in February.  You still have time to sign up for that one.  Just leave a comment or send me an email saying you would like to take part.  I will need a photo of your stitching item by 10th February.

January Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

This is my 61st entry for the Smalls SAL (known as the Ornament SAL in Year 1) which means I have taken part every month for 5 whole years!  Now starting the 6th year.  That's a whole lot of Smalls!  Frankly I think I deserve a prize for that.  Haha, my name got chosen to win last year's prize! Thank you, random number generator.

This year I will be showing the block I stitch for the Christmas Ornie SAL and any other smalls I may complete during the month.  I am continuing with both my 10-a-Day (don't snigger, Christine) and my 30-a-Day challenges so there should be at least one Small each month.  And maybe even some fully finishing!

Here's the January block from Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

I have sort of completed two Just Nan smalls so far this month.  The first one would have been finished on 2nd January if the beads weren't hidden behind the Christmas tree!  This is Butterfly Rose:

stitched on 32 count Pink linen

I completed the stitching on this one but need the charm to go in the centre to call it a real finish.  Noah's Rainbow:

stitched on 32 count Antique White evenweave

The next one in line is Painted Lady.  I have made a change to the colours on this one.  I am using 3041 and 3042 purples instead of 611 and 612 browns.  I started the 611 and it just did not look right on the white fabric.  The original was stitched on dark green fabric.

Seems like the Smalls SAL should be renamed the Just Nan SAL for me this year!

💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕 💕

There is still plenty of time to sign up for the next Blog Hop.  I need the photos for the Secret Stitching Sweetheart by the 10th February.  So if you want to take part, leave a comment or send me an email and I will add you to the list.

Finally, for those of you not getting notifications for comments left by no-reply bloggers - check your spam folder.  I routinely check mine and found 60 email notifications hidden in there.  Some from Nigerian Princes and Russian Ladies wanting to marry me but mostly from no-reply bloggers.  Seems like Gmail had decided you were all spam.

January IHSW

The weekend just gone was the first IHSW of 2018 and what happens?  Jo has to work on the Sunday!  Typical.  Anyway, I started on Friday with some crafty coffee morning stitching on Alice by Mrs Peggotty:

stitched over one on 25 count blue evenweave

Another 200 stitches in there and working my way down the border.  I figure that if I stitch the border then I can use that as a reference point instead of gridding the inside.

My focus piece was the Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

I stitched a turtle flipper and backstitched the main landmass with lots of little mountains.

I'm a bit confused at the moment as I am stitching Discworld but reading Lord of the Rings.

I finally finished the moon on Dracula and have almost completed the gold in his name.  Then it's finish Bram St... and add the border.  Once I complete this I will be able to put Alice in this time slot and really see some progress.

stitched on 32 count Amortentia by Chromatic Alchemy

Finally, I will be running the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop on Valentine's Day.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 

It's really very simple, all you have to do is email me a picture of something you have stitched which is suitable for a stitching friend on Valentine's Day.  It could be a heart, or a pair of cute creatures, or the word "love" or anything which warms your heart. Really anything you think a fellow stitcher would like to receive in her email Inbox.   It can be something you've stitched in the past or something you've made especially for this year.  It could also be quilted or sewn this year as I know some of my followers do other crafts too.

Send me the email by 10th February.

When I have all the emails I will randomise them and send one to each participant on 13th February.  Then on 14th February you must post the picture you receive onto your blog under the heading

 Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

There will be a list on my blog of everyone joining in, so check out all the blogs and find out who got your picture and identify yourself  in their comments as their

Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

Does that make sense to everyone?  I hope so!

If you'd like to be involved then leave a comment on this post or send me an email if you are "no-reply".   I'll be putting little reminders up from time to time and will email on 9th February to make sure you send the pic in time.  

January TUSAL

It's TUSAL time, the Totally Useless SAL where we all show our ORTS and link-up on Daffycat's blog.

Here are my current projects with the first ORT jar of the year. There are ORTs in there, right at the very bottom of the jar!

The little tin is where I keep my bathroom ORTs and here is the current bathroom project; Dracula by Dam Good Crafts:

stitched on 32 count Amortentia Belfast by Chromatic Alchemy

For those of you new to this blog, my bathtime project is the project I stitch on while supervising the Small Boy in the bath.  Not for stitching during my own bath!  I usually choose a monochrome or simple colours like this so I can thread the needle and stitch until it is done.  I can usually get 2-3 lengths per night and have completed several large projects in this way.

This is the other project in the photo; my focus piece for January - The Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

I backstitched an island and started the turtle's foot.

Finally, I will be running the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop on Valentine's Day.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 

It's really very simple, all you have to do is email me a picture of something you have stitched which is suitable for a stitching friend on Valentine's Day.  It could be a heart, or a pair of cute creatures, or the word "love" or anything which warms your heart. Really anything you think a fellow stitcher would like to receive in her email Inbox.   It can be something you've stitched in the past or something you've made especially for this year.  It could also be quilted or sewn this year as I know some of my followers do other crafts too.

Send me the email by 10th February.

When I have all the emails I will randomise them and send one to each participant on 13th February.  Then on 14th February you must post the picture you receive onto your blog under the heading

 Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

There will be a list on my blog of everyone joining in, so check out all the blogs and find out who got your picture and identify yourself  in their comments as their

Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

Does that make sense to everyone?  I hope so!

If you'd like to be involved then leave a comment on this post or send me an email if you are "no-reply".   I'll be putting little reminders up from time to time and will email on 9th February to make sure you send the pic in time.  

Gifted Gorgeousness January Link-Up Post

Welcome to the first Gifted Gorgeousness link-up of 2018!  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.

Last year we had 37 people sign up for the SAL, a couple didn't link up at all but seven people linked up every single month!  I used the random number generator to choose a winner from those seven and

Jocondine

is our first winner!  I have your address already so there will be something nice on it's way to you soon.

Then I looked at all the entries, 249 in total and the random number generator chose entry 220 which was the November post for

DJ from Tickled Pink in Stitches

At this point I got deja-vu as DJ won last year as well.  That's what you get when you take part regularly, you increase your chances of winning!

Since my last post I have worked on a few GG pieces.

I complete my big 2017 GG piece, 12 Days of Christmas by Joan Elliott - gift from my MIL:

Dracula by Dam Good Crafts - stitched on gifted fabric:

Diamond Bouquet by Just Nan - gift from Brenda:

12 Days of Christmas by Just Nan - Christmas present:

Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs:

fabric custom-dyed Murano by Sparklies

The very centre of the chart is the right hand stitch on the bottom row and the top of the chart is about four rows above the turtle foot I have just started stitching.

This picture shows what I stitched over the last four days.  The fish took the entire length of The Two Towers extended DVD on Sunday afternoon! 

This piece is going to be a gift from my son's 18th Birthday.  Or his 21st.  Or maybe his 30th...

I received a gift too:

A lovely knitted Goth Bunny from Julie!  Isn't she lovely?  I called her Goth Bunny to start with but then I popped her on the shelf with my badges (my Secret Santa at work bought them for me) and thought maybe she's a Suffragette Bunny?

I love her and if Julie links up here she will get double GG points for sending and me receiving a gift!

Which brings us nicely to the link-up part of the post.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "January 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.

*

*

Make sure you visit the linked-up blogs this month, especially Katie Jeremiah's Mom, she is having a Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway this month.  Pop over and see what you could win.

Finally, I will be running the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop on Valentine's Day.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 

It's really very simple, all you have to do is email me a picture of something you have stitched which is suitable for a stitching friend on Valentine's Day.  It could be a heart, or a pair of cute creatures, or the word "love" or anything which warms your heart. Really anything you think a fellow stitcher would like to receive in her email Inbox.   It can be something you've stitched in the past or something you've made especially for this year.  It could also be quilted or sewn this year as I know some of my followers do other crafts too.

Send me the email by 10th February.

When I have all the emails I will randomise them and send one to each participant on 13th February.  Then on 14th February you must post the picture you receive onto your blog under the heading

 Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

There will be a list on my blog of everyone joining in, so check out all the blogs and find out who got your picture and identify yourself  in their comments as their

Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

Does that make sense to everyone?  I hope so!

If you'd like to be involved then leave a comment on this post or send me an email if you are "no-reply".   I'll be putting little reminders up from time to time and will email on 9th February to make sure you send the pic in time.  

New Year, New Starts

Don't you love a New Year?  The chance to make a fresh start with your goals and projects?  Make resolutions and keep them for a whole week!  To say "I haven't spent anything on stash this year" and mean it.

And most of all; guilt-free new starts!  Last post I showed my Mrs Peggotty's Alice which I am hoping to work on regularly with an aim of 700 stitches per week.  Or maybe not.  I took her to the coffee morning at the local craft shop and got 200 stitches in 1.5 hours.  Here's where she is now:

stitched over one on 25 count blue evenweave

I'll do a bit more tomorrow and take her into work during the week for my lunchbreaks.

The plan is for her to replace Dracula at bath-time when I complete that design.  Here's the current position:

stitched on 32 count Amortentia Belfast by Chromatic Alchemy

The moon is taking FOR EVER but once I reach the top of the U I can put in the words "Bram Stoker's" and then the white fits round the outside of that.  Then it's an R and D and some boring border!

Here's another new start from the WIPocalypse list.  This was a gift from Brenda and she will be stitching along with me this year.

stitched on 28 count lilac evenweave

The design is Just Nan's Diamond Bouquet and will eventually look like this:

It's not very big and I'm aiming for two bands per month with a July finish.

As promised I will be running the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop on Valentine's Day.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 

It's really very simple, all you have to do is email me a picture of something you have stitched which is suitable for a stitching friend on Valentine's Day.  It could be a heart, or a pair of cute creatures, or the word "love" or anything which warms your heart. Really anything you think a fellow stitcher would like to receive in her email Inbox.   It can be something you've stitched in the past or something you've made especially for this year.  It could also be quilted or sewn this year as I know some of my followers do other crafts too.

Send me the email by 10th February.

When I have all the emails I will randomise them and send one to each participant on 13th February.  Then on 14th February you must post the picture you receive onto your blog under the heading

 Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

There will be a list on my blog of everyone joining in, so check out all the blogs and find out who got your picture and identify yourself  in their comments as their

Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

Does that make sense to everyone?  I hope so!

If you'd like to be involved then leave a comment on this post or send me an email if you are "no-reply".   I'll be putting little reminders up from time to time and will email on 9th February to make sure you send the pic in time.  

Finally, a Public Service Announcement - Blogger no longer sends email notifications for comments from "no reply" bloggers.  If you moderate comments like I do, all the "no-reply" people are loitering in your "Awaiting Moderation" section along with the Yahoo people that Blogger also doesn't like.  I really do advise people to attach an email to their profile, preferably a Gmail, so we can see your comments easily and respond to them.

January WIPocalypse Introduction

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.  Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

January - Introduce yourself, your projects, and any goals you have for the year

Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "18 in '18" for this year.  For 2018 the list includes a number of SAL pieces which will be stitched each month for various SALs, some WIPs I really want to see finished, 6 new starts and two BAP long-term projects which will be my focus for the year.  Here are the first 12, all WIPs:

Project List:

1. Dessins DHC - Bande des Dragons
2. Lavender & Lace - Enchanted Alphabet
3. Chatelaine Designs - Gardens of London
4. Nora Corbett - Gathering Eggs
5. Lyndisfarne - Discworld Map 
6. Just Nan - Summer in the Square
7. Joan Elliott - Reading Fairy
8. Donna Kooler - Zodiac
9. Just Nan - Autumn Mouse in a House
10. Jardin Prive - Happy Hallowe'en Night
11. Dam Good Crafts - Dracula Book Cover
12. Just Nan - 12 Days of Christmas
13. Satsuma Street - Libra
14. Satsuma Street - Aquarius
15. Mrs Peggotty - Alice and Flamingo
16. Bothy Threads - Alice in Wonderland
17. Just Nan - Summer Typography
18. Just Nan - Diamond Bouquet

New Starts for 2018:

So far this year I have been focused on Just Nan's 12 Days of Christmas which was my 12 Days of Stitchmas project.  Here is how it looked on Day 12:

I even completed Block 1 on the 12th Day:

The next day I dedicated to Hallowe'en stitching.  The theme for January on the blog is Winged Creatures and there are only a couple of very small ones on the design I'm stitching:

So I stitched the word "Night" too:

This is Jardin Prive's Happy Hallowe'en Night stitched on 32 count Cognac linen.

Today I had the first new start of the year, Mrs Peggotty's Alice & Flamingo.  This will be a SAL with Linda Stitching with my Furbabies who has already completed The Mad Hatter in this series.  It should be possible if I average 100 a day or 700 per week.  Here's what I have so far:

stitched on 25 count blue evenweave

I have already had to make some changes as the piece is charted over several pages and having got into a nice rhythm of stitching the brown zigzags I continued without the chart.  When I got to the right hand corner I realised that it was different to the left.  When I examined the chart I noticed that random bumps have an extra stitch which means that when you reach the far end, it isn't symmetrical.  I'm changing that so the design is symmetrical.  It's the same down the sides, the right and left are different and there are random wide bumps added in.  I will probably keep them as it affects the height of the piece but both sides will match.

There are approximately 500 stitches there.  I think I am going to struggle to do 700 a week but we shall see.

Finally, I will be continuing with the ever popular Blog Hops this year.  We will have Valentine's, Easter, the return of the Summer Postcard, Hallowe'en and the Advent Calendar.  All at the appropriate time of the year.  I will be posting about the Secret Stitching Sweethearts for Valentine's Day very soon so watch this space.