June Pie and Stitch from Stash

Time for the end of month round-up and statistics.  June was the focus month for my Chatelaine Gardens of London.

Here is where I left it at the end of April:

And here is where I am now:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast by Crafty Kitten

Here's a close-up of the Garden, the blue Queen's Stitches don't show up too well on the blue fabric but once I get the rest of the Garden filled in they will be more visible.  All the spaces in the centre are for beads and there are more speciality stitches in the border. 

The Chatelaine part of the rotation finished on 25th June and I picked up my spooky conversion of The Enchanted Alphabet by Lavender & Lace to stitch the rest of the X I started for The Longest Day Marathon:

stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily Murano by Sparklies

Here's the whole piece, only 2 letters to go then it will be time to add some more spooky motifs:

The Longest Day Marathon did take a day off my rotation and combined with some extra work shifts meant I only managed to stitch for 10 days on my Chatelaine.  Here's the full pie for June:

I did actually spend some money this month.  I needed some charms for my Just Nan Smalls and got 6 bags for the price of 5 from an eBay seller.  You've seen the butterfly used already on the Small SAL post.  Then I needed some DMC replenishing so an order was put in to Lakeside Needlecraft.

June
Charms eBay	£10.25
DMC	£18.03
Total	£28.28

The first period of Stitch from Stash is finishing now and the second starts 1st July.  This is designed to give people who have zero self-control a fresh start and keep them interested LOL.

My biggest expense so far is magazines but I have cut my subscriptions down to two - Just Cross Stitch and Cross Stitcher (which is a legacy subscription from when I got Cross Stitch Collection).  I pay £8.72 for 3 issues rather than £22.39 for 6 issues.  You can see why I won't cancel at that price!

I did manage to avoid spending money on any of the five re-released Mirabilia charts.  If Touching The Autumn Sky had been one of them I would have gone for it.  Seaside Kingdom was tempting but to be honest I'd rather save my money and get both of the Royal Games cards charts.  I have asked Dawn to put my name down to the Cameo design.  I like that one and it's not Limited Edition.

Finally, there will be a Summer Blog Hop this year.  I will be returning to the Postcard theme.

Each person emails me a photo of something they have stitched which is suitable as a postcard to a fellow stitcher along with a short message of the kind you write on a postcard.  I will forward the photo to another participant who shows it on their blog.  The photo can be anything Summer themed, beach themed, holiday themed, you get the idea!   It can be a new piece or something from your archives.  The Hop will run over the whole of the Summer with a few cards going out each week.  Final deadline will be the end of August, just in time for Back to School!  If you'd like to take part then leave a comment or send me an email.

Entry into this Blog Hop also counts as another Peak for my Five Peaks Blog Hop Challenge I am running all year.  If you participate in or comment on all five Hops this year you will be entered into a draw at the end of the year.

June Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

This year I am showing my Just Nan 12 Days of Christmas blocks for the Smalls SAL and also my 30-a-day projects.  All smalls also by Just Nan.  It's a Nan-a-thon year!

Here is Block 6 on the 12 Days of Christmas:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen

Following on from the excitement of the 31 starts for Maynia, I completed 2 Just Nan smalls this month.

First was Honeysuckle Rose which hasn't got its charm yet:

stitched on 32 count Antique White linen

 Then a nice quick stitch; Dragonfly Summer renamed Butterfly Summer as that was the charm I had:

stitched on 32 count White evenweave

A Just Nan Small finish means a new one is started - Floral Sunshine:

stitched on 32 count Antique White linen

I am hoping to do some scrapbooking this weekend and get some of the older ones mounted and fully finished.  We shall see!

Finally, there will be a Summer Blog Hop this year.  I will be returning to the Postcard theme.

• Each person emails me a photo of something they have stitched which is suitable as a postcard to a fellow stitcher along with a short message of the kind you write on a postcard. 
• 
  
• I will forward the photo to another participant who shows it on their blog.  
• 
  
• The photo can be anything Summer themed, beach themed, holiday themed, you get the idea!   
• 
  
• It can be a new piece or something from your archives.  
• 
  
• The Hop will run over the whole of the Summer with a few cards going out each week.  
• 
  
• Final deadline will be the end of August, just in time for Back to School!  
• 
  
• If you'd like to take part then leave a comment or send me an email.

June WIPocalypse Stitching Retreat

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".  Many of them are part of SALs so I will be working on them each month.

This month I have stitched on all my outstanding projects because of the Longest Day Marathon!  Here's a little collage of all the projects:

That was easy to post!

I also got a finish from my list of 18 earlier in the month.  Satsuma Street's Libra:

stitched on 28 count black Jobelan

This weekend I have continued with my focus piece for the month which is Chatelaine's Gardens of London.  I have completed the inside of the top left Garden and just have the Rhodes, Queen and Rice Stitches in the border.  Beading will be done at the end.

Here's the whole piece:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast by Crafty Kitten

Measi always sets us a discussion topic:

June - Tell us what you think the ideal stitching retreat would include. 

I have been on two quite different retreats.  The first was a Re-Treat with the emphasis on the treat.  Two sisters owned a converted barn where they held the retreats for only 6 other ladies at a time.  One sister taught the stitching and the other sister did the cooking and also the pampering in the evenings.  I had a wonderful time!  We spent three days just stitching, chatting, eating, having our nails done and shopping in the pop-up shop they had there.

The second was more formal, based in London at the Imperial College in Kensington, I signed up for a goldwork course.  This was fascinating but sadly I never finished the project.  I have sent it to Dima as she has more chance of completing it than I do.

So my ideal retreat would be a combination of the two; time to chat and a class to learn a new technique or a special class project with a designer I admire.  I would love to get together with more stitchers, especially my blogging friends but that just isn't possible at the moment.  But if anyone is passing this way do get in touch and come round for coffee and stitching!

Finally, there will be a Summer Blog Hop this year.  I will be returning to the Postcard theme.  Each person emails me a photo of something they have stitched which is suitable as a postcard to a fellow stitcher along with a short message of the kind you write on a postcard.  I will forward the photo to another participant who shows it on their blog.  The photo can be anything Summer themed, beach themed, holiday themed, you get the idea!  If you'd like to take part then leave a comment or send me an email.

Edit to add - the Hop will run over the whole of the Summer with a few cards going out each week.  Final deadline will be the end of August, just in time for Back to School!

Longest Day Marathon 2018

This is the third year for the Longest Day Marathon and I stitched the most projects out of the three years too!

Once again, I had to chose a date which fitted my schedule and that turned out to be the day after the Longest Day; Friday 22nd June.

I made a list of all my WIPs and UFOs the day before and went through all the storage places to make sure I had all the charts, fabric and threads in the same place to make it easier.

Before the boys had left for school I had managed to stitch on two projects starting with my Ten-a-Day:

Just Nan's Autumn in the Square:

ten lilac stitches in the left corner

Followed by my Temperature SAL by Hetti Ruckert:

9 orange stitches in the top left corner

Once the boys went off to school and hubby to work, the stitching could really start with 15 minutes on my Just Nan Small; Butterfly Summer:

a row of satin stitch at the bottom

9.15am Project 4 - Lavender & Lace Enchanted Alphabet

started the X

 9.45am Project 5 - Lyndisfarne Designs Discworld Mappe

stitched some turtle flipper

10.15am Project 6 - Chatelaine Gardens of London

completed the cross stitch for this garden

10.45am Project 7 - Nora Corbett Gathering Eggs

stitched some hair

 11.15am Project 8 - Joan Elliott Reading Fairy

stitched some purple and green

11.45am Project 9 - Donna Kooler Zodiac

started Cancer

12.15pm Project 10 - Just Nan Autumn House

stitched some orange border

12.45pm - short break for lunch and then

1.00pm Project 11 - Jardin Prive Happy Hallowe'en Night

started the graveyard

1.30pm Project 12 - Just Nan 12 Days of Christmas

stitched the white numbers

2.00pm Project 13 - Satsuma Street Nest Egg

stitched a beak

2.30pm Project 14 - Plum Street Sampler Brew Haha

stitched the letters

Then I had to take an unplanned break to do the school run as hubby could not get back from his job in time.

4.00pm Project 15 - JBW Smiling Jack O-Lanterns

stitched the orange in the border

4.30pm Project 16 - Nora Corbett Raven

stitched some purple

5.00pm Project 17 - Kustom Krafts Little Snapdragon

turquoise in the wing

5.30pm Project 18 - Joan Elliott Faces SAL

stitched some blue ribbon

6.00pm - break for tea

6.30pm Project 19 - Scarlet Letter English Transitional Sampler

stitched some blue Holbein

7.00pm Project 20 - Papillon Around the World in 80 Stitches

stitched some green border

7.30pm Project 21 - Yiota's Cross Stitch Coffee Fairy

frogged a bit and then stitched some cup

8.00pm Project 22 - Marie Suarez My Lovely Sewing Tools

stitched some border

8.30pm Project 23 - Samplermakers Spring Sampler

stitched some green leaves

9.00pm Project 24 - Craft Collection Art Nouveau Head

stitched some brown

9.30pm Project 25 - Ernie Bishop Noel Letter O

stitched some green

10.30pm Project 26 - Mrs Peggotty's Alice & The Flamingo

stitched around her eyes

And so to bed!

It was a fantastic stitching day, reminding me why I started so many of these projects and wondering why some became UFOs.  There is definitely a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) with some of the SALs where I started because everyone else was but then ran out of steam.  The plan is to pick one or two UFOs each work to focus on and try complete some of the older projects.  My Lovely Sewing Tools is probably my favourite and closest to a finish too.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on Facebook, whether you stitched or just watched.  It was fun to see all the "likes" over the course of the day.

Finally, here's a little video clip of me talking about my set-up: