July Smalls, Stitch From Stash and Pie

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls will be my JBW 12 Days of Christmas ornaments which I started on Boxing Day 2019 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.  I completed the Seventh Day in July:

stitched on 40 count White linen, 1 over 2

(Beads will be added at the end of the set of three)

I haven't beaded my Holly Noel yet but I did make good progress on the next Just Nan. This is Jasmine Mix:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha

On to Pie:

The July Pie looks rather different to previous months as the Discworld Mappe does not take up half the pie.  I reached a great place to stop and move on to Joan Elliott July.  Here's where I finished Discworld:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

I should be able to complete it in August now.

My Joan Elliott project got ten days but they were very short days in many cases and over-one skin is incredibly time-consuming.  So I went from here:

to here:

stitched on 28 count Snapdragon evenweave from Crafty Kitten

I am going to carry on with her in August to get her finished.

The freebie Alice in the Pie was an impulse start.  I was looking through my freebie folders and thinking "I really should stitch some of these".  I used the random number generator to choose one and up popped Alice from this blog - Passion Creative - French Blog

stitched on 28 count random linen from a Crafty Kitten grab bag

I am using an Anchor thread in medium blue.  The original intention was that this would be the lighter shade but the darker one I choose was too dark, so I have just left that as her eye and will choose a different blue for the lighter parts of the design.  She has been coming to work with me for lunchbreak stitching and she also comes out at bath-time.

Leonore and I are halfway through our Summer Sampler SAL now.  We are both stitching Morning Meadow by Just Nan:

stitched on 32 count pale green Belfast linen

Stitch from Stash started a new reporting period at 1st July.  Stephanie's rules state that you can treat any profit from the first period as a gift and spend it penalty-free.  But I don't do that, in the same way I don't credit myself for finishes.  I follow the original rules set on the blog back in 2014.

July
Crafty Kitten Fabric	£8.00
Total	£8.00

Every so often, Dawn from Crafty Kitten has a Sale Album on Facebook.  She includes mis-dyed pieces, pieces with dye spots or faults in the fabric and some left-over pieces.  Each person bids with "me please" for the ones they want to buy and she randomly picks names to get them.  I "won" the perfect fabric for the Hallowe'en design from Autumn Lane Stitchery that I showed you in my WIPocalypse post - how's that for Serendipity?  I'll show you when it arrives!

Finally, the lovely Clare from Aimetu's Stitching is asking for some help with her smalls.  Each year Clare decorates a tree for her church's Tree Festival with stitched ornaments.  I have donated ornaments in the past and this year she is asking us to join in again.  The theme is A Bouquet of Flowers.  All she needs is the stitched piece, she will fully-finish it for you.  Just leave a comment on Clare's blog to get involved.   (I include this each month as a reminder for myself!)

July WIPocalypse New Designers

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 "20 in '20" for this year.  This month I stitched on 7 of them.  No finishes so far this month.

Ernie Bishop - NOEL Letters

(Project 1)

Joan Elliott - Faces

(Project 2)

Lyndisfarne - Discworld Map

(Project 5)

JBW - 12 Days of Christmas

(Project 11 - Book 3)

Hands on Design - Broomstick Fuel

(Project 15)

Amanda Butler - Alice in Wonderland SAL in Cross Stitcher magazine

(Project 17)

Just Nan - Morning Meadow

(Project 19)

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

July – What new charts or designers are catching your eye this year?

There are always new designs and new designers enabling us so I will choose just three.  First of all, a new design from an old favourite.  As well as being the day for Gifted Gorgeousness, the 15th of each month is New Mirabilia Day.  Earlier this year, Nora Corbett produced a stunner - Princess Elliana AKA Quarantine Princess - which is going straight to the top of my Birthday list:

My second choice is a husband and wife duo called Autumn Lane Stitchery.  Cassandra has been part of the Mirabilia World for years and has now persuaded her artist husband to design cross stitch too.  They have some amazing Hallowe'en designs and some great mermaids.  They favour an enhanced silhouette style which look fantastic on hand-dyed fabrics.  These are just two:

My third choice is another Etsy based shop who do amazing Literary Travel Posters as cross stitch charts.  Fancy a holiday in Mordor?

Country Magic Stitch can take you there.  Or maybe you'd prefer Tatooine?

Both sound perfect for a Summer Holiday break away from the Pandemic Planet!  Which brings us on to the last chance to join my Summer Blog Hop:

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?  I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.  Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

Pandemic Stitching and Tag

As well as following blogs and belonging to various Facebook groups, I also watch some FlossTube videos.  These are great for keeping me company while I stitch.  Abi Bellastitch is one of my favourites.  If you watch this video you get an idea of her humour when she says "it's March 925th, I don't know, it's July Something".

She has written a tag for us for the Pandemic and I thought it would be fun to join in.  She says to use the #bellastitchpandemictag but I have no idea if those work on blogs so I will leave her a comment when I am done.  If anyone wants to join in I suggest you do the same.


1. What country are you in?
  
The Far East of England.  Literally, go any further east and you have to swim the North Sea.

2. When did you start staying home?  

The last day I worked was stocktake day on Wednesday 18th March although the shop didn't close until the following week.   My boys finished school/college that weekend.  I went back to work on Friday 19th June.  But that is the only extension I have made to my "bubble", I haven't been in any other shops or houses.

This is what I was stitching on day 1 of lockdown:

3. Did staying home bother you?

Me - no, I was quite happy.  The boys were not which made me unhappy.


4. Are you an essential worker?

Yes and no.  Bookseller is apparently non-essential so we all got furloughed but I am also a Carer for my son so I was "working" 24/7 as a very essential worker.


5. How do you cope (with the current situation)?

Stitching, stitching, more stitching, chatting to friends online and stitching.  Also planning my 2021 stitching.


6. How many projects have you started since lockdown?

Between 18th March and 19th June I started 8 new projects.  All smalls, mostly all planned but two surprise additions thanks to the #Bewell project.

Drawn Thread - Be Well freebie

7. How many projects have you finished since lockdown? 

In the same timespan I completed 10 projects.  This freebie was finished just after I went back to work:

My Fanny - Quarantine House freebie

8. Where have you been doing your pandemic stash shopping?

I didn't really buy much at all, just some DMC from Lakeside Needlecraft who were doing an amazing job of keeping everyone happy in very difficult circumstances. 


9. Are you joining the #damnitmeagansal?

Apparently this is for the Long Dog Sampler entitled Pandemic.  I downloaded it and would love to stitch it but I can't see it fitting into my plans just yet.

10. Are you joining @stitchem in her #schlongalong?

Not aware of this one!  I don't do Instagram.


11. What other SALs have you joined?

Apart from all the usual blog SALs, Leonore and I have a Just Nan Summer Sampler SAL going.  We are both stitching Morning Meadow, a few bands each week over the summer.  Here's where I am now:

stitched on 32 count pale green Belfast linen

12. What are you looking forward to in the 2nd half of 2020?

My Birthday and Hallowe'en!  Then Christmas.  Finishing some of my "20 in '20" WIPocalypse projects.  Fully finishing more things too.


I also have my 20-a-Day SAL (increased from 10-a-Day for 2020).  Recently I have been stitching Small Delights Spring! from Just Nan and here is my finish:

stitched on 32 count pale green linen

The linen just does not photograph well, it is exactly the same shade as DMC 772, so look at that skein!  I didn't have the correct bunny charm so I used this cute one:

I also didn't have the pearl discs so I used a sequin and a bead instead.

There is a touch of metallic in the frogs and I love their bead eyes!

I will be focusing on the Summer SAL until September and then I am thinking of starting a spooky design to last until Hallowe'en.  20 stitches for 60 days is 1,200 stitches which is roughly a 50 x 50 design.  (Based on 50% coverage)

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?  I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.  Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

July TUSAL

It's TUSAL time!

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current project:

This is Joan Elliott's Faces SAL started back in 2014.  I did well to start with but didn't like the cat chosen for Block 2 so the project stalled.

I completed the first block in good time:

August 2014

Then it sat until the DUCJC in January 2015:

Fast forward to Joan Elliott July 2017 and her arms got stitched:

Longest Day 2018

Longest Day 2019

Longest Day 2020

Today:

The plan is to spend as much time on her this month as I can and see if I can complete this block.  There's a lot of over one skin to be done.  We shall see.

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?  I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.  Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

July 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.

I started the weekend by working on Friday, since we have reopened Friday has become my "set day" as that is when the Small Boy was at school, until the end of term anyway.

I did get to stitch on a Just Nan Small in my lunchbreak as well as at bath-time.  This one is Jasmine Mix:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha

For Saturday and Sunday I worked on Discworld Mappe for my focus piece.  Then this happened:

Yes, I completed the final corner of the Mappe!

I made one small change to the design, the original has the credit to the person who drew the original artwork so I changed that to "Stitched by me".  I also believe that is a Murder Hornet from the Cataclysmic Year of 2020:

The little boat was the last motif to be stitched:

All I need to do now is go over all 30 pages and make sure I haven't missed anything and then backstitch the Longitude and Latitude lines.  Or whatever the Discworld has instead.  Lots of couched straight lines.

I also started Week 3 of my Just Nan Summer Band Sampler SAL with Leonore.  We are both stitching Morning Meadow:

stitched on 32 count pale green linen

I made the bunnies two shades darker as the charted colour didn't show up so well.  The next band down is Rice Stitch in the same colour as the strawberries.  I am using a blend of 3687/3688 which is coming out a bit dark for this band.  I am going to start at the other end doing the main X in the darker shade and the corner stitches in the paler shade and see how that looks.

Finally, the next IHSW will be 21st-23rd August 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.