A blog trying to focus on all the nice things in life, those moments when everything turns out right. Finding the perfect fabric for that chart you love, the ideal sampler quote, just the right picture in all the 1000s of magazines you own. Meeting people who share your interests and obsessions and totally understand why you NEED that chart when you already have enough to last until you're 104
Regular followers will know I produce a delicious home-made pie to illustrate my focus projects for the month. I don't record minutes or stitches so this gives an approximate idea of how much time each WIP got.
I had already spent 22 days in December stitching The Fox so that makes a total of 35 days. But some of them were very short due to working extra in the run-up to Christmas. I am hoping The Swans won't take as long to finish off. The plan is to put them aside now and see if I can fit them in if I complete a focus project early in a month.
stitched over 1 on 25 count Cirrus evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy
Cottage Garden Samplings is my Dark 13 project so that will get one day per month. The other two were for my A-Z Challenge over International Hermit & Stitch Weekend so one day each.
stitched on 40 count Witch's Brew linen from Zweigart
This should be the pattern for this year - 3 individual days and the rest of the month on one or two focus projects.
My evening pie will follow a similar format - one focus project chosen by WIPGO and one blackwork to fill the rest of the evenings if I finish the focus before the end of the month.
Amaranth only took 18 days so I got lots of time for my Circle Cross Zodiac, completing Capricorn and making a good start on Aquarius.
stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers
Finally, Stitch from Stash, this is my tenth year! I skipped 2016 as it was a Big Birthday Year and I wanted to be able to splurge a little.
It's a big fat zero to start the year. I haven't really bought anything at all this month, not for any of my hobbies.
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 "24 in '24" for this year. This month I stitched on 3 of them and had 2 finishes.
9. Shepherd's Bush - Amaranth - Finish
21. Cottage Garden Samplings - Year in the Woods
The Fox - Finish
The Swans
24. Cottage Garden Samplings Halloween Sampler
Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:
January – Tell us about the oldest WIP you have in your stash.
Rather handily, I stitched on my oldest WIP this month too! It was part of my A-Z Challenge for IHSW and came under A for Art Nouveau Head. Back in 2011-12 I was very keen on starting things. I had discovered forums and blogs in 2010 and started my own blog in 2011. This particular project was one I'd bought before my older son was born and started as part of my "11 in '11".
I stitched for about 14 hours and got this far:
By the end of the month I had got this far:
And that was pretty much it for 2011. Apart from my annual Longest Day Marathons it has not been touched since then. So here it is after a day's H&S:
stitched on 14 count white Aida
I might make this a focus piece for next year and get it off the list. The circle in the middle is very confetti covered but the rest of it is quite large chunks of colour so should be quite quick once I focus on it.
After this one I have three WIPs started in 2012, two of which are massive. Then the Joan Elliott Faces SAL from 2014 which should be a finish for this year. After that it's my Chatelaine from 2017. So not too bad for older projects.
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 Blog Hop
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.
Thank you to Mary for all the years of hosting the Smalls SAL and a Thank you to Rachel, the Ten Hour Stitcher for picking up the hoop and continuing with hosting it.
For my Smalls stitching this year, I have chosen 12 smaller designs and numbered them for my WIPGO Board. Each month one Small will be stitched in the evening timeslot and hopefully finished within the month.
The first number up was Shepherd's Bush Amaranth. I've been stitching this series over the years and would love to have the whole set done.
stitched on 32 count Antique White linen
These are simple band samplers with a plant theme.
There are several rows of different speciality stitches in muted colours using a mixture of DMC cotton and Perle
This one has some cutwork and interlacing which is tricky but very pretty
Amaranth is a herbaceous plant or shrub with seeds that can be used as a grain, similar to quinoa.
I shall be getting this one framed in time for Rachel's other SAL - The FFO Gallery.
Next month's call from WIPGO is a set of Alice in Wonderland Bottles from Rainbow Hunt X-Stitch on Etsy:
I can get a couple of these done in 29 days, so come back next month to find out how I got on.
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 Blog Hop
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.
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. Starting with A and B for January.
I put all my current WIPs into a spreadsheet and added a column for which letter they covered. So the first project comes under A, C, H and N for example. I did the same for all of them and then decided which A and B I wanted to stitch.
There were two choices for A - Around the World by Papillon and Art Nouveau Head by Craft Collection. The Art Nouveau Head is my oldest WIP so that is the one I opted for. Last stitched for the Longest Day Marathon in 2023, it went from here:
to here:
stitched on 14 count white Aida
For Sunday I looked at my B projects, again there were two choices - Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas and Blackwork Tarot by Circle Cross. I decided to make the Blackwork Tarot my evening stitch and started Capricorn:
stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers
The focus piece for Sunday was 12 Days of Christmas, currently stitching Day 5. Again, last stitched for the Longest Day Marathon here:
and now here:
stitched on 32 count grey linen
I also managed to squeeze in 7 more leaves for my Temperature SAL from The Steady Thread:
stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers
So, what do I think of my plan? It worked really well, two older projects got a day of love each and more progress than they have had for a while. Especially the Head. Next month I have a choice of 6 projects for C and only one for D. Although that might change when my WIPGO numbers are called.
As a general rule, I want to choose the oldest project for each letter.
Finally the next IHSW will be 16th - 18th February 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.
Our new logo for the year is Just Nan's Special Delivery. The chart with the fabric and the gold envelope was a gift to me.
Please remember to change your badge and the link to the new page as the old link no longer works. Don't forget to link up on the main sign-up page with your blog address.
Welcome to the January 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.
Special Delivery was my evening stitch at the end of last year and is now fully-finished and on display.
My main focus piece for the month does not have a gifted element at all so you will have to wait a little while to see that one!
However my evening stitch was a gifted chart. Several years ago I stitched a set of the Shepherd's Bush mini speciality samplers. A few bloggers reached out and said they had more of the charts they were happy to send me. I've been slowly stitching them since then,
Here is Amaranth:
stitched on 28 count Antique White linen
This one was a gift from the designer. When she showed us the design I was the first person to correctly guess it would be a Temperature SAL. So she sent me a free copy of the chart.
I was organised enough to stitch most of the design last year so I could start on the leaves immediately.
Steady Thread - Tree of Life Temperature SAL
stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers
The first 13 days of the year:
I record the temperature each day and then stitch the leaves on the Sunday morning.
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 "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.
*
*
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 Blog Hop
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.
On the left we have The Fox from The Year in the Woods by Cottage Garden Samplings and on the right is Amaranth from Shepherd's Bush.
The Fox is almost done, I am adding some blending filament to the snowflakes to give them a little sparkle.
I think you can see them in this photo? The issue is partly that the fabric is very light and partly that I am stitching over one. Even on a darker fabric single stitches over one don't show up as well as solid areas.
I also changed the colour of the green trees from 524 to 522 which shows up much better.
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 Blog Hop
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
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).
This is what I typed on my January post in 2020, which I copied into my January 2021, 2022 and 2023 posts:
Let's start the year off as we don't mean to go on - doing nothing all month and realising on the 9th that you have one day to FFO something, anything to show on the 10th.
Guess what? Same thing this year! Why break the run now?
This is a Just Nan piece I finished in December and framed in a simple box frame.
The outer frame was pale pink plastic which I realised wasn't going to be easily painted so I decided to stick strips of tartan paper over it instead. A nice dark red tartan to co-ordinate with the dark reds in the design.
The original glass was fitted at the back of the frame which seems unusual for a box frame and wouldn't work with the gold envelope charm. So I haven't used glass at all which means you can still open the little envelope if you want! It will only usually be out over Christmas so it's not going to get really dusty.
I'm keeping it up as part of my Winter display for now though.
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 Blog Hop
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.
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 "24 in '24" for this year. For 2024 I have done something completely different to previous years! Having focused on larger projects over the past couple of years I realised I had a lot of smaller designs I really wanted to stitch which somehow didn't fit into the rotation. So I went through my stash and picked out all the ones I really wanted to stitch sooner rather than later, organised them into size order and put the 12 smallest on the list followed by 12 medium projects. The only two that have been started already are the Joan Elliott Faces and CGS Year in the Woods.
This is the full list of 24:
Sweetheart Tree - September Strawflowers
Shepherd's Bush - Halloween Trifles
Rainbow Hunter - Alice Bottles
Drawn Thread - Spot of Summer
Drawn Thread - Spot of Winter
Lizzie*Kate - Sampling Christmas
Shannon Christine - 12 Days of Christmas
La Broderie - Quiet Hour Sampler
Shepherd's Bush - Amaranth
Full Circle Designs - Moonshadow Mini
Hands on Designs - Nevermore
Living on the Rainbow - Haunted House
Joan Elliott - Faces SAL
Stitchy Princess - Alice in Wonderland
Life in Stitch - Aslan
Tra La La - Couer de Sorciere
Cottage Garden Samplings - 12 Days of Christmas
Nora Corbett - Claire
Nora Corbett - Capricorn
Maria Bravko - Life in the Shire
Cottage Garden Samplings - Year in the Woods
Primitive Hare - Hocus Pocus Cabinet
Cricket Collection - Spring
Cottage Garden Samplings - Halloween Sampler
I am also taking part in WIPGO again. This is a FB Bingo group. You choose 25 goals for the year and each month the Admin pick two numbers to focus on. When you have met your goal, you tick off that block. You can give yourself rewards for completing a row or a column.
Here's my WIPGO board:
You can see I haven't added the names of any projects yet. The plan is to look at my list when the numbers are called and decide which will be a Small and which will be a Medium.
For January the numbers 9 and 22 have been called. By coincidence, they both represent the same two projects so that was nice and easy. Year in the Woods will be my daytime project and Amaranth will be my smaller evening project. Note - the board numbers and the project numbers don't sync after 13 because that is a free square on the WIPGO Board.
I am hoping that most of these can be completed in less than a month but if not, then I can pick them up if I finish a project early. We shall see how the year pans out.
stitched over 1 on 25 count Cirrus evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy
stitched on 32 count Antique White linen
I also stitched the first six leaves for my Temperature SAL. This is the Tree of Life from Steady Thread:
stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist Cashel Linen from Silkweavers
Not sure about the lime leaf and whether I need to pick a darker lime green
The WIPocalypse posts are the last Sunday of each month
My other SALs are
Fully Finished Gallery - post anything fully finished on the 10th of each month Gifted Gorgeousness - post anything gifted on the 15th Smalls SAL - last Friday of each month
The TUSAL - post on the New Moon each month
Finally, I will be continuing with the ever popular Blog Hops this year. We will have Valentine's, Easter, 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.
