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
Claire was my focus piece and she has her own post dedicated to the finish - Happy Dance For Claire
I had 6 days where all I stitched was my daily Just Nan due to being away from the house all day. I managed to get the borders completed on all four of the seasons, which was a nice achievement.
One other achievement was completing the final Zodiac sign on my Art Nouveau Tarot series from Circle Cross:
stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers
Now all I need to do is add the beaded constellations for each of the signs and find a large frame!
I also keep a pie for my evening stitching:
Nice and simple for this month! All the different Just Nan Smalls can be seen on my Smalls post this month.
Finally, Stitch from Stash was another zero spend, doing well here!
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.
Or rather, that is the plan for every month except May! Each May since 2018 I have attempted my Just Nan-athon where I stitch a different Just Nan small each evening. If I finished one the previous year I start a new one but this year I decided not to do that and just continue stitching the current one for 2 or 3 days. So there is a total of 26 designs this year.
Here is the collage of them all:
I even had a finish! Day 26 was Spring Spell and I completed that lovely little one on 26th May:
stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave
Finally, the WIPGO choice was Drawn Thread Spot of Autumn which didn't get touched at all, so I will be adding that to the month that Spot of Summer gets called and see if I can stitch both in one month.
My WIPGO focus for May has been Claire from Nora Corbett, part of the Bewitching Pixies series. I started her on the 1st May and finished her on 30th May, having stitched for a total of 20 days.
I stitched her on a piece of 28 count evenweave from a needlework shop that came without a label, so no idea of the dyer or the colour. I do have enough to stitch the companion piece, Evanora next year.
Claire has a lot of beads and in an effort to Stitch From Stash I didn't buy any new ones, I used what I already had. I didn't have enough of the 00283 silvery colour so I used some 00206 which are more lilac and toned well with the fabric. I also didn't have the large Midnight beads so used so mauve ones instead.
Beads used -
02014 - as charted
00283 - as charted
00206 - replace some of the above
18822 - sub for 18002
I used a Jodyri Thread instead of the charted Waterlilies, 029 R. Nevermore. I did have the charted Kreinik but not a whole spool so I decided to couch the long lengths instead of stitching them. This works better for smooth lines anyway although it is fiddly working with two needles it is worth taking the time.
Finally, this is a better photo of the fabric colour although the beads are a bit blurry:
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.
13. Joan Elliott Faces SAL
18. Nora Corbett Claire
(all done except the beads!)
24. Cottage Garden Samplings Halloween Sampler
Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:
May - How do you personally distinguish between a Work in Progress (WIP) and an Unfinished Object (UFO)?
For me, a WIP is a project that I will stitch on at least once a year during my Longest Day Marathon even if I don't pick it up at any other time. A UFO is a project I have got tired of and no longer want on my list. I might stitch it one day, I might not. I don't often UFO projects these days as I am more careful about what I choose to stitch. One recent UFO was the tiny Halloween Village started for Naughty November 2020. I just lost interest in finding tiny houses but may pick it up again in the future.
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.
May is I and J.
My only I project is Fairy Idyll so it was lovely to get her out again, I didn't get much done but every stitch counts!
stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten
J was perfect for May as this is the month I do my annual Just Nan-athon. Back in 2018 I started 31 small Just Nans and have stitched each one on the day date until they are finished. Then I start a new one! This year I decided not to start any new ones but to keep stitching the previous one if there was a blank day.
Here are the latest Just Nans:
Day 15 - Pansy Mix
Day 16 - Strawberry Heart
Day 17 - Pansy Cameo Ornament
Day 18 - Porcelain Nosegay
Day 19 - Primrose Path
My daytime J was Joan Elliott's Faces SAL. I stitched some more of the lovely peacock:
stitched on 28 count Snapdragon Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten
Next month will be K, L and M. I didn't have a K for this month but may have one by June. We shall see!
Finally the next IHSW will be 21st - 23rd June 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.
Welcome to the May 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.
My focus piece this month does not have a gifted component at all, so I can't show that. Some of the Just Nans were gifts so here are the latest ones:
Days 10 and 11 - Bunny Hop
Days 12 and 13 - Heart Butterfly
Day 14 - Italian Ice
(the lovely blue fabric is not showing up at all)
This one was a gift from the designer and the fabric was a gift too.
Steady Thread - Tree of Life Temperature SAL
Look at those warm yellows and even 2 days of orange in May
stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers
I record the temperature each day and then stitch the leaves on the Sunday morning.
My Dark 13 design is stitched on gifted fabric, a beautiful 40 count linen called Witch's Brew from Zweigart. My plan is to stitch one letter per month until we reach October and then complete it during Dark October.
stitched on 40 count linen called Witch's Brew from Zweigart
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 "May 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 will do my best to pop round and visit everyone this month, I'm a little behind in my blog reading again!
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).
Just one framed piece this month. I had a very simple black frame in my stash which was the perfect fit for a recent finish - Hocus Pocus Cabinet from The Primitive Hare:
Not very exciting, but does the job!
Finally, the Just Nan-athon continues. Here are Days 7, 8, and 9:
Yes, there is just one photo. In the past when I have finished a design in the previous year, I started a new one the next year. But this year I decided to continue on whatever I was stitching in an attempt to get more done on each one. So last year True Blue Heart was Day 7, I finished the projects for Day 8 and Day 9, so this year I stitched Day 7 for three days in total. And got a lot done!
On the left is my focus piece for the month; Claire by Nora Corbett and on the right is today's Just Nan design which I'll be stitching this evening - True Blue Heart.
Here's Claire and my progress so far. I've cut my thread into equal lengths and so far I've used 6 lengths which is just over half a skein. The chart says the design uses 2 skeins of DMC (8m) so we shall see how I go.
stitched on 28 count anonymous hand-dyed evenweave
Finally, here are Day 5 and 6 of my Just Nanathon:
At the start of the year I made a list of 24 projects I want to stitch this year for my "24 in '24". The order I stitch them in is going to be determined by the WIPGO Board. Jessie-Marie calls two numbers each month and those will be the two projects I stitch that month. One small and one medium.
In April, the numbers were 18 and 21. These related to the Quiet Hour Sampler by La Broderie and A Partridge in a Pear Tree from Cottage Garden Samplings.
I finished both of them in record time and then went back to the March choice of The Primitive Hare Hocus Pocus Cabinet which was also a finish. A very successful month.
In May, the numbers are 5, 13 and 19. These relate to Drawn Thread Spot of Autumn, my Longest Day Marathon and Nora Corbett's Claire.
Claire is no problem, it's amusing after all the black on Hocus Pocus Cabinet that I now have another all black project!
stitched on anonymous hand-dyed 28 count evenweave
I bought this offcut piece of evenweave from a needlework shop, it wasn't labelled with a colour or dyer. It's just big enough to fit Claire and her sister Evanora on.
However, for the small, May is the month for my annual Just Nan-athon so that will have to wait, either until I finish Claire or next month.
Meanwhile, here are the first four Just Nan designs:
Finally, what about 13? Well, that's the centre square and I use that for my Longest Day Marathon so I'll be ticking that off next month. Hopefully!
