Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2020

 Welcome to the spooky hallowe’en mystery phrase blog hop!

All you need to do is visit each of the following blogs in order, jot down the letter displayed with their Hallowe'en stitched picture then return here and leave a comment telling me the Mystery Phrase.

It'd be nice if you left a comment on their blog too, especially if it's new to you.

I have "moderate comments before publishing" enabled so no-one can copy anyone else!

So without further ado,

start the blog hop – enter if you dare…

Mary's Thread

The Stitching Grandma

Jocondine

A Patchwork of Crafts

Flashing Scissors

Life Outside the Washing Basket

Books, Crafts and Other Procrastinations

The Alchymyst's Study

Beth's Needlework Stash

Jeremiah's Mom

Needle, Pen & Sword

Sewing After Seven

Dragon Stitches & Stuff by Astrid

Today I Found

Tiffstitches A Blog

Le Coeur Celtique

And then back here to leave a comment.  I do not have a letter this year.  But I do have a nice slideshow of my Spooky Scrapbook for you all to enjoy:

I also have a great fully finished project.  This was "Beware" - my Just Nan Band Sampler for September and October.  I stitched a band every week or two for the larger bands.  

stitched on 32 count tea dyed linen

Close-ups

I did not have the charted bat charm so I used a spider instead

The bottom row of boxes are stitched in 310 and 550 stripes then Kreinik 027 in a spiral pattern.

I had this wonderful sign I bought from Poundland last year which perfectly fits this design. Originally it had 3 skulls. I just cut off the centre one (save that for another project) then I stretched the stitching over a piece of stiff card and stuck it to a piece of scrapbook paper cut to size. Thread the rope through some holes made with a sharp point and you have an FFO:

Finally, don't forget, some of us are on different time zones so if you visit a blog and can't find a letter or picture yet, pop back later in the day.
The phrase will stay a mystery for one week then all comments will be shown from 7th November, 2020.

happy hunting!

        

all from Hyraea

October TUSAL

It's TUSAL time!

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current projects:

The top one is my Just Nan Autumn Mouse Scissor Roll, you can just see the little mouse next to the jar:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha

The one underneath is another Just Nan - Beware!  I only have two rows of this to complete now.

stitched on 32 count tea-dyed linen

Finally, there will be a Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop as usual this year. I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's

2019 Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person. I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.

September 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 worked on Friday so my weekend got off to a late start, bath-time to be exact!  I have started a new bath-time stitch, another one of the designs from this year's Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en Ornament Special.

This is a designer I am not familiar with - Twisted Willow Designs - but I loved the 1970s colour scheme!  I have a piece of 32 count Platinum linen I have been using for a number of Hallowe'en smalls and had one piece left.  I looked through the magazine and chose the design which would fit best and look good on Platinum!  The title is Mosaic Halloween.

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

Once I got into Saturday, the serious stitching started and I focused on my Chatelaine; Gardens of London.  Here's where I was at the start:

And here is that lower right Garden now.  All done except for a few lime green Algerian Stitches and the backstitch:

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Cotton Clouds by Crafty Kitten

I start work on the lower left Garden tomorrow.

I completed another band on my Just Nan Hallowe'en Sampler - Beware:

stitched on 32 count tea-dyed linen

I also continued with the Bubbles of Happiness, a freebie from Lin Pulsion's blog:

stitched over one on 25 count white evenweave

Finally, the next IHSW will be 16th-18th October 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.

September Gifted Gorgeousness Link-up Post

Welcome to the September 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 main project for Gifted Gorgeousness has been my Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs, which will be a gift for my son.  Now finally finished and ready for framing:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

I finished that piece at the end of August, so once I had completed my SAL stitching for September I decided to focus on my Chatelaine, Gardens of London.  Here's where I was at the start of the month:

Here's that lower right Garden now:

Look at that lovely sparkle.

Here's the whole piece:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

We are only halfway through the month so I can easily finish this garden (some Algerian eyelets, rice stitches and loads of Queen Stitches) and make a good start on the lower left Garden.

This was a gift for my special Birthday in 2016, a lot of my friends sent skeins of threads which I have labelled with their name so I think of them as I stitch.

My next gifted item is tiny in comparision.  This is for Clare's Flower themed Christmas Tree for her church display this year.  I chose an Amaryllis by Moss Creek Designs from the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Special.

stitched over 1 on 28 count white evenweave

The final gifted project for this month is the 12 Days of Christmas by JBW.  Two of my friends bought two charts each for my Christmas present.  I started one design per day for the 12 Days of Stitchmas and have completed the Ninth Day: 

stitched on 40 count white linen, 1 over 2

and bead the 7th, 8th and 9th Days:

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 "September 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, having finished the Just Nan Summer Sampler SAL, I started my Just Nan Hallowe'en Sampler SAL.  The popular vote went to Beware so I set myself a 9 week schedule stitching 1 or 2 bands per week.  Here we are after 2 bands:

stitched on 32 count tea-dyed linen

The centre is a bit bumpy because of the pulled stitches but it will flatten out once I do the next band.  There will also be a bat charm hiding it!