August Smalls

      

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls will be the Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas 2019 Ornament series which I started on Boxing Day 2020 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.

August was Eight Maids A'Milking, well only one maid and no cows:

stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave

I added August to my Tiny Modernist Calendar:

stitched on 32 count Summer Sky Belfast linen from Silkweavers

I continued with The Primitive Hare Celebrations series, catching up with Beltane from May:

stitched on 35 count Cream Linen

Finally, I got some photos of the Chinese Thread Box I made for my friend's Birthday in July.  This is made entirely by folding paper, no glue or tape and there are 31 boxes.  I had hoped to put some skeins of DMC in the boxes but it made them too bulky to close so I popped in stickers and charms instead.

The whole box:

There are 16 boxes this size:

8 boxes this size:

4 boxes this size:

2 boxes this size:

and 1 large box which forms the base of the piece:

This is the tutorial I followed to make it:

My paper was a little thicker than they used, so I didn't make the fancy flower shapes on the top 16 boxes!

Gifted Gorgeousness August Link-up Post

     

Welcome to the August 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.

Deb sent me the charts for the Stoney Creek 2019 Ornaments which were my Stitchmas project this year. I started all 12, one per day and will be completing one per month.  August is for Maids a'Milking:

stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave

The WIPGO Board chose Fairy Idyll for this month.  The chart (and extras) was a gift from a friend.  I am continuing with the expanse of her yellow/cream dress:

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

My current evening piece is Gathering Eggs by Nora Corbett, the chart was a gift from a friend.  This is where she is now:

stitched on 35 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

I just have to go all the way around with the turquoise, fill in the corner squares and add beads!

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 "August 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, some more Gifted Gorgeousness but of the papercraft variety.  I had two friends with Birthdays recently so I made them Exploding Cards!  These fold flat to fit into an envelope but pop-up into a box shape when you take them out.

I added some charms to the first one:

This is the second one:

The supplies all came from this website - Craft Box UK

June TUSAL

It's TUSAL time!

Here is my TUSAL jar with my new finish:

And here is the project in close-up:

stitched over 1 on 32 count Lavender Murano

This was one of the freebie designs released for the Be Well SAL at the beginning of the corona virus pandemic when we were all advised to stay indoors and stitch.

I love this little Quarantine House by My Fanny Designs and you can find it here on her Instagram account.  She has designed a few projects in cloches and they seem perfect for people in lockdown.

I finished this one as part of my Longest Day Marathon, which this year had to take place over two days so became my Longest Weekend Marathon.  I'll be sharing all the photos tomorrow and my thoughts on how well it worked over two days.

Finally, this is a little something I made for a friend who has a Birthday today.  It's an Alice in Wonderland Exploding Book.  I got the papers and stickers from Papermaze and the fabric and ribbons for the front cover from my stash.

Front Cover:

Back cover:

Inside

Reverse:

The greeting was written inside the square with the border frame.

Warning - This Post Contains Explosives!

As promised in my previous post here are some photos of my exploding book as inspired by Anna the Stitch Bitch.

And here's how you make one:

1. Take some squares of thick paper and fold them in quarters and one diagonal

2. Stick them together so the corner squares overlap

3. Cut up some patterned paper into squares just a little smaller than the quarters of the original squares

4. Stick some of the patterned squares onto the plain paper

5. Cut the rest of the patterned squares in half and stick the triangles on either side of the folded parts

(feet shown for scale)

6. Stick your cross stitched pieces onto the flat squares

7. The whole book, simply attach a front and back cover and some ribbon ties

Obviously they are not full instructions but if you Google "Exploding Book" you will find several tutorials in words and pictures or on YouTube depending which you prefer.

The designs in the book are by Just Nan, her Moon Riders and Crow Jackers minis.

This week I have continued with Little Snap Dragon by Kustom Krafts:

stitched on 32 count Murano Evening Sky by Crafty Kitten

I focused on his tail this week.

I also completed Just Nan's My Fair Ladybug and now my little brass ladybird charm has arrived I can attach that, scrapbook it and show you later.  I started another Just Nan small, this one is Beehive Violets:

stitched on 28 count evenweave

The whole centre of that piece will have a honeycomb stitched in gold metallic and a bee charm added so I'm leaving that until last.

Finally I received a lovely parcel earlier this week.  I was expecting my ladybird charm (and one or two other things to justify postage) so I wasn't surprised when the postman delivered a padded envelope.  But it was yellow, not white like SewandSo's usual envelopes.  And franked US with a customs slip.  Once I opened it I found a present from Susan Yellow Flower Meadow; some L*K charts she offered to me (which I had forgotten about), another cute 3D Nutmeg Cottage chart, some gorgeous purple linen and an awesome Hallowe'en sampler from Primitive Needle!

40 count Zweigart linen

And a floppy parcel wrapped in pretty tissue paper.  What could be inside?  Some more fabric?  A project bag?  Or half a shop of DMC?  Look at all these lovelies!  They are all the DMC needed for the Chatelaine Gardens of London which I intend to purchase for my Special Birthday!

Thank you Susan!  You are awesome!