Some Works in Progress and another 5 minutes of Fame

This week I've been stitching alot of smaller projects, I seem to get more daytime stitching time rather than evening thanks to the Small Boy's schedule and sleep patterns.

This is my progress on March's piece for the Hallowe'en Ornie SAL.  It's a freebie from La Contesse, from last October.

Once again I'm using my favourite burnt orange 28 count and stitching over 1 with Anchor black.  There isn't anything to choose between Anchor and DMC Blacks are far as I can see so once this skein is used up I'll stick to DMC.

This is my main man Michael!

I'm stitching the Archangel Michael for Julie's Mirabilia Round Robin.  I'm really pleased with this photo, it looks better than in real life, maybe I'm too close to it when I'm stitching?  I did have a slight moment late last night.  As you can see I've done all the darker skin shades.  The key shows the next symbol as being 946.  This is a very bright orange!  Now unless he's from Essex, that's clearly not right!  So I popped onto FB and the Mira Minions page to ask for help.  In less than 10 minutes I had my answer, 948 not 6.  Isn't t'internet great?!

And the five minutes of Fame?  I'm featured in World of Cross Stitching again, the Letters page this time with my Flower of the Year cards.  You may remember I stitched this last year for various Birthdays using my patented method of backstitching on aida then colouring in the design using felt tip pens.  Someone always asks about the pens, they are just standard children's felt tips nothing special or expensive!

Here's a better picture of all twelve designs in month order.

ps I haven't patented that method of stitching, it just sounds good!

Finally, my Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop will be taking place on Good Friday.  Come over and follow the list of blogs, find the letters and spell out the Mystery Phrase.  There will be two prizes, one for a Picture Poster and one for a Treasure Hunter, nothing very exciting, some seasonal stitching and a few bits, maybe something edible!

A Year of Flowers

I've just finished and sent off the final design in the Year of Flowers published in The World of Cross Stitching magazine and here it is:

Regular followers will know that I stitch the back stitch on these designs then colour them in using felt-tipped pens.  Several people have asked about the pens over the year.  They are just ordinary children's felt-tipped pens not special fabric pens (although I do have a set of those as well).

The cards have mainly been sent as part of a Birthday Card Exchange organised by the Needlecraft Haven Yuku Board.  When there wasn't a NH Birthday in a month I sent a card to a blogging friend instead.

Here's the full Twelve Months as a photo montage:

Which is your favourite? 

The Scarlet Letter Blog has gone completely stellar over the last two weeks.  There are now exactly 100 contributors (the maximum Blogger will allow) plus several others that Nicola is posting for.  I offered to post for people called Joanne and Nicola will post for everyone else.  That's fair isn't it? LOL.

I have finally made my decision about which sampler I'll stitch first.  I narrowed it down to three, Ann Johnson, Judeth Payne and the English Transitional c1711.  I switched from one to another several times but finally decided on the English Transitional as I think it will look the best on my walls.  Here's a picture:

Nicola had offered to treat me to my first sampler as a Thank You for the help withe hordes of participants and as luck would have it, she already had this one kitted up and ready to go so it arrived on my doormat this afternoon.  A quick iron of the fabric and I can start stitching tomorrow evening.  I really must finish the boring border on my Mira RR first or it'll never get done!

Finally, I hope you're all enjoying the Advent Calendar as much as I am.  I'm now off to check out today's post and update the entry.

Keeping the Postman Busy

That's what's been going on round here lately!  As well as RRs flying around and a lovely giveaway prize (which I haven't photographed yet) there were the Birthdays.

I stitched two cards for two lovely Birthday bloggers.  The first one went to Chiara the Grey Tail (actually the grey tail is her cat!) in Italy.  The card grew wings and flew there in only two days.

When Chiara saw my card for Kell, "We're not old, we're Retro" she laughed and commented that "my best friends says we won't get old, we'll get vintage.. ;)"  Strangely enough I'd been planning that as my next card so I offered to send it to Chiara for her birthday "providing it's not in the next ten days as it won't get there in time".  Turns out Chiara's birthday was actually twelve days later!!  But she didn't mind me being fashionably late.

I stitched this in my usual backstitch and felt pens technique.  But this time I did the backstitch, then the background colouring, then stitched the floral motifs in the letters.  It makes a nice 3D effect.  The lace ribbon is a sticker which came with a box intended for my Toddler Group craft table but I decided it was too nice delicate for 2 year olds and kept it!

The second card is the next one in the WOCS Flower of the Year series, October Marigold.  This went to the hilarious Shirlee the Easily Influenced Stitcher.  Shirlee is in my Top Two Funniest Bloggers list along with Stewie from the Spinster Stitcher.  I won't say who is Numero Uno as the other might be offended LOL.

I've nabbed Shirlee's photo because mine came out blurry (camera on the wrong setting?).

I made another new Hallowe'en start this week, Just Nan Frightful.

This is stitched on 28count lilac Britney evenweave using the recommended DMC except for the black.  I thought I'd try the Sullivans using 2 over 2.  It covers quite nicely in the border and didn't knot as much as using 1 over 1.  But when I stitched the bat motif it was no better than DMC for coverage so it'll be three strands for the motifs then.

I must share the new blog Faith Hope and Charity I found today while looking at another new blog (Hello Sewphie!).  This is not a pure stitching blog  but she does do craft, she also does sarcasm and satire on a grand scale!  Check out this linked post about Hallowe'en fancy dress then go to the Ebay tab.  I challenge you not to laugh out loud and fall off your chair!

Finally, the Hallowe'en Blog Hops sign up is closed, I'm emailing the participants next then you'll have to wait until the 31st to join in with the Mystery Phrase Blog Hop Hunt.

TUSAL and Theme-a-licious October updates

First of all, the TUSAL shot:

Posing here with my three-pages-a-week calendar and my latest WIP.  Several people have named it now, it is Prairie Moon Thine is the Trick and the Treat.  I'm stitching on some hand-dyed 40count Newcastle linen the lovely Karen sent me.  It's an enjoyable stitch because there's a variety of techniques, from the solid black of the shapes, the repetitive borders and the more interesting letters.  I can switch from one to the others as I get bored of one type of stitching.

Several people have admired the calendar each time I've featured it.  It came from a mail order firm called RU Craft and has three charts a week usually on the same theme.  Currently Autumn!  I haven't seen one for 2013 yet although they are advertising Quilting and Knitting versions.

Next is Theme-a-licous:

Obligation October

"Wow, the holidays are only a couple months away! Avoid that last-minute crunch and work on some gifts now"  I decided to go for pieces I am obliged to work on due to mailing dates; cards and round robins. 

I finished one Round Robin this month and have two more to stitch on.  Here's my leaf for Stephanie's Fairies in the Garden piece:

I have also stitched two Birthday cards for October ladies which I can't show because they haven't received them yet.  So instead, I'll show another Birthday card I stitched way back in August for a lovely blogging friend you all know.  Unfortunately the card seems to be flying south very slowly and it hasn't arrived
:-(  I gave it a good 6 weeks and emailed it instead.  We are both keeping our fingers crossed it will arrive one day, maybe in time for Christmas!

I'm still looking for a November Birthday to stitch the November flower for if there's anyone out there celebrating next month?

Finally, don't forget my Hallowe'en Blog Hop.  Click on the Primitive Needle pic below for more information.

Round Robin, Birthday Cards and a new Blog

Here is Karen's Summer Themed Sweetheart Tree Band Sampler:

And a close-up of my bands: 

To be honest, neither picture does justice to the lovely yellow fabric.  I told a little story with my bands.  First you have the blue sky with white fluffy scotch stitch clouds.  Then a row of yellow sunshine above a pink hedge.  There is a floral garden with a green lawn in the middle and a little blue stream along the bottom of the bands on either side of my name.

Karen provided all the threads and beads for this design, it's like getting a little Needlework shop in a bag!

Next up is the Birthday Card I sent to Linda for her Birthday.  It's another of the WOCS Flower of the Month designs.  September is the Aster.

Stitched on 16count aida and hand coloured.

I have stitched 9 months so far but the August card has gone MIA in the post so I can't show it yet.  I'm very cross about that because it was sent to a very dear blogging friend.  Hopefully it will turn up soon.

The next Birthday is mine!!  Here are the lovely cards I received from the Needlecraft Haven Birthday Thread Exchange.  Each participant has to send a card and a skein of thread to the others on their Birthdays.  The skeins can be used to stitch the freebie design Clare chose at the start of the year for us.

The cards are hung on strings from my ceiling beams which is why they are sideways!  Here is an awkward card which couldn't be hung up and demanded to be displayed standing upright on one of the few surfaces the Small Boy cannot reach.  It's from Karen aka Stitchywoman and is a lovely example of papercraft, all concertina cut and folded.

Present-wise I received stash-money, my Dark Alphabet professionally framed (to be collected soon) and a collection of Just Nan charts as well as the usual choccies.

I also received the Gift of Time from hubby who took the Small Boy to Preschool on my day off work so I had two hours uninterrupted computer time!  I spend it designing a new blog.  I decided there are too many header tabs on this blog which is preventing people from seeing the important ones, like the Magazine Contents Page.  So, my new blog is going to be for my finishes only.  There is one entry per finish, a nice big picture of the design (so you don't need to click and wait) plus any details I have.  The intention is to have links to the freebies or the designer's website eventually.

You can comment or there is a "instant reaction" widget where you can tell me if you've stitched the design, if you have it in your stash or it's on your wishlist.  I thought about having an "I love this" option but guessed everyone would click it all the time or risk insulting me LOL.

Finally I cordially invite you all to 

Come Happy Dance with Me

Happy Baby Dance and a small start

I finished and framed the ABC Sampler for my friend's baby this week and here it is:

The design was in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 249.  The original design was by an illustrator Elissa Hudson and was charted by an anonymous person for the magazine (I couldn't see a credit anyway!).  I stitched it on 32count white evenweave using the recommended DMC.  I moved several of the letters and motifs around so I could fit in the baby's name and that of his big sister.  This was a lovely quirky stitch, being able to do one or two letters a session made progress seem rather fast.  There was a thick plain turquoise border all around but it would have taken at least a week to stitch if not more and frankly - life's too short to stitch straight lines in one colour!

I have given the sampler to baby's Mum and she loved it, as did Big Sis.  Baby not so sure LOL.  But he is only 17 weeks old. 

This is the new start:

When Madame Muriel arrived she came bearing gifts, one of which was this delightful Blackbird Designs chart.  I'm stitching it on 28count evenweave which I've tea-dyed.  I'm using the DMC conversion they gave but may change the colours of some of the scattered flowers so they show up more on this fabric.

I also stitched another one of my back-stitch only flower cards.  This is July's Delphinium or Larkspur:

Question - which name would you use?  Delphinium or Larkspur?  Either name is right but which is more widely used?  Delphiniums always remind me of the AA Milne poem about the Dormouse and the Doctor.

Finally, another postcard was sent out in the Summer Postcard Blog Hop.  Julie's card went to Julie!!  Julie Bagpuss to Julie and Yes Dear that is.

Here's a full list of links so far:

First Postcard sent to Grasp the Stars
Jennifer's postcard sent to Tales of a Stitching Mouse
Mouse's card sent to The Southpaw Stitcher
Southpaw's card sent to Julie's Stitchy Knitter Journal
Julie's card sent to Julie and Yes Dear
Julie (and Yes Dear)'s card to go where......?

There are plenty more postcards to go out and still lots of time to join in.  Just click on the link to the right and read the rules first!

Summer Postcard Blog Hop Starts Here!

The first postcard is winging it's way to Jennifer of Grasp the Stars.  Keep an eye on her blog to see what it is and who it's from.

I will send a new postcard every few days from now on until the end of the Summer so watch out for them.  If you'd like to join in then it's very simple:

All you have to do is email me a stitched picture of something Summery or Holiday themed plus a postcard type message.


See this post for more details.

Two blogging friends had Birthdays yesterday and two blogging friends were sent cards.  Here is Minnie's card:

It is the WOCS Flower of the Month in pink and pale green this time, just for a change.  The rose is probably the most versatile design of them all as you can stitch it in so many different colourways.

Finally, no pics yet but this last week's stitching has been the Needlecraft Haven Challenge and Angi's RR Band Sampler.  This is an amazing piece to stitch on, I'm totally loving it.  It's actually hard to limit myself to a couple of inches, I'd willingly stitch the whole piece but then it wouldn't really be a RR and since I'm only the second stitcher it's mean to use up 3/4 of the fabric LOL.

Prizes galore and a Crazy Rabbit

There are always lovely Giveaways going on in Blogland and I do like to show my support for those hosting one!  Recently I was lucky enough to win two gorgeous ones and the prizes arrived this week.

First up was the entire back catalogue of Northern Expressions Needlework.  How about that for an amazing prize?  Nicole was celebrating 100 followers and her 40th Birthday last month.  She's also had the most lovely tattoo inked by her son for the celebration.  Now there's an idea, I could have a tattoo for each 100 followers LOL.

Here are the charts I won:

There is a fifth design in this series which was printed in Just Cross Stitch mag which I just so happen to have.

And close-ups of my two favourites:

This is Celtic Autumn, a lovely mixture of Cross Stitch and Speciality Stitches in beautiful silk threads.

This one is Mother's Garden II.  There is a key for silks and a DMC conversion too which is what I will use.

I had a look at Sew and So's website as they have a wide range of threads.  They stock the mouth-watering Gloriana Silk but at an eye-watering £6.50 a skein!!  That's ten times the price of their DMC!  They also don't have the Belle Soie threads.  So does anyone know of a cheaper UK stockist or would it be better to get them from the USA and pay postage?  There's no hurry as I can't get them until my Birthday later this year.

All of Nicole's designs are stitched in silks but come with a DMC conversion where she points out which ones are/aren't a good match.  There are also lovely chatty notes about how to do the speciality stitches and great clear diagrams.

The second delivery was from Kaye of Kitten Stitching:

The card is made from real flock!  I love flock, it's like my blog background!  I also love velvet devore clothes which is like flock that you can wear.  Fab wrapping paper too.

And inside was this beautiful stitched picture: 

Which is now residing on my kitchen dresser.  I love the stitching, the frame and the sentiment too.

"Believe" is such an interesting word.  It can apply to so many things; your faith in God/gods/spirits, your belief in the inherent kindness of humankind, or simply the hope that your luggage will arrive safely at your holiday destination with you and not a fortnight later!  Given that this was a prize for my travelling tip this last one is most appropriate.

And the Crazy Rabbit?  Well, the Needlecraft Haven have a great monthly challenge.  Christine chooses a different freebie chart and we all try to stitch it before the end of the month to go into the Big Reveal.  "Try" being the operative word there.  May's was this freebie from Patrick's Woods.  I've seen it all over the place and wanted to do something different.  So I was brainstorming to myself - tiny rabbit, giant scissors, Alice in Wonderland, psychedelia, clocks, cogs, machinery, steampunk etc.  So out came the fabric pens and I sketched some swirls on the fabric.  I got the cutest little clock charm from Sew and So then made a trip to the Craft Shop for the mounting card and some embellishments.  Strangely enough there was a man there also looking for clock embellishments.  How co-incidental.  Not your usual request!

And here's a close up so you can see the charm:

There was another Birthday in our Exchange on the Needlecraft Haven, so here is the June card stitched for Lynn:

As usual, I just stitched the backstitch then coloured in the rose with my pens.

I also received an email for Lelia who won one of the Easter Treasure Hunt bloghop prizes.  I stitched her this cute little design and made it into a pillow.  I discovered this design through the April freebie challenge (thanks Christine!).  I backed the stitching with some of the upholstery fabric samples I blagged last year.  They are soooo useful.

The design came from the Sub Rosa blog and I changed the wording from Happy Day to Happy Spring.  I used the same variegated DMC colours in this as in the CCN Cherry Hill Cottage which I stitched at the same time.  There was also a chocolate bunny who went out in the parcel!

Finally, I haven't forgotten the Summer Postcard Blog Hop activity I just haven't got a Round Tuit yet!

May TUSAL

Just a quick post to get my TUSAL in on time!

Here it is posed with my Three-Pages-a-Week calendar and my new book.  Curated by Carol Ann Duffy, it is 60 new poems by 60 different poets each one taking a year from our Queen's reign as their theme.

And here is the latest card in the WOCS Flower of the Month series, sent to Diane as part of the Needlecraft Haven Birthday Exchange.

I've gone for the Assisi effect again this month.  It works well for the white flowers.

It's also Rachael's Birthday today.  She's in the Needlecraft Haven exchange too but I stitched her a different design which was attacked by a frog!  So I can't show that just yet until Rachael has received it.

Finally, don't forget my Yiota Cross Stitch Kits Giveaway, details on the previous post to this one.  I'm really enjoying looking up all your favourite designs.

Easter Treasure Hunt..is closed. Winners to be announced on Sunday 15th

appearing here soon.  It's half past midnight and I've only just finished beading my piece so I will post the full hunt in the morning.

My stitching time didn't start until 10.30 because I had to make a real egg hunt for the Large Boy complete with clues!

Watch this space...



Card made by The Large Boy, note the egg and cross graphics in the top letters


Still watching?  Here it is:

All you have to do is visit each of these blogs in order, note down the letter above the Easter / Spring themed pic and remember the short phrase they make up.  Come back here for the last letter and leave a comment saying what the phrase is.  I will select one person at random to win a small stitched prize.  I will also randomly select one of the Picture Posters to win a stitched prize too.

The trail starts here with:

Nia of Caixinha de Pirlimpimpim then onto
McKenna of Chic Crafting (or should that be "chick crafting" for Easter?)
Measi and Measi's Musings
Heather says It's Geek to Me
Mel writes The Daily Mel
C in DC of Pencil Crossings
Christine in The Alchymyst's Study
Anna the Stitch Bitch
Gracie of Needles, Pins and Dragonflies (Madame Muriel's new host, I wonder if she's there yet)
Shirlee is The Easily Influenced Stitcher
Beth of Beth's Blog
Deb is The Thread Gatherer
Mouse writes her Tales of a Stitching Mouse and then finally back to
Me! Phew!

Here's the final picture of the hunt:

Y

This is Dewdrop by Just Nan, mounted on a scrapbook page with the ribbon Jan wrapped the parcel in.

Last year Jan admired my Little Red Xmas House so I sent her the chart.  She thanked me by adding another chart to my Just-Nan-a-thon!  Perfect for this Easter Hunt.

Stitched on 28count evenweave with several substituted colours including the rabbit's browns.  I blended two browns to make his fur.  I also used variegated greens for the border.  I'm pleased with the way the beads have caught the light in this photo, makes staying up late to stitch them worth the time!

And Finally, Happy Birthday Susan in your Yellow Flower Meadow:

I've been stitching the WOCS' Flower of the Month series for the Birthday club on Needlecraft Haven but we didn't have an April Birthday so I asked for volunteers among my followers.  Susan obliged and received a Daisy for April.  This time I coloured in the background using my pens rather than the flower, making an assisi style card.  Needlecraft Haven have covered the next few months but I have a space for August so if you're an August Baby then let me know!

Happy Hunting!

March WIPocalypse

Here's the round-up for the progress since the last Full Moon.

Part 1 - My 12 in '12

1. No progress on Green Goddess

2. Completed "T" on the Dark Alphabet, I added an extra "bump" to this block, there was a gap and it felt right to me.  Currently stitching on "U" which is a doozy!

My scanner is making things a little blurry in places.  The Things are, of course, Ghosties and Ghoulies and Long Legged Beasties which go Bump in the Night.

3. No progress on My Lovely Sewing Tools, unless you count printing off the charts!

8. and 9. Two Baby Samplers.  Designs now chosen thanks to Cross Stitcher Magazine.  There was a lovely Alphabet Sampler in one issue and a picture of the "Guess How Much I Love You" hares in the next.  Sorted.  What do you mean - I've got to stitch them?


Part 2 - Just Nan-a-thon

Finished and Framed Spring Peepers
Finished and mailed the Round Robin
Framed A Breath of Spring and hung on the wall (finally!)

This is the companion to Winter Romance and is stitched on the same fabric.  I plan to have the relevant season on display throughout the year.  This looks a little lumpy and bumpy but it looks better in real life.

Part 3 - Theme-a-licious: Fan-Girl February and March Madness

I stitched my Just Nans and my Joan Elliott Round Robin for February.

For March Madness I plan to stitch as many different designers as fit in my schedule (how's that for a fudge?!)

So far we have:
Julie from In the Company of Friends (Dark Alphabet)
Chez Elisa for the Needlecraft Haven Freebie Challenge
Debra Page for the WOCS Daffodil Flower of the Month card (see below)
Sandy from San Man Originals for her Little Quilt Shop

So that's four in 8 days - not bad for me!

This is another of the backstitch and colour in techniques.  I actually coloured all of this one in rather than just high lights like the other two.  I felt it needed it because the yellow was paler.

Now a little moan.  I showed a friend my Dark Alphabet this afternoon.  And she kept touching the stitching!!!  In the end I had to say something "You can tell you're a crafter not a stitcher"  "Why's that?"  "Because you keep touching the stitching.  Cross stitchers don't do that".

I did at least get an apology!  Apparently it's because the speciality stitches make it more 3D and you need touch them to appreciate them, it's a compliment to my stitching.  NO YOU DON'T AND NO IT ISN'T.  lol (but only a little bit, this is serious).

and she didn't even look at the back once.  Definitely not a stitcher!!

Finally, if you'd like Madame Muriel to come and spend some time with you then please leave a comment on her post here.

February WIPocalypse

Progress for the WIPocalypse - not much, the world cannot end just yet!

Part 1 - my 12 in '12 -
Here is Green Goddess:

The Dark Alphabet progress pic was posted at the weekend.

My Lovely Sewing Tools, no progress since I last posted, here's a reminder:

Part 2 - Just Nan-a-thon:

This is Spring Peepers, a 1998 chart stitched on 28 count blue evenweave:

Part 3 - Theme-a-licious: Jardin Janvier and Fan-Girl February:

Green Goddess - see above.
WOCS Violet Birthday card, backstitched then hand-coloured:

Just Nan - see above plus my Round Robin (pic to follow when my band is finished.)
That's this month's round-up, looking forward to seeing your's.

Just remembered, the violet card is for the Needlecraft Haven Birthday Exchange.  There isn't an April birthday in that exchange so if your birthday is in April, please let me know as I need a recipient for the April flower!  You don't need to be in the NH exchange, this will be a private thing just so I can stitch the whole set!