Fully Finishing Fun for August

Hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher

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).

I haven't got anything as fancy as last month's finish but there are more FFO'd items this month.  It's been really hot here so obviously the perfect time to FFO some Christmas designs.

The first up was a finish this month too.  I completed the stitching in July but only got a chance to add the beads and charm this month.  This is Just Nan's Holly Noel:

stitched on 28 count beige evenweave

I didn't have the holly charm so I used a little candy cane instead

and scrapbooked it:

It's a biggish piece so it got a page to itself.

Next up were three Dragon Dreams designs all completed last year for the Christmas Ornament SAL:

Never Too Big To Believe

from the 2004 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Special

stitched on 32 count green linen

scrapbooked with Not a Creature Was Stirring from the 2001 issue:

Peace on Earth

from the 2002 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Special

stitched on 32 count dark green linen

You are my Gift

from the 2010 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Special

stitched on 32 count dark green linen

scrapbooked together:

I decided to mount You Are My Gift as a gift tag style with a nice piece of ribbon.  You may have noticed I changed the words on Peace on Earth to Peace & Harmony.  Anyone whose child likes Peppa Pig will recognise the song those words come from!

I would have had a framed piece as well but I didn't have the right frame in my stash so that will have to wait.

Finally, we had the Summer Blog Hop at the weekend.  Thanks to everyone who took part and to all those who hopped around and discovered the Stitching Friends.  It worked really well and I will definitely be doing it again next Summer. 

November Smalls SAL

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

The Smalls SAL post is always the last Friday of the month and was quite early in October so I hadn't quite finished all my smalls!

I hadn't even beaded my tree for the October Christmas Ornament and now I have it fully finished:

Sue Hillis Designs - Victorian Christmas Tree

I then started and finished the November Christmas Ornament which was to be chosen from the 2004 issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Special.  I chose my fourth Dragon Dreams design of the year.  This one "Never Too Big":

stitched on 28 count green linen

The berries are all French Knots and there is a lovely green metallic thread in his tail and head crest.

Here are all four Dragon Dreams designs together:

Hopefully I will get them all scrapbooked before the FFO Gallery post on the 10th December.

My next small is the current Word by Jessica Savage published in Cross Stitcher magazine each month.  I finished Imagine and Create:

Here are all four so far:

stitched over one on 25 count blue evenweave

The next issue arrived today - the word is "Embrace".

I have nearly finished the Mirabilia 25th Anniversary Cameo so I'll show the photo from the WIPocalypse post.  I finished the frame and the top half of the vines, just the bottom half and the beads to go now.

stitched on 28 count evenweave

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Finally, I have sent out the emails for the Advent Calendar Blog Hop.  If you asked to join in and have NOT received an email with your date, please get in touch and I'll double check my list.

November WIPocalypse New Stitches or Techniques

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

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 "19 in '19" for this year.  You can find the full list here.

Since my last WIPocalypse post I stitched on five of my list and had two finishes:

1. Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

2. Raven by Nora Corbett - a finish at the end of October

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten

3. 25th Anniversary Cameo by Mirabilia

stitched on random 28 count hand-dyed evenweave

4. Victorian Christmas Tree by Sue Hillis Designs - finish

stitched on 28 count green evenweave

5. Never Too Big by Dragon Dreams (sneak peek as it's close to a finish)

stitched on 28 count green evenweave

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

November - What new stitches or techniques did you learn this year?

Drawing a bit of a blank with this one!  I can't think of anything new I have tried this year, mostly because when you've been stitching for over 25 years you've tried most things you want to do.  I've done a lot of speciality stitches over the years but maybe there was a new one in my Chatelaine?

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Cotton Clouds by Crafty Kitten

Gardens of London has been neglected this year because I've been focusing on my Discworld Mappe.  If I reach my goal on that this month I will have completed approximately 60% of the design which puts me on target to complete it by the end of 2020.  It would be nice to get another corner garden done on Gardens of London but not if it mean missing my Discworld finish.

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Finally, it's time to sign up for the Advent Calendar Blog Hop!  For this hop, each participant is allocated a day in December to make their post on.   They will show something they have stitched on a Christmas theme and answer the topic question I set.  I then copy their photo onto my blog post in the style of an Advent Calendar.

So if you'd like to join in, please leave a comment or send me an email.  Let me know if there is a date you would particularly like or one you'd like to avoid.  I will be in touch towards the end of the month!

Here is a link to last year's so you can see how it works:

Advent Calendar Blog Hop 2018