March's Progress

 I'm using my WIPGO Board to decide what to stitch this year.  For March we had my oldest WIP - Yiotas Coffee Fairy - and a new start - Nora Corbett's Trick or Treat Fairy.  It really is a Year of Fairies!

Coffee Fairy started the month looking like this:

I worked on her legs and the left hand side of the cup and table.  She finished the month like this:

stitched on 28 count Monach evenweave from Sparklies

My Dark 13 project is Witching Hour by Keslyn's, and I added a C:

stitched 1 over 2 on 32 count Cirrus evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy

I'm using a variegated DMC thread - 4240, a mixture of blues and purples.  I decided to use a different colour for the spiders and chose the Victorian Motto Violet-Grey thread I used for the Halloween Bookshelf last year.  It's not as harsh as 310.

After I finished the C I worked on that large bat underneath it:

Nora Corbett's Trick or Treat Fairy is a project I've had on my list for years so it was very exciting to finally start her.  I own the magazine she first appeared in but you can also download her as a PDF for a small charge.  I had a beautiful piece of fabric from Chromatic Alchemy called Nebula, the only decision was which way up to stitch her!  I used The Viewer to help decide:

And decided the darker part should be at the top.  I did flip the fabric over so the darkest part would be on the right not the left.

Here's my progress for the month:

She is actually charted in the same browns as the owl but I changed her to purple in the 26 - 32 range plus 3747 for the lighter colour in her skirt.  I also changed her hair to black not brown.

Just Nan's Witching Hour Cube was FFO'd and I made a whole post about that project:

My evening project has been last year's Temperature Chart and I got another finish!  

I've used the low temp for the nighttime hours and the high temp for the daytime hours.  I have also varied the length of the day and night as the sun changes.  You can really see the colour changes as the nights draw in.

And finally, as I finished the Temperature design a few days before the end of the month I decided another new start was in order.  Another chart which I have had for ages, Heart in Hand's Little House in the Woods.  It's very small and very cute!

stitched on 32 count pale green linen

May WIPocalypse WIP or UFO?

          

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 "24 in '24" for last year.  For 2025 I have decided not to attempt this.  I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  This month I stitched on 2 of them, one new start and one focus project but both from Nora Corbett.

First up was the fourth in the Zodiac Girls series (for me) from Nora Corbett.  This is Scorpio: 

stitched on 32 count Scorpio Murano from Sparklies

You can see how many beads she is going to have from some of the gaps!

The second project is Fairy Idyll by Mirabilia. 

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

I decided to focus on her wings this month and stitch them 1 thread over 2 to give a more translucent look to them.

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.

Out of all the WIPs I have at the moment, the one most likely to be UFO'd is the cover kit from Cross Stitcher magazine that I started on a whim in January:

stitched on 14 count Aida

I thought it would be a quick stitch but it's taking too long and there are other things I'd rather stitch.  But it is cute and there's only the sky to do now which is 3 or 4 shades of blue and purple.  Then the backstitch.

May 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.

This year I am attempting International Hermit and Blackwork.  I do love blackwork and have a couple of projects I want to try fit in to my rotation without being on the WIPGO Board.

My main blackwork piece is the Halloween Blackwork from The Steady Thread.  It went from here:

to here:

stitched on 32 count tea-dyed linen

This is the part I worked on over the weekend:

I spent two days on the Blackwork and one on the lovely Scorpio from Nora Corbett.  You can really see how her hair resembles the scorpion's tail now:

stitched on 32 count Scorpio Murano from Sparklies

In the evenings I continued with my Just Nanathon and stitched three more designs:

Finally the next IHSW will be 20th - 22nd 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.

May Plans

This year I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  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 projects I stitch that month. 

In April the numbers 4 and 10 were called.  These related to Nora Corbett's Evanora and Cricket Collection's Summer - two new starts!

I made great progress on lots of black for Evanora:

stitched on 28 count evenweave from an unknown dyer

By contrast, Summer had lots of white and light colours:

stitched on 32 count Wandering Ivy Lugana from Silkweavers

For May, the numbers 5 and 19 were called.  These relate to Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll and Nora Corbett's Zodiac Girl.

I didn't have a lot of stitching time the first two days of May so I decided to spend the time on Fairy Idyll as I could just pick her up and resume stitching.

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

Once I had time to get the fabric ironed and choose the colours I was able to start my fourth Zodiac Girl - Scorpio:

stitched on 32 count Scorpio evenweave from Sparklies

Once again, I am using the fabric from Sparklies that has the same name as the chart.  Scorpio is more green than it appears in this photo.  This is the mock-up from The Viewer:

Finally, my evening projects for May will be my annual Just Nanathon.  Started in 2018, I stitched a different Just Nan small every evening throughout May.  The following year I stitched each one on the same day.  As I complete them I either start a new one or stitch the previous day's for another evening.

I have stitched four so far this year:

 

 

April Plans

This year I want to focus on 2 larger pieces and then spend the rest of my stitching time on the series I have started.  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 projects I stitch that month. 

In March, the numbers 9 and 24  were called.  These relate to Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll and the Art Nouveau Head (again).

Here's how Fairy Idyll looks after adding some bed flounces and rabbit to the right hand side:

stitched on 32 count Vinyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

This is where I finished the Head for the month:

stitched on 14 count White Aida

For April, the numbers 4 and 10 were called.  These relate to Nora Corbett's Evanora and Cricket Collection's Summer - two new starts!

I decided to start Evanora first as I had the fabric for her ready:

stitched on 28 count evenweave from an unknown dyer

She will coordinate with Claire who I stitched last year:

This is the cover photo for Summer:

Finally, my evening project will be the Annie Beez 12 Days of Christmas Stockings.  Here is Day 4 so far:

stitched on 28 count Black Jobelan

(Is it me, or does that bird look like a sloth at the moment?)

Finally Fully Finished Fun for October

   

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'm on a roll, I finished more things!  Well, technically my framer FFO'd some things for me!

I took Capricorn in for her to work her magic once again.

The frame is a lovely reddish-brown which goes perfectly with her browns and reds.

Here she is on the wall:

And with Taurus.  I need another nail to be able to hang Virgo with them.

Virgo is in my bedroom with J for Joanne at the moment.

I also took this smaller piece with me and told the framer to do what she wanted with it as it was a gift for her.  It took her quite a few minutes to realise I was serious!  The story is - when I took Taurus in last year she joked that it was a gift for her as she is a Taurus and how I might not get her back.  So when Circle Cross finished her Lunar Calendar series with The Hare Moon for Taurus, I just had to stitch her as gift.  She's been framing my work for 20 years now, an average of 1 piece per year and I trust her 100% with the frame choices and my precious stitching.

Here's the frame she chose for herself:

I did FFO something myself.  Having shown the 3D Haunted House last month, that inspired me to finally FFO the 3D Haunted Mansion from 2022!  I'd done it all except for the base.  So here it is completely FFO'd in time for Halloween:

Here they are together:

And here are my 3D shelves:

The castle tower to the left is a bought piece made from felt.

Finally, if you want to see all the pieces framed by Thistles, check out the label on my Happy Dance Blog - Thistles Framing

I notice I need to add both Taurus and Capricorn to the blog!

Happy Dance Duo

Not one but two big finishes this month!!

First up is the Joan Elliott Faces SAL started in 2014.  Joan released a block each month featuring an adapted face from one of her existing designs.

I decided to stitch the skin on the first face over one and was really pleased with how she turned out.

The second block was charted as a rather chonky cat which I wasn't fan of so I left that block blank.

I did complete the centre with some lovely over one butterflies from another of Joan's fairies

I eventually stitched this lovely owl:

When the third block was released I just stalled on the skin as there was so much of it!

I finally completed her in 2020 and  decided to focus on just one or two blocks per year and work through them all in time.

The owl and the dragon were completed in 2021

The unicorn and the beading on the centre block were 2022

This pair were completed in 2023

And the final two blocks in 2024, just in time for it's 10th Birthday!

The second big finish is Nora Corbett's Capricorn, started and completed this year.  The beading did take a while, she is the most heavily beaded out of the Zodiac Girls plus it's difficult in the Summer holidays to find time to sit and bead, I need to spread everything out on the table to do it properly.

stitched on 32 count Murano in Capricorn from Sparklies

Look at all the beads!

Finally, I hope to get these two framed and on the wall as soon as possible.  I'll do Faces myself but my framer will be in charge of Capricorn.