October Stitch from Stash and Pie

A rather different Pie this month, it's a Pumpkin Pie!

Yes, I worked on only three designs in October!  Apart from my Bath Time Stitching which doesn't usually feature in the pie.

I stitched on the Mystic Sampler every day for 27 days but it only appears on the Pie for the days when I didn't stitch anything else.  Days when I did a full day at work usually.

I started on 1st October and aimed to stitch approx one 20 x 20 area per day.  I finished on the 27th October.

stitched on 40 count Newcastle linen in Jewel Butterbeer by Under The Sea Fabrics

The next piece was my spooky conversion of Lavender & Lace's Enchanted Alphabet.  Unfortunately I had to make a choice as to whether to finish this one or Raven and Raven won!  I still have a few more motifs to add so I won't show the whole piece.

stitched on 32 count Murano in Tiger Lily by Sparklies

But the good news is that I did finish Raven by Nora Corbett!  I started her in October 2017 and finished her on 31st October, 2019.

I stitched her skin over one

I changed two of the bead colours.  I knew there was an issue with the charted 02056 Sable which are now very red so I used 00081 Jet instead. As you can see there is a nice shine to them as opposed to the 02014 which are more of a matt black.

The other bead I changed is 10019 the Claret Magnifica which are used in the strings of beads around her shoulders.  I used 03004 Eggplant because their DMC colour is 550 which is used in her dress.

When I am substituting beads I always look at the colour thread Mill Hill recommend to attach the bead and then look for a bead which uses the same colour or a colour within the stitching. 

I also substituted 155 for 156 in her dress, one is more blue than the other which did not look right.  I also used 3 yellows for the moon - 743, 744 and 745 instead of 743, 3078 and a blend of the two.

Other than that, she is all as charted.

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten

The fabric is darker in person and the light patches and blue patches don't stand out so much.

I still have the other half of the fabric so I can stitch another Bewitching Pixie to face her!

I didn't start either of the other Hallowe'en projects on my list because I really wanted this finish after two years.  I had planned to stitch a Just Nan mouse but I bought another one instead!  This necessitated a visit to a needlework shop not too far from me.  Of course you can't just buy one chart so this is what else I got:

The Just Nan is the Autumn Mouse Scissor Roll.  It's a good thing I pre-ordered this as she sold out before they even came in.  I picked up two bargains from the Half Price box.  One is a nice band sampler by Elizabeth Designs called Autumn Leaves and the other is by MarNic Designs and is a beautiful Russian Mother & Child stitched on blue fabric using a mixture of cross stitch and satin stitches as well as beads and metallics.  It looks like needlepoint but it isn't.  I just love the colours.

I also bought a packet of bugle beads to make candles for this month's Christmas ornament and the lovely owl thread holder.  So here is the total spend:

October
JN Autumn Scissor Roll	£24.99
Elizabeth Designs chart	£2.50
MarNic Designs chart	£4.99
Bugle Beads	£2.50
Owl Thread Holder	£2.49
Total	£37.47

Luckily for Stitch from Stash, the Just Nan was my final Birthday present so I am well within budget again.

Finally, the Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop went up this morning.  Don't forget to hop around and visit everyone, leave a comment and try guess the mystery phrase. 

October WIPocalypse, Rotational Stitching and TUSAL

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.

This month I stitched on five of my list and had one finish:

1. Enchanted Alphabet by Lavender & Lace 

stitched on 32 count Murano in Tiger Lily by Sparklies

The owl is from a Maria Diaz sampler in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 349

2. Raven by Nora Corbett

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten

3. Mystic Sampler by Primitive Needle - a finish!

stitched on 40 count Newcastle in Jewel Butterbeer by Under The Sea Fabrics

seen here with my TUSAL.

More photos to follow in later posts

4. 25th Anniversary Cameo by Mirabilia

stitched on random 28 count hand-dyed evenweave

5. Victorian Christmas Tree by Sue Hillis Designs

stitched on 28 count green evenweave

Bling to be added.

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

October - Do you prefer to stitch on a rotation or one project at a time?

I think you probably all know the answer to this one!  I do like a rotation.  I have tried several over the years and the one that suits me is based around the time of the day.

1. Each morning after breakfast - a small daily stitch project - it might be 10-a-Day or one length a day.  In October it has been Mystic Sampler, approximately one 20 x 20 block per day.

2. The afternoon - My focus piece for the day.  This year it has been The Discworld Mappe for a fortnight each month.  Then one of the other projects on my "19 in '19"

3. The Small Boy's Bath-time - stitching while supervising.  This year I have stitched on Mrs Peggotty's Queen of Hearts and the Jessica Savage Words as well as some of my Christmas Ornaments. 

Finally, there will be a Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop as usual this year.  I am currently working on the Mystery Phrase and will email all the participants very soon.

October 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.  Links at the bottom of this post.

My focus piece for the weekend is Raven by Nora Corbett.  Here's where I was on Friday morning:

Here's the part I worked on this weekend:

Lots of over one skin!  The gaps are for beads.

And here is the whole piece now:

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Nebula by Crafty Kitten

You may have spotted where the frog attacked.  The pale purple in the dress is charted as 156 but it just didn't look quite right so I frogged it and I'm replacing with 155 which looks much nicer.  And it's a break from over one skin on linen.  I made the decision to stitch the backstitch on her arms first and fit the skin around it.  This turned out to be a very good plan although I may redo the backstitch in a darker grey.  It was charted for a lighter fabric.  It did help get the arms nice and smooth.

I've also been making daily progress on my Mystic Sampler by The Primitive Needle.  Here is Day 21:

stitched on 40 count Jewel Butterbeer linen from Under the Sea Fabrics

That tree took ages!

A few people have said that they don't do Facebook and asked if I could host a link-up for them, so here it is! Just add your name and the link to your actual IHSW post, not just your blog home page.

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Finally, the next IHSW will be 15th - 17th November 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.

Dark 13 in Dark October

October in the stitching world is Dark October where we stitch our spookiest stitches.  Last year I had a selection of smalls and this year I am focusing on two large projects and one daily stitch.

The daily stitch is Mystic Sampler by the Primitive Needle.  I am stitching a portion each day, approx 20 x 20 squares on the chart.  Here are the first 12 days:

And here is Day 13:

stitched on 40 count Jewel Butterbeer by Under the Sea Fabrics

These snaps are taken using my iPad and the colours are not true at all.  To give you a better idea, here's the project I stitched on the other half of this piece of fabric:

The Goode Huswif - Books of Spells

It's because I take the photos sitting beside my large kitchen window in full daylight.  The thread colours are pretty accurate, I am using my own DMC conversion.

I've been using the Tiny Decisions app to choose my project some days and some days I have just stitched what I felt like.  The first project to get chosen by the App was my spooky conversion of Lavender & Lace's Enchanted Alphabet.  I've been adding various motifs throughout the year and the recent issue of Cross Stitcher magazine had an awesome Hallowe'en sampler with some perfect birds and animals to add.

stitched on 32 count Tiger Lily Murano by Sparklies

 

So far I have a wonderful over one raven and what will become an owl.  I think I need a couple more ghosts and then I can say it's finally done!

The other project is one of Nora Corbett's Bewitching Pixies.  This is Raven as she was at the start of the month:

And here she is now:

stitched on 32 count Nebula Belfast by Crafty Kitten

I've been stitching in three shades of purple all month.  The charted purples are 333, 3746 and 156.  But 156 is rather a blue purple and it just didn't look right.  You can see it in the top two folds of the cloak - the lightest shade.

So I tried 155 which is slightly more purpley and it looks much better.  So now I have to frog out the top two panels.  The difference is more striking in real life.

Of course I decided to make life just a little bit harder by stitching the skin over 1.  It's a bit blurry in the photos but looks good in person.

We've still got plenty of time this month and with half term holiday looming it would be nice to think I could get a finish on this one too.

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

2018 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.

October Pie and Stitch from Stash

It's the end of Dark October and time for a quick resume of what I actually stitched.  A very successful month as it turned out.

I'll show the Pie first and then go through the various designs.

I used the Tiny Decisions app to choose which piece I was going to work on each day.  Nora Corbett's Raven got a lot of love.

Here's where she was at the start of the month:

And here's where she is now:

stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten

A similar success story for Just Nan's Autumn Mouse House.  From here:

To here:

Plum Street Sampler's Brew Ha Ha became a finish:

stitched over 1 on 32 count Platinum linen

As did JBW's Smiling Jack-O-Lanterns:

stitched on 32 count Platinum linen

AND Jardin Prive's Happy Hallowe'en Night:

stitched on 32 count Cognac linen

I even managed to get half a gate stitched on my Lavender & Lace conversion of Enchanted Alphabet.  Can you tell where the gate came from?

I have a lot to report for my Stitch from Stash update too.  Fortunately, it all comes under the heading of Birthday Money.  I made a delayed trip to a needlecraft shop in Great Yarmouth with a friend who works in a school.  So it had to be during half term!  I use this needlecraft shop to order the Just Nan charts but this was the first time I'd actually visited.  We were there so long, the owner made us a cup of coffee each!  Here's my haul:

a nice offcut from a piece of Polstitches fabric

2 charts, both seasonal.

All 4 Indigo Rose Seasonal Samplers.  

I stitched part of the Autumn one for a Round Robin a few years back

The Just Nans from last month!

And here's the spending total.

October
Cross Stitcher sub	£8.72
Kingsland chart	£2.65
JABCO Autumn	£6.99
Indigo Rose x 4 seasons	£23.96
Polstitches fabric	£7.50
Total	£49.82

Finally, I shot a little video of some of my Hallowe'en display.  Hope you are able to upload and view it OK.

Hermitting Starts Here!

It's the start of the October International Hermit & Stitch Weekend where we all try to get as much stitching time in as we possibly can.  Just like every other weekend of the year but this is Official!

I have no idea what I'll be stitching as I am using the Tiny Decisions app to choose my project each day.  But here's what it told me to do for the last few days:

Jardin Prive - Happy Hallowe'en Night

Day 14

JBW - Smiling Jack O' Lantern:

Day 17

Just Nan - Autumn Mouse House:

Day 11

Nora Corbett - Raven:

Days 8, 9, 10, 16 and 19

And a finish!  Plum Street Samplers - Brew Ha Ha:

Days 7, 12, 13, 15 and 18 

I stitched this over one on 32 count Platinum linen using some of the called for colours.  I changed the large coffee bean man into DMC 4130 and the coffee cups into the colours used for the leaves.  Because I stitched it over one, it meant I could stitch the border over two and just do a single X instead of 4 smaller xx.  It was charted to have the dark grey inbetween the orange in the border but I thought that would be too heavy and preferred it like this.

Depending on what comes up this weekend, we could see two more finishes!  Or a lot more purple on Raven.

I've also been busy with my rock painting, my second obsession.  This is not taking time away from my stitching but does take time from the computer.  So if I haven't visited your blog lately, I apologise; I was getting rocked!

Here's a batch I have done for a Harry Potter event at the shop where I work:

Just to prove that I am not the only artistic one working there, here are the wands my colleague made:

Look at them!!  Garden canes with hot glue and painted.  There's a YouTube tutorial apparently.  These are seriously incredible.  This is the disclaimer I added to our Facebook page:

"Please note - we are not responsible for the result of using the wands. Your own magical ability will determine whether it works or not. Please do not turn us into toads or complain if you are a Muggle and nothing happens!"

Don't want to get sued for defective wands.

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!

Spooky October TUSAL

It's TUSAL time, the Totally Useless SAL where we all show our ORTS and link-up on Daffycat's blog.

Here is my TUSAL jar with two projects:

I am continuing to use the Tiny Decisions app to choose my projects this week. This was Sunday's choice - Brew Ha Ha by Plum Street Samplers.  A nice quiet day in saw almost all the alphabet get completed.

stitched over one on 32 count Platinum Linen

Monday and Tuesday saw Raven from Nora Corbett come out twice in a row.  I got lots of black stitching done along the bottom of her dress:

stitched on 32 count Nebula by Crafty Kitten

Finally, it's nearly time for the spookiest Hop on the Blog - the annual Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop.  For this one, you send me an email or leave a comment saying you would like to take part.  A few days before the end of October I will send you an email with a letter of the alphabet.  On the 31st you must make a blog post featuring something spooky you have stitched (or crafted) and your letter.

I will list all the participants on my blog and we all hop around collecting the letters to form the spooky phrase - report back to my blog and leave a comment to win a prize!