Sign up for the Summer Postcard Blog Hop

Happy Star Wars Day, May the Fourth be with you!

Diorama by The Large Boy

And since it is May it seems like the perfect time to launch the Summer Blog Hop.  I started this one in 2012 when the theme was a Holiday Postcard, see this post for the list of participants and links to their posts.

2012 Summer Postcard Blog Hop

The next year I decided we'd have a Staycation and asked people for pictures on the theme of Home:

2013 Summer Postcard Blog Hop

After Home the logical progression would seem to be Gardens.  So the theme for this year's Blog Hop will be Gardens.  All you have to do is send me a photo of a stitched picture on the theme Garden and a little message about why your garden is important to you, or what you love about your garden, or why you don't have one but what you would like in your ideal garden.  As usual, the joining-in is the important thing, you're not being judged on the quality of your essay LOL.

Once I have a few photos I will start sending them off to the other participants to post on their blogs.  If you think you'd like to take part please leave a comment here.  You can send your photo in anytime between now and the end of August.

edit - if you want to send a photo of your actual garden too, please do.  But not compulsory, the stitched picture is the essential bit!

I do enjoy stitching for other people but the onlydrawback is that you can't show progress photos until after the person has received their gift.  So really the only thing I have to show this post is my continuing progress on Spooky Countdown:

I followed Giovanna's lead on block 14 and used the lighter 3072 for the ghost rather than the charted 645.  Next week I will be half-way through the blocks and right on target too.

Finally, I thought I'd share the collage I made of the seven Snowflower Diaries' witches we all stitched over on the Hallowe'en Ornie SAL Blog, pop over there to find out who stitched which witch!

Smalls SAL March Update

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

I chose three different monthly themes to follow this year:

Hallowe'en Ornie SAL - 12 different themes
Little Stitcher Fairy Tale 12 Days of Christmas - one per month
Primitive Hare Spooky Countdown - one per week starting 31st January

I was nice and early this month with the Hallowe'en ornie, thanks to my train trip to London:

Spring Witch by The Snowflower Diaries

The Little Stitcher will make her appearance with my TUSAL post next week.

The Primitive Hare Spooky Countdown is now in its eighth week so here is Block 8:

Oops, missed six stitches off the top of the biggest book.

I am stitching alongside Giovanna, who is stitching these on one piece of fabric starting in the middle.  We are now stitching the same row which is nice.  At the end of this set of six she will be stitching the first six I have already done and vice versa!

Other smalls I have stitched this week include this design:

I can't tell you anything about it except that it is a gift for a follower.  It went off in the post today so hopefully I will be able to share a photo within the next week to ten days (clue to the location of the follower!).  This next one is also a gift:

Yep, that's the reverse of the bookmark mount!

Finally, that old chestnut - Copyright theft.  As you know I have been stitching away on an A Mon Ami Pierre design all year (Noel Blanc).  I have just learned that the designer is quitting because of copyright theft.  From the old enemies of designers the Russian and Chinese "Repainting" Forums and a new boy on the Piratical Seas - Pinterest.

If you look at virtually any Pinterest Board you will see images of charts.  Actual charts, not links to charts or images of the finished item but the actual chart.  "But they are free designs" the Pinner says.  Yes, but the designer gives them for free so you will visit his/her site and hopefully buy something else or at least enter into a dialogue with him/her - "Thank you for this lovely freebie" won't kill anyone, even the shyest stitcher!  People are not going to visit if they can download direct from your Pin Board!  

"I didn't realise" is the other excuse "Copyright is so complicated".  No, it isn't.  Ask yourself - Did I design this chart myself?  If the answer is Yes, then Pin away happily.  If the answer is No, then don't do it.  Find the designer and put a Pin to her website or her blog, spread the news that there is a fabulous designer out there waiting to talk to her fans.

Lecture over.

Until next time one of my favourite designers quits. 

Edit to add - when I said "Virtually any Pinterest Board" I did not mean Ziggyeor's Kermit Flail Board.  This is officially amazing!

WIPocalypse March Stitching Places

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi of Measi's Musings.

The main focus of my WIPocalypse this year is my "14 in '14" a list of 14 projects I wanted to complete in 2014.  In the last month I have worked on four of the list.  Here is the current stitching status of each one:

Primitive Hare - Spooky Countdown

The Little Stitcher - 12 Days of Christmas

A Mon Ami Pierre - Noel Blanc

Just Nan - Winter Typography

Measi is also setting us a topic to discuss each month.

March 16 – Topic:  Show us your favourite places to stitch.

Here is a photo of my usual stitching spot:

OK, so it's not the tidiest stitching spot I've ever seen!  I tend to use the "strata" system where the older stuff sinks to the bottom and the newest stuff is on top.  That large bag on the floor contains all my DMC in their Floss-away bags, there is the latest Cross Stitch Collection magazine in view, some project bags and a carrier bag with Noel Blanc in so I can grab it at bath-time.  You can also see my blankets to the right which are either for sitting on or wrapping round my legs when it gets cold.  The Union Jack tray was for bringing coffee and snacks through, nothing to do with my stitching at all!

I also stitched on one of these this month:

I believe it is a Class 90 Electric Locomotive.

Anyway, this took me down to London and back for the Scarlet Letter Meet-up and six hours of train stitching produced this piece:

Spring Witch by The Snowflower Diaries 

I used to stitch alot on trains, commuting to Norwich six days a week gave me 90 minutes per day stitching time.  This was when I decided the "secured needle" method of stitching was definitely the one for me.  You don't need to drop many needles on the dirty floor of a train carriage (and losing them too) to decide that using the method most people use for sewing buttons on is a very wise move!

Finally, I am taking sign-ups for the Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop, click on the Bunny on the right hand side bar for more details.

A Wonderful Day Out and a Wonderful Witch

Those of you that also follow the Scarlet Letter Year Blogs will know that we have just had our first Meet-Up in London.  As far as Nicola was concerned we were just meeting (for the first time) for a look at some of the samplers the V&A has in their collection.  But Elaine and I had an ulterior motive, the Secret Surprise Quilt many of us had been working on over the last year!

You can read the full report here - The-grand-scarlet-letter-year-meet-up and see all the photos here - Picasa Album.  Here are a couple of photos of Nicola receiving her quilt:

And a close-up of my block:

If you like antique samplers I can really recommend a visit to the Clothworkers' Centre where the V&A now house their textile collection.  It is only 3 stops on the tube and a short walk from the V&A but you do need to make an appointment well in advance and specify which exhibits you would like to see.  But once you are there, you get a full two hours to examine the pieces in close detail, you can't touch but the gloved curator will turn things over so you can view the reverse.  You can also take photos but only for personal use, not for publishing online.  Here's the link if you would like to find out more - Clothworkers' Centre

And here is just part of our lovely tea:

Nicola and her sisters wanted to treat me to a slap-up tea as a Thank You for helping with the blog and organising the day out.  Betty Blythe's Teashop was the perfect place, we were shown our own room where we could dress up in the vintage clothes provided (we were too busy chatting!!) and several courses were brought to us with an endless supply of English Tea.  From dainty sandwiches (sans crust of course) to smoked salmon minis, jam and cream scones, chocolate amuse-bouches to the finale - iced fairy cakes!  If you are in London for any reason I really recommend a visit to Betty Blythe's.  But make sure you go with an empty stomach!

It was a very long day for me, I left home at 7am and returned back just before 10pm.  The upside to spending six hours on a train though is the amount of stitching done!  I nearly completed the entire March design for the Hallowe'en Ornie SAL Blog.  March's theme is Witches.  I chose the Spring Witch by The Snowflower Diaries and finished her off yesterday:

I stitched her on a piece of random 28 count linen I had using the recommended DMC.  The only change I made was to give the witch green eyes and I used satin stitch for the broom.  I just love the effect I got using that stitch.  There are three more seasonal witches and I will definitely stitch them all this year.  Here is the full picture mounted:

This is not a scrapbook page, it's a page from a National Geographic calendar.  Your local Waterstones may still have these for only £2.49 (they might be in the stockroom so you'll have to ask!).  There are twelve different designs all of various landscapes and perfect for mounting stitching.  I just cut a circle in the paper and mounted the fabric behind it with double-sided tape.

Finally, I am taking sign-ups for the Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop.  Click on the bunny on the right-hand side for more information.

Happy Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you!

So what's new this month?  Having finally finished the RR I decided to spend some time with Green Goddess, a Joan Elliott design.  Here's a close-up of the area I've been working on:

I've stitched all around her face in the ordinary DMC leaving gaps for the dragonflies as they have metallics in them.  I've also left the face til last so I can start a fresh skein and not risk a dye-lot change in the middle of it!

There is alot of metallic in this as most of the border is Kreinik and there are beads to add too but I do feel the end is in sight sometime this year!

Daytime has also been Joan's territory.  I dithered over whether to finish February's design from the 2013 Diary or start April's.  Karen told me to start April's dragons so like a good little stitcher that's what I did.  Here is my progress so far:

The fabric is a 28 count from a Crafty Kitten grab bag so it has no name but looks quite sky-like.  The dragons are stitching up so much more quickly than the Cherub did.  I have no idea why as I like both designs.

This is how I left February's:

As I'm not stitching any of the pixie designs I'm hopeful of finishing both of these and catching up this month.

I can also show a finish from last month's Needlecraft Haven Challenge.  Christine invited us to choose one of the Snowflower Diaries Spring designs featuring chicks and bunnies.  I chose this one because the plant reminds me of Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors!

I used the same yellow evenweave as previous Easter/Spring stitches so they can all be mounted together.  The bunny in the photo is the one I won in our corner shop's raffle.

Finally, I had a little stash enhancement via an Esty shop called The Pampered Stitcher and bought these three Shepherd's Bush charts.  They are from a series called the Botanicals and I have whortleberry, rowan berry and bluebells.  There is also a fourth design entitled buttercups.  If anyone out there has this chart they would like to sell to me I would be eternally grateful and your friend forever!

Here are the three I have:

They will look beautiful framed and displayed with these four I stitched several years ago:

Larger pictures found here

edit: further investigation reveals the existence of violets and aramanth!