April TUSAL

It's TUSAL time again!  For those of you new to blogging, the TUSAL is a project run by Daffycat, click on the button on the right hand bar for more details.

Here is my ORTS jar posing with the current stitching project:

This week I have been stitching different things almost every day.  On Monday I finished another project from my 15 in '15 - Joan Elliott's Cherub from the 2013 Diary.  Tuesday was Satsuma Street day.  On Wednesday I went on a train journey so took Trick and Treat because it's all one colour, on Thursday I picked up Just Nan Winter Typography and Friday saw another finish for a DUCJC project - Sweetheart Tree's Tudor Rose.  Today is Saturday and a work day so no stitching so far!

Way back in December 2012 World Of Cross Stitching magazine had their most popular cover gift ever, a diary featuring 12 Joan Elliott designs.  I intended to stitch one a month that year.  Then I revised that to exclude three of the more cutesy designs then I revised it again and actually managed three finishes and one start!  February was started in February 2013 and was in last year's 14 in '14 (unsucessfully) and now in 15 in '15.  As ever, the crazy thing is that it only needed three days stitching to complete it.  Two were pretty full-on days though, we're talking four or five hours a day.

Stitched on 28 count evenweave dyed with fruit tea

(which smells lovely when you are stitching!)

Mounted in my scrapbook.

I need some more gold heart stickers, I only had silver.

I used the recommended colours except for the heart because they were too pink.  I also left off the border of backstitched hearts.  That saved a couple of hours!

Tuesday is a SAL with Linda and Kate on Satsuma Street's Pretty Little London:

(It's the scanner that makes the linen look weird)

This week I stitched more of St Paul's Cathedral.

The Sweetheart Tree Tudor Rose was very nearly completed last week but I wanted to save the beading for a day when the boys were at school.  Beading and the Small Boy are not really compatible!  Here are several photos of the finished piece:

Stitched on 32 count Light Mocha linen.

I substituted plain DMCfor the border and used DMC throughout.

The beads and charm were supplied with the chart.

I had stitched the centre last (as instructed) and noticed that it was quite raised where the eyelets had pulled the fabric so decided to make a stuffed ornie.

With the intended backing fabric:

 

All finished:

And hanging in place:

The chart was a gift from Vickie and will now be travelling on to Gillie as a prize for leaving my 7000th comment a while back.  I gave her first choice before I chose the Giveaway charts and she picked this one.

Finally, the Giveaway of the other seven charts is continuing.  To be in with a chance, just leave a comment on my Blogaversary post.  Anyone who links up for the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL gets an extra chance.  You don't have to do anything to claim that, if you have commented and linked up then my spreadsheet will automatically put your name in twice.

DUCJC 2015 - completed!

The DUCJC is a very special challenge in memory of a very special lady.  SoCal Debbie was a prolific stitcher, blogger and commenter.  Sadly she passed away very suddenly last year.  One of her favourite challenges was the CJC:

CJC = Crazy January Challenge, one new start for the first 15 days of January

UCJC = Ultimate Crazy January Challenge, one new start for all 31 days of January

DUCJC = Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge, stitch 31 projects one per day for January

Linda Stitchin' with my Furbabies organised this all via a FB group.  Thankfully Linda is not making us all attempt the SDUCJC (Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January Challenge) or 60 starts throughout January and February which she did with Debbie in 2012.

I did it!  I stitched 31 different designs on the 31 days of January!  Here is a little collage of them all:

And details of the final four days you haven't seen before:

Day 28 - Anchor - Kingfisher (designer not credited - how rude of them!):

Stitched on 28 count blue evenweave.

I am only stitching the bird from this design and giving it to the Small Boy's teacher and TAs at the end of the year.  All the classes in his mainstream school are named after water birds and the Reception Class are Kingfishers so this will look good on their wall.

Day 29 - The Sweetheart Tree - Tudor Rose:

Stitched on 32 count Light Mocha Belfast Linen

I used DMC 223 for the border instead of the Caron Waterlilies which I don't have.

Day 30 - Nora Corbett - J is for Joanne:

Stitched on 32 count Love-in-the-Mist Murano evenweave by Crafty Kitten

Day 31 - Madame Chantilly - On the Beach:

Stitched on 32 count Kynance evenweave by Sparklies

This was a WIP I started last year to be a Birth Sampler for my cousin's baby.  Thankfully I noted the thread changes on my blog because I could not remember what they were when I picked it up again!  The colours listed are nothing like the cover picture.  Much more dull and muted so I am changing quite a bit.

A few stats -

8 WIPS

23 New Starts

5 Gifts for other people

22 Gifts from other people

Fabrics Used

25 count eveweave - 1

28 count evenweave - 10

28 count linen - 2

30 count linen - 1

32 count evenweave - 5

32 count linen - 9

35 count linen - 1

40 count linen - 2

stitched over 1 - 6

So right now I am stitching away On The Beach because it's nice to OAAT again!  I did enjoy the challenge more than I thought I would once I got over the first few days on wanting to continue with each project.  Moral - save your favourites until last.  It was a good idea to spend the time in December getting everything together in one place.  It was also a good idea to keep a list of the fabrics too.

My plan now is to stitch on the 15 which are in my WIPocalypse "15 in '15" and then fit the others in around them as we go through the year.  I also want to Giveaway a few charts as part of my Gifted Gorgeousness SAL so watch out for those posts throughout the year.

Would I do this challenge again?  I will have to see how many I manage to complete this year.  If I have several left I won't want alot more new starts in 2016 so I may just rotate the unfinished projects.  On the other hand it is a good way to actually start some much-wanted designs which have sat in my stash for too long.  We shall see....

Finally, I will be hosting the annual Valentine's Day Blog Hop this year.  See this post for more details.  Just send me a photo of your lovely stitching to be sent to another blogger on Valentine's Day,  I've added the Heart to my sidebar, please feel free to copy it onto your blog to link back here.