Turtle TUSAL

Although there isn't actually a Turtle on here yet.  There will be eventually.

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 with the current project:

Here's a close-up of the main project which is this month's focus piece, the Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs:

And here's the cover photo with a circle around the area I've been stitching:

You may also have spotted a fully-finished object in that photo too.  It's the fourth of my Just Nan Ornaments, Victorian Rose, stitched on 32 count green linen which looks more blue in the photos!

The reverse

I couldn't find a suitable backing fabric at all so I simply finger-pressed the edges and folded them over.  Whip-stitched the folds top and bottom and then whip-stitched the central seam together with some small bugle beads I had in my stash.

Here are all four together:

 L-R: Christmas Rose, Christmas Star, Christmas Hearts and Victorian Rose

Finally, I got some very exciting news this afternoon.  One of the local artists who supplies our shop with cards, fridge magnets, prints and bookmarks is branching out into cross stitch!  She has a deal with Bothy Threads to convert four of her designs into cross stitch to be released at the beginning of next year.  Here are the four they have chosen:

and here is a link to her website where you can already purchase the cards, prints and other merchandise - Love Country UK.  I am so excited for her and can't wait to see the finished pieces.

The Colour of Magic

"In a distant and second-hand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part...
See..."

Those are two clues as to what I have been stitching this week, and here's another:

That's the whole piece along with a little bag I'm using to keep the thread in.  The bag was a Birthday present from Preeti last year.

Here's what it will look like one day:

And here's a close-up of what I have stitched so far, along with my elephant thread holders.  These were a cover gift from Cross Stitcher magazine but they came without holes so I simply used my hole punch and voila!  They came with some cheap threads and the little ear stickers, some of which I can use.

This is roughly the area I have stitched so far:

In case you haven't guessed, this is The Discworld Mappe I bought from Lyndisfarne Cross Stitch Designs last year.  The fabric is a custom dyed 32 count Murano from Sparklies and the threads are DMC.

It's a nice easy stitch as it's basically straight rows of one colour for the most part.  The pale blue is the frozen sea and that was a little bit fiddly.  The plan is to not stitch the sea or the space but use the fabric as the background.  I'm going to stitch up and make sure the edge is more-or-less in the right place!

This is definitely a long-term project at 30 pages and I may have to change my plans for next year so I can stitch it every month.  Along with my Chatelaine!

I did manage another small finish, my 30-a-day project which has been Just Nan's Victorian Rose:

really bad photo taken with the iPad

I also framed Gathering Honey:

Finally, I'm making plans for The Longest Day SAL next week.  I'll actually be stitching on Tuesday 20th and blogging about it on the 21st as I'm away from the house on Wednesday.  I've decided to have an Event on Facebook for the real time updates so if you want to follow along there, here's the link.

Longest Day SAL

(It's a private event so leave a comment if you want to see it)

(Arlene, you left a comment but you are a no-reply person so I still can't add you!)

Happy Dance on the Table!

I recently got a special offer to get 3 issues of Cross Stitch Crazy for just £3, you'd have to be crazy to turn that down!  This month's issue arrived last week with a lovely cover gift of a booklet of designs by Emma Congdon of Stitchrovia.  All in her familiar typography and fonts style.  Not only did I start one straight away, I finished it too!  In just three days.

Bubbly!

Petite beads for bubbles in the bubbly.

Photos taken in three different lights!  Just to show how hard it is to get the right colour

This one is probably closest.  I had to change some of the thread colours so they would show up on the pink fabric (32 count linen) and I also filled in the word Champagne with Blanc.

This is going to be a wedding card for a friend whose daughter goes to the same school as the Small Boy.  It's perfect for her and her new hubby.

I've been continuing with the SAL that keeps on entertaining Christine, the Ten-a-Day and have just passed 160 days and 1,600 stitches.  I am indeed a Woman in Control of my Life.  This is a collage of photos of Just Nan's Spring in the Square taken every 10 days.  I started on 1st January so I love how the flowers bloom as we go through Spring and into Summer:

I've also been stitching a second daily project - 30-a-day and for this one I have a series of Just Nan freebies I'm finishing as ornies.  This is the fourth one, Victorian Rose, now on Day 14:

Handy hint - the little tag of orange at the top is an ORT knotted through so I always know which way up is.  Useful when stitching a symmetrical design on square fabric.

Finally, I'm making plans for The Longest Day SAL next week.  I'll actually be stitching on Tuesday 20th and blogging about it on the 21st as I'm away from the house on Wednesday.  I've decided to have an Event on Facebook for the real time updates so if you want to follow along there, here's the link.

Longest Day SAL

(It's a private event so send me a pm on FB if you want to see it!)

Money Pie

Not really a lot of stitching to show you as I've been focusing on the Brooke's Books' Stitchers Alphabet for this Saturday's Alphabet Club.  But I do have some pie and some stash to share.

First the stitching.  I have been taking part in a Ten-a-Day challenge this year and yesterday we reached 1,500 stitches!  So here is a photo of 1,510 stitches:

Just Nan - Spring in the Square

As well as the Ten-a-Day I am doing a Thirty-a-Day using a series of Just Nan freebies which I started as part of Kerry's March Madness this year.  Yesterday I completed the beading on Christmas Hearts:

stitched on 32 count antique white evenweave

I love the Rhodes Heart in the middle and will try get a better photo of it when I fully-finish this piece at the weekend.

And because I finished one - I start another one!  This is Victorian Rose, started on 12th March and restarted 31st May.  The first photo is the first 30 stitches from March:

And this is where we are today, with a much better idea of the colour of the fabric:

stitched on 32 count green linen from Sarah in Stitches

Tomorrow it's back to Hallowe'en and some spooky stitching!

This month's pie reflects the time I spent on Gathering Honey, not quite half the month.  12 Days got a lot of attention as I worked quite a few full days and that's what I take in as my lunchtime project.

Finally, the money part of the title is my Stitch from Stash round-up.

May
Cross Stitch Crazy	£4.99
Stitchrovia	£1.99
JN Summer Typo	£13.19
JN 12 Days	£0.00
Total	£20.17

I spent a little bit more than usual this month but still within budget.  Cross Stitch Crazy had a great Emma Congdon Circus ABC, a mini version of the Emily Peacock design I stitched for my cousin ages ago.  The cover gift was two lovely Margaret Sherry hedgehog cards too.  There were also some mini mandala designs which would look good in beads.

I bought the second part of the Stitchrovia MIND SAL because I was trying to work out how to send it to the winner of my last competition.  Stitchrovia are silent in their response to my emails so far.

I also needed to buy a chart from SewandSo for another competition winner and I discovered that they were doing 3 for 2 on all charts!  So I bought one for myself and a freebie too.  Here are the two I got for myself:

The fourth one in the series.  I have stitched the other three.

Because I need another 12 Days for next year...