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.
The third Friday is also the Friday Night Sew In or F.N.S.I. which Kaye introduced me to. You can find out more about it here - Sugarlane Designs
I had started Fairy Idyll, my new Mirabilia, on Thursday so continued with that on Friday and on Sunday afternoon. Here's where I am now:
stitched on 32 count Murano in Vineyard from Crafty Kitten
It might not seem a lot but the hand is over one, I am adjusting the arm as I go but will probably have to rechart her face to make sure it looks just right over one. Basically I try to smooth the transitions between two colours. This little sample shows it best:
A - two over two as charted
B - one over one using 4x for each X
C - one over one smoothing the colours
C - one over one smoothing the colours
Over the weekend I joined in with Tiff and Rachel for their start-a-thon which I am calling March of the Mischievious Mice. This weekend I stitched Just Nan's Hazel Fun Witch Mouse:
stitched on 32 count grey linen
Then I constructed her and Witchy Mouse from last weekend. They are not fully finished as I need some pins to fix their hats and to make their little broomsticks.
As I was stitching them I realised that the basic patterns for these mice could be interchangeable with each other.
Have a look at the previous two mice out flat:
Have a look at the previous two mice out flat:
The edges, the nose, eyes and ears are all in the same place. The "hem" border is the same shape. So if I took border 1 and stitched it with body 2 and then body 3, I could have 2 more mice. Do the same with borders 2 and 3 and that would give me a total of 9 mice from these three charts. All slightly different.
If Just Nan bring out one more Witchy mouse I could then have a total of 16 mice!
I looked at the charts for the other spooky mice I have stitched and they are slightly smaller than these three but I could do the same with them and have 9 smaller mice.
I looked at the charts for the other spooky mice I have stitched and they are slightly smaller than these three but I could do the same with them and have 9 smaller mice.
Apart from making mice, I stitched on my latest Autumn Lane Stitchery design. This is Mrs "Large Hat" Claus! So far, just a Large Hat:
stitched on 28 count tea-dyed evenweave
Finally, the next IHSW will be 16th - 19th April 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.
