Finally Fully Finishing Fun for May

    

Hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher

This SAL is designed to motivate us all to do something with that box of Finished pieces instead of just storing them under the bed.  We will all be linking up on Rachel's blog on or after the 10th of each month (10 Hour Stitcher - 10th of the month).

I managed to get quite a lot done this last month, possibly connected to the Small Boy's return to school!

I started with some picture framing from my stash.  The first one was Joan Elliott's September Reading Fairy from the Year of Magical Stitches.  I have the diary from 2013 and finished this in 2018.  So less than 10 years to fully finish!  One delay was caused by Wilkos discontinuing their raw wood box frames which could be coloured with a marker pen.  This one came from The Works but was treated so I had to use three coats of actual paint to cover the white.  

stitched on 28 count Jazlyn in Aurora by Crafty Kitten

Next up was a 2019 finish, my 12 Days of Christmas from Just Nan.  The long thinness of this design caused the delay as I couldn't find a frame to fit.  Instead I stretched the stitching around a piece of mount board and used a scrapbook page for the background so it fitted a standard sized frame.

Now a much more recent finish - Mrs Claus by Autumn Lane Stitchery.  Stitched and framed in the same month!

Displayed alongside Santa Claus, they make a fine couple and can stay out until Halloween now!

This was a case where I had the frame and wanted a series of projects to fit in it.  The frame is an 8 aperture multi-frame.  Some are landscape and some are portrait so it's quite tricky finding the right series to fit.  I also wanted to stitch The Primitive Hare Celebrations series of which there are 8.  I worked out that using 35 count linen meant they would fit either portrait or landscape.  I stretched the stitching around a piece of mount board and used a scrapbook card for the background.  One down, seven to go!

Then on to my Mischief of Mice from March!  These were all started and finished in March as part of Rachel and Tiff's March Madness.  They just needed whiskers and hats.  Which meant sourcing some pins and painting the tops so they can secure the hats to the mice.

I only had the chart for the Pumpkin Mouse, so no hat.  He got a little ghosty friend instead.

The first three mice were designed to have broomsticks but they need to be hung up to ride them.  Until I get a display house I am not able to do that.  So here are all six of my spooky mice:

Not a bad month at all!  No scrapbooking for a change.  I obviously need to focus on that this month!

Finally, Stitch Maynia is underway again.  I am joining in with my Just Nan-a-thon again.  I stitch on each piece at bathtime so have 9 days to show so far:

The first four were started for Rachel and Tiff's Spring into Summer last year so I have three days of stitching on each one.  The next three were started during Maynia last year so have two days stitching.  The last two were new starts for this year so only have one day.

The People Chose Traditional Samplers

  

This SAL is all about what you want to see on the blog. Each month I ask for suggestions for themes and then put them up to the members of the IHSW Group on FB to vote for their choice. This is what they have chosen:

May - Traditional Samplers

June - Butterflies

July - Houses

Back in April 2020 the People chose Modern Samplers - Modern Samplers and now we are going to look at the more traditional samplers in our collections.  I wrote:

"When we say a "sampler" we all tend to know what that looks like without actually needing a definition.  It will contain some of the following elements:

a border

an alphabet

numbers

spot motifs

a variety of stitches

a verse or motto

a name and date

We will probably think of the traditional antique samplers made by girls and young women in the 17th to 19th centuries and reproduced now by one of the many companies such as Hands Across The Sea or the Scarlet Lettter."

It's probably one of the first type of cross stitch we saw without even realising it.  My first project was a very small sampler along traditional lines, certainly the vase motif can be seen in many traditional samplers.

Anchor - Blue Sampler

Traditional samplers come under two main categories - reproductions and original designs.  The reproductions are recreated from genuine antique sampler owned or borrowed by the reproducer.  Sometimes they chart the sampler using the faded and muted colours we can see on the antique today, other times they use the more vibrant shades only seen when the original is carefully unframed and the back is revealed in all it's unfaded glory!

I was introduced to the world of reproduction samplers quite a few years ago when a blogger called Nicola asked for my help in setting up a SAL for a special Birthday she was celebrating.  Together we ran a blog for lovers of samplers which was so successful we had to start a second as Blogger restricts blogs to 100 contributors!  The project continued to outgrow Blogger so it moved to Facebook.

There are now nearly 10,000 members and that blogger?  She runs Hands Across The Sea designs!  Great oak trees do indeed grow from little acorns.

Those of you who know Nicola also know how generous she is.  I always got a beautiful sampler for my Birthday, two of which I actually finished!

The first was Elizabeth Burrows by the Scarlet Letter:

The second was also an Elizabeth, her surname was Shephard:

I have one which is a long running WIP, the English Transitional Sampler:

I think I will be more inspired once I complete the outlining and crack on with the infill stitching.

This is a nice sampler from a cross stitch magazine in 1998:

And this is another, from 1999:

They can be tiny:

Or rather large:

The majority of the samplers I have stitched in recent years come under the heading "Band Samplers" so I am saving them in case the People chose that topic!

If you want to see some beautiful samplers being stitched, I recommend Beth's Needlework Stash blog.

Now it's over to you.  All you have to do is make a post on the theme of Traditional Samplers, mention The People's Choice SAL (you can copy the picture I used at the top of this post and in my side bar) and my blog.  Please link up using the URL of the actual blog post, not the home page of your blog.  I look forward to seeing what you all post.

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Finally, I need your suggestions for the next poll.  Any thing, no matter how obscure, weird or random will go into the poll.  Keep the theme suggestions to a single word or two - so you could have Cats, or Green, or Holidays, or Warmth etc.  Really anything which could be illustrated in cross stitch.

April Smalls, Stitch From Stash and Pie

  

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls will be the Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas 2019 Ornament series which I started on Boxing Day 2020 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.

April was Four Calling Mallards Birds:

stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave

I added April to my Tiny Modernist Calendar

stitched on 32 count Summer Sky Belfast linen from Silkweavers

I completed Mrs Claus from Autumn Lane Stitchery.  I even framed her but that will wait until the FFO Gallery!

stitched on 28 count tea-dyed evenweave

I didn't stitch another Christmas Ornament because I used the time to stitch another seasonal design for my Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop.  This is Ostara from The Primitive Hare:

stitched with one strand on 35 count cream linen

At the tail end of April I completed my fourth Just Nan Mischievious Mouse.  This is Pumpkin Mouse:

stitched on 28 count Burnt Orange evenweave

On to the Pie, which looks like this for April:

You can see I spent half the month stitching on my Chatelaine, Gardens of London.  Some of those days were quite short but I achieved my goal of completing one telephone box and one guardsman.  The final two days I spent outlining some of the smaller gardens with metallic thread.  There is a LOT of backstitch to complete.

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

Gardens of London came up in the WIPGO call for May so I will get another week on it in May.

You've already seen the Bothy Threads 12 Days project where I have completed the first day.  It took a total of 14 days for that block which is a good indicator of how long I can expect the project to take!

Country Cottage Needlework's Main Street was just three days to finish the second shop in my Spooky Conversion.  I changed the Coffee Shop to a Broom Shop.

From this:

to this:

I kept the basic colour scheme of peach and green but changed it to a more orange shade and a limey-green  The window and door frames are dark brown and the fence went black. While the tree became an autumnal tree using DMC 4130, a variegated red/orange/brown.   Tiny changes to the shape of the roof and chimney pots.

I also added brooms in the window, a broom vertical door handle and a broom-stand instead of one of the fences.  Inbetween the two shops I added a little street light.

Here's the whole thing so far:

stitched on 32 count Murano in Charcoal Slate from Sparklies

This one has also come up for May's WIPGO so I will be starting another shop in May.

Stitch from Stash was fine, I bid on a piece of Crafty Kitten fabric in her sale and scored some bargain Just Nan charts on eBay (again).  The magazine sub and Mr. Linky sub are exempt from SFS so that's OK.

Finally, the final Stitch Maynia starts tomorrow!  As in previous years I will be completing my Just Nan-a-thon where I stitch on one Just Nan small per evening.  The list currently stands at 16 started in 2018 and 7 started in 2020 which leaves 8 new starts for this year.

Here's where I left off last year, 8 of these have been completed since then:

April WIPocalypse Pandemic Stitching

     

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 "21 in '21" for this year.  This month I stitched on 5 of them and met 1 WIPGO Goal.  

4. Chatelaine Gardens of London

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

10. Stoney Creek 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count Lime Green Linen

12. Mirabilia Fairy Idyll

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

13. Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

19. Country Cottage Needleworks Main Street

stitched on 32 count Murano in Charcoal Slate from Sparklies

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and 21 in 21

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

April - Have you found yourself to be more or less productive in your stitching during the Covid-19 pandemic?

I would say my productivity has been about the same but the times and places that I stitch have changed slightly.  Because the boys have both been at home a lot more, I have had to adapt my daily routine.  Then when the Small Boy is at school I have to use the small amount of time more wisely rather than just stitching for several hours.  There are some things like beading or fully finishing I simply can't do when he is at home.  Then you have to factor in the long walks to replace school activities and you find your time diminishing again.

However, I was furloughed for a total of 7 months of which the Small Boy was in full time school for 6 weeks, hence the recent FFO spree!  Bath-time stitching has continued so I have kept up with my smalls.

Really the only project which has suffered from neglect is my Chatelaine as that needs time and focus.  It also requires me to be sitting at my computer to check the colour chart and the instructions as well as the printed black and white version I actually stitch from.  But as you can see above, I am pressing on with the first telephone box and guardsman.  Hope to finish them this month.

Finally, Owlforest Embroidery have a new Alice in Wonderland themed SAL.  It's a free download from their website and started on Friday with one part released every two weeks until next February.  I have no room in my rotation for another large project and I can't decide whether to go for the colourful version or the reduced palette anyway.  So for now I am just downloading and saving the parts!

You can find it here - Owlforest Embroidery Free Charts

April IHSW and F.N.S.I

 

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

Friday was my first day back at work since Christmas Eve so that curtailed the stitching time dramatically!  I did put a few stitches in on my current Just Nan Band Sampler.  This is Nan's Garden:

stitched on 28 count green linen

(I must try get a better photo of the fabric!)

At bath-time I managed to complete my second Autumn Lane Stitchery design.  This is Mrs "Large Hat" Claus!  

stitched on 28 count tea-dyed evenweave

The rest of the weekend was a little bit more productive.  I focused on my Chatelaine Gardens of London and completed a phone box.  One down, three to go!  In true Martina style, there are four different shades of red, and three different colours to make the windows.

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds from Crafty Kitten

The next IHSW will be 21st - 23rd May 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.

Finally, it's time to reveal the Mystery Phrase from my Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop.  I wanted a phrase which would include the word in the project I was stitching which was this one:

stitched with one strand on 35 count cream linen

This is Ostara by The Primitive Hare, one of a series of 8 Celtic Celebrations, all found here - Primitive Hare Freebies

Now, "celebration" was too long a word so I used "solstice" instead.  I sent out all the emails with the letter and laying in bed that evening suddenly thought "it's not a Spring solstice, it's a Spring Equinox".  Whoops, too late to change now. 

Everyone did indeed find the phrase

"Spring Solstice of Ostara"

You can learn more about Ostara here.

I plan to stitch all eight of these and frame them together which is why I chose 35 count linen, so they will fit in a frame I already have.  Frugal framing!

Gifted Gorgeousness April Link-up Post

  

Welcome to the April Gifted Gorgeousness link-up.  The link-up date continues to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.

The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.

Deb sent me the charts for the Stoney Creek 2019 Ornaments which were my Stitchmas project this year. I started all 12, one per day and will be completing one per month.  April was Four Calling Birds.  I think this rather looks like a mallard duck!  Quack!

stitched on 32 count Lime Green evenweave

I still have to add the beads for this one!

From the Gift of Stitching by Nancy Pederson, called First Day of Christmas:

stitched on 28 count black evenweave using DMC 742

CCN's Main Street, this is my spooky conversion.  The charts were gifts and the fabric was a giveaway prize:

stitched on 32 count Murano in Charcoal Slate by Sparklies
(I have stitched more than that but not quite finished the block)

Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow, the chart was a Christmas present:

stitched over 1 on 25 count Cassia Rose evenweave from Chromatic Alchemy

Mirabilia Fairy Idyll was a new start, this was a gift from a friend:

stitched on 32 count Vineyard Murano from Crafty Kitten

The kit for Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas was a Christmas present.  I completed the first block:

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

My Chatelaine came out for two days, this was a gift for my Big Birthday in 2016 and many of the threads were gifts from stitchy friends.  It's a great way to kit up a Chatelaine with the silks, ask people to donate one skein as a Birthday gift,

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast by Crafty Kitten

I think that is instantly recognisable as a telephone box!  I hope to finish the box and the guardsman next to it this month.

Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "April Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month.  And link to the actual post, not just your blog.  It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.

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Finally, it's IHSW this weekend.  I'll have a late start as I'm working all day Friday.  First day back since Christmas Eve!  Looking forward to seeing what everyone else stitches.