June IHSW

  

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.

This weekend I've been working on Amanda Butler's Alice in Wonderland Sampler.

Things I love about this design:

It's Alice in Wonderland
It is based on the original Tenniel drawings

The charting is very good

The fun details in the border
Her use of colour

Things I don't like:

She uses one random Tim Burton design instead of all Tenniel
She used one block from Through The Looking Glass but no others
She didn't use The Caterpiller but did include the minor characters of the two footmen.

I also didn't like the final block of the King and Queen of Hearts.

I charted my own version of The Queen of Hearts to replace the Footmen.  Then I charted the final scene of Alice in the Courtroom.

Here she is without backstitch:

and here she is with the backstitching done:

After I was finished with that block I went to beading the vine.  There's a lot of beading but it's fun to do.  I'm attaching the beads with the dark green so I can add them as I go.

stitched on 32 count Yellow Belfast linen

The next IHSW will be 15th - 17th July 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, I will be attempting my annual Longest Day Marathon tomorrow.  The Longest Day is actually Tuesday but unfortunately I have to work that day.  For new followers, this is obviously a stitching marathon and not a running one!  On this day I attempt to stitch on each of my WIPs for 20-30 minutes.  The last couple of years I have had to spread the marathon over two days because of other commitments but I am hoping to get it all done in one day this year.  We shall see!  If anyone want to join me, you'd be very welcome.  Just post on your blog or in the IHSW group.

Here's last year's post so you can see how I got on: Longest Day Marathon 2021

Gifted Gorgeousness June Link-up Post

    

Welcome to the June 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.

My main gifted project is my Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow which is my focus project for the year.  Last GG I had nearly finished Block 1.  Which was completed at the start of June:

Then I started on Block 5 which is almost all full-coverage:

Here's where I am now:

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

My Chatelaine, Gardens of London was a gift for my last Big-0 Birthday, different people bought me the chart, the fabric, the DMC and some of the speciality threads.

Here's where I finished at the end of last month:

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

My current Just Nan was a gift as it's a Travelling Pattern.  This is Tea with Honey:

stitched on 28 count dusky pink linen

and a close-up of the bees:

This little dragon is stitched on some gifted fabric.  The design is #2 in a series of 12 from Stitch It Picasso on Etsy:

stitched on 32 count Autumnal Woodland by Crafty Kitten

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 "June 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.

*

*

Finally, it's IHSW this coming weekend followed by The Longest Day Marathon so expect to see ALL my WIPs stitched on that day.

Finally Fully Finishing for June

     

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).

We continue the trend of "just one thing to show" with a charity shop frame for my Just Nan Lily Pond sampler:

The backing fabric is a sample from a book which was donated to our local church.  I use the samplers as backings for ornament or framed pieces if they are suitable.

Finally I am making good progress with my Just Nan Super Summer SAL.  This is Tea with Honey.  

stitched on 28 count Dusky Pink linen

Then I added the white Perle to the top, it adds a nice texture to the piece.

The People Chose Beads

   

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:

June - Beads

July - Pets

August - Outer Space

I think there is one name that instantly springs to mind when we say "Beads" and that is Mill Hill.  They make the most popular and easily obtainable beads and also chart some fabulous designs using their beads, often combined with some stitching.

Here is Winter Wonderland, stitched on perforated paper:

And Xmas:

This little Halloween design is probably 50% beads:

As is this one - Frosted Heather Rose:

Just Nan uses a lot of beads to embellish her designs and you can see this in my most recent sampler finish; Lily Pond:

Some designs can be 90% beads such as my Stitchonomy Snowflake SAL:

And some have them to enhance the 3D effect of an ornament, such as this Sue Hillis Christmas Tree:

Going through my photos, almost any of my projects could have been chosen for this month!  I do like a little bit of bling.

And now it's over to you.  All you have to do is make a post on the theme of Series of Beads, 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.

*

*

Finally, I need your suggestions for the next poll.  Anything, 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.

May Stitch from Stash and Pie

 It's time for some end of the month Pie!

Continuing to hit my 14 days goal on Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow.  This month I only stitched on Block 1 which went from here:

to here:

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

I'll continue with Block 1 in June and then drop down to Block 5 underneath it which is another very full coverage block.  I can see this one taking at least 3 weeks.

So far the number of days is:

Block 7 - 13 days

Block 6 - 16 days

Block 2 - 19 days

Block 3 - 20 days

Block 4 - 15 days

Block 1 - 14 days and counting

After my 14 days on Hawk Run Hollow I turned to a new start, the next Scary Apothecary from Hands On Design.  I stitched on Skeleton Polish until I finished it after 7 days.

stitched on 28 count Radioactive line from Chromatic Alchemy

Then to my long term BAP, my Chatelaine.  I love this design so much but it's pretty intense stitching.  I really have to read and reread the chart and instructions each time I pick it up.  Not helped because I have substituted some of the silks.  But I keep good notes, thankfully.

The time around I stitched a second guardsman:

 and the pretty rose border:

This is where I am now:

stitched on 32 count Belfast in Cotton Clouds by Crafty Kitten

It's on my WIPGO Board once more for this year so I might continue with those rose borders around the other three gardens and start the next row of border which is quite a simple one of cross stitch and eyelets.  Also complete the gold backstitch in all of the smaller gardens.

I haven't done an Evening Pie because it was all my Just Nan-athon.  A different Just Nan Small each evening.  Stitched on the anniversary of when each one was started.  Here's the complete range:

And best of all - I got a finish!  Day 29 was the Tiny Toile Heart and it really is tiny.  I stitched it over 1 on 32 count.  Here it is with my scissors for scale:

I just did a little red doodad or bead to fill the little gap and then FFO it somehow.

Finally, on to Stitch from Stash:

I have an eBay alert on for Just Nan charts and managed to hook a Class Project - Star of Light for just £6.99 which was a bargain.  Chart only but the prices are starting to rise.  It's not unusual to see them asking £10-15 for one of the samplers now.  The other chart was an Ornamental Treasure small that I didn't have.

Year in the Woods is the Carriage House Sampling series I signed up for the auto-ship from Sparklies.  Quite unusual for me but I liked the first two so thought I'd take a punt on the series.  Mr. Linky is so we can all continue to enjoy my Linky SALs each month, so that's a gift for you all!

May TUSAL and My Stitching Library

 

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current project:

I completed the second guardsman this afternoon and will now work on the border for one day.

What's on my Shelf?

This is a new feature I'm going to include on my TUSAL post until I run out of books! I started a Page on my Happy Dance blog for my Stitching Library and realised what a huge task it was so decided to break it down to one book per month. For the next four years...

Title: The Best of Teresa Wentzler Fantasy Collection Volume 2

Author: Teresa Wenztler

Publisher: Leisure Arts 
ISBN: 9781574865974

I only have Volume 2 and I think both this and number 1 are rather hard to get .  To be honest, they are the original hand-drawn charts in a softback book so if you love the designs - buy the charts instead as they will be much easier to stitch from!

The front cover shows The Guardian, a Watch Dragon:

These two are The Storyteller (based on a picture by Maxfield Parrish which Teresa loved as a young child) and The Enchanter, a young mage learning his craft:

These four are Petite designs, on the left - Peacock Majesty and Gentle Creature.  On the right - Castle Ridge and Above the Clouds:

I stitched Above the Clouds in 2005

These two are Celestial Dragon and the Fantasy Triptych

And two aquatic themed pieces - Mermaid and Tradewinds

To see a good picture of Mermaid, check out Leonore's blog

This is a beautiful book with some lovely projects.  Teresa introduces each design and talks about her childhood and love of fantasy, especially the dragons.  It makes it even harder to understand why she has been turned away from these gorgeous animals.  I hope she comes back to us one day so more people can buy the designs and stitch them for themselves.

Finally, I'm planning my Summer Blog Hop so I'll be talking about that in the next month.

May WIPocalypse Retreats and Seminars

       

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 "22 in '22" for this year.  Since my last post I stitched on 5 of them and had 1 "nearly finish", I just need to add some spiders to Skeleton Polish.  

2. Kustom Krafts Little Snapdragon

stitched on 32 count Murano in Evening Sky from Crafty Kitten

3. Chatelaine Gardens of London

stitched on 32 count Cotton Clouds Belfast from Crafty Kitten

5. Carriage House Samplings Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow

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

11. Hands On Design Scary Apothecary Skeleton Polish

stitched on 28 count Radioactive Linen from Chromatic Alchemy

17. Jardin Prive 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count Millenium Blue linen

The full list can be seen here - WIPocalypse and 22 in 22

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

May – Retreats and seminars – have you ever been to any stitching events? If so, tell us about them!

I have been on two quite different retreats.  The first was a Re-Treat with the emphasis on the treat.  Two sisters owned a converted barn where they held the retreats for only 6 other ladies at a time.  One sister taught the stitching and the other sister did the cooking and also the pampering in the evenings.   I had a wonderful time!  We spent three days just stitching, chatting, eating, having our nails done and shopping in the pop-up shop they had there.

This is the Jane Greenoff class project I completed some years later!

The second was more formal, based in London at the Imperial College in Kensington,  I signed up for a goldwork course.  This was fascinating but sadly I never finished the project.   Eventually I sent it to Dima as she has more chance of completing it than I do.

So my ideal retreat would be a combination of the two; time to chat and a class to learn a new technique or a special class project with a designer I admire.  I would love to get together with more stitchers, especially my blogging friends so if anyone is passing this way do get in touch and come round for coffee and stitching!