July TUSAL

It's TUSAL time!

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current project:

This is Joan Elliott's Faces SAL started back in 2014.  I did well to start with but didn't like the cat chosen for Block 2 so the project stalled.

I completed the first block in good time:

August 2014

Then it sat until the DUCJC in January 2015:

Fast forward to Joan Elliott July 2017 and her arms got stitched:

Longest Day 2018

Longest Day 2019

Longest Day 2020

Today:

The plan is to spend as much time on her this month as I can and see if I can complete this block.  There's a lot of over one skin to be done.  We shall see.

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?  I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.  Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

July 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.

I started the weekend by working on Friday, since we have reopened Friday has become my "set day" as that is when the Small Boy was at school, until the end of term anyway.

I did get to stitch on a Just Nan Small in my lunchbreak as well as at bath-time.  This one is Jasmine Mix:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha

For Saturday and Sunday I worked on Discworld Mappe for my focus piece.  Then this happened:

Yes, I completed the final corner of the Mappe!

I made one small change to the design, the original has the credit to the person who drew the original artwork so I changed that to "Stitched by me".  I also believe that is a Murder Hornet from the Cataclysmic Year of 2020:

The little boat was the last motif to be stitched:

All I need to do now is go over all 30 pages and make sure I haven't missed anything and then backstitch the Longitude and Latitude lines.  Or whatever the Discworld has instead.  Lots of couched straight lines.

I also started Week 3 of my Just Nan Summer Band Sampler SAL with Leonore.  We are both stitching Morning Meadow:

stitched on 32 count pale green linen

I made the bunnies two shades darker as the charted colour didn't show up so well.  The next band down is Rice Stitch in the same colour as the strawberries.  I am using a blend of 3687/3688 which is coming out a bit dark for this band.  I am going to start at the other end doing the main X in the darker shade and the corner stitches in the paler shade and see how that looks.

Finally, the next IHSW will be 21st-23rd August 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.

July Gifted Gorgeousness Link-up Post

Welcome to the July 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 project for Gifted Gorgeousness has been my Discworld Mappe by Lyndisfarne Designs, which will be a gift for my son.  This is the portion I have been working on in July, not much to show yet, I just added some islands and a cute Sea Monster:

stitched on 32 count Murano custom-dyed by Sparklies

My current Just Nan design, Holly Noel, was a gift from Brenda:

stitched on 28 count Beige evenweave

I've actually stitched a lot more than that but I am saving the photos for when I have added the beads!

The final gifted project for this month is the 12 Days of Christmas by JBW.  Two of my friends bought two charts each for my Christmas present.  I started one design per day for the 12 Days of Stitchmas and have completed the Seventh Day: 

stitched on 40 count white linen, 1 over 2

My real-life stitchy friend has a Birthday at the end of this month.  As we haven't been able to meet up in person for so long, I decided to make her a Bitchy Socks Box.  Not to be confused with Stitchy Box as that is TM.   She has a small parcel to open each day in July until her Birthday on the 29th.  Here they all are:

The gifts are a mixture of things I have bought (e.g. some GAST threads), things from my stash (e.g. charms) and things I have made (e.g. scissor fob) as well as some hand painted aida.  I discovered that diluted acrylic paint is great for painting aida.  If it's too bright - just give it a tea bath!

It's been a fun thing to do and she is enjoying each parcel.

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 "July 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, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?  I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.  Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

Painting the Roses Red

We're painting the roses red
We dare not stop or waste a drop
So let the paint be spread

We're painting the roses red
We're painting the roses red


I thought I'd do a whole post about my Alice in Wonderland SAL this month.  Designed by Amanda Butler, it started in Cross Stitcher magazine in the February 2020 issue 353 with the border and has continued with one block per month since then.  So far, we have seven blocks.  Six of which are based on the original Tenniel illustrations and one random one based on the Tim Burton Alice film.  Not sure why that is?

Here are the first six blocks as a recap:

And here is the latest addition, first before backstitch:

And then after:

This was quite a fiddly block to stitch, all those little spades were one x and then backstitch to make the shape.  Same with the roses - two colours in each and then backstitch.  People were joking that they had thought we were done with roses after the whole border!

And the whole piece so far:

stitched on 32 count yellow Belfast linen

I really need to spend a day working on the border!  I can't do it at bath-time because of the beads.

So who is missing?  Who will be in the final five?  My guesses include the Caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat.  So far we only have one block from Looking Glass, so maybe Humpty Dumpty or the Red Queen?

Maybe the talking flowers?

What do you think?

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?   I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.    Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

Fully Finishing Fun for July

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).

You have already seen my big finish for the month and unfortunately that is the only thing I finished!  I had good intentions of doing some scrapbooking but between making an exploding card for one friend and a Birthday Countdown bag for another, my "not cross stitch craft time" was all used up.

Here's the bag:

Here is my lovely Alphabet Book again.  This is a series of free charts from Brooke's Books which I stitched over the course of 26 months for the The Alphabet Club SAL on this blog.  Then the project stalled while I procrastinated over actually fully-finishing it.  I deliberately put it on my WIPocalypse list this year to force me to do it!

I have been busy stitching this month.  I started with my 12 Days of Christmas by JBW Designs.  We are up to Day 7 - Swans a-Swimming:

stitched on 40 count white linen

This is a beautiful design.  But look at the water and the darker blue in the swan.  Now look at the cover picture:

Is that water stitched in the charted colour like mine is?  No.

But I was not about to frog it so I made the swan lighter, DMC 3753.  You expect the odd error, but every chart in the series so far has errors.  They need a new proof reader!

The next project in my rotation is the Scary Apothecary series by Hands On Design.  I started the third one this month:

stitched on 28 count linen in Radioactive by Chromatic Alchemy

Once again I am using the DMC conversion except for the black which is Weeks Dye Works Kohl.  One skein has done the first three designs in the series.

The pink in the middle is a blend of DMC 316 and 3726 rather than the charted variegated CC thread.

I find using blends instead of variegated threads often works better than the charted colour.

I did the same for my new SAL with Leonore.  Earlier this year we decided to do a Summer SAL together.  She gave me a list of the Just Nan band samplers she has and we chose one we both have.  The plan is to stitch a portion per week over the summer.  The design is Morning Meadow.

I started mine the first weekend in July and stitched the top row:

I substituted the charted Caron Waterlilies for a variegated Jodyri Thread which looked great on the skein but stitched up like a radish.  So I tried a blend of 3687 and 3688 and stitched the remaining three strawberries.  Much better.  I frogged the radishes and restitched them.

stitched on 32 count pale green Belfast linen.

The second row is another Waterlilies thread.  There are some beads in this row so I looked up the DMC to match them and got 3689 which was serendipitous as it goes with the blends I chose for the first row.  I am blending that with Ecru and it looks great so far.

Finally, the Summer Blog Hop.  Anyone want to do a Summer Blog Hop this year?   I thought we could do a Know Your Blogging Friends Hop.  I allocate you the name of a fellow blogger and you make a post about them, showing something you think they would like to stitch.    Could be something you have stitched or something you found online you think they would like to stitch.

So, for example, if you got me as your Blogging Friend you would write a post about my Blog Hops and show a dragon design (or 2!).

To take part, leave a comment here.  I'll take sign-ups through to the 28th July and then allocate names with the posts going up on 8th August (It was my Nana's Birthday).

The People Chose The Designer They Have Stitched The Most

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:

July - The Designer You Have Stitched the Most

August - Freedom
September - Geometric

I mentioned last time that this was a special post for me - it's my Nine Hundredth and Ninety-Ninth post!  So that deserves a special theme for The People Chose.  This is not your favourite designer, this is the one you have stitched the most.  (They do NOT all have to be finishes either.  You might have 97 Mirabilia WIPs, that still counts.) They may be the same, the answer may surprise you or your followers.  However I don't think my answer will surprise anyone.

In third place I had JBW Designs with 20 finished projects.  In second place was Joan Elliott with 30 finished pieces.  And in the Number One spot....

drum roll

with 80 finishes

Just Nan!

(funny how they all begin with J, isn't it?)

From my very first JN finish in 1999, which was Gabriella:

to my new start today for a Summer SAL with Leonore, Morning Meadow:

stitched on 32 count Pale Green Linen

Just Nan has something for almost every stitcher.

There are seasonal designs:

Seasonal Band Samplers

Seasonal Typography

Seasons in the Square

Spooky designs:

Christmas designs:

Friendship designs:

Memories

Diamond Bouquet

And the smalls, lots and lots of smalls!

Now it's over to you.  All you have to do is make a post on the theme of The Designer You Have Stitched the Most, 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 Blue, or Holidays, or Warmth etc. Really anything which could be illustrated in cross stitch.

Looking forward to reading them all!