July Smalls

      

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

Because I am focusing on my BAPs again, I won't have so many smalls this year but I do have a couple of series with small components so I will share them this month.

The first is the Blackwork Tarot by Circle Cross.  I have finished Gemini, and almost completed Cancer:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

My evening project is quite small too, Turn, Turn, Turn by Noteworthy Needle.  Lots of trees!  Next up is another Winter Tree:

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen

Finally,  here's a glimpse of my latest papercraft project.  It's a locked page card:

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 managed to work on all three of the projects I planned to focus on with Little Snapdragon up first.

From here:

to here:

stitched on 32 count Evening Sky Murano from Crafty Kitten

I completed the Spring Tree on Turn, Turn, Turn and moved onto the Summer Tree.

From here:

to here:

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen

I made some great progress on Cancer from Circle Cross' Zodiac series.

From here:

to here:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

Finally, the next IHSW will be 18th - 20th 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.

The Start of IHSW for July

 

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.


For once, I'm not working on a Friday so was able to make a start today!  I'm focusing on Little Snapdragon with the hope of finishing it this month.

I only have the flowers left now which are a mixture of blue and purple colours.  So far I have stitched three shades of very dark blue:

stitched on 32 count Evening Sky Murano from Crafty Kitten

This evening I will continue with Turn, Turn, Turn working on the lovely Spring Tree:

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen

I'll also find some time to fit in a length or two on Cancer from Circle Cross' Zodiac series:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

Finally, here's a new design from Circle Cross which I absolutely fell in love with as soon as I saw it:

More information here - Circle Cross Norse Mythos Mandala

July TUSAL and Stitching Library

       

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current projects, Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow and Turn, Turn, Turn:

Here are the ORTs for Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow before I popped them in the main jar:

You can clearly see the two main colours I've been using this month are cream and brown!

Here's Turn, Turn, Turn from Noteworthy Needle, that's the Spring Tree at the top and the Autumn Tree underneath.  The Summer and Winter trees are to the left along the seam.

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen

What's on my Shelf?

This is a 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: Needlework Designs for Miniature Projects

Author: Eileen Folk

Publisher: Dover Needlework Series
ISBN: 9780486246604

This book promises 64 charts for cross stitch and needlework spread over the four room settings shown in the photos.

The cover shows the elegant Oriental themed Dining Room.  I love the screen with the dragon and that beautiful blue rug.

This room is the Pink Bedroom with a lovely sampler over the mantelpiece and a traditional quilt on the quilt rail.

This room is described as an "Early American Living Room" with a fireplace, another lovely quilt and no sign of a television!

The final photo shows a Nursery with a birth sampler, height chart and a fun rabbit rug.

There are also charts for a Yellow and Green Bedroom although there is no photo for this room setting.

The book was published in 1984 and so the charts are hand-drawn but even so they are very clear and easy to follow.  I'd love to have a dolls house or even just an Oriental Room Setting!

Finally, I have been making something miniature but I can't show you until after I have given it to the intended recipient.  I'll post photos for Gifted Gorgeousness in August.

 

Gifted Gorgeousness July 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.

Once again, for the first fortnight my focus has been Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow.  The plan is to stitch this for two weeks each month until it is finished.  Which could be next month!

  

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

I am continuing with my Dark 13 project which is Mani di Donna's Halloween Sewing Basket.  The plan for this one is to stitch it on the 13th of every month.

stitched on 32 count grey linen

I made some more progress on the Elements from Circle Cross' Tarot design and completed the first Zodiac sign - Gemini:  

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

I made a start on Cancer this morning:

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.

*

*

Finally, a new start which is also a gifted chart from the lovely Astrid.  I first saw a video for this design in July 2018 and contacted Noteworthy Needle to be told it was a class piece only.  Fast forward five years and the chart for Turn Turn Turn is finally available to purchase which is what my lovely friend Astrid did and sent it to me along with a basket of goodies including some amazing variegated DMC.

I thought I had some nice fabric for it but all my blues were either too light or too dark so I bought the recommended linen and was finally able to make a start this month:

stitched on 32 count Sea Spray linen

What you have to do is fold the fabric along the margin and stitch through two layers for the first two columns to make a strong edge for when you put the thing together.

I'm going to work on this each evening until it is done!  I don't have the Weeks it is charted for so I'm using a mixture of variegated DMC and some blended DMC if I don't have a good variegated.

Finally Fully Finished 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).

I've got a big one this month - a large framed piece that was finished last year.

Just a nice standard frame from B&M the homeware shop

Here's the individual blocks again, starting with the one that convinced me to stitch this mystery SAL:

followed by the only one that isn't by Tenniel:

The Tweedles, who aren't in Alice in Wonderland at all.  
The Caterpillar should have been here:

Painting the Roses Red, I love the Disney song

The Duchess, another great character you don't see so often

I'm very proud of this block, it was designed as the two footmen so I charted the Queen of Hearts in her iconic pose myself

This final block was also charted by me.  The original was the King and Queen in court but I have always liked this illustration better.

"You're nothing but a pack of cards!"

I also had a part finish at the weekend, the first of the Zodiac Signs from Circle Cross

I added beads to create the constellation of Gemini instead of cross stitches

Here's the whole design so far:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

Finally, I had a new start but as it's only a double line of brown x stitches, we'll save that for Gifted Gorgeousness as it was a gift from a blogging friend.

The People Chose Abstract

 

This SAL is all about what you want to see on the blog.  I asked for suggestions for themes from followers of my blog and then put them up to the members of the IHSW Group on FB to vote for their choice.  We are currently working our way through the choices.  This is what was chosen:

July - Abstract

August - Fairies

September - Small

I think this is going to be a short post...

Abstract - relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours, and textures.

I tend to prefer stitching which either looks like what it is or is a nice pattern, such as my samplers.  Bt I did manage to find a couple of things which could fit the description.

This was a Gazette 94 freebie called Autumn Patchwork that I stitched back in 2011.  It's kind of abstract.

These are from a French blog found here - Marie-Thérèse Saint-Aubin.  She designed it to be a pretty pansy, I stitched four of them in wild colours.  So they are a bit abstract!

However there is also this definition:

Abstract - existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.

Which could cover so many of my projects which exist purely in my head right now!  I have a lot of thoughts about various colour conversions, spooky conversion or collaged projects.  Series of designs I could stitch.

Here's one of them - Princess Elliana but in the colours of Nora's original sketch:

Obviously I want to stitch all the Zodiac Girls from Nora Corbett but I also want to stitch all the Satsuma Street Zodiac signs.  And the set from the Julie Hasler book I showed in my Stitching Library.

I have a lot of 12 Days of Christmas designs and had the idea of stitching all the Partridge in a Pear Tree charts as a big collage.   Or maybe a scrapbook album?

Remember this design from Joan Elliott?  I'd love to do more of her fairies like this:

So that's all quite abstract and unreal too!

Now it's over to you. All you have to do is make a post on the theme of Abstract, 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.