A Curious Finish

 What could my curious finish be?

None other than my Cabinet of Curiosities, this year's Halloween SAL from Stitchonomy:

stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

I made a few minor adjustments but mostly stitched as charted.

The finials and decorative centrepiece came from another member of the FB group

The font came from Lord Libidan

I added beads to the Eye of Newt and the Mushrooms

The spider web was rotated 180 degrees and a charm added

The chains on the scales are metallic chain stitches

I added beads to the Herbs and the Tooth Necklace

Rotated the Bats by 180 degrees

Recharted the Skeleton Hand to over one

Used Satin Stitch for the Blood and Heart

Stitched the Butterflies over one

Tweaked the colours in the Unicorn's mane

Bead and metallic chain stitch to the Amulet

Changed the Eye to match my own eye colour

The Book pages are straight stitches

Extra swirls added to the Hour Glass

The Cat's body is blended grey/black

Beads added to the Jar of Tears

Ball Feet added as per another member of the FB Group

I was lucky enough to be sent the kit by Alyssa as a Thank You for all the work I do Adminning the group and love my Eye of Newt thread-holder.  If anyone is considering getting a kit, this is how much thread I had left at the end.  There is easily enough to stitch the entire project again (except the black).  Alyssa does not stint on threads!

I also have a partial finish this week.  Another block on my Joan Elliott Faces SAL, the lovely unicorn:

Once again, I stitched the main part with two strands of thread and the background with just one.

Here's the whole piece so far:

stitched on 28 count Snapdragon Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten

I also added the beads to the centre block, just a few swirls of petite gold beads to fill the gaps:

Finally, I am putting my WIPGO Board together for next year.  I have two pieces I want to focus on and also make progress on my larger pieces.  I'm trying to decide whether to have this design on three times to be able to finish it or whether to stick with my original plan to finish Little Snapdragon next year.  Decisions, decisions!

The People Chose Travel

        

This SAL is all about what you want to see on the blog.  I asked for suggestions for themes and then put them up to the members of the IHSW Group on FB to vote for their choice.  Now we are working through the choices.  This is what has been chosen:

November - Travel

December - Glitter

January - Pick a Designer

Travel - planes, trains and automobiles!

This is a little piece I stitched in 2011 for the Craftivist Collective's project A Railway Adventure.

I commuted to work in a city 30 miles away for 17 years pre-children.  I used to read, stitch or chat with fellow commuters.  We had pre-Christmas Meals together, at least two weddings and a baby from our little "train gang".  So this project was close to my heart.

Here's some of the bunting they made with our flags, mine is right in the centre!

Travel can also mean holidays, so here are two stitched pieces to remember places I travelled to:

Clovelly in Devon

and

Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland

Here's a piece I stitched on those train commutes for one of my fellow commuters.  She did pay me or I'd never have finished the thing!  It was computer charted by another friend and used far too many shades of brown and cream.

My cousin's son's Birth Sampler has a little aeroplane pulling a banner:

Madame Chantilly - On the Beach

I don't think I have many other modes of transport or travel themed pieces.

And now it's over to you.  All you have to do is make a post on the theme of Travel, 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.  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 Elephants, or Green, or Holidays, or Warmth etc.   Really anything which could be illustrated in cross stitch.

October Stitch From Stash and Pie

It's time for some Pie:

I decided to just do one day on Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow this month so I could focus on all my other Dark October projects.

I'd made a small start on Block 9 in September:

and now I'm here:

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

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 - 19 days

Block 5 - 25 days

Block 8 - 15 days

Block 9 - 3 days and counting

The Mani di Donna Halloween Sewing Basket is a fun little project.  There are two identical short sides, as below.  Then two identical long sides.  I'm thinking about making it my Dark 13th project in 2023.  I've never done that before but it would be a good way to get 12 days stitching in before next Halloween.

I've kept my usual bath-time stitching pie as well.  

The Cabinet of Curiosities has dominated!  Every single evening since the SAL started in September.  It is almost done now, only the lettering and the centre block with the charm to do now.

Finally, Stitch from Stash:

I started with my usual Shannon Christine 12 Days charts and then an impulse purchase of the new Mirabilia chart, Portrait Queen:

Isn't she just gorgeous?  I could really annoy Kate from Sparklies by asking her to hand-dye the fabric so the centre rectangle is a paler colour than the outside!

Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2022

  

 Welcome to the spooky hallowe’en mystery phrase blog hop!

All you need to do is visit each of the following blogs in order, jot down the letter displayed with their Hallowe'en stitched picture then return here and leave a comment telling me the Mystery Phrase.

It'd be nice if you left a comment on their blog too, especially if it's new to you.

I have "moderate comments before publishing" enabled so no-one can copy anyone else!

So without further ado,

start the blog hop – enter if you dare…

An Arizona Stitcher

Life Outside the Washing Basket

Needle, Pen & Sword

A Patchwork of Crafts

Mary's Thread

Jocondine

Aimetu's Stitching

Books, Crafts and Other Procrastinations

Guava Gems

Tales of a Stitching Mouse

The Flashing Scissors

Dragon Stitches & Stuff by Astrid

Tickled Pink in Stitches

Today I Found

and then back to me to comment with the phrase.

Hope you've worked it out!

I've been working away on my Spooky Stitching this month which included a finish for Just Nan's Scream House, a Just Nan Mouse I really need to make up, one roof piece for my 3D Spooky Mansion (which was incredibly tricky) and some lovely progress on my Mani di Donna Halloween Sewing Basket. As well as a whole shop completed for my CCN Spooky Main Street Conversion.

Which now looks like this:

stitched on 32 count Charcoal Slate Murano from Sparklies

I decided to turn the Grocey Store in the Potions Store. I did consider Pumpkins because it would have been easy to change the fruit into orange pumpkins. But there were two little bottles in the window of the original shop so they became potion bottles.

I added the side extention to the shop to replace the outside fruit displays. It reminds me of a Chemist Shop from the part of town I lived in as a child. The shop was on a corner and down one side wall was a totally enclosed window space which had an enormous glass bottle inside. To a child, there was no way they could have got out of there so obviouslt it had been sealed in for some reason. As an adult, I guess the back wall was actually a door and could be opened!

Just for fun, I Googled the shop and look - they have bricked up the window!! It's on the left of the photo.

Also, it's a Bridal shop now. I don't think my witches need one of those! But the style of the building would not look out of place in my Main Street.

Here are some more photos of my Spooky Stitching on display this year:

 

Finally, don't forget, some of us are on different time zones so if you visit a blog and can't find a letter or picture yet, pop back later in the day.

The phrase will stay a mystery for one week then all comments will be shown from 7th November, 2022.

happy hunting!

        

all from Hyraea

October WIPocalypse Halloween 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 "22 in '22" for this year.  Since my last post I have stitched on 3 of them, although I will get a day on Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow tomorrow.

4. Bothy Threads 12 Days of Christmas

stitched on 32 count grey-blue linen

10. Stitchonomy Cabinet of Curiosities

stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

15. CCN - Main Street Grocery Store

stitched on 32 count Charcoal Slate Murano from Sparklies

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

Measi always gives us a topic to discuss too.

October - Do you prefer Halloween or Christmas stitching?

Mwah ha hah - what do you think?

According to the Happy Dance Blog, the totals are now:

Christmas - 47
Halloween - 95

Finally, here's another sneak peek of my Halloween stitching decor.  The rocks are ones I painted and can't part with just yet!

October Smalls

         

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Mary's Thread

This year my Smalls are supposed to be the Jardin Prive 12 Days of Christmas which I started on Boxing Day 2021 for the 12 Days of Stitchmas.  But it's Dark October and the Stitchonomy Cabinet of Curiosities has been my priority for that time-slot.

And here's my progress:

stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

I have stitched half the last block for Day 31 but now I'm focusing on the frame to get that done.

The Haunted Mansion roof pieces are all stitched now, ready to assemble:

Just Nan's Scream House got FFO'd:

I even managed another day on my Mani di Donna Halloween Sewing Basket:

stitched on 32 count grey linen

I haven't quite got round to FFO'ing Miss Stitchy Witchy Mouse yet, maybe a job for the weekend.

Finally, the Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop will take place on Monday 31st October.  Thanks to everyone who signed up.  You should be receiving an email tomorrow, so keep your eyes open!

 

October TUSAL and Stitching Library

      

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current project:

Those small pieces of blue stitching are all the roof sections for my 3D Haunted Mansion building.  I already completed the building and now I just have to make three roofs and it will be done.

Here's the main building:

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: Cross Stitch Myth and Magic

Author: Various

Publisher: David & Charles
ISBN: 9780715322109

This is a very eclectic collection of subjects and designs!  

The cover is Merlin by Maria Diaz

This one is The Princess and the Unicorn by Susan Penny.  

There's an unusual technique to making the mane and tail which is very effective.

This one is why I bought the book - The Princess and the Dragon by Teresa Wenztler.

This would look great framed with Dragon Rider which I stitched some time ago.

This one is another Susan Penny, called Frost Fairy there are some interesting techniques used here too. Plus a beaded border!

There are a couple of Asian designs, this is Oriental Dragon by Rungrat Puthikul 

The Dolphins come under the Mystic Deep section and are designed by Sue Cook

(like I said - eclectic!)

The final Sue Cook design is fabulous, Celestial Heaven features a very nice Zodiac with a fancy border all around.  You can also finish them as individual ornaments.

As well as the large designs for each chapter there are plenty of smaller charts which haven't been stitched as models so I can't show them!

I did stitch this blackwork castle as a Teacher Gift a few years back:

I must have really liked this teacher as that is all metallic!

Finally, there will be a Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop as usual this year. I am sure you all know how it works but for those who need a reminder - here's a link to last year's:

2021 Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop

If you want to take part, just leave a comment here or email me if you are a "no reply" person. I need an email address for you to take part in this hop.