Stitch Maynia 2018 (Starts 1-7)

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

It has begun!  The craziness that is Stitch Maynia 2018 is up and running! 

If you have been hearing, or seeing, all the recent references to Stitch Maynia around the social media world, but don't actually know what Stitch Maynia is about.... below is my brief description....

Back in 2015 a group of stitchers decided to give themselves a challenge and do 15 starts in 15 days in the month of May.  Now this sounded like a manic type of thing to do hence the challenge was called "Stitch Mania" with Mania being spelt with a "y" to denote the month of May!  A Facebook group was born out of the original challenge and this year the challenge just seems to have completely exploded!  A link to the Stitch Maynia Facebook Group is linked here.  The group has over 10,000 people in it now and it is just the most fun place to go to see beautiful stitching*** 

This year my Stitch Maynia plan is to try and do 18 starts in 18 days for 2018 and then spend the rest of the month of May focusing on one or two WIPs (that part is still to be decided about!)

So hold onto your hats... take a seat, grab a cuppa and enjoy the show!

Start 1/18 - 1st May 2018
Start #29/2018
Awareness Ribbon Sampler
Ink Circles
Fabric: 32ct Belfast - studio sessions piece / Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: Jodyri "Perfect Purple" / DMC
Source: Free chart - 2006 Complimentary Chart Book (Free goodies - Ink Circles website)
Notes:  I am stitching this in purples for Fibro Awareness as a SAL with the Fibro Stitchers FB Group

Start 2/18 - 2nd May 2018
Start #30/2018
American Pie
Mill Hill Kit
Fabric: 14ct perforated paper
Thread: DMC kit threads

Start 3/18 - 3rd May 2018
Start #31/2018
Cookie Bear
Gill Cooper
Fabric: 14ct Aida
Thread: DMC kit threads
Source: Free gift - World of Cross Stitching Magazine Issue #265

Start 4/18 - 5th May 2018
Start #32/2018
Boo Club - Eek
Lizzie Kate
Fabric: 28ct Lugana "Wicked Garden" / Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: DMC & WDW, Classic Colourworks as charted

(NB: as you can see I still have the "Spider" block and more border to complete from last month before I can say I am up to date on this one!)

Start 5/18 - 5th May 2018
Start #33/2018
Lesson #1 Summer Schoolhouse Series
With Thy Needle & Thread
Fabric: 28ct Lugana "Mushroom"
Thread: Classic Colourworks/Weeks Dye Works as charted
Notes: stitched 1 over 1 on 28ct

Starts 4 & 5 were both started on Saturday 5th May as we were out on Friday 4th and I didn't end up getting any stitching time in other than 15 mins to stitch a tiny bit more of the spider web on Boo Club so that I could start "Eek".  I then spent way too much time on "Eek" o Saturday afternoon which meant that "Lesson 1" only got a light touch when we got back from dinner on Saturday night.... busy social weekend in our house - for a change!

Start 6/18 - 6th May 2018
Start #34/2018
Forest Snowfall
Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 28ct Opal Brittney "November Rain" 2017 Limited Edition / Jodyri Designs
Thread:  DMC & Classic Colourworks as charted
Other SALs: #pcforestsnowfallsal with Chelsea & Priscilla

Start 7/18 - 7th May 2018
Start #35/2018
Temple View
Maia Kit
Fabric: 18ct Aida (kit fabric)
Thread:  Anchor (kit thread)

I have had this kit (and it's sister kit "Pagoda View") in my stash for quite some time... I even did a post about it when I received it from the UK in 2010!

So that's Week 1 of "Stitch Maynia"  done and dusted.... 11 more starts to come to achieve 100% for this challenge - I am pretty sure that I can manage that 😉  The next phase of the challenge I am combining with another Stitch Maynia group SAL celebrating Katy "The Stash Queen's" birthday, which means I there should, hopefully, be some method to my madness! Or not!! 😁

Til next time, happy Stitch Maynia and happy stitching
Hugs xx



*** Stitch Maynia FB Group Disclaimer... they do allow adult stitching type content so be aware that there is the occasional subversive post in the group! Most of us just scroll on by, or block the poster, if we don't wish to see that sort of stitching.

The long forgotten March Stitching Update

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

Ok... here we go again.... another update post.... you don't hear from me for months and then you get your blog news feed filled up with my stitching!!  I found this in my draft blog listing - apparently I forgot to come back and finish it off and post it!! 😟

So what was in the stitching basket for March?

I previously posted my March WIPocalypse post and the update is here.  On that post I showed you Christmas Quaker II, Boo Club, Happily Ever After, Little Sheep Virtues and Shimmering Mermaid.  They each got some love, as did some other WIPs.  There were some new starts and some finishes during March that weren't in the linked post.. so strap yourself in and let's go back to the future!

Finish #9/2018
Warm Hands, Warm Heart - The Little Stitcher
Started: 28th February 2018
Finished: 5th March 2018
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Antique Ivory"
Threads: DMC & Whisper White
Source: Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2017

March Start and Finish #10/2018

Snow! - Carolyn Manning Designs
Started: 10th March 2018
Finished: 11th March 2018
Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Arabian Nights" Stitches & Spice
Threads: DMC, Kreinik 9294
Source: Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2017

March Start and Finish #11/2018

Spring Fling - Val's Stuff
Started: 24th March 2018
Finished: 25th March 2018
Fabric: 28ct Cashel "Fairy Forest" Stitches & Spice
Threads: DMC as charted
Source: Free chart

Stitching Progress and New Starts for March

New Start
Christmas Carols - Country Cottage Needleworks
Started: 11th March 2018
Fabric: 28ct Brittney "Scottish Heather" Jodyri Designs
Threads: DMC as charted

New Start
Leprechaun Lodge - Blue Ribbon Designs
Started: 17th March 2018
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Peacock Fantasy" Stitches & Spice
Threads: DMC & WDW

New Start
A Stitcher's Prayer - Little House Needleworks
Started: 18th March 2018
Fabric: 28ct Opal Brittney "Mulled Wine" Jodyri Designs
Threads: DMC

Reindog - Mill Hill Kit
Started: 12th February 2018

Here's my little bar graph for March.... Boo Club got most of the love during March, followed very closely by Happily Ever After.

I should be on time for an April update as long as I don't get side tracked again!!

Til next time... happy stitching!

Gifted Gorgeousness April 2018

GG SAL hosted by Jo (Serendipitous Stitching)

Guess what!  I have 2 GG finishes to show you this month! What a surprise......

First up is a GG piece that I have been stitching on for a very long time.... my original post about this gift was way back in 2013, however I didn't start stitching on this particular project until January 2015.

Finish #14/2018
Gift from Kaye (Kitten Stitching)
"Moutons de Saisons - Ete" - Collection Tra La La
Started: 9 January 2015
Finished: 2 April 2018
Fabric: 28ct Cashel "Fairy Forest" Stitches & Spice
Threads: DMC as charted

As you can see from the picture above I didn't have a lot to finish the last time I put it down... so over Easter I made a concerted effort to get that border finished!  I still have the Winter and Autumn ones to do so my Moutons de Saisons will re-appear on the GG posting schedule again one day!

The next finish I have to show you is a more recent start...

Finish #13/2018
Gift from Tiff (Tiffstitches A Blog)
"Dream Big" - Country Cottage Needleworks
Started: 1 May 2017
Finished: 1 April 2018
Fabric: 28ct Brittney "Dawn of Spring" Jodyri Designs
Threads: mix of DMC, Weeks Dye Works & Jodyri Designs

This is another one that I focused on over the Easter break and got finished!  I love the carrot... I stitched that in a Jodyri Designs limited edition thread - it is the same thread that I used for the flowers in the border but looks a little bit different in a large block than in the little flowers.

Are you ready for another mid-month update on Boo Club?

Finish #7, 8 and 11/2018
Giveaway prize from Nifty Needle Nannies 2016
"Boo Club" - Lizzie Kate
Started: 1 January 2018
Fabric: 28ct Lugana "Wicked Garden" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC black & white, all other WDW as per chart

I have now started the Spiders block and the border continues to slowly grow!

That's all for this post.... I will be back again one day soon for more stitchy updates!

Til next time, have a great stitchy week... take care and happy stitching xx

Because I love this picture so much I am going to keep it at the bottom of every GG post.... Miss Mouse is the most loving puppy you could ever have... her love is a gift to us so I think it is quite fitting that she is in my 2018 GG posts!

Jo from Serendipitous Stitching hosts the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL.  The GG SAL is about stitching charts/kits or using fabrics & threads that we have received as gifts, won in giveaways or anything that is intended be a gift or giveaway prize... or anything else that you can loosely use the word "gift" for!!  If you wish to sign up for this SAL, click on link here, or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.

February 2018 Stitching Update

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

February update... lot of pics to show... the stitching shown below is everything not mentioned in either my February Smalls update or my very late February WIPocalypse update.

February Starts
Give Joy - Country Cottage Needleworks
Started: 6th February 2018
Fabric: 28ct Opal Brittney "Elf" Jodyri Designs
Thread: DMC
Source: Just Cross Stitch Ornie Magazine

Reindog - Mill Hill Kit
Started: 12th February 2018

Rosemary & Thyme - Gail Bussi
Started: 13th February 2018
Fabric: 28ct Opal Lugana "Sagebush" Under the Sea Fabrics
Threads: DMC as charted
Source: Cross Stitch Collection magazine June 2012

Bliss Fairy - Nora Corbett
Started: 14th February 2018

Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast "Pink Champagne" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC as charted

Warm Hands, Warm Heart - The Little Stitcher
Started: 28th February 2018

Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Antique Ivory"
Threads: DMC & Whisper White
Source: Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2017

Other WIP Stitching
The Bookshelf - Little House Needleworks
Started: 8th January 2018

Fabric: 28ct Opal Lugana "Gaia" Under the Sea Fabrics
Threads: DMC as charted

Beach Cottage - Country Cottage Needleworks
Started: 13th January 2018

Fabric: 28ct Opal Belfast "Dawn Light" Stitches & Spice
Threads: DMC, WDW, Classic Colourworks

Flip Flips - Mill Hill kit
Started: 8th January 2017

Rococo Ladies - Soda Stitch
Started: 13th January 2018

Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Fall to Pieces" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC as charted

And here's what all that stitching looks like in graph form!

Stitch From Stash Update
February Check In:
Carry Over Balance: -$89.00
Budget: $25.00
Expenses: $150.60 (ouch!)
Credit: $13.00 (2 finishes)
New Balance: -201.60

Think that is everything for February.... the Olympic SALs meant that I did a lot of bitty stitching during February so apologies for the long post!!

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

October Update / November Plans

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website/blog

Oh that is so true... slow progress is my only progress...  I have been stitching and getting some good progress on a couple of projects but my posting/blogging progress is almost no existent!!

So in an effort to fix that... here is an update on everything that I haven't shown you for October and a little bit about of info what I am going to try and do in November.

Gifted Gorgeousness Stitching
I completely missed posting for GG during October.  I managed to stitch on two pieces that could fit in the GG brief during the month - I will show them here as I have something up my sleeve for the November GG post.

Happy Howloween - Brooke's Books
(Freebie chart) the link to the freebie page is here
The last time I showed this was back in July 2015... and that was the last I stitched on it.... I can't believe that, but it must be true as this is what it looked like when I started stitching on it in October.

Happy Howloween - July 2015

It now looks like this:

October 2017

Dream Big - Country Cottage Needleworks
(Gift from Tiff)
The last time I showed you "Dream Big" was back in August 2017.  The gorgeous design is a gift from Tiff and I am almost done...

August 2017

This cute little bunny now looks like:

October 2017

So that's it for GG stitching.... now onto Smalls stitching (such that it is!)

October Smalls Stitching
The only "small" that I stitched/finished during October was my Peek-a-Boo Pals - Libra, which you have already seen for the Zodiac SAL.

Finished 8 October 2017

I did however have a couple of new Smalls starts... 

Hocus Pocus Trilogy - Muriel
Mill Hill kit
Started 13 October 2017

Peekaboo Pals Zodiac - Scorpio / November (Deborah Flynn)
Started: 25 October 2017
Fabric: 28ct Brittney "Dawn of Spring" - Jodyri Designs
Threads: DMC
Chart: World of Cross Stitching magazine, issue 142

My little Scorpio girl is not quite finished... but I will try and get her done by the end of the week!

So that's it for Smalls... no new finishes but hopefully by the end of November that will change!

WIPocalypse Check In
Woeful progress on my WIPocalypse projects during October.  The only pieces I worked on you have already seen... I finished Halloween Happiness on 1st October and 12 Days of Christmas Day 9 was finished on 15th October.  I haven't even started Day 10 on 12 Days!!  Now I am going to be in trouble with my plans to finish that one this year if I don't get a move on!!

Halloween Happiness - Sandra Cozzolino

12 Days of Christmas Day 9 - Plum Street Samplers

This month Mel has posed a second question... I will answer that one first and then answer the monthly question.

Do you have any plans or instructions for your stitching projects and stash for after you’re gone?
I don't have any plans for any of my stitching projects or stash for after I go.  No one in my family stitches... it is something that I have jokingly talked to Hubby about and his solution is to get 2 coffins - one for me and some stash and a second one for the rest of the stash - after all I am going to need to take something with me when I go!! 😄

How did you begin stitching?
I started stitching way back in the early 80's when I was 20-something.  My mum used to buy a craft/home magazine (Better Homes & Gardens I think it was called) and they used to occasionally have embroidery or cross stitch patterns in them.  You could also buy some kits that you could embroider aprons, pillow cases or table cloths with and I bought a couple of those to try.  But my first introduction into embroidery was by my Mum's mum.  She used to hand embroider doiley's and she got me to try some when I was about 10 or 12... I didn't enjoy the embroidery but when I found the stamped cross stitch versions I decided that I could do this!  From humble beginnings as they say!

OK... so that's the missing October stitching progress done and dusted.... how about some other stitching pics?

New Start
Shimmering Mermaid - Mirabilia (Nora Corbett)
Started: 6 October 2017
Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast "Oceans" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: as per chart - DMC

October 2017

Pumpkins 4 Sale - Little House Needleworks
Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Silver Springs" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: as per chart - DMC, Classic Colourworks (Crescent Colours)

I last showed you this back in September.  I had hoped to stitch this for the SAL that Vonna was running over on the CCN/LHN facebook page but alas that was not to be!  But I will keep stitching on this over the next few months and it will be finished eventually!  This month Stitch Maynia's Designer SAL is Little House Needleworks so I will put in a couple of stitches during November for that SAL.

September 2017

It now looks like this after stitching on this a number of days during the last few weeks including trying to stitch on it last weekend at the Colour Cascade Fabrics stitching retreat (more talking than stitching being done on Day 1!!):

October 2017

During the month of October I also stitched on the following:

Castles in the Air - Long Dog Samplers
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "At Last" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: DMC White (accents will be in gold or silver)

August 2017

I spent a Sunday stitching on this during October and it now looks like this:

October 2017

Queen of Peace - Mirabilia (Nora Corbett)
Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast Linen "Hole in the Sky" - Colour Cascade Fabric
Threads: DMC, Kreinik
I hadn't since on this beauty since April 2017... so I took her to the Colour Cascade Fabrics stitching retreat last weekend and spent a number of hours stitching on her on Day 2....

April 2017

I carried on stitching on her when I got home on Sunday night and she now looks like this:

Ok... that's my October stitching update.  I have been thinking about what I want to do in November and have come up with a plan!  I have 15 WIPocalypse projects left for 2017 - I know I won't finish them all but there are some that I haven't touched all year, so my plan is to stitch at least 50 mins on each one in November.  Stitch Maynia is having a SAL relating to 50... it's a spin-off of a writing challenge so I thought I could use that to touch all of my other projects and who knows there may be another finish before the end of the year!

So that's it for today... 
Sorry it's such a long one!
Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx