Smalls Check In - March 2017

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

Late again.... I had planned to get this post up over the weekend but time got away from me and here we are, it's Wednesday and I am finally getting myself organised and posting! Oh well... that's life!

So what do I have to show for the March Smalls post?  Mainly all mini finishes this month - no real stand alone Smalls, but a finish is a finish, right?

Halloween Happiness (Sandra Cozzolino)

Fabric: 28ct plain purple fabric

Threads: all DMC

Finished the EE's complete with their spiders and cobwebs.  Technically this is one whole design but I have broken it down into parts for another SAL so each part is a mini-finish in my book :o)

Update pic of the whole project so far below

12 Days of Christmas - Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Gold Digger" - Colour Cascade Fabrics

Threads: Jodryi Designs (Wuthering Heights, Sense & Sensibility, The Olde Curiousity Shoppe, Midnight Hour)

I managed to get both Day 2 and Day 3 finished in March.  Day 2 should have been finished in February but it sneaked over into March by a couple of days...

Day 2

Day 3

Lakeside Fantasy SAL - Durene Jones

Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Silver Springs" - Colour Cascade Fabrics

Threads: DMC, Border - "Heliotrope" Cottage Garden Threads

December is finally done!! I have started January, February and March but my March goal was to finish at least one of the blocks during the month, so I concentrated on December for a few days.  So without further ado... let me present "Girl with Robin" (sounds like a famous painting, doesn't it?)

and last but not least....

Snow Story: Warm Hearts - Lizzie Kate

Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Into the Blue" - Stitches & Spice

Threads: Weeks Dye Works as charted

I showed this one on my WIPocalypse post but it also belongs here as it is a Small in its own right - I just decided to stitch them on one piece of fabric.

So that's it from me for this month....  To see everyone's Smalls posts for March, pop over to Heather's blog and check out the link up post.

Next Month – The next Smalls SAL check-in will take place on Friday, 28th April 2017 (no guarantee when my post will appear though!).  

See you next month! Happy Smalls stitching

Hugs xx

Progress Update - February 2017

web image

Hi there!  I thought I would do a quick post to show you some of the other things that I stitched on during February.  You have seen some of the February stitching already in the Smalls and WIPocalypse posts, but there were also some others that got a little bit of love...

New starts (and there were a couple!) and WIP progress

Dragon Birthstone SAL - Ingleside Imaginarium
Started February (Amethyst Dragon)
Also stitched some more on the January Garnet Dragon

Lakeside Fantasy SAL - Durene Jones
Started February (Mermaid)
As you can see not a lot happening with this... I need to get stitching and finish off December, January and February... and start March!

Cross Stitch, It's Fun / Stitchwats - Weekly Challenge - Meliciously Happy
7 Starts in 7 Days - minimum of 50 stitches per start
Each start had a theme around being happy....

Start #1: Garden Boots - Mill Hill Kit

Start #2: Honey Bee Card - Free Gift Cross Stitcher Magazine

Start #4: Happy Easter Card - Free Gift Cross Stitcher Magazine

Start #5: Bumble Bee Card - Free Gift Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine

Start #6: Frog Card - Free Gift Cross Stitch Crazy

You may notice that I didn't show you Start #3 and Start #7 from that challenge here... that is because they are both finished and are mentioned in my Smalls Post (Tulip/Spring Card & Pig fridge magnet).

The free kits from the UK cross stitch magazines really come in handy for these types of challenges!

Dog Park - Satsuma Street
10 A Day Project (FB Group)
When I last showed you this one it looked like this (top middle pic in the collage):

It now looks like this.... for the most part I am sticking to the 10 stitches a day... but every now again I will do 11 or 12 if I need to finish a section or a thread.  I got a little bit bored stitching yellow and moved over to the blue and green tree.

So that's it for this progress report.... March has begun and there will be lots more stitching to come I'm sure!

Til next time, happy stitching ;o)

Smalls SAL October 2016

Hosted by Stitching Lotus

Hi there! Today is the last Thursday in October which means it is the day to post our Smalls finishes for the month, so let's dive right on in! ☺

Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL
September - Wizard
Designer: Durene Jones
Finish #34 (5 October 2016)

Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL
August - Pegasus
Designer: Durene Jones
Finish #35 (7 October 2016)

Stitched on 32ct Jobelan fabric "Silver Springs" from Colour Cascades Fabric  - DMC threads

Peacock
Designer: Kate Knight
Freebie Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine
Finish #36 (7 October 2016)

Really pleased to finish this little one... I started it back in January for the DUCSJC!

Autumn Harvest - Plaid Pumpkin
Designer: Mill Hill Kit
Finish #37 (16 October 2016)

You saw this one earlier in the month... so cute! I just need to cut it out and put it together now.... something else to add to the final finishing day that I keep promising myself I will have one day!

Halloween Portraits - Black Cat
Designer: Blue Ribbon Designs
Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2015
Finish #38 (18 October 2016)

This is my Halloween Ornie Blog entry for October - theme is black cats.  I have stitched 3 of these Halloween Portraits so far this year for the Halloween Ornie themes.

Christmas Bunny
Freebie from Cross Stitch Collection magazine (1990's...)
Finish #39 (21 October 2016)

This is my Christmas Ornie Blog entry for October - theme is presents/toys and she is carrying a Christmas present!

Merry Christmas (2015/6)
Designer: From the Heart ~ Needleart by Wendy
Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2015
Finish #40 (25 October 2016)

Stitched on 32ct Belfast "Fairy Tales" from Colour Cascades Fabric using Dragon Floss "Stem Green" for the tree foliage; Dinky Dyes "Pilbara" for the lettering and DMC for the star and tree trunk.  I re-charted the year and my initials as the original chart was for 2015 and had the designers initials :o)

So that's it for today's Smalls post!  I am feeling quite good about my Smalls finishes this month... I will try and pop back again later today with a new start and a WIP update.  Have a great stitchy day....

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Smalls SAL August 2016

Hosted by Stitching Lotus

Late again.... but it is still August... and to make up for being late I have another finish to show you!!

My first Smalls finish for August you have already seen but to refresh your memories here it is again:

Christmas Candle
Cross Stitch Gold Issue 5
Designer: Pam Johnson (Kooler Design Studio)
Finish #28

Started: 20 August 2016
Finished: 21 August 2016

My second Smalls finish for the month is:

Santa on a Bike
Needlecraft UK
Stitched on 32ct Belfast "Waratah" Stitches & Spice
Finish #29

Started: 16 August 2016
Finished: 28 August 2016

So that's my two finishes for the month.... I still have a couple of WIPs in progress and I am behind on my Christmas Ornie Blog piece!

New Starts / WIP Update

Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL - August "Pegasus"
Designer: Durene Jones

New start in August - Progress as at 16 August 2016

Progress as at 30 August 2016

Double Double

Designer: Lizzie Kate

Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013

New start in August - Progress as at 16 August 2016

Progress as at 30 August 2016

This should have been finished this month for the Halloween Ornie SAL Blog.... oh well!! Fingers crossed it will be done in the next week :o)

Dear Santa

Designer: The Little Stitcher

Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2015

New start in August - Progress as at 30 August 2016

I am stitching this for the JCS SAL FB Group... again this should have been finished by today... another fail!  I will get it done in the next couple of weeks though once I locate the elusive DMC 3865 which I know I have somewhere!!!

So that's it for now.... I will come back in the next few days to do my TUSAL and Goals posts.  Hope everyone is having a good stitchy week!

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Stitch Maynia Summer Olympics Challenge (Part 1)

Hello!  I thought that I might do a quick mid-way point update on my stitching for the Stitch Maynia Olympics event.

I know that there are multiple events running in the stitching world via Facebook Groups and Bloggers... but I am only participating in one (for a change!)....

So, let's get started!

As I used one piece for mulitple days I will show you that one first...

Lakeside Fantasy SAL / Durene Jones
August - Pegasus (new start)
I stitched on this design for the following days:
Day 1 - Olympic Rings - Blue
Day 3 - Olympic Rings - Yellow
Day 9 - Olympic Rings - Red
Day 10 - Equestrian Events - Animals / Horse


Pegasus as he looks now after the Olympic stitching days

Collection Tralala
Moutons de Saisons Été (WIP)
Day 2 - Opening Ceremony - International Theme
(You have seen this one before - sorry....)


left pic: before - right pic: after
Finished the left border and started the red border

Snowflower Diaries
Joyful World SAL - March (WIP)
Day 4 - Aquatics Events - Water


top pic: before - bottom pic: after
stitched more of the blue water

Lizzie Kate
Double Double (new start)
Day 5 - Olympic Rings - Black

New start - stitched "Toil"

Jean Farish
Holly Garland (WIP)
Day 6 - Gymnastics - Speciality Stitches (cable stitch outer box)
Day 7 - Olympic Rings - Green (more of the green leaves)

stitched the outer box and more of the green leaves

Day 8 - Triathalon - stitch on 3 projects
Fail... had a blow out on the final leg of the triathalon!
I only managed to stitch on 2 WIPs on Friday night as we went out for dinner


Kate Knight Peacock Freebie
After pic - left; Before pic - right



Kate Knight Floral Bookmark Freebie
After pic - left; before pic - right

Mill Hill Kit
Winter Holiday Collection - Scottie (new start)
Day 11 - Olympic Flag - White

New start - stitched the white and black

So that's it for my mid-way Stitch Maynia Olympics update.  Tonight I need to find something with wheels (preferably a bike!) to stitch on!  I don't think I have anything with wheels in amongst my WIPs so this could be an interesting one!

Til my next update, happy stitching

Hugs xx

Whipping those WIP's to the finish line!

WIP update
Isn't it a great feeling to get those long time WIPs (not going to say UFO's!) out and start showing them some more love?  If you saw my last post then you would have seen that I stitched on a 2015 WIP recently.

The other long lost WIP that I have been stitching on recently is Nora Corbett's "Christmas Eve Couriers - Comet".

The last time I showed you "Comet" was way back in June 2015... I have just re-read that post where I rabbited on about a stitching rotation... no, that never really happens in my stitching life no matter how much I try to do it!!!

June 2015....

Comet now looks like this:

July 2016

Over the last couple of evenings I have managed to finish the antlers of "Comet" and I am starting on his head.  As he is still on the q-snaps I might stitch on him again today...

New starts:
I can't believe it... I forgot to show you 2 other new starts that I had in June....

First up is another of those old kits that I had languishing in the bottom drawer of the craft room.  I have no idea when I bought this but it would have been in the late 1980's or early 1990's.  I pulled it out last month to start stitching it for the Vintage SAL on one of the FB groups.  This is as far as I got....

This one is called "Honey Do" and is stitched on 14ct vinyl.... very strange medium to stitch on but, I do like the design so I will get back to it again very soon and get it finished.  The kit came with the magnetic notebook accessories to put it all together.  Once done it will be a nice little addition to the fridge or even a nice little gift for someone... :o)

The other new start that I had in June was the "June" design for the Snowflower Diaries "Joyful World SAL".  I don't have some of the threads for this so I started with what I have got... It is stitched on a pale blue 28ct linen from my stash.

So that's new starts and WIP's covered....onto finishes! :o)

Finishes Update:
First up on the finishes list is a mini finish....

Most of my stitching time over the last week or so was dedicated to the new Durene Jones / Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL.  When I last showed you the border stitching it looked like this:

5 July 2016

Well, surprise, surprise, I have finished all the circles...

11 July 2016

... and I have now put it away until the first character is released in August.  Depending on how much stitching is involved in each character I may start/stitch the border each month when a character is released or I may leave the border til the end.... who knows!

The fabric I am using for this one is "Silver Springs" 32ct Jobelan from Colour Cascades Fabrics using a variegated thread from Cottage Garden Threads called "Heliotrope".

Finish #26
"Stitching Witch"
Designer: Maria Warmke (The Stitcherhood)
Started: 7 July 2016
Finished: 8 July 2016
Fabric: Name unknown (cardmakers pack) - Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: Nevermore - Jodyri Designs

This design is called "Stitching Witch" and is designed by Maria Warmke from The Stitcherhood.  How perfect is this design for my Halloween Ornie Blog July post?  This month's theme was "witches accessories" and this design has a hat and a cauldron - tick... and then needle and scissors!!  It was published in the October 2014 issue of the Just Cross Stitch magazine.

I stitched this on a piece of fabric from Colour Cascades Fabric - no name as it was in a cardmakers pack - just love the colours!  The thread I used was "Nevermore" from Jodyri Designs.  The design called for all black thread but I decided to try something different for a change!!

I think I am now up to date on all my WIP stitching... it's time to sign off now and get back on the couch with my stitching in front of the fire (we have rain with storms forecast today... oh well it is winter!).

Til next time, happy stitching
Hugs xx