April 2017 WIPocalypse Update

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

WIPocalypse is run by Melissa over at Measi's Musings and is now in it's 6th year (amazing!).  The object of the WIPocalypse is to stitch on projects that you want to complete before the end of the world! 

At the beginning of January I picked out 17 WIPocalypse projects to work on in 2017.  The full list of my 17 projects can be found on my WIPocalypse 2017 page.

So what did I manage to work on during April? Well.... surprise, surprise... I have a finish... happy dances all round!!! ;o)

Christmas Eve Courier: Prancer (Nora Corbett)

Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast Linen "Arabian Nights" - Spice & Spice

Threads: DMC, Caron Waterlillies, Kreinik

Started: 3rd January 2015

Finished:23rd April 2017

The last time that I showed "Prancer" on my blog was back in July 2016 when I had finished all the cross stitching & back stitching.  I did bead the border in August 2016 but it appears that I never did show you the progress at that point...

And now he is finished!

Don't you just love all that bling?  I am so pleased to get this one finished - now I just need to get back to Comet and then I can turn my attention to starting the other 7!

12 Days of Christmas (Plum Street Samplers)
I did manage to get some progress on my Plum Street Samplers "12 Days of Christmas - Day 4" during April but it is not quite finished so I will show that next month.

Halloween Happiness (Sandra Cozzolino)

I showed an update on this one in my latest Smalls post so won't re-show it here!

Queen of Peace (Nora Corbett/Mirabilia)

Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast Linen "Hole in the Sky" - Colour Cascade Fabric

Threads: DMC, Kreinik

Started: 8 May 2016

Last time you saw "Queen of Peace" was October 2016:

After some love earlier this month she now looks like this:

As you can see by this before and after picture I did do some stitching on her between October 2016 and April 2017 but again it would appear that I forgot to show it on my blog!

Zenia (Nora Corbett/Mirabilia)

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Opal Linen "Beachwalk" - Under the Sea Fabrics

Threads: DMC, Kreinik

Started: 22 October 2016

Now I hang my head in shame because I have never shown you "Zenia" on my blog to date... I started her in October last year but as I missed posting for the last 3 months of the year you never saw her started. (sorry....)

This pic is a before and after my stitching session on "Zenia" at the beginning of the month.

Deer & Grapes Mystery Sampler (Jean Farish)

Fabric: 32ct Lugana "Autumn Glade" - Stitches and Spice

Threads: DMC 

Started: February 2015 / Restarted January 2017

Since I last showed this to you I have completed quite a bit.... I was doing 17 stitches a day but have now changed that to 20 stitches a day (sometimes it's more!)  At the end of April it now looks like this:

This is really coming along now.... I have left the gap where I need to put either my name or something else as I am not sure yet what wording I am going to put in that spot.

So that's it for the April's WIPocalypse project update!  Heaps to show this time around!  The last thing I need to do is answer this month's question...

What projects are in your UFO pile?
I try not to have UFO's.... I have WIPs that are resting..... :o)  I do have some very old WIPs in a box that I try not to think about too much.  I actually did a post back in March 2015 (link is here) showing these WIPs when I found in the box....

Nowadays I keep all my WIPs in one spot and try to get to them at least once a year!!!

So there you go.... a little bit of an update on my stitching throughout the month of April. Next month's check in is on Sunday 28th May 2017. If you want to see what everyone else has posted this month, drop into Measi's blog and check out the April link up page.

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Whine and WIP's update

June is done and dusted... July has begun so it's time for me to show you the rest of the WIPs that I worked on during June for the Stitch Maynia "Whine and WIPs" SAL.

My last WIP update post was on 18th June where I showed you my "Witch and Friends" finish as well as an update on "Jingles" and "Prancer.  My Smalls post that I posted on Friday showed you the 4 x June starts and finishes, but there were also lots of other stitching going on as well during June.

So here goes....

Nora Corbett's Christmas Eve Couriers - Prancer
as at 17 June 2016

as at 26 June 2016

Prancer is now ready for beading.... and then he will be finished!

The Little Stitcher - Red Christmas Deer
as at 21 April 2015

as at 19 June 2016

I am using waste canvas on an Ikea tea towel for this one....

Faces of Joan Elliott - Holly Fairy
as at 6 June 2016

as at 23 June 2016

Managed to stitch a little bit more of her hair,,,,

Mirabilia / Nora Corbett - Queen of Peace

as at 31 May 2016

as at 24 June 2016

"Queen of Peace" was my "Pretty In Pink" piece for the colour-a-day SAL on 24th June and I managed to get quite a bit of the pink in the bouquet stitched.  I have stitched some more of her ribbon but forgot to take a photo....

Nora Corbett "Queen Anne's Lace"
as at 9th April 2016

as at 30th June 2016

So that's it for my WIP update.  I do have another 2 starts for June to show but I will leave them for another post.

Til next time... happy stitching
Hugs xx

Whine & WIPs = Finish #20!!

Guess what...

web image

"Witch and Friends" is finished.....

I started this way back in 2014 for the Hallowe'en SAL Blog.   When I left it at that stage it looked like this:

October 2014

I then picked it up again on and off during the last couple of months of 2014;

End of 2014

and then again for the Crazy January challenge in January 2015;

January 2015

I was so close to finishing last year but unfortunately I got distracted... and as I heard someone say on Flosstube earlier.. I fell down the rabbit hole with this one!! :o)

So on 8th June I picked her up again... and stitched and stitched and stitched.... each night over the last week I kept thinking I will stitch on something else, but then I kept thinking "no, she is almost done!" so I kept going... and now she is done.... :o)

Finish #20
"Witch & Friends" - Donna Giampa (Vermillion Stitching)

Witch & Friends.... finished 16 June 2016

This lovely lady and her delightful friends is stitched on a Stitches and Spice fabric with DMC threads.  The design was published in the Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013 magazine.

Besides stitching and finishing "Witch & Friends" I also finished a block on "Jingles"... and I have picked up "Prancer" again.

Finish #21
"Jingles - Joy to World"

There is only a couple more blocks left on this so I would like to try and get back to it again soon... but who knows!

Nora Corbett's Christmas Eve Couriers - Prancer

I have now finished the Krienik at the bottom and started on the border.... then it's the tail and onto the beading!!

So that's it for this update.... The "Whine and WIPs SAL" has certainly helped me touch some of these old and much neglected WIPs... not sure which WIP I will stitch on next... I certainly have enough to choose from. :o)

Til next time... happy stitching
hugs xx

TUSAL & New Finishes....

Hello... I'm back... and late again!  TUSAL posts were due last week but... unfortunately I was not a very well bunny last week and the thought of doing anything on a computer was way beyond me! (I did stitch though!!)

Web Image

Have you ever noticed how chronic fatigue can be so debilitating at times?  (After seeing my specialist a couple of weeks ago I can now add Fibromyalgia to my RA, low iron and menopause issues - great just what I want one more chronic fatigue problem!!) 

Last week was not a good week for me... I left work early on Monday as I thought I had a migraine starting... but it was much more than that in the end!! I needed to take Tuesday and Wednesday off work and barely managed to drag myself out of bed on Thursday and Friday to go to work... (you must be sick when your boss tells you that you look terrible!) but Friday afternoon saw me visit the doctor and one iron infusion later I am slowly getting back to normal - even though my normal is not that fantastic at the best of times!!!  Saturday and Sunday was spent veggie out on the couch again with my stitching as I could not do much more than that and today is the first day in over a week that I have started to feel better... Being a couch potato is not good for the size of my backside.... but great for my stitching!! :o)

But enough complaining.. you didn't come to visit my blog to hear me complain - you came to see some stitching so that let's get the show on the road!!

TUSAL / ORT Report & Stitching Updates:

So first up... one very late TUSAL photo....

I know a bit of a lazy TUSAL photo this month!!  I decided that I had better empty the small tin of ORT's and couldn't get up the energy to take a photo so I decided to take a progress shot of my new start and the ORT's together!!

The new start is "Queen Anne's Lace" by Nora Corbett.  This was a "free" design that was published in the Just Cross Stitch magazine (April 2016 issue).  I started stitching this on 3rd or 4th April and this where I was when I took the photo on Saturday afternoon.

I haven't done much more as I spent the last couple of nights stitching on a card for my sister who is celebrating the big "50" on 25th April!

While I am showing one Nora Corbett... how about I show you an update on another Nora Corbett design...

I last showed you "Prancer" back in December 2015.... when he looked like this:

He now looks like this:

I have been stitching on "Prancer" over the last couple of weeks as one of the Nora Corbett FB groups has been doing a couple of SAL's and you know me with SAL's... I just have to give them a go!!! Once I have finished the Kreinik on the bottom my next step is the Whisper thread for his tail... I have never used that thread so I have been putting it off!!! Then it will be onto the border and bling - and with a little bit of luck he may be a finish in May!!

Finishes!
I have 2 new finishes to show you!!

Finish #13
First up is my Halloween Ornie SAL Blog design - the theme was "Ghosts".  So here is my Blue Ribbon Designs "Ghost".

I continued on with my Blue Ribbon Designs stitching and stitched another small (insert quick) design from the Halloween Portraits" by Blue Ribbon Designs.  This one took me the better part of Tuesday afternoon/evening last week when I was at home feeling sick and miserable!

I do think that he is a funny looking ghost... but a ghost he is!  The bottom on the ghost is confusing me as he looks like he has way too many feet... or is that supposed to be a flowing ghostly robe??

Finish #14
My second finish last week was the April choice for the Christmas Ornie SAL Blog - theme for April was Ornaments/Decorations.

As soon as this month's choice came up on the stitching plan I knew exactly what I wanted to stitch... I found this design in the Cross Stitch Crazy magazine last year but wasn't sure what to stitch them on (perforated paper, plastic canvas or fabric) - I ended up choosing plastic canvas and once I have stitched a couple more of them I will cut them out and make them into felt backed ornies.

The Christmas Bauble is designed by Jody Rice from Satsuma Street.  Love the colours!  The pink/purple colour is just so lovely...  This is the first time I have stitched anything from Jody/Satusma Street.... Another lovely easy quick stitch!

So that's it for now... all up to date once again.  Next scheduled posting date is Friday when it will be GG update time again!

So til then, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Weekend Wrap Up...

Last weekend was busy, busy, busy but surprise, surprise I did manage to get some stitching done and I even managed to complete one of my December goals!

So first up we had FNSI and Friday Night Frolics......

Friday night's stitching was all about the creepy tree and friends that I have been trying to get finished for the November and December Hallowe'en SAL Blog themes.

"Dancing in the Moonlight" - Praiseworthy Stitches

The pic above shows you where I was at with this before Friday night's stitching and the pic below is the creepy tree finished.... along with the raven, cat and resident ghosts!

"Dancing in the Moonlight" - Praiseworthy Stitches

I didn't really need to do too much on Friday night - just finish the branch off near the left hand ghost...  I still need to add beads and a bit of backstitch but that will be done at the end when everything else is stitched.

Did you notice my lovely new needle minder?  Just perfect for Halloween stitching - a spider in his silvery blingy web!

The tree on this piece was the big hurdle to get done and now the rest will be easy to pick off one piece at a time!  But for now "Dancing in the Moonlight" will go away until I am ready to do some more Halloween stitching :o)

So that was Friday night's stitching..... I didn't get much of a chance to do a lot of stitching on Saturday as it was a busy day with a visit to the hairdresser, washing and other "exciting" things and then we went out for dinner.... but Sunday afternoon I managed to get some Christmas stitching out of the basket again.

The last time I stitched on Nora Corbett's Christmas Eve Couriers was quite awhile ago so I thought I would bring "Prancer" out to play.

"Prancer" - July 2015

While not a lot happened on this one yesterday the ribbon has progressed and it now looks a bit more like a ribbon!  (the fabric colour looks so much prettier and more true to life in the photo below for some reason!)

"Prancer" December 2015

You may have also noticed another new needle minder in the picture above....

Remind me to post a picture of all my new minders... they are so boo-tiful..... ♥♥♥

That's it for today.... the countdown to Christmas is on and I only have one more day of work to get through before having 2 and bit weeks off work!  Hopefully during that break I will actually be able to catch up on my blog reading...

Til next time, happy stitching

It's a wrap! FNSI & IHSW July Update

Friday Night Sew In (FNSI).... held on the third Friday of every month

Let's start with Friday night's stitching....  I had great intentions of doing heaps of stitching on Friday night but.... I was so knackered when I got home from work that in the end I decided to grab one of the smaller designs that I have been slowly working on rather than risk stitching on something larger and frogging it all out again on Saturday!!

Friday's lucky stitching winner was the little Christmas Kitty freebie from Margaret Sherry.  I started this one back in January, put it down again until April and then forgot about it again until now....

Before I started stitching on Friday night he looked like this:

Christmas Kitty - April 2015

Now he looks like this.... nowhere near finished though!!  Oh well, I am sure there will be another opportunity soon to get him finished!

Christmas Kitty - July 2015

Now after all the fun of a Friday Night Stitch In, don't forget to head back over to Wendy's blog (Sugarlane Designs) to see what she got up to over the weekend.

International Hermit & Stitch Weekend (IHSW).... held on the third weekend (Fri - Sun) of every month

As I mentioned on Friday, the weekend just gone was also IHSW time.  Now that you have seen Friday's stitching effort, let me show you what I stitched on during Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday saw Nora Corbett Christmas Eve Courier "Prancer" come out of the stitching basket.

When you last saw "Prancer" at the beginning of the month he was missing a leg or two...

"Prancer" - 2 July 2015

 I have now managed to completed his two back legs and started on the front leg.  As you will probably notice the top part of the ribbon is still in the same spot as last time!!!  I am trying to leave all the white stitching to the last possible moment.....

"Prancer" - 20 July 2015

Sunday was a very dark and damp day... perfect weather for stitching on a Halloween design!  Which was just as well as I remembered on Friday that I hadn't got myself organised to stitch the Haunted House for the Halloween Ornie Blog post at the end of the month.

So enter "Halloween Sneak Peek" by The Trilogy.  Now the last time you saw this one was way back in February when it looked like this:

"Halloween Sneak Peek" - The Trilogy - February 2015

As you will notice I have stitched some more of the black border and completed one inside box border.  This little inside border will have a haunted house in it eventually!  All I have to do is get the house stitched before the end of the month....

"Halloween Sneak Peek" - The Trilogy - July 2015

If you are wondering what everyone else did over the weekend, drop on over to Joyce's blog and have a look at sign up post for a full list of who was participating.

So that is it for my stitching weekend.... I did do some "finishing" to my MS Lovers Blog exchange piece on Saturday and Sunday.  Fingers crossed that should be in the mail by the end of this week and then hopefully in a couple of weeks time I will be able to show you a finished finish!!! :o)

Enjoy your week, happy stitching
Hugs xx