I don't have fireflies in my garden - which is a shame... only cats, bees, a dog and the odd dragonfly!! So please settle down with a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy!
Showing posts with label Snow Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snow Story. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

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

Monday, March 27, 2017

WIPocalypse Check In - March 2017

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 March?

Definitely more progress on my regular WIPs this month and there is some progress to show on two other WIPs that came out of the basket during March as well.  Progress pics below for your viewing pleasure:

Deer and Grapes Mystery SAL (Jean Farish)
This is where this project was when you last saw it at the end of February:
28 Feb 2017
It now looks like this:
26 March 2017
I do a minimum of 17 stitches a day on this project and it is growing quite quickly now.

Faces of Joan Elliot (Joan Elliot)
This one didn't appear in my February update.... but it is here in March!  No more progress on the Holly Fairy - instead I started the Unicorn


12 Days of Christmas (Plum Street Samplers)

Third Day is almost done.... but I am going to leave the update photo for now and show you at the end of the month once it is completed

Halloween Happiness (Sandra Cozzolino)

Next themed part of this design (2 x E's) is also close to a finish - I will have a finish photo at the end of the month for this one also.

Snow Story (Lizzie Kate)
The last time I showed this one on my blog was at the end of Dec 2016 when I finished the "Cold Hands" section.
Stitched on 32ct Belfast - "Into the Blue" from Stitches and Spice
Threads: Weeks Dye Works
Dec 2016
During March I managed to finish the middle section (Warm Hearts)
March 2017
Only one more section to do on this now and it will be finished!

Mini Mandala II - C (Chatelaine)
Another WIP that made it's way out of the WIP basket this month for some love is my Chatelaine. This is the third Mini in the Mini Mandala II pack.  The last time I showed it on my blog there wasn't a lot to show.
Sept/Oct 2016
March 2017
I just love the colours of the outer centre piece.  The variation in the NPI silks is subtle but makes for a stunning change to the blue in the very centre.  I think I will have to stitch on this one again during April as it starting to call my name already!

So that's the update bit out of the way.... now onto the question of the month:

What stitchy blogs, groups, or flosstubes do you follow and why?
Well... that is a good question!

Blogs: I have been following blogs for a number of years now.. I started reading blogs around 2009 and started blogging in Oct 2010.  During that time I have collected a considerable number of blogs on my reading list.  I do have a blog roll list on my side bar which will give you an idea of who I follow and try to read as often as I can.  A lot of the blogs I follow are the "oldies" who have been blogging for a number of years.  I started reading them as a source of inspiration for my stitching and as a way to make connections with people who also have this mad obsession with stitching as I do!

Groups: I am in a huge number of FB groups - some of which I am more active in than others.  I love the designer groups - it is great to see how people interpret the designs and seeing designs stitched/finished often is better than seeing the original model piece (as we all know that the model photos don't always do the finished piece any justice!)  Besides the designer groups, I love the FB group "Stitch Maynia" - they have some great SAL's each month which are a great reason to get stitching on some of those unloved WIP's as you can stitch on anything at all as long as you can shoe-horn it into SAL theme!  There are a couple of other FB groups that also have great SAL's that I am also in... "Cross Stitch It's Fun", "Stitch from Stash", "Cross Stitch Finish Line" to name a few :o)

Flosstube: now there is a rabbit hole that you can go down and never come out of!!  I really enjoy watching Flosstube while I am travelling to work each day on the train, sometimes while stitching on the weekend, and always when I am doing my ironing/washing folding on a Sunday morning!  It's a great way to make those menial tasks a lot more palatable!  I do have some favourites that I have to watch (Vonna, Kay's Cross Stitch, Stash Queen, Queen of Starts, Stitcherista, Ms Oh Sew Crafty, Coffee Stitcher, Jessie Marie, Dena - the list goes on and on...) and then there are all the new people (like me) that appear each week... I don't think I will ever catch up on them all!

There is a distinct change in the stitching world these days and Blogging, FB and Flosstube are all great ways for people, both new and old to stitching, to find out more about designers, fabrics, threads, what works and what doesn't - the list goes on!  I hope that blogging stays around for a long time and doesn't get swallowed up by FB and Flosstube (even though I am involved in both of those as well!).  You never forget your first love :o)

So that's it for the March's WIPocalypse update!  Next month's check in is on Sunday 30th April 2017.  If you want to see what everyone else has posted, drop into Measi's blog and check out the March link up page.

Til then, happy stitching and good luck with your WIPocalypse projects!
Hugs xx

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2016; IHSW Pt1; Stitch Maynia

Hello!  I'm back.... This post is a real Heinz variety post... it is a mix of Stitch Maynia, IHSW and Gifted Gorgeousness...

Stitch Maynia Update:
First up I will show you the last of my Stitch Maynia starts (Starts 10 - 15)

Day 10 - "Joyful World SAL - March" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 11 - "Joyful World SAL - April" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 12 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 13 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 14 - "Snow Story - Cold Hands" (Lizzie Kate)
Stitched on 32ct Belfast
"Into the Blue" from Stitches and Spice
Threads: Weeks Dye Works
Day 15 - Floral Bookmark - Cross Stitch Crazy Freebie
Designer: Kate Knight
So that's it... Stitch Maynia (my version....) is over for 2016 and I think I did pretty well in the end.  I managed to get some starts happening on some of the WIPs / SAL's that I am working on as well as starting a couple of small things that I will try and finish off in between WIP stitching over the next couple of months - which means I should be well on my way to starting and finishing 31 pieces before the end of the year :o)

Gifted Gorgeousness Stitching:
Now.... onto my GG update!  I have to say that this month I have very little offerings to show you :o(

I didn't stitch on any of my pieces that form the traditional part of my GG stitching... but I have a plan.... and I can tell you that the Kate Knight bookmark above is actually for my Mum as part of her birthday present.  So as I said... slim offerings this month but I at least I did have something to show you!

IHSW Part 1 Update:
Yes... that's right - Part 1!  Joysze organised for last weekend to be the first part of IHSW for May... the coming weekend is Part 2 (and is the weekend that is normally when it would be IHSW!).

My stitching on Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can see above!  I also did stitch on my Trick or Treat spider but forgot to take a photo of him after my Sunday stitching.  (He is nearly finished so I will just wait now til he is done)

So overall part 1 of May's IHSW went quite well!  I finally managed to start the Lizzie Kate "Snow Story" that I have been itching to start for months... even with all that white!!

So that's it for this update... told you it was a Heinz post :o)


Til next time, happy stitching
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 the button below or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.