February 2019 GG & FFG SAL Update

Image from Princess Sassy Pants & Co

This is a rather late GG post.... so what else is new!!!  NB: I am also combining this post with my FFG / Fully Finished Gallery SAL hosted by Rachel (Ten Hour Stitcher) post given that I am so late for that posting date as well!!

Designer Freebies - I have a couple to share!

Design: "You Are So Loved"
Designer: Snowflower Diaries
Source: Snowflower Diaries Blog (link to chart is here)
Started: 26 January 2015
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Fairy Tale" from Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC & Jodryi Designs

Starting point 2 February 2019

as at 2 February 2019

New Start #7/2019
Design: "Peace to My Heart"
Designer: Hands On Design
Source: HOD Blog (link to chart is here)
Started: 6 February 2019
Fabric: 36ct Edinburgh "Feldspar" from Picture This Plus
Threads: purple/green variegated silk from Silks 4 U (1 over 2)

New start 6 February 2019

as at 6 February 2019

Magazine Free Gifts

Finish: #3/2019
Design: "Disney's Piglet"
Source: Free Gift - World of Cross Stitching
Started: 7 February 2017
Finished: 2 February 2019

Happy Chinese New Year!

Starting point 2 February 2019

Finished 2 February 2019

Finish: #4/2019
Design: "Be Bunni"
Source: Free Gift - World of Cross Stitching
Started: 1 January 2016
Finished: 2 February 2019
FFO into a card

Starting point 10 February 2019

Finished 10 February 2019

Finish: #5/2019
Design: "Honey Bee Keep"
Source: Free Gift - Cross Stitcher magazine
Started: 28 June 2016
Finished: 17 February 2019
FFO into a card

Starting Point 15 February 2019

Finished 17 February 2019

As you can see from the pics above I managed to finish a couple of free gifts and turn them into cards for the FFG SAL.  I know it is a very tenuous link for that SAL, but an FFO is an FFO, right??  😸

That's it for my February GG & FFG updates.  If you want to know more about these SALs, details are below:

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL(GG) is hosted by Jo (Serendipitous Stitching) - sign up page (link is here) 
Fully Finished Gallery SAL (FFG) is hosted by Rachel (Ten Hour Stitcher) - sign up page (link is here)

See you next time!

Happy Stitching
Hugs xx

IHSW February 2019

My doing nothing is cross stitching...... 
Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

Welcome back to my blog!  Today I am here to report on my stitching for the past weekend while I hermitted!!!  The weekend just gone was the 3rd weekend of the month which means it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW).  I tend to hermit and stitch most weekends but there is something wonderful about the weekend when you know that around the world other stitchers are also joining you in your craziness!!!

IHSW also coincides with Friday Off The Grid (FB group) and Friday Frolics run by our own Kitten Stitching Kaye.

Stand by for the update!

Finish #5/2019
Design: Honey Bee Keep Card
Designer: Free Design
Source: Cross Stitcher magazine issue Sept 1998
Started: 28 June 2016
Finished: 17 February 2019

Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019

Finished Sunday 17 February 2019

Design: Quaker a Halloween

Designer: Jardin Prive
Started: 1 January 2019

Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Jello Shots"
Thread: Purple silk (Silks 4 U), white DMC
Stitched 1 over 2

Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019

Finishing Point Sunday 17 February 2019

Design: 12 Days of Christmas
Designer: Maria Diaz
Source: Cross Stitch Collection December 2001
Started: 1 January 2019

28ct Evenweave (blue/grey)
Thread: DMC as charted / metallics Kreinik and PTB

Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019

Finishing Point Sunday 17 February 2019

So there you have it...

I mainly focused on my Christmas and Halloween 2019 pieces this weekend. 12 Days of Christmas is behind schedule so I am hoping to use some more time this month to catch up..

As per last month, Magical Stitches SALs/weekly challenges has played a large part of my stitching this month.  I will try and do an end of month progress post soon so that you can see all the projects that have come out of hiding for this challenge! 😼

See you next time!

Happy Stitching
Hugs xx

Secret Stitching Sweethearts Blog Hop 2019

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

Post edited/updated after the Blog Hop....

It's Valentine's Day which can only mean one thing... Time for Jo's (Serendipitous Stitching) very special Valentine's Blog Hop...

The idea behind the blog hop is that everyone who is participating in the blog hop sends a photo of either Valentine's or love inspired stitching or finished piece to Jo and she will send the photos out to everyone who has joined in the blog hop... but only Jo knows who got what stitching pic!

It is now up to us to go hopping around blog land and see who has our pic. (Jo will do a post with a link to everyone's blog who is taking place.... so Jo's blog is the perfect place to start the blog hop)

Once we find our picture we can then reveal ourselves as the Secret Stitching Sweetheart!  (I also love trying to guess who might have stitched what as I wander around drooling over the beautiful stitching pics!)

Below is the delightful Stitching Sweetheart pic that Jo sent me.

💖 Is this yours?  💖

💟  Edited: My little love heart was stitched by  💟
Little Stitches Art

If you have come to my blog first today... thank you for visiting... If you would like to continue on with the blog hop (or even just start at the beginning) pop over to Jo's blog and see who else has joined the party link to Jo's blog is here.

Somewhere out there is my Secret Stitching Sweetheart pic... let me know if you spot it before I do!!.... Edited: I found my Bunny on Little Stitches Art's blog so we had a direct swap for the blog hop.... is that just serendipitous?! 😉

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not.... enjoy your day... and feel the love! 💝

Happy Stitching... And Happy Valentine's Day

WIPocalypse 2019 - January Update

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

The object of the WIPocalypse is to stitch on projects that you want to complete before the end of the world, or the end of the year - whichever might come first! WIPocalypse is run by Melissa over at Measi's Musings and is now in it's 8th year.  

For 2019 I am going to try and work on 19 projects (ie 19 in 2019!).  The full list of my projects can be found on my WIPocalypse 2019 page.

Oh my goodness.... the end of January is here! Can you believe it - one month of 2019 is almost done! Time does fly when you're having fun!  I am a couple of days late with my update post, but better late than never is my motto this week!

So here we go - I do have a small update for my "19 in 19" 😃

Quaker a Halloween - Jardin Prive

Henry VIII - Cloudsfactory

Dog Park - Satsuma Street

 Peacock Lady - Joan Elliott

So that is the sum total of my WIPocalypse projects for January.  I am pleased with my progress on the Peacock Lady - it would be wonderful to get a finish on that one this year! 😊

Til next time, happy stitching

Hugs xx

IHSW January 2019

Image from Princess Sassy Pants & Co

Welcome back to my blog!  Today I am here to report on my stitching for the past weekend while I hermitted!!!  The weekend just gone was the 3rd weekend of the month which means it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW).  I tend to hermit and stitch most weekends but there is something special when you know that around the world other stitchers are also joining you in your craziness!!!

IHSW also coincides with Friday Off The Grid (FB group) and Friday Frolics run by our own Kitten Stitching Kaye.

Stand by for the update!

Friday 18 January 2019

Finish #2/2019
Design: JOY
Designer: Rovaris
Source: Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue 2018
Started: 6 January 2019
Finished: 18 January 2019

Fabric: 32ct Raw Gold Belfast
Threads: DMC 840; red Mill Hill beads for holly on tree branch
Joydri Designs Threads as per below:
December 2016 Limited Edition"Elf" (fussy cut for the letters, green present and leaves)
"Genie of the Ring" (dress and hat on the elf, bird and 2nd present)
March 2017 Club Exclusive "Winter Frost" (snowflake and ribbon on 2nd present)

Design: Bentley Bear
Source: Free Gift - Cross Stitch Crazy Issue 138 (June 2010)
Started: 22 January 2016

Stitching Challenge Starting Point 18 January 2019

Stitching Challenge Finishing Point 18 January 2019

Saturday 19 January 2019

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

Stitching Challenge Starting Point 19 January 2019

Stitching Challenge Finishing Point 19 January 2019

New Start #5/2019
Design: Forever & Ever
Design: Cottage Garden Samplings
Started: 19 January 2019

Fabric: 36ct Edinburgh "Feldspar" Picture This Plus
Threads: Weeks Dye Works as charted
Stitched 1 over 2

Stitching Challenge Finishing Point 20 January 2019

Sunday 20th January 2019

I stitched the fill in colour on the Forever and Ever "L" first up to complete my stitching challenge requirements, and then moved onto:

Design: S'Mores Bear B-Q
Designer: Tempting Tangles
Source: Just Cross Stitch October 2016
Started: 26 August 2018

Stitching Challenge Starting Point 20 January 2019

Stitching Challenge Finishing Point 20 January 2019

Fabric: 28ct Cashel Linen "Rocky Creek Canyon" Stitches & Spices
Threads: DMC, Dinky Dyes Silk "Pilbara", Classic Colour Works "Hickory Sticks"
I am stitching the silk and CCW 1 over 2 and the DMC 2 over 2 - just for something different!

Design: Morning Has Broken
Designer: Mari Richards
Source: Cross Stitch Collection
Started: 17 May 2018

Stitching Challenge Starting Point 20 January 2019

Stitching Challenge Finishing Point 20 January 2019

So there you have it... lots of stitching variety for the weekend.. This variety was lead mainly by the stitching challenge in the Magical School of Stitching & Literature as I had to stitch 200+ stitches for 5 separate tasks (Classes) plus I decided to do an extra task and watch the first movie while I stitched... So with some fenangling I managed to get all the stitches done by bedtime on Sunday!!

Now I am off to find something else to stitch for my Mira SAL and another Magical Stitching challenge.  I certainly have plenty of Mira's to choose from.... 😼

See you next time!

Happy Stitching
Hugs xx