Feather Stitching

2012 WIPocalypse, Finishes, Framing, Little House Needleworks, Mirabilia, Stitching Smalls, The Floss Box, Valerie Pfeiffer, Waxing Moon Designs

October 2012 WIPocalypse update

29 October, 2012 Anne S

Not as much stitching done all up as I’d like over the last month, although I’d thrilled to show that I did manage to get one 2-year-old UFO out of the “hiding in shame basket” and back onto the Qsnaps … over the last month I not only managed to put the final stitches into it, but last night I even finish-finished it! I also stitched a little scissor fob to match it yesterday, but it’s still not sewn together yet. I hope to do that over the next day or so though 🙂

Biscornu 458 by The Floss Box — **“Biscornu 458” by The Floss Box**
Stitched on 32ct Thunderstorm Belfast linen by Zweigart
with DMC threads

Scissor fob matching biscornu 458_incognito1 — Scissor fob to match Biscornu 458, personalised with recipients details (not shown)

The other stitching I did was to put the bi-cones onto Letter S … still have to add the name to this one, but I’ve bought a frame for it in readiness and need to get this one finished sooner rather than later, as it’s a gift for a work colleague’s daughter (instead of a birth sampler) who has now left work!

Mum came over to visit for just over a week last the week before last – unfortunately we didn’t have a great deal of time together due to not being able to get time off work, but the first weekend she arrived we had a wonderful time and got out and about quite a bit. We took a drive to a picture framers about an hour’s drive from home, and came home with 9 different frames and 2 huge pieces of mat-board, ready to go crazy and do some framing jobs. I’m still waiting for 3 of the frames to be made up yet, then I’ll go pick those up … but in the meantime I did manage to frame up the following:

Freesias framed — I managed to get this framed while Mum was here so she could take it home with her – she was so thrilled she is going to take it into the rest home where she volunteers to show everyone – it’s lovely when your stitching is appreciated! Freesias are Mum’s favourite flowers, so I’ve always wanted to stitch this for her 🙂

Trick or Trick fairy framed — **“Trick or Treat Fairy” by Mirabilia**
Technically not finished framing yet, as I’m waiting for spacers to be added beneath the glass, then the backing put back one … but I couldn’t resist sharing early, as I just love this one! 🙂

And that’s probably all I have this month for the WIPocalypse … while my fingers aren’t necessarily flying every night (usually just the weekends these days), my stitching still remains my most favourite pastime on the weekends for unwinding from a stressful working week – I don’t know what I’d do without it! Sadly my hours mean the only blog reading I’m getting to do is on the morning commute, and it’s too hard to comment on my phone, but at least I’m still getting the odd bit of blog reading in – and the WIPocalypse is at least motivating me to post at the moment at least once a month … who knows when that’ll change, as work is particularly stressful at the moment, but “que sera, sera”, “what will be, will be” 🙂

2012 WIPocalypse, Finishes, Freebies, Halloween, Judi Utter, Sweetheart Tree, The Goode Huswife

October WIPocalypse and a small finish (Updated)

1 October, 20121 October, 2012 Anne S

Not much stitching was done on my WIPs this month … instead I was focusing on stitching a gift for Mum … but I’ve also just joined up for another smaller challenge which starts today and that is to complete 3 WIPs by the end of the year. I may not be able to complete it entirely, as I have another couple of commitment pieces to work on before year-end, but I’ll try to focus each week on getting at least some stitches into those 3 selected WIPs … but the ones I’ve chosen are relatively small, so you never know your luck in a raffle, and I may be able to get them completed in time …

In the meantime, here is the only update I really have on my WIPs this time round – a couple of extra swirls put into With My Needle:

I started a page on my blog here to keep a track of the progress made during the year on my various WIPs – sometimes it’s hard to forget how much you manage to stitch over the course of a year when you put one stitch in here and one stitch in there, so I placed a progress piccie of how everything sat at the start of 2012 – once finished they get their final piccie added and get moved up into the “Completed” section … but for now I can easily see how my WIPs/UFOs currently stand, and it’s a reminder to pull my finger out and get some more moved into the finished section! I think this will continue to be a feature on my blog until I start moving the bulk of my projects out of the In Progress section!

The other small finish I have is a little freebie that I started yesterday morning when staying at a friend’s place, and finished today:

“Jolly Pumpkin” freebie by Jodi Utter
Stitched on 28ct Mushroom Meran fabric
with recommended DMC threads
(The chart is still available from the Cyberstitchers website here)

Updated to add another finish: Thanks to a public holiday in Sydney today, I also just managed to put the final stitches into my Halloween Fob by The Sweetheart Tree – it’s surprising how long that backstitching takes on these little projects, but it sure does make a massive difference to the end result! One more WIP knocked off for the year, which is awesome! 😀

“Halloween Fob” by The Sweetheart Tree
stitched on 32ct Pipi hand-dyed Belfast linen by Countrystitch
with recommended DMC threads and Mill Hill beads

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Valerie Pfeiffer

Freesias by Valerie Pfeiffer

29 September, 201229 September, 2012 Anne S

I’ve been meaning to stitch this for my Mum for quite a number of years now, and other projects keep getting pushed in front of it. I had planned on including it in my 2013 stitching challenge, but then all of a sudden was in-between projects and started feeling a sudden urge to get it finished so Mum could enjoy it sooner. I managed to put the final stitches into it this morning, and it just needs to be framed now so I can give it to her when she comes to visit in 2 weeks’ time. I’ve been blessed with 3 visits from Mum now this year – first to head to France and the UK, then to help me at home with cleaning out the apartment, and now to attend a Baroque concert we’ve had tickets booked for since the beginning of the year – I’m feeling very spoilt with so many visits, and loving every single minute of every one!

“Freesias’ by Valerie Pfeiffer
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen
with recommended DMC threads

I’m working some mental hours at work yet again, but trying to get a couple of days off during Mum’s visit … not sure if it’ll pan out, but we’ll see … either way we’ll have 2 weekends together, if nothing else 🙂

Exchanges, Finishes, pincushions, Stitching Smalls, The Floss Box

Biscornu exchange and other bits

20 September, 201220 September, 2012 Anne S

I’m working some really mental hours at work at the moment with a project not going so well that I’m supposed to be helping with the testing phase, plus another high profile project that’s just materialised where I’ve been asked to be the project lead, another two projects already underway for early next year, an entire overhaul of our main computer system we use (meaning training etc required along with the testing), and my main work colleague off on annual leave (who never provides a handover document) … my brain cells are in overdrive, but on the whole I’m loving it, even though I could quite easily leave the long hours for someone else. So I apologise in advance for the crappy grammar etc that I’m sure you’re going to find in this post, but I’m about to fall in a heap and get some well-needed Zzzzzzzzz……

I don’t think I ever showed the finished version of my French design purchased on holiday earlier in the year. Mum helped me by stuffing it with polyfil on her last visit, and I stitched up the seam to put the finishing touches into it. I need to get a little basket to have it on display with some of my other favourite items in my bedroom. I think I also need to stitch this one again in traditional red threads.

“Citation de brodeuse no.8” by Brin par Brin

Next up is the biscornu I sent to my partner in the Oz Cross Stitchers biscornu exchange (a Facebook group):

“Free Biscornu #30” by The Floss Box
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen
with recommended DMC threads, with Mill Hill beads in the whip-stitched border

And here is the exchange I received from my partner:

Beading, Chatelaine, Christmas Ornaments, Finishes, Freebies, Lizzie Kate, Paw Printings, Stash, Stitch-alongs, The Floss Box

Some more pre-biscornu finishes & some stash

15 September, 20126 April, 2014 Anne S

Thanks to a little bonus from work, I spoilt myself with some stash as a treat before putting the rest on bills … here is the result of my latest mail run – Quaker Christmas II ready for a SAL starting on 1 November, along with a couple of potential silk threads for it (In the Burgundy by Silk n’ Colors/Threadgatherer, and Warratah by Dinky Dyes). I also picked up a big piece of 28ct Lugana for my first HAED start, some 35ct Parchment WDW linen, 38ct Cream Bellazia linen, and a few replacement threads and beads I needed. Then finally there is some 30ct Tin Roof WDW linen for my Lizzie*Kate Mystery Sampler which Mum has gifted me for Christmas (and the final instalment is here in this pile too).

As for stitching, I can show the previous biscornu finishes, although they’re still waiting to be turned into actual biscornus … I can’t show the final one, as that’s still waiting to be received by my exchange recipient.

“Violets” by Chatelaine
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen
with recommended threads, Kreinik braid and beads

“Free Biscornu #34” by The Floss Box
stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen
with recommended DMC threads

And lucky last, I recently put the final touch to my Christmas ornaments by Paw Printings, by adding the little red beads.

“Golden Garland ornaments” by Paw Printings (from 2005 JCS Christmas Ornie issue)
stitched on 28ct mushroom Lugana
with recommended threads and beads

No more stitching done this week, due to some long working hours, but I did manage to be entirely lazy this morning and start putting some more Mill Hill beads into new containers … one more big batch yet to be done, but I need to get some more little containers before then (they’re hopefully due to arrive very soon).

Mill-Hill-Beads

Not much else to write about this week, really, so I guess I’ll leave it at that for now 🙂

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Halloween, Lizzie Kate

Halloween is just around the corner

9 September, 20129 September, 2012 Anne S

Even though I don’t celebrate it as such, I absolutely ADORE Halloween stitching, and I’ve managed to itch my Halloween urge over the weekend with a new start on Friday night – an entire day of solid stitching later, and it was finished late Saturday night. I just had enough WDW Bluebonnet to complete the wording, with about 3 inches left over! Unfortunately I only had enough WDW Terracotta for the stripes on the stockings, but after scrambling through my other variegated threads I managed to find a skein of Crescent Colours in Fallen Leaves that seemed a perfect replacement without having to resort to DMC subbing … and it worked out pretty well in the top section border – I bet if I hadn’t told you, you’d never have known! 😉

“Happy Haunting” by Lizzie*Kate (from Fall Crazy leaflet)
on a mystery Wichelt-type linen (ie stiff)
with recommended GAST/WDW threads with the exception of Terracotta (after running out midway through)

Not entirely sure what is next on the stitching to-do-list – I want to start one of Nora Corbett’s “Letters”, but I’m waiting for some hand-dyed fabric to arrive for it, which might be quite a way away yet. I’m keen to start another new start that would be quick to finish, but then again the other side of me is feeling a little overwhelmed with all the existing WIPs/UFOs sitting around, so I’m starting to feel a strong urge to at least start putting a few more stitches into those projects and reminding them they’re still loved. Perhaps I should start a rotation once again, just to work through a few of those older projects until the 2013 challenge starts? Oh decisions, decisions … and while I’m deciding I’d better go finish off the biscornu that’s due to be posted this week for an exchange – the stitching is finished, I just need to do the actual finishing …

2012 WIPocalypse, Christmas Ornaments, Finishes, Stash, Stitch-alongs, Works in Progress

August WIPocalypse update – part 2

3 September, 20126 April, 2014 Anne S

Not much stitching taking place throughout August on my WIPs where a finish was the result … although I did almost manage a finish of some ornaments that have been sitting around for months, and months, and well many more months – the first one below got put to one side ‘cos I wasn’t enjoying stitching with the threads … I decided to finally suck it up on 26 August and get them finished, until I realised I didn’t have the Mill Hill beads I needed to finish them! Stitchy friends to the rescue, though, and some will be winging their way to me soon so I can get them finished next month 🙂 (Thanks again Amanda, you rock!!)

The “before” shot as they stood at the beginning of the year and start of the challenge …

The “after” shot as they both stand now … just waiting for the beads to be added now 😀 Was hoping they’d be finished during the week last week, but I was working mental hours so too tired when I got home, then I was house-sitting the weekend just gone with an active border collie and 3 kitties, and decided not to chance beading!

I did manage to finish one other WIP, though, which was another small Christmas ornament – I don’t know why I put this to one side for so long … once I put my mind to it it didn’t take too long at all to add it to the “finished” pile on 20 August. I really like the colours in this one.

“Christmas Tree Quilt Ornament” by Handblessings
stitched on 32ct antique white Belfast linen
with recommended Needle Necessities/Threadworx threads

Another WIP I worked on a little bit is a Sweetheart Tree scissor fob … another one where I’m missing some beads, but hopefully they’ll arrive in a few weeks and I can finish this one off before the next update is due 🙂 Once again I’ve put the before and after photos here 🙂

The last piece of stitching for the month was actually a new start … it only took a few hours and this one was put into the finishing pile – I just love it, it’s so sparkly in real life! 😀

“Ice Blue Snowflake”, Tiny Treasured Diamonds kit by Mill Hill
Stitched on kit fabric, with MH beads and DMC

And when I wasn’t stitching over the last month I was labeling beads, using what have now become my favourite bead storage units … so much so I’ve had to try and track down some more so I can finish the job 😀

And the other hobby over the last couple of weeks is increasing my XS stash (well, that of myself and Mum to be exact) … which is sadly a hobby that is short-lived and I’m back on a no-stash diet (although I still have a few things yet to arrive, such as those wonderful bead storage units) 😀

All-in-all a lot more productive this month than I’d realised … a few stitches here and there really do make a difference, it seems! 😀

HAED, Stash

No longer a HAED virgin

26 August, 2012 Anne S

As mentioned in my previous post, I finally succumbed to starting a small collection of HAED charts … I’ll be lucky if I complete even one in this lifetime, but I couldn’t resist the temptation and fell in love with each and every one of these … plus a few that are waiting in the sidelines in my wishlist basket! I was clever, though, and bought mainly Quick Stitches and Minis … although I still think they’re pretty massive in their own right!

Crazy January 2013 Challenge, Cross Stitch

2013 Crazy January Stitching Challenge

26 August, 201226 August, 2012 Anne S

I have managed to finish one whole WIP for the August WIPocalypse challenge, but I’ll leave the details of that for my challenge post in a few days time … sadly it’s only a Christmas ornie, so that shows you just how much stitching has been done over the last few weeks!

While I haven’t been doing much actual stitching throughout August, I have been kitting up some projects and planning projects to join the 2013 Crazy January Challenge … same rules as normal where you choose 15 projects and start one a day for the first 15 days of January. That part I don’t think I’ll be doing, as I often only get chance to do one strand of thread on an evening if I’m lucky, so that’ll just make me discouraged right from the get-go … instead I’ll just choose 15 projects that I intend to attempt and finish by the year’s end, and have created a Facebook folder to track progress. The only problem so far is that I just can’t seem to stop adding projects to the pile that I really really want to stitch up … I’m supposed to narrow the choices down to just 15, and as you can see from the choices to date I’m not doing too well on that score!! If my mojo returns soon, I might make a start on a couple of them before the challenge starts. I’ve tried to keep most of them quite small to medium in size to make the challenge a little more manageable, but I’ve thrown one or two larger pieces into the mix as well. (And the Christmas Quaker one shouldn’t be in this gallery, but I don’t know how to exclude it!)

As well as the 2013 Crazy January Challenge, I’m also hoping to work on at least 1 or 2 of my older UFOs to at least make some progress by the end of the year, even if they aren’t finished. And finally I’ve also joined up with a SAL of Quaker Christmas II by ByGone Stitches – this is one huge mother of a project, so it may take me 10 years to finish … but I figure I’ll just try to do a set amount of stitching on it each month, be it one day or weekend, so eventually it’ll get stitched up 🙂

And last but not least I also went a bit crazy and finally succumbed to stashing a few HAED charts … who knows when they will ever get stitched, but they’re pretty to drool over in the meantime. This is all because I saw a finished version of the Egyptian Temple one, then found out they currently have a 25% sale happening … and, well, the rest of PayPal blitzing history! 😉 I’ll add a piccie of my selections later 🙂

2012 WIPocalypse, Exchanges, Finishes, Just Nan, Stitching Smalls

August WIPocalypse

8 August, 20128 August, 2012 Anne S

Too late at night to put any words for now ‘cos I’m going cross-eyed from lack of sleep … will post my month’s progress piccie, though – I managed to finish this little Just Nan piece (stitching-wise anyway).