Sunday 31 January 2016

Goal review - January

Stitch JCS facebook group ornie - DONE!


Stitch 2 days of istitch 2015 Advent SAL - DONE!


Stitch Mabel Figworthy 'Round in Circles' January design - DONE!


Use random generator each Sunday
17th - 47: Rosa - frogged the kloster blocks on 2 sides, then restitched and added star stitches. After that, I moved on to the trellis stitch with it being couched at every bisecting/intersecting point.  That was a lot of couching! Then...the bullion know roses! Oh my word! They are fabulous once done, I love the look!


24th - 67: Summer in Susex - not a lot of stitching time this week so very little progress. That's a shame really as in reality it is not very far off being finished.



This week's design is number 39, which are the Lizzie Kate Flip-Its.

Sunday 24 January 2016

Rosa

The random generator picked 47 this week. I think it's Rosa but I sort of lost count as I scrolled so I could have miscounted. Anyway...Rosa is what I worked on this week. This is a speciality stitch piece by India Grace Designs that I got the year I went to Harrogate.

So, this is where I started from...


...and this is where I finished. I had to unpick 2 and a bit sides of the kloster blocks as I put too many stitches in them.  I had made it 50 stitches on each side when in fact it should have been 45. The design is square, I just took the photo at a strange angle.  The rose is made up of bullion knots.


Today, the Random Generator selected 61 which is Summer in Sussex by The Nutmeg Company - so that is what I will be stitching on this week.  

Saturday 23 January 2016

Mabel Figworthy 2016 SAL

Here is the first round of the Mystery SAL, Round in Circles. I'm actually up to date for once!

Tuesday 19 January 2016

I have a cunning plan...

...Can you remember who used to say that?

I have decided that I need some kind of a goal to fail at this year. So the plan each month is...

Stitch the facebook JCS group monthly ornie. The reason for this is that I bought a twig/blossom tree last year for Christmas and despite how many ornies I have stitched/received over the years, it still looked bare-ish.  I'm sure that isn't a real word but I'm sure you know what I mean.  Another 12 would help with that!
Stitch the Mabel Figworthy 2015 SAL.. I started the last SAL in 2013 and have made it to April. These would be lovely stitched on one piece of fabric each and hung in the hallway. If I could get one stitched each month this year, then I could do the 2013 SAL next year and actually get them hung. I do enjoy learning all the new stitches for them.
Stitch 2 days of the 2015 istitch Advent SAL. Surely even I can manage two a month?  Then if I can REALLY over achieve and do 2 extra over the course of the year, it will be finished in time for Advent this year!
Each Sunday use the random generator to select one of my WIP/UFO list projects. This will then be my piece to work on for the week unless I am working on any of the above designs instead and then it can wait until the following week.

What do you think?  Is this manageable?  Can I do it?


Saturday 16 January 2016

Another finish

Wow! Second finish of the year! What is going on?
I joined a Facebook group and the plans are to stitch one ornie a month from the 2015 Christmas ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. Several polls were put up and everyone voted. This was the favourite one, so I started with that.
It is Blue Ribbon Designs 'Snowmates'.
The fabric is 28ct jobelan (I think) and is called chocolate milk.

Friday 8 January 2016

Sweet Pea - Nora Corbett

Well...after finishing Vixen and the SAL piece, it was a case of what shall I stitch on next?  I have 3 tubs/boxes of WIP's/UFO's and so grabbed the first box to have a look through.  Sweet Pea caught my eye, so I pulled the threads and cracked on with her.

Here she is before I started working on her...

Sweet Pea Pixie - Nora Corbett

...and here is where I am up to now.


I have no idea why this photo is refusing to turn round the right way, but you get the idea!  I had the bright idea of doing the skin 1 over 1 which is taking FOREVER!

Friday 1 January 2016

Finishes, finishes

Happy 2016 to you all.  
I hope that it is a fabulous year.

Vixen - Nora Corbett
Fabric - Icicle (Crafty Kitten)
I managed to finish Vixen yesterday as the treasures arrived from Sewandso.  However, I managed to send one of the treasures flying across the room and can't find it.  I will order another packet when I 'need' to order something else too.

Whilst I have been waiting for the treasures, I pulled out Mabel Figworthy's Song of the Weather.  I had stitch the kloster blocks for April but that was about it. Today, I have finished off the block.  I had to learn how to do bullion knots, Portuguese ladder stitch and Greek crosses to do it.  My Portuguese ladder stitches aren't brilliant and I keep thinking about ripping them out and doing them again.  I suspect by the time I reach December, I will have done so!

Mabel Figworthy's Fancies - Song of the Weather (2013 SAL)

I really liked the Greek crosses once I understood what on earth it was I had to do with them.  I am sure that mine will improve with practice but I am happy with them for this 'learner's piece'.


I have signed up for the 2016 SAL which is called Round in Circles. I am thinking that I will do it with the same threads and then both of them could hang in the hall next to each other.  The first design was released today and is a nice easy one to start off with.