Well! This is getting to be a bit of a habit!

Well what a busy stitching week I have had.  Watching flosstube and stitching is as good as it gets I think.  I love feeling like 'someone' is stitching with me (even if I am rather late to the party!)

This week has seen Positive Thinking getting a little (actually quite a lot) of TLC.  I had finished all of part one, some of part two and the words for part three. I can now confirm that ALL of part two is done as is ALL of part three. This was going to be my focus piece until either it was finished or I got bored.  However, as a Stitch Mayniac, I decided to do the Olympic Stitching Challenge which has different challenges for each day.

Before!

Positive Thinking SAL - Jardin Prive

Friday, for the Opening Ceremony was either a new start (NOOOOOOO!!!!!) or work on your most recent start.  I am pretty sure that the last thing I started was Lakeside Needlecraft's Under the Sea SAL. I actually didn't realise that it had been so long since I had started anything, other than the JCS ornies. That's impressive for me :)

Lakeside Needlecraft - Under the Sea SAL

Saturday was to stitch something with a winter theme.  Well in true Jo Perry fashion, I decided that Christmas is in winter and that I could therefore work on Oh Christmas Tree.  I am also going to work on this for the last challenge which is to work on a piece close to a finish.  I am hoping that it will actually get finished.  There is very little left to do - a bit to the bottom right where I couldn't be bothered to move the Q-Snap, the pot it is in and a bigger chunk on the lefthandside. (Justine, would you still like this one when it is finished?  There is hope!)

All Through the Night - Oh Christmas Tree

Sunday was Korean themed day.  Thankfully, the Korean flag has a lot of white - as does iStitch Advent SAL 2015. I am really happy to have got bands 8, 9, 10 and some of 11 stitched today.  I am going to go back to it in a minute and will hopefully get band 11 finished.  The photos are shocking! It stands out so much more in reality.

iStitch - Advent SAL 2015

 

Tomorrow is animal themed day.  I am going to work on Nature Patchwork which was gifted to me  a gazillion years ago and I used to work on when bathing the kids when they were little.  Well not so much when I was bathing them, more supervising the splashing.  Looking at it has given me a warm, fuzzy feeling...awwww.

In other news - Rachael had an interview for NCS on Monday. Well, it wasn't so much an interview as groupwork, interview, presentations and all sorts of activities.  She was complimented by 2 of the 'examiners' on her presentation skills and was offered the job the following morning.  That's the summer holidays taken care of then!!  

Turtle Trot - February update (edited to add photos of Cinders)

Turtle Trot time again.  It comes round so fast.

This month I have worked mainly on Cinderella just because I want to get her finished and sent off to her new home as soon as possible so that I don't feel guilty every time I work on something else.  Here is where she is at the moment.  I have started adding the Kreinik and backstitching as I go, the thought of having to do it all at the end is just too much.  I will do the beading at the end however.

I have tried to catch the sparkly dress in the next two photos but it hasn't really worked too well.  Hopefully you will get the idea!

I did a tiny bit on Positive Thinking too - but not a lot!  Progress is progress though, however small :)

I even pulled out my Cut Thru Stable, but the progress on that wasn't even worth the effort of a photo. Approximately 15 pale pink stitches before I gave up and put it away.

Mary's Sampler got a little attention and I made a start on the border.  I got bored of that too though so not much progress.  Still if I did a little each month, it would be finished for Christmas this year!  I have changed the red of the flower in the border as the one I had was a little too strong and I felt it would overpower the actual design.  At one point I wasn't going to do the border but I felt that it needed something to 'finish it off' 

Positive thinking and Mary's Sampler

This is where I am up to with Mary's Sampler so far.  The fabric looks absolutely NOTHING like this AT ALL.  In fact I think if I had used a colour filter, I couldn't make it look less like the real thing than this does. It is actually a Silkweaver Solo 28ct Cashel Linen.  Linen...I'm using linen...woohoo.  Trouble is I hate the feel of the fabric and the 'unevenness' of it and the way it stretches when you hold it.  As it is only a small design, I will plough on with it.  I am also printing off Mary's Sampler II for a later date.

I have also been stitching on the Positive Thinking SAL (part 2) and this is where I am up to with it.  Again, the fabric is nothing like this.  It has been a really gloomy day here in Manchester and we still had the lounge light on at 10am this morning!

Other than these 2, there has been a little progress on Cinderella, but not enough to make it worth taking off the Q Snaps and taking a photo of it.

Look at these!

Recently Linda of Stitching with my Furbabies introduced me to a new blog Pickle Barrels Designs.  Nancy was having a lovely giveaway where she was offering either a set of Christmas charts or Halloween charts to a follower and someone they introduced.  Me and Linda were lucky enough to win. Well actually, for some totally bizarre reason we were the only 2 people who entered.  I can only assume there was a total internet blackout directly after we entered until the closing date :)

As Linda introduced me, she got first dibs and chose the Christmas designs.  I therefore got Halloween and they are gorgeous.  There was also the Sullivan's threads required, some fabric and the cutest EVER halloween bag.  Look at these charts, aren't they lovely?

Thank you Nancy for offering such a lovely giveaway.  I would highly recommend a visit, so click on the link above and have a look.

And in other news...I have done a little bit on Papillon Creations Around the World.  This is part 8 (I think).

The second part of Positive Thinking has been released, so I have made a start on that too.  I have done a little more than it looks here as tonight I have stitched 2 more words.

Positive Thinking SAL and a Stable

Here is the finished part 1 of the Positive Thinking SAL.  As I have told several people, I think this is the first time ever I have been up to date with a SAL.  I am doing this with the recommended Nina's Threads and having never used them before, I think I'm in love!  They give great coverage and feel soft and silky to use.

And some more progress was made on my Stable as last night was our Bothy Threads SAL.  If you want to, feel free to come and join our facebook SAL group where you can work on any design so long as it's a Cut Thru one.  Here's the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/143307482517635/ .  There are some fantastic designs being worked on and even if you don't want to join, it is well worth a look.

More stitching? What's going on?

Well having submitted the assignment and not having any studying to do for 2 weeks means lots of stitching!!!!  So first up is a bit of progress on Cut Thru Stable.  I did the light brown on the stable door.

Bothy Threads - Cut Thru Stable

And I succumbed to the latest SAL.  The world and his wife seems to be doing this one so I am not going to post the details.  If however you have been on Mars for the last couple of weeks and haven't heard about it, let me know and I will tell you about it.  There is a facebook group if anyone wants to join in. https://www.facebook.com/groups/579447708764063/  I am determined that I am going to keep up with this SAL - I'm doing rubbish with all the others :(