March

Happy March! These weeks are flying by so quickly! Last week March came in like a lion with "the beast from the east". To be honest it was a bit of a let down where I live. We didn't get the amount of snow that was forecast but we did get the high winds which gave us a wind chill of -10. This week it is more like Spring although yesterday we did get snow but it melted very quickly. 

So since I was here last I've been getting a fair amount of stitching done. I really need to get myself motivated to do some finishing but I need to go through what I have to finish then go through fabric and trims etc. 

The first piece I have to show was finished last time I blogged but I couldn't show it as it was on the way to my dear friend and fellow stitcher Barb for her 70th birthday.

Silver Creek Samplers Sweet Friendship

28 count cream cashel linen

DMC

Started 19th October 2017

Finished 31st January 2018

Birthday gift for Barb.

I covered a paper mache box with fabric and mounted my stitched piece onto the top. Barb was delighted with it :). Inside the box I popped a sweet little glass bird that I spotted in the local garden centre. 

I have had a few more finishes since my last post.

The Snowflower Diaries I Will Be There

40 count sand linen

GAST

Started 8th February 2018

Finished 27th February 2018

I stitched this one for the third, and final, time.

Lizzie Kate A Little Stitch

28 count Amber linen

DMC

Started 19th February 2018

Finished 28th February 2018.

Final finish is a snowy one!

Country Cottage Needleworks Snow Place Like Home 1

40 count vintage country mocha linen

DMC, CC & WDW

Started 14th January 2018

Finished 24th February 2018

Of course I had to start Snow Place 2 :)

Lesleyanne very kindly lent me all 3 parts of the Lizzie Kate A Little Mystery. I did have it and stitched a couple of the bonus designs ( gifted one of them) then sold the charts. I had forgotten about the piece I had stitched and gifted and came across the photo on my PC late last year and instantly regretted selling the charts! So I have made a start on the main design and got part 1 stitched and part 2 started. Thank you so much for lending me them Lesleyanne :)

My progress on LHN Little Red Barn is going slow but, hopefully, I might have a finish on Sunday. The next one in the series, Horsin' Around, arrived last week. 

Barb and I still doing our sheep SAL ( and our LK one as well as the Farmhouse Christmas with a lovely lady called Sue) and I am plodding away on The Pastoral. I might actually have a sheep soon!

Of course no post is complete without my HAED pieces. Lisa and I stitched on the 25th of last month on our stockings. It doesn't look much but at least it's progress!

We are also doing well on our 300 stitches a week SAL. Last week I got carried away and did more but this week I haven't done any yet BUT Lisa is visiting tomorrow so I'm going to do mine then. We are both so excited to have the opportunity to have a stitchy afternoon again :)

Finally I'm still plodding along on the dragon. I'm getting there slowly!

Oh I almost forgot about the Stichrovia Quotes to Live By WIP. I only stitch on this at craft group and if I have something I need to get more done on it doesn't get much love. So it's going slow but I have got a bit done on it in recent weeks.

After Lizzie Kate's announcement about her retirement I decided to add a couple of her charts to my stash. I know I'm doing stitch from stash but I knew I'd kick myself if I didn't get them so I bought Winter Smalls and Collect Moments. Then the other day I was thinking maybe I'd get a few more. The places I use seem to be sold out of a lot and taking a while to get more in but I managed to do a couple of orders and picked up most of what I wanted. There is another but it comes with threads so I'll just look out for it chart only on the Facebook selling sites. I did miss out on it when a friend was selling some stash! 

Thank you so much to all of you who left good wishes for Jess. It really means a lot. She is doing really well, has been to the hairdressers, doctors and out to Dungeons and Dragons which she plays with old school friends without having a panic attack. She is also back at work. Work have been so good and very understanding.

So that is all my news for now. Until next time take care everyone.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx

Here I Am!

I know it has been a while yet again! I'm not putting myself under any pressure to blog more often as i know it is fruitless so I'll just blog when I feel like it. Anyway today I am trying something new and blogging solely from my iPad. I've taken photos with it, edited them with it and now I'm attempting to write a post. Unfortunately the App store doesn't have the Blogger app and when I had it on my now not working tablet I could never get photos where I wanted them so fingers crossed this app works!

So I have been doing a fair bit of stitching since my last post. No finishes but I could now show the birthday gift I did for Lainey but it's on my laptop! So if this doesn't go well I may end up on my laptop anyway! If it works I'll showmit next post!

I can't remember what I showed last time or what new starts I may have had but I have joined in a couple of SALs. The first one started on 1st September and it's an Autumn SAL featuring any Autumn design by Little House Needleworks or Country Cottage Needleworks. I chose Autumn Band Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I'm stitching it with some of the suggested threads and DMC.

My other SAL came about through Instagram. I noticed a few people were joining Priscilla and Chelsea for a Sunday SAL stitching on Little House Needleworks Lantern Lane. Well I already had everything we needed to start so start I did!

I don't remember showing much of my progress on the Stitchrovia charity SAL. To be honest there isn't a lot of progress! I only really stitch on it at the craft group I go to and I have missed 2 weeks recently. However I hope to get back to it properly unless something crops up and I need to start something else!

My Winter Days Sewing Basket is coming along quite nicely. i have finished one side and got a good bit done on another. The making up will be interesting once all the stitching is done!

Barb and I still stitching away on our SALs. On Mondays we stitch on Lizzie Kate and I am stithcing Snowman '10. He is such a sweet stitch too.

Then on Fridays it is our sheep SAL and we both stitching Jump for Joy. The grass on mine is growing very slowly at the moment. Hmm I can't find the photo!

Of course no post is complete without Mini Jolly Old Fellow! I can see the end soon so I gaining enthusiasm for him to be finished!

Well I know this post isn't very interesting but I did't want to put lots into it if it didn't go how I wanted it to so I'll see what happens! Fingers crossed!

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love,

Sally xxx

More Finishing and Some Stitching!

Yet again it has been a while since I last posted! I was intent on doing a post the week before last but it didn't happen. So I am here now and guess what?! I've had my sewing machine out again! I have been watching some of Vonna's finishing tutorials on You Tube and after seeing her using a quilting ruler I decided I had to get one as it would make things so much easier. Well I hoped! Anyway I wish I'd had one years ago! I finished another 3 pieces and although they are not perfect ( practice makes perfect right?) I am very happy with them! I am struggling to get my stuffing right into the corners but I will get it! So here's my finishes. 

This one was stitched last year and is Little House Needleworks Soft and Sweet.

This one was the December SAL I did with Chris starting last December and I finished the stitching in January. Of course it is Country Cottage Needleworks Merry Christmas My Deer.

Finally this one.

The Primitive Hare Prim Christmas

32 count Vintage Country Mocha linen.

DMC & Rainbow Gallery

Started 9th July 2017

Finished 25th July 2017.

I am aiming to try and get everything in my finishing pile done eventually and try and keep on top of any new finishes I have. Hmmmm!!!

A fair bit of stitching has been done but none finished as yet. I was hoping to get my sheep SAL piece with Barb finished but I ran out of a thread. I must admit that I am not too happy with the hand dyes on this one. None of them are the same as the photo and it's not even a slight difference but a considerable one. I know that is the problem with hand dyes as no two skeins are the same. I actually swapped out the GAST for the snow as it was just not snow coloured and used DMC instead. This should be finished this evening.

Barb and I have started a new SAL on Mondays. She was saying she had lots of Lizzie Kate charts in her stash and asked if I fancied stitching on some with her. She knew I was toying with the idea of signing up for the new Christmas mystery and thought I could join her on that. However I have decided not to sign up but I do have some Lizzie Kate charts in my stash so I made a very small start on Snowman '10. Yes it is a very small start lol!

1831 Christmas is going well. The hand dyes on this are very close to the photo on the chart so I am very happy with this one. It is so pretty too and that sheep is very cute! 

The Stitchrovia charity SAL Quotes to Live By is going very slow but I'm not stitching on it every week. I think I shall stitch a little of the border as I add the quotes rather than stitch the border all at once. I think I'll get bored quickly! 

I am getting close to finishing Through the Storms. I just have the clouds at the top to fill in and the grass at the bottom so it should be finished next time I pick it up. Please excuse the lovely envelope covering the personalisation!

As usual no post would be complete without Mini Jolly Old Fellow! Look!!! I have finished page 7!! Just 2 more partial pages to go!!! I am debating what to do once this is finished. I have a storykeep ( remember the dragon??) to finish so I might get that out until it's finished. After that I don't know whether to have a rest from HAEDs ( well BAPs) or get one of my BAP WIPs out. I have Guardian B&W almost halfway or Tilton Crafts Always started.

As some of you may know I am on Instagram and came across a SAL starting on 3rd September of LHN Lantern Lane. I got the chart, fabric and some of the threads for Christmas last year so I decided that, if I can get a few pieces finished before then, I would join in. I'm quite excited by this and have been thinking about starting it for a while.

Have you seen the gorgeous new chart coming soon from Little House Needleworks? It's one of a new set of seasonal charts and I am really looking forward to them. I have already put my name down for the Autumn one when it reaches our shores and hope to take part in a SAL on the Little House / Country Cottage Facebook page depending on when it arrives. I have been very good on Stitch from Stash as I could have ordered loads but have stopped myself and made myself really think harder about if I really want things! I was very close to signing up for the Lizzie Kate Christmas mystery, as I mentioned earlier, and the With Thy Needle Thread schoolhouse series and I kept asking myself will I really like them that much or will it  be something I regret. So something good has come from Stitch from Stash this year! I have been doing better each year I've taken part but this year seems even better. I hope it lasts!!!!

That's all my stitching news for this post. Fingers crossed my sewing machine will come out again soon or my cutting knife to cut card lol! I'll be making time to come visit all your blogs as soon as I can. 

Until next time.

With much love,

Sally xxx

I've Had My Sewing Machine Out!

Hello everybody. Since my last post I have been quite busy stitching and also I've been finishing up some pieces to display. Yes how I love finishing lol! So it's another picture heavy post but my finishing pile has got down a little bit!

I have had a couple of finishes which, of course, means new starts but I'll begin with the finishes!

First finish that is also fully finished off is this one. It took a while a stitch as I was only stitching on it for a couple of hours a week at the craft group I go to.

Little House Needleworks My Lady at Christmas

32 count Chromatic Alchemy Cassia Rose murano

Classic Colorworks & DMC

Started 28th March 2017

Finished 3rd July 2017.

My second finish is this one.

Lizzie*Kate I Cannot Count My Day Complete

32 count Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 22nd June 2017

Finished 13th July 2017.

On to my making up now. These were stitched mostly this year, with one last year and and one in 2015! 

I'm really pleased with how these all turned out but I really wish I could get the bottom edge straight when I sew the hole up.

As I said I've had a few new starts. I had finished the piece I was stitching on for the sheep SAL Barb and I are doing so I chose to start Plum Street Samplers Merry Ewe which is one of the Jack's Sweet Shoppe series. Does anyone know where I can get the tart pans in the UK please? I've looked in cookery shops etc etc and looked online but can't find any that are the right size. It needs to be 4.75".

I also have another sheepy start as I couldn't resist starting this one from my stash. It is another Plum Street Samplers and it is 1831 Christmas.

Hmm I have done my usual and forgotten to take one of my new starts! I started The Primitive Hare Prim Christmas from last year's JCS ornament issue to take to craft group with me. I'll try and remember to take a photo next time.

My final new start is Stitchrovia's charity SAL Quotes to Live By. Oh this is going to take some stitching but it will be so worth it. 

I'm still stitching away on Silver Creek Samplers Through the Storms and it looking really good even though I say so myself!! 

Final piece is driving me mad! I really wish I could get this finished but I'm at the stage where I really don't want to stitch on it anymore. However I will get it finished as it's such a beautiful piece.

That's all my stitching news for now. I'll see you all next month with more making up hopefully! My sewing machine will be coming out again :)

Take care everyone.

Until next time.

With much love Sally xxx