Pic - Father's Day gift and Floss substitution

Dad - If you read my blog......

navigate away now.......


First, to give him a chance to head away - I'd like to show you a floss I found to use for my next big project - Victoria Sampler's Xmas Tree Farm Sampler.

The chart calls for nothing but specialty floss, that would take me over 5 websites to locate, and cost $99 plus postage alone. (Stuff that!) I'm going to stitch this using the DMC I have to hand and source some local overdyed cotton floss for some of the Glorianna.
One of the main silks used appears to be Glorianna's 'Blue Grass' - Thank you Coral - she sent me a smidge of the silk and a length of the silk ribbon of 'Blue Grass' - it was really handy to give me the true colourways to search for a replacement. I found a replacement in overdyed cotton - Cottage Garden Threads - their colour called Grevillia has the same tones of gold and teal - perhaps a bit more gold than teal, but for the sake of individualising my sampler -will do the trick. I'm so happy to have found a local product. I found this on Saturday while browsing through a patchwork shop in Berwick. (not so much browsing as making a bee-line direct to the shop to look at cotton overdyes for the sole purpose of finding my replacement floss)
I was not looking forward to buying the one silk and having it standing out amongst the rest of the DMC. I have been given a list of DMC conversions for the rest of the specialty floss, but this particular one, seems to be used in a majority of the chart.

Now to show what I finished today - I have to find the right size frame or finish it properly, in order to post it to Dad in time for Father's Day this coming Sunday.
It is a Linen Flowers freebie. I've had it for awhile, but it called to me to stitch it for this weekend. It's a quick stitch, and by using a darker fabric than that called for, had to change the writing to a lighter colour so it could be read better.

I think I'll be back to stitching my Halloween projects for now - until I get started on Xmas Tree Farm. Of course, I could resume stitching my Poppies...

Slowly but surely - another WIP is getting stitched

I started this project in 2004 or 05 - the patterns themselves were released a few at a time each month in the UK Cross-stitcher magazine in 1993. At the time, the newsagent ordered them infor me, so I have several years worth of issues. Never at any time, were all the motifs shown together as a wall hanging. I stitched the 'w' motif for a Round Robin and when finished, wondered just how the whole series would look together. Interestingly enough, right at that time, the right piece of fabric came into my posession - perfect length and width for the motifs as I had planned. It doesn't show here, but it's a soft sage-green.

Karma!

Each motif is only about 52 stitches wide and deep, and should only take a few days each to stitch. They do. I just didn't calculate stitching other projects in between.

J - Japanese Anenome was finished last night. Of course, I've started stitching K - for some fancy word meaning 'red hot poker'. Just do not expect me to show you a finish any time in the next fortnight!!!!!

Another Fob - the right size this time!

This morning I finished another Drawn Thread scissor fob - Snowman Freebie. This time it is stitched over two threads using one strand as charted originally ! ! !

Here you can see the size comparison.

This is being posted from my first ever laptop! I finally have my own computer that I can fill full of rubbish (hubby's words - not mine) - I think he means my valuable cross stitch charts and patterns and photos. This afternoon, I've started to finally chart Martha, with the aim to eventually sell the cart. To this aim, I will start up another blog shortly for those interested to join the 'Martha Club' - keep watching for news here....

Another Snowman finish - itty bitty hot off the hoop!

I accidentally started another snowman yesterday afternoon, instead of starting VS Xmas Tree Farm (still not happy with my floss toss and will have to wait until the weekend when I can floss toss again in daylight) Instead, I picked up a Drawn Thread freebie - a snowman keeper. I grabbed a scrap of evenweave and started stitching. It was only after I'd finished the snowman, and started to stitch the eyelets when I realised that I had mis-read the instructions. 'Stitch using 1-ply' does not translate to 'Stitch over one, using 1-ply' ! ! ! ! So I fudged the placement and size of the eyelets in the background and finished it off into a mini-fob - after all - as it is "2010-my Year of the Snowman", you would think that I would have at least one scissor fob made by now.... HAH!! So now that this one is finished, I've started another one - This time the right size!!

100th follower gift received - Pictures

Now that I know my 100th follower received her present - here's a quick pic at what I sent Sharon. (Please visit her brand new blog)
I covered a cute box (I never throw out cute boxes any more - and a workmate keeps giving me great shoeboxes after I covered the last ones), with some black and gold fabric. I replaced the ribbon pull with a couple of matching buttons. Inside I placed a couple of my special coasters, a scissor fob with a pocket in the back to hold orts. I had stitched the freebie from My aunt's attic a couple of years ago, but only made it into the fob last month. (I really need to catch up and finish all my stitching into something useful!!) Sharon had told me she liked yellow and sparkling, so I added a couple of skeins of yellow and metallic floss. I also tossed in a few bags of yellow and gold beads!!

I'm glad Sharon enjoyed her gift - It was so much fun to put it all together! I'm looking forward to watching Sharon's new blog grow! It's only fitting that I'm her first follower - will you be the next?

Framed finishes - 3 samplers and a mermaid

I've had a framing splurge and picked them all up from the framers at once.

Just Nan's Catnip Tea - this kit was a gift and it was my first Just Nan stitched. I finished it in 2005 and waited this long to have it framed.

Just Nan's Creativity - my second Just Nan, also a gift and finished in 2008. I love the colours in this one - perfect for my loungeroom. I have green floor tiles and a pinky/red feature wall. This wall will become my sampler wall over time.

The 'B' Sampler - Some of you may remember when I finished this one in February this year. Not so fancy a finish, also because I hadn't given the framer a lot of excess fabric to work with. This one is destined for another wall in the house. I still like the verse I changed. The chart was a gift - a friend saw it and thought of me!!


The whopper - I had been quoted in excess of $270 to have this framed. My lovely local lady charged me $80 - double matted, lovely frame, stretched and glass. (I should have remembered to ask for non-reflective!) Mirabilia's 'Mermaid Queen' (I think that's the title) - stitched on hand dyed evenweave (also a gift).

TUSAL - August - I may be the last one continuing...

I think we've lost Yo-Yo. For the time being, I'm happy to continue keeping my orts and showing them growing each month....
After all, It's keeping my carpet clean.
My workmate has contributed a little here - she thinks it's a crazy idea, but won't keep her own TUSAL jar...
So here's mine, with white and blue and pink and green and black and orange....
I'll have some framed finishes to show on my next post too!

My latest finish - a comfort cushion for a workmate

Finished at midnight last night - the stitching on some pale pink aida, using whatever DMC leapt out at me.
A work colleague's MIL was diagnosed with bowel cancer last Tuesday, and my gut instinct was to stop stitching my snowmen or halloween projects and stitch up a comfort cushion for this person i've never met.
I have stitched Lizzie Kate's Cherish-Dream-Live before, and made exactly that - a comfort cushion that was taken into hospital by another work colleague about 18months ago. She still holds that cushion and knows it was stitched with love and compassion.



Yesterday morning, I called at my local quilt shop to see if they had any suitable fabric to use to make a cushion. I chose some pretty floral flannellette. This afternoon, I put it together, and added three yo-yos with button centres. I will have to go to Spotlight tomorrow to pick up some more filling because I raided one of my snowman cushions...
Even Harry said it was one of the better finishes I've done.




I'm looking forward to giving this one away. I think he will be pleased that it's been made for his family.

Speaking of GIVEAWAY - I nearly forgot to mention Fiona's 100th follower giveaway!!!