Category Archives: cross stitch

WIP Wednesday #245

Posted in cross stitch, family, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morning! Has it really been only a week? It feels sooo much longer, but that is what being sick does to you. I have a cold, so can’t go around mum for a few days. Plodding along at work. Seriously disappointed in this last season of Thrones. Really enjoyed binge watching the ITV series, The Bay, with Louise. Cleaning thru 40+ years of stuff the MIL has kept (business records from 1984, anyone?). Telling Mase what is happening with Grandma, then having a stroppy child as his aunt told him I’m exaggerating. What? Not helpful. And this is why she’s not the testamentary guardian, Lou is.

Last week’s #magicalstitches challenge was completed on Sunday, my time. It was hard to get thru Raven Queen, much easier on Fairy Idyll (32ct linen vs 28ct Lugana), & then I used Fairy Idyll for the pop-up challenge, so there’s 400 stitches in her, not 350.

This week’s challenge has gone in my “too hard” basket so I am stitching the penalty – 400 stitches on a WIP of my choice. I’ve gone super-simple, and chosen my friend Jenny (home*stitch*ness on Etsy, FB, IG and featured in multiple World of Cross Stitching magazines) & her Four Seasons in New Zealand. There are companion pieces for the UK, Australia, Canada & the States. Super cute. Progress shots next week!

WIP Wednesday #244

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, goals, grateful, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Week in the Life by

20190513_134524Morning! Our week has been pretty good – MIL is back home (on oxygen permanently) but is more able to participate in family life, is great with her friends and we had a lovely Mother’s Day dinner (I cooked, but I left the cleaning J). Ms Louise chose flowers for both of us & did a lovely, slightly unconventional, job of it.

20190510_081046Mase had Book Week and on Friday, dressed as Calvin and Tiggr “dressed” as Hobbes. Yep, we’re all about the classics in our house! On the redeeming front, Zac is chosing to read & study To Kill a Mockingbird.

On stitching, I finished the second part of the biscornu but haven’t FFO’d it (insert chicken noises here). I did start another Mirabilia – Mermaid of Atlantis – and am planning to use this for most of the #magicalstitches extra credit challenges for the Goblet of Fire May/June months. I started with #2, as the shell chandelier/light was approved as something that might be at a fancy ball AND it was the middle of the top; now I’m working on task #1 (500 on something that could be found in the lake) with the fish, and I’m about 70 stitches off completing that challenge (I need to take an update photo), and combined with task #10 (200 stitches on a piece that has something that lays eggs) I’m working on the border, on the theory that fish lay eggs. That’s not quite at the half-way mark. Like a lot of people, I’m very motivated at the start of a piece!

This week’s challenge is WIP list based again – and as I have less than 20 WIPS, I’m allocated to option 2, 350 stitches each on WIP #1 & #7. Seven is actually the biscornu, so I have approval to jump the line to #8, which just so happens to be Raven Queen. Progress shots next week!

WIP Wednesday #243

Posted in cross stitch, family, grateful, me, stitching patterns, Week in the Life, work by

Morning! There’s not much progress this week, a bit of reverse stitching (does that sound better than frogging?) and a few days where I was too unsettled to stitch.

On Friday, instead of talking to the hospice nurse, my MIL was instead hospitalised. It’s been and up & down week, and I am trying to focus on the good.

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This week, I’m also doing the Ali Edwards Week in the Life project so it’s bittersweet that this may well be the last week she is in.

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Anyway, here’s my We’re All Mad Here progress. Here’s to a finish this coming week!20190502_103737.jpg

WIP Wednesday #242

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morning! Winter is here, despite Arya stabbing the Night King, and I’ve pulled out the bunny slippers. Don’t mock me – it’s actually self-preservation in my house. Something pink and fluffy isn’t likely to get nicked by one of my lovely children! Next winter I’ll be even safer, as everyone now wears a larger size than me (including Mase!).

Last week’s #magicalstitches challenges were to stitch 300 each on a tree/plant and 300 on a building. As I said before, I started the LHS conifer on Fairy Idyll and worked on the balustrade for Raven Queen. I also have a small finish which I can’t show, as it’s intended for a present.

This week is a short “week” before the new school year starts (this one is based on Goblet of Fire, and runs May-June). The challenge was to stitch on the smallest WIP in our posted list, with points per 100 stitches and extra for an FFO. Like many people, I didn’t include my Mill Hills and travel kit into the WIP list – I left it for anything of a decent size. Whoops! So instead of finishing maybe 4 things, I’ve been working on We’re All Mad Here and by 6pm tonight, I should have the majority of the front side completed. This is my progress, with 1065 stitches completed so far.

Anyway, have a good week!

April WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

April Goals:

  • Use Genoa & Wales for Extra Credit piece (500 stitches) NOPE – used Nantucket Rose instead
  • Complete first fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies YEP
  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May NOPE
  • Work on Coffee Quaker every day in April ALMOST

 

While I didn’t get to many goals (I’ve gone right off the Sandra Santas, surprisingly) I did hit nearly every April #magicalstitches challenge and got a lot of progress in on various pieces. There’s over 800 more in Nantucket Rose (and I reached the far side, so this is as wide as it gets) and 2800 plus in Shakespeare’s Fairies. I also started Cloudsfactory Labyrinth and the Mill Hill Celestial Sleigh. That one’s been a PITA as the kit was missing some items, so substitution city. First time I’ve ever been disappointed in a MH kit.

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May Goals:

  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May AND Hello June
  • Continue working on Coffee Quaker daily
  • Finish the second fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies
  • Knock off a couple more “ultimate” stitch challenges

 

April 28 – Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO. Mine would be the Teresa Wentzler Tapestry Cat design. I brought it for myself as a Christmas present back in 2003, when I was working at Air New Zealand. I vastly underestimated the number of quarter stitches and back stitch, and while I own a lot of TW charts, I’ve only ever completed Misty, one of the Rocking Horses! I’ve also started Noah’s Ark, and stopped at the over one. Now that I’ve completed Arezzo over one, I think I will be able to press on with the Ark at least. TC? Well, he’s nearly done, probably only another 2500 stitches in him, and I’d estimate the border is about at the quarter-way mark. There’s a LOT of backstitch.

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SFS is still in the red, thanks to a market find. Oh, well. Hopefully some of the May challenges will lead to finishes so I can claim!

WIP Wednesday #241

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hello everyone! My resolve for May is to be not as inwardly focussed, so you should see a bit more of me. These last few months have been emotionally heavy, and with the MIL now having a hospice referral, it’s going to get a lot worse before healing starts. I still haven’t quite worked out how to present my WIP Wednesday, as my stitchy focus is #magicalstitches which runs Monday to Sunday, but we’ll see what happens.

My “one a day” piece for April has been Coffee Quaker. Five motifs are now complete and I could be as much as 1/6th thru. No rush on this one anyway. Plus it’s over one.

20190420_123721.jpgLast week there were two challenges in #magicalstitches. One was “select a part” & for myself, rather than visit ten stores in Hogsmeade and do 100 stitches/short story on what I “brought”, I chose to visit one shop. I’m focusing on the huge boring-ish blocks of colour in Shakespeare’s Fairies, as it’s harder to go off track while life distracts me. I made up some story that I was poor, as my Muggle parents were intimidated at Gringots and asked for 10 knuts instead of galleons, and put in 1022 stitches in at Gladrags Wizardwear.

20190419_195233.jpgThere was also a Full Moon pop-up (for Remus Lupin). 30 stitches on dark (side of the moon), 30 on light (the side we see) and 30 on animal. I ended up doing 143 overall (instead of leaving threads hanging) on the Cloudsfactory We’re All Mad Here biscornu. That cat is creepy.

This week I’m stitching the nominated option, no penalty stitches. 300 on a tree/plant for the Whomping Willow, and 300 on a building for the Secret Room. I’m done already there with a start to the conifer in Fairy Idyll, and working on the column/balustrade for Raven Queen.

One thing to be said for this – it’s quite creative in the themes fitting into the book, I’m definitely varying what I am working on and I think that right now, there’s just the one WIP I haven’t pulled out to fit a challenge. I’m not beating myself up for that, and if I don’t get to a challenge target, that’s OK to. I’m enjoying what I am working on!

I have a finish already!

Posted in conversion details, cross stitch, Smalls SAL, stash cache app, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hello everyone! My resolve for April is to be not as inwardly focused, so you should see a bit more of me. It was partially depression, partially feeling overwhelmed that lead to a quiet March, blog-wise. With what happened in Christchurch, while I wasn’t directly affected, it’s been a massive shock and I’m certainly not ready to articulate my feelings there. I will share more of our family time as there’s some scenery later on this month.

As you saw in my last post, I was in the red for SFS. Luckily one of the week’s “homework” pieces handed out yesterday in #magicalstitches was to choose a piece that was 75% done and work 300 stitches on it. I wasn’t actually sure that I had 300 stitches left but luckily – 409 including the backstitch! This is a portion of Little House Needlework’s Captains Inn (2007) on 28ct Haystack from Countrystitch, full conversion except for DMC blanc. Everything is in the Crescent Colours I’ve stashed, except for the sea is a Waterlilly & the anchor is DMC.

Original Used featured
LHN Captain’s Inn Sign
434 Roasted Chestnut sign
434 Fool’s Gold ship
CC Blackbird Hickory Sticks
CC Green Onion Eggshell
WDW Dolphin WL 229 Oasis
WDW Gunmetal 3768

March WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, round robin, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, WIPocalypse by
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a visit to Homestead Framers…

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

March Goals

  • Bead & FFO Genoa Santa’s NOPE
  • Complete stitching on Wales Santa’s NOPE
  • Stitch & FFO Hello There April NOPE
  • Complete & FFO Kiwi 10 Cents FINISHED
  • Complete first fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies ALMOST!
  • Work on Arezzo FINISHED

With most of my stitching working around the School of Magical Stitches group challenges, I haven’t worked on Shakespeare’s Fairies as much as I would have hoped in Feb. But, I have several starts, two finishes (one of which I am so, so stoked to get done), dropped three off to the framers & there are a few closer to a finish. Bonus points given that one of my “homework” pieces will double as my SIL’s present, as she loves cats.

Arezzo doubled as both my WIPocalypse “stitch every day” piece and for 1000 stitches of an Ultimate Challenge. I worked on her for 24 of the 25 days (the 25th was the day I finished) & honestly, don’t know why I didn’t finish her sooner. She’s so pretty & delicate that I am considering which Mira I will stitch over one next! But as I started Coffee Quaker over one, that won’t be for a while.

April Goals:

  • Use Genoa & Wales for Extra Credit piece (500 stitches)
  • Complete first fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies
  • Stitch Hello April AND Hello May
  • Work on Quaker Coffee every day in April

Question of the month: What newer designers and product creators (fabric or floss dyeing, etc) out there have you discovered and recommend? I do recommend (new to me, anyway) Sirious Stitches & KiwiXCrossing designers, purely for the ease of their patterns (both are Etsy); and for fabric I always recommend Catherine at Countrystitch Fabrics – her shop is not new, but the range is ever expanding, the website is fantastic, service is great AND if you want to get an idea of the fabric/design combo, she’s listed on the Fabric Viewer website.

When it comes to Stitch From Stash, I’m a little bit in the red. This would fix with no spend/no finishes in April, but I got a wee bonus so had a binge. Mani di Donna’s Blue Quaker Sewing Basket, Mirabilia’s Mermaid of Atlantis (plus Waterlillies threads) and two Mill Hill kits, the Celestial Sleigh and Princess Carriage. I’ll show pictures as I work on them.

Mar-19
Country Stitch Fabrics Cloudburst -18.11
Country Stitch Fabrics Bourbon -17.39
Floral Cat (Etsy) -5.25
Spotlight DMC*12 -22.80
Spotlight Lugana FQ -15.00
123Stitch Binge -97.76
SamSarah Need to Read 4.42
KiwiXCrossing 10 Cent 13.92
Arezzo Conversion (over one) 32.44
Rollover + Budget $107.01
Total Available Budget -$18.52

February WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

My February goals:

  • Bead & FFO Genoa Santa’s NOPE but I made a small start
  • Complete stitching on Wales Santa’s NOPE & found a big mistake
  • Stitch & FFO Hello There March STITCHING COMPLETED
  • Work on Fairy Idyll YES just a little
  • Work on Shakespeare’s Fairies YES

Most of my stitching has been for the various # schoolofmagicalstitchesandliterature tasks. I brought myself a Harry Potter notebook & a wand pen (I know, it’s hard to believe I’m turning 45 this year) and started to record my goals in the one location and the counts achieved. I’ve never counted before… Much easier than using the back of receipts! I’m still so happy about the amount I achieved on Tapestry Cat (769 stitches) but I want to work on Shakespeare’s Fairies all the time. All the time. If I brought it to work I’d get nothing done! I’ve done 3201 stitches on that alone.

This month I also started Kiwi X Crossing’s 10 Cents (1253 stitches, most for an Ultimate challenge), and worked on Nantucket Rose (412 stitches), Prancer (526 stitches), Hello March (752 stitches) and a few hundred (I blocked out 1000 for another Ultimate) on Fairy Idyll.

March Goals

  • Bead & FFO Genoa Santa’s
  • Complete stitching on Wales Santa’s
  • Stitch & FFO Hello There April
  • Complete & FFO Kiwi 10 Cents
  • Complete first fairy in Shakespeare’s Fairies
  • Work on Arezzo

 

Question of the month: What do you listen to while stitching? I can listen to nothing or all the things. We watch (and play!) a lot of sport so in summer, there’s cricket and in winter, rugby and league on the TV. I watch British dramas and mysteries – Morse, Midsommer, BBC adaptations, Luther (that last only when it’s daylight), 8 Out of Ten Cats and comedies; I listen to podcasts about whatever I am currently interested in and then there’s audible books. Often I find myself listening to little boys fight, which isn’t much fun but listening to them play is.

My other question of the month is – what on earth happened to the middle of the month? I blinked and missed it!

And Stephanie, you’ll be so pleased to note I’m well in the black!

Feb-19
CF Maurader’s Map -8.05
CF We’re All Mad Here -9.51
NC Baby On The Moon -12.00
Sirithre LOTR Biscornu -5.27
KiwiXCrossing 10 Cent -5.75
O’ Holy Night Bk 1 -3.00
Hospice buys -6.00
Spotlight DMC*6 -11.40
Hello March 12.40
Fabric Sales (Lani) 35.00
Rollover + Budget $95.59
Total Available Budget $82.01

WIP Wednesday #240

Posted in cross stitch, family, food, goals, grateful, lavender & lace, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Project Life, scrapping challenges, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, Teresa Wentzler by

20190202_195150.jpgHello everyone! I’ve been super busy this last fortnight, stitching, walking, reading, cleaning, running around after family members & I can’t wait to take a break! One highlight was a repeat dinner with the Harpur family, who brought Aurora with them. Two weeks ago she was the length of Simon’s forearm/hand – now look at her! She’s 5 weeks here.

I didn’t post last week as my pieces were all over the show as I worked away at the various #schoolofmagicalstitchesandliterature tasks. All up, this last fortnight has seen the start & finish of Hello March (500 for words), 200+ more stitches on Nantucket Rose (enabled), 600+ on Shakespeare’s Fairies (various challenges) and 700+ on Tapestry Cat (two challenges). I have just stitched more on TC in a week than I did in all of 2018. He nearly has a tail! This is a lot of stitching but with our national holiday, Waitangi Day, I got extra walking and stitching in. And market shopping. Nom nom on the Whitestone cheeses and Selash cured meats. And perfection at the Franked stall – imported, handcrafted items from Cambodia where there is a story behind the item, & it’s helping differently abled people.

I also finished my January Project Life pages. I’m choosing to do these in a 6*8 album as it’s more personal to me, not for the family. There’s some stuff that involves others (I asked Mase to fill in the Back to School card) but they won’t get this until I’m passed. Mase does look at it, but he knows if it’s hidden journaling, it’s private to me & he’s not to read it yet.

And on Sunday, Louise & I got up early and walked around the harbour on Tamaki Drive. We started at St Helliers, went up to Achilles Point & watched the sunrise and a cruise ship come into the harbour, picked up coffee at Mission Bay and eventually got collected at Royal Akarana Yacht Club. 7.2km in all of super-quality time with my girl.

Hope you all have a lovely week!