Category Archives: cross stitch

WIP Wednesday #233

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, embroidery, family, grateful, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hi everyone. We’ve come to the end of a 12 day hospital stay, & I admit my Stitchy bug was very very absent. The MIL was admitted via the ambulance services (scariest morning of my life, finding her so incapacitated & weak) but she’s making as best a recovery as we hoped. For the next few weeks she will be at ours, regathering strength, then she’ll transition back to hers. I’ve met with physio, occupational therapy, health assessors & we’ve got a plan, and help, in place. Yay!

While I was in hospital with mum, I completed the Rememberance Wreath by home❤stitch❤ness (currently in a world of xs mag, but will be on her etsy site in April 2019):

Then the stitching of a Christmas present is about done, but I can’t show that as the person reads this blog. Boo.

I completed an embroidery freebie from cozybluehome (online, etsy, IG) that I just need to #ffo. It’s cute. It’s whipped back stitch, to look like the tangle of your Christmas lights. It really does look like that in real life!

And lastly, a few stitches on Fairy Idyll. I’m not looking forward to the over one that remains to be done, but the rest of it goes quickly enough.

WIP Wednesday #231

Posted in cross stitch, friends, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, work by

This week hasn’t been very Stitchy at all. We’ve cleared out a third of the garage (for some obnoxious reason, Si thinks we should use the garage for storing more than one of the cars) & there’s been work stress I brought home.

I have some progress on Fairy Idyll. That over one skin on her back is about two hours; I wish now I’d gone for tent stitch but it’s too fine to unpick.

And I have a new start! Those is Jenny home❤stitch❤ness Remembrance Wreath from a recent World of Cross Stitch magazine. I think the chart will be on her etsy mid year next year. It’s a fast stitch; I did the first two items in about an hour, & more at stitch group last night.

Hope you have a good week!

WIP Wednesday #230

Posted in cross stitch by

Hey everyone! Today’s going to be a little bit off, as I am at the DC for an all-day training session. I’m looking forward to it, something different. A change is as good as a rest, right? So…I’m uploading this on Tuesday as otherwise I might forget.

With daylight savings and great weather we’ve been taking advantage of “spare” time. Instead of boot camp, Si & I have done a lot of walking – I’ve gone from (prior to the clock change) an average of 4.94km daily up to (last week) 7.13km. This Monday I did 7.9km and I’m nearly half-way thru the monthly Samsung Health challenge of 200K steps with 22 days to go.

So in the weekend, I finished beading and FFO’d the two Mill Hill ornaments I’d stitched at work. This is the Peridot ornament from a series I stitched in 2016 or 2017 as gifts (I want to re-chart the colours and do a set for myself). I also did a huge chunk of Fairy Idyll, so much so that my right hand is really sore now and stitching is a little painful.

And this week at work, my goal is to lunchtime stitch in the sun and finish the stitching for the Merry Christmas Santa that I am adapting. I’m nearly there & should be well done before the recipient & I meet up in November. Then after that, I’m ready to start Barbados Santa from the 2017 series by Sandra Cozzolino. Again, this is one for me/one for Lou. Then I’ll sell or #passthestash with all three charts, as I don’t mark the originals.

Haul – I found Shakespeare’s Fairies on trademe (our version of ebay) for a very reasonable price. I am torn about the fabric, but I think I’ll go with #3, Urewera Mist by Countrystitch. I am itching to start this one, but as Catherine dying until November, I will just have to be patient. Sigh.


WIP Wednesday #229 & September WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, goals, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stash cache app, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, WIPocalypse by

WIPocalypse is hosted by Mel at her blog http://measi.net/measiblog/ ; it’s my favourite SAL, mostly due to the host organisation (which is spot on), the range of topics & the wide variety of stitchers participating. There’s always something to oooh over! Click on the link to the right.

September Focus:

  • Finish Persephone – YAY!
  • Bead the top third of Fairy Idyll – done, despite somehow losing two packs of beads.

October Focus:

  • Complete the wings, Rabbit’s Kreinik ball & face/neck/back over one stitching of FI’s skin – partially done as I completed the wings last night
  • FO the two Mill Hill Peridot ornies – up to beading
  • FO the Celebration Santa gift – found out I ripped the plastic canvas, so it may be a re-start.

SEPTEMBER QUESTION: How do you keep your stitching stash organised?

I have the Stash Cache app on my phone, so as long as I keep that updated, I’m sweet there. Most of my patterns are in clearbooks, except for my Mira & Nora stash – that’s in a basket I can pull out and play with (unless the chart is second hand & without the folder – those are in a clearbook to protect the chart). I have four thread boxes of purely DMC, with speciality threads in another; beads are in a Sistema plastic box. But my SIL found a replica stitching box that will soon become the home for everything! It needs to be pulled apart & re-painted, as that dark stain just won’t work for me, but it’s sturdy enough.

STITCH FROM STASH: This isn’t in as great shape as I had hoped, as twice someone’s pulled out from a purchase, and I still have a second Lady Mira + bead pack for sale. I also hit up every Op Shop between Palmerston North & New Plymouth last month & spent a bit (found an OOP Prairie Schooler that I am really pleased to have tho).

$25.00
Fox Rapunzel, Aphrodite & Bellas -29.43
Spotlight 13 DMC -21.97
Op Shop Finds -31.90
SOLD Biancabella (Shayla) 70.00
Mira Mermaid (round robin) 34.50
Stitchers Notebook 2.55
Persephone (conversion) 54.50
Rollover + Budget -$159.74
Total Available Budget -$81.49

WIP Wednesday #228

Posted in conversion details, cross stitch, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hey everyone! After the interruption of #10ThingsToTellYou (which I think I will put in my personal Project Life album) we’re back to stitchy updates. And I have some finishes to share with you!

20180919_144008.jpgThe first is just the little notebook kit that I picked up from an Op Shop sometime last month. There was no chart but it was easy enough to follow the cover photo. It’s FFO’d by craft gluing the first and last pages of the supplied notepaper insert to the back of the covers, and ready to add to someone’s Christmas stash.

And the second is Mirabilia’s Persephone! I am leery of sharing her conversion details as right now, it’s all mine. I am still seething that someone took my colourway AND my re-charting of Andromeda’s face and didn’t credit me, but is all over the FB groups gloating about their blue ribbon win. I have blocked this person from my IG & FB & blog – that’s how peeved I am – and while I am pleased for her that her stitching was up to the high standard it obvs was, it’s not nice to see her take full credit when she was one to message me and ask for more detail…anyway. Moving on.

20180922_130420.jpgThis is on a very openweave 28ct milk chocolate linen, which thankfully had few slubs. It is mostly DMC, altho the Waterlillies in the background border are as charted. There is a mix of GAST and DMC in the hem, which was my biggest headache. If you are kitting her up, I recommend at least two skeins of blanc and the lightest two threads of the (originally) tealish green. While you could fudge a batch colour change, you wouldn’t really want to.

On my big frame right now is Fairy Idyll. The top third was stitched, and now I’m beading so that when I roll it up (protecting the beads with padding!) I know that section is done. There’s a mild colour conversion already as one of the greens was the colour of the fabric, and the pale pink/white blend was lost so my pinks are a bit more intense than charted, but otherwise so far the look and feel is as per the original. I don’t think I will change her gown either – that yellow looks like it might have been a flower before it became a dress – but never say never! This is on a pale green hand-dyed lugana from Countrystitch.

10 Things to Tell You #9

Posted in cross stitch, Journal, me by

This is a mini-series hosted by @laura.tremaine on IG. I’ve chosen to post my responses here & I hope you’ll play along.

#9 – MY MAGICAL RESET BUTTON IS… Bethells Beach, on the wild West Coast of Auckland. It’s the photo in my header, a 25 minute drive from home that winds from busy suburbia to rural farm to black sand beach. It’s feeling the wind in my hair, hearing the roar of the sea and tasting the salt on my tongue. It’s a feeling of freedom and letting go of burdens as I walk along, occasionally run, sometimes attempt cartwheels. I kick the ball back to the kids, hurl sticks or soggy tennis balls for other people’s dogs and feel God’s grace extend to every part of my body.

10 Things to Tell You #4

Posted in cross stitch, Journal, me by

This is a mini-series hosted by @laura.tremaine on IG. I’ve chosen to post my responses here & I hope you’ll play along.

#4 – I AM STRANGELY GOOD AT…growing weeds, if you ask Si. Pulling random facts out at pub quiz, if you ask a friend. I am not very good at remembering jokes so I’ll always have a giggle, even if it’s fourth child pulling out the same knock, knock joke.