WIP Wednesday #289

Hello everyone! It’s late Wednesday and I’m about to head off to bed… My brain is very very tired. But before I do, here’s my WIP of Mirabilia Princess Elliana, definitely a work in progress with an awful lot of frogging.

This is just tonight, playing with the band above the blue (which is brown in the original). I’m still not sure about the darkest band, but I’ll wait a few days and see… The hair, collar, skin and tassel are as charted.

My second drool piece is a copy of Elisabetta Sforza’s latest. OMG.

I brought my copy of Ricamare il Mare from the most local retailer – A Stitch in Time in Tasmania! I’ll be visiting that shop when we head over to explore.

I’ll need to do a lot more practice and drop some cross stitch projects down the want to work on list. I brought a pattern today for a felt apple, each wedge being an example of a set of stitches, then the finished item becomes not only a visual guide but a practical item too – a pincushion, or with a weighted fill, a paperweight perhaps.

Anyway, have a lovely week. Take care of yourselves, physically and mentally. A challenge for you – keep a 7 day diary, just one sentence of something that makes you happy that day. I’ll share mine next week.

WIP Wednesday #287

Hello everyone! Well, we’ve definitely found winter here in Auckland. I’ve pulled out the long sleeved tops and found my Ugg like slippers – all I need is for my Snag order to arrive and I’ll be set.

I haven’t stitched most days but as I said last week, Winter Bear stitches up fast. Fortunately the reds that I chose to sub for the more pinky scarf tones worked perfectly first time out, so that helped!

I just have the ice floe and water to complete, then beads. I’ve already sorted out how I’ll #ffo and can’t wait to get to that part.

I have a finish already!

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

20190319_131535.jpg

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

WIP Wednesday #228

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.

WIP Wednesday #223

As you read this, I am enjoying the day off work, as our Primary school teachers are striking for better pay & conditions today. Mase the Ace has his bestie, Noah, staying overnight from Tuesday after school (his mum is a teacher) until rugby training today. I’m likely running on coffee fumes but also having a blast.

WIP-wise, I have been throwing a few hours into Persephone but also a couple of smaller pieces. I am feeling the need to accomplish and finish, so first up was the quick Portrait of Antique Vines. This is the 25th Anniversary cameo from Nora Corbett of Mirabilia designs:

My changes included changing out the white linen for a Crafty Kitten hand-dyed opalescent scrap that was in my stash (thanks to Lynne for including it when I brought some fat Q’s). I’ve omitted two of the three Caron Waterlillies, and changed out the other for 229. I was pretty careful to stitch down from the mirror top down one side then the other so that the blends matched vertically. Then some of the black beads are also omitted (most noticeably in her “crown” as I liked the younger appearance of just a tiara. I changed the beads to the petite black (42014 I think) to add delicacy.

Next up is my Mirabilia Mermaid Round Robin (on Countrystitch Cook Strait lugana). The missing piece was originally planned to be Enchanted Mermaid, but as her face is much larger than Waiting for Ships I’ve happily changed her out to Renaissance (which came out post my original plan). I’ll have to ask Stephanie (HI STEPHANIE!!) to help me work out the SFS credit, as I’ll have stitched two portions plus all the frames plus all the beads…

20180812_203645.jpg

Hope you all have a lovely week!

WIP (it’s Wednesday somewhere) #222

Yay! I had yesterday off work, and I spent the day in a totally self-indulgent way, reading, stitching or spending time with Mase & Renee while we watch a local musical production, The Wizard of Otahuhu! It was super clever & I’m grateful for the opportunity from Auckland Libraries to go. Mase wants to go again (sorry kid, Mama has to work today).

WIP-wise, I got stitches into the surprise Santa (& now I know the recipient is reading my blog, I can’t show photos until after she’s received it). I am tracking my anniversary Mirabilia purchases (have already on-sold the duplicates I ended up with) and working away on Persephone. I am doing the heavily confetti parts with the flowers as I STILL haven’t been to the LNS to pick up some silks for the hem.

20180711_212841.jpg

Hope your week goes well!

Stash Cache additions – more Little House Needleworks

Hiya! These three arrived, second-hand, from a private seller in the States yesterday. Woot! I want to find the Winter & Spring samplers, so if anyone has those to hand & wants to sell, please hit me up.

Files are now up on my Stash Cache page as DMC or converted to DMC.

#craft31days day three

I was pretty lazy around the house tonight. Dinner, washing, not a lot else. Some reading, some playing, some mediating. As you do with three boys in the house!

Anyway, lots more again on Fairy Idyll. Another 450+ stitches. The gold/green drape is nearly complete to the point I’ll flip this 180 & work on the post.

And yeah. That frog visited a few times. Blast.

WIP Wednesday #202 part deux – Andromeda conversion details

I’ve just been reminded that I forgot to post my finish of Andromeda & the promised conversion details! Sorry to anyone who has been waiting. C’s surgery drama made it slip my mind completely. I haven’t even taken her to the framers.

IMG_20170711_144441_382.jpgSo- she is stitched on 28ct Antarctic Storm lugana from Catherine at Countrystitch. The x in her waves is as charted; the x in her robe is changed. I presume you have the chart already but if not – NZ based I recommend either Countrystitch or Stitch NZ sites, & state-side, I love the team at Down Sunshine Lane.

Andromeda
DMC Kreinik
163 (rocks) #4 braid in 850
DMC DMC
blanc 3756
762 3813
3743 993
211 992
3747 3851
414 991
844 3847
3836 3814
3740 3847
MILL HILL CHANGES
10001 02058
16608 03035
62047 03035