Not much going on tonight. We went to the electronics sale (I updated my tracker, Lou got a new tablet, we got a Wi-Fi extender & stocked up on headphones, as the boys seem to eat the things). I worked a little on Jamaica Santa by Sandra Cozzolino for Mill Hill. Maybe 60 stitches?
Well – I *might*have blown Stitch From Stash. If I spend nothing more & have no finishes, I will end up at $16.03 at December, which is a very small amount indeed (if we are calculating the whole year, which thankfully we’re not, I’d be at -$88.49 & not in credit until April 2018!!). But it is OK, as I am happy, & unlikely to spend heaps between now and January except on the odd skein or two. Gail so very kindly loaned me Fairy Idyll!!! I have been wanting to stitch this 1996 chart for ages, & couldn’t find it for love or money. So I brought a piece of Applemint Lugana from Catherine at Countrystitch especially for it. This needs to be my focus piece until I complete her. Luckily there is plenty to hold my interest & keep me going!
| Monthly Allowance | $25.00 |
| Hospice – MLI Shepherd | -1.00 |
| Hospice – JCS pile | -2.00 |
| RR Spend | -91.00 |
| Fox Collec. Mill Hills | -53.84 |
| Countrystitch Applemint | -42.60 |
| SELL MLI Blueberry | 5.00 |
| Mia Mermaid | 15.35 |
| Hawaii Santa Conversion | 10.00 |
| Florence Santa x2 | 20.00 |
| Rollover | $56.12 |
| Total Available Budget | -$58.97 |
And this month I finished two of the Florence version of the Mill Hill Renaissance Santa’s, & then found that the Fox Collection sold them MUCH cheaper than the LNS. I’m talking ten bucks cheaper per item, people. Now, I work retail so I understand margin & if it had been only a couple of dollars, I wouldn’t have brought from the online. But overall twenty dollars is substantial.
And I also spent $91 at the LNS, on fabric, Thread Heaven (before it disappears entirely), speciality threads (Waterlillies are ten dollars each here), beads etc. Thank goodness for the finishes I had!
This month, in addition to finishing Mia Mermaid, Hawaii Santa, Florence Santa x2, I also started the Jamaica Santa for International Talk Like a Pirate Day, worked on Nantucket Rose’s tree canopy, finished Blitzen (except the ribbons) is done on my Reindeer Parade & I started Prancer. And of course I managed to work out the start point and did four threads of Fairy Idyll last night (Simon has discovered Taskmaster, & it’s hard to do a new start when you are watching something interesting and laughing you’re a$$ off). So far this month I’ve only had one day where I didn’t stitch at all.
Topic of the Month: Which floss (or colour of floss) do you absolutely adore and want to stash constantly? I’m really only buying thread as I need it. It’s too expensive to stash, but I have recently started using and loving GAST, so if I had a few extra dollars, I’d be buying that, & probably in blues. I really need to finish that Persephone in blue…
Note: SFS is a closed facebook group hosted by Stephanie (Ms Oh Sew Crafty). Registrations for the first part of 2018 will be opening up later this year. WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi over on her blog and in facebook. Click on the link to the right to be taken to the blog.
Yay! Most everybody got back to me after last week’s announcement (& a bit of social media nagging). The only person who didn’t was Carol, for Poppy Field. So, without further ado, I’ve redrawn this via Random Number Generator, & congrats to ANNE SHAW!
I’ve mostly been stitching at work during breaks, or while travelling. None of my big projects have grabbed me, altho I have put a few more threads into Nantucket Rose over the weekend, and so I’ve been working on two versions of the Florence Renaissance Santa, by the designer Sandra Cozzolino for Mill Hill. One on the perforated paper that comes with the kit, and another on clear 14ct plastic canvas. One for Lou, & one for me. It was Zac’s idea that I stitch both at the same time, as I haven’t created the second of the ones I stitched last year nor the two from earlier this year, & I think it’s worked. I’m up to the beading!
And because yesterday (here in NZ) was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I started both versions of Jamaican Caribbean Santa from this year’s series. Arg, me hearties…
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.
So- 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 |
A question first: is it ironic, or just life, that the first day I really need to take hayfever tablets is also the day it’s pouring down? I would have thought the pollens would be washed away! Never mind, at least I know Spring is officially here!
Last night I finished Mia Mermaid, the Australian freebie from the Mirabilia meet up this year. The fabric is one I brought from the close-out in Rotorua so it cost a whopping $2.50. I *think* it’s a Zweigart parsley or sage. I know it’s a 28ct evenweave. I did splurge out & grab some Gentle Arts Sampler threads that caught my eye & appeared to match. I really liked using them, more so than Waterlillies. I think I will swap out more often in the future.
Because if the thread splurge I used beads from my stash & I’m a little dodgy about the lighter green. I may frog that eventually. Or I may just call it good.
| Mia Mermaid | |
| DMC | GAST |
| 964 | evergreen |
| 958 | silver fern |
| 3371 | dark chocolate |
| DMC | DMC |
| 934 | 935 |
| CWL | GAST |
| 207 | mistletoe |
| 83 | pine |
| 137 | toffee |
| MILL HILL CHANGES | |
| 03021 | 03044 |
| 10001 | 02022 |
| 02097 | 00525 |
I have done HEAPS this last week and I am so excited! My parcel has been in Miami for the last two days and I want it to HURRY UP but in the meantime I am pretty excited to continue with my two July WIPs.
Number One is the Mill Hill Christmas Island Santa, from their Tropical Santas line (2012 series). I am re-working parts of this as I go. You’ll note that he no longer has a coconut – I have elongated the shape to an oval and stitched it all in 434, which is the colour of the aged pig-skin rugby ball we have at home. Back story is that Santa played for the All Blacks (the national rugby union team) in his youth, & he still loves a bit of beach touch rugby. Today I’ll hopefully get that bird re-charted or stitched as a seagull, which is found on nearly every NZ beach. This pack has already been spoken for, & will be going off to Michelle #sprinklestitchykindness Garette, hopefully next week!
At home I have Andromeda on the lap stand. I finished her arm last night, and all the back stitch is done for the whole piece (both Kreinik & DMC) except her face, as I still have hair to complete in that area first. At this point I will stitch her hair in the charted colours. I am not yet sure what shade of green I will use for the ribbon in her hair but I think I found the perfect beads in my stash last night. I can tell you I’m adding an extra five bucks to the Stitch From Stash tally just for the frogging portion alone. I also decided that my Andromeda wasn’t going to be placidly waiting out the Fates. Eyes open & looking straight ahead. I looked thru my other Mira pile, found the eye I wanted, reversed it and re-charted to fit the 15 stitches high face (Cassiopeia is 18 stitches FYI).
Now, you’ll note that I now have a post count in the header. I’ve been blogging for nearly 10 years, so it took a while to average out the WIP Wednesday posts (I ignore the FB only ones) & I made an executive decision. Next week, being #200, calls for something special. Keep your eye out for #passthestash & a wee competition!
WIPocalypse is a monthly DIY SAL hosted by Melissa over at measi.net This is my third year of formal participation & it’s something I definitely high-light in my planner. Click on the icon on the right to join up, or see links to other participants.
Let’s review June’s goals:
It’s just as well that I didn’t list “stay in budget” for Stitch From Stash as I’ve blown it. In the last month, too, of Part A, but I should be golden for the whole year. I was out at our Panmure store and just oops! Ribbon Rose was open. All I actually needed was a $3.90 pack of beads for Andromeda (03035, they might not work but they are pretty so I’ll use them somewhere), but I browsed. I never hardly ever get the chance to browse with no-one breathing down my neck or whining that I am spending too long or that they are hungry/thirsty/bored. So I took advantage of that to kit out the Mia Mermaid, the (yucky shop) freebie from the recent Mira meet-up. I had a fairly specific idea about the dyed threads that I wanted to use for the tail, but once I started laying things out I moved from the suggested to other Waterlillies, and then I turned around. A wall of Gentle Arts Sampler Threads (often abbreviated to GAST). Heaven could be a needlework store, right?
So here’s my current thought process. Of course I’ll use Kreinik silver instead of the suggested DMC metallic, which goes without saying!
For her hair, sub from the dark DMC 3031 to GAST Dark Chocolate (1170). For the lighter portion, sub from CWL 137 Copper to GAST Toffee (7078).
For her tail, moving from the darker shades to the light:
I like the subtleness of the dye difference compared to the wilder variations in the Waterlillies. I also won’t be stitching the lettering, but I’m thinking about keeping the year.
I also picked up the Mill Hill/Sandra Cozzolino Renaissance Santa (Florence) with his gorgeous painting but it was $27.90NZD which is a hideous price. At least there are the materials to stitch him at least twice – once for Lou and once for me.
On top of that spend, I purchased some things thru Down Sunshine Lane (www.downsunshinelane.com) who are amazing. They had the 3 new Mill Hill/Sandra Cozzolino Santas for 2017 at a reduced pre-sell, so I ordered those, and a Lizzie Kate Coffee design, and after everything was confirmed, the new Nora mermaid was released so I emailed the team, and they added that one to my package! I am in love with the Renaissance Mermaid. And with the top-notch service. It was so much better than 123, who charged me freight TWICE cause they split an order. I would have preferred an option to cancel as $12USD for a $7USD kit is not really worth it!
So onto July’s goals.
Question of the month: Show us your Stitchy Spot!
So – not a question but the reason I’ve delayed posting this by a week. Si decided that he wanted a new chair, so we went looking. Two weekend’s searching narrowed me down to this: the modern Wingback from Freedom Furniture. High back, short-ish seat (I don’t have long legs and don’t want my feet hanging over!), decent padding and nice feet (that I can change out later if I want). All the frames in the lounge are black so the material will do for now. I’ll likely change it out in a few years tho. Mase helped me put the base on – he’s a natural!
One of these days I will count out how many WIP Wednesday posts I actually have made…I probably should number them as I go, to differentiate, but then again, that would eat into stitch time!
Since I last wrote, I’ve done some stitching. It doesn’t feel like a lot, with the reading I’ve done taking over stitch time, and then there was the (semi-wasted) six hours hunting out the perfect chair for the MOTH. I found mine in the second shop we looked at. At about 1/3 price of the ones he is looking at. I feel that I should get the difference added to my Stitch From Stash fund!
With Believe, which is my Stitch MAYnia “whine” piece (it’s too big to hold comfortably, and paper too) I finished the last 7 stitches in the lettering, and started on the background. I should have stitched this on evenweave. Next time! Andromeda is my home/stitch group piece and I’m slowly working my way up the robes. I still haven’t decided on her skin but am learning towards over-one, despite knowing that I would not finish her until August.
Andromeda is stitched on 28ct lugana by Countrystitch in the colour Antarctic Storm. I asked Catherine to dye it slightly heavier & I’m really pleased with how the colours “pop”.
Hi everyone!
I can’t believe we’re at the month end already. Winter is playing with the senses; the leaves on the trees are hanging on just that little bit longer than last year, and on my drive home they fill up a portion of my emotional bank. I like autumn; I hate winter rain.
Let’s re-visit May’s goals:
June’s Goals:
Question of the Month – Which designer’s projects do you absolutely love, but are too intimidated to try?
I’d vote for Chatelaines https://chatelaine.de/ by Martina Rosenberg. I’m thinking I might start with one of her Mini Mystery castles – but the pattern alone is nearly $40 NZD plus then I’d have to buy silks or convert. And the specialty stitches!!! I’d be living at Liz’s and I don’t know if she’d like me anymore after that 🙂 They are a huge investment in time and money & the perfectionist in me has trouble with that right now, especially with three kids still at home.
Perhaps I should just finish those TWs I have instead!
Smalls is hosted by the lovely Heather on her blog, click here for the rules: http://stitchinglotus.ca/2017-sal/
WIPocalypse is hosted by Mel at her blog http://measi.net/measiblog/
And another month draws to a close and I got some stitching in! Mind you, it was a bit of a race for the last portions of beading on Mermaids but – I got a finish!!! My goal for the month was to finish all the stitching, but I could see the finish line and off I went.
April Goals:
I also worked on a small Easter piece, the freebie Prairie Schooler chart that Kristine sent me. I chose black aida (stash!) and initially stitched it in similar colours to the original…I plan to repeat with different colours to make a basket of mini eggs.
So here’s my pieces for this month:
Question of the Month – What projects are in your UFO pile? There’s not too much in my UFO pile, to be honest. Just the one piece that I have kept the pattern & half-completed project away. I am tempted to re-start it on evenweave as it is on aida & I had become a bit of a snob but maybe I should just pull it out. If I can’t get the threads to match it might be worth a restart…apart from this, I do have Tapestry Cat at 11 years of age but as I am still working on this, I don’t think I can call it a true UFO. Just a resting WIP. And I have a few of those!
My May goals are fairly small. I’m not going to participate in StitchMAYnia, but there are some new starts:
Lastly, I’m still in the black for Stitch From Stash. This is more good luck than management but I’ll take the win.
| Apr-17 | |
| Budget | $25.00 |
| Andromeda @ CountryStitch | -41.40 |
| Kreinik @ RR | -27.90 |
| HTTYD hoop FFO | 10.00 |
| PS Easter Folk Egg | 5.00 |
| MH Seagull | 5.00 |
| Mermaids of the Deep Blue | 59.30 |
| Rollover | $2.92 |
| Total Available Budget | $37.92 |
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