Sampler September Progress

 In the cross stitch world Sampler September in a month when cross stitchers can focus on sampler stitching. There are no rules it's up to the stitcher if and how they mark Sampler September.

I decided just to work on my samplers over the month and see what the end result was.

The first project was Summer Quaker by Lila's Studio, which I'm stitching in the called for DMCs on a cream 40 count Zweigart linen.

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I also worked on Sampler Aux Chats by Jardin Privé. Sewn in my own DMC colour conversion, probably on a 32.count Antique White Zweigart evenweave.

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I also put some significant stitches into a secret project and couldn't not put some work in on Mini Tudor Allegory by Heaven and Earth Designs in the called for threads on 25 count evenweave.

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A New Crafting Crush

 New is probably not quite the right word for this craft but I have recently got back into cross stitching after many years break and many half finished projects and it seems that we now get on really well.

It started innocently enough with my temperature cross stitch (which still needs some finishing touches).

Then a little dalliance with Blackwork and Samplers at the stitching show in the spring. Stitching bloggers led to flosstube and suddenly I have a selection of kitted up projects.

To date I seem to be sticking with this infatuation and have my first ever completely finished by me cross stitch.

I got close once before but needed someone else to do the French knots for me.

So far I seem to be a monogamous stitcher, waiting to finish the Xmas before I started my Blackwork project.

However that might all be about to change as I've signed up to a 6 month long stitch along starting in January! 

Christmas in July - The Start

 Not intentionally I seem to have a spate of Xmas projects underway and more planned. The majority are destined to be presents but the cross stitch is purely for me. It's the Mini Christmas Patchwork by the Historic Sampler Company. It's already become quite addictive, I have to rememebr that I have Xmas presents that need to be ready in the Autumn to be taken to New Zealand.

The socks, Geek socks from Knitty.com in WYS Xmas yarn, are the first Xmas present. I was hoping two at a time socks would work up quickly but these are dragging a bit.

The blue tencel yarn is destined to become a Star Shower cowl. The Drops yarn will be crochet bags, if I have time.

I'm also planning a Musselburgh hat and a pair of socks as further Xmas presents. Hopefully at least one more Xmas project will be started in July but they definitely won't be finished in July (hopefully they'll be finished by December!).

Progress (or What I Could Have Achieved If I'd Stitched More Last Year!)

The photo above was taken on 9 April, the one below on 8 May.

Over the last month I have made the temperature project my main crafty project from dinnertime on Friday to dinner on Sunday, and its really paid off.

Surpringly, even to me, I have not spent every waking hour of those weekends stitching. I've been out and about, Saturday evenings have been for eating and drinking and I even spent the best part of one weekend on holiday. I did sew over the long Easter weekend when not doing other things. I'm so pleased there's only one row of houses to go (and not a full one at that) and then titles and key. It will be so tempting to work on this on Friday evening rather than my planned project ...we'll see how it goes.

 

FNSI - February 22

 It has just taken me too many attempts to write this blog title - I really need to buy myself a calendar!

Wendy of Sugarlane Designs has once again kindly hosted the Friday Night Sew In, a virtual gathering of sewists around the world via blog and Facebook group.

For rthis FNSI I went old school and worked on some quilt blocks. I have been sewing the block for my Meadowland Quilt together individually , and while this has been satisfying I did wonder how long it would take. Yesterday I decided to give batch piecing the remaining 9 a try. 

 I feel its working, though after 3 hours I don't have any finished blocks to show (and the making process isn't particularly photogenic) but I am at the final press and sew stage on all of them. Only one moment of slight panic when I was pressing and decided to put the Flying Geese bits with their respective centres and spent a few minutes thinking I'd sew the wrong bits together, but I'd just paired them up incorrectly so simply solved.

I'd taken the day off work yesterday as I had to spend the morning driving back from a Dinner I'd attended on Thursday night so I had plenty of time around sewing the blocks together to work on a few more (colourful) projects.

I'm playing catch up with last year's temperature cross-stitch but I am determined that this will be the second cross-stitch ever that I fully finish (my sister will probably be glad to hear that as she inherited the last project I lost interest in and it's fundamental counting error!).

I when it was too late to trust myself to sew correctly I moved onto some knitting for a while.

Bit hard to tell but this is destined to become the first half of a pair of fingerless mittens.

If you want to see what everyone else got up to visit the FNSI post on Wendy's Blog.

Spur of the Moment Project - sort of

 Over the last year or so I have noticed various temperature projects underway, quite a few knitted or crocheted ones and the odd quilted/sewn ones. I have really liked them and wanted to try something similar but couldn't quite find the right thing to make, i didn't want it to be something that just ended up in a cupboard which was likely with blankets and scarves and the idea of making a temperature item that recorded the temps in shades of a colour has only recently become apparent to me, which would have made a quilt an option. Anyway... in my wanders through the internet early this year I came across Jardin Privé who had a couple of cross stitch temperature project designs available and this seemed the perfect option.

As you may be able to tell from the content of this blog I don't cross stitch much, in fact I don't think I've ever completed a cross stitch project that I've started (cue the comment from my sister regarding rescuing a project from my inaccurate counting). So a cross stitch project was the obvious choice.

As I have no cross stitch supplies there was a bit of a delay as I chose fabrics and thread, but I eventually made a start.

And it became apparent from day one that I'd forgot to check how low UK temperatures got in January (the buildings are the daily high temp, the roof the daily low).

But I've persevered and enjoyed the project, sewing a house each morning before work and trying to catch up with the actual calendar in my free time. 

I think this may be the cross stitch project I actually finish (although I'm not sure I'll get round to filling in the doors and windows!). 

My sister's finish

The cross stitch celebrating the Millennium, which my sister took over from from me is now totally finished bar a good press and a frame.  I think it looks great - all I need now is a wall to put it on!

Ready for the next Millennium!

One craft I do from time to time is cross stitch. I really enjoy the effect of large cross stitch pictures, but when I start one I basically only nibble at it doing a small area at a time which means a cross stitch can be a very long term project for me. Not a great approach to a cross stitch celebrating the year 2000 and bought in the year 2000, but I found that I didn't have or really enjoy dedicating the long periods of time the cross stitch required (I was reminded of this fact when I did some cross stitch last weekend during the sewing thread crisis).  The added problem with this year 2000 cross stitch was that there was huge areas of borders that should be finished before the more interesting pictures could be done.


Luckily my sister does not have the same attitude to cross stitch.  Towards the end of last year she rescued the cross stitch, rectified a counting error I had made in the borders and got on with it.

Its looking great, I think she's just got the single strand running stitch detail to do. 


The big question is...when she finishes this does it count as a finish on my UFO list or should I let her have all the glory????










(It's ok I know the answer to that question)