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Thursday 31 January 2019

Watercolour Gerberas - Riolis


This kit was sent to me free of charge from Riolis a while ago.  I hadn't stitched on it since I started it in July 2016.  When I got all the supplies out of the folder I wasn't looking forward to stitching on it.  The chart is in colour and there are a variety of different styles of stitch - half stitch with 1 strand; cross stitch with 1 strand, 2 strands and 3 strands; and back stitch.  I had almost decided to give the project up for adoption but decided I would stitch on it for a few days and then see how I felt.

For some reason I really struggle with the colour chart, I think I'm just used to working with black and white charts.  It helped me to stitch this with my mag eyes on as I normally enlarge my charts.  I haven't made much progress over the last 5 days as I have been on a course at work and have been very tired every evening, but progress, however small, I have made.  Also I am pleased to say that I am going to be keeping this and will stitch on it again.  Below are my progress pictures.







It's hard to see a lot of the progress as it is half stitches in yellow but I am pleased with what I got done.

My next project is a new start for 1st February and it is Monkshood by Nora Corbett.

Keep stitching and smiling


Saturday 26 January 2019

Hanging Loose - Cross Stitcher Magazine - Finish?


Today I reached the point on the secret project I am working on which I had wanted to and decided to move on to my next project.

You may remember from my last post that the project I would be working on next was Hanging Loose - this was a set of charts from Cross Stitcher Magazine from November 2011.

Here's where it was the last time I worked on it.


So I pulled the project out.  I looked at it - I looked at the ornaments I hadn't stitched yet.  I looked at some threads and thought about how they might work together and I made a decision.

I am retiring this as a WIP, I'm calling it a finish.  I'm not that interested in stitching any more of the baubles at this moment and to be honest I have too many ornaments for our Christmas tree already.

So that means I get to choose a new project to stitch on.

Type of project wheel spun and chose - WIP

WIP wheel chose - Watercolour Gerberas by Riolis

I will be working on this project up to Thursday and then on Friday 1st February I will be having a new start which is going to be Moonkshood by Mirabilia.

Keep stitching and smiling


Monday 21 January 2019

I Love You to the Moon and Back - FINISH

Once I picked this piece up I was surprised at how close it was to being finished.  So I decided to stitch on it until I had completed it before spinning the wheel.

This was stitched on a piece of hand dyed silvered aida from Jodyri Designs and all the threads I used were also from Jodyri.  I designed this piece myself and this is what I always used to say to my son at bed time and I couldn't find a chart that had exactly those words.  I have to say stitching on the dark silvered aida wasn't easy and I had to use my magnifier to stitch most of it.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

The first photo is my starting point and the next photos were taken at 7pm each day.










I also managed to put some stitches in on my Perpetual Calendar piece.


I am going to stitch on my secret project for a few days but thought I would spin the wheel now so you know what you will be seeing next.

Project type wheel chose - calendar

So I will stitch on the piece that it has been the longest since I worked on - which according to my spreadsheet is Hanging Loose.  This was a design from a cross stitch magazine of Christmas ornaments.

You should see an update in the next few days.

Keep stitching and smiling


Sunday 13 January 2019

Perpetual Calendar by Samsarah Designs - 13.01.19


For the past 10 days I have been stitching on Perpetual Calendar from Samsarah Designs.  I decided that I would stitch on each project for 3 days before spinning the wheel.  For this project the "Stick/Spin" wheel landed on stick twice so I continued to work on it for 9 days - I added the 10th day as it was more convenient to stitch on this project than switch today.

So I'm bringing in a new rule for my wheel spinning decisions.  Once I have stitched on a project for 9 days then I will definitely switch to a different one.

I am not stitching these in the called for colours.  I am substituting them with my own choices from stash.  The threads used are mainly from Jodyri Designs but I have used some others as well.

The first picture was my starting point and then the following pictures were taken at 7pm each day.











Today I finished the number "4" so I count that as 3 mini finishes as the ones pictured below were all partially started when I picked this project up.


I have really enjoyed stitching on this project and intend to try and put at least one length of thread into it each day.  Once I get to the filling in of the background it is very meditative and I don't need to look at the chart. 


Tonight I spun the wheel to see what type of project I will work on next - the wheel spun "WIP".

I spun the WIP wheel and it spun "I Love You to the Moon and Back".  This is something I charted myself and am stitching for my son.  I last stitched on this on 30th October 2017.

Keep stitching and smiling


Thursday 3 January 2019

Roses of Provence by Mirabilia - 03.01.19

My first new start for 2019 was Roses of Provence my Mirabilia.  I am stitching her on a 28 count evenweave called Smokey Rose from KLT Charting, unfortunately Kim has stopped dyeing fabric so it is no longer available.

I take a photo of my stitching each day at 7pm and post on Instagram.  Here is my progress over the last three days.




So tonight I spun the wheel to decide first of all whether to stick with this project or switch to another one.  The choice was switch.

I then spun for the type of project to work on.  Originally the choices on this wheel were WIP, Calendar or Designer.  I've added in a category for Birth Sampler as I have a secret project I'm stitching on for a family member, I won't be able to share pictures of this until it has been gifted.

Tonight the wheel choice was Designer.  On spinning the Designer wheel it chose Samsarah Designs.  I only have one project I am working on from Samsarah which is Perpetual Calendar.  The last time I worked on this was in November 2012!!  High time it came out and got some love.

So I will be stitching on this project for the next three nights then repeating the above process again.

It's the 3rd January and up to now I am sticking with my 2019 plans.  Let's see how long it lasts.

Keep stitching and smiling


Tuesday 18 December 2018

Resurrecting my blog?

As the New Year approaches I always find myself thinking about setting goals for my stitching and for life in general.  I also find myself almost compulsively drawn to buy a new diary/planner - I also get this compulsion in August when the Academic year diaries come out!  I am trying very hard to resist another purchase this year.

I am thinking of setting myself some stitching goals and what better place to do that than here on my stitching blog.

Goal number one is to work on all of my WIPs even if it's only one stitch during 2019.  I currently have 66 WIPs!

I would also like to have a new start on the first of each month because obviously I don't have enough WIPs already. 

The 12 projects I would like to start during 2019 are, in no particular order:

  1. Peace Wheel by Ink Circles
  2. Roses of Provence by Mirabilia
  3. Seaside Kingdom by Mirabilia
  4. The Time Traveller by Joan Elliott
  5. ABC Sampler by Jeanette Douglas
  6. Antique Bee Sampler by Elizabeth's Needlework Designs
  7. Bargello Sampler by Rosewood Manor
  8. Cross Stitch Nation by Heartstring Samplery
  9. Leeds House Sampler by Rosewood Manor
  10. Love You Still by Glendon Place
  11. My Christmas List by Silver Creek Samplers
  12. Fairy Moon by Mirabilia

I have also been lucky enough over the past few months to acquire quite a few out of print Mirabilia's and my wish is to start them and get them stitched so I can pass them on to other stitchers rather than just hoard them.  Lofty goals indeed!

After seeing a lot of Flosstubers using the Tiny Decisions app last year I am going to use this app to help me pick what to stitch on and when. Bear with me while I go through what I'm thinking.

When I start a project be it a new one or an existing WIP I will work on it for at least 3 days.  On the third day I will spin my first wheel on the Tiny Decisions app and that will decide for me whether I stick with the current project or switch to another.

If it's stick then I stick and will spin the wheel again the next day.  If it's switch I spin the next wheel to select what "type" of project I will pick from next.  The options on this wheel are WIP, Designer or Calendar.  For calendar I will pick the oldest project I have since I last worked on it (I'm not sure that sentence makes sense!).  WIP and Designer are wheels I spin again.  WIP contains all my WIPs not yet worked on in the year (as I work on a WIP I will remove it from the wheel).  Designer is a list of all the designers I have charts for - if a designer is spun who I don't have a current WIP for then I get a new start - if I have a WIP for them then I will pick the oldest one from when I last worked on it.

For my new starts on the first of each month I will also use the wheel.  I have already decided that I am going to start Roses of Provence on the 1st January.  On 1st January I will spin the wheel to see what project I am going to start on 1st February which will then give me the month to buy any supplies I need for that project.

If any one has read this far and understood all this waffle then you deserve a medal and a big thank you so THANK YOU!

Really my aim for writing this post is to get the thoughts out of my head so I can concentrate on other things and also to have a record of what my plans are.  In the past all plans have flown out of the window within the first few weeks of a new year so lets just say we'll wait and see.

For the record I am going to list below my current 66 WIPs.

Before I get there though I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.  I hope you'll join me on my stitching journey.


  1. Advice from the Ocean
  2. Angel of Love
  3. At the Met
  4. August
  5. Autumn Quaker
  6. Bauble Cushion
  7. Bookworm Fairy Mini
  8. Butterfly Lace
  9. Celtic Autumn
  10. Celtic Banner
  11. Christmas Elegance
  12. Christmas Owl SAL
  13. Christmas Rules
  14. Dear House
  15. Dragon Dance
  16. Elegant Trio
  17. English Cottage Sampler
  18. Fire Goddess
  19. Firefly Fairies
  20. Flowers of the Holy Night
  21. Froth and Bubble I
  22. Gypsy Queen
  23. Hanging Loose
  24. Hardcore Gamer
  25. Harry Potter Pillow Sampler
  26. Hydrangea Autumn Fog
  27. I am a Stitcher
  28. I Love You to the Moon and Back
  29. In This House
  30. Into the Jungle
  31. J
  32. Knotted Garden Biscornou
  33. Learning Sampler
  34. Live Laugh Love
  35. Love Heart Tapestry
  36. Masquerade
  37. Mini Beach Hut in Moonlight
  38. Nativity
  39. Not Quite Whitework
  40. One Hundred Years
  41. Peacock Band Sampler
  42. Peacock Butterflies
  43. Perpetual Calendar
  44. Planets
  45. Pumpkin Passport
  46. Quotes to Live By
  47. Renaissance Mermaid
  48. Research Project
  49. Revenge of RYO
  50. Royal Orchid
  51. Sarah Brazier 1826
  52. Save the Stitches
  53. Seaside Mystery
  54. Sleeping Beauty's Castle
  55. Sleeping Beauty
  56. Spring Mandala
  57. Stained Glass
  58. Stargazer
  59. Stormtrooper
  60. The Towpath
  61. Train Ornament
  62. Twelve Days of Christmas
  63. Universe
  64. Venetian Opulence
  65. Watercolour Gerberas
  66. Year at Hawk Run Hollow



Thursday 29 March 2018

Darth Vader - Stitch Line

A couple of weekends ago we were due to go away for the weekend to a caravan.  So when I was picking a project to work on next I wanted something I could work on easily without all my usual stitching tools.

I picked Darth Vader from StitchLine which is a monochromatic piece.  I am stitching it on 28 count white evenweave and after about 12 stitching days I finished it!















Keep stitching and smiling