QS Hang In There - 70 hour update

Good afternoon one and all!

First of all, I'd like to welcome my new followers, so hello to The Crafty Princess, Lynda, Pull the other thread, spiritedsummer, Heidi82, Rai Rai's Stitches, SoCal Debbie, joyfuljenilee and Lynda H. I hope you all enjoy my stitching antics.

With Start Trek TNG and Voyager (or Wimbledon) playing in the background, this stint of Hang In There has not been too bad. As Annie commented, take some advice from the project title and "hang in there" so that is exactly what I have done! Thanks Annie! And as the end is getting nearer I'm getting more excited and itching to complete it.

So without further ado here are the usual pictures:

After 60 hours

After 70 hours

The tail and bottom are now complete and I am working upwards filling in the gaps. I usually work the other way round, but want to stitch the green peg last because I am not happy with the colours and will probably change them. This means frogging the golden-browns that have already been stitched but at least there aren't that many and I know I'll be happier with the result.

One of my sisters is visiting for the coming week so I doubt I'll get much stitching done. She has ME and fibromyalgia and finds it hard to move around much, so will be sitting in my comfy stitching chair most of the time. At least mum and Julie have active brains and mouths so can yap to their hearts content while I wait on them!!! Perhaps this will be a good time to try to complete the second Taste of Tuscany smalls whilst watching Wimbledon.

So until next time,

All the best and

Happy stitching :)

Rachel x

QS Hang In There - 60 hour update

Hello again!

Well, my next ten hours is up on this project and I have to confess I'm struggling and not really enjoying it much. But I know I need to stick with it so that I can reach a goal, do a happy dance and, more importantly, start Mini Space Traveler!

According to my time-scale I'm about 72% of the way through but I'm sure it's more than that. I'm now just left with confetti stitching which I aim to tackle one colour at a time. As you can see, the gaps are slowly being filled in which is actually quite satisfying.

Here are the pictures then:

After 50 hours

After 60 hours

The 60 hour photo truly resembles the colours of the fabric and threads and I think she looks great against the sky. Her name's Millie by the way. Isn't it sad how I have to give my characters names?!!!!

So, here's to the next ten hours. I think Star Trek TNG (an addiction of mine) will have to be on in the background to encourage me along!

Take care everyone.

All the best and
Happy stitching :)
Rachel x

Where did "A Taste of Tuscany" come from?

Hello fellow bloggers!

It's time for a small confession.... The more eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a new WIP goal and progress tab called "A Taste of Tuscany". These are four small magazine charts which I have been wanting to stitch for years.

I started the first one back in April as I wanted a quick-stitch project to work on between the larger HAEDs. Being small designs I did not originally set up a WIP tab but guilt set in so one has now been created. Afterall, a project should be a project, no matter how small it is. I don't know why I like these charts do much - I'm not especially a cat lover, not particularly fond of blue and have never been to Tuscany! I suppose I just like them because I do!

I don't pick them up very often or for a long stretch but find them convenient if I've got the odd 30 minutes or so. They're on my Mini Wizard so are easily transportable if need be.

Here's the first completed picture:

A Taste of Tuscany by Rico Designs
Featured in Cross Stitch Crazy issue ??

Stitched on 16ct Light Blue Aida 2 over 1
Stitch count 54 wide by 55 high

Started - 8th April 2014

Finished - 16th June 2014
Total stitching time - 20 hours

The three green foliage threads were substituted with variegated, likewise the pink flowers (although the photos don't really show that clearly) and the yellow cats eyes and whiskers became blue.

I'm also half way through the second chart but will just post a picture of that when it is completed.

I have already chosen the colours of the frame and mounts from ezeframe.co.uk. My only decision, though, is - do I frame the projects individually (about £40) or take advantage of their multi-aperture mounts and frame them together horizontally (£25), vertically (£25) or as a 2x2 square (£20)? My inclination is towards the square - not because it's the cheapest but just because I think it will look the best. But I need to get all four projects finished before I ask for your opinions and make my decision.

Meanwhile, I've been slowly beavering away at Hang In There so should be back with a progress report on that soon.

All the best and
Happy stitching :)
Rachel x

Mini One - 30 hour update

Hello everyone!

Good grief! I've just noticed it's nearly three weeks since my last post. My stitching pace seems to be varying so much at the moment. Yes, I have a busy life looking after the house and its menagerie of humans and pets, but (touch wood) it's not hectic or problematic so I don't really understand why it's so erratic. Hmmm, needs looking into...

Anyway, as usual, the posting title gives away what I've been working on and for how long, so without further ado here are the 20 and 30 hour pictures:

After 20 hours

After 30 hours

I've finished the first colour across all three pages in the top row and have made a start on the second colour. The two are quite similar but there is enough of a difference to see the subtle shading. I love it! But Mini One is going away for a while because...

I've now received and sorted all the threads I need for HAED's Mini Space Traveler. However, as I promised myself I would not start it until I have finished QS Hang in There, that is what I am moving on to next. I haven't worked on HIT since the beginning of February because I lost my enthusiasm for it, as you do when you get close to the end. But the itch to finish it is back now and the little kitty is on the frame ready and waiting to go.

It's also confession time - I was a very (x lots) naughty girl as, at the same time I ordered the threads for Space Traveler, I ordered the fabric and black threads for HAED's QS April Fairy. I've been following Pull The Other Thread as she colours in Clara and this nudged me into wanting to stitch the black outline of QS April Fairy, another chart which I just HAVE to stitch! So, with 16ct Light Pink Aida and 13 skeins of black 310, she is also ready to go (but not for some time yet - cough, cough!). No, honestly, I must have another finish before she is started. Trust me!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the World Cup! I'm definitely not a football fan but my son is, so when it comes to a tournament like this, if you can't beat them, join them! Actually, it's not that bad and it means I get lots of long cuddles!

I'll be back soon with an update on Hang In There so until then,

All the best and
Happy stitching :)
Rachel x