Stitch From Stash - August 2015

Hello all!

Let's go straight into my SFS report for August:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £22.40
AUGUST BUDGET - $25 = £16.00 (at 01/08/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $0.00
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £38.40
SPENT - £6.50
CLOSING BALANCE - £31.90


Spending:
* 2 needle minders to add to my growing collection - the TARDIS and a rather cute little owl
* lots of thread bobbins (excluded from budget)

Projects worked on: (post to follow on 31st August)
* gryffindor
* hufflepuff
* ravenclaw
* slytherin

Projects completed:
* none :(


It's been a very slow month for me on the stitching front mainly due to the children being around and our on-going computer issues.

Our new all-singing-all-dancing faster and VIRUS-FREE computer has finally been installed. Luckily most of our data was not stored on the same disc as the programs so remained safe even if extremely difficult to access thanks to the way hubby had set up the hard drives. Unluckily, however, I had not archived or backed-up our emails for two years so, as the computer's back-up was an affected file, I have started plodding through the 20,000+ emails stored on the server to retrieve the important and business-related ones! Good job I'm not bothered about lengthy mundane tasks, even if it has eaten into my stitching time.

As for catching up on blog reading and commenting, I'm not going to make any more empty promises. I have to admit that this is my major failing at the moment. Hopefully September will see me getting back into a normal routine once school starts. Having the children around over the summer holidays has, unsurprisingly, been responsible for focusing at least some of my attention elsewhere! But I love them to bits and honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll be back on the 31st to show you my progress for the month.

TTFN
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate August Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello everybody!

First of all a big thank you to those of you who still read and comment on my blog. I very much appreciate you all and am honoured you are sticking by me even though I have remained quiet on the reading and commenting front recently. Normal service will be resumed..... one day!

So far in August I have been beavering away at my usual Lizzie Kate stamp of the month so have a little finish to show you. I'm still using my daughter's laptop and photo-editing app so can't really tell how good the photo is compared to my usual standard, but it doesn't look too bad.

August Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st August 2015

Finished - 6th August 2015

Total stitching time - 11 hours 10 minutes

As usual I very much enjoyed stitching this one and am already looking forward to September's!

Now to finish another Challenge piece before returning to the four Harry Potter crests for the rest of the month - yippee!

Be back soon,
Rachel x

July Progress on DSDUCJFC 2015 Pieces

Hello all!

It's the end of yet another month so time for me to show you how I've been progressing on my Challenge pieces. My July targets were to finish one piece and stitch on at least four more.

I did finish one piece......

* Cookie and Cream

..... and I did stitch on four more:

 Gryffindor from 4th February

continued with the outside of the crest

Hufflepuff from 11th February
finished the grey border and started the internal yellow

Ravenclaw from 18th February

completed the raven

Slytherin from 25th February

finished the word and stitched the outside of the banner

Hmm, a bit of a Harry Potter theme going on there!

I haven't been able to do before and after photos as usual, and the photos are not formatted to my liking but our main computer is still not fixed so I do not have access to my photos and usual photo-editing program.  :(

My August plan is to yet again to finish at least one Challenge piece and continue with these four crests as they are such fun to stitch (I say that about nearly everything, don't I?)

As for the 2016 January (and February?) Challenge, I have made five alterations to my original list but am now happy with the 31 projects I have chosen. I can now gradually start making working copies of the charts and pulling together the fabric and threads without any time pressure. I'm nowhere near this organised in real life, which must go to show how dedicated to and excited I am about this Challenge - or just very very sad!!

Also, my July promise of catching up with blog reading and commenting just did not happen. Life was really busy during July and with our main computer dying (and still not mended) I've had and still have limited access to the internet and blogger, I won't make another promise, but I'll do my very best to catch up during August!

Be back soon (I hope)

Rachel x