2017 End Of Year Summary

Hello all!

So, here we are at the end of another year and time again for me to look back on my stitching (and finishing) over the last twelve months. It's the same boring format as last year and mostly for my benefit, but for those of you who like lists, this is for you too!

I began the year planning to start and finish 12 pieces for the Smalls SAL, work on and finish 12 Challenge WIPs from 2015/2016 and possibly start (and finish) up to 6 new projects.

So, how did I do? Well, I finished the 12 Smalls SAL pieces, finished 11/12 Challenge WIPs and out of my potential new starts I started 3 and finished 3. (I did, however, start a new large-ish project which I have barely worked on and not yet blogged about). So, all in all, a very successful year!

So my statistics now appear like this::

Number of WIPs brought forward from 2016 - 5 suspended, 8 large, 47 challenge = 60
Plus number of new starts - 1 large, 12 smalls SAL, 3 others = 16
Less number of finishes - 11 challenge, 12 smalls SAL, 3 others = 26
Number of WIPs to carry forward into 2018 - 5 suspended, 9 large, 36 challenge = 50

Now comes the really boring bit.....

Here are the lists of projects which make up the statistics at the top of the page:

SUSPENDED LARGE WIPs BROUGHT FORWARD
1)  Mythical Dragon (True Colors)
2)  Rainbow Angel (White willow Stitching) - really tempted to throw this away
3)  QS Emerald Dragon (HAED)
4)  SK The History Of Chocolate (HAED)
5)  QS Fairy With Butterfly Mask (HAED) - tempted to throw this away too

LARGE WIPs BROUGHT FORWARD
1)  QS Come Softly (HAED)
2)  Mini Bookworm Fairy (HAED)
3)  Mini The Owrd Lord (HAED)
4)  Mini One (HAED)
5)  Dolphin Ruins (Rabnann - ebay)
6)  OMG Tigger Is Out (UnconventionalX - etsy)
7)  Dragon Eye (not yet blogged)
8)  Scarlet Macaw Preening (Shinysun)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY CHALLENGE 2015 WIPs BROUGHT FORWARD
1)  Friends For Life
2)  Feline Groovy
3)  Loves Me ... Love Me Not
4)  Daisy Hugs
5)  Dreaming Of Dolphins - FINISHED
6)  Book Worm

7)  Carefree Summer

8)  A Tatty Friend

9)  Dandelion Time

10)  Flower Power

11)  All Aboard The Walnut Shells

12)  Christmas Wishes

13)  Daisy Umbrella

14)  Cuddly Feline Friends

15)  Choc-A-Holic

16)  I Love Butter

17)  Good Morning Nelson

18)  Winter Hugs

19)  Lickle Snooze

20)  A Windy Day
21)  Little Green
22)  Spring
23)  Coffee - FINISHED
24)  Gryffindor Crest - FINISHED
25)  Pretty Little London - FINISHED
26)  Start Trek TOS
27)  Summer
28)  Cream - FINISHED
29)  Canal Crossing
30)  Hufflepuff Crest
31)  Clue
32)  Red Foxes - FINISHED
33)  Sugar
34)  The Lock - FINISHED
35)  Pretty Little Paris
36)  Evil Minions
37)  Spotted Owls
38)  Winter
39)  Tea
40)  The Milk Train - FINISHED
41)  Slytherin Crest - FINISHED
42)  Pandas

JANUARY CHALLENGE 2016 WIPs BROUGHT FORWARD
1)  Summer Alphabet
2)  Spring Alphabet
3)  Winter Alphabet
4)  Polar Bear - FINISHED
5)  Bear - FINISHED

NEW STARTS - LARGE
1)  Magnolia

NEW STARTS 2017 - SMALLS SAL
1)  January Calendar - FINISHED
2)  February Calendar - FINISHED
3)  March Calendar - FINISHED
4)  April Calendar - FINISHED
5)  May Calendar - FINISHED
6)  June Calendar - FINISHED
7)  July Calendar - FINISHED
8)  August Calendar - FINISHED
9)  September Calendar - FINISHED
10)  October Calendar - FINISHED
11)  November Calendar - FINISHED
12)  December Calendar - FINISHED

NEW STARTS 2017 - OTHERS
1)  Cats In Love - FINISHED
2)  Summer Bird - FINISHED
3)  Birds With Umbrella - FINISHED

I may still have a lot of  projects left to finish but am happy that it's 10 less than I started the year with and now exactly 50. That's a nice figure to start from next year.


As for my Box of Shame, I started the year with 58 pieces in it, added 26 more, fully finished off 32, so have therefore ended the year with 52 pieces remaining. Yay, it's been reduced by... 6 pieces (but only because I've counted the calendar as 12 finishes instead of one in case I decide to cut it up!) Yes, lots of pieces were framed whilst the ornaments were completely ignored, but it's still an achievement, if only a very small one! At least making the ornaments will be less expensive than the framing (although more time-consuming) when I eventually get around to them!

Here's another boring list of the the projects which were or still are in my Box of Shame (and again this is mainly for my benefit):

BOX OF SHAME PIECES BROUGHT FORWARD
1)  January Stamp
2)  February Stamp
3)  Waterlogged - FINISHED
4)  Puddle Duck - FINISHED
5)  March Stamp
6)  April Stamp
7)  May Stamp
8)  June Stamp
9)  Autumn
10)  July Stamp
11)  Cookie and Cream
12)  August Stamp
13)  September Stamp
14)  October Stamp
15)  Winter Owl - FINISHED
16)  November Stamp
17)  December Stamp
18)  April Showers - FINISHED
19)  Ride A Bike - FINISHED
20)  French Country Witch
21)  Sleepy Book - FINISHED
22)  Cantankerous - FINISHED
23)  Sally Squirrel - FINISHED
24)  Bert Badger - FINISHED
25)  Balloon - FINISHED
26)  Keep Our Air Clean - FINISHED
27)  Save Water - FINISHED
28)  Plant A Tree - FINISHED
29)  Be Kind To Animals - FINISHED
30)  Humerous Alphabet
31)  Summer Bird
32)  Friends Forever - FINISHED
33)  Ghost
34)  Halloween
35)  Frankie Hedgehog - FINISHED
36)  Toby Fox - FINISHED
37)  Seahorse Critter - FINISHED
38)  Dolphin Critter - FINISHED
39)  Playful Puss 3 - FINISHED
40)  Playful Puss 4 - FINISHED
41)  Contentious - FINISHED
42)  Mini Midnight Manor - FINISHED
43)  Eat Locally - FINISHED
44)  October Fairy - FINISHED
45)  Halloween Cauldron
46)  Molly Mouse - FINISHED
47)  Ollie Owl - FINISHED
48)  Witches Hat
49)  Let's Eat Dessert - FINISHED
50)  Autumn Alphabet
51)  Penguin
52)  Snowman
53)  Woolly-Hatted Snowman
54)  Mr Daydream - FINISHED
55)  Black-Hatted Snowman
56)  Santa
57)  Mr Jelly - FINISHED
58)  Mr Happy - FINISHED

BOX OF SHAME PIECES ADDED 2017
1)  January Calendar
2)  Polar Bear
3)  Bear
4)  Cats In Love - FINISHED
5)  February Calendar
6)  Spring Bird
7)  Coffee
8)  March Calendar
9)  Milk Train
10)  April Calendar
11)  May Calendar
12)  Dreaming of Dolphins
13)  Gryffindor
14)  June Calendar
15)  July Calendar
16)  Cream
17)  Birds With Umbrella
18)  August Calendar
19)  The Lock
20)  September Calendar
21)  Red Foxes
22)  October Calendar
23)  Pretty Little London
24)  November Calendar
25)  Slytherin
26)  December Calendar

So there we are... boring lists over!

During the year I stitched for a total of 472 hours, well down on the 703 hours I managed in 2016. However, I did stitch every single day (admittedly a lot of them for only five minutes towards the end of the year) so am really happy with that.

I'll reveal my 2018 stitching plans tomorrow.

All the best and

Happy stitching :)

Rachel x

Cute Animal Calendar - finished

Good afternoon all!

Those of you who have been following the Smalls SAL during 2017 will have noticed that I have been stitching part of a calendar each month. I am very pleased to report that I succeeded in completing the whole project during the year and on schedule! And here it is:

Cute Animal Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket over-dyed aida from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 184 wide by 176 high

Started - 1st January 2017

Finished - 9th December 2017

Total stitching time - 97 hours 5 minutes

Obviously there are some months that I enjoyed stitching more than others - I think July has to be my favourite and November my least favourite - and some which were more straight-forward than others - the backstitching on September's Hedgehog took ages!

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with it. I doubt I'll frame it or make it into a wall hanging, so I might cut it up and mount each month onto a card which can be displayed at the appropriate time. I've not left much space between them but it's doable - if I'm careful and if I've got the willpower to take a pair of scissors to it! Better that than have it sitting in my Box of Shame!

So, that's my last finish of the year to show you. I was hoping to have finished one more but fitting about 20 hours of stitching into the last two days of the year is simply not going to happen!

I've got my really boring Year End Summary to post tomorrow and then it's on to my 2018 projects. I must say I'm rather looking forward to it!

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - December 2017

Hello again!

I'm back to being on time for this month's Smalls SAL posting. Thanks as always to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing the stitch along.

So, here's the final month of the calendar I've been stitching specifically for this SAL; a cute little penguin to round off the year:

December Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st December 2017

Finished - 9th December 2017

Total stitching time - 7 hours 20 minutes

And here's the completed calendar after a year's worth of stitching. I shall be writing a separate more detailed post about it on my blog tomorrow.

I have already signed up for next year's Smalls SAL and will be stitching a variety of projects. I have 12 all kitted up and ready to go so, apart from the four which are month-specific, I will be doing a lucky dip to see which gets stitched. I'm really looking forward to it!

Take care,

Rachel x

Slytherin - finished

Good evening!

This is the very late posting of another finish from Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015. This is the 26th finish of the 59 starts and a companion for Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. The remaining house crest, Hufflepuff, will be finished in 2018.

The last time you saw this piece was at the end of August:

I didn't make much progress in September:

And forgot to take a picture at the end of October, so this is how it looks all finished:

From theworldinstitches (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Cream Aida 2 over 1

Stitch count 96 wide by 118 high
Started - 25th February 2015
Finished - 23rd November 2017
Total stitching time - 45 hours 10 minutes

I have the frames for both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but like so many things at the moment, I just have to get around to framing them.

I've got a few more rather rushed postings to make before the end of the year then, hopefully, I'll be able to return to regular postings (and blog reading) in 2018.

Take care,
Rachel x

Smalls SAL - November 2017

Hello again!

I'm really really annoyed with myself for not making November's Small SAL posting in time. Argh! Oh well, I'll still say thanks as always to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing the stitch along and I'll have to ensure I'm on time next month.

For November we had fireworks, of course, with a frog(!)

November Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st November 2017

Finished -8th November 2017

Total stitching time - 6 hours 35 minutes

We have a real cutie for the final month of the year. I really can't wait to stitch him and then show the whole completed piece.

Take care,

Rachel x

Pretty Little London - finished

Hello all,

I'm late again with posting another Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015 finish as this should have been posted three weeks ago!! During October I finished Pretty Little London. You won't have seen this project for a couple of months, as I did not post a September update, so here are the final progress pictures and the finished piece:

How you last saw it at the end of August:

At the end of September:

And all finished:

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street Designs (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sunset Sky hand-dyed aida by The Crafty Kitten 2 over 1

Stitch count 123 wide by 110 high

Started - 5th February 2015

Finished - 23rd October 2017

Total stitching time - 44 hours 45 minutes

Obviously I'm going to say I thoroughly enjoyed stitching it, especially when London means so much to me. It seemed to start off really slowly but once past the halfway mark it roller-coastered along. I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to frame it - the colours in the fabric and stitching aren't going to make it easy but I'm leaning towards dark grey at the moment. We'll see.....

Pretty Little Paris was also started in 2015 and is on my finishing list for 2018.

Speaking of 2018, I've devised two stitching plans - one heavily concentrated on finishing more WIPs and one more skewed towards new starts. At present I'm not feeling the excitement in finishing projects, nor in starting new ones so it's still very much up in the air which direction I'll go. I haven't lost my mojo, nor my interest - I suppose I'm just plodding along until something screams out to me which isn't happening at present but will one day!

In the meantime, there should be another finish soon.

Take care,
Rachel x

Red Foxes - finished

Hello all,

I'm just a wee bit late posting this! September's finish from Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015 was Red Foxes. Whilst stitching this design and showing updates, a lot of you commented how cute they are. I hope you are as happy with the finished piece as I am!

Here's how I left it at the end of August:

And here's the finished piece (with more accurate colours):

From Young'uns by Gloria and Pat

Designed by Ruth Morehead

Stitched on 16ct Iced Coffe hand-dyed Aida by Fabric Flair 2 over 1

Stitch count 101 wide by 89 high

Started - 14th February 2015

Finished - 16th September 2017

Total stitching time - 38 hours 50 minutes

Progress on my remaining pieces is progressing steadily. I have one more finish to post and am working on the final two Challenge finishes for 2017.

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - October 2017

Hello again!

I've been a bad blogger for the last couple of months but have returned for this month's Smalls SAL posting. Thanks as always to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing the stitch along.

I wasn't originally keen on October's animal but in the end did enjoy stitching him. He's a cheeky little fella; I wonder if he ate the inside of the pumpkin first?!

October Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st October 2017

Finished - 12th October 2017

Total stitching time - 7 hours

Only two more months to go! See you at the end of November for the next check-in.

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - September 2017

Hello again!

I'm a bit later than usual for this month Smalls SAL posting (and I haven't even posted last month's finish or progress reports either). Must be old age catching up with me! Thanks as always to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing the stitch along.

Oh boy, did I enjoy this month's little cutie even if it did include 3.5 - yes, 3.5 - hours of backstitching! It's certainly not a recommended chart for the backstitch loather! I don't usually have to cross off the backstitching as I go but for this chart I definitely did!

September Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st September 2017

Finished - 11th September 2017

Total stitching time - 10 hours 20 minutes

I won't be showing the whole calendar again now until it's completed.

I'm not keen on October's animal but I do like the remainder of the chart, which includes a lot less backstitching and some lovely clumps of colours. See you around Halloween for the next check-in.

Take care,
Rachel x

Smalls SAL - August 2017

Hello again!

Another month has zoomed by so it's time once again to post the Smalls SAL project. As usual, thanks go to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing to run this fun little stitch along.

I mentioned last month that we would be going to the seaside for this month's calendar and whilst I suspect some of you may have envisaged buckets and spades we actually have a lion in a dinosaur rubber ring. Of course!

August Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st August 2017

Finished - 6th August 2017

Total stitching time - 7 hours 55 minutes

Here's how the whole calendar now looks after two full rows:

I didn't much take to the lion until I stared stitching him and then found him to be rather fun - probably because yellow is my favourite colour and I'm not stitching much in the way of yellow at the moment.

September's picture is really cute and definitely another one of my favourites. Good job I don't mind backstitching as there's rather a lot for such a small chart. See you at the end of September!

Take care,
Rachel x

August Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello all!

It's time again for another month-end round up on the progress I've made on my Challenge WIPs. So, here we go.

During August I finished The Lock (posted previously) and worked on:

Red Foxes from the Young-uns Collection by Gloria and Pat
started 14th February 2015; last stitched on July 2017
stitched the second fox's head and added some more backstitching

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street
started 5th February 2015; last worked on July 2017
reached the bottom and then continued working left

Slytherin by Theworldinstitches (etsy)
started 25th February 2015; last stitched on January 2017
added the border and most of the snake
(the fabric is not that cream but I simply couldn't get a good photo today!)

I was hoping that the school summer holiday would have allowed me a bit more stitching time but it was not to be. Still, progress is progress and I'm happy with my achievements.

I shall finish Red Foxes in September and work on three more, as usual.

Take care,

Rachel x

The Lock - finished

Hello all,

Here is this month's customary finish from Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015. This is finish number 23 of the 59 starts.

This is how you last saw it at the end of July:

And now:

Heritage Crafts Silhouette

Stitched on 16ct Cream Aida 2 over 1

Stitch count 68 wide by 68 high

Started - 17th February 2015

Finished - 12th August 2017

Total stitching time - 28 hours 30 minutes

Like the previous Silhouette, I knew that this would look like a mush of colours whilst being stitched. And I was right! Thank goodness the picture is clearer from a distance. The colours are really soothing and the blended threads gives a lovely effect. It's amazing what can be created with a few shades of brown and cream.

I have the frames for this one and the previously finished Milk Train so hope to frame them soon.

Take care,
Rachel x

Birds With Umbrella - finished

Morning all!

OK, so this was a silly stitch really, but a fun one nonetheless, full of huge blocks of colour and the sweetest kiss. I don't know why I fell in love with this pattern so much; I just did so was sure to include it as one of this year's new starts.

When you last saw the little birdies they looked like this:

And now all finished:

Birds With Umbrella

Free pattern from my-cross-stitch-patterns.com

Stitched on 16ct Tea Rose overdyed aida by Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count - 100 wide by 98 high

Started - 25th March 2017
Finished - 30th July 2017
Total stitching time - 26 hours 40 minutes

I decided to fill in the gaps in the umbrella with the same colour as used for the trim. In fact, as it doesn't seem to be raining, I think it's more of a parasol than an umbrella so it makes sense it would be pretty. I did think about using beads but they looked a bit OTT so I'm happy with normal crosses.

I have the backing fabric ready to make this into a little cushion but at the moment DD is using the sewing machine to make a Comic Con costume so I'd rather not interfere with the set up. And there was me all raring to actually finish-finish a project for a change! Oh well, what's another addition to my Box of Shame?!

Take care,
Rachel x

July Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello all!

Time for another month-end round up on the progress I've made on my Challenge WIPs. By now you know what I'm going to say about my plans and how successful I was!

I finished Cream (posted previously) and worked on:

Red Foxes from the Young-uns Collection by Gloria and Pat
started 14th February 2015; last stitched on June 2017
finished stitching the first fox and backstitched some of the fox, leaves and rocks

The Lock from the Silhouettes range by Heritage Crafts
started 17th February 2015; last stitched on June 2017
continued working my way down

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street
started 5th February 2015; last worked on 26th May 2015
reached the bottom right and continued working left

Another satisfying stitching month for me there then.

I have now recommenced working on all of the Challenge WIPs I hope to finish this year so there will be no more to show over the coming months - only more progress and finishes.

In August... surprise surprise... I intend to finish one, The Lock, and continue making progress on three more. With it being the school summer holiday, and therefore not having to work for the whole of August, I hope to have a little more stitching time and be able to work on a few other projects too. Who knows what might sneakily slip into my plans?!

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - July 2017

Good afternoon!

Goodness me, it's the last Friday of the month AGAIN so time to post this month's Smalls SAL project. Thank you once again to Heather of Stitching Lotus for continuing to run this fun little stitch along.

July meant Wimbledon and Wimbledon meant strawberries so this cutie is completely apt. Despite the french knots (which were done when I wasn't feeling in the mood for french knots and consequently all over the place!) he is probably my favourite month so far. I may re-do the french knots but I actually quite like their irregularity. Afterall, nature isn't perfect. Well, that's my excuse anyway. I suppose it depends how much my fussiness wins out.

July Calendar by Durene Jones

Stitched on 16ct Nantucket from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 43 wide by 56 high

Started - 1st July 2017

Finished - 7th July 2017

Total stitching time - 7 hours 55 minutes

And another progress picture of the whole calendar:

August takes us to the seaside. See you then!

Take care,
Rachel x

Birds With Umbrella - 20 hours

Good morning all!

Birds With Umbrella is one of the new starts I planned for 2017. It only receives attention once I have completed my "compulsory" monthly stitching (i.e. Smalls SAL and Challenge WIPs) so progress has been fairly slow. Last time you saw it, early May after 10 hours, it looked like this:

And now, after 20 hours of stitching, it looks like this:

I've not shown you a picture of the completed piece but I think it's very obvious what it will look like. I only have the second bird and five more lines of ground to stitch so should easily have it finished before the end of the month.

I don't know if the gaps in stitching on the umbrella are supposed to be a pattern or raindrops but, either way, I don't like them. To avoid adding another colour to the minimalist palette, I'll fill them in using the same colour the second bird will be stitched in.

Back very soon with a finish then!

Take care,

Rachel x

6 Box Of Shame Finishes

Hello all!

A while back I ordered a few frames from my usual and trusted ezeframe.co.uk in order to finish-finish some pieces and further reduce my Box of Shame. So far I've only used one frame but as it contains 6 pieces I'm counting it as 6 finish-finishes!

This set of Woodland Folk by DMC went down a storm when I stitched them last year and I have always felt guilty about them being in my Box of Shame. But now they're free and looking fantastic on the wall. So let me reintroduce Toby Fox, Ollie Owl, Bert Badger,  Frankie Hedgehog, Molly Mouse and Sally Squirrel:

The frame is an 18mm mahogany frame with a mid-green top mount, off-white bottom mount and anti-reflective glazing. Each aperture could have been individually sized to fit each piece but I decided to keep the four side openings symmetrical as it looked more aesthetically pleasing. I'm really happy with the result even if it does make the kelp fabric look a little bit blue-ish.

As it currently stands I've now finished off 32 pieces this year out of the 67 which need/needed doing. I'll be framing 3 more next month and also hope to complete some of the pieces which need making into ornaments. But hope springs eternal!!!

Take care,
Rachel x