Smalls SAL - May 2018

Good evening everybody!

I'm a little late with this month's Smalls SAL, run by Heather of Stitching Lotus, as I've been pondering whether to post or not since no link-up has been posted for this month or last. I hope that our host is OK - does anybody know?

I've had a lot of Hooties on my wishlist since I first discovered Pinoy Stitches on etsy a few years ago. They've been in and out of my basket numerous times as I made a decision to buy them and then decided I couldn't justify the purchase because I didn't need any more stash, until one day I just thought stuff it, I rarely treat myself to anything, so on to my to-do pile they went!

This is the first one I decided to stitch:

Yellow Patchwork Hootie by Pinoy Stitch (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Tangerine over-dyed aida from sewitall.com 2 over 1
Stitch count - 42 wide by 41 high
Started - 1st May 2018
Finished - 6th May 2018
Total stitching time - 7 hours 45 minutes

I changed the colour of the spots (not that you can see them in the photo) for more of an orangey-yellow (743) rather than the charted pale yellow (445) but think I should have gone a bit darker. Nevermind, I love him anyway!

And, as is now my tradition, here he is all made up into a little hanging ornie:

Who can fail to love that backing fabric? Thank you ebay!

I'm planning to stitch only one more Hootie this year, but eventually(!) I'm hoping to have my own little Parliament. Until then the Gouldian Finch and Cockatiel, stitched earlier this year, are keeping him company.

Next month, something a little more summery.

Take care,
Rachel x

3 Box of Shame Finishes - Dolphin, Red Foxes, London

Hello all!

I have 3 framed pieces to show you today. All frames are courtesy of easyframes.co.uk. and all have my usual anti-reflective glazing.

First up, the fabulous Dreaming of Dolphins which I finished last May (was it really that long ago?!) After a lot of deliberation I opted for a plain 22mm Confetti Dark Blue frame with no mounts. I say a lot of deliberation because I really liked it with mounts, but because the fabric picks up different colours in different light (greens, blues, purples), and because I couldn't guarantee an exact match I decided to play it safe and opt for the frame only. I certainly didn't make the wrong choice:

Then we have the adorable Red Foxes, from the Young'uns collection by Gloria and Pat, finished last September. No mounts for this piece, just a simple 13mm mahogany frame. I just adore these little cuties and definitely need them on display.

Finally, Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street completed last October. I had a slight issue with this piece because I literally had only 15mm of spare fabric on the left and right - it was a case of ordering a piece of fabric onto which the project just about fit, or ordering a much bigger piece and having more waste. I'm afraid meanness won! I originally chose a dark grey frame to match the colour of the cloud but then thought that this was a fun design so needed a fun frame. So I opted for a 13mm Red Paint frame which clashes beautifully with the pinks in the fabric but definitely brings out the reds. Mounts were never going to be an option for such a colourful piece as this:

Most of the remaining pieces which need framing are parts of sets so I'm going to wait until I have completed all of the parts before framing them together. Hopefully that won't be too far away.

Take care,
Rachel x

Spotted Owls - finished

Good evening all!

So, here's my May finish from the DSDUCJFC 2015 Challenge (when I was mad enough to start one project each day during the whole of January and February).

This is finish number 30/59 which means I've officially just passed the halfway point - yippee! However, if I continue at my pace of finishing just one project per month I've still got a l-o-n-g way to go, but I'm not bothered at all; I think all cross stitchers agree it's just as much about the fun of the journey as the finish.

Anyway, here's how I left Spotted Owls at the end of April with just a few leaves left to stitch:

And here is the finished piece with all the info:

Spotted Owls from the Young'uns collection by Gloria and Pat

Stitched on 16ct Tumbleweed over-dyed aida by sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 106 wide by 109 high

Started - 21st February 2015

Finished - 14th May 2018

Total stitching time - 43 hours 25 minutes

I think they're totally adorable and, from previous comments, I think a lot of you will agree!

For the immediate future this piece will, unfortunately, go in my Box of Shame. I have already chosen the frame and added it to my basket but do not have enough at the moment to justify an order from my online framing shop (I usually buy 3-4 at a time). Fingers crossed I should have enough by the end of the year though.

Take care,
Rachel x

April Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello there!

April has flown past already so let's see so where the month took me regarding my outstanding WIPs started back in 2015/2016. Remember that my aim is to finish one and work on two more each month.

I successfully finished (and framed) Canal Crossing (posted previously) and made progress on:

Spotted Owls by from the Young'uns collection by Gloria and Pat
started 21st February 2015; last worked on last month
finished the owls, added backstitching to leaves and branch

Sugar from the Little Black Cat collection by Heritage Crafts
started 16th February 2015; last worked on December 2015
finished the cat, most of the sugar and started the background

In May I aim to finish Spotted Owls and make further progress on Sugar and another project from my remaining WIPs.

Take care,

Rachel x