Deathly Hallows In A Bottle - finished!

Hi all!

For Dark October my plan was to try to make some progress on two or three Halloween-ish WIPs. The first, Haunted Library, received 10 hours of progress, the second has resulted in a finish!

This is Deathly Hallows in a Bottle the last of the four Harry Potter themed bottles I started during Mischievous March 2021. It's not exactly Halloween-y but does at least have 'deathly' in the title so is good for Dark October! The last time I worked on this, for the April A-Z Challenge, it didn't float my boat at all and I gave it an enjoyment rating of 4/10. This time, however, I couldn't put it down! Strange how quickly tastes change.

Here's where I picked it up:

Here it is without any backstitching:

And completed:

Deathly Hallows In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (no longer on etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey over-dyed aida

Started - 5th March 2021

Finished - 24th October 2023

Total stitching time - 18 hours 5 minutes

So not only can I now cross one off my WIP list, I can also cross off Mischievous March 2021 as having being completed; a double woo-hoo!

There's still a week of Dark October left and I'm switching to a third WIP, one which I think may receive a lot of attention!

Take care,

Rachel x

Golden Snitch In A Bottle - finished!

Hi again!

So the next WIP out of the box was Golden Snitch In A Bottle. This was one of four Harry Potter themed bottles started for Mischievous March 2021. Two were finished that year and, out of the remaining two, this was closest to completion so chosen first.

I stitched a fair amount the weekend I started it:

Stitched on it a bit the following month, leaving just some of the cork and the backstitching (no photo) and have now completed those too:

Golden Snitch In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey over-dyed aida

Started - 12th March 2021

Finished - 4th February 2023

Total stitching time - 14 hours 25 minutes

The backstitching on this one was fiddly again, and took just under three hours, but was so worth it.

 

I left out the french knots on the snitch and on the background on the right as I didn't think they were necessary. But I do think I need to move the star at the top and maybe add some stars on the left for balance. I'll do that just before it's FFOd.

My next finish will be a slightly bigger piece. It's another one with big blocks of colour and, since I worked on it a little in January, it shouldn't take too much longer to complete. Fingers crossed...

Take care,

Rachel x

Hedwig In A Bottle - finished!

Hi all!

I've now finished the second of my four Mischievous March new starts - yippee!

Hedwig In A Bottle was a new start on the third weekend of March. Once the weekend was over I carried on stitching on her for the rest of the week meaning that I only had about a third left to complete when I picked her up again a few days ago.

Here's how I left her after the weekend of starting her:

Completed before the backstitching:

And all finished:

Hedwig In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitch count 44 wide by 54 high

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida

Started - 20th March 2021

Finished - 18th April 2021

Total stitching time - 17 hours

I'm pleased to say the backstitching was nowhere near as bad as for the previous Bottle and, looking at the other Bottles, I'm sure I picked the worst one first, so that's a consolation.

I'm now working another of the remaining two. I don't think it will become an April finish but, if not, it won't be far too off. Fingers crossed.

Take care,

Rachel x

Platform 9 3/4 Sign In A Bottle - Finished!

Good morning everyone!

I have finished one of my Mischievous March new starts! It was a little bit of an uphill struggle towards the end, as the backstitching was a bit fiddly (especially the brown on brown around the sign) but it's done and was well worth the effort.

Here's how far I got during the weekend I started the project:

And here it is finished:

Platform 9 3/4 Sign In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitch count 46 wide by 54 high

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida

Started - 27th March 2021

Finished - 14th April 2021

Total stitching time - 17 hours 40 minutes

I'm usually fairly good at estimating how long a project will take to stitch but was a long way out with this one; I'd estimated 10-12 hours, so almost 18 came as a bit of a shock! With that in mind, there's no way I'll have time to finish the other three by the end of April, but I'll definitely finish one more.

As for FFOing, well, I've just laid my hands on some Harry Potter fabrics, so it looks like it's going to be a mini pillow or hanging ornie. I just need to decide which of the fabrics to use!

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #4 - Platform 9 3/4 In A Bottle

Hello again!

So it's already the final week of the Mischievous March mini new start binge. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?!

My final Harry Potter themed bottle this week is the sign for Platform 9 3/4, the railway line behind a magical brick wall at King's Cross Station which takes the young witches and wizards to their school aboard the Hogwarts Express. Here's how much I stitched:

Platform 9 3/4 In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida by sewitall.com

Stitch count 44 wide by 54 high

Started - 27th March 2021

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 25 minutes

And this is how it will eventually look:

It's weird but, as with In The Gloaming, I couldn't wait to stitch the brickwork!

If you've joined in with Mischievous March this week, here's the usual linky widget thingy waiting for your post URL, your name and a thumbnail:

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As usual I look forward to seeing what you've started, and perhaps even finished. Also, a big thank you for joining me!

If you've enjoyed Mischievous March and are up for another SAL or two, my next ones will be Christmas in July and the Tokyo Olympic Challenge, 23rd July to 8th August, so keep your eye out for more information about those nearer the time.

I will now be working on all four of the Mischievous March starts until they become finishes. I'm not sure I'll meet my end-of-April target date, but I'll enjoy trying. Watch this space!

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #3 - Hedwig In A Bottle

Hello again!

It's week number three of Mischievous March already and we seem to be doing well, with more lovely starts last week and a few more finishes.

I'm continuing with my Harry Potter themed bottles, this week starting the one containing Harry's owl, Hedwig. Don't worry, the cork may be in the bottle but she's a magical owl so can still breathe!

Here's how far I got over the weekend:

Hedwig In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida by sewitall.com

Stitch count 44 wide by 54 high

Started - 20th March 2021

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 20 minutes

I know you can't see her very well on the fabric, but once the backstitching is done she'll 'magically' appear *groan* and look like this:

If you are participating in Mischievous March and wish to link up with your post, name and a thumbnail, here's the linky widget thingy which will, as usual, stay open for ten days:

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I look forward to seeing what you've started and perhaps even finished!

It's difficult to believe next weekend will be the last one. Oh well, see you there.

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #2 - Golden Snitch In A Bottle

Hi all!

And welcome back to Mischievous March!

It was good to see some lovely new starts last week, and a couple of finishes in there too; well done you!

For week number two I have another Harry Potter themed bottle, but this week thought I would start with the contents rather than the cork, so here are the snitch and the label:

Golden Snitch In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida by sewitall.com

Stitch count 45 wide by 54 high

Started - 13th March 2021

Stitching time to date - 4 hours 20 minutes

And how it will look when finished:

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So that's two down, two to go. See you next Monday with start number three.

Take care,

Rachel x

Mischievous March New Start #1 - Deathly Hallows In A Bottle

Good morning all!

And welcome to Mischievous March!

Back in November Tiff (my startner in crime!) and I introduced Naughty November, a cheeky mini new start binge (so-called after having already having had a four-month-long new start binge earlier in the year) with the idea of starting one new project each weekend (or whenever best suits) during the month.

A number of you joined in and wondered if it would run again this year. Well, the answer is yes, along with this newly-introduced Mischievous March because, let's face it, one mini new start binge during the year is just not enough!

I must admit I've been really looking forward to getting my teeth into some new projects so, taking on board the main lesson learned from November i.e. keep the starts small, here's my first contribution to Mischievous March:

Deathly Hallows In A Bottle by MagicStitchStudio (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sketch Grey aida by sewitall.com

Stitch count 47 wide by 54 high

Started - 6th March 2021

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 25 minutes

And how it will look when finished:

This is from a collection of (thus far) 16 Harry Potter themed mini bottles, four of which I will be starting in March. I estimate them to take about 10-12 hours each so, if all goes to plan, they shouldn't be WIPs for too long.

Now I want to see your new starts!

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I can't tell you how excited I am to see what you have chosen to start. A number of conversations have dropped snippets and hints so now all can start to be revealed! From the more 'sensible' among you, maybe there will be some finishes too?

And remember, the intention is for all my SALs to be stress-free, so if you only want one or two new starts that's fine. Just pop in and join up whenever you want.

I don't know about you, but I'm already looking forward to start number two!

Take care,

Rachel x

PS Don't forget to enter my blogoversary giveaway (two posts ago) if you want to be in with a chance a winning a little something of your choice.