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

Dreaming of Dolphins - finished

Morning all!

It should come as no surprise that I've now finished this gorgeous project. It required only a few more hours of stitching, plus a tiny bit of backstitching. I actually finished it a week ago, just haven't got around to posting about it until  now.

This is another finish from Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015 and is the 20th finish out of the 59 starts. So, yes, I've now reached the 1/3 mark although, to be fair, 17 were finished in 2015 itself and those I've got left are generally the larger pieces. I've obviously still got a long way to go but I'll get there slowly and surely.

Anyway, here's the last progress picture from the end of April:

And here's the finished piece and details:

Designed by Karen Couchman and featured in Cross Stitch Collection March 2001

Stitched on 32ct Atlantic Depths hand-dyed Opalescent Murano Evenweave
by The Crafty Kitten 2 over 2
Stitch count 211 wide by 122 high
Started - 7th January 2015
Finished - 21st May 2017
Total stitching time - 59 hours 30 minutes

(estimated 69 hours)

It goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed stitching the dolphins, especially on the sparkly fabric, which really doesn't show up in the photos. There are only 6 colours in the piece and probably about half of the stitches use blended threads, but there are huge blocks of colour so it was very easy to stitch. Oh and I left out the little fish as I didn't think they were necessary.

However, now that I have unrolled the fabric I am quite annoyed - if you look closely at the top and bottom you might be able to make out distinct stripes where the fabric has more colour. This is where it was rolled on the frame so obviously some of the colour, namely the blue, has faded whilst I have been stitching. It'll be covered by the frame so won't actually show but it is annoying that my finished piece is not on the colour fabric I started out with. I'm trying to remain positive that at least it didn't fade too much and is still a lovely backgound for the dolphins.

I've already ordered the frame for this, along with the frames for a few other pieces, so there will be another chance to see it, and some other finished projects, soon.....

Take care,

Rachel x

April Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello all!

It's the end of the month so time for another update on my Challenge WIPs. My plan for April was to finish one piece and work on three more. And I succeeded!

I finished The Milk Train (posted previously) and gave attention to the following three:

Dreaming of Dolphins from Cross Stitch Collection March 2001

started 7th January 2015; last stitched on March 2017

worked on the final dolphin - not much left to go on this now

Gryffindor by Theworldinstitches (etsy)

started 4th February 2015; last stitched on March 2017

continued filling in the background and started the lion

Cream by Heritage Crafts

started 9th February 2015; last stitched on June 2015
started working my way down, filling in the background
(note to self... please give the cat his eyes!!)

In May I aim to finish Dreaming of Dolphins and work on three more WIPs. I may also reach the 10 hour mark on one or both of two new starts, depending on how I divide my time between each project. As always, I have an exciting and variable month of stitching ahead!

Take care,

Rachel x

March Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Back again!

Another month, another progress report on my Challenge WIPs. True to my hopes for March I finished Coffee and worked on three more.

These were:

Dreaming of Dolphins from Cross Stitch Collection March 2001

started 7th January 2015; last stitched on February 2017

finished the third dolphin and started on the final one who has both the tip of his nose and tail

Gryffindor by Theworldinstitches (etsy)

started 4th February 2015; last stitched on 22nd August 2015

started the red background

The Milk Train by Heritage Crafts

started 24th February 2015; last stitched on February 2017

continued working my way down and left

If things continue to go to plan, April should see me finish The Milk Train and again work on three more WIPs. Fingers crossed.....

Take care,
Rachel x

February Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Good morning everyone!

Another month and another progress report. I'm sure that it's not going to seem like five minutes between these monthly postings.

For February I decided to carry on with one piece from January then pick out two different pieces for the rest of the month. I think that working on neglected pieces last month made me feel a little guilty that others also need to feel loved.

Here are the projects I chose to work on:

Dreaming of Dolphins from Cross Stitch Collection March 2001

started 7th January 2015; last stitched on 4th June 2015 (shame on me!)

almost finished the third dolphin - the pattern, fabric and blues are all lovely to work with

Little Black Cat Coffee by Heritage Crafts

started 2nd February 2015; last stitched on in January 2017

continued working my way down - so close to finishing this one

The Milk Train by Heritage Crafts

started 24th February 2015; not stitched on since then (shame on me again!)

continued working my way down, then in from the right as I needed a change from the really pale colours!

During March I am hoping to finish Coffee and stitch on three more WIPs. I already know which three they will be but you'll have to wait until 1st April to find out!

Back in 31 days with another month-end progress report.

Take care,
Rachel x

June Progress on DSDUCJFC 2015 Pieces

Hello again!

First of all a big thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my blog. I really do appreciate your comments and will eventually reply to those still in my inbox. If you don't receive a reply it's because you are a no-reply blogger, so please consider this an extra big thank you to you too.

I promise July will definitely be the month when I gradually catch up with reading and commenting on blogs.

But for now, it's time for another progress update on my remaining 47 DSDUCJFC pieces. Don't the months fly past when you're having fun!

My June targets were to finish one Challenge piece and stitch on at least four more. Here's how I did:

I did indeed finish one piece.....

* autumn

..... and I did stitch on at least four more; six to be exact:

Dreaming of Dolphins from 7th January

completed the second dolphin (the gap is for the fin of the fourth dolphin)

Lickle Ted - April Showers from 8th January

added the rain

Tatty Ted - A Tatty Friend from 13th January

finished stitching the teddy

Polar Bears from 7th February

finished the head of the first cub and started the second cub

(as you can see from the amount of progress, I found it hard to put this one down!)

Little Black Cat - Cream from 9th February

added some of the pot

Ravenclaw from 18th February

continued the raven

That's a good amount of progress which I'm very very happy with.

My July targets for Challenge pieces remain the same - finish one and stitch on at least four more. Any suggestions as to which ones you might like to see me work on during July would be welcome, although Dreaming of Dolphins, Polar Bears and Ravenclaw are already on the list!

And how about a nice wry smile to finish with?

I realise we're only just halfway through the year but I thought I'd let you know I've already chosen my 31 projects for next January's Challenge! Note, I said 31 for January, not 59 (or rather 60 as it's a leap year) for both January and February. Over half of the charts are fairly small (less than 20 hours) so should stitch up quickly. That gives me six months to collect the fabrics and threads together and get working copies of the charts. I think that should be long enough! I just wonder how long it will be before that list of 31 gets increased to 60???? Hmmm, I give it to the end of August!!!  ;)

See you soon,

Take care and happy stitching!
Rachel x

May Progress on DSDUCJFC 2015 Pieces

Hello fellow bloggers!

It's the end of May so time for another Challenge progress update.

At the end of April I set myself the task during May of finishing one of my remaining 50 Challenge pieces and working on four more. I also asked for suggestions as to which pieces you would like me to stitch. Replies included Dreaming of Dolphins, any of the Margaret Sherry mice, the Harry Potter crests (especially Ravenclaw), Friends Forever and Pretty Little London.

With all that in mind I set about my May stitching.

I surpassed my targets because I finished not one but two pieces during May.....

* My Treasure from 27th February
* Friends Forever from 12th January

..... and made progress on another seven:

Ravenclaw from 18th February

finished the section above the banner

Autumn from 15th February

completed the sky

Hufflepuff from 11th February

continued with the outside of the shield (mostly)

Tea from 23rd February

finished stitching the teapot

Pretty Little London from 5th February

finished the top of Big Ben and continued with Tower Bridge

and the buildings on the bottom right

Dandelion Time from 15th January

backstitched the mouse where possible

(I was not enthused about stitching this one)

Dreaming of Dolphins from 7th January

started the second dolphin

I really enjoyed the additional challenge this month of trying to stitch on as many projects as possible, as suggested by my lovely commenters. I won't ask for suggestions for June but probably will again for July.

My June Challenge targets are again to finish one piece and stitch on at least four more. I've already decided which ones I'm going to work on but you'll have to wait until the end of June to find out!

I hope Debbie would have been proud of my commitment to and progress on her Challenge. :)

TTFN
Rachel x

March Progress on DSDUCJFC 2015 Pieces

Good morning everybody!

Although I'm posting my Challenge finishes as they happen, I thought I would also do an end-of-month posting about progress made on other Challenge pieces just to show (1) what I am working on and (2) that they are not being neglected.

So on top of finishing 6 Challenge pieces in March I also made the following progress:

Daisy Hugs from 6th January

continued down and backstitched the petals
and the mouse on the right has a tail!

Dreaming of Dolphins from 7th January

finished the first dolphin
absolutely adore this piece!

 Lickle Ted April Showers from 8th January

finished the umbrella hood

Cookie and Cream from 16th January
stitched some of Cream and backstitched the window
can't say I've ever seen a cat quite that yellow!

Lickle Ted Flower Power from 18th January

finished the flower (mostly) and started Lickle Ted's head

Winter Owl from 3rd February

finished the owl's head as far down as his scarf

My Treasure from 27th February

finished stitching the dragon

My original plan for the Challenge pieces was to work on one at a time until completed. This sort of worked for the first few as they were small and I was desperate to finish them.

Then I changed my plan to work on one focus piece but stitch on others as my mood took me. That way I would definitely be heading towards one finish whilst working on others.

But now I've decided to just stitch what I want when I want! If that means continuing with a piece until it's finished that's fine. If it means stitching for a bit then moving on that's fine too. I want to enjoy stitching these pieces, not feel bogged down or in a rush to complete them.

With so many Challenge pieces to choose from, goodness knows which ones will make an appearance in April. Will they be the same ones? Will they be different? Or will there be a mixture of both? Watch this space to find out!

Love and hugs
Rachel x