Haunted House Bell Pull - finished and framed!

Hello here!

I was absolutely determined that I would finish Haunted House Bell Pull during August and guess what? I have actually finished it! So please feel free to join me in a Spooky Happy Dance!

At the end of July it only needed a little more work on the path to be completed. One hour of stitching and just under two and a half hours of backstitching later, it's gone from this:

To this:

 Haunted House Bell Pull by Stoney Creek

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Stone over-dyed aida from sewitall.com

Stitch count 50 wide by 200 high (I'm not stitching the full chart)

Started - 23rd January 2018

Finished - 26th August 2018

Total stitching time - 53 hours 20 minutes

I decided not to stitch any of the words (nor any bats which were suggested in a comment on a previous post - sorry!) so here's my version against what it would have looked like had I stitched it as charted.

I was never going to stitch the 'happy haunting' at the bottom but did originally intend to stitch the 'welcome' at the top but in less scrawly writing. Then I changed my mind and actually think I prefer it without anything.

So, then came the finishing off - decisions, decisions!

It was always my intention to finish it as a bell pull; it would be something different, something that I've never done before, and its name - Haunted House Bell Pull - sort of suggests that it's the right shape! But, despite various internet searches (in the UK) I couldn't find many bell pull hangers for sale, let alone any which were the right colour/design/size for this piece. I was actually quite disappointed. Making it into an ornie of some kind didn't seem right either, given its shape, which left framing as the final option.

There weren't any suitable brightly-coloured mounts available (not that I really think it needs any) but I did find a frame which coordinated perfectly with the fabric. So framing it was. This actually makes quite a lot of sense considering I am planning on stitching a matching but much bigger Haunted House which is definitely not suitable for a bell pull and which can be framed the same when the time comes.

So here is Haunted House Bell Pull in its 13mm Dark Grey Stain frame with anti-reflective acrylic glazing. Thank you again easyframe.co.uk for coming up trumps!

I absolutely adored putting every stitch into this piece and am even more delighted with the finish. I hope you like it too!

Now that Haunted House Bell Pull is finished I've got a small gap to fill, which means a new start. I've already decided which one (and I'm quite excited about it) so have five days left of this month to start working on it. Let's see how far I get.

Take care,
Rachel x

Haunted House Bell Pull - 50 hours

Morning all!

Well, unlike previous stints at stitching on this design, this 10 hour stretch has taken almost four months! I know I've been stitching other projects in the meantime, but still... four months!! But I finally managed it which means that Haunted House Bell Pull has now gone from this:

To this:

As you can see, I've finished the fences and grass and have made good progress on the pathway, the last bit to be stitched. Here's the latest full progress picture at about 90% complete:

As I'm not going to stitch any of the charted wording all I need to do is fill in the remainder of the path and backstitch around all the paving slabs and it's done! I am determined to finish it in August so there will be a Happy Halloween Dance coming this way before the end of the month. I'm so excited!  :)

Take care,
Rachel x

Haunted House Bell Pull - 40 hours

Hello all!

I was definitely successful with this project last month and did get in another 10 hours, finishing off the windows, columns, railings and door, and all complete with backstitching.

So it's now grown from this:

To this:

Which means I'm now two-thirds of the way through:

It will definitely come out again towards the end of April, once I have completed my compulsory stitching. I can't wait!

Take care,
Rachel x

Haunted House Bell Pull - 30 hours

Hello all!

I just couldn't wait to get back to this piece! It's been sitting in my peripheral vision all month but I resisted temptation until my planned stitching had been completed.

I finally filled in the missing bit of chimney pot before finishing off the remaining backstitching around the window and then working down.

So it's now gone from this:

To this:

And means I'm about half way through.

If all goes well I should be able to fit in another 10 hours before the end of the month. I really hope so as I love this piece sooooo much!

For those who have asked or are interested, this pattern and its big sister were purchased from patternsonline.com. Happy browsing! Disclaimer... I am not responsible (you know who you are) for your purse strings...!!!

Take care,
Rachel x

Haunted House Bell Pull - 20 hours

Hello all!

After I'd finished my compulsory stitching in February I had just about enough time to fit in another 10 hours on my Haunted House Bell Pull by Stoney Creek.

Annoyingly, I was very close to finishing a section - about another 30 minutes of backstitching would have completed it - but 10 hours is 10 hours so there I stopped.

So it's now gone from this:

To this:

Which means I'm about a third of the way through.

I'm really hoping to get another 10 or more hours stitched on this in March (including filling in the missing chimney top) but we'll see how it goes. Lots more other stuff to stitch on first!

Take care,
Rachel x

New Start - Haunted House Bell Pull - 10 hours

Hello all!

Each month after I have finished my compulsory stitching (one Smalls SAL piece, one finished piece and progress on two WIPs) I should, in theory, have enough time left to work on a new project. And in January I did!

I'm not really a Halloween person, although have stitched a few small pieces, but I fell in love with this chart (and its bigger sister piece) as soon as I saw them. Stitching away I managed to reach the ten hour mark before the end of the month:

 Haunted House Bell Pull by Stoney Creek

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Stone over-dyed aida from sewitall.com

Stitch count 50 wide by 200 high (I'm not stitching the full chart)

Started - 23rd January 2018

The final piece should look like this but I'm not going to stitch the words at the bottom and perhaps not at the top, although I've left enough room just in case I want to write something there.

And here is its big sister which I plan to stitch next year:

There are quite a few other Stoney Creek Halloween charts I like too, but that's a dangerous road to go down... !

I have made some thread substitutions - the chart calls for 5 lovely glow-in-the-dark Kreinik blending filaments. I'm not a big fan of Kreinik but thought I would give it another go so purchased the necessary spools. I stitched a few areas but think the threads are horrible (even with Thread Heaven) so happily ripped them out! The orange and pink have now been substituted for normal DMC 741 and 956 and the white, lime and yellow for DMC glow-in-the-dark E940, E990 and E980. I'm much happier now!

Which means, I have 5 spools of unwanted Kreinik to give away:

If you would like them, please leave a message when you comment and I will pick a winner and contact you by email on 5th February (I will post worldwide). All I request is that you only enter if you actually think you can use them rather than just hoard them. They'll suit someone with a bit more patience for using Kreinik than me!! Good luck if you enter.  :)

Back soon,
Rachel x