A-Z of WIPs Challenge 2024 - A and B

Good afternoon!

The A-Z of WIPs Challenge 2024 is a new little SAL being attempted by Serendipitous Jo and myself to stitch our way through our alphabet of WIPs at two/three per month, starting with A and B in January and finishing with Y and Z in December. It's a way of ensuring some of our WIPs receive at least a couple of hours attention this year!

Jo will be using the three days of IHSW for this challenge whereas I'll stitch earlier in the month, for two days on each, but post with Jo after IHSW. Jo's post is here.

So here are my A and B for January:

A is for... Let's Breeze Into Autumn, a 'Words' design by Ursula Michael, stitched on Shades of Autumn aida

Started November 2020 - last worked on April 2023.

On these Words charts, I like to stitch the easy bits first, so that's what I mostly concentrated on over the two days. The main words will probably be stitched last.

Stitching time to date - 11 hours 20 minutes

B is for... Basket Case, a Little Black Cat design by Toni Goffe for Heritage Crafts.

Started May 2020 - last worked on April 2023.

I genuinely can't wait to get to the wicker basket, but first there are hours of blue background to stitch so, once I'd stitched the picture frame, that's what I did. Next time I pick this up, I might fill in the picture.

Stitching time to date - 7 hours 55 minutes

I love how much progress can be made in a few hours, and how that progress is really noticeable. I am not planning on working on either again this year, so back into the WIP box they go.

Next month C and D.

Take care,

Rachel x

Simply Wren - finished!

Hi all!

Here comes another finish.

Simply Wren was the 14th start for last year's Spring Into Summer New Start Binge and is now the 4th finish. It is also the last bird in this set of four Solos by Valerie Pfeiffer (and the last time I shall make a comment about doing so many fractionals on aida!)

Here's how I picked it up:

After finishing the stitching:

And after the backstitching:

Simply Wren by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Sand Dune over-dyed aida by sewitall

Stitch count 66 high by 67 wide

Started - 4th July 2020

Finished - 15th February 2021

Total stitching time - 16 hours 15 minutes

This one had the least amount of backstitching - just the eye, beak and a bit around the edges of the bird to create a ruffled-feather look.

I thought I knew how these were going to be FFOd but might have changed my mind. I want them done in time for March so can't procrastinate too long!

Talking of March, here's a gentle reminder that it's only a couple of weeks until the Mischievous March new start SAL.

If you don't know what this is, it's a fun opportunity to start and work on four new projects during the month - one each full weekend - then link up on this blog the following Monday. But if weekends aren't convenient then go with whatever suits you best; these SALs are always flexible.

If you are planning to join in, I hope you have all your supplies ready? Mine are all ready to go and I have to say I am really looking forward to starting four brand new projects, especially given I've finished four WIPs this year. Four out, four in... that nicely balances the scales!

Take care,

Rachel x

Lady In Red - finished!

Hi all!

So my finishing streak continues, and another of Valerie Pfeiffer's Solos birds was successfully crossed off my WIP list in January.

Lady In Red was the 12th start during last year's Spring Into Summer New Start Binge and is now the third from that SAL to have been completed. As with the other birds she was an absolute joy to stitch.

Here's how I left her back in June after five hours of stitching:

Here she is after the completion of the stitching (except for three black stitches on her chin which I somehow missed!):

And now completed:

Lady In Red by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Dried Petal over-dyed aida by sewitall

Stitch count 69 high by 49 wide

Started - 20th June 2020

Finished - 28th January 2021

Total stitching time - 13 hours 55 minutes

The flowers are very subtle but I can't help feeling might have been better defined with a bit of backstitching(?) I'm not going to attempt any so they'll stay like that, especially as the others in the set don't really have defined flowers either.

So that's three of these Solos birds down and one to go. The final one should appear in February; I can't have him feeling neglected now, can I?!

Take care,

Rachel x

Humming Along - finished!

Hello again!

I have another finish; see, I do finish projects sometimes!

This is Humming Along, the second of the four Valerie Pfeiffer's Solos collection by Heritage Crafts. He was start number three of last year's Spring Into Summer New Start Binge and is now the second finish.

Here's how I left him after six hours of stitching:

And after adding the flowers and leaves:

And after 1.5 hours of backstitching:

Humming Along by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Pine over-dyed aida by sewitall

Stitch count 70 wide by 68 high

Started - 18th April 2020

Finished - 21st January 2021

Total stitching time - 18 hours 25 minutes

The backstitching is very subtle on the flowers, leaves and body, but the little bits on his chin and head really do make a difference.

If all goes well, I am hoping to complete the other two in this set in February. Fingers crossed.

Take care,

Rachel x

Chick Berry - finished!

Hi all!

I have a finish!

This is Chick Berry by Heritage Crafts, one of a set of four birds in the Solos range by Valerie Pfeiffer. He was start number two of last year's Spring Into Summer New Start Binge and is the first finish from that SAL; only 16 more to go!

Here's how I picked it up after spending almost six hours stitching the bird and berries:

And after finishing the stitching:

And now all finished after adding 2.25 hours of backstitching:

Chick Berry by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Provence over-dyed aida by sewitall

Stitch count 66 wide by 58 high

Started - 11th April 2020

Finished - 17th January 2021

Total stitching time - 13 hours 30 minutes

All four birds in this set contain a good proportion of fractionals, and the backstitching is certainly no easy ride, but I knew that before starting them all on aida. I'm not moaning though - fractionals on aida are second nature to me now, and not that bad really! Anyway, I had the perfect colours in aida so didn't see much point in buying more fabric, even if evenweave would have made stitching them easier.

I'm already working on finishing another from this set, so that should appear fairly soon.

Take care,

Rachel x

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge - #14 Simply Wren

Hello again!

It's week 14 of this Spring Into Summer New Start Binge being undertaken by Tiff, Annie and myself. We're into the final month now, so it's definitely all down hill from now on.

This week's new start was the final Valerie Pfeiffer bird in her Solos collection. This is Simply Wren.

As seems to have been the case with all but one of the birds in this series, I have only stitched the bird (minus eye and legs). I say 'only' but it was still over 5 hours' work! Just the foliage and backstitching to do next time I pick it up.

Simply Wren by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Sand Dune over-dyed aida

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 15 minutes

Only have three projects left to start now. I know which one will be my last so think next week will be the final Winnie The Pooh.

Take care,
Rachel x

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge - #12 Lady In Red

Hello again!

It's week 12 of this Spring Into Summer New Start Binge being undertaken by Tiff, Annie and myself, where we aim to start a new project each weekend during the months of April, May, June and July.

This week's new start was the third of Valerie Pfeiffer's Solos birds. This is Lady In Red, a beautiful cardinal.

We don't get cardinals in the UK but I've seen them appear on so many projects it's actually been lovely to stitch one! It wasn't my intention to stitch just the bird but once I'd started her I couldn't stop. She's almost complete, just hasn't been backstitched or have her feet or an eye:

Lady In Red by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Dried Petal over-dyed aida

Stitching time to date - 5 hours

So next time I pick her up I've more or less just got the foliage to stitch.

Next week, another Winnie The Pooh.

Take care,
Rachel x

Smalls SAL - May 2020

Hello all!

It's the last Friday of the month so time for the Smalls SAL. Thank you, Mary, for continuing to host this fun little SAL. Pop over to Mary's Blog to see what other participants have been stitching in the way of Smalls this month.

Each month I stitch a small project specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

This month's piece was another I 'inherited' from my mum and is from the same series as the Polar Bear Cub I stitched a couple of months ago. After stitching the Polar Bear Cub on flimsy fabric, this fabric was the complete opposite; the cotton is so thick that the holes are tiny! It was well worth the perseverance though as it stitched up a treat.

Duckling by Heritage Crafts

Stitch Count 25 wide by 36 high

Stitched on 32ct Sparkle Snow murano 2 over 2

Started - 1st May 2020

Finished - 29th May 2020

Total stitching time - 6 hours 20 minutes

In this Smalls SAL I'm also re-showing other qualifying small projects I've stitched during the month. This month it's just my Monarch, the always-hungry Edward IV:

Next month's Smalls SAL, it will be something from Australia I think.

Take care,
Rachel x

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge - #6 Basket Case

Hello all!

So it's now week six of this new start madness Tiff and Annie and I are undertaking to replace what would have been the Tokyo Olympic Stitching Challenge. That challenge was to start 17 new projects during the 17 days of the Olympics but, with the Olympics being postponed, the challenge is to now start 17 projects over the 17 weekends in April to July.

So far it has not been smooth sailing, with colour, frog and fabric issues, but those hitches haven't dented our spirit to carry on.

Last week I mentioned I was torn between a cat or mouse as my next new start. Nobody commented they would like to see the mouse, so the cat it was. Unfortunately, due to the size of the cat compared to the complete picture it will be a long time before the cat (what there is of it!) actually appears, but the thought is there.

This week's start, then, is Basket Case by Heritage Crafts.

It's based on the Little Black Cat artwork of Toni Goffe, some of whose work I have already stitched:

Although it's full coverage I decided to stick with the same fabric I used for Cream, Coffee, Sugar and Tea above. Here's my progress over the weekend. Nothing exciting to see so far but at least there's more than one colour - just!

Basket Case by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 32ct Light Blue murano evenweave

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 45 minutes

I really really don't want to put this one down, but away it must go if I've got any chance of completing this month's 'compulsory' stitching.

Next week I'll be starting number two in the series featuring a certain bear of very little brain.

Take care,
Rachel x

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge - #3 Humming Along

Hello again!

The idea of the Spring Into Summer New Start Binge is to start a new project each weekend during the months of April, May, June and July to help banish the winter blues and see us through the current world situation. It's pure and utter madness but Tiff and I are enjoying it so far! Feel free to join in for as many or as few weekends as you like, even if it's just working on one WIP for one weekend.

This is weekend number three which means start number three. This weekend I chose Humming Along, another adorable bird from Valerie Pfeiffer's Solos collection to go with last week's Chick Berry.

Naturally I swapped out the white for coloured fabric, and then stitched green, green, green, green and more green until some colours started appearing. I'm really pleased with my achievement over the weekend and am glad I more or less finished the little bird:

Humming Along by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Pine over-dyed aida

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 5 minutes

Like last week's Chick Berry I absolutely love it and look forward to retrieving it from its WIP folder at some point, especially if it means I can work on the pink fuchsias.

Next weekend I will be starting something which makes me feel uncharacteristically sentimental!

Take care,
Rachel x

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge - #2 Chick Berry

Hello all!

This Spring Into Summer New Start Binge will be taking place over the 17 weekends between April and July where Tiff and I will be starting a new project each weekend. Madness, we know, but totally needed! You are more than welcome to join us for as many or few weekends as you wish, with one or more new starts, or just even concentrating on a WIP for the weekend.

Here's Tiff's link for week 2.

If you recall our first new start last week, In The Gloaming, did not go smoothly. In fact it was a bit of a nightmare with lots of frogging and restitching as we kept swapping out colours.

Thankfully, this weekend's new start went perfectly. This is Valerie Pfeiffer's Chick Berry. It's one of four in her Solos collection, another set of projects I 'inherited' from my mum and am more than happy to stitch for her.

You all know how I love my coloured fabric, so I swapped out the white for coloured aida. Yes, there are quite a few fractionals, especially in the berries, but not enough to warrant the purchase of evenweave. I love how it's looking so far, even if the chick doesn't have any legs and, without the backstitching, the berries look like a bunch of balloons!

Chick Berry by Heritage Crafts

Stitched on 16ct Provence over-dyed aida 2 over 1

Stitching time to date - 5 hours 55 minutes

There are so many colours in this tiny chart - that clump of berries alone contains 15 - but that's what gives the design its detail. It also shows just how much can be achieved in a weekend when no frogging is involved!

I think next weekend's new start might have to be another of this quartet, but which one I wonder?

Take care,
Rachel x

Smalls SAL - March 2020

Hello all!

It's the last Friday of the month so time for the Smalls SAL. Thank you, Mary, for continuing to host this fun little SAL. Pop over to Mary's Blog to see what other participants have been stitching in the way of Smalls this month.

Each month I stitch a small project specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

This month it was another kit 'inherited' from my mum. This little polar bear was enjoyable to stitch and watch come together, although the cotton evenweave I chose to stitch him on was quite flimsy. I guess it's probably because I'm so used to aida. Anyway, here he is:

Polar Bear Cub from the 'Little Friends' range by Heritage Crafts

Stitch Count 35 wide by 35 high

Stitched on 32ct cloud blue sky over-dyed evenweave 2 over 1

Started - 3rd March 2020

Finished - 22nd March 2020

Total stitching time - 7 hours 40 minutes

In this Smalls SAL I'm also re-showing other qualifying small projects I've stitched during the month. This month it's just my Monarch, Henry V:

That's all for this month; see you next month with something very pink!

Take care,
Rachel x

Little Black Cat Tea - finished; all 4 Little Black Cats framed

Hello all!

Another month and another finish to show you from DSDUCFC 2015. This is finish number 32/59 and the final Little Black Cat to accompany the previously-completed Coffee, Cream and Sugar.

At the end of August I still had the bottom third to stitch:

Which has now been completed to look like this:

Little Black Cat - Tea

Heritage Crafts designed by Toni Goffe

Stitched on 32ct Light Blue Murano evenweave 2 over 2

Stitch count 68 wide by 68 high
Started - 23rd February 2015
Finished - 11th September 2018
Total stitching time - 31 hours 15 minutes

Here are all four Little Black cat pieces together:

But that's not all... they have all been framed too! It took a while to find the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement, but may I introduce....

Cream

Cream and Coffee

Cream, Coffee and Sugar

Cream, Coffee, Sugar and Tea

And in their frame:

The frame is from my usual easyframe.co.uk and is a 13mm black paint frame with a black bottom mount, sun red top mount and acrylic anti-reflective glazing. It wasn't easy choosing mount colours for these designs, as creams and blues also looked very effective, but somehow this combination stood out to me as more fun than the other options. I really really like it.

So that also means four less pieces in my Box of Shame, not that Tea actually made it in there since he was finished, ironed and framed almost immediately!

More finishes and framing still to come in the last few months this year...

Take care,
Rachel x

August Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello there!

So we're now 2/3rds of the way through the year and I'm slowly but surely keeping up with making progress on some of the pieces I started for Debbie's Challenges back in 2015 and 2016.

During August I finished Summer from The Four Season (posted previously) and made progress on:

Pretty Little Paris by Satsuma Street
started 19th February 2015; last worked on last month
finished Notre Dame, added the trees on the left and started the bridge
(much better representation of fabric colour)

Little Black Cat - Tea by Heritage Crafts
started 23rd February 2015; last worked on in December 2016
filled in some of the background
(much better representation of fabric colour)

In September I plan to finish Tea, make more progress on Pretty Little Paris and bring the final Lizzie Kate Seasonal Alphabet out of its bag for some much needed attention. Fingers crossed.

Take care,

Rachel x

Sugar - finished

Hello all!

So this is finish number 32 out of 59 from Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015. He's the third of the four in this Little Black cat set, being a companion for Coffee and Cream. Only Tea left to finish, which will be later this year.

Last month, he was up to here with only a little more to stitch:

And after that final bit of stitching:

Little Black Cat - Sugar

Heritage Crafts designed by Toni Goffe

Stitched on 32ct Light Blue Murano evenweave 2 over 2

Stitch count 68 wide by 68 high
Started - 16th February 2015
Finished - 12th June 2018
Total stitching time - 29 hours 30 minutes

I have already purchased the multi-aperture frame into which the four pieces are to be displayed, but will only frame them once they are all complete and I can work out which piece looks best in which position; I'd hate to frame the three so far only to find the fourth looks wrong!

In the meantime, I'm not exactly lacking in other WIPs to be getting on with!

Take care,
Rachel x