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

Pretty Little London - finished

Hello all,

I'm late again with posting another Debbie's Super Duper Ultimate Crazy January February Challenge (DSDUCJFC) 2015 finish as this should have been posted three weeks ago!! During October I finished Pretty Little London. You won't have seen this project for a couple of months, as I did not post a September update, so here are the final progress pictures and the finished piece:

How you last saw it at the end of August:

At the end of September:

And all finished:

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street Designs (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sunset Sky hand-dyed aida by The Crafty Kitten 2 over 1

Stitch count 123 wide by 110 high

Started - 5th February 2015

Finished - 23rd October 2017

Total stitching time - 44 hours 45 minutes

Obviously I'm going to say I thoroughly enjoyed stitching it, especially when London means so much to me. It seemed to start off really slowly but once past the halfway mark it roller-coastered along. I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to frame it - the colours in the fabric and stitching aren't going to make it easy but I'm leaning towards dark grey at the moment. We'll see.....

Pretty Little Paris was also started in 2015 and is on my finishing list for 2018.

Speaking of 2018, I've devised two stitching plans - one heavily concentrated on finishing more WIPs and one more skewed towards new starts. At present I'm not feeling the excitement in finishing projects, nor in starting new ones so it's still very much up in the air which direction I'll go. I haven't lost my mojo, nor my interest - I suppose I'm just plodding along until something screams out to me which isn't happening at present but will one day!

In the meantime, there should be another finish soon.

Take care,
Rachel x

August Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello all!

It's time again for another month-end round up on the progress I've made on my Challenge WIPs. So, here we go.

During August I finished The Lock (posted previously) and worked on:

Red Foxes from the Young-uns Collection by Gloria and Pat
started 14th February 2015; last stitched on July 2017
stitched the second fox's head and added some more backstitching

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street
started 5th February 2015; last worked on July 2017
reached the bottom and then continued working left

Slytherin by Theworldinstitches (etsy)
started 25th February 2015; last stitched on January 2017
added the border and most of the snake
(the fabric is not that cream but I simply couldn't get a good photo today!)

I was hoping that the school summer holiday would have allowed me a bit more stitching time but it was not to be. Still, progress is progress and I'm happy with my achievements.

I shall finish Red Foxes in September and work on three more, as usual.

Take care,

Rachel x

July Progress on 2015/2016 Challenge Pieces

Hello all!

Time for another month-end round up on the progress I've made on my Challenge WIPs. By now you know what I'm going to say about my plans and how successful I was!

I finished Cream (posted previously) and worked on:

Red Foxes from the Young-uns Collection by Gloria and Pat
started 14th February 2015; last stitched on June 2017
finished stitching the first fox and backstitched some of the fox, leaves and rocks

The Lock from the Silhouettes range by Heritage Crafts
started 17th February 2015; last stitched on June 2017
continued working my way down

Pretty Little London by Satsuma Street
started 5th February 2015; last worked on 26th May 2015
reached the bottom right and continued working left

Another satisfying stitching month for me there then.

I have now recommenced working on all of the Challenge WIPs I hope to finish this year so there will be no more to show over the coming months - only more progress and finishes.

In August... surprise surprise... I intend to finish one, The Lock, and continue making progress on three more. With it being the school summer holiday, and therefore not having to work for the whole of August, I hope to have a little more stitching time and be able to work on a few other projects too. Who knows what might sneakily slip into my plans?!

Take care,

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

April Progress on DSDUCJFC 2015 Pieces

Hello all!

It's the end of the month again so it's time to report about progress on my remaining 53 DSDUCJFC 2015 pieces.

During April I had 3 finishes which I have already posted about.....

* Playful Puss 1 from 12th January
* Playful Puss 2 from 30th January
* Christmas Quacker from 2nd January

.....and I worked on 5 pieces:

Pretty Little London from 5th February

stitched the rain cloud, more of Big Ben and some of Tower Bridge

Ravenclaw from 18th February

almost completed the name banner

Autumn from 15th February

stitched the tree and some of the sky

Canal Crossing from 10th February
added the aqueduct and some foliage





Winter from 22nd February
started the tree and continued filling in the sky
(the aida is actually white, not blue as in the first picture!)

In May I aim to finish one Challenge piece and work on at least four more. As yet I have no idea which ones these will be so if you have any preferences please leave a comment and, who knows, I may go with your suggestions!

Love and hugs,
Rachel x

DSDUCJFC 2015 - Day 36

Hello blogger friends!

Housekeeping first - I was only a few days behind but I think I've just about caught up with reading blogs, leaving comments and replying to those necessary. I like to try to keep up-to-date as much as possible but recently my stitching has been getting in the way. I can't think why!!!

I must also welcome new followers that have joined in 2015. I hope you are enjoying my stitching antics. For my more long-term followers, thank you for staying with me. You are all very much appreciated!

Now onto the Challenge piece. Not only is this design a lovely abstract representation of London but I also have great affection for the city - we live quite close to London, hubby used to work in Whitehall opposite Big Ben and I used to work in the financial area, watching the Gherkin being constructed from my office window. Frequent visits with the children have helped them appreciate the history and architecture of our Capital city, as well as allowing us to do the usual touristy things.

Pretty Little City - London

From Satsuma Street (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Sunset Sky hand-dyed aida by The Crafty Kitten 2 over 1

I'll leave you with a hint about tomorrow's start - live long and prosper!

Happy stitching
Crazy Rachel x

New Stash - well, it is my birthday!

Hello fellow bloggers!

I've been a very naughty girl and, as the title states, received some new stash for my birthday. Note I said received, not bought, as these were presents from my mum, daughter and son (bless 'em!). So all of the following, which I just had to share with you, can be justified, can't they?? Of course they can!!

Lizzie Kate 

Monthly Flip-It Stamps (2005)
Stitch counts 47 wide by 47 high

I've noticed a lot of stitchers do Lizzie Kate projects so had to look at the website to find out what all the fuss was about. I'm not into samplers but fell in love with their 2005 Flip-It Stamps set. They will definitely be one of my 2015 WIPs. No offence to all American bloggers out there, but I am going to substitute the November Thanksgiving design for fireworks as that's much more English!

Satsuma Street (etsy)

Pretty Little London and Pretty Little Paris
Stitch counts 123 wide by 110 high and 111 wide by 104 high

All of Satsuma Street's city designs as on my wish list but as London and Paris are the most relevant to me those are the ones I decided to ask for first. The unusual colours should make them fun to stitch.

FluffyFuzzyPatterns (etsy)

Owls In Love
Stitch count 250 wide by 152 high

Oh my goodness... how cute is this??? There are only three shades of grey in the whole design and lots of unstitched areas so it should be really easy to do! Gorgeous.

EvasDesignsBg (etsy)

Dragon Eye
Stitch count 180 wide by 135 high 

This is a fantastic representation of a dragon's eye and I immediately knew that it was hypnotizing me to 'buy me or else'! So I did! There are only 11 colours in this design so would be easy to convert to a different hue if I wanted. Hmm... thinks firey reds/oranges perhaps?

Rabnann (ebay)

Dolphin Ruins
Stitch count 223 wide by 288 high

This design not only jumped out at me when I saw it but has also jumped to the very top of my to-do list. I don't know how long I will be able to resist the temptation of a new start but I doubt it will be long! I love the underwater mysterious lost City of Atlantis effect and the rippling on the dolphins' backs and marble columns. I hope the stitched picture is true to its mock up. Oooh, my fingers are itching already!!!


So that's 17 more projects to add to my to do lists - but in my justification, most of them are small. Anyway, aren't birthdays and Christmases specifically made as a reason/excuse to further increase our stash piles?? Good. I'm glad you all agree!!

As always,

All the best and
Happy stitching :)
Rachel x