People's Choice SAL - Chocolate

Hello all!

It's the first Saturday of the month so time for the People's Choice SAL run by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching. Continued thanks to Jo for hosting this unique SAL which has a different theme each month.

This month's theme is Chocolate.

For a chocoholic, I have only started two projects to do with this wonderful confectionary. I guess there's a big difference between eating it and stitching it!

The first is The History Of Chocolate, a Heaven and Earth Designs chart from the artwork of Randal Spangler. This has had 70 hours of work put into it (before I started blogging) but is so full of confetti I gave up. I expect one day I shall just pick it up and 'go for it', but when that day will be is anybody's guess!

The second WIP is Choc-o-holic by Margaret Sherry, started in 2015 and never worked on again because the numerous fractionals are a nightmare on 18ct! A restart on evenweave would not be out of the question, just such low priority right now compared to other WIPs and plans.

Chocolate comes in all sorts of shades, from creamy-white to very dark, so how about these three finishes from the Silhouettes range by Heritage Crafts to represent the colours of chocolate:

Keen to show more, I went diving into etsy to see what I could find...

These gnomes are carrying mouth-sized chocolate sweets in Chocolate Delivery by SodaStitchDesigns:

And for the drinking chocolate lovers, the wonderful Hot Chocolate Recipe by Stitchrovia. 'A Hug In A Mug'... I like that expression, especially if the hot chocolate involves cream and vegetarian marshmallows!

And where would Chocolate be without one particular factory?! This is Wonka Golden Ticket by WittyStitchCo:

Next month's theme is Designer of 2024 and seeing as I have already made my plans for next year, that will be easy to write about!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #4 - Moonset Ornament 4

Good morning everyone!

We've just had the last weekend of November, and therefore my last new start of this mini new start binge.

This is 'Lamppost', the second from the left and smallest of the four:

And because it's quite small, my start over the weekend looks close to a finish; just the lamplight, the birds and a bit of the moon to stitch. One or two more evenings should do it:

Moonset Ornament 4 'Lamppost' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 3 hours 55 minutes

So now the race is on to see if I can finish all four before November ticks over into December. I don't think I'll quite do it but I won't be far off. Keep an eye out for the quadruple Happy Dance post!

Take care,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - November 2023

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 (or more) specifically for this SAL which doesn't appear elsewhere on my blog.

Having finished all the Advent Calendar, I wanted something non-Christmassy this month, so out came an old favourite, Snuffles The Baby Dragon. This is him in Lime:

Snuffles In Lime by FuzzyFoxDesigns (etsy)

Stitched on 16ct Lime over-dyed aida with DMC 704, 906 and 907

Started - 1st November 2023

Finished - 2nd November 2023

Total Stitching time - 3 hours 50 minutes

This is now my sixth Snuffles; the collection continues to grow!

Next month, being December, a little Christmas something, I think.

Take care,
Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #3 - Moonset Ornament 3

Good morning everyone!

Gosh, week 3 and half way through Naughty November already. Doesn't time fly when you're having fun!!

So this weekend saw the start of the third Moonset ornament, 'Cross', the one on the left:

Not such a good start but that's OK, especially as this ornie's about half the size of the previous two:

Moonset Ornament 3 'Cross' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 2 hours 55 minutes

Like last week's ornie, I have added Etoile to the moon and, when I get there, will be subbing the muted colours of the cross for the brighter ones.

Final new start next weekend!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #2 - Moonset Ornament 2

Hello everyone!

It's week 2 of Naughty November 2023, a very naughty mini new start binge.

Last week I made a good start on 'Gate', and continued with progress during the week. But on Saturday I put that one down in order to start the second ornament - Cenotaph - the ornie on the right. How apt that it should be the Cenotaph for Remembrance Day.

Taking Saturday as a self-care day, here's my really good start over the weekend:

Moonset Ornament 2 'Cenotaph' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 6 hours 50 minutes

For this one, I subbed the colours of the cenotaph to match those of the previous WBTW designs I've stitched. Admittedly they are a lot less subtle, which is probably a mistake for that haunting effect, but I prefer these colours (although do admit the Cenotaph looks a bit like a skyscraper at the moment!)

With a fair amount already done, it's quite possible this could be a finish before next weekend... who knows?

Take care,

Rachel x

Link-up For Fully Finished Gallery SAL - November 2023

Hi all!

It's the 10th of the month so time for another Fully Finished Gallery SAL, the place to show your FFOing achievements since your last link-up.

The link-up for this SAL opens on the 10th of each month and stays open for 10 days so you can join in whenever you're ready.

I just have the final two Advent ornies, Star and Stocking, this month, finished the same as the other 22 on fabric-covered card with bead and tinsel trims.

They'll definitely be taking pride of place on my Stitchmas Tree this year.

Now it's your turn.

Please link-up using the URL of your FFG SAL post and not the home page of your blog, adding a thumbnail of a finish and either your name or your blog name as the caption. The link-up will remain open for 10 days, closing at 6am UK time on 20th November.

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And please don't forget to follow other links and support fellow fully-finish-offers!

Next month's post - the final one of 2023! - should go live on 10th December at 6am UK time. See you there!

Take care,

Rachel x

Naughty November New Start #1 - Moonset Ornament 1

Hello everyone!

Shhh. No, I just couldn't resist the lure of Naughty November, a mini new start binge I have been trying to do for a few years.

The idea of Naughty November is to start a small-ish project during each of the four weekends of the month, with the aim of also finishing them during the month, or soon after - hence the emphasis on 'small-ish'.

I know you'll think I'm mad for starting four new projects when I need to catch up on a lot of things, and you're right! Realistically, me resisting the lure of a new start... or four... was never going to happen.

I couldn't do NN last year, but in 2021 I stitched the four designs from the Moonrise leaflet by Whispered By The Wind. Remember these?

This year I am hoping to complete the four designs from the accompanying Moonset leaflet:

As with my other Whispered By The Wind designs, I am adding Etoile to the moons and gates for a little bit of sparkle. 

I've chosen to work from largest to smallest, naming them Gate, Cenotaph, Cross and Lamppost. Here's my weekend start on Gate, the second from the right:

Moonset Ornament 1 'Gate' by Whispered By The Wind

Stitched on 32ct Vintage Dark Grey Murano

Stitching time to date - 4 hours 30 minutes

Not a bad start. Wonder how far I'll get before starting number two next weekend?

Take care,

Rachel x