Christmas Pals Woolly-Hatted Snowman - DUCJC 2016 Finish 24/31

Good morning!

Another finish from my January starts. This is the second Christmas Pal by Dimensions.

I left him like this on 11th January:

And completed him yesterday:

Dimensions
Stitched on 16ct Ice Blue aida 2 over 1

Stitch count 44 wide by 44 high

Started - 11th January 2016

Finished - 26th November 2016

Total stitching time - 15 hours

(estimated 14 hours)

His eyes, mouth and the snowflakes required quite a lot of French Knots so I did think of using beads. But having decided they didn't all have to be neat and precise I ploughed my way through the French Knots quite quickly. I also changed the message on the sign from 'Peace' to 'Love' but may well change it to something else as I'm not entirely happy.

Now to work on the third one from this series. Can I finish the remaining four before the end of the year I wonder?

Keep stitching,
Rachel x

Christmas Pals Penguin - DUCJC 2016 Finish 23/31

Good morning again,

Just a quick post today to show another finish. You must be getting bored of all these posts about finishes but at least it proves I'm gradually getting through my WIPs!

This is the first in a set of 6 Christmas Ornament Pals by Dimensions, all of which I started back in January as part of Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge.

In my usual tradition, here's how I last left him on 17th January:

And here he is now:

Dimensions
Stitched on 16ct Ice Blue aida 2 over 1

Stitch count 44 wide by 44 high

Started - 17th January 2016

Finished - 5th November 2016

Total stitching time - 12 hours 30 minutes

(estimated 13 hours)

I'm going to wait until I finish all 6 before deciding how to actually finish-finish them.

I loved watching this one come together, although he hasn't quite got me in the mood for Christmas yet!

Back soon, I expect,
Rachel x

Autumn Alphabet - DUCJC 2016 Finish 22/31

Good morning all, and Happy Halloween if you celebrate.

I've got a little celebration today - yet another finish from my January starts.

This is Lizzie Kate's Autumn Alphabet, topical for the time of year I thought. I put in a lot of stitching hours over the weekend whilst binge-watching The Man In The High Castle (for the umpteenth time). I honestly think it helped me stitch faster!

Here's how I last left it the last time I stitched on it:

And now it's finished and looks like this:

Lizzie Kate

Stitched on 16ct Cloud Brown over-dyed aida by Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 111 wide by 159 high

Started - 7th January 2016

Finished - 30th October 2016

Total stitching time - 34 hours 35 minutes

(estimated 59 hours!)

I'm so glad I greatly over-estimated how much time this would take to stitch as I will have a pleasant surprise when it comes to finishing the other three in this series, which I also started back in January. I did make a few small changes from the pattern but they're hardly noticeable so I won't point them out!

As for framing, it should fit in a standard A4 frame; I just need to find one of a suitable colour!

Next up, something Christmassy I think.

Have a good Halloween,

Rachel x

Smalls SAL - October 2016

Good afternoon everybody!

Goodness me, don't the months just fly past?

It's the last Thursday of the month again so time to check in with the Smalls SAL run by Heather from Stitching Lotus. Welcome to my October offering. This is another Halloween themed design the same series as the cauldron last month:

Witches Hat magazine chart

Stitched on 16ct Lime over-dyed aida from Sewitall.com 2 over 1

Stitch count 48 wide by 48 high

Started - 1st October 2016

Finished - 10th October 2016

Total stitching time - 10 hours 20 minutes

As with the cauldron, I will not actually finish-finish it until I have stitched the others in the series. For once I actually have a plan as to how to finish them all off!

Back next month.

Keep stitching :)
Rachel x

Charity Haircut - before, during and after

Good afternoon,

Well, Heather did it - she had almost all of her hair cut off for charity - the Little Princess Trust - and here are the photos to prove it:

All 28" of hair from crown to ends

After the plaits had been cut

The end result - an asymetrical Pixie Cut

I have to admit she looks absolutely fantastic! Everybody is so pleased with the cut and it really suits her (even if it is a bit too modern for me to understand!)

She's done her bit for charity and hopefully some little girl or boy will benefit from the wig made out of her hair. I'm so proud of her (and I only shed a couple of tears!)

Rachel x

Let's Eat Dessert - DUCJC 2016 Finish 21/31

Good morning everybody,

The finish that I am showing you today is yet another of my new starts from January this year. Until I picked it up this month I hadn't worked on it since February. I was expecting to spend most of October on it but it didn't take as long to finish as I thought it would!

Here's how I left it back in February:

And now finished:

Artecy (via crosstitch.com) Designed by Ursula Michael

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

Stitch count 97 wide by 125 high

Started - 5th January 2016

Finished - 19th October 2016

Total stitching time - 19 hours 55 minutes

(estimated 40 hours!)

I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this piece, especially as the threads and fabric are perfect matches. It's funny, but the words definitely did not tempt me towards sweet food like I thought they would. Reverse psychology perhaps?

There's a lot of satisfaction to be gained from this type of pattern as each word is like a little mini finish and there's always a convenient place to leave off for the night. I will definitely stitch more Ursula Michael pieces and already have another two in mind. As to when I'll stitch them though.....

So, what's next on my frame? I still have ten more pieces (4 LK Seasonal Alphabets and 6 Christmas Pals Ornaments) from January to plough through so I'll go by which colours appeal to me the most. If I'm lucky I may just get another finish in before the end of October.

Take care everybody,
Rachel x

PS I'm now a whopping 5 months behind on blog reading. I've decided that the best way forward is to go through each one alphabetically. Maybe I will have caught up by Christmas!!

Charity Hair Cut

Good morning all.

Usually I don't post about anything other than cross stitch but in this instance I am making an exception.

On 25th October, my daughter will be having her hair cut for charity. Now, that doesn't seem impressive until you realise we are talking about cutting off a massive 24"!! It's a big undertaking but one to which she has been fully committed for a few weeks.

Her hair will be donated to the Little Princess Trust who make wigs for boys and girls who have lost their hair through treatment for cancer or other illnesses. Here is a link to her justgiving page where you can see the length of her hair and read her thoughts. I am not asking you to donate, just send her a few words of encouragement and think about if there is anything you too can do to help a worthy cause.

Having said that though, Heather would like to raise £300 (the minimum cost of making a wig) but I have agreed if she raises £1000 I will have about 15" of my hair cut off too (my hair's about the same length.)

I feel so proud of Heather wanting to do this although will, no doubt, be shedding more than a few tears on 25th! I will post before, during and after photos of the event.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post - you can get back to reading stitching-related posts now!

Rachel x