Friday, December 14, 2018

Fun Finds Friday

I though that last weeks Friday Find was amazing and, of course, I went looking for more cross stitched items....and I found lots! So many amazingly creative people out there and their ideas are wonderful, so I thought I'd share some more with you today...


Isn't this chair absolutely beautiful? You can read all about it here


Can't find a link for this beautiful blanket....but I'd love to have a blanket like this!


Not sure if I would have the patience (or a steady enough hand) to paint my wall like this!


 No story for this sieve, but the original picture can be found here


This chair is from Facebook and can be found here.


There's a whole article on this Spanish street art scene here.


Unfortunately there's no link for the shoes....but aren't they gorgeous?


 Cross stitched metal art? I didn't even know there was such a thing! You can read about it here.


 Click here for the story of this chair.


All the images were found Pinterest, unfortunately not all have links to the original source. Anyway, maybe they will inspire us to think outside the box...or the aida!


Until next time ....happy stitching!


Rhona

Monday, December 10, 2018

Shhh....don't tell my secret!

The most wonderful time of the year is also the busiest time of the year and I haven't managed to pick up my needle very much, so there's not much progress to show. 

I do have a little secret to tell......I made a huge blunder with my stitching last week. I guess that's what happens when you pick up a UFO from ages ago and forget to re-read all the instructions....who has time for that?!! I realized, once I had taken my stitching of the q-snaps, that the white stitching on one side look quite different from the white stitching that I had just finished.......and then I realized......the white should have been stitched using three strands of thread and not the usual two! Arghhh.....what to do? Unpick all the white and then re-stitch it....you know how I hate stitching on black aida, so that didn't seem like a very good option. So, here's my secret....promise not to tell? I just went over all the white stitching and restitched with one strand of thread! 


I guess if you were going to look at the stitching with a magnifying glass you'd probably be able to tell, but I don't think anyone will be doing that....at least I hope not!

So that's our little secret....don't tell anyone!

Until next time....happy stitching!


Rhona

Friday, December 7, 2018

Fun Finds Friday

Taking your cross stitching to the next level....

Image from Facebook

Until next time....happy stitching!


Rhona

Monday, December 3, 2018

Searching through the sewing basket!

After finishing the seashells design (more on that later) I decided to go through my sewing basket and organize it (not exactly one of my strengths!) and work guilt free on a WIP . Now depending on how you look at it, this WIP could (or should) be classed as a UFO, yes, this one has been languishing in the sewing basket for a while.  So either way, WIP or UFO, this ones back on the q-snaps and getting some much needed love and attention.

Prepare yourselves for a blast form the past. This is how it looked last time I did any work on it.....may moons ago....


....and here is how it looks today...


It's a dull and dreary day here which makes getting pictures really hard, especially when photographing black fabric! As I've said many times before, I'm not a big fan of stitching on black fabric, but I do love the finished effect. 

I do have another start, which is guilt free as it's a design for publication. Unfortunately I can't show you the design, so I've tried to be a bit creative here and  just show some of it....


.....it's just a tease until I can reveal it all!

So, back to the seashells design that I finished....I realized that I didn't give any details about the kit, so here goes...


The kit is by Design Works and the designer is none other than the fabulous Joan Elliott.
Finished size is 11 x 14 inches
Stitched on 14 count aida.
Black and white chart

One thing that I was very happy about was that there was more than enough threads supplied in the kit....here's the threads that were left over....


And as we all know, that doesn't happen very often, so kudos to Design Works for looking after their customers and supplying enough threads.

Until next time....happy stitching!


Rhona

Friday, November 30, 2018

Fun Finds Friday.....gingerbread men!

Christmas time always makes me think of Gingerbread men....in fact, my mouth's watering just at the thought of them! Here's some calorie free gingerbread men  that would be quick to stitch for cards or tags ......


Image from Pinterest


You can find the free chart here. If you don't like the words 'bite me' you could always back stitch a name or greeting.

Here's another little cutie....

Image from Pinterest
The chart can be found here.

And the final little gingerbread man chart is this one....

Image from Pinterest

And you can find everything you need to know about stitching this one by clicking here.

And just in case you fancy some edible gingerbread men, here's a link to a great recipe :)


Until next time.....happy stitching (and baking!)

Rhona


Monday, November 26, 2018

So many finishes!

Well I certainly managed to make up for last week and having nothing to show! I've done quite a few happy dances this week, I really should be a few pounds lighter....but I'm not :(

The first finish this week is....the seashells. Here's the top part of the design...


.....then those bottom large shells...


....then the little border at the base of the design...


....and here it is in all it's glory...


The pictures aren't that great as it's a miserable rainy day here....the kind you just want to sit in front of a fire with some hot tea and some stitching.

Then remember this....


...well I managed to finish him off too...


I misplaced the magazine so had to guess how to assemble him. He turned out fine and is just waiting for me to put up the Christmas tree where he can have pride of place as this years cross stitched ornament.

And for my final happy dance finish (which technically isn't quite finished as I still have to weave in the ends and add some buttons!) is this adorable little baby cardigan....


This is for my daughters friend who wants neutral colours for her baby. I thought that the pale grey would look nice if she decide to pair it with blue or pink when she discovers the baby's gender. I'm so surprised at how quickly this little cardigan worked up.....I can see there being quite a few of these in a little gift basket for the new Mum.

Well, I'm quite exhausted with all that happy dancing, so I'm off to pop the kettle on for a quick cuppa while I work out what to work on next (please don't mention UFO's and make me feel guilty!)

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Friday, November 23, 2018

Fun Finds Friday.......free chart.

I came across the gorgeous little chart and wanted to share it with you as an antidote to all the Christmas stitching that you're either doing or about to do!

 Images from Facebook




This gorgeous design is by  Maria Brovko and you can find her on Facebook under the title/name Cross stitch patterns by Maria Brovko. her designs are gorgeous and well worth checking out.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Arghhh...no stitching this week!

I'm just back from a looooong road trip! All the way from New York to Alabama. Two days traveling, two days there, and then two days traveling back home....wow! Ah the things we do to see our (grown up) kids :)

I had planned to do some crocheting in the car (cross stitch is just too difficult to do in a moving vehicle!)  My daughter's friend is pregnant so what better to do than some baby clothes....unfortunately I just grabbed the hook that was suggested on the pattern and when I started crocheting , the little cardigan was turning out super tiny, too small for a preemie or even a doll. The cross stitch kit that I had grabbed to work on in the hotel during the evening didn't work out any better....the fabric was tough, the threads seemed really strange and no matter how careful I was, the stitches seemed to be very bumpy and uneven....so I gave up on that too, so I have nothing to show you except some pictures of our trip.

Hubby and son at the riverfront, Montgomery Alabama......


Outside The Legacy Museum (well worth a visit if you're in Montgomery!)....


So much history here........


 Various shots of the capitol building...




The Alabama river....


A wonderful trip and worth all the driving to see our son.

Now to catch up on all the stitching and crafting that I missed last week!

Until next time....happy stitching!


Rhona

Friday, November 16, 2018

Fun Finds Friday.

Isn't this always the way?!!

Image form Facebook

 And that's also the face I put on when that happens!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Monday, November 12, 2018

Super quick back stitching!

I've been proven wrong yet again! I honestly thought that the back stitching of the sea shells design would take an age to complete and be super boring......well, I'm happy to admit that I was wrong!

This didn't take me as long as I thought it would, and has been (almost) enjoyable as it really is making each shell pop. I decided to be methodical and do this in an organized fashion (how unlike me!) So, starting at the top and working down.....


...then the first shell which was quick and easy with really only the outline of the shell to do and a small bit of the inside...


...this next shell was a bit more fiddly and required a bit of counting to make sure the back stitching was in the right place....


...another fiddly one as the colours are very similar similar so more counting required....


...this next one isn't finished, but has been really easy as the design basically tells you where the back stitching should be....


I'm using a smaller needle to do the back stitching - this is the first time I have done that - usually I just use the same needle that I have used for the rest of the stitching, but, I'm following my own advice which you can see here. Maybe it's the smaller needle that's helping to speed up the back stitching progress or the fact that I'm using the sewing method rather than the stabbing method of back stitching....whatever it is I'm very happy at how quickly it's coming along. 

Here's how the whole thing looks so far...


I know it's rather squint (and a tad dark!), but you get the idea....ooh, almost there!

So....what method do you use for back stitching....stabbing or sewing?

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Friday, November 9, 2018

Fun Finds Friday....freebie!


I love SAL's (Stitch A-Longs) especially when they are free and even more so, when each part is small enough to complete without it getting in the way of other projects. This one fits the bill. I just love the colours that this example has been stitched with....don't you? The designs could be stitched using any colour combination and they are small enough that you could possibly use up those odds and ends of skeins that we have stashed away.


Image from Pinterest

My first thought was that these little designs would make lovely (and quick to stitch) gift tags or cards - perfect for Christmas.  I think my to-stitch list has just gotten a bit longer!

You can click here to go to the blog -  it looks like there might be a whopping 48 of these little designs by the end of the SAL! If you want to know the colours used and the original layout click here,  and for a chart for each of the the designs so far, click here.

Have I added to you to-stitch list too? Heehee!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Monday, November 5, 2018

So much for plans!

I had intended to write last weeks post in advance and have google work it's magic and schedule the post to appear while I was having surgery....unfortunately, life got in the way and I didn't manage to write anything! Ah, the best laid plans and all that.

So after surgery, my doctor told me to 'take it easy and rest up'...well of course, translated into English, that means don't do any housework and just sit and stitch......wouldn't you agree? I had cooked some meals and popped them in the freezer so that I could have more time stitching  recuperate without worrying about meals. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get comfortable at all to stitch! My leg was bandaged and I couldn't bend it and no matter what way I tried to sit or lie it wasn't conducive to stitching!

I did manage to do some stitching on the seashell design. This is where I was last time I posted...


....and this is where I am now....


...yes, I finally made a concerted effort to finish the last of the large seashells. Unfortunately it did involve some reverse stitching :) but the last bit of stitching to be done on it is quite simple and shouldn't take too long. So now all that's left is the last bit of the border and then allllll of the back stitching. Now I'm kicking myself (but very gently as my leg still hurts!) for not doing more of it as I completed each section.

Here's how the whole thing looks (although you'll have to excuse the slightly crooked picture)...


And I did manage another little design. This one was a request from my hubby, who never asks for anything and puts up with my cross stitching addiction  (along with my many other little quirks), so I really couldn't say no to his request. He wanted me to stitch something for his staff....so here I was thinking he wanted something motivational or inspirational for them.....but no, he asked me to design and stitch him this....


Yes, this is how my hubby motivates his staff :) Actually, it's for when their projects aren't working and it's a funny way for them to ask for help. So when your project isn't working out, you put this up (it's framed, but I didn't take a picture) and others can help and lend support. They all thought it was funny, so I guess it must be working. I never, ever thought I'd be stitching a smiley pooh!

And on that note, I'll say....

....until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Friday, October 26, 2018

Fun Finds Friday....

Do you ever wonder how to display your stitching? Are you looking for something that's a bit different and oh so cute too? Oh, my....this will take your breath away....


Image from Pinterest


Isn't that adorable? You can click here to find out all about this hanging metal tray and if you're in Hobby Lobby looking for a tray like that, let's hope there's more than one left otherwise we'll have to fight if there's only one left!!! 😆

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona