Monday, January 29, 2018

Starteritis :)

I seem to be suffering from starteritis.....you know....that condition where you just have to start something new! I think I caught it from reading blogs....yes....it's contagious! Be warned.

I did manage to get  a bit more of the bluebirds stitched before the starteritis kicked in...


Not great progress, but any progress is better than none.

Then the starteritis began....the colours in the yarn were just screaming my name so I just had to buy it....you understand, don't you?!!!! I then found the perfect pattern for this yarn....


The crochet pattern is an easy one to do while watching TV etc....not too much concentration required! The pattern can be found here. I'm using a different yarn than the one the pattern calls for but it's very similar. This one is called 'blue blaze'.


And then the starteritis took hold.....I decided to start the free kit from one of the cross stitch magazines....


....my excuse was that you always need to have a supply of cards on hand! This little bear is perfect for  giving for so many different occasions....and it's a quick stitch, so a winner all round.

I also started  a project that had me using .......make sure you're sitting down for this as it may be a bit of a shock.....the sewing machine!!!! I sure have a bad case of starteritis! Yes, I used my sewing machine.....and I survived! I don't have a picture to show you just yet as it doesn't look like much at the moment, but I promise to reveal all once it's completed. 

I'm hoping that the next round of things to catch is finishing-it-of-itis :) If you do have that bug.....please feel free to send it my way!


Until next time....happy stitching!
Rhona

Monday, January 22, 2018

Bluebirds and frogs....what a combination!

With it being wet and miserable outside, I think the frogs decided to move in with me so they could stay nice and warm.....let's hope they decide to move out quickly as I've had enough of them!

Don't you just hate when you make a mistake and then have to unpick all that work that you've spent all evening doing.....and to make matters worse for me, not only did I unpick it all, but then I stitched a whole section using the wrong colour.....more unpicking! I knew these blue threads would be a pain! So although I have been working diligently on this design, there's not much progress to show...


....here's where I am now...


I'm hoping that the frogs have finally got the message that they're not welcome and that they've  moved out!


Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Blue birds

The blue threads are still on the go.....I'm still managing to use them without pulling my hair out.....well, not yet anyway!

This is where I was last week on the bluebird design...



....and this is my progress as of today....

  
We now have a Mrs Blue Bird! I feel like I have really progressed this week....and it feels good!

I also managed to get loads done on the crochet shark. My daughter was supposed to bring over some black yarn she had at her house so that I didn't have to go and buy a whole ball just for a few little bits on the shark...the eyes and gills.....but guess what she forgot to bring....yup, the one thing I needed! So here's my not-so-little shark (minus eyes and gills!)...


And I've just noticed that I've chopped off his fin in the picture! He measures about 22 inches long. When I picked up the book (Crocheted Sea Creatures by Vanessa Mooncie)  in the craft store, I had assumed that the creatures would be quite small - probably about half the size that they are.....I really should read things more carefully before I buy them....although I  still would have bought the book anyway! Hopefully I'll have the eyes etc completed by the next post :)

Since I don't have much to show you today, I thought I'd give you a little glimpse of what I'm working on....of course, it's top secret and I can't tell you what it is until it's published....but suffice to say, I'm having fun and am  doing something that's quite different from what I normally do.....it still involves threads and fabrics.....


....just not the fabric that usually work with!

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Monday, January 8, 2018

My first finish of 2018!

Let's hope it's the first of many for this year! So here it is, the dragon stitching for my daughters professor.....


The chart is called Tales of Wonder and is designed by Jennifer L. Aikman-Smith. The chart can be found free hereI changed the lettering from the original chart and also the dragon that was on the bottom - I wanted a larger dragon, so I used one of the other free charts that were available by this designer.


Now I just have to find some bell pull hardware (not as easy as I had thought!) and then it's completely done and ready to gift....what a great feeling.

I manged to spend one evening stitching on the blue birds design...


Not an awful lot of progress (I was watching the ice hockey on the TV at the same time) but at least it's not gathering dust.....yet! Those blues are beginning to get to me ;)

And as if I don't have enough stitching to be getting on with without starting something new, I started a new crochet project! I just couldn't help myself.....


My hubby got me a crochet book for Christmas and the projects in it are just so darn cute! The book is called Crocheted Sea Creatures by Vanessa Mooncie. I've started on the shark as I thought that might be a bit one of the easier projects to tackle. There's a cute puffer fish that I wanted to do, but the instructions seemed a bit complicated and I wanted something a bit easier to build my confidence!  I'm excited to pick up the crochet hook and get more done on this shark. Let's hope it doesn't prove too difficult for me to finish.

Anyway, that's all I have to share with you today, thanks for stopping by.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona




Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a year filled with joy....whatever joy you desire, be it good health, exotic travels, more time with family, etc....but most of all joy from stitching.

This year I have decided to only have one New Year resolution as I'm not the best at sticking to my resolutions....anyone else like that? This year, my New Year resolution is to do more of what brings me happiness. I figured it's vague enough that anything could fit into that statement and I'm likely to keep that resolution all year long! 

So what have I been working on over the Christmas period? Well, first of all I managed to get the felt stocking completed.....and in time for Christmas! Yay me!!!



The sequins really sparkle but you can't tell from the pictures.  Santa's beard was made up of several layers each embroidered and sequined before being attached...



His mustache, eyebrows, cheeks and hat are all stuffed as well as being sequined and embroidered...



The hardest part was embroidering the name on the top. The last stockings that I made were done on pale or white felt and I was able to use one of those disappearing ink pens to write the name so that I had a guide while stitching. This time nothing would show up on the dark green felt, so I just had to stitch and hope for the best! I didn't manage to get the stocking lined, so that's a project to do before Christmas 2018....what's the betting that I leave it to the last minute? :)

I also managed to get a few stitches into the little birds kit....yes, lots of blue....I think after this, I'll be looking for designs that don't have any blue in them at all! 



Another new start was this design that was just perfect for my daughter who wanted something to give to one of her professors that she has kept in touch with. This professor teaches a class called Storytelling and Cultures. I was looking for something to stitch and came across this chart in my stash....



It was perfect for this wonderful lady. 

The designer is Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams Inc. Unfortunately she has taken quite a few of her free designs off the website due to illegal copying and sharing of her charts....a problem that many designers face. As much as I love Facebook, Pinterest and the like, there are just so many illegal copies of charts being shared that it's hard to see how long designers will be able to stay in business. The good news is that you can still find many free dragon charts on the Dragon Dreams Inc Facebook page.

So,  a big thank you to all who visited here and left comments in 2017 ...... fingers crossed that 2018 is a great and productive crafty year!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona