Fun Finds Friday...

All I can say is....if only!

Image from Facebook.

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Oh dear!

I'm at that stage in a project when I'm beginning to think about starting something new.......does that happen to anyone else? I'm more than half way with the stitching of the seashells designs (I'm not even thinking about all the back stitching that has to be done!) so really I should have my sights set firmly on finishing off this project....but no....I can feel my fingers itching to start a new design.

This week I worked on finishing more of the border design, which is a bit boring but great to do when you are binge watching something on Netflix as it doesn't require too much concentration...

And with these before and after pics you can see my progress. This is from last week....

...and here's this week's picture...

Now I just have to concentrate on finishing this off and not get distracted by a new project.....wish me luck!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Fun Finds Friday....fall pattern

The end of summer is almost here and the leaves are beginning to change, so now is the perfect time to start on some fall/autumn stitching - if you haven't already! I found a wonderful little free chart that would be a quick and easy stitch....

Image from Plaidonline.com

Perfect colours for this time of year! The free chart can be found here.....along with links to more free charts☺I'm such an enabler, aren't I?

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

No speedy stitching this week!

I think I have exhausted that speedy needle that I was working with last week....this weeks progress is quite a bit less than last week's, but hey-ho....progress is progress.....

I managed to complete a bit more of the border and finished the shell on the top left hand side...

And a third shell is beginning to emerge! 

I also pulled out one of my UFO's and managed to finish it....

It's been so long since I worked on this blanket that I couldn't even remember the pattern....how bad is that?!!! I thought I had pinned the pattern on my Pinterest page but it wasn't there (although I did find some other wonderful projects that I had forgotten about - that to-do list just became much longer!). In the end I had to track back on my blog to find out the source of the pattern - and to my horror, I realized that I started this blanket in January (hangs head in shame) The pattern can be found here and the yarn that I used was Bernat Pop in the colour Blue Blaze.....such pretty colours, don't you think?

Another reason I didn't progress much with the seashell stitching is that I was out with my camera, snapping at the last of the summer dragonflies...

  
...the light was just perfect and the dragonflies were quite happy to pose for me...

Now it's time to get back to those seashells!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Fun Finds Friday...

Here's another 'funny' that I couldn't resist sharing....

Image copied from Facebook.

Do you agree? :)

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Speedy Seashell Stitching

I found a turbo charged needle! After going through several needles from a new packet in which almost every needle was either broken or defective in some way, I finally found a good one. I think the stitching gods (or maybe that should be goddesses?) looked down kindly on me and gave me a super speedy stitching needle! Wait till you see the progress I made this week.....here's where I was last time I worked on this design...

...and with the help of my speedy needle, here's where I am now....

and as you can imagine, I'm holding onto this needle and making sure it doesn't get lost!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Fun Finds Friday....a bit of history!

Cross stitching in the First World War.....what a wonderful piece of history. Click here to watch the video of an amazing piece of cross stitching and WW1 history.

Isn't that amazing?!!



Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

The trouble with three day weekends....

....is that you get all mixed up with the days....Monday feels like Sunday....and today feels like Monday to me!

Anyway, on to the stitching news. I did manage to get the wedding sampler finished but in my haste I forgot to take progress pictures. We were literally walking out the door to go to the wedding when I remembered that I hadn't taken any pictures. Luckily the gifts were in a gift bag and not wrapped up, so it wasn't too hard to grab the sampler and very quickly snap some pictures. The light wasn't very good but we didn't want to be late for the ceremony so it was a case of 'anything is better than nothing' when it came to pictures....

......since I wasn't sure what style of frame the couple would like I opted for a plain black with a cream matt/mount.....

I changed some of the colours (again!) on the stitching. I used a darker pink in the border swirls and was much happier that it showed up a bit more. I also changed the colour of the 'happily ever after' from black to a dark grey. The border stitching was done in two strands of silver metallic with one strand of pale grey, but the slight sparkle doesn't show up on my hastily taken pictures! I also altered the lettering style for the names and the date, the style supplied in the chart looked a bit too small in my opinion 😃

Here are the kit details...

Dimensions # 65045  Happily Ever After Wedding Record.
Finished size 5x7 inches
14 count ivory aida


The colours came out significantly darker than in the kit picture.......

 If I were going to stitch this design again (and I might do, as I think it's a nice design for quick wedding sampler) I would choose the paler version of the colours. I also like the fact that this would be an easy design to stitch using different colour ways...perhaps using the colours the bride has chosen for her bridal party.

So, a happy dance for a finish, and a happy dance for the newly married couple....and yes, I did cry during the ceremony!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

Don't you just hate it when......

.....things go wrong and you're already pushed for time? The dreaded curse of stitching from a kit has hit with vengeance. Yes....I ran out of thread.....

.....and to make matter worse I really only need a few inches of thread! As you can see in the picture below I am using every last bit of thread to get this done but, alas, I have to admit defeat, I need more thread....

 ....see that little bit between the two arrows....that's all I need to finish off the border plus a little more to complete the single strand stitched swirls at the 'E'.

Since I do have loads one or two skeins of pink thread in my stash, I was sure I could quickly get the right colour and finish of the stitching..... ...this was my collection of anchor threads....

....and none of them matched.....and then my collection of DMC threads....

...and none of them matched either! Arghhh! I don't have time to contact the manufacturer (Dimensions) as this is  going to be  wedding present....and the wedding is this Sunday! 

I think I'm going to have to get creative and unpick some of the border and put in another swirl that will be stitched in a darker shade, hopefully leaving me enough of the lighter pink thread to finish off the border and the last of the swirls. And as you can see, I decided to unpick the darker pink as I didn't think It was showing up very well. 

So much for this being a quick stitch! Wish me luck for getting it finished on time.

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Fun Finds Friday...free chart!

It's that time of year again when those little ones (and those not so little - including teachers!) go back to school! Here's one of my designs that appeared in Cross Stitch Crazy magazine a few years ago that you can download for free...

This is a great little stash buster design as you can use up those little bits of floss that are left over from other projects.  Use the design to make a good luck card for someone starting school or to decorate pencil cases or binders etc....or stitch one as a gift for your child's new teacher.....the possibilities are endless!

Click here for the black and white chart and here for the key. Of course, you can use any colour to stitch these designs you don't have to use what's in the key :) 

Please do not share or distribute the chart or key. This chart is for your  personal use only......I hate to have to write that but so many times designs end up splashed all over Pinterest so anyone can use them with no credit to the designer.

If you do stitch this, please do share a picture....I'd love to see how you use the design!

Until next time....happy stitching!

Rhona

A new start.....

....because I had to!

I did...really.....honestly!

This was a kit from my stash, so I should get brownie points for being good :) Anyhoo, as always, in true Rhona fashion, these events that I plan to stitch for seem to just sneak up on me and suddenly there I am....in panic mode manically stitching in the hope to have it completed in time.....

Friends of ours are getting married and weddings are such a great occasion to stitch for. I think a stitched piece is one of the most perfect wedding gifts and this one is personalized too (or will be once I get to that part!) What's worrying me though, is that I don't think the contrasting colour in the border swirls is showing up enough......

...it's more pronounced in the  photograph that came with the kit ....

I am in two minds whether or not to unpick and redo it in a slightly darker shade so that it shows up better. The more I look at the picture of the kit, the more I wonder if they stitched it with a different colour of thread or with less strands of thread than indicated on the key.....just what I need when I'm pushed for time.

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

Fun Finds Friday....floss holders.

 I love this free organizer that was on Pinterest! This is such a cute little floss/thread organizer for those smaller projects....I have lots of floss cards to use for larger projects or ones that use many different threads, but sometimes I need something for a smaller project and this one fits the bill perfectly....

Image taken from Pinterest

You can print these little bobbins onto card stock and have all those little projects just as organized as those larger ones! 

Click here to go to Mollie's Wild Olive blog for this handy floss holder printable and all sorts of other crafty cuteness.

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona