A big THANK YOU...and another weekend of Spring into Summer New Start Binge

Hello Stitching Friends❣

First of all, I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to comment on my LAST BLOG POST when I asked you for help and advice on how to deal with laaaaarge cross stitch projects. It almost moved me to tears to see so many experienced stitchers give me advice and cheering me on. I haven't answered you in person this time, but rest assured that I soaked up every word and every advice and that your comments gave me so much positive energy that I'm now determined to finish this project. (And maybe start dreaming of stitching more extra large projects in the future..!)
In fact, I found your advice so useful that I decided to make the post a special feature, a Favorite Post, here on the blog so that it is always easy to find whenever I need a personal pep talk❤💪❣

Your advice suddenly made me feel very motivated to carry on working on this beautiful project (Victorian Street Scene by Sandy Littlejohns and Deborah Lester) so I have spent two afternoons working on it. The first session I focused on the bottom left corner and I went from this...

...to this...

The other session I decided to fokus on one of the christmas trees - there are four in the whole picture - and when I started stitching the tree looked like this:

A few hours later I had added some more shades of greens...

...and it's starting to come together. I have also realized that I have to finish the whole cross stitch before I move on from an area (often I stitch an area of colour with one arm first / and then go back with the next \ later on). However, with such a densely stitched design it is very difficult to later on see what colour I have used for the first part of the stitch, so that is definitely a no-no. I have also decided to pick a particular area or motive to fokus on during each session so it is easier to see the progress, however small it is. AND I will shamelessly post and boast about every progress here on the blog for your enjoyment😉😁!

Over the weekend it was also time for a new start according to the craziness of the Spring into Summer New Start Binge, which is hosted by TIFF and RACHEL. I decided to pick a sweet little
winter/Xmas picture from the Swedish crafting brand Svarta Fåret. In fact the project was so small that I managed to finish it yesterday!

YAY! I'm so pleased with it and it feels great to have a finish for a change👏👏👏!

Before I leave you I want to share a picture of a happy furbaby with one of his beloved squeaky toys!

It seems that summer has finally arrived in northern Sweden and we can once again enjoy relaxed walks and leisurely play dates in the dog park.

Happy Stitching!

Annie

Large projects...how on earth do you do it?!

Hello Stitching Friends❣

This past week I brought out one of my biggest cross stitch projects ever, VICTORIAN STREET SCENE by Sandy Littlejohns and Deb Lester, from Cross Stitch Collection issues 97-99. 

I should think that this stunning design is over a decade old and I fell in love with it when I saw it being sold as a kit later on in the same magazine. My dad gifted me the money for it as a birthday present and the pattern, threads and the fabric became mine. I think that at the time I had an extraordinary belief in my capabilities 😉😂 and I imagined myself stitching all sorts of projects regardless of the size…!

Before I lost my cross stitch mojo around 2016 I had managed to stitch this much:

And in a little bit more of a close-up...

As you can see I started stitching the fun bits. The colourful dresses…

...and festive trees as well as the structure of the buildings in the background.

Now that I'm back stitching again I immediately thought of bringing out this project and making some more progress. However, when I finally did I actually ended up feeling so deflated😔... How on earth am I going to finish this??!! There are sooo many stitches to be added, and sooo much background and several time-consuming areas with A LOT of different colours😳...It just feels impossible..! I still love the look of the finished picture and can just about imagine the elation I'd feel if I ever finish it, but I just cant imagine the work and the time it'd take me to get there...

Still, I spent two days stitching on the left side of the picture, but it felt like the difference is nearly invisible. I went from this...

...to this…

And the worst part was that I didn't really enjoy myself since it almost felt pointless spending all that time stitching and getting nowhere… or so it felt at least.

So I need your help and encouragement🙏❤! I know that some of you stitch HEADs and other super large projects so how do you find the motivation to stick with it? What are your tricks and tips of the trade and for carrying on?! Right now I am desperate for some assistance since I'm finding it VERY hard imagining myself ever finishing this gorgeous project. And I also realize that THAT would be a shame..!

Meanwhile, I'm going to spend this weekend stitching much smaller projects and adding another start to the Spring into Summer New Start Binge.
Have a lovely stitching weekend!

Annie

An Enlish harbour, a reindeer and Swedish summer

Hello Stitching Friends❣

My menopause hormones have really given me hell this week and therefore my stitching has been a bit sketchy. Some days I've really enjoyed my stitching and other days I haven't wanted to stitch a single stitch. 

However, today I did enjoy stitching on Tranquil Harbour by Lucie Heaton. In fact, I think it's my favorite project at the moment...at least for today, haha😊.

I love all the different details on this project. I can switch between stitching a boat and then some water, and then some reflections in the water and then some bright and colourful houses. Since I easily get bored with a project (thus having 30 on the go at the same time😉) I love that kind of variety. 

My Swedish summer project is also coming along very nicely.

I have seen some lovely Christmas stitching on your blogs lately, and it made me really keen to start one of my own Prairie Schooler Xmas designs this past weekend. Especially as I had found a lovely piece of sparkly aida fabric that would make a perfect background for the gorgeous design called Christmas Eve.

However, I didn't realize that the piece of fabric actually was too small for this project until I was going to start stitching on Saturday and the disappointment really threw me, I must say. 

Having no other suitable fabric for the Christmas Eve design I decided to start another Prairie Schooler Xmas chart instead, The Night Before Christmas, but my heart just wasn't in it.

Quite a pityful start actually...

Because I was still desperate to use that lovely sparkly aida with gold threads I decided to use it for an ornament from the Christmas Eve chart instead.

But I ran out of steam with this little cute project too...

Hope that progress on all your lovely projects have been better than mine. Right now I feel like I haven't made any cross stitching progress at all lately. I just can't seem to stick to a project for more than a few hours… but I also know that the crazy hormones and the tummy aches make me more restless and edgy than I normally am😞.

FINALLY… I'm probably the last one to join the party, but I found this amazing CROSS STITCH CALCULATOR when I was trying to work out the size of fabric I needed for my PS charts. It's simply genius! Just add the stitch count of your chosen chart and you'll get the exact size of the fabric you need for your chart. Just LOVE IT!

Take Care, 

Annie

Nice progress on Tranquil Harbour!

Hello Stitching Friends❣

Just a quick visit here to show you my progress today on the beautiful harbour scene Tranquil Harbour by Lucie Heaton.

This is where I put it down after my first session:

And this is where I stopped tonight after stitching all afternoon and evening...

Pattern from Cross Stitch Collection Issue 224

I'm very pleased with myself! I would say that normally I'm quite a slow stitcher, but for some reason - and although I was really tired today - my needle was flying! Now you can make out the hills in the background and more houses including ceilings on the quay. It's so inspiring to work on a picture when you can see it coming alive in front of you!

Tomorrow I have a dreaded date with lots of laundry and a hoover so sadly there won't be much time or energy for stitching… 😢

Hope you're all doing ok. Here we have had more hailstorms, snowflakes and rain the last few days… doesn't exactly feel like spring😳. But at least it's good weather for staying indoors and stitch for hours😉.

Happy Stitching,

Annie

Spring into Summer New Start Binge: Autumn Window

Hello Stitching Friends❣

How are you all doing? Even though it's supposed to be the season of spring here in Sweden, the weather is still pretty crazy. For example, today it's just a few degrees above zero, and in the last hour it has rained and snowed (😱) and now the sun is shining😳. Needless to say, hats and gloves are still being used but I have actually managed to sow some basil seeds. However, the tiny little plants will stay indoors in the warmth for a few more weeks before they move out onto the balcony.

So, let's move onto my stitching😊! This weekend I started another project in accordance to the Spring into Summer New Start Binge hosted by RACHEL and TIFF. And this one is a special one for me. When I was an au pair in England in the 1990s I helped my mum (who's extremely crafty and does sewing, knitting, crochet, lacemaking and cross stitch to name a few crafts) to set up an subscription of the magazine Cross Stitcher, which means that she now has a nice stash of old cross stitching magazines. When I picked up cross stitching after returning home from my time in England  I was able to go through that stash and to take copies of patterns I liked.

Amongst all the patterns, I found a series of four seasonal windows that I liked and in fact I started the spring version straight away. However, it took me a few years to finish it but eventually I could frame it and put it on my living room wall.

Then, during my last cross stitching period I also managed to finish the summer window and framed it as well.

Now I have them both next to each other on my living room wall.

However, the plan has always been to stitch all four of them and display them together, and I actually began stitching the winter window before my mojo ran out 3 years ago. Now that I'm stitching again and have gone through my stash I also found the autumn window chart and really liked the look of it. I also found out that I had almost all the threads I needed for the autumn window design so this weekend I made a start on the fourth design in this series.

Sadly I only know the name of the design (Autumn Window) and the magazine it came from (Cross Stitcher) so if any of you have more details I'd be very happy to have them. I'd guess that the design is 25-30 years old!

I stitched on this project all weekend and made good progress. As you can see, I stitched the blackberries in the top left corner and some of the outline frame and the actual window frame.

You can really see how the cross stitch designs have progressed during the last few decades. This design feels quite simple and undimensional compared to some of today's designs which often play more with colours and shadings. However, I still like it and it is really fun to stitch which, of course, is extremely important. And now I feel very motivated to finish all four designs and get them up on the wall together!
In fact I'm going to carry on stitching on this one today, but I'm going to move over to some pink shades. All those brown, green and orange shades made me long for some luscious pink and purple colours, haha😜.

Happy Stitching❣

Annie

Spring Into Summer New Start Binge: Tranquil Harbour

Hello Stitching Friends❣

This weekend I made a start on a new project, all in accordance to Spring Into Summer New Start Binge hosted by TIFF and RACHEL. I had actually forgotten about this picture Tranquil Harbour by Lucie Heaton from Cross Stitch Collection Issue 224 which I ordered the material for back in the day.

When I went through my cross stitching stash recently I came across it again, and with my present longing for boats and the sea I thought it'd make a great new start. However, the blue aida provided was 16-count which I tend to avoid - just to fiddly for me in general - but I found a piece of light blue 14-count in my stash - which I had also forgotten about - which turned out perfect for this project, yay! It is a lighter shade of blue than the original, but it still works as a good background for this lovely motif. 

Before I started stitching I stitched gridlines with matching sewing threads. Whenever I stitch a larger project I spend a couple of hours doing this; it makes the counting so much easier and saves me time from having to unpick mistakes later on. Whenever I stitch gridlines I am reminded of my grandma Mary (whom I have written more about in THIS POST) who always stitched gridlines on her stitching projects. She stitched amazing pictures and I have one of them on my wall...

This stitched picture by grandma sits high up on the wall above a cupboard

 so it's hard to get a good pic of it... 

Anyway, back to the start of Tranquil Harbour. I spent yesterday afternoon working on it and I started on the quay and stitched two houses. 

Even though it doesn't look like much, I'm quite happy with the progress.

And I have another finish!

I'm not going to frame this sweet picture until I have stitched all three in the series. But I love it and can almost hear the sound of the water hitting the rocks and the sea gulls squawking...

Take Care and Stay Safe💝❣

Annie

A week of easy stitching

Hello Stitching Friends❣

How are you doing? Today, the 1st of May,  is a public holiday in Sweden, but it's also my nephew's 19th birthday so we had a very small celebration at my sister's house. No hugs and with space between us and everyone taking their turn to head into the kitchen for cake. It feels weird but at the same time it's the new normal. Above all it feels important to still celebrate and keep it as normal as possible for the 'kids' even if the world is upside down.

But now I'm back home and looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and stitching. The week has been a bit of a struggle for me both physically and mentally, but I have still managed to stitch almost every day. However, when I'm tired and feeling a bit down I normally stay away from big projects, and I also like to perk myself up with a new start or two😊. It's always a nice mental pick-me-up😉!

One day I started and worked on this little project by Emma Congdon from Cross Stitch Collection issue 241.

The original chart was stitched on perforated paper, but since I didn't have that I used an aida ribbon instead. I also made a counting error, but I chose not to rectify it since it isn't too obvious. The pattern had an uneven number of squares, whilst the aida ribbon had an even amount of squares so I wasn't able to center the design perfectly but I think it looks ok still.

I also spent a few hours on my Ursula Michael design.

I made a start on the dark green section, and I also started to stitch with purple. The purple colour replaced the yellowish shade that just wouldn't stand out enough. 

Here is a much more accurate picture of the gorgeous aida shade😍 (I wish I could afford to buy many more pieces of coloured aida) and in the background lies one of my stitching buddies, my 8 year old Beagle.

And on the other side is my other crafting buddy, my 11 year old Dachshund/Chihuahua/Beagle mix.

One day I felt particularly out of sorts and really didn't have much energy for anything, so in order to get a little bit of stitching done, I decided to start a new little cute seaside picture.

These are just super cute and they come in a set with three Swedish seaside motifs and three little flexi-hoops.

And the black-and-white chart is really clear and easy to read.

Normally I definitely prefer a coloured chart but with this particular Swedish cross stitching brand, Svarta Fåret, I don't mind the black and white at all.

In the beginning of the week I also added some more green leaves to my summer picture and as soon as I have a good day again I look forward to working on this for a bit.

When I'm too tired it's just too much hard work trying to keep my place on the chart, even though I have stitched gridlines...

And finally, I actually have a FINISH!!!

Cross Stitcher issue 304. Design by Susan Penny.

When I went through my old cross stitching stash I found so many needles that I decided I needed another needle case for storage. And luckily I had this gorgeous freebie kit from 2016 lying around!
I loved how it turned out😍😀!
It's quite large and have four felt 'pages' so plenty of space for lots of needles. Simply perfect!

Well, that's all for now. I actually fell asleep for a bit 😴 in the middle of writing this post 😂which is an indication of how this week has been for me. However, now I hope I have a nice weekend full of lovely cross stitching ahead of me.
I hope you do too💝❣

Thank you for reading and Happy Stitching!

Annie