MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

 Dear Stitching Friends,

I want to wish you all a really Merry Christmas and hope that you are all doing well💝🎄🎅!

I've been super busy with crafts, christmas preparations and my Swedish Xmas blog lately. but I haven't forgotten about this lovely little space. After Christmas I'm going to start some new cross stitch projects that I want to share with you, and I can finally show you the secret cross stitch project I've been working on.

Take care and have a wonderful Christmas!

Annie 

Progress on winter scene and a little snowglobe

 Hello Stitching Friends!

In the last couple of days I've done quite a bit of stitching. I can't show you everything (some secret Xmas projects), but I have spent some time on my current favorite Xmas project adding some little cones...

Thus I progressed from here...

...to here...

It feels as if I'm well on track to finish this before Xmas! 

I've continued working on some small Xmas projects, like this little snow globe designed by Emma Congdon from CrossStitcher magazine October 2020.

I had to improvise with the colours, but I'm reasonably happy with it. And once I had turned it into a little box I was even more happy.

As always my dogs are close by when I stitch. Either they steal my crafting spot when I take a break...

...or they make sure to keep a very close eye on me😂.

Take care and stay safe,

Annie

Christmas stitching

Hello Stitching Friends!

I've been meaning to write a post for several days, but I have so many various craft and Christmas gift projects on the go that it didn't seem as if I made any real cross stitch progress to share with you. An hour or two on a single cross stitch project isn't that much progress to show really, is it...?

The most exciting thing that has happened in my own cross stitch world is that an aquaintance gave me a Christmas cross stitch project that she didn't want...and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it😍!!! As if I didn't have enough cross stitch projects on the go already😉...!

Of course I had to make a start at once...

....and I look forward to when I have more time to spend on this lovely Xmas picture! Which will most likely be after Xmas...

I'm also stitching various smaller Christmas projects... 

...which I have secret plans for.

Due to all the vet bills etc I'm really short of funds this year, and I'm desperately trying to think of new ways to turn my cross stitch pieces into Christmas gifts.

Sadly this is all the cross stitch progress I can show you for now. If only the days had more hours for crafting this time of the year🎄🎅🎁.

Stay safe💝, 

Annie

Halloween stitching

Hello Stitching Friends💝,

I don't know about you, but when I have really bad anxiety or feel very worried I find it really difficult to cross stitch. It's like I can't still my mind enough to focus on the pattern and the counting... That's what happened the last time I stopped stitching in 2016; I was so worried about my life in general that I couldn't find enough peace of mind to stitch those crosses😞. Crochet and knitting is easier to do at those times since it is more repetitive and you can just let your hands do the motions without your head really connecting...at least if you have been knitting and crocheting for as long as I have😉.

Lately my beagle has had serious health issues and I have been very worried about him and what is going to happen and how I'm going to cope with even more vet bills etc... so I didn't lift a cross stitch needle all week. Over last weekend I pulled myself together though and did a little bit of stitching; if for no other reason than having something to show you this week. Then my furbaby got worse and I HAD to take him to the vet in the beginning of this week. Now he's on strong pain relief which seems to be helping and it is such a huge relief to have both my furbabies feeling better. 

So, I managed to pull out my favorite Christmas project and it's starting to come together really nicely.

I'm so in love with this piece😍! Even if stitching with three threads and not being able to do the loop start is driving me slightly nuts😁.

My sister has the magazine reader app Readly and when I had a look at cross stitching magazines I found this colourful Halloween project...

 ...which I immediately fell in love with! 

It is only in the last few decades that Halloween has been celebrated here in Sweden (due to influences from America), and then mostly by the younger generations. Personally I don't celebrate it at all, BUT I do love Halloween designs. And having been inspired by magazines and other stitchers I have been known to stitch a bat or two😉🎃.

So, going back to the Halloween design I saw in Cross Stitcher (October 2020) I really wanted to stitch it. After all, it has probably been over a month since I had a new start which is way too long😂. The design called for light purple fabric which I didn't have, so I decided to replace it with off-white aida fabric. And I search through my stash for appropriate thread colours and came up with this...

Then I spent Sunday afternoon gridding my fabric, so I haven't actually stitched that much on it...

 

...yet! But I really look forward to adding an Halloweeny element after another to this piece!

The one other Halloween WIP project I have is this design, Cats, Bats & Witches, by The Prairie Schooler.

I managed to stitch a bit on it too, and maybe I can actually finish it this year.

Then, of course, there is the larger version of this chart...

...which I'm sure I'll make a start on one of these days. Especially after I get some more DMC 3371!

And finally a sweet picture of my two darling boys enjoying the Swedish autumn!

Hope you're all staying healthy and have time for lots of stitching!

Annie

More Cookies and a stare down!

Hello Stitching Friends!

The past week I've divided myself between crochet, knitting and cross stitching, so I haven't made as much stitching progress as I would like to. But two of my cross stitch projects have received some love. 

Cookies for Santa is such an enjoyable piece to work on and I've progressed from this....

...to this:

My other focus piece has been this snowy scene which I very much hope to finish before Xmas and so far so good! I went from this...

...to this!

I'm feeling unusually determined to finish this piece, so it's easy to grab it for awhile whenever I feel like some festive stitching.

Today I've decided to stick to cross stitch all day...except for when this little furbaby demands some attention of course😍.

Stop that thing you're doing and give me some attention, please! 
I won't stop staring at you until you do👀!

That's betteeeeer!!!

Hope you have a nice weekend with plenty of time for crafts!

Annie

A couple of framed projects and Cookies for Santa

Hello Stitching Friends!

How are you all doing? Here in Sweden autumn is approaching and the days are getting darker and the nights are getting colder. As I'm writing this, it is pouring with rain outside and I have lit a scented candle; love, love, LOVE scented candles! I don't mind the dark and the cold since the winter and the snow is my favorite part of the year and autumn is a sign that my favorite part of the year is on its way😊🍂.

Last week my niece had her 18th birthday so of course I had to cross stitch a cool card for her. The design is from the Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, but unfortunately I don't know the issue or designer...😞.

And whilst I was busy making the card, I also took the time to frame dad's lighthouse picture and I gave it to him during the weekend as he visited us for my niece's birthday party. 

Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, June 2020.
Designer: Cheryl McKinnon

I also framed my own little cross stitched themed picture.

From Cross Stitcher magazine, issue 310.
Designer: Durene Jones.

It was so much fun to stitch and I love how it turned out😍!

As far as actual stitching progress, I have continued with my Xmas themed pieces. I'm making great progress on my must-finish-for-this-Xmas project...

...and I have also surprised myself by spending some time on my Xmas doily with the cute little gnomes and Xmas greenery🎅🎄.

But my absolute favorite project this week has been a project I had actually forgotten I had...until I recently remembered it in the middle of the night on one of those occasions when I laid sleepless😳. (My sleep pattern is completely ruined after everything I've experienced and I wouldn't be able to sleep at all if I didn't have my sleeping pills...)

So I bought this adorable pattern way back in 2016 after having seen it on other cross stitching websites.

When I managed to find it, I discovered that I had only made a tiny start before my cross stitching mojo disappeared.

As I took this picture of my pitiful start 4 years ago, I also tried to capture the sparkle on the gold-flecked aida fabric. It's just gorgeous!!!!

I'm having so much fun working on this gorgeous project.

For exemple, I'm just obsessed with these Christmas tree branches! They are so simple but so festive and just soo cute😍😁! 

Luckily for me, I made sure back in 2016 that I had all the threads so there's nothing stopping my progress on this one...well, except for all my other projects I want to work on...😂

So, that is all for now I think. Or maybe not...I just have to include a cute furbaby pic, don't I😉😍?!

He's lost so many teeth now that the tongue is poking out when he sleeps...
...sooo cute😍😍😍!

Hope you all have a great weekend with plenty of time for cross stitch!

Annie

A piece of someone's cross stitching life💝

Hello Stitching Friends!

Recently I was contacted by a stranger, a lady who appearently follows my Swedish CHRISTMAS BLOG every year. She had seen some of my Xmas stitching and wondered if I would be interested in some stitching material she had inherited from her grandma. Not knowing anything about stitching herself, she wanted to see the material come to good use. She sent me some pictures and I could see that I would be able to use at least some of it. She also told me that her grandma's name was Ingrid and that Ingrid had loved doing her crafts and had stitched the most beautiful pictures. And for Xmas Ingrid always sent stitched Christmas cards to all her loved ones💝.

So the other day I received a big parcel filled with bits and pieces from grandma Ingrid's cross stitching life. It was a very emotional experience to go through someone else's leftover stitching💔. To see loved cross stitch projects halfway finished and other projects not yet started but clearly something another stitcher had fallen in love with. I could tell that Ingrid loved various motifs from nature like flowers and birds, and that she liked to stitch on evenweave.

And it made me emotional to see that she used to do exactly what I do when I stitch a readymade kit; write the symbols on the pre-sorted cardboard thread organizers.

There were some small projects that had caught her eye at one time and were waiting to be stitched.

And various pieces of white aida fabrics.

It was also obvious that she indeed loved stitching Christmas cards. There were a couple of Christmas card kits, and even though she had already stitched the actual cards, the kits still contained the charts and the leftover DMC threads. 

And luckily this Swedish cross stitching brand, SVARTA FÅRET,  always lists their threads by symbols as well as the correct DMC number, which means that I can reuse the threads.

There were also some leftover cardstock to use for new Christmas cards.

And plenty of DMC's bright red Christmas colour, DMC 666😁.

And some metallic threads...

After I had spent a few hours sorting out all the leftover DMC threads from Ingrid's projects on my cardboard bobbins, I had built up quite a stash.

It surprised me how emotional it made me feel to go through someone else's stash and unfinished projects. I felt extremely honored and humbled to take care of Ingrid's legacy and it made me feel like I got to know a part of her. Which is a strange feeling to have since I never met her...💝

Otherwise, I have managed to stitch a little bit more on my Christmas doily and made a start on the second Christmas gnome.

Informally, I'm telling myself that if I can stitch one side each autumn my doily will be finished in 4 years... Fingers crossed🤞!

Happy Stitching,

Annie