My WIPs, part 3

 Hello Stitching Friends!

Finally we had some sunny and warm weather for a couple of days, and me and the furbabies enjoyed a wonderful long walk in the countryside.

Sadly the rainy and cold spring weather is back now but at least it's perfect weather for stitching😉.

But first it's time for some more of my WIPs. 

This first one I started last summer for The Spring into Summer New Start Binge 2020. I'd had this chart by Ursula Michael in my stash for a good while, since I fell in love with her various backstitch motifs. 

I wanted to have some fun with this design, so I'm stitching it on a lime green aida fabric which meant I hade to change some of the thread colours too. Even though I'm a bit tired of backstitch at the moment, I stitch a little bit on this one every now and then when I feel like it. 

* * *

This next one is from the period in my life - quite a while back - when I thought I could stitch ANYTHING... As soon as I saw this gorgeous design by Sheila Hudson in Cross Stitch Collection magazine I fell in love! I've always wanted to stitch a fairytale castle...but maybe I shouldn't have gone for one of the larger charts around😂🙈😂.

I don't think I even have to show you my 'progress'...since it's basically non-existant😂. Just stitching the guidelines took forever and I haven't even finished that😳...oh boy.

However, now that I actually pulled this project out of my neglected WIP box and had a fresh look at it, the 'only' problem is the size. Most of the stitches in the background are actually half cross stitches and should be fairly easy to do, and there isn't much backstitching going on either. Handling the project might be a problem though since I always stitch in hand and there's A LOT of fabric to handle😂😱. Like I said...what was I thinking?!!

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This stunning Santa project by CeWeC has a sweet little story attached to it. I was looking for an old fashioned Santa to stitch, and when I saw this project I fell in love, again. But it was a table runner where you stitched the Santa twice, and that would never happen in my nook, no sir😉😂. However, I knew that my mum liked to stitch these kind of Christmas motifs too, so I thought: why not buy it for Christmas and divide all the material into two and give my mum half of it as a Christmas gift?? Then we could stitch a Santa each, and the motif would definitely work as a picture instead of a table runner. So I did, and my sister helped me to photocopy the chart and the front picture so I could turn it into a proper kit for my mum. And I think she was very happy with her Christmas gift.

I made a little start on it after Christmas, but instead of using the 11-count aida fabric that was included in the kit, I decided to stitch it on 14-count aida so I could use the loop start. I'm sure I'll get back to this gorgeous project when Christmas draws nearer.

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When I got back from England 15 years ago and picked up cross stitching again, I wanted to stitch cross stitched gifts for everyone that I cared about. It took me a few years to realize that not everyone appreciated the time and love I put into every cross stitched item I gave away😌. In fact, these days I know that there are only a few people in my family and circle of acquaintances who truly treasures my cross stitched items. 

And this motorbike is one of those items I planned to give away...but then realized that it probably wasn't a good idea.

Maybe there will be a time where I can give away a stitched motorcycle to someone special and know that it'll be appreciated🙏. And whilst I wait for that person this project will remain a UFO...

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Those of you who read my blog last year might remember me working on these lighthouses designed by Cheryl McKinnon. I stitched one of them and gave to my dad (who grow up with boats and the sea in his life just like I did) for his birthday, and my plan was to stitch another one for him for last Christmas.

Sadly I had to change my plans. My wonderful dad has alzheimer's disease 😢 and is slowly getting worse, and when I gave the lighthouse picture to him on his birthday last autumn he couldn't immediately tell which way was up on the lighthouse😨😢. Obviously I realized that there was no longer any point in stitching another picture for him... 

My plan has been to stitch these gorgeous lighthouses for myself too, but at the moment it's all just a bit too sad...

At present my total count of WIPs on my WIP page are up to 35...and there are quite a few left. Bet you cannot wait for the next installment😉😁! All I'm going to say about it for now is that the situation is actually not as bad as I thought😂🙈😂. And if you need more details on any of my WIPs, you can find it on my WIP page.

Hope you have a lovely stitching weekend!

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

Halloween and Christmas stitching coming along:)

Hello Friends!

My plan was to post at the beginning of the week, but before I knew it what I thought would be a quiet week turned into quite a busy week with dental issues for one of my dogs, a movie visit with a friend, dog-sitting 2 dogs for a friend - yes, I currently have FIVE dogs at home to look after - and various other things. Today I have to do laundry, household chores and some baking as well as look after all the dogs, but I wanted to share my stitching with you  before I start with all that boring housework...!

My PS Halloween chart Cats, Bats & Witches is coming along very nicely:)

I just love working on this one and as long as I don't run out of any more threads, I hope I can finish this well in time for Halloween.

I have stitched a little on the PS chart And to All a Good Night...

...but I find it extremely boring to stitch with only blacks and browns, so I don't think I'll get much more progress done before I can send for some more threads (ie reds and greens!) which hopefully can happen next week. Fingers crossed!

Since I got one more PS Santa (the knitting Santa) over the summer, I have now started to stitch him alongside the other Santas:

I would really like to get these Santas finished before Christmas, but I'm not sure there will be enough time. I have soo many crafty projects on the go right now. Many are Christmas gifts and some are just for me. We'll see how I go...

I'm also stitching this little freebie snowman from Cross Stitch Crazy magazine issue 220.

This snowman is a special project since I'm doing it together with my sister. Once I'm finished with the stitching part, she is going to take over and incorporate it on a beautiful Christmas tag using her scrapbooking techniques. I can't wait to see the result!

Lastly I have made a tiny start on Country Cottage Needleworks 'Cookies for Santa'.

 

It took me quite some time to stitch the gridlines, since I decided to use sparkling aida and it was difficult to make out the correct holes in the fabric. I hope this project will look OK together with the extra sparkle that the fabrics provide; I just really wanted to have some fun with it and I loved working on the sparkling aida last time I used it! I have a feeling this might be a slow-going project though, since it's just for fun and will therefore be far down on the list of crafty things that I REALLY want to get done before Christmas!

 

Hope you're all well and having fun with your stitching and other crafty projects! 

 

Annie

Exciting new chart stash!!!

Dear friends!

 

Guess what has happened!

I received my new chart stash from Stitching Bits and Bobs in the US!  

I can't believe how fast I received my order; it didn't take them much more than a week to get it to me! That is faster than some companies here in Sweden!

 

I love all my new charts, and of course I want to share them with you; my stitching buddies:)

 

Above all I wanted to get my hands on some Prairie Schooler charts that I didn't have and I'm happy to say that I now have them:) First up is the charts Reindeer Roundup and And to All a Good Night:

Then I wanted Christmas Eve that I saw Gominam at Stitch Niche stitch earlier this year, and of course I had to get Happy Christmas with all those cute Santa lodgings!

Being a bit concerned about all the Christmas stitching I picked (and how will I find place to display it all??? LOL), I decided to pick a Halloween chart...

...Cats, Bats & Witches! I just love all those black witches and the bats etc:) I don't really celebrate Halloween, but I guess I have been affected by all the fun Halloween stitching I've seen on other stitching blogs. So it's your fault that I got this one, lol!!!

But of course I couldn't stay away from a Prairie Schooler Christmas for long, and I had to get a forth PS Santa for my long and overdue collection piece that I'm supposed to stitch alongside Gominam. Of course she has finished her (see HERE) whilst I lost my stitching mojo, but at least now I can make a start on my forth Santa since I have bought the knitting Santa:

Then I came across some PS charts I hadn't seen before! They were from a limited addition and of course I fell in love with Santa's house...

...Santa's reindeers and christmas trees...

 

...and Santa's chimney!

Can't wait to stitch them!

Then I picked a chart that I have seen on other websites and that I just love. I love the colours and the words and the decorations...!

Cookies for Santa
by
Country Cottage Needleworks

It is just so precious and I HAD to get it just because! I just had to have it, lol. I've never stitched their designs before, but I am really looking forward to stitching this one! (I won't bore you with all the charts I wanted to get but couldn't afford...)

Now I'm waiting for a batch of threads I have ordered from http://www.sewalong.co.uk/ and then I can hopefully make a start soon. Meanwhile I have to ponder what on earth I'm going to do with all the Christmas stitching I'm planning to do...lol!

Happy Stitching and stashing everyone!

Annie