Birthday gifts and new seasonal designs

 Hello Stitching Friends!

It was my sister's birthday in the middle of April, and since she and my brother-in-law have become caravan lovers in the last few years I decided to stich her something with that theme. Instead of making a birthday card, I stitched a little hanging ornament for her which I decorated with matching beads. The words on it says something like 'Home is good but caravan is better'.

Sadly I have lost the chart details for this little caravan. I used threads from my stash.

My main gift was a stitched picture of a couple relaxing in front of their caravan and it wasn't difficult imagining it being my sister and brother-in-law.

This is a kit from the Danish company Permin.

To personalize it I decided to try to match the look of the caravan in the picture with their own caravan, so I changed the original green stipes on the caravan to reddish stripes. 

I think it turned out quite well. And thank goodness for that because it was a MUCH more challenging stitch than I thought. Lots and lots of colour changes and lots and lots of backstitch and areas with cross stitches in just one thread. I really had to push myself to get it finished...but I'm glad I did.

So, having struggled with that project for quite a while, I was so happy when it was finished that I just HAD to start some new fun projects! You understand, don't you?😉

Having access to an online magazine site, I found this cute little Christmas SAL in Cross Stitcher magazine.

A  three part Christmas SAL designed by Susan Penny.
 Published in Cross Stitcher magazine, issues October/November/December 2019.
 

The finishing details were really simple and I love Christmas projects so I thought 'why not?' 

And then I found a REALLY cute little calendar project in the Januari 2021 issue of Cross Stitcher magazine. The colourful but simple seasonal motives by Cheryl McKinnon are really cute, and I decided to put them all together and turn them into a big sampler. 

I'm taking my time with this one, enjoying the slow process, stitching a little here and there whenever I feel like it. I have yet to start the November and December months as you can see. I'm constantly amazed at how Cheryl McKinnon can create such cute little details with just a few stitches! Like the two little sheep in the top right corner; so simple but so perfect😍👌. 

I have also learnt a new stitch from Youtube; the clever pin stitch🙌. I tried it on a single black cross stitch as seen below...

...and it worked pretty well I must say. I need to invest in a better pair of scissors though, to be able to cut the thread REALLY close to the fabric. But I will definitely use the pin stitch again, that's for sure. 

But the project I have spent the most time on lately are these gorgeous four seasonal trees designed by Cheryl McKinnon. As you can tell, she's quickly becoming my favorite designer at this point in my life.

Seasonal Trees by Cheryl McKinnon.
Published in Cross Stitch Crazy issue 260

As soon as I saw these colourful seasonal trees I fell in love. All those seasonal motifs😍😍😍! But instead of having to get four different frames/hoops for them, I decided, once again, to put them all together. As usual I didn't have all the thread colours I needed when I started this project, but I used a small part of my tax return to order some more DMC threads.

In the beginning I had most of the spring colour threads so that is the tree that got the most attention. Now I have received the missing colurs too, but I really want to finish the spring tree.

I haven't decided how to finish this project yet. Turn it into a cushion? Or a hanging? Oh well, knowing me I'll have plenty of time to think about it before it's time to decide🙈😂.

Hope you are all well? My mum and dad have finally had their first covid vaccination which is a relief, and it looks like I might have my first one some time in the next couple of months.

Annie

A catch-up and old favorites comes out to play!

 Hello Stitching Friends!

It's about time that I get my act together and update you all on what stitchy things have been going on over here in my Swedish X-stitch nook, don't you think?!

Lots have happened since I wrote here last, and not all good. I've had some unwelcome issues (due to an unsympathetic doctor) with my medication which has led to sleep struggles, and I had to change my old Iphone to an android Samsung since I sadly couldn't afford to stay with Iphone. My beagle has had some health issues with his back and I have lost count on how many times we've been to the vet and doggy physiotherapist. And don't get me started on my finances...😱.

But my family and friends has managed to stay healthy and at the moment we are enjoying the Swedish winter with plenty of snow and cold temperatures; my favorite kind of weather!

As far as stitching is concerned, I did get quite a lot done before Christmas. I stitched some small Xmas themed gifts which I regrettably forgot to take pictures of. I also stitched this picture for my mum who enjoys spending time at her allotment.

I mounted the picture in a tray for her and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

My plan was to make a cross stitch tray for me too using this gorgeous wintry scene, but I didn't have enough time to finish it before Xmas.

Hopefully I can get it finished for this year's Xmas🤞!

However I did manage to complete another project. I stitched this Christmas picture some years ago and I finally got around to framing it which felt really nice!

You can't really tell but it's stiched on goldish aida and with a gold-coloured frame it looked really festive and looked good on the wall next to one of my other cross stitched Christmas pictures.

After Christmas I looked forward to working on this project for myself...

...but I haven't managed to get further than this yet.

The thing is that the last couple of years my eyesight has changed and  now I need a new pair of glasses. In the last month or so, the switching of mobile phones and staring at digital screens for hours has made it worse and I find it a bit of a struggle reading some charts😞. Hopefully I can find a way to afford new glasses this year but meanwhile I've looked for ways to still enjoy cross stitching.

So last week I got to thinking of my old Prairie Schooler charts, dug them out from my stash, and realized that they would be perfect to use and stitch right now! The charts are so large, clear and easy to read, and they don't use too many colours AND the pictures are easy to stitch without too much details. So, all in all very easy on my eyes! Yay!!!

Most of my Prairie Scooler charts are Xmas-themed, but I don't mind that. I made a start on the smaller of these two January charts...

Of course I had to start with the dog, although I think it looks more like a wolf...😳😉.

I also made a start on Reindeer Round-Up....

...and of course the reindeers are the most fun to stitch.

I also spent a weekend working on The Night Before Christmas....

Simply adore this pattern!

In between my eyesight and the fact that I feel so tired all the time, it is a bit of a struggle to get a lot of stitching done. However, I'm enjoying it and there's no rush. I'm just so grateful that I bought those gorgeous PS charts back in the day!

Hope you're all well and Happy Stitching💝,

Annie

A finish (YAY!!!!), a doggy update and some reminiscing

Hello Stitching Friends!

I've been meaning to write this blog post for a couple of days now, but I've been soo tired and my brain just hasn't functioned properly. I think it's all the drama involving my dogs that has worn me out, or maybe it's a reaction to all the weird stuff that has been happening this year..?! Anyway, I'm going to try to stay awake long enough to update you on life here in my X-stitch nook😉.

So my furbaby had his dental surgery on Friday and he seems to recover nicely so far🙏.

I'm so relieved! However, he has to eat only soft things for two weeks and I think he and his 'brother' miss their daily afternoon chewy treat. Every day after their afternoon walk they both sit staring at me, wondering if I haven't forgotten anything??!!😂 Next weekend couldn't come fast enough as far as they're concerned😉!

-

A lot of sad things happened during my 3-year long break from cross stitch. For one thing, about a year ago we found out that my dad has alzheimer😢. Thankfully the disease is progressing slowly and so far he's able to live a good life at home, but we are all aware that things will only get worse😢. He's just had his 72nd birthday and even though I couldn't see him in person that day, he will visit us soon when my niece celebrates her 18th birthday at the end of the month. 

My plan was to stitch a couple of lighthouse designs for him for Xmas (he LOVES the ocean and boats), but since I've really enjoyed stitching the lighthouse pictures lately, I wanted to see if I could finish one of them early for him and give it to him as a birthday present. I don't have all the correct thread colours, but I searched my stash and tried to come up with other colour options. So here it is...

Design by Cheryl McKinnon from
Cross Stitch Crazy magazine June 2020.

...all finished! The perfectionist in me isn't entirely happy, but if one hasn't seen the original I don't think it looks too bad. I'd like to stitch it again for myself with the correct colours, and but for now I'm happy to frame this and give it to my dad as his belated birthday gift. I'm still planning to stitch another one of the four lighthouse designs for him for Xmas, but hopefully with the correct colours.

Otherwise I haven't made too much of a progress on my projects. I have spent a few hours on Christmas Town by Emma Congdon and it progressed from this...

 ...to this:

When my brain has been too tired for cross stitch, I've been knitting  THIS CARDIGAN ...

...and I'm almost ready to start knitting the sleeves.

Finally, I thought you'd enjoy a few pics of cross stitched stuff from my mum's place. She helped me with the recent vet visits and when I'm in her home I'm always struck by all the crafty things on display. As you may already know, I come from a very crafty family, which you can read more about in THIS  POST , and mum has stitched so many lovely pieces throughout the years. For example she has stitched these three animal pictures...

But she also enjoys receiving handmade things and of course I've given her plenty of hand crafted stuff. I know I stitched this cushion for exemple - even though I can't exactly remember stitching it.

But above all I gave her this cross stitched picture which is the biggest piece I've ever stitched so far.

Design from Cross Stitch Gold magazine.

My original plan at the time was to give it to her when she turned 60, but that year I got a bad case of pneumonia so I ended up finishing the picture 6 months too late and gave it to her for Mother's Day the next year instead. I must say that I'm quite proud of this project, and it's nice to know that it resides with someone who appreciates the art of cross stitch😁!

Now I'm going to watch some ice hockey and pick up the knitting again, and I wish you all a nice, crafty week ahead💝!

AND I made it through the whole post without falling asleep😂😂😂!!

Annie

The Mojo is back in town!

Hello Stitching friends❣❣❣

I knew it would happen at some point. I just didn't know when… And I certainly couldn't predict that something as awful as the Covid-19 pandemic would be the main reason for it😲!

But regardless of the reason….I have found my cross stitching mojo again🙌🙏👏❣

And I couldn't be happier about it😀. And I'm Back in the land of Cross Stitching👏!

I stopped stitching towards the end of 2016 because I was struggling badly with my mental health and I just couldn't find the joy in stitching any more. Instead I picked up my crochet hook and later on I also did some knitting and that's what I've been doing for crafts for the last three years. 

However, I knew that eventually I would bring out the aida fabric and the threads and I actually gave it a try last autumn. Sadly that experience did not work since I got an anxiety attack as I tried to stich. So I put the stuff away again. 

But then this awful year happened… And Covid-19 made all the amazing sporting events I looked forward to this year, such as the Olympics, disappear - as well as a lot of other things - and lots of time suddenly needed to be filled with something. Strangely enough I also started to get bored with crochet and knitting - I mean, I had ONLY been doing it for three years😂😂😂!

So when I spotted this cross stitch project by Permin...

...I knew it would be a perfect gift for my sister when she turned 45 this spring. She's amazing and she is always creating all sorts of stuff or she is busy thinking of creating stuff. 

I must say it was a perfect project to get me stitching again; an easy pattern and just a few colours. And since I had a deadline I couldn't stop even if I wanted to. Which I didn't😊.

Being on a cross stitch roll I also decided to stitch this cute freebie birthday card for her:

The card is from Cross Stitch Crazy issue 213 and designed by Margaret Sherry. Very cute, but I had completely forgotten how much backstitch her designs include😳! I remember now why I didn't really go for her designs that much before. Just doing the backstitch took me as much time as the rest of the design...or at least it felt like it...

Still, I'm very glad that I kept ALL my freebies from ALL of my old cross stitching magazines. It's such a stitching treasure to have now.

With Easter coming up, I also stitched a few Easter cards to send to my online friends...

The patchwork flowers are designed by Lesley Teare from

The World of Cross Stitching issue 230

 ...as well as a little cute hanging.

From Enjoy Cross Stitch Birds & Butterflies Spring 2016

When I started to stitch again, I also decided to go through my enormous cross stitching stash to see what I had and to try to create some kind of order out of all the boxes of stuff I had saved since 2016.
Of course I had not gotten rid of ANYTHING since I knew I would get back to it when the time was right. Out of all the projects I found, these two are the ones I've started to work on this week.

They're from a Swedish cross stitching brand (Svarta Fåret) and the theme is Swedish summer and archipelago, and it's something I long for now. We used to have a large boat in our family, but my father had to sell it for health reasons and the way things are now in the world I really miss the whole soothing boating experience.

So instead I try to create it in stitches. As you do.

I have absolutely no idea if anyone is ever going to read this post since it is over 3 years since I last posted something here. I know I had some followers back in the day but that was a long time ago. But now when the cross stitching mojo came back, I also got the urge back to blog about my stitching. Even if no one else reads this except for me, it is still a very nice way to keep track of my projects and enjoy the progress I make. And for now, I'll keep writing my posts in English. That way hopefully more people can understand me (if they ever find me😉)...and I get to practice my English skills!

Happy Stitching,

Annie 

...35 years on...:)

Hello Everyone!

Last Saturday our family got together at my mum's for a bit of a pre-Christmas celebration, and she actually has my very first (as far as I remember at least; it was a while ago lol) cross stitch project:) It's a cushion that I made for her when I was ten years old, which means that the cushion is now 35 years old!!

It is just precious!
Of course the stitches cross in both directions in a random order, and the crosses are sometimes stitched in two very different colours, but I'm so impressed with my ten-year-old self! I even managed a quite complex basket with flowers:)) I LOVE the fact that my mum still has this very fine piece of stitching, and now that I have found my love for cross stitching again - 35 years later - it is absolutely wonderful to see this sweet piece of stitching, so full of love and history and child-like joy!

Happy Stitching Everyone!

Annie

A Finish: Lovebirds!

Hello Everyone!

 

Here's the Finish I promised you in the last post! It is called Lovebird Pair and is designed by Jenni Mills and the chart was published in The World of Cross Stitching (issue 199). I stitched it as a 50th birthday present for my very good friend's husband:)

 

This is a picture I took before I removed the stitched guide-lines and before I added...

 

 

...my friends' names and the Swedish words for 'Forever', and and washed, ironed and framed it:

I really enjoyed stitching this motive with all its bright colours, and the black backstitching really made the design stand out:)

 

My friends seemed really happy with the picture and made plans to hang it in their living room:))

 

Happy Stitching!

 

Annie 

Cross Stitch Magazines coming up!

Hi all !

I have been soo busy this last week that I've hardly had time to pick up my needle.
It was my 45th birthday on Saturday and in preparation for the celebrations I basically spent a week in my little kitchen baking goodies . . .

Swedish cinnamon buns !

. . . and cooking up a storm !

 

I prepared a salmon cheesecake, a sallad with beans ande oven-rosted vegetbables,
a quiche and rosted chicken!

I had let my whole family know that I wanted craft-inspired gifts, and luckily they heard me : = )

I received this creative box with yarn, crochet hook and flower designs . . .

 

. . . and from my lovely sister I received wonderful handmade gifts, amongst which was this gorgeous handmade recipe book . . .

 

 

. . . and this stunning handmade dragonfly for my balcony !

 

 

I also received cash which I immediately spent on some cross stitch magazines!

Firstly, I ordered a year-long subscription of one of my favourite XS magazines . .

 

. . . Cross Stitch Collection !
Then I also took the opportunity to order a back issue that I did not have : )

 

That Ed & Edwina hedgehog design from Anchor is soo cute ! !

And I ordered this back issue from Cross Stitcher since I love those Vintage Roses on the magazine cover !

The tiny amount of stitching that I have hade time to do have been spent on the project that is a birthday gift for my friend's husband . Here is a little teaser from my progress so far ; of course I have to show some actual cross stitches in this post . . . ha ha ! It won't do otherwise : )

 

Anyone who recognizes the design ? ? ?

I leave you with a cute pic of two of my furbabies : = )

 

Happy Stitching everyone!

 

Annie