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 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 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

Nice Xmas progress:)

Hi Everyone !

I'm still working on my Christmas pictures : ) It has been a busy week for me , and when I am at home I have been following the World Championship in Athletics on the telly . Therefore it has really suited me to stitch on my red/white Christmas picture : ) No time-consuming colour changes and an easy border !
After the first day's stitching on this piece - when I broke my own record for frogging - I started to get to grips with the chart , and I haven't had to do any frogging since. Yay ! ! ! There is one counting mistake , but I decided to leave that one as it was as it only made one of the houses slightly smaller and it's nothing that affects the rest of the picture  :)

So here is my progress so far :

As you can see I have decided to do half of the cross stitches first so that I don't have to refer to the chart when I stitch the second half of the cross stitches . I always prefer doing it that way when I stitch a big block of stitches in the same colour .

 

My other Christmas picture is coming along nicely too !

 

All this progress on my OWN pictures sadly means that I have not done too much on my Christmas gift stitching . . . But as soon as the Athletics are finished, I am back to my pile of  Christmas Gift projects . . . I hope, lol ! ! !

Have a good weekend and Happy Stitching !

Annie

My Santa needs help!

Hi Everyone!

So , I am still working on my old-fashioned Swedish Christmas picture and this how far I have come in the last few days (I have been stitching on a few other projects as well) . . .

 

I am happy with my progress on this piece . However , I am now tackling that big blue sky - which put me off ten years ago! - and it is really slow going because of the many white empty ( snowflake ) squares that are placed all over the sky in a random fashion . I love the fact that it is 'snowing' but keeping track of the squares is a big hassle . I started off trying to stitch and count horizontally - which comes natural to me - but it just didn't work at all ! I kept loosing my place on the chart and on the fabric over and over again ! So annoying !

So then I decided to try to stitch and count vertically and that has actually worked a bit better - it is still slow progress but I only have to recheck the chart every tenth stitch . . : ) If the chart had guidelines I could have used them , but apparently they didn't do guidelines on Swedish charts ten year ago (and I don't know if it is any different today . . ) .

Another issue with this chart is the little cute Santa in the foreground , and that is where I need your help / advice ! On the chart there are very , very poor facial features on this Santa ; the eyes and mouth consists of three little backstitches . . . Absolutely horrible !

 

Being used to stitching Joan Elliott charts and beautiful faces nowadays , I am afraid that poor Santa's face will look horribly UGLY with those three lines ! When I stitched the skin colour and the beard , I decided to add backstitch to the beard to make it stand out more . . .

 

. . . and I am very pleased with how the beard turned out . So now I am wondering if maybe I should just leave the face as it is ( without distinct facial features ) instead of risking it looking dreadful and like a five-year-old stitched it . . . I have seen modern designs where the designer has left out facial features so it has been done before I guess . . .
Help! I need your expert opinions !
What do YOU think I should do ? ? ?

Anyway, it certainly is ' interesting ' stitching these older charts . . . ha ha !

Happy Stitching !

Annie

Do I ever finish anything ? ? ?

Hi Everyone !

Despite having about 15 cross stitch projects on the go , I found myself bored with ALL of them yesterday . . ! It would be simply impossible for me to stick to a rotation , or to stick to just one project at a time since I get bored so easily . . ! And the last thing I want is to be bored by my cross stitching , so then , of course , I HAVE to find yet another project that inspires me . . ! Sometimes - or quite often actually! - it feels as if I only START new projects , and never FINISH any! Then it is high time to have a look at my list of recent finishes just to remind myself that I AM capable of finishing things . . . sometimes : ) )

So , what did I decide to stitch on yesterday then, in the end ? ?

Well , I had been thinking of the gift tags stitched with white thread on red aida so I got some red aida and stitched some small white motifs . . . : )

It felt really rewarding to stitch something and to finish so quickly - maybe that's why I got bored with all my other projects . . ?

Then I decided to pick up an Christmas UFO that I started over ten years ago , when I still lived in England ! It is from a  Swedish women's magazine , and a project I got bored with back in the day when I faced ALL the evening sky stitched in blue . . ! However , everything with a Xmas theme inspires me at the moment so I thought, why not ? ?  So this is what it looked like when I started yesterday evening . . .

... and this is how it looked when I stopped stitching a couple of hours later:

It is stitched on 11-count aida , so it stitches up quite quickly : ) However , some of the chart is difficult to read and there are some faults so I am going to have to wing it a bit before it is finished .
However , I enjoyed stitching it and I will put in some more hours on it tonight : )

What I will feel like stitching tomorrow , however , is anyone's guess . . . ha ha !

Happy Stitching !

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 

My secret projects are not so secret anymore!

Hi all!

The last few days have been crazy busy over here! It was my sister's 40th birthday and my mum and I worked hard to make it a great celebration for her , so Friday , Saturday and Sunday were all spent dealing with party business . There was no time for relaxed cross stitching on the sofa , or watching my favorite English murder mysteries such as Midsomer Murders or Lewis . . .

I made a birthday card for my sister . . .

 

 . . . using a cross stitch chart designed by Angela Poole from Cross Stitch Collection issue 200 , and I also made a little brooch/necklace for her using a self-cover button , felt and ribbons .

Finally I could also give my wonderful sister her birthday present that I have been working on for the last couple of months . Knowing that she likes unicorns , I decided to cross stitch Joan Elliott's beautiful design Magical Unicorn for her :

 

This was the first time that I stitched with Kreinik braid #4 and Mill Hill Seed beads and I absolutely loved using these embellisments . The Kreinik was soo easy to stitch with compared to other metallics and sooo sparkly , and the beads were so much fun to attach and made the unicorn look fabulous ! According to the chart I used (which came from The World of Cross Stitching magazine issue 189) the stitching time was 90 hours, but my own stitching time is normally double the time they state in the magazines so with the beading and the Kreinik I estimate that it took me about 200 hours to stitch this beautiful unicorn !

Close ups :

 

 

I made a couple of changes to the design compared to the original chart . I cannot afford the beautiful hand-dyed fabrics so I picked an blue marbled aida instead as an economy alternative , and I decided to use varigated DMC tread for the forest in the background . Both these changes worked out well I think .
Although this was a time consuming project I loved stitching it and I definitely want to stitch a Joan Elliott design with beads and Kreinik again sooon ! In fact , I have the Lavender Fairy in my stash . . . hm . . .

Yesterday I also visited my VERY good friend T who also celebrated her birthday this weekend , and for her I had made a big bag in which she can store some of her stash of knitting yarns : = )

 

I added two stitched decorative cross stitched patches . . .  

. . .using this wonderful little design by Emma Congdon from the Cross Sticher magazine issue 288 . I LOVE this stitching related design and have stitched it several times , although I have had to change the colours since I didn't have the exact thread colours from the original chart .

So . . . now I have to decide if I want to pick up a WIP. . .
or if I should make a new start. . .
or maybe two new starts. . .
or maybe all the above. . . ? ? ?

Such lovely stitching decisions to be made ! ! !

Happy Stitching everyone!

Annie