Lots of Xmas stitching including Spring into Summer New Start Binge

Hello Stitching Friends❗

How are you doing? Here, in Sweden the weather is just like a typical Swedish summer which means quite a lot of rain and quite coldish, which in turn means plenty of suitable weather for crafting😁. And I'm certainly in the mood for lots of cross stitch, and I've also started knitting again. I've got so many things I want to work on that the there just isn't enough hours in the day.
On top of that I have also started to think of and plan my Xmas gifts🎅🎄🎁. Since I'm quite a slow stitcher I have to start well in time to be ready for Santa Claus. And sadly I'm not able to show those projects here since I might have family/friends who pop in here every now and then.
How about you? When do you start to think of and make stitched Xmas gifts?

Anyway, moving on to my stitching this week, I have a little bit of progress to show you, and funnily enough it's all Xmas themed stitching😁😉🎅. I stitched a few threads on Victorian Street and went from this...

...to this:

I also stitched a bit on one of my favorite projects, Welcome to Christmas Town by Emma Congdon. This project was featured in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 285, and I just love it!
I love the cheeriness and the bright colours, and that is stitched with blocks of colour instead of confetti stitches.
When I picked it up this week I started here...

I stitched a bit at the top of the chart and to the top right and progressed to here:

This is one of the projects I find difficult to put down right now, but there are soo many wonderful projects that absolutely NEED my attention😆😎.

For the weekend and the Spring Into Summer New Start Binge hosted by the fabulous stitchers RACHEL and TIFF, I picked a small Xmas card design by Swedish brand Svarta Fåret.

After some stitching on Saturday...

...and some stitching on Sunday...

...I'm almost finished with the cross stitch and just have the backstitch left. I must say that I love working on these little cute Xmas projects where the motif grows so quickly!

Now I'm off to read your blogs and then I'm going to make the very difficult decision on which project to pick up first...and then second...and then third... You get the idea, right😂?!

Happy Stitching💗!

Annie

A roof and two (!!) finishes

Hello Stitching Friends❣

The past week had been a bit of a struggle for me so it seemed as if I didn't get much stitching done. However, when I looked at my photos it was obvious that I still found some time for cross stitching.

In the beginning of the week I spent a day working on this lovely cottage.

Chart by Lesley Teare from Enjoy Cross Stitch Cottage Gardens Spring 2015

This is where I was when I started stitching in the morning...

...and this is the part of the roof I added during the day...

I'm looking forward to working more on this cottage soon…maybe it's time to add some more greenery...😊🌸🌹🌳.

I only picked up Victorian Street once, and that makes me feel guilty😔. I should stitch more on it but when I struggle with life I tend to go for cross stitch projects that are easier to work on. That is, projects that don't overwhelm me...
However, I'm still going to appreciate that I managed to add some more shop window structure and went from this...

…to this:

Because I was feeling a bit down I decided to cheer myself up with stitching a cheerful Xmas project and found this cheerful little stocking in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 311 by Sarah Cookland.

I love it! The best thing about this pattern was that it only required 4 different colours of thread and I had all of them in my stash!

During the weekend I started a new project since I'm taking part in the crazy Spring into Summer New Start Binge hosted by TIFF and RACHEL. I wasn't sure what my start was going to be, but when I browsed through my old cross stitch magazines I found a cute chart by Durene Jones in Cross Stitcher magazine issue 310. I didn't have all the thread colours used in the magazine, but I was able to replace them with similar colours. After working on it during Saturday evening and all Sunday I actually managed to finish it!

I'm really happy with how it looks and how well the replacement colours work! I'm going to frame it once I have given it a quick rinse. I must say that I really enjoyed working on this project and stitching the different parts of the design was so much fun.

Happy Stitching,

Annie

A Xmas addition to Spring into Summer New Start Binge

Hello Stitching Friends❣

This weekend past I was really excited to start on my next project for the Spring into Summer New Start Binge which is hosted by TIFF and RACHEL! Make sure to check out their new starts too😀.

Anyway, my own start was a gorgeous Christmas project that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. 

This is what the picture looked like after I had done some stitching on Saturday... 

A few more stitches was added on Sunday...

...and since I enjoyed working on this one so much I decided to carry on working on it yesterday too, and this is my progress up to this point...

Isn't it stunning?! I'm actually stitching this project on 11 count aida fabric which means that I have to use three threads and cannot use the loop start which is slightly annoying😞. However, thanks to the 11 count aida fabric it feels like the project is growing at a super speed so I guess it's not all bad news.
And by the way, in case you're curious about the finished project here's a little sneak peek for your pleasure..!

Chart from the Swedish brand Svarta Fåret

I also added some more stitches to Victorian Street Scene. This time I decided to work on a blue store front and these are the before...

...and after photos…

 Finally, I have to share a picture of my precious craft- and blog assistant who's always chilling out on the sofa next to me.

Good thing he doesn't have smelly paws😁😍.

Hope you find time for some stitching during the week ahead❤.

Annie

Three days...three different projects

Hello Stitching Friends❣

Before I start on a new project this weekend I thought I'd show you what I have been stitching on this week. 

During Monday and Tuesday I didn't have time nor energy for crafts, but on Wednesday I was really excited to start on Rose Cottage by Lesley Teare.

Rose Cottage chart by Lesley Teare from Enjoy Cross Stitch Cottage Gardens spring 2015

As I told you in my previous post, I had most of the thread colours required. Or at least enough to get a good start... So we have outlines of a window and some grass and a flower border. I'm really looking forward to working on this again! But I'm trying to stitch a lot of the 'boring stuff' first and wait with the fun stuff like the flowers etc... It's hard but I CAN DO IT!😂

On Thursday I decided to be good and add a few stitches to Victorian Street Scene. So I added some snow to the street...

...and when I finished it looked like this:

 Not much but at least it is progress...

Yesterday I decided it was time to add some more stitches to my Swedish summer design. This project is growing quickly now and I hope I can finish it soon. So yesterday I went from this...

...to this!

I have so many projects I want to stitch right now. I'm thinking the best thing to do is to pick a different project for each day. I find it difficult to get into a project unless I spend a few hours on it so a project a day seems like a good plan right now. Except for the Victorian Street scene of course, which I need to work on on a more regular basis if I'm ever going to get it finished.

Now I'm going to work on Spring into Summer New Start Binge 2020 and this weekend I'm getting stuck into a stunning Christmas scene! Can't wait!

Hope you stay safe and find time for stitching this weekend❤❣

Annie

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