Flowers of the Holy Night - Glendon Place

After my last post on Hydrangea Autumn Fog I reached a point where I needed threads that hadn't arrived yet so I decided to switch project.

I picked up Flowers of the Holy Night by Glendon Place.  I started this one on the 12th December 2017.  I am stitching it on a 28 count cream evenweave (I think!).  I am using the charted Dinky Dyes silks but I have subbed out the Mill Hill beads for Delicas as they are much cheaper to buy.

Here's my progress over the last week.

Unfortunately between these two pictures I discovered the whole of the left section was one row too high and I had to frog it all!

I've had a new start today which I will of course share with you next time.

Keep stitching and smiling

Happy Mail - May 2016

I've had quite a few bits of happy mail over the past couple of weeks and thought I would share them with you.

Jodyri Birthday Club

The first one was the Birthday Club from Jodyri Designs.  You sign up for it and pay £10 and then on your birthday (or as near to it as the post will allow) Michelle from Jodyri Designs will send you a surprise package with a retail value of approximately £15.  Here's what I got for my birthday:-

I received three pieces of fabric, one in a bookmark size, one in a card size and the other piece was a piece 14x17 of 25 count Silvered Lugana in Jade Dragon.  I also received five silks in some of my favourite colours and two perle threads in Tropical Bay.

It was a lovely "gift" and although I know I paid for it, the contents were a surprise and this made it feel very special.

If you are interested in signing up either for yourself or for a stitchy friend you can do so here - you need to let Michelle know your date of birth and any colour, fabric preferences you have so she can tailor the package to you.

Peakside Needleworks - Needleworker SAL

I recently found a new online store for purchasing patterns and speciality threads - Peakside Needleworks.  They sell DMC, Classic Colorworks, Gentle Arts and Weeks Dye Works all at a very reasonable price.  They also have a variety of charts for sale.  Something I haven't seen before from any UK supplier is a finishing service for stitched pieces into ornaments - pillow, flat fold, tag style and other finishes.  This is a service I hope to use in the future as although I love to cross stitch I have no finishing skills at all.

Upon receiving my first package from them I was delighted to discover they were in Glossop which is very close to where I live - I hoped beyond hope that they had a brick and mortar store that I could visit and could become my local needlework store but unfotunately at the time being they are only an online store but hope to expand to a brick and mortar store in the future.

I had a lovely "chat" with Sue on Facebook and after signing up to there Facebook page discovered they were about to have a SAL for there 1 year anniversary.  The chart for the SAL was Needleworker from Little House Needleworks.  As this is a chart I have contemplated buying for a long time I felt it was serendipitous that I had found them just as they were about to have their SAL.  I therefore signed up and received everything for the project literally the day after I paid for it.  The service they provide is excellent and I am sure that if they don't have a chart available that you are interested in they will do everything they can to get it for you.

This is the materials for the Needleworker from Little House Needleworks.

Riolis

The third piece of happy mail I received was very exciting.  I recently received an e-mail from Riolis asking if I had heard of their cross stitching kits and whether I would be happy to receive one gratis from them.  I of course was delighted to be offered such an opportunity and spent a long time browsing through their catalogue which you can see here.  

There were so many beautiful kits I couldn't decide on one so I sent them a shortlist of four kits and asked them to choose one and send it to me so it would be a nice surprise!

I was delighted to receive Watercolour Gerberas in the mail within 3 days of them telling me it had been sent out.  Here's a picture of the kit.  I will do a more in depth review in due course.

Disclaimer - I received the Watercolour Gerberas chart from Riolis free of charge on the basis that I will do a review of their kit and post update pictures to my blog and share them with the company so they may use the information.  I paid in full for the materials from Jodyri Designs and Peakside Needlecrafts and was under no obligation to post about their products.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Keep stitching and smiling

Stitch Maynia 2016 - Day 12 - I Am A Stitcher - Cherry Wood Design Studio

If you haven't heard of Maynia before please see my post from 1st May - don't want to repeat myself everyday and bore everyone..

My day 12 project is I Am A Stitcher from Cherry Wood Design Studio.

Here is the picture of the finished design:

I am stitching this on 18 count silvered aida in Frosted Pine from Jodyri Designs.  I am stitching it 2 over 1 full crosses and the thread I have used for the background is a Dinky Dyes silk called Lily Pily - and the word is stitched in a silk from Jodyri Designs called Hibiscus.  I am substituting all the threads in this chart for ones I have in my stash.

Here's the picture of the progress I made today:

Keep stitching and smiling

Stitch from Stash - April

Month: April 2015
Brought forward from March - £10.53 + March £25 = £35.53
Spent: £31.11
Earned: Nothing
Carried forward to April: £4.42

My first purchase this month was a Drawn Thread chart from a Facebook group which cost me £2.

I purchased some DMC variations threads for my new Northern Expressions Needlework project costing in total £9.93.

I purchased two charts from KLT Charting costing £8.

I also got myself some more threads from Jodyri Designs.  I got a duo set of number 5 and number 8 perle in Alaskan Beauty and also a skein of Tropical Bay silk total costs £6.19

I also purchased 4 Just Nan charts from a Facebook group for £5.

Sorry but I've not taken pictures of anything this month.

Keep stitching, smiling and destashing

Plum Pudding - Glendon Place - 7th March 2015

On 1st March I was extremely excited to start my stitch along with Amanda aka Mrs Milky Bar Kid.  We are both stitching on Plum Pudding by Glendon Place.  As we both love the colour purple it had been a chart we had both coveted for a long time.  We agreed to both stitch on it for 7 days starting on the 1st of the month.  Here's my progress pictures.

I am stitching on 28 count Jazlyn in Candytuft from Crafty Kitten fabrics with the recommended Dinky Dyes silks.

I am really enjoying stitching on this and it is taking a great amount of restraint to put it down and not stitch on it again until 1st April.

Please check out Amanda's new blog here.

Keep stitching and smiling

Stitch from Stash - February

Month: February 2015
Brought forward from January - £24.10 + February £25 = £49.10
Spent: £37.90
Earned: Nothing
Carried forward to March: £11.20

I couldn't resist treating myself to some of the gorgeous threads from Jodyri Designs and three charts from Papillon Creations.  I also bought some fabric from Willow Fabrics when they were having a sale.

The first photo shows a theme pack of threads I got from Jodyri Designs.  It's the Butterfly and Moths thread set.  The colours from left to right are:-  Purple Emperor Butterfly, Chinese Moon Moth, Emperor Moth, Millonia Paradise Moth, Atlas Moth, Blue Morpho Butterfly, Green Birdwing Butterfly, Swallowtail Butterfly, Madagascar Sunset Moth and Peacock Butterfly.

The next photo is a selection of threads that I loved the colours for and just had to have.  From left to right they are:-  Mardi Gras (Silk), Lavender Fields, Kingfisher, Jaded Amethyst and Tanzanite Nebula.

As always I was so pleased with them and can't wait to stitch with them.

My next purchase was some charts from Papillon Creations.  I have admired Around the World in 80 Stitches for a long time and I think it will be a great way to use some of my gorgeous hand dyed threads.  Unfortunately I can't find a stock photo for this chart and don't want to use someone else photo without there permission but I will link here to the gallery of completed stitches.

The second chart I got from them was Celtic Beauty.  Again I think this chart could lend itself nicely to hand dyed threads.

And last but not least I also purchased Celtic Warrior.

My final purchase this month was some fabric from Willow Fabrics as they were having a sale.  I got a full metre of 28 Count Jazlyn in Mushroom for £15 which I think is about half the price it would normally be.  It's a lovely neutral colour and will lend itself to lots of different projects.

All in all an amazingly good haul and I stayed within my budget!

Keep stitching, smiling and destashing!

Together Forever - Love Thy Thread - FINISHED - 13th November 2014

Happy dancing for a finish on Together Forever I just need to add the bride and grooms names and add the date of their wedding.  Stitched on 20 count white aida 2 over 1 full crosses.  Silver balloons stitched with Petite Treasure Braid PB58, blue flower stitched with Sulky Metallic Thread and outline stitched in black silk from Thread Pickerz Silkz.

Keep stitching and smiling

Celtic Banner - Butternut Road - 7th November 2014

I had a new start this week with a project I have wanted to stitch for quite a long time.  So far it has not disappointed.  This is what the finished design will look like.

This is my progress so far.

I am stitching over 2 on 28 count Jazlyn from Crafty Kitten in Oatmeal.  It's a nice easy stitch but it is going to be a very long term project - the fabric I had to order was 12 inches wide by 60 inches long so probably the longest piece I've ever stitched.  I am already thinking about ways I can finish it that won't mean I have to remortgage my house to get it framed.  

Received some gorgeous new stash over the last few days.  The first was my bead storage container.  Having seen quite a few Floss Tubers having purchased these I knew I had to have one and I have to say I am really not disappointed.  It is an amazing product and has been designed by someone who really understands what crafters need.  Here's mine with my bead stash in it - I have a few empty boxes to expand into.

EDITED: This is a link to where I purchased my bead storage http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elizabeth-Wards-Container-Storage-Tray-/dp/B00DV8YERS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415507520&sr=8-1&keywords=tiny+bead+storage

I also decided it was time I rejoined the Jodyri monthly fabric and threads club because I just can't get enough of the pretties.  Unfortunately I put my threads away before I took a photo of them but this is the October Limited Edition fabric called Trick or Treat.

I also ordered some hand dyed silks from Jodyri in Brighton Beach which I am planning to use for Northern Expressions Needleworks Twisted Band Sampler.  I am still not completely decided on what fabric to use for this but I did a little test stitch on Pearl Grey - I am thinking a slightly darker fabric would look better.

The next page of the Love Thy Thread SAL came out a couple of days ago so I'm stitching on the next page of that next.

Keep stitching and smiling

Together Forever - Love Thy Thread - 3rd October 2014

Here's my before and after photos for Together Forever this week.

Before

After

I had hoped to get more than this done but didn't get as much time to stitch this week as I would have liked.

The next page of the Love Thy Thread SAL came out on 1st October so that is what I am rotating to next.

Keep stitching and similing

Together Forever - Love Thy Thread - 19th September 2014

So here's the big reveal on my new start it's a chart from Bev at Love Thy Thread called Together Forever.  I'm stitching this for a friend who recently got married.  She has asked that it be kept as neutral as possible so no matter what the room is decorated like it will fit in.  So I've changed the red in the balloons to silver and I'm using Petite Treasure Braid PB58.  I also decided to use black silk for the outline rather than DMC so I am using thread dyed by Eileen at Thread Pickerz Silkz.  I am stitching on a plain white fabric which I think is either 20 or 22 count aida.  I am using one strand of the silver Petite Treasure Braid and two strands of the Thread Pickerz Silkz.

Now with regards to my little giveaway there were only two people who guessed which chart it was so I've decided to send them both something.  Now don't get too excited it will only be a little gift.  So Mrs Milkybar Kid and Pull the Other Thread - Congratulations.

I'm going to rotate onto the Learning Sampler next week and try and make some good progress with that.

Keep stitching and smiling

Stash Updated - 14th September 2014 - GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

EDITED: I've edited this post to add the photos Michelle took of the fabric in daylight which give a much better idea of the colours than my pictures did.

I received a gorgeous parcel from Michelle at Jodyri Designs yesterday so thought I would share my new stash with you all.  I had ordered three pieces of hand dyed fabric all for specific projects and some hand dyed threads.

First the threads - from left to right they are 2 x Bahama's Seas, 2 x Shades of Sunlight, 2 x Lavender Clouds,1 x Dragon's Eye, 2 x Out of Orbit - Saelveh Orb, 2 x Minion Madness, 2 x Scattychick, 2 x Copacabana and 2 x Gothic Chick.  The first three pairs are for a specific project and the rest just because I love the colours.

This fabric is called Surf's Up and is on 18 count silvered aida.  Michelle has designed this fabric to be used with a chart from KLT Charting called Advice from the Ocean.  Kim has designed the chart either with or without a background but by buying this fabric from Michelle it should save me a lot of time stitching.

My photo

Michelle's Photo

The next piece of fabric is called Frosted Pine and again it is 18 count silvered aida.  This is the fabric I have chosen to stitch the Alessandra Adelaide Mystery Christmas SAL on.  I have to apologise to Michelle as this photo does the fabric no justice whatsoever it is a stunning green colour.

My photo

Michelle's Photo

My last piece of fabric is called Nevermore and (can you see a pattern here) again is on 18 count silvered aida.  This is possibly the sparkliest piece of fabric I have ever seen and is just stunning.  I have ordered it to stitch a design of my own on.  I'm not giving anything away just yet but of course I will put pictures on here when I start.  This is also the project that the three threads in the first picture are for.  Again the photo does not do the fabric justice.

My Photo

Michelle's Photo

Now lastly for this post as my previous post was a little too abstract to guess which chart it is I have started stitching I will show you another progress picture and give you a clue.  The clue is that the chart is listed on my Future Projects page and here is the current progress.  Another piece of information is that I have changed one of the colours.

Keep stitching, smiling and guessing!