surprise post

This post is not only a surprise to those who thought I`d disappeared (it is truly shocking how long I`ve neglected my blog!), but the title also refers to the surprise I got a few minutes ago. I was looking for a Riolis design and while browsing the Sew and So website, I spotted Twilleys on their list. I clicked on it, and sure enough, I came across some familiar pictures! :) I stitched these for Twilleys of Stamford such a long time ago that I can`t even remember where I saved the photos, so I`ll use Sew and So`s links. I worked this poppy wreath sometime last autumn, and this beach sign... oh, it must have been over a year ago now...? Gosh, and as I`m scrolling down the Sew and So page, I`ve just discovered some bookmarks here and here that were also stitched by me - wow, what a strange `reunion`!

That reminds me: this year it`ll be 20 years since we`ve graduated from high school and my old classmates are busy organising the party - for the first weekend in September! :( If everything goes according to plan, we`re going to Hungary in July for a wee holiday, so I`m going to miss this reunion again - such a pity, I`d love to see the old faces after all this time! Ach, well, I just have to wait another 5 years now... ;)

In other news, the reason why I`ve been neglecting my blog is that I`m super-busy with more (!) Christmas stitching - big piccies, cards, you name it. I`ve been humming Jingle Bells since the end of March now but photos, alas, I can`t show you yet - my next project will be in Gold 112*, out around the middle of June. So until then: happy stitching!

* Technically, if you`ve seen issue 111, you`ve probably seen my pic too in next month`s preview, but I`m such a tease, I won`t even tell you it`s the pa... oooops, it almost slipped out! :)

Escape to Paris - Cross Stitch Collection 236

Well, here it is! My biggest project so far is in the shops now, so finally I can show you what it is (I`ve been bursting for months!). It`s a Parisian street scene by my favourite designer, Maria Diaz, and as it happens, it`s been selected as the chart of this month - which meant I had to send in a more-or-less presentable mugshot, eek! I managed to find a pre-double chin piccie of myself, and as a bonus, I`m stitching in it, so that was fine...well, I`m saying `fine` - you decide for yourselves:

I spent practically the whole of January stitching this stunning, 180x180 (32.5x32.5 cm on 28 ct evenweave) picture and I absolutely loved every minute of it, even the 7 or 8 hours` worth of backstitch and the 320 French knots - when you`re working on a picture of Paris, you tend to say c`est la vie more readily. ;)

When working on a magazine project, I have to time myself (as well as take notes of the lengths of thread I use of every colour), so with this one, I started to stop and take a photo after every 5 hours. Little did I know at the beginning that it`d take me 122 hours to finish - thus I ended up with so many photos that this blog wouldn`t be big enough for all of them! :) So for the first time ever, I tried to turn them into some sort of a montage, a very basic mini-video with no sound or special effects... or even proper lighting, lol. I`ve seen more professional ones on YouTube but this one`s special to me; I love watching how the picture grows, and I hope you`ll like it too! Happy stitching! :)