flower shop - Cross Stitch Collection 251

The latest issue of Collection hits the UK shops today and in it there`s another beautiful Maria Diaz design, the wee sister of the doll`s house I stitched a few months ago. After that biggie, this flower shop was a refreshing "mini" and with its 65 hours it very snugly fit into my photographic schedule, lol. So here are my 5-hourly pics of the project, and finally the framed version from the magazine - I`m not sure if there`s a single photo here that`d show you the beautiful olive shade of the fabric... but it is gorgeous, I lurved stitching on it! OK, the photos:

Hmmm, I wondered what was different: I forgot to string them together into a `movie`! Apologies for the extra scrolling - I don`t know if it`s any consolation but if your wrist feels a bit tender, I can totally relate: I`ve been working flat out for the past N weeks, mostly on Christmas designs... yep, it`s that time of the year! ;) Plus I`m stitching a tapestry for DMC, my first one ever, and I`m enjoying it immensely (even though it puts a different type of strain on my wrists), can`t wait to show you! :) Oh, that reminds me: this flower shop`s turned me into a `cover girl` again - I love it! Since Collection uses the current issue as their profile pic on Facebook, I can see it now every day for the next month, mwahaha! Thank you for reading my ramblings and scrolling 5 miles to see all my pictures - happy stitching! :)

The World of Cross Stitching 230 - Fathers` Day cards

Lol, please don`t ask about the granny square! Its growth can be measured in mm, rather than cm, since my last post. As always, Life has happened: am stitching 3 projects simultaneously, my own cushion idea and two commissions. The plan is to crochet at night, as a wind-down, but I`m at that early stage with the stitching when I do not dare to put it down, I just keep going until I fall asleep, because I don`t know how long each`ll take. Plus, with my usual acute perception of time - i.e. I never have any idea what day of the week, etc. it is -, the deadlines are not something tangible (yet) either, just random numbers sometime in the future. I was surprised the other day, when the librarian stamped the books and the return date is now in June - how did that happen? It was Christmas only a few weeks ago...? (By the way, am working on lovely Xmas pieces just now for the magazines, and being 6 months out of sync also doesn`t help someone as woolly-headed as me when it comes to Time - I usually tell what day it is by watching which bins the neighbours put out). #calendarbyrecycling

Anyway, I thought I`d better grab this opportunity to blog for a few minutes before the school run, since the latest issue of WOCS hits the shops today, and in it are the lovely Lucie Heaton cards I stitched. Actually, they`re not all cards - it was a great project to work on because all 4 classic car pics were of different sizes: a card, a bookmark, and two larger pieces. I started with the largest one of the lot (my DH would be shouting the name of this car now but he`s away to work) - shall I call it an Aston Martin DBXZ85874HKL? Whatever. Here it is:

Hehe, probably it`s a Jaguar. Anyway, here`s the whole lot of them together:

And this is how they`ve been made up in the magazine:

Well, the card and the bookmark were quite obvious, but I was wondering what they`d make with the other two - a glasses case and an iPad cover! I love this set, I think it looks awesome - as long as you don`t grab your tablet with gardening gloves or shove your glasses case in your dirty overalls pocket... but as hard as it is to find the suitable stitchy project for the men in our lives, I think these vintage cars are perfect. I remember thinking at the time I was stitching these, seeing Hubby`s eyes getting a bit misty, that I might stitch this... Aston-Jaguar-MG GT5XYZ (?) for him for Father`s Day - ha! Personal project?? When will I ever learn? ;)

However, on a more positive note: do you remember George, my cuddly knitted hippo?

You can read his story here, where I also promised to keep y`all posted: so the latest info is that George has moved to Ireland - the lady who`d originally commissioned him never got back to me, but last week a sweet Irishman bought George for his girlfriend - and, I hope, they all lived happily ever after! :D Happy stitching, everyone!

a crafty evening

Last Friday, my friend Jo took me to a craft event, organised by some of her friends from the East Neuk of Fife (we used to live in St Monans for a while too, hence the connection). It was a lovely evening, based on the idea of trying out various crafts "kids style" - you know the feeling, when you take your children to an event like this, and you stand there and drool while they`re colouring in, etc., wishing that you could join them because you love colouring, can even do it within the lines, but you`re not going to embarrass yourself (and your children!) by elbowing your way in at the kiddie table...? Well, Friday night was for us, frustrated big kids.

I had so much fun! Apart from meeting `old faces from St Monans` and having a good chinwag with them - and also with some lovely ladies I only just met but we had an instant connection, thanks to cross stitch -, I tried all kinds of crafts, old and new... not to mention the scrumptious selection of soups and cakes at two tables, where you could also grab a card and copy the recipes displayed. At the cakes table (first stop, needless to say), I managed to get my hands on the recipe of a most delicious Dundee cake - yay, my Mum will be so pleased, we`re both big fans since last summer, when we got a heavenly cake from the House of Bruar, near Pitlochry, the likes of which I haven`t managed to find anywhere ever since... until last Friday night, thanks to Lesley.

To my great regret, in the end I didn`t have time to colour in a single one of the beautiful mandala designs provided, nor did I have the chance to visit the knitting or card making tables, there were so many things to try and only a couple of hours - maybe next time! ;)

However, I did manage to give ceramic painting a go. There were these teapot `blanks` provided and glass painting pens in various colours - I drew a sunflower (what else?) and even got a gift bag to transport it in (which later I can also decorate, yay!). I think I`ll `cook` my artwork first, though, before I put the first soggy teabag on it, I just haven`t used the oven yet since Friday... but maybe, one of these days, I`ll bake a Dundee cake...? ;)

I know it looks like a gerbera, but believe me, it`s a sunflower :)

I took along some stitchy magazines as well, plus some of my stitched pieces that have been returned to me, and people were very interested in how and why I got into model stitching, and they also loved seeing the `real life` models of some of the magazine photos. It was a pleasure to see - the way I imagine it used to be - women sitting around a table, chatting, while their hands busy with the needle; some haven`t done any cross stitch for over a decade and were now happy to be reacquainted with the hobby... and of course, the real joy of seeing someone trying it for the first time.

Oh, and let`s not forget my personal Aha! moment for the night: after watching dozens of  YouTube videos and getting more and more frustrated because I simply cannot see the holes in crochet (I don`t always know what/where the chain is, so I stab my hook willy-nilly and end up with some shapeless thing, instead of e.g. the oval I had in mind). So anyway, thanks to the lovely Sue, I have FINALLY mastered the granny square!! Woo hoo! Last night I started a blanket with this sock yarn I`d bought ages ago from Lidl, when I wanted to try out knitting socks (conveniently forgetting that I don`t like the feel of knitted stuff against my feet, I barely put up with cotton socks), so anyway, I have 100g pale blue and 100g variegated, we`ll see how far I can go with these. At the moment, my blanket is about 10 cm square but now that I know the basics, the sky`s the limit! Happy crafting, peeps!

Cross Stitch Gold 120 - duck cushion

Uncharacteristically of me, I`ll keep this short and sweet - my back`s a bit knackered so I can`t sit too long in front of the computer. So here is the aforementioned Duckie, designed by Anne Mortimer, from Cross Stitch Gold 120 - first, as usual, my badly lit 3 photos, and then the magazine`s own bleached one of the finished cushion. Happy stitching, everyone!

I really enjoyed stitching this piece, the duck itself was a breeze and once I had the outline,
I sailed through the background as well

I don`t know if you can see it alright but both the blue background and sandy frame are stitched with variegated thread

Finished duckie - again, you probably can`t see but the wee flowers and leaves have lovely backstitch detail

Cross Stitch Collection 249 and Cross Stitcher 292

Yesterday I went to town and bought my monthly fix of Suguru (my latest craze; first, there was Sudoku, then Kakuro, and now I`m addicted to Suguru). Anyway, while I was in W H Smith, I also purchased some stitchy magazines - it seems my pieces have somewhat flooded the market recently, rofl!

First up, issue 249 of Collection, a.k.a. Part 3 of the doll`s house:

Also, in the same issue there`s the Permin still life I stitched a while back:

As I say in the magazine (under the pseudonym `Our Stitcher`, lol), I love stitching still life because this is the closest I, devoid of all drawing talent, can get to producing a painting, and unlike seasonal or *shivers* cutesy things, these works of art look good on any wall, any time. Apparently, this is part of a larger design - pity I didn`t get the big picture, so to speak... I would`ve loved to stitch the whole lot! ;)

However, after this 27-hour project, I had another one to keep me busy for 18 - this gorgeous floral plate by Maria Diaz for issue 292 of Cross Stitcher:

I only have 2 progress pics - one `halfway through` and one `finished`... but at least both are badly lit, rofl! Thank you for stopping by, in a few days I`ll be back with my duckie in Gold 120, and then that`s my `market domination` over for another few months at least. At the moment, I`m working on a cushion but it`s hardly developed beyond the Fleeting Idea Stage and thus I don`t want to share... oh, and soon I`ll start a BAP for my parents for Christmas... but I won`t be able to share this, either, for obvious reasons. So please rest assured that I`m constantly stitching - and from time to time I`ll inundate you with photos, in between big gaps of silence. Happy stitching! :)

Twilleys of Stamford glasses cases

Good job I`ve reminded myself earlier today: I was so concentrating on the latest issue of WOCS that I almost forgot another two of my `debutantes`. I stitched these two funky glasses cases around last October... and, apparently, somebody else stitched matching bookmarks to go with them - I wonder why they were split between two stitchers like this? Anyway, I was in such a rush around that time last year that I never took pictures - probably just as well because they look so much better all made up and professionally photographed on Twilleys` website.

So here`s the link - and enjoy browsing the rest of their products too ;)

 Twilleys of Stamford

`Exotic Blooms`

`Jazzy Blooms`

The World of Cross Stitching 229

Although you wouldn`t know at first glance but the latest issue of WOCS is so `me` that it`s surprised even yours truly! ;) I`m not only talking about my own pieces in it, but the magazine as a whole - from the Dachshund on p. 13, featuring the Riolis kit I`d stitched a year or so ago for my Gran, to the model on p. 37 that I stitched for the Hen Fun kit for Bothy Threads. I also recognise model pieces or kits that friends of mine are/have been/will be stitching, oh and of course there are my Fathers` Day cars previewed from next month`s issue... However, I`d better stay with issue 229 for the noo, as it has not only one but TWO of my stitched pieces in it (cf. buses analogy).

So, the first one is a gorgeous cushion from Amanda Gregory. Now, you might remember that the only colour I don`t like is purple, so it says a lot about the design that despite its hues, I still like this cushion. It`s an interesting thing about model stitching, that it very often yanks you out of your comfort zone and you end up stitching - moreover, surprisingly, enjoying working on - designs that otherwise you wouldn`t have chosen for yourself. When picking my own, I`d go `too big, too small, too purple, too much backstitch, fractionals, French knots, yada yada`, but if it`s a commission, you just get on with it - and you`ll find the sense of accomplishment at the end is the same, maybe even greater.

Before my string of progress pics on this hydrangea, let me show you a close-up - if there`s ever been a project where BS made all the difference, eh? Love it! :)

And now the `short film`: pics taken every 5 hours, as usual, until all the cross stitch was done after 68, then another few hours backstitching (the picture was completed in 78 hours).

Hehe, did you notice how I delayed starting on the purples as long as I could? Tried to stick to the lovely shades of blue (my favourite colour) as long as possible, lol. ;) And if this wasn`t colourful enough, here`s the other end of the rainbow: a most cheerful, sunny cottage, á la Clarice Cliff, by Susan Bates - yet another project that I thoroughly enjoyed in-between two larger ones, so I`m afraid I don`t even have progress pics for this piece, only The Final One:

This project took 42 hours and was so much fun - if you`re feeling even just a teeny bit down, I`d recommend it as therapy: by the time you finish that great big sun alone, you`ll be smiling. ;)

And I love the orange frame they picked for it, as do I the finish on the hydrangea cushion - so all in all, a very good little issue from The World of Cross Stitching, I hope you`ll agree! :)

prodigal stitches

Well, I didn`t expect to have anything to report so soon but then earlier this week, some of my prodigal stitches have returned to me and I could not be happier! :D Lookee what Postie`s turned up with:

I am so thrilled to have these two back! I loved working on them and I also loved the way they were made up for the photo shoot. So now I`m going to find (or make) a cushion to fill Amanda Gregory`s bunny cushion cover (from Gold 109 - you can read more about how it was made here) and I also need to find a hoop big enough to frame the sunflowers the way you can see the picture in Gold 113. I have stitched quite a few Durene Jones designs (you can read my blog post about this sunflower picture here) and have enjoyed every one of them, from cards to BAPs, from bold colours to traditional Christmas charts - so it`s a special delight, and the perfect ending to this gift-filled week, that my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cross-Stitch-A-to-Z) got a Like from her - how awesome is that?? Every time I think of it, or look at my stitchy goodies, I can`t stop grinning - all in all, an unbelievably good week! ;) Happy stitching, everyone! 

doll`s house - Cross Stitch Collection 247-9

It seems the larger my projects are getting, the less frequently I visit my blog, not to mention others`. I`m currently working on a HAED for one of the magazines - which, as far as blogging is concerned, means I`ll see you again around... July? However, even though weeks go by between my posts, here`s my latest work recently published - an this one is a whopper too.

As you can see, it is also a Maria Diaz, and another 3-parter, like Santa`s Journey was back last year. What`s new this time is that Collection decided to use some of my 5-hourly progress photos; it was interesting to try and remember how I was getting on at certain stages now, months later, but I discovered I managed just fine. And I`m especially honored that they also put a wee piece in about me, the stitcher:

The 5-hourly photos are not in sequence - hence the slightly false impression that the ground floor can be completed in 30 hours... it took a bit longer than that, lol! The whole house took 170 hours, so I had 34 progress piccies by the time I finished - I thought I`d better string them together in a `movie` to save everyone some scrolling time ;)

However, I also have some close-ups that will not be featured in the magazine, so only the handful of people who still come and visit my stagnating blog will see them - a world premiere for all (both?) of my followers! So here`s the grand tour of the house, from room to room:

Thank you all who are still checking in here from time to time; as I said, I`m obsessively stitching, e.g. now a HAED, after which I want to start my own Starry Night - I love Van Gogh and bought this HAED chart over 3 years ago now, I think it`s time I did something with it. It`ll be nice when I can post progress pictures as and when I`m working on something! ;) Oh, and some pieces that I stitched last September are finally getting published in April, so I might see you sooner than I thought after all...?

Rapunzel - Cross Stitch Crazy 200

Happy New Year! I know it`s almost the end of January but this is my first blog post for 2015 - I know, they`re becoming increasingly few and far between. Even though I`m constantly crafting something, it`s either a surprise to someone or some official magazine thingy but the end result`s the same: I can`t post pictures until the recipient has got the prezzie or a publication is in the shops.

So in the past weeks (months?) I`ve knitted e.g. a jumper - but I`m pretty sure the owner of it wouldn`t like his picture all over the Internet -, and over Christmas I stitched a glasses case for my Mum for her birthday - but as she can`t see it before the end of February, I cannot post a piccie of that, either. However, as my parents have already received it, I can finally show you the Lucie Heaton cuckoo clock I stitched for them from issue 284 of Cross Stitcher:

I stretched it over a ready-made canvas I`d bought in an arts shop but as my Mom wants to put it in the kitchen, it`s still an ongoing project, now in my Uncle`s capable hands, who`ll box it in (probably with glass, he didn`t sound too keen on plexiglass) to protect it from greasy fumes.

I had another `emergency project` over the holidays: my adorable wee boy dreamt one night that his two favourite teddies have met and become friends with a green alien teddy - cue a trip to the shop to find the perfect shade of `alien green` yarn, and I had to knit this bear for him the very same day, following his instructions to the letter (hence the slightly "giraffesque" antennae):

And finally, the latest issue of Crazy is out and in it another Lucie Heaton design I stitched. I`m sure little girls all over the world will love this Tangled-themed picture - I certainly enjoyed stitching it!

See you again "soon" - hopefully, before the end of 2015, lol!

kitchen dresser - Collection 244

This issue of Collection has been in the shops for a while but in the run-up to Christmas I`m only having the time now to post some photos of the beautiful country-style kitchen dresser that Maria Diaz designed. Unfortunately, my brain is so fried after the past few hectic days of festive organising that I hardly know what I`m typing, so I`ll rather let the pictures do the talking - here they are, taken every 5 hours, as usual (I love how the building up of the blue bits formed the contours of the plates, etc. on the dresser):

And this is it all framed and beautifully accessorised in the magazine - how cute are these little heart ornies that are the exact replicas of the ones hanging on the dresser? :)

Even the distressed blue wood seems to be spot on! ;) Oh, and there`s little me again, saying all kinds of `clever` things... unfortunately, my answers have been cropped and re-organised in such a manner that I seem to make even less sense than usual, hehe.

Sorry about the poor photo quality but it`s partly due to the matt paper -
which , thankfully, Collection have promised to change back to the old, shiny type

Anyway, the `nightmarish` teeny-tiny backstitches I`m talking about are these:

But apart from the half hour I struggled with this bit, the whole project was a most enjoyable experience. As were ALL the projects I had the good fortune to stitch this year, come to think of it. So hoping that 2015 will bring loads more gorgeous stitching for all of us, I`d like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

a true Christmas surprise

Something unexpected and simply wonderful has happened today: a courier turned up with a parcel from Cross Stitch Collection; it was massive big and I had no idea what was in it - then I saw and spent the next ten minutes running around the house, screaming, and the rest of the evening grinning like a Cheshire cat. Look what has returned to me! And just in time to be displayed for Christmas too - squeeeee! `Over the moon` would be an understatement! :)

Cross Stitch Crazy 198 - Happy New Year!

Oh, dear... it`s been a while again, hasn`t it? In my defence, I started to work on a mega-BAP around the middle of October and only just finished it today - so this one project covered pretty much my whole autumn. Next thing I know, we`re all concentrating on Christmas, buying cards and preparing for the school fair - where has this year gone?!? Oh, and just to top it all: the latest Crazy is in the shops now, including my New Year cards - yep, Hello, 2015! (Gosh, how weird is that to type??)

These 7 funky little cards were designed by Jody Rice of Satsuma Street fame - if you haven`t heard of her or haven`t seen her Etsy shop yet, you can find out more from this interview with Jody on cross-stitching-dot-com.

Talking of cards: remember how throughout the summer I was stitching Christmas designs? Now I`m working on Fathers` Day cards... is it any wonder that I never know what day of the week it is?!? :)

My usual badly lit photo...

... and how they appear in the magazine...

... all made up into pretty little cards :)