Prairie Schooler- Santas & Snowmen – The final one!

I was beginning to think that wouldn’t make it to the end of the 12 in 24 Christmas Ornament SAL this year, but I made myself put the last stitches into the final Ornament

and FFo it and the November one straight away.

These two will remain as ornament for this year, but next year they will fit into this box,

so that I can display the four Santas over Christmas and change them out of the four Snowmen after, for the rest of the Winter.

 Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Project Details

Chart -  Santas & Snowmen – Book 151

Designer -  Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 36ct Wren Linen – Picture This Plus

Threads – Called for DMC’s

Prairie Schooler- Santas & Snowmen

 I’ve been playing catch –up this week with the 12 in 24 Christmas Ornament SAL,  hosted by Carol, over at the  Stitching Dream Blogspot and have finished my November ornament.

There's just one more to stitch in order of hitting the goal of stitching 12 ornament throughout the year and I'm pleased to say I've made a start on that one too and even have my backing boards covered and ready to go, so I can FFO them both at the same time. 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Project Details

Chart -  Santas & Snowmen – Book 151

Designer -  Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 36ct Wren Linen – Picture This Plus

Threads – Called for DMC’s

Prairie Schooler Santa 1991

 Just a quick post today.

As I mentioned in my update yesterday, I only had a small amount of stitching left to do on my latest Prairie Schooler Santa, for the 12 in 24 Christmas Ornament SAL hosted by Carol over at Stitching Dream Blogspot 

Last night I pulled it out and finished it.

Project Details

Chart -  Santa’s Revisited – 1991 Santa

Designer -  Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 18ct Aida – Tea/Coffee Dyed by myself

Threads – Called for DMC’s

Updated with Finishing - 20th October 2024

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Prairie Schooler Santa 2023

As you already know from my last post, the last month was spent just stitching on my Chatelaine, in an effort to get it finished, and that in turn had an impact on all the other wips and sals that I wanted to stitch on.

Now I've completed my  Chatelaine, it was time to play catch up and the first thing I picked up was my August Christmas ornament for the #12in24ornamentstitchalong with Carol from Stitching Dream Blogspot

No surprises here, because I’m working my way through the Prairie Schooler Santa’s this year,  and the one for August is from 2023.

Updated 20th October 2024 with finishing

With that finished I went right on and made a start on the one from 1991, for my September ornament and this is where I am with it.

This afternoon I’m going to be putting the first stitches into my 68^th birthday start.

I had hoped I would be starting my new Chatelaine but unfortunately that hasn’t happened because although I have most of the threads, my linen still hasn’t arrived.

Instead I pulled out a Terese Kogut chart that I’ve had kitted up for some time and that’s the Newcastle Bouquet Biscornu.

This will be my first attempt at a biscornu, so I keeping everything crossed that I can manage the finishing of it.

At some point I would like to stitch the Newcastle Bouquet Sampler too, which was one of Teresa's first sampler designs but that’s something for the future.

 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Sampler September - ABC Sampler – Nicola Parkman

We are five days into September and although I don’t consider myself a sample stitcher, it’s ‘Sampler September’ and I suppose it would be rude not to work on one this month.

I’m not starting anything new for this though, instead I decided to work on the ABC Sampler from Nicolas Parkman’s Academy of Needlework on-line tutorials.

I had previously completed the first two lessons, which were all about Cross Stitch and Running Stitch.

Over the last few days I picked it up again and completed the next four lessons.

Lesson 3 was about the Herringbone Stitch and all it’s variations, including Closed Herringbone, Double Back Stitched Herringbone, Double herringbone, alternating Double Back Stitch, Chevron Stitch, Greek Stitch and Long Arm Cross Stitch.

In lesson 4 we looked at the very simple ‘Sewing Stitch, as well as Goblin Stitch and Tent Stitch. (also known as Petite Point or Continental Stitch)

Lesson 5 was a I stitch I remember working as a child, Blanket Stitch, and how this is also used for Buttonhole Stitch, Open Buttonhole Stitch, Crossed Buttonhole Stitch, Tailor’s Buttonhole Stitch and Detached Buttonhole Stitch.

And lastly I caught up with lesson 6 and that was Chain Stitch, another stitch from my childhood.

There are three rows worked on the sampler.

The first row was worked the way I had been taught to do it, by bringing the needle up through the previous loop and going back down in the same place.  Well, I don’t know if it was because the silk thread I was stitching with was too thick, but my stitches, worked over two threads didn’t look very neat at all.

For the second row I tried Nicola’s preferred way of working them, and that is by bring the needle up two threads away from the previous loop and then threading it under the loop and back down in the hole the needle came out of.  I think that looked much better. 

For the third row I worked the stitch in the same way but over three threads, which I think I was perfect.

 

So that’s it for now. 

My plan for the rest of this month is to finish this sampler and then work on catching up with my 12 in 24 Christmas ornaments because I still have to finish the August one and find another for this month.

The other thing I am in the process of doing is kitting up Humming Bird Lace Mandala…………….Yes, I going to stitch another Chatelaine!

I hope you have a great month ahead and wish you

Happy Stitching!

Sue x

Summer at last! (And the weather has finally got the memo too)

 May is behind us now and I’m set for a summer of stitching, but I can’t let it pass without a quick round up of the month’s work.

I stitched every day but one and in total, I worked on seven projects, of which three were new starts and had four finishes all of which I have already blogged about.

I also had three projects that I got around to fully finishing, so not too bad if I say so myself.

Two of the FFO’s were the Prairie Schooler Santa’s,

that I’ve been stitching as part of the 12 in 24 Christmas Ornament sal,  that Carol from  Stitching Dream Blogspot  hosts.

This is the 1995 Santa, that was my April Ornament

And this is the 2001 Santa,  that was my one for May. 

The other FFO was my Cross Stitch Camp Badge which I stitched onto my camp project bag.

As you probably already know, cross stitch camp started on 1^st June and the challenge is to add a pop of colour to a single colour pattern or take a colourful chart and stitch it in just one colour.

I decided to go with the first option and have chosen to stitch ‘Black Sampler 2021’ which is an original design from Whilst Iris Naps Designs.

I’ll be stitching it on 36ct Millstone from Legacy Fibre Arts Linen, with Black Silky thread and pops of Red and Green curtsey of Roxy Floss Co, Classic Color Works and The Gentle Arts threads.

I worked on Butterfly Lace Mandala for the Chatelaine Weekender again and have hit the top right-hand corner. Here’s where it was on Friday

And this is where I am now. 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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 Project Details

1995 & 2001 Santa’s

Designer -  Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 18ct Aida – Tea/Coffee Dyed by myself

Threads – Called for DMC’s

Butterfly Lace Mandala

Started 9^th September 2021

Designer -  Martina Rosenberg - Chatelaine

Fabric – 28ct Jobelan Evenweave – Antique White

Threads – Called for Silks, DMC and Petite Treasure Braid

Beads – Swarovski Crystals and Delica Beads

 

Black Sampler 2021

Designer – Whilst Iris Naps

Fabric – 36ct Millstone – Legacy Fibre Artz Linen

Threads – Silky (Black) Roxy Floss Co (Fresh Cut & On Holiday) Classic Colorworks ( Weeping Willow) The Gentle Art (Cranberry)

 

Prairie Schooler Santa 1995

 At last, I’ve finally finished the 1995 Prairie Schooler Santa that I started to stitch in July last year. 

 And why did he take so long to stitch I hear you ask?

Well, he went AWL and disappeared without a trace for several months, despite looking high and low for him, but in the end I found him safe and sound in his project bag, behind the dresser in my sewing room.  

I can only think he must have slid off the top of a pile of bags as I was putting them away and I didn’t notice.

Anyway, after pulling my hair out looking for him, I got the final stitches into my May -  12 in 12 Christmas ornament and have plans  to FFO him over the weekend, along with a couple other finishes I have.

Then, as per the unspoken ‘Prairie Schooler Santa’ rule, I finished one, so I immediately started a new one!

Updated (4/6/24) to show FFO

This is the 2023 Santa.

Friday to Sunday was the usual ‘Chatelaine Weekender’  and I did join in but I was away Saturday and didn’t get back until Sunday afternoon, so didn’t get very much done on Butterfly Lace Mandala.

I made a start on the next 1 over one butterfly.

I hope you’ve all had a good week and managed lots of little x’s on your projects.

 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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1995 Santa

Designer -  Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 18ct Aida – Tea/Coffee Dyed by myself

Threads – Called for DMC

Butterfly Lace Mandala

Started 9^th September 2021

Designer -  Martina Rosenberg - Chatelaine

Fabric – 28ct Jobelan Evenweave – Antique White

Threads – Called for Silks, DMC and Petite Treasure Braid

Beads – Swarovski Crystals and Delica Beads

Prairie Schooler Santa – 2001

It doesn’t seem five minutes ago we were welcoming in the new year and now, here we are saying hi to May already.

Stitching wise, April went well. 

I worked on seven projects during the month, two of which were new starts and three were finishes.

One of the new starts was my 12 in 24ornament, which was also one of my finished items.

That is the Prairie Schooler Santa from 2001.

Updated (4/6/24) to show FFO

I also picked up the 1995 Santa again that was started back in July last year and them promptly lost.

Now it’s back safe and sound with the rest of my wips and will be finished as my May ornament.

There was another ‘Chatelaine Weekender’ to join in with and I continued to stitch on that big yellow butterfly.

I had hoped to get it finished but I didn’t quite make it, so may be this weekend!

And then it was May, and for many in the stitching world, that means only one thing, ‘May-nia’.  As the name suggests, it involves stitchers' 'manically' stitching away on silly numbers of projects or new starts throughout the month.

I’ve decided not to join in this year because I have a gift that needs to be urgently stitched in a bit of a hurry.

I started ‘Golden Wedding Sampler Gold Roses & Orchids’

by STG Stitch UK (Etsy) on 1^st May and I’ll be concentrating on it until it’s done.

I’m working on 32ct Murano Evenweave, in Ivory, using my own colour conversion of DMC threads and it’s my 43rd new start for the celebrate 50 startalong  with Michelle from Penny’s Daughter Shares, on Instagram.

Now, what is it they say…….April showers bring May Flowers!

Well I dodged the showers to get some of my summer bedding plants into my pots and baskets. 

I’m pleased with the way the garden is looking now the new lawn has been laid and the rain and major thunder storm in the early hours of this morning meant I didn’t need to water it today. 

I really can’t wait for the weather to change so I can get some stitching done out there.

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Prairie Schooler Santa 2001 & 1995

Designer - Prairie Schooler

Fabric – 16ct Aida – Coffee / Tea dyed my me

Threads – Called for DMC Standard Cotton

 

Butterfly Lace Mandala

Started 9^th September 2021

Designer -  Martina Rosenberg - Chatelaine

Fabric – 28ct Jobelan Evenweave – Antique White

Threads – Called for Silks, DMC and Petite Treasure Braid

Beads – Swarovski Crystals and Delica Beads

 

Golden Wedding Sampler Gold Roses & Orchids

Designer – STG Stitch UK (PDF)

Fabric – 32ct Murano Evenweave – Ivory

Threads – DMC Standard thread (own conversion)

My Stitching Box – Band Sampler - Jeanette Douglass

Well, it’s the weekend and the weather has turned cold again, but at least it stayed dry for the London Marathon which took place this morning. (Sunday)

I wouldn’t call myself a gardener but when the weather warms up and the sun comes out I do like to potter out there. 

Sadly, over the years the grass has turned mostly to moss and in places it’s died completely, leaving muddy patches, so I made the decision to have the grass re-laid.  I’m also having a new awning over my patio, so I'll have a nice shady spot to sit and stitch when the sun eventually decides to shine.

Anyway, onto the needlework and in the two weeks since I last posted on here I have had 1 finish, 2 new starts and I’ve worked on 1 wip.

My finish was the first part of my Leap Year Day project, the band sampler from ‘My Stitching Box’ from Jeanette Douglas.

This was such a fun stitch with all of the beading and specialist stitches and I can’t wait to stitch the other pieces of the set.

The star at the top is stitch 1 silk thread over 1 fabric thread.

With that finished I started my 15^th new start of the year and the 1^st part of the 9 piece ‘Log Cabin Christmas from Little House Needleworks.

This is ‘Log Cabin Squirrel’ and I’m stitching with all the called for threads and fabric.

My next new start was my April Christmas ornament for the 12in24ornamentstitchalong, with Carol from Stitching Dream Blogspot.  

I decided it was about time I stitched another of the Prairie Schooler Santas,   This one is from 2001.

Finally, I joined in with the Chatelaine Weekender Facebook Group and pulled out my Butterfly Lace Mandala.

Now that Palace of the Winds is finished, this is my oldest wip and I plan to make it a bit of a focus piece until it’s finished.

This weekend I’ve worked on the large yellow 1 over 1 butterfly on the right.

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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 My Stitching  Box  

Designer – Jeanette Douglas

Fabric – 32ct Zweigart Evenweave – Antique White

Threads – Classic Colorworks Belle Soie, NPI Silk, Gloriana Silk Floss & Rainbow Gallery Splendor

(1 silk thread over 2 linen threads with the exception of the satin stitch & Bargello, which is 2 silk threads)

Beads – Mill Hill

Log Cabin Squirrel

Designer – Little House Needleworks

Fabric – 32ct Belfast Linen – Raw

Threads – Classic Color Works (Called For)

Prairie Schooler Santa 2001

Designer – Prairie Schooler

Fabric - 16ct Aida (tea/coffee dyed)

Threads – Called for DMC’s

Butterfly Lace Mandala

Started 9^th September 2021

Designer -  Martina Rosenberg - Chatelaine

Fabric – 28ct Jobelan Evenweave – Antique White

Threads – Called for Silks, DMC and Petite Treasure Braid

Beads – Swarovski Crystals and Delica Beads