Wings of Heaven (19 & 20)

3^rd November  2013

Well, it’s pretty obvious that my target of 20 evenings to finish this project was a little optimistic, but to be fair it was a bit of a shot in the dark.   I hadn’t taken into account the amount of back stitching and all the beading that needs to be done but stitching wise, I wasn’t far off, as you’ll see in the photo of Saturday evenings progress.

This one is evening 19

 

And here’s where I was on the 20^th evening of stitching.

 

 

I’ve also managed to finish the two hearts for the Kids Company's   Heart Yard project.    this week.

The larger one is going to be made into a cushion and the smaller one with the bird on is to go on a card.

I just need to get them in the post and on their way to Switzerland now, where Nicki will make them up. 

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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Wings of Heaven Update 12

17^th October 2013 

I’ve been stitching for twelve evenings now and I’m still going strong.

 

I also made a start on another panel for the Kids Company  Heart Yard project.

The chart is a Ria Lanser heart, the same designer that did the calendar panels that I’m stitching and I love the simplicity of her work.

This one will be for a cushion and the request was for Red and Turquoise, so I think it will have a  'Cath Kidston' look to it when it's done, and then I need to stitch a smaller heart  for a card to go with it.  

I have to say....It's nice to have something different to stitch in between stitching the Angel!

Happy Stitching!

Sue

x

 

 

Pinch, Punch…………

It’s the first of the month!

Can you really believe that it’s October already?

The leaves are beginning to turn on the trees which is great if you happen to be in Boston, as my brother is at the moment. 

Actually, it pretty nice here too. I live a couple of miles from Epping Forest and as I was driving through there this morning I was taking in all the beautiful colours…….while keeping an eye on the road too I might add.

The nights will be drawing in too when the clocks go back at the end of the month so I can look forward to cosy evenings in front of the fire stitching.
 

I only have two small finishes to share with you this month.

The first is the October panel for my calendar and I have to say that I’m loving stitching these Ria Lanser  charts.

I was only saying the other day that I’ve never stitched anything vaguely ‘Halloween’ but I think I can safely claim that this panel fits the bill with its spiders, bats, cat and pumpkins.

Next up and my only other finished piece this month is the traveling chart, ‘ Summer Splendor’ from Little House Needleworks.

Mine was stitched on the Khaki Zweigart linen that the chart suggests and I’ve  used the 'Crescent Colours' thread they suggest too.  It’s the first time I’ve stitched with them and I love the wonderful shading in them.

I couldn’t make my mind up how I’m going to finish the piece off but I think I’ve finally decided that I’m just going to frame it and create a wall of stitching when the room is eventually re-decorated. 

Now then, if you would like to be the next recipient of this wonderful ‘Traveling Chart’ there are a few rules….all simple ones, that need to be followed.

1st.  Your blog must be an active one.

2nd.  You must stitch it as soon as possible and agree to pass it on.

3rd.  Pick the next lucky stitcher via a drawing on your blog.

4th.  Post your finish on your blog and the history of where the chart has already travelled to.

And that's about it really.

So far it’s been stitched eight times and mine’s the ninth, so just check out the places it’s already been and the way they have been finished.

•  Kathy at Kathy's Sit and Stitch 
 Ontario, Canada - Completed March 2012

•  Carol at   Stitching Dreams  
Pennsylvania, USA - Completed May 2012

•  Lisa at    Lisa V's Lounge
 Perth, Australia - Completed August 2012                                 

•  Ellen at    Stitch Passion  
Singapore - Completed August 2012

•  Theresa at Giraffe Crossing
 Taiwan - Completed December 2012

•  Tatyana at Girl with Hoop
Russia - Completed May 2013

•  Vicky at Nutmegger's Stitching Works 
Connecticut, USA - Completed July 2013

•  Meari at  Meari's Musings
 Illinois, USA - Completed August 2013

•  Sue at   I’d Rather Be Stitchin’
- Essex, UK – Completed September 2013

 If you’d like to have a go at stitching this little chart leave a message on this post and I’ll pick the winner on Tuesday 8^th October. 

Good luck with the draw and ………..

Happy Stitching!

Sue

 

My First Travelling Chart PIF

^9th September 2013

I’m more than overdue (again) with my 'stitchy' update on the projects I’ve been working on recently, so as it’s my birthday today (I’m 57, but keep that to yourself) I thought it would be a good day to do it.
 

My day started off with a spot of blog hopping and when I called in on  Meari  I had a wonderful  surprise,  I had been picked to receive this travelling cross stitch chart.

  

Isn’t it beautiful! 

 

It’s called Summer Splendor and so far it’s already been to Canada, the USA, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, Russia, back to the USA and now it’s coming to the UK.!

 I’m so eager to get started on it when it arrives that I’ve already been on line and ordered the materials that I’ll need to complete it, so I can make a start as soon as it arrives and then send it on to another stitcher somewhere.

 

Anyway, on to the things that I've already stitched since my last update.

 Let’s start where I normally do, and that’s with the latest ‘September’ panel for my on-going calendar.

I finally finished off the ‘Toy Shop’ Birth Sampler from The Historical Sampler Company, after my Goddaughter delivered of a beautiful

baby girl.

 All I was waiting for was the birth details to add to the centre and then frame it, which is all done now.

Next up were some more squares for SOLAK. ( Stitches of Love and Kindness)
This was my WIP from last time and the last of the squares I stitched for Jack’s quilt.

did you guess it was going to be Goofy?

The next five were for Kathryn’s quilt and she had asked for cat’s dogs, and musical instruments.

 

I’ve been bad and not even picked up Celtic Autumn but after the SOLAK squares I went  on to stitch three hearts for the  Kid’s Company Heart Yard Project

 

So that’s about it until my next update but I do have a couple of WIP’s.

 

Obviously the first is Celtic Autumn which I won’t bother showing you this time, seeing as it hasn’t changed by a single stitch but the second is worth a look.

It’s not a cross stitch but an appliqué Christmas Stocking.

This is actually the forth one of these I’ve made.

The first two kits were brought in Fort Lauderdale, Florida when I was there on holiday back in 1981 and I stitched them for my two Goddaughters.  Every year they had pride of place on the mantelpiece and when the girls left home to share a flat the stockings went with them.  Next up, Nichola’s fiancée moved in and then comes the request to make one for him, which I did after ordering it on line from America a couple of years back.

They married and moved into their own home, taking their stockings with them and then Ava arrived……………I’m just preying she doesn’t have a BIG family. Lol!

This is where I’ve got to so far.

I really love doing these kits and would one day love to make one of the beautiful tree skirts but the cost is putting me off at the moment……..suppose I have to think of it as an heirloom.

So that’s most definitely it for now.

Happy Stitching!

Sue
x

 

Time for a TUSAL

Well it was on Tuesday anyway…….and as usual I’m late again with it despite me saying in my last post that I would be ready to show it.

 Still, I’m here now with my update and quite a few threads have gone into my little jar since the last New Moon.

 As always, it’s accompanied by my calendar panel…….only four left to stitch now!

 

The majority of the threads have come from the squares I’ve been stitching for SOLAK,  four which were shown in my last post, but  these are the latest four.

Mickey

 Tigger

 Woody

 Donald

 And this one is still a wIP……can you guess who it is?

 

I managed to get a good bit done of Celtic Autumn too.

 
All in all, I think I’m managed quite a bit of stitching since the last TUSAL and am pleased with my progress but I must try harder to be in time for the TUSAL next month.

I’m guessing that everyone has already done theirs by now but just in case you haven’t and want to join in then, Sharon over at   It’s Daffy Cat  that can point you in the right direction.

Thanks for dropping in and…………………………….

Happy Stitching!

Sue

x

TUSAL – July 2013

It’s time for an update on the stitching I’ve been doing over the last couple of months and there’s also a  New Moon this evening which means it’s TUSAL time too,  and time to visit Sharon’s blog,  ’It’s Daffy Cat’.

I didn’t join in with the TUSAL last month, mainly because I was away on my holidays in Spain.  I did get some stitching in though.

Here I am enjoying the sunshine, beautiful view and rather nice glass of Pimms.

 

 

For my holiday stitching I decided to make a start on the Toy Shop Birth Sampler from the Historical Sampler Company, that I planned to stitch for my Goddaughter’s first child, due at the start of August and I’m happy to report that it’s finished all but the name, weight and date of birth.

 

My ORT’s from this went into a ‘Traveling Tusal’, namely a little plastic pot that I had taken with me and were added to my jar when I got home.

 

I also managed to stitch the ‘July’ panel for the calendar but have to confess that the one for ‘June’ hasn’t been finished yet. 

It didn’t seem so important because having completely missed the June TUSAL I wanted the July one finished for today, so I’m going to try and finish it for next month and then hopefully I’ll have two to show you.

June also saw me stitching mini samplers, fourteen in all, for an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap, to celebrate the fourth anniversary of   What’s On Your Workdesk  Wednesday.  
 

This is a group of nearing 200 crafters who as the name suggests, reveal what’s on their craft desks each  week. 
Thirteen of the little samplers were less than 2 inches square and the last one, which I put in a frame for Julia who hosts the group was around four inches square.

 So, that’s about it stitching wise.

 

I haven’t put a single stitch in Celtic Autumn in two months, but with the sampler all but finished I plan to get back to her now and possibly make a start on Angle in White, which is planned as a Christmas pressie for someone.

 

 

And last but not least I can finally show you the finished Bent Creek sampler that I was teasing you with back in May.

It’s called Bad Hare Day and I made it for a lovely lady called Jan, who made me a beautiful roll to keep all my knitting needles in.  She had no idea I was stitching it and it was just perfect for her because she has a love of Hare’s.

 

Big thanks to everyone who takes the time to stop by and leave me comments, I really appreciate it and love reading them.

Happy Stitching!

Sue

 

 

Sneaking in the back door!

10^th April

Where did last month go?

The new moon and the monthly TUSAL have really snuck up on me this time and I hadn’t realised until this morning that it was actually that time again.  As a result, my little monthly calendar panel that always accompanies my jar is stitched but not edged with the fabric. 
Oh the shame of it!
     

There’s lots of ORT’s in my jar this time.

Obviously the Orange and Rusts are from my April panel.

I’m loving stitching this set.  They were a download from Ria Lanser and she had lots of lovely charts on her site but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be up and running anymore, which is a shame.  

There’s also some Mauve, Gold and Green ORT’s in there  from Celtic Autumn.

Here's where I was up to last month after 36 hours

And here’s my progress after 64.

  

Until this project I’ve never bothered to count ‘actual’ stitching hours but curiosity got there better of me and I decided to keep a note while I’m working on this piece.  I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t now though because all it’s done is confirm how slowly I stitch.  But as they say,  I’ve started, so I’ll finish.

 I’m still very pleased with the back too and threading the ends through the front rather than the back as I used to do is certainly working for me.

My next job today is to get across to  Sew and So   to order the evenweave for ‘Angle in White’ which I plan to stitch on Blue rather than Red, as my friend’s bedroom is Blue. 

I also want to order the sampler for my Goddaughter, which will be my holiday stitching when I go away at the start of June.

So lots of stitching to keep my fingers nimble over the coming weeks me thinks!

For my ‘crafty’ news pop across to   Sue’s Krafty Kards   where you could even join in with the other 100 odd (that’s odd as in approximate as opposed to odd, strange) crafters for ‘What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday’ and show us what’s on your desk this week.  
It’s nonsense really, just like the TUSAL, but it’s all great fun and you make lots of new friends on the weekly blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by and ………..

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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