Hello everyone! Happy New Year!
I haven't been around here for a long time now and I thought I must show you something!
One of my New Year's Resolutions was to start stitching on my UFOs and WIPs only and not start anything else.
So on January 1st I started stitching on my Balinese Dancer (or Indonesian Dancer) by Thea Gouverneur.
I really don't know how many years I have this, probably more than 15 I think!
I started it, made the face and stopped too tired to go on.
Then at some point started the head flowers did half and stopped and at another time I did the rest of the flowers (all in hues of white, beige and yellows) and stopped again!
As the stitching bug has come back to me the last few years and I am stitching more and more disciplined than any other time, hence managed to finish the Snowflower Diaries Joyful World SAL last year,I decided to stitch this too and maybe manage to finish it in 2017!
Here's a photo of how it was on January 1st.
Some photos on the process.
I even took it with my on my short holiday and also stitched all the week of the snowstorm that schools were closed!
And last night!After a whole month I managed to stitch the sleeve of her dress, which I think is the most difficult one!
And here's how it will look finished! (photo from the web)
I am eager to finish it I must say and I think by the end of February it will be done!
Better late than never.... just managed to squeeze one more post in before the end of the month!
Last Friday I had an annual leave day (Australia Day was on Thursday so I joined in with probably about 75% of the country and took Friday off for the 4 day weekend!) - sorry I digress.... so I had Friday off and had plans to just stitch all day ...
However.... my plans to stitch on my Joan Elliott piece didn't quite go to plan as I got sidetracked a bit!
Instead of stitching on Faces of JE on Friday night I finished off my moon on my Halloween Happiness project for the Halloween Ornie Blog.
My JE project will come back into the Friday night rotation again this week and will stay out until I get the Holly Fairy finished at the very least!
Til next week.... have lots fun frolicking and stitching!
It's the first time that I join you this year. And it's not a Friday Frolic but a Saturday Frolic, a late Saturday night Frolic, lol.
I pulled out my Rocky Mountains & Northwest Sampler by Ginger & Spice, which I started back in January 2014. The last time I stitched on it was in June 2016 and I left it here
On Saturday I added a pine tree in the bottom row.
Of course I couldn't put it down and have been stitching on since then.
I hope you haven't forgotten me, it's been so long since I posted here!
Last year I bought myself one of those magnifiers, with a light, that you hang round your neck. After the initial problems working out how to put batteries in, the light and magnifier has been a great help with my stitching. At first I couldn't get on with the weight of the magnifier balanced round my neck, but now I wouldn't want to stitch without it!
Unfortunately DH found its light distracting when we were watching TV ..... he could see it out the corner of his eye, however I now know to sit slightly facing away from him, and I think the problem is solved!
I'm so pleased I bought this little gadget! After purchasing I read on line that people were very unhappy with theirs, (mainly because of the problem putting the batteries in) but I've found mine has really helped me to keep my threads neatly aligned, and given me more of an inclination to cross stitch.
A week ago on Friday night I prep'd this Jane Greenoff UFO that has been lurking in our bookcase for years.
Pattern from Jane Greenoff's book:
"55 Country Cross Stitch Charts"
I found my stitching hoop, printed a copy of the pattern and stuck it onto card, punched holes for the threads and transferred them from the old scrap of card I'd used before.
I started working on these little flowers.
After all the prepping I only managed a few stitches, but that was good 'cos I was able to frolic along with the rest of you again this Friday night ..... although I haven't had a chance to take any more photos yet!
There are a number of other cross stitch UFO's lurking in our Dreaded Cupboard, and this year I'm aiming to go all out on completing some of them ..... making space for some new ones, of course!
I hope you were stitching last night too, and I look forward to reading what you are working on!
In true FF fashion, I faithfully went to my Girls' Nest to randomly choose a WIP/UFO. This week my hand fell upon this gorgeous very large UFO....
"Secret Santa" by Lavender and Lace.
Now, as is usual with a lot of my WIPs/UFOs, I have no idea when I started it, but as there is absolutely no mention of it on my main blog, Kitten Stitching, and I started that blog in 2011, it must be sometime before then!
This is what it looked like before FF: (not very much at all, really!)
And this is where I was up to after Friday night.....
And this is what it will look like - one day!
I hope that everyone else had a really great Friday Frolics, too.
Yet another Friday has come and gone... and I managed to put a few more stitches in on the "Holly Fairy". Not a lot of progress but every stitch done is a stitch less to do!
I am now planning to keep this WIP out for a bit longer than January so hopefully I will actually finish this square at long last! Maybe it might just have to stay my Friday night project until the whole project is completely finished!
Til next week, happy stitching and may the frog not come for a visit at your house! :o) Hugs xx
Can embroidery count as part of the Friday Frolicking? I hope so because it is my Friday Frolic project at the moment.
I started this kit by Plaid Bucilla last Saturday as my 'Friday' Frolic project for the month. It is my fun break away from crocheting.
I bought the kit from Joann's Fabric with a 50% off coupon so it was only $3.50. You can't beat that price for a fun project to try out your embroidery skills on :)
I made progress by filling in the satin stitch areas, doing some outline stitches around the French knots, and attempting to stitch some lazy daisies. I don't know why, but I've never been a fan of the lazy daisy stitch. When I stitch one, it never seems as 'full' as what is pictured on my design.
If I try to leave them bigger, it seems like the stitch isn't secure so I pull the stitch tighter. I'm seriously considering pulling out those stitches and satin stitching those areas.
Does anyone in the Frolic group work on embroidery designs? If so, do you have any tips for lazy daisy stitches? Is it supposed to be a loose stitch?
After a few more weeks of frolicking, I should have this project finished. My next project for the Frolicking Fridays will be a Halloween design from last years JCS Halloween magazine as I had purchased the fabric and threads for it back in October.
For my third frolic for this year, I "broke" the "rules" and actually chose a brand new project to stitch on rather than going to my Girl's Nest and choosing a WIP/UFO at random - oh well, all stitching is good stitching in my book!
This pretty design was a gift to me from a dear friend - isn't it pretty? I am in love with the 32ct spotted grey fabbie (the first pic shows the correct colour).
Design: Do more of what makes you happy
Designer: Abbey Rose Designs
Fabric: 32ct Grey-spotted
Floss: Mixture of suggested and own choice over-dyed threads
Pretty happy with my progress on this piece.
As this Friday was the third Friday in the month, this is also my Friday Night Sew In piece - you can check out what everyone else stitched for FNSI by clicking on the link.
... sorry for being tardy with my second FF post for the year but my sisters and I have been clearing out my Dad's home (now that he is in the nursing home) and boy, is it a big job - not only physically but emotionally, too. Thank heavens for my stitching and all of you, my dear Stitchy and Bloggy Friends, I could not do it without you all. Anyway, as usual on Friday, I went to my Girl's Nest to find a random WIP to stitch on that day. Well, that was the plan! So, anyway I found this languishing WIP .... Antique Rose Sampler (a DMC kit) ... but I have found no record of when I started this or any posts on it either on this blog or on my main blog, Kitten Stitching. Oh well, at least I am blogging about it now. As you can see, very little progress had been made, whenever it was that I did last stitch on it.
But then, much to my disappointment - not much was actually achieved on Friday night at all (and I am not sure why the fabbie is now looking green in this pic below).
So, vowing to remedy this over the weekend, by Sunday night, I am happy to say that some good progress was made....
This is what the final sampler will look like (one day!)
However, I must say, I am not thrilled with the "New Linen Thread", as advertised on the front, it is a bit like Danish Flower thread as it lack the shine of the usual DMC floss but my issue with it is that it is fraying quite easily and so is a bit tricky to work with.
Hopefully, I will get back to this sweet design one FF again, soon.
Hope you have not forgotten me, sorry for only posting once last year. I will try to post my regularly this year.
This Friday (and Saturday) I worked on my New year New Start.Here are progress pics:
My humble start on 1st Jan 2017
Progress on Day 4
Here is how the finished piece will look like
Dimension kit-Indian Peacock
I started the kit while I was on vacation in Dubai and forgot to pack the instruction sheet in the luggage. Yesterday I read the instructions and I think I will have some some troubles with half cross stitches. We will see when I come to that part, right now I'm enjoying stitching the peach stitches.
Just a quick post today... Friday night saw my "Faces of Joan Elliott SAL" come out again. I managed to get an hour or so of stitching in on the "Holly Fairy".
There are couple more Friday's yet to come in January so fingers crossed this block will be almost finished when the month is over.
Til then, happy stitching and may the frog stay far, far away Hugs xx
After frogging some of the mistakes the person that donated this I finally finished it on January 7th Hope to have it made into a stocking by next Christmas. No name on it because it will hang for any company we might have.
Last night was the first time in ages that I remembered to take a photo of my stitching starting point so that I could do a Friday Frolics post! This year I am going to try and use my Friday night stitching as more of a focused stitching time with a hope/plan that I might get a long forgotten WIP finished. This month's WIP that I want to focus on is the "Faces of Joan Elliott SAL" that I started back in 2014!
My starting point last night looks like this:
I worked on the "Holly Fairy" in the bottom corner and she now looks like this:
I managed to get a bit more of her hair stitched. Let's see how I go next Friday night. This piece will stay out for the whole of January so hopefully I will get that block finished during that time.
Til then, happy stitching and may the frog stay far, far away Hugs xx
... was a bit like Schrodinger's Cat - neither successful nor unsuccessful! For those of you who are wondering who Schrodinger and his cat were and why I am referencing them - Sheldon from The Big Bang explains it best (or click on the link above).
(TraderVic and I are huge fans of The Big Bang Theory and are quite addicted to the show - it is on repeats here in Oz every night, so we are able to feed our addiction regularly - lol!)
Anyway, I digress - onto the stitching.....
Now, the successful part was me completing a FFO from last year - Wee Santa 2016....
Design: Wee Santa 2016
Fabric: 28 ct Mocha linen
Floss: My own choice of specialty threads
Framing: By me in a Mill Hill frame
My dear friend, Wendy, from my LNS, taught me a neat trick for getting the design to sit nicely when you sew it over the cardboard - you have two lengths of thread and weave them like shoelaces. It worked like a dream, the stitching is sitting really flat and looks perfect - thank you so much, Wendy. xxxx
Now for the unsuccessful part... in true Friday Frolicking fashion, I chose a WIP at random from my ever growing pile of WIPs, UFOs and BAPs ....
Morning Song by Just Nan, I last posted about it on this post.
So, here is where I was up to before yesterday....
... and after, looking rather more crumpled and not much progress at all!
Design:Morning Song
Fabric: 28 ct Cream or Antique White linen
Floss: Suggested DMC threads
Okay, do you want to hear my excuses?
1. Plait stitch is really tricky to do, especially in a light green - I found it really hard to get a rhythm - there was a lot of frogging happening.
2. It was really, really hot yesterday, so the house was shut up tight with the air conditioner on, the outdoor sun blinds down and the plantation shutters shut - so the lighting was poorer than usual which affected 1. above.
3. Frantic morning video chats with DS2 in Sydney. DS2 video chats me on my mobile:
DS2: Dad, where's Dad? I need Dad! (Note: no greeting)
Me: Why do you need Dad, is everything all right?
DS2: No, our ceiling has fallen down and I don't know what to do! (Note: DS2 is 24 and lives in a sharehouse in Sydney and there were terrible storms in Sydney overnight)
Me (and TraderVic): Oh, my goodness, was anyone hurt? - Ring the SES (State Emergency Service) and ring the agent.
DS2: No, no one was hurt, we were all in bed (it was 9am), I tried the agent, the office is still shut for the Christmas/New Year break. What is the number for the SES?
Me: Does the agent have a head office or a mobile number?
DS2: No.
Me: (On the computer in Melbourne, remember DS2 lives in Sydney) The SES number is xxxx and the real estate agent's mobile number is xxxx. Ring both of them now. You may be told by the SES that you can't stay.
DS2: We have a back up plan if we have to move out, I'll ring the SES now but I can't bother the agent on his mobile.
Me: Yes, you can, he needs to know, so he can let the landlord know!!!!!
DS2: Okay. Talk again soon.
Me: (later that morning). How is it going?
DS2: Ses came
And said it will be fine
So land lord is getting people to come fix it
Me:You got onto the agent, then? Do you have to move out?
No we can stay
Yep glen is sorting it out
Me: Great, aren't you glad that I found his mobile number for you - just saying! lol!
DS2: Thx mummy (Remember he has just turned 24!)
(Later that morning I get another call)
DS2: it is still raining and now the living room is flooding.
Me: Have you shifted the furniture? (couch, dining table and chairs, TV, etc.)
DS2:Nah! It is only a millimetre or two.
Me: What if it keeps raining and you don't have contents insurance?
DS2: Nah, she'll be right (very typical Aussie attitude), it's only a little bit of water and rain.
Me: I give up!
I am not sure what else has happened as DS2's mobile phone has now broken down - so I have to Message him via his best friend's phone who is staying with him for a few days before heading back to Melbourne and DS2 starts a new job on Monday. It never ends with your children, does it? lol!
4. Daytime naps needed to be had due to 2. and 3. above and the fact that it has been really hot overnight so little sleep has been had.
5. TraderVic, DS1 and DDIL and I all played a lively game of Monopoly_Melbourne Edition in the evening, which severely cut into my stitching time.
So, there you go, all sound like reasonable excuses to me! lol!
Just to finish off, the cats are feeling the effects of the hot weather, too. Milo and Nobu are engaged in a Mexican Standoff ....
... and Furio has just given up!
Poor furbabies, mind you, they could sleep in the cool, air conditioned rooms but no!
So, that was my first Friday Frolic for the year. Rather an eventful one, now that I think about it!
And what did I do last Friday? Instead of pulling out a very old project my fingers were itching to start something new. So, why not? I thought. I was browsing through my kitted projects and found Véronique Enginger's Etude à l'Hortensia. It's from an older French stitching magazine. Here is where I am now after stitching a little bit more over the weekend.
Needless to say that there is also some confetti stitching involved. But I don't mind as there is only little backstitching.
