Temperature SAL and January round up

What a busy month, I have been amazed at how much stitching I have done. 17 items stitched and just five not finished, one of which I hope to finish today. The other four will not be fully finished until the end of the year because they are the weeks of my Temperature SAL.

I'm using Jardin Prive's design but only the flower. As you know I try not to stitch anything that does not have a purpose and much as I loved the JP design I did not want to stitch a full design to be framed. I do need some more cake bands as I only really have the snowmen for our Christmas cake and one other that is a bit too small to use. 

So I'm doing two bands: winter will be January - March and October - December, my summer band will be April - September. I'm stitching every Sunday for the previous week - my days sit so they follow on continuously, an idea Jardin Prive suggested. Here's how it works: 

   Sun   Mon              Sun   Mon

Sat   Tue   Fri         Sat   Tue   Fri

   Wed  Thu               Wed  Thu

These are the DMC co.ours I'm using for each temperature:

Below -9 = white
-8 to -4 = 3747
-3 to 1 = 794
2 to 6 = 3807
7 to 11 = 3835
12 to 16 = 326
17 to 21 = 3833
22 to 26 = 722
27 to 31 = 725 
Above 32 = 3823

I decided to offset my temperature blocks as when I did it before it seemed to always fall in the same block, they are still 5 degrees and it's probably psychological. If we have any snow I will add a bit of silver to that petal. 

This year my blog posts will mainly be for featured ideas, I like being organised and after such disruption in many ways over recent times it's nice to be back on track. Here's my blogging plans: 

Topsy Turvy SAL (1st) 

Finished Objects (10th) hosted by Rachel

Gifted Gorgeousness (15th) hosted by Jo

Topsy Turvy SAL reveal (20th)

Smalls SAL (last Friday of the month) hosted by Mary

Monthly roundup (last day of the month)

After many years of struggling with my previous sewing machine I decided to buy a new one. Another Janome but as I only do basic stitching I bought a reasonably priced one. I bought it online from Hobbycraft as it was cheaper than instore and came with a free box of goodies. I've used it on three projects already and love it.

Being a lower model it did not come with a hard case as my previous on did, although I will say that wasn't dust proof haha. I noticed John Lewis had a sale on and in it was a few of their machine bags ... it would have been very silly not to wouldn't it! 

My new bag holds my machine, it's instruction book and my freebie box of extras. This model is also without a storage box for my extra feet and other machine bits so of course I went box hunting in my stash and have found one the perfect size. This too fits in my new bag, it will be upcycled with a stitched top but more about that in a future post.

All in all it's been a very productive and stitchy enjoyable month, hopefully February and the other ten months will be just as good! 

January Smalls

Mary at Mary's Thread is hosting the Smalls SAL again in 2022. On the last Friday of the month we share our small stitching items that we have completed but not necessarily fully finished. Mary has a link up post on her blog so we can pop over to see everyone's work, it's super to see all the lovely stitching. Thank you Mary for hosting this great SAL. 

Before I share my Smalls I must apologise for the non ironed photos. I had had the iron out to do another project (it's a gift so I can't share yet) but I forgot to iron my smalls - hee hee.

My first small is The Robin's Gift by The Little Stitcher as part of Jo's JCS Stitch Along on Facebook. I used a grey fabric and am going to finish him as a mini cushion, he's so cute isn't he!

My next small is something for me. I love upcycling a box, I have always loved using boxes and tins for things and have many empty boxes in my drawer because 'one day they will be useful'. One such box is my Radley watch box, it was far to nice to throw away (my watch is in my jewel case) but I wasn't sure what it would be used for. I have just bought a new sewing machine and the Radley box is a perfect pin cushion for next to my machine, the inner cushion is perfect but the top needed covering. 

It's always tricky with a box as the size can be restricting, I see many designs but they just don't fit. After lots of calculations I found Durene Jones 'One stitch at a time' on 22count would be perfect, it was a bit tricky doing the back stitch. As it's quite small I also struggled with a charm for the top but in my button box I found a tiny covered button in the perfect colour. I'm hoping to have it all assembled for February's FFO. 

Are you doing a temperature SAL this year? There are quite a few available this year, I did one in 2019 but I still haven't fully finished them. I'm trying to only stitch things I know what to make up as, it can be so tempting to stitch designs just because they are so lovely but never actually make them up. 

Anyway I quite liked Jardin Prive's SAL this year but I have no place for a framed picture. I do however need new cake bands as I only have the snowmen and one other. I have taken the flower design from the JP SAL and will stitch two bands of 26 flowers each. My winter band will be January to March and October to December,  my summer band April to September. 

My stitching plan is to do each week's flower on a Sunday evening, so far I'm on track with the first three weeks of January done. The petal edge is the highest temperature of the day and the inner is the coldest. 

My final two smalls are two more letters for my Alphabet Tree. I am using two different designs and now have A and Z in both. I'm not sitching all the letters of each design as that would be 52 letters, too many for the tree as I will also have quite a few letters gifted from my stitchy friends.  

What am I talking about? Well my tree for St. Lawrence's Tree Festival in 2022 will be an Alphabet Tree. I'm planning to stitch the DMC Bead Alphabet (as cross stitch) and the Assisi Alphabet from an old The World of Cross Stitching magazine. 

I'm using pastel coloured fabric and have chosen threads to compliment each fabric; I have pink, green and blue. I have edged each design using DMC Rayon 35200 and frayed the edges. Each design is mounted on white foam felt cut to the exact size with silver ribbon for the hanger as you can see with my finished As.

If you would like to help with the ornaments for the tree I'd love to receive your letters. Here's the details: 

Fabric - any pastel colour, any count size

Thread - any make, any colour

Design size - no larger than 2.5" x 2.5" 

Fabric size - minimum 4" x 4" so I have room for the border and fraying

I live in the UK and to help with postage and customs please just stitch the letter on your fabric and send it to me inside a card. I will make up the letters so they are all the same finish.

If you would like to stitch a letter, maybe your initial, please let me know in the comments and I will forward my postal address. I'm so looking forward to stitching the other letters, thank you to everyone who has offered to help, special thank you to Rachel who has already stitched and sent two letters. 

TTSAL January - Easter

 

Today is the opening day for the second Topsy Turvy SAL album on Facebook - Easter January 22

As well as joining the TT SAL on Facebook, you can post about your stitching on your own blog or join in with the members of Needlecraft Haven but please wait until the 20th of the month so all our projects are shared at the same time.

My Easter stitching is a Lace Egg which is a free chart from Jardin Prive. I used plastic canvas with DMC variegated thread.

The backing is foam felt and the ribbon is from our Panettone box at Christmas, it's the perfect colour match.

I might stitch this again (when I have a free moment hee hee) I think I have some dark brown fabric in my stash, it would be very effective stitched in white - a chocolate decorated egg! 

I quite enjoyed stitching an Easter design after so much Christmas. TTSAL for the next two months is on the theme of summer, I think I know just which project I'll do.

Gifted Gorgeousness in January

The 15th of each month means it's Gifted Gorgeousness time, the time each month when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

This great idea is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching,  if you visit her blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts. Thank you Jo for hosting another year of GG, it's great fun posting and reading. 

I make no apologies for showing these again, especially the first item which was the Faby Reilly humbug I stitched for our daughter and partner for Christmas. It was my first humbug but it won't be my last, it was lovely to stitch and finish. It was a double GG as I bought the chart with a gift voucher I received for the Christmas before.

In 2021 our friends became grandparents for the second time, their beautiful granddaughter Grace arrived in the summer. In 2020 their grandson Rory was born and for his first Christmas I stitched a name plaque ... so this year I stitched one for Grace. Her bedroom theme is Disney and luckily in my folders of old magazine pages I found Pooh and Piglet, I did make slight alterations to fit her name on the kite.

Of course I could not miss Rory out so I stitched him an ornament for his tree This was a Durene Jones free chart available on her Facebook page. I think he's a very cute hedgehog.

My other GG items are gifts for my friends, over 2021 I stitched many ornaments either with Jo and her JCS Stitch group on Facebook, or for the Seasonal Challenges with the members of Needlecraft Haven. As I'm stitching each one it becomes apparent which ornament is for which friend, there is usually something that links them. 

There's quite a few, to be honest I was amazed to find I had stitched 65 items in 2022, just three are yet to be fully finished. I'll be stitching more ornaments this year, I wonder who they will be for.

My next GG is also a double as again it was purchased with gift vouchers. I bought a felt kit and loved making it, a change from cross stitch. I gifted it to a very dear friend.

My candle is the first finish of 2022 from a gift I received. My lovely friend Brenda in Canada sent this in my Christmas parcel. It was lovely to sit over the festive time and stitch something so poignant, candles are very important to me, I light fragranced ones most evenings and have a special pillar candle we light on days we're remembering loved ones.

My final GG goes back to last Easter when I received this lovely card from Julie as part of the Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange. It doesn't look like a card does it? That's because I have used the design to make an Easter ornament.

If you are taking part in the Topsy Turvy SAL it's Easter stitching this month, I have stitched and finished my Easter item, blog posting day for TTSAL is the 20th so all will be revealed in a few days. 

I wonder what gifts 2022 will bring, I'm already working on one for a special lady who's birthday is in February. I'm also working on this year's church tree items which to me are a gift to others as I know the joy people get from visiting the tree filled church. 

My tree for St. Lawrence's Tree Festival in 2022 will be an Alphabet Tree. I'm planning to stitch the DMC Bead Alphabet (as cross stitch) and the Assisi Alphabet from an old The World of Cross Stitching magazine. 

I'm using pastel coloured fabric and have chosen threads to compliment each fabric; I have pink, green and blue. I have edged each design using DMC Rayon 35200 and frayed the edges. Each design is mounted on white foam felt cut to the exact size with silver ribbon for the hanger. 

I know many of my stitching friends have asked about helping with the ornaments for the tree, I'd love to receive your letters. Here's the details: 

Fabric - any pastel colour, any count size

Thread - any make, any colour

Design size - no larger than 2.5" x 2.5" 

Fabric size - minimum 4" x 4" so I have room for the border and fraying

I live in the UK and to help with postage and customs please just stitch the letter on your fabric and send it to me inside a card. I will make up the letters so they are all the same finish.

If you would like to stitch a letter, maybe your initial, please let me know in the comments and I will forward my postal address. I'm so looking forward to stitching the other letters, thank you to everyone who has offered to help.

Fully Finished in January

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is hosting Fully Finished Objects again in 2022. It's a super chance for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished. Thanks Rachel, your FFO prompt each month really helps me finish my projects instead of them still in my project folders.

My first Fully Finished Object to share is my Orts Ornie, you may have seen it in my post at the end of 2021. Every year I collect my orts and use them to stuff my final ornament of the year. This design was Christmas Keepsakes chart given to me for Christmas and was perfect for my Orts Ornie.

You may have also seen my next FFO items - my sets of 12 Days of Christmas. I loved stitching these as a SAL on Facebook and with Needlecraft Haven. I am so so proud of them and as both sets are now complete I wanted to include them as Fully Finished.

My other FFO for Christmas was the humbug I stitched for our daughter and partner but I'll share the details in my GG post in a few days. 

This is my first FFO of 2022, it's a beautiful mini kit gifted to me by Brenda my good friend in Canada. I used the spare threads to make the hanging.

And now for two very special finishes ... the first two ornaments for my 2022 church tree. I am a little disappointed that the glue ran on one, it was a new glue not my usual crafting glue: next time I'll be using spray adhesive. 

Anyway my tree for St. Lawrence's Tree Festival in 2022 will be an Alphabet Tree. I'm planning to stitch the DMC Bead Alphabet (as cross stitch) and the Assisi Alphabet from an old The World of Cross Stitching magazine. 

I'm using pastel coloured fabric and have chosen threads to compliment each fabric; I have pink, green and blue. I have edged each design using DMC Rayon 35200 and frayed the edges. Each design is mounted on white foam felt cut to the exact size with silver ribbon for the hanger. 

I know many of my stitching friends have asked about helping with the ornaments for the tree and I'd love to receive your letters. Here's the details: 

Fabric - any pastel colour, any count size

Thread - any make, any colour

Design size - no larger than 2.5" x 2.5" 

Fabric size - minimum 4" x 4" so I have room for the border and fraying

I live in the UK and to help with postage and customs please just stitch the letter on your fabric and send it to me inside a card. I will make up the letters so they are all the same finish.

If you would like to stitch a letter, maybe your initial, please let me know in the comments and I will forward my postal address. I'm so looking forward to stitching the other letters, thank you to everyone who has offered to help. 

Topsy Turvy SAL - Easter

Happy New Year to you all 🎉

This month we're stitching Easter which seems very odd on New Year's Day. I have a few Easter ornaments from exchanges but every year I seem to miss stitching something for myself. 

Here's a few freebie links:

Easter Bunny by Tiny Modernist

Easter Bunny by Durene Jones

Easter Eggs by Maria Diaz

And there is a huge list at Free Cross Stitch Pattern Central, the list is huge and I have not checked any copyrights so please make sure before you use any. 

I have no idea what I'll be stitching, I'm quite liking Durene Jones designs at the moment so I'm going to check her Facebook page. 

This is an ornament I made from the beautiful Easter card I received from Julie in Needlecraft Haven's Easter Exchange. 

TTSAL is about doing any craft, not just cross stitch. You can join in Topsy Turvy SAL by blogging about your project, joining the TTSAL on Facebook or with Needlecraft Haven. The 20th of each month is the date for revealing your crafting, have fun!