Gifts

All my latest stitching has been for gifts, isn't it always the same at this time of year!
I must confess that a couple of items have left the house with their new owners and I haven't any pictures of them. Oops!
Well anyway, here are the ones I have got pictures for :-)
This bookmark was for my Dad's birthday, he is a bit of a train buff. The pattern is from one of my old cross stitch books, I changed the colours to suit my dad a little better. Stitched with DMC on 28ct white evenweave, backed with felt.
BTW the book is one of my favourites, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It is so very good :-) I'm hoping my dad will love it too.
This little ornament is for my mum :-) She picked this out of this years JCS ornament issue. It's 'Angels Sent' by Still Stitching with Susan. I used HDF silk in BeRedded on 32ct cream linen.

Lastly here is the little ornament I made for DH Stuart. Crap picture, but it really is a sweet little finish :-) Stitched with DMC, over 1, on 32ct cream evenweave.

I have managed to select and kit up all 15 of the projects for the Crazy January Challenge. What fun I had, but it was so hard to get to my final 15. I don't have all the floss I need for each project, but I have enough to be able to make a start on each one, and then I'll order what I need when I need it.

Sorry! What was tht? Oh, you want to know what my 15 projects are? Well, I've put a list in my sidebar over on the right. Where possible, I've also linked to a picture of the finished design too. When I get started they'll link to a current WIP picture.

I haven't bought any new charts, all 15 were in my stash already. Most are simply 'for the house' in that they are for us to decorate our home, there are a few that deserve special mention though. Moon & Starts is for my son, Cameron, who loves the night sky. Friendship by Brightneedle is for a very, very dear friend. Also I think Coffin Buzz deserves a mention because I already started stitching this design ages ago. Ages ago as in 2008! I was stitching it over 1 and was really getting sick of it, so it was put away and hasn't been worked on since. I found it whilst looking through my stash today and knew that it had to be one of my 15, but I am going to restart it over 2. I still love the design it is just the over 1 I was over! :-)

So that's my lot. I have all presents wrapped, all food prep done and now I am going to go and have some mulled wine and a mince pie.

Wishing you all a very merry christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Sadie x

What I did....

....when I wasn't blogging. Grab a cuppa this is a looooooooooooooooong post :-)



First up is the biggest of all the finishes and a big happy dance for me :-) 'Autumn Row' by Bent Creek. Please excuse the creases, I wanted to get pictures before the sun disappeared, so didn't iron first.

Close up pics too.


I really enjoyed stitching this one and I have a frame already so next year I will be able to hang this, and spooky row too, for all to see :-) Many thanks once again to Cath for the generous loan of the chart x

Can you guess who this is for? Yep, you got it. Wasn't really that hard to work out was it! This one is for my wonderful little brother, Gavin. He is a joiner (carpenter) and this year he has really helped us out with work on our house, work that we would not have been able to have done had he not done it. We are so grateful for all his help and hard work, he really is a star.

Lizzie Kate, 'A Brother' Snippet. Stitched on 28ct light mocha evenweave with DMC floss.

I've placed a ruler in the next picture so you can see just how tiny my next finish is.Just under 2" tall. This tiny beauty is for my DH Stuart, who is the most amazing man. I changed the year from the one charted. This is a design by the wonderful Tanya over at The Sampler Girl, and is called 'Merry Christmas, My Love'. Stitched over one (what was I thinking!) on 32ct cream evenweave with DMC floss.

Three bookmarks for DH's grandma to give as gifts to friends. All were stitched with DMC on 2" wide, gold edged, 18ct aida banding.

My favourite is the middle one. All patterns taken from the book '500 Flower & Animal Cross Stitch Designs' by Julie Hasler.

I picked out this next design with a particular person in mind, but I took so long to finish it that the season has now past. I was going to stitch something else but I have now decided to just finish it and send it. It wouldn't bother me to receive something 'out of season' and I'm sure it won't bother the recipient either. Hopefully :-) Such pretty colours. Stitched with DMC on 28ct white linen.

The design is called 'Autumn Leaves' and is by Jodi Watson. The pattern is available for free on Cyberstitchers. I did change some of the colours as I felt they were too bright and didn't fit with the rest of the colours. I have kept a note of the changes I made (somewhere!?) if anyone wants to know what I used, email me and I'll hunt them out.

One of the LHN ornament series next. This is ornament number five, 'Winter Sheep'. Again, please forgive the creased fabric.

Stitched with DMC on 28ct bayleaf jobelan. This one is staying here with me and will hopefully be on the tree this year :-)

Another one that is staying here with us :-) This is 'French Country Star' by JBW Designs from this years JCS Ornament issue.

I didn't fancy the over one stitching after already stitching DH's ornament over one, so this is over 2 on 28ct white evenweave, with CC Apple Fritter. I couldn't stand it not being symmetrical, so I made it the same on each side :-) OCD much! LOL

Another one destined to remain here with us :-) and my favourite :-D you all know how much I love Prairie Schooler!

This is 'Blue Crescent Santa' By Prairie Schooler (booklet 53) stitched on 28ct black evenweave with DMC floss. I'm thinking a blue/white cording for this one. Yum!

So, as you can see I have been very busy stitching up a storm, and now I need to get busy finishing up a storm!

Well done to all who have made it to the end of this post, maybe I'll have commemorative badges made :-) LOL

Sadie x

Santa baby

I see that my ornament for the HoE exchange has arrived at it's new home with Melissa, glad you like it :-) So I can now safely share a picture of what I stitched.

Crescent face santa from booklet 53 by Prairie Schooler

28ct black evenweave

DMC floss

Homemade cording using DMC floss

I had such a hard time parting with this one! It was a really fun, quick stitch and I love how it turned out. Yet another one that I will have to stitch again for myself someday :-)

I think I may have slightly lost my mind! I have signed up for this challenge. The idea is to start a new project every day, for the first 15 days of January, and then finish them all by the end of the year. Gulp! I am going to start choosing my 15 today, I expect it will not be an easy task, but I know it will be fun, I love stash diving!. Are you doing it too? :-)

I was out in the garden yesterday and couldn't resist taking a picture of this spiders' web. Decorated for the season by Jack Frost

Isn't it so pretty.

Stay warm,

Sadie x

Easing back in

Hello folks :-) So I'm feeling a little less stressed out about the situation I very vaguely mentioned in my last post, I am such a worrier at times. Thankfully I feel like things are going to be okay and fingers crossed everyone will be happy.
And I think that it is about time that I made an appearance here on my blog (what do you think of the new festive look?). Thank you all so very much for your patience and also for your wonderful comments and the lovely emails I have been receiving, they all mean so much.
Although I have not been blogging, I have been stitching :-) and I will have some pictures for you next week.
I took part in a christmas ornament exchange on the Hooked on Exchanging blog. Stitching for me was LynnB. I have long admired Lynn's beautiful stitching, so I was thrilled to be the recipient of this lovely ornament.

It really is fab. Thank you so much Lynn :-)

We have been luck to escape much of the snow that has been blanketing the rest of the U.K. we have only had about 2" but we are suffering with the bitterly cold temperatures though. I can't remember a time when I have had to wear so many layers! Thankfully we have central heating, and a coal fire in the lounge which has been helping to keep us all cozy, and get the washing dried too :-)
I hope that wherever you are, you are managing to keep warm too.
Sadie x