2014 WIPocalypse May Update

Hello stitchers,

 I have decided to include another of my projects in my WIPocalypse list. I am moving Prairie Schooler alphabet from my Turtle Trot project list to WIPocalypse. I cannot stop stitching on it so I figure it is moving faster than a turtle and should be moved up ranks. I have just finished "D is for Drum"and made a start with "E is for Embroidery". This block will be so pretty with a lady stitching a floral embroidery in a frame. The frame is what you can see.

I have had fun adding the tower to the side of the castle in this Bothy Threads Cut Thru'. It's progressing pretty fast all up. I have almost finished stitching my sixth page.

Promises Kept by Dimenesions The Gold Collection is only just clinging to my list as I have lost so much motivation with it. I really must pull my finger out and give it more time! I have stitched more on the elephant this month. I know it is a lovely stitch but I need lots of concentration to stitch it as the colours are blended at times and the chart is hardish to read.

If you would like to view my stitching in more detail, you can check out my video below showing my progress:



As part of the monthly WIPocalypse update we are asked to answer the following questions:What designs or themes do you really wish you could find?  What do you think is missing among stitching designs?  I would more  cross stitch patterns featuring  characters from books, words, typography or maps. I recently purchased this pattern  featuring classic book spines. This style of cross stitch is right up my alley. More like that would appeal to me.

Thanks for viewing and happy stitching...
                                                        Jan x 

March WIPocalypse update...

Happy Sunday all,

The most progress for my WIPocalypse has been on the Bothy Threads Cut Thru' Castle. I have almost finished my sixth page out of nine so I am happy with that.

The sixth page is about the castle moat.  It has a cute anchor, seaweed and goldfish.

I have struggled to be motivated stitching on Promises Kept which depicts Noah's Ark.  The blending of colours means that I have to be wide awake and enthusiastic which I haven't been. I will put it to the forefront this coming month though.  Nonetheless I have stitched on the sheep and partially stitched an elephant at the front to the ark.

Measi who hosts WIPocalypse would like us to share our favourite stitching place. If the weather is fabulous, I really enjoy sitting outside on my deck during the afternoon and stitching with the view of the River Derwent stretched out before me.  I really am lucky that my home has such a view.

Happy stitching…
                        Jan x

2014 February WIPocalypse & GYB Winner...

I apologise for being two days late for the February WIPocalypse update. The problem was it clashed with the previous post for Valentine's day and I didn't want to combine the two together. So today is my WIPocalypse post.

There are two question posed for this update by Measi who host WIPocalypse. Firstly, how many projects do you generally feel comfortable having in progress at a time?  Secondly what are your stitching habits- one-at-a-time or rotation between projects.

In answer to the first question I like to have a few projects on the go but definitely don't like more than 13 which I currently have. Over the last few years I have added a few more WIPs to my list as I have got more involved in blogging, partly because I meet people who I want to join a SAL with or I see projects that I just have to start.  I don't want to start any more right at this moment until I finish some off.  I don't mind having a few on the go as it means that I can switch between projects as I feel like it.  

In regards to question two, I spend the majority of my time stitching the WIPocalypse projects (see below) then one evening per month during the first 10 days of the month I stitch on my Turtle Trot SAL projects. I stitch on a Bothy Threads Cut Thru' SAL with Justine on Wednesdays which I have nicknamed Pirate Wednesdays. Once every fortnight I stitch on the Prairie Schooler Alphabet with local friends (and Kevin in cyberland). This way I can keep moving forwards with all my projects.

Here is my progress for February with my two WIPocalypse projects:

Bothy Threads Cut Thru' Castle 
Before (last week's update):

After: more of the moat is done!

Dimensions Promises Kept
Before:

After: the sheep and lion have been filled in!

GROW Your Blog Competition Winner
A massive thank you to all that visited my blog during Grow Your Blog Linky Party. I am excited to announce that comment number 28 is the winner! So the winner  of the Tassie Treats is Jen Barnard. I will send you an email right away and organise delivery.

Happy Stitching Everyone!!!
                   Jan x

WIPoclaypse January Introduction...

I am excited to join in with the 2014 WIPocalypse that Measi is hosting at Measi's Musings. I last did WIPocalypse in 2012 and it motivated me to finish a large sampler. 

Measi wants us to introduce ourselves also. I guess most of my readers know me and my style but if you don't here is a little detail. I am mid-40s and live on an island, Tasmania in Australia. I am married to David, a newly qualified obstetrician and gynaecologist about to start private private in 2 weeks. So exciting and scary but yes, this means he is moving back home permanently with us (he has been working and living 4 hours away from us over the last 12 months). I am also a doctor who works part-time in general practice seeing a wide range of patients. My favourite thing about GPLand is following a patient through a pregnancy, then meeting their new addition and watching the baby grow and thrive over time. 

To balance my work life I have a creative side. I have been cross stitching since I was twelve. It was something I always went back to as I found it relaxing and easy to do in the evenings. I have become much more serious about it since 2009 when I joined Blog Land. I found bloggers who cross stitch were so friendly and inspiring that my craft/quilting blog has become pretty much all about CROSS STITCH!

Back to WIPoclaypse now.  Here are the projects I want to work on and hopefully finish. during 2014.  I will post progress at every full moon.  I have two largish projects that are my WIPocalypse stitches.  I only have two as I know that plenty of stitching time is needed on both of them this year in order to finish them. Cross stitch is slower than it looks (in my experience). I probably only get to stitch for 1-2 hours per day.

Project 1

Promises Kept by Dimensions The Gold Collection.  

For those of you interested in buying the kit you can purchase it here. 

I have been stitching this Noah's Ark project since 2009 when a friend gave it to me. She had stitched half of the ark and lost interest. I think she started the project in 2000 so it is an oldie but a goodie. I have picked it up from time to time until more recently when I have been working on it more regularly. 

Finally I am working on the lower half of the ark.  The project looks deceivingly close to a finish but alas it has a vine border with lots of little animals surrounding it. There is a lot of mixing of colours too which makes this project slower.  Admittedly, when I stitched the giraffe this week I totally eliminated a mixing colour.  I couldn't find the second colour to blend with the yellow as it wasn't labelled well, so I just used the yellow as a double strand. 

Before photo:

After photo:

Project 2

Cut Thru' Castle Bothy Threads

I started the Cut Thru' Castle mid-2013.  In January, I have almost finished stitching the fourth room which is the Royal Bathroom and the Dragon's Lair.  There is just a little man climbing a ladder to stitch on the right of the sampler to finish off before I move stitching the 5th page.  There are 9 pages in total so I am almost halfway there.  Over January I have done more backstitching in the King's Chamber.

Before photo:

After photos:

 You need a medal if you have read all of this post!  Happy WIPocalypsing…

                                                                 Jan x

More on Noah's Ark cross stitch sampler...

Despite it being only a week (or less) to Christmas, I have stitched more of the rainbow on the Noah's Ark Dimensions sampler over the last week. Just the blue inner rainbow arc and the back stitching on the words left.

Dimensions Gold Collection
Promises Kept

I am totally in love with anything especially antique Noah's arks! I have even started a pinterest board featuring them. 

Have a fabulous week leading up to Christmas...

                                                                    Jan x

Dust off the Noah's Ark cross stitch...

I cannot believe it's been so long since I have stitched on this sampler. It is called Promises Kept by Dimensions. Its been a little tricky to stitch the rainbow - I am always miscounting it- so I put it aside and forgot about it.  Last night, I dusted off the cobwebs and stitched two pretty doves flying over the rainbow.

My soul is rejuvenated when I touch and read a new craft book.  This time, granny chic by Tif Fussell and Rachelle Blondel tickled my fancy. I bought this book with a birthday voucher. This book has fuelled my dreams for renovating a caravan and filling it with 'granny' goodness. I cannot wait. It might be a two to three year wait but it will be worth it. I will have to get out my crochet hook and doilies and start some projects for my van in advance.

Well I promise to stitch more on Noah's Ark soon as I want Tom to enjoy looking at it on his bedroom wall before he grows out of it!

Thanks for visiting my garden...
                                               Jan x

Noah's Ark cross stitch Promises Kept WIP...

Hello everyone,

 

I have progressed nicely with the Noah's Ark cross stitch project since the last post, especially on the rainbow.  It stitches up quite fast being half cross stitches. I will work on it more tonight. I just have a small amount of stitching left to do on the top part of the sampler; the rainbow, the words ("two by two they came") and the doves.  Then I can finish stitching on the lower deck.

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below and you can view video about my Noah's Ark cross stitch on my YouTube Channel thread garden:

                 Video         

 

 

 

With spring in the air thank you for walking through my Aussie garden...

                                                                                                            Jan

 

Notes:  Noah's Ark is called "Promises Kept" and produced as a kit version by Dimensions The Gold Collection.  It is stitched on 18ct Aida.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006HIH2U/?tag=threadgarden-20

Noah's Ark Cross Stitch progress...

Good morning friendly readers,

My Noah's Ark cross stitch is coming along nicely. You can click here to compare with the previous post.

A half rainbow has formed across the sky along with a dove, berries on the tree and some birds.  The phrase across the rainbow just needs some backstitching so it can be read. I will keep the phrase a mystery for now so stay tuned. 

I have some cross stitching time tomorrow afternoon with girlfriends which should allow me to complete the rainbow. I am lucky as it is stitched in half stitch so it is two times as quick as cross stitch.

I love anything Noah's Ark so I really enjoy seeing this WIP grow.  This cross stitch design reminds me so much of Debbie Mumm designs. Remember her? I have always admired a Noah's Ark quilt that some of my friends stitched years ago.   Now I have found this quilt as a cross stitch design and I can see why the one I am stitching reminds me of her work.

Hope you get lots of stitching in this weekend. Thanks for dropping by...

                                                                                                           Jan x

Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' Castle and IHSW

Happy stitching Tuesday everyone!

The other day I posted that I had bought two Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' kits. I left you in suspense until my last post when I revealed one is Gypsy Wagon.  Well the other is the Castle!  Gypsy Wagon is for me as I adore homes on wheels.  The other is for Toddler Tom's bedroom wall. I am sure he will love it. I am joining Linda's Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' Monday SAL with the Castle.

This kit makes it so easy to pick up a thread and stitch as the threads are pre-cut. Love that! I have started stitching the centre picture which is a king knighting a brave soldier.

The weekend past was IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend). Despite a crazy busy Saturday I managed to find stitching time on Sunday evening and here is the progress...

The lighthouse is almost finished on Block 1 of Shores of HRH.

I stitched a tree on the Dimensions Noah's Arks sampler. Next on this is to stitch the berries on the tree.

 

Enjoy your day...

                             Jan x

 

I love to cross stitch...

...and I wish there was more time to spend on it! Now I have that off my chest I will share what progress I have made over the last few days. Not nearly enough let me tell you.

I wish more could have been added to Shores of HRH. Since the last update here, the lighthouse is taller and I have completed adding the lemon thread behind the L.

I have backstitched cats (well I think they are cats) on the Noah's Ark sampler which are standing near the half stitched tree on the right. I will now work on finishing that tree.  My last post is here so you can see the progress

Lovely of you to stroll through my garden...
                                                              Jan x

Noah's Ark cross stitching fun...

Hello everyone.  Hope you enjoy your time reading my stitchy blog.

I have had an evening or two in the last week stitching on Noah's Ark.  Cheeky monkeys are now playing on the ark roof.  The shutters have been backstitched and the tree on the right is growing (boom, boom). You can see my previous post here about Noah and his ark.

I have been playing with punches and my new sewing machine.  I punched these butterflies using paper from the Crate Paper's most delightful 6x6 paper range called Pretty Party. My Janome stitched through the two punch beautifully. I linked the butterflies as I sewed. They will make a pretty addition to a card or a scrapbook page. I am off to make more.

 

Linda from Stitchin with my Furbabies thought it was a good idea if I joined her Bothy Threads Cut-Thru SAL. So of course I dutifully obeyed (it wasn't hard to talk me into it) and I bought not one but two Cut-Thrus.  And I also threw in the Bothy Threads Kings and Queens kit which I think is fabulous as if I am paying for postage for one kit, then why not make the postage cover three kits! They are coming from the UK so may take a few weeks.   Now which Cut-Thrus did I get?  Guesses please.

Hope you get some stitchy time today...
                                                          Jan x

Cross stitch delights...

It was fab some of you shared your weekend projects.  I wasn't stitching "alone" which made stitching even more delightful and motivating. So how did your weekend projects go?

This is my weekend wrap which just happened to be a long weekend to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. Yay, even more time to stitch - well sort of! The rhinos came in two by two...yes they are now backstitched on the Noah's Ark cross stitch sampler by Dimensions. The next part of this sampler I will tackle is to outline the shuttered windows. You can compare my progress with the previous post here.

Block 1 of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow had more stitching time. I finished the word "Light". I am using the DMC version which is as luscious, but cheaper option than the hand dyed threads. I hope I won't regret that decision!

Finally I have started my first Christmas ORNIE!! What have I been waiting for?  Basically to get organised.  I have had the pattern and a couple of threads lying around but never started it.  It is "Bringing Home the Tree" by Little House Needleworks.  I read on a blog somewhere about a mother stitching an ornament for each child. I think this is a great idea as I know my children will totally love that idea. I have stitched a Shepherd's Bush Christmas stocking for them each (which you can see here) but they were made quite a while ago so I am ready for new Christmas stitching.

 

Today I am sharing my post in a linky party at Handmade Harbour.

 

Thanks for wandering through my garden...

 

                                                                 Jan x

An Evening with Noah's Ark and Shores of HRH stitcheries...

What a fab time I have had working on Noah's Ark tonight snuggled on my sofa with my 12yo son, a glass of port and a new TV show to watch. I have started viewing the first series of a boxed DVD set, Once Upon A Time- loving it by the way.You will be pleased to know my kangaroos now have been backstitched  and are ready to jump off the page! The rhinos are next in line for backstitching.

 

 

 

I have also spent more time on Block 1 of the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow.  Shores is such an easy pattern to follow especially in front of the TV. It is a simpler pattern to read than Noah's Ark which is full of mixing colours, half cross stitch and back stitch. But they will both be so worth it!

 





 

 

What are you working on this weekend?  I would love to hear your stitchy plans.

 

I am sending a big wave and welcome to my new followers!!!I hope you enjoy sharing my crafting journey.

 

Enjoy a stitchy weekend..

                                     Jan x

Noah's Ark cross stitch coming along...

Noah's ark has reached new heights! I have very nearly finished the roof and outlined some darling little birds.  Can you spot the clouds as well? They are new too. If you want to see progress from my last post you can find it here. 

Such a fun stitch.  It's lovely to watch Noah's paired animals come to life.

Next up is to outline the kangaroos which have been in plague proportions in my garden over the last week.  Poor them, as I have fixed my electric gates and they can now only look into my garden from the outside. My plants are happy for the reprieve from their munching teeth.

Tonight I have linked my post to Handmade Monday at the crafty blog Handmade Harbour.

Thanks for visiting my garden. I hope you found stitching time recently like me...

                                                                                                                     Jan x

Similar products used in this project: 18 count beige aide fabric; DMC thread

Noah's Ark Cross stitch update...

I stitched on Noah's Arc tonight. I wish I had more time on it but that is the way it is with a child dedicated to her dancing lessons. We didn't arrive home until 9pm.

The cows are now outlined in backstitch. Here is the link to the previous post to show my progress in embellishing. When I am backstitching the outlines appear crude.  Once completed the outline really lifts the animals off the background.  Next up is to outline the kangaroos you can see. Speaking of which, a cute roo was in my driveway when I drove in tonight.

 



Thanks for dropping into my blog. I hope your weekend has crafty time planned into it...

                                                                                 Jan x

Noah's Ark cross stitch update...

 Promises Kept by Scissors Company.

This is a slow stitch. I have been working on the roof for months. There are a lot of mixed colours (one strand of one colour stitched with one strand of another) which means concentration plus, plus, plus.  The colours aren't labelled well either so I needed my university degree to keep track of which colours to mix.  Despite all that I am liking the detail especially the camels! I have a bit more backstitching to do to bring the other animals alive. When I compared to my first post here I have come a long way. 

June 15: A Photo A Day

A Photo A Day June 15: "Yellow"

Good morning, afternoon or evening...

My first "yellow" thought was a lion so I stitched on the lion in the Noah's Ark cross stitch.  This creature has a special spot in my heart and that is because I am a Leo.

As you can see there is still a bit of stitching to go because I had to frog a bit. The Noah's Ark chart has confusing symbols so I used the wrong colour.  For example, severeal symbols are an "n" - a black "n" symbol stands for one colour, then a green "n" means another, a red "n" another etc.  I think charts are easier if the symbols are all the same printed colour as my brain just simply reads the symbol and not the printed symbol colour.

If you aren't a big fan of lions then watch this amazing You tube clip. It might change your mine. I remember when I first viewed the video, it brought tingles to my skin.

Finally, if you love the Noah's Ark theme then here is a comedic piece on '10 things Noah would have tweeted from the ark'.

Enjoy basking in the sun today if you have it...

                                                                        Jan x

A Photo A Day: June 11

June 11 A Photo A Day: "Door"

I knew straight away what I had to stitch for the theme "door" in the Fat Mum Slim blog's A Photo A Day.

Presenting Noah and Emzara standing in front of their newly stitched door to their ark.  This pattern is called "Promises Kept" by Designs with Scissors. Aren't they a handsome couple! It is stitched on 32 count raw Aida using kit threads.

Thank you for throwing bread to the ducks...

                                                                   Jan x

Theme-alicious...from May to June

I made the Theme-alicious May Memories theme fit so I could keep stitching the Marjolein Bastin sampler.  I want to remember May as the month I finished the squirrel! It was so relaxing to be able to wind down by working on the squirrel after a busy day at work or sorting dancing costumes for the big dancing eisteddfod which starts today!!! Here is progress on the bowl of pumpkins and the lower border of the MB sampler.

Theme-alicious has a new theme for June of course:

"Jumanji June "
Is it a jungle out there in your stash? Give some love to the projects with animals or birds.

I have the perfect project to fit this as I have stitched all of the animals and birds in the MB sampler. It is The "L" in the Prairie Schooler Alphabet featuring a gorgoeus deer. I am kitting in up and stitching it in a SAL. 

I also have a UFO that a friend gave me called Promises Kept by Designs with Scissors. 

It will be perfect on Toddler Tom's bedroom wall. It fits in perfectly with this theme so I will work on that too. Here is the progress so far:

                                                         

Thanks for visiting my flower beds...

                                    Jan x