Back from Holidays. Time for WIPocalypse Update!

Hello readers and in particular, new followers! I am delighted to see I have 10 newbies following me since I last logged in.

I hope I haven't disappointed you by being absent but we have been on an Easter break. It is the end of first term here in Australia so we took ourselves off to Melbourne for a 5 day trip. Mary danced in the Champion of Champions of Australia Highland dancing competition on Easter Saturday and Sunday so it was fun to extend the trip by a couple of days. She came home with a fifth overall trophy for her section which delighted us all.

L-R clockwise Mary dancing the Sailor's Hornipe; Mary dancing in a reel; Mary holding her 5th overall trophy

The holiday highlight was booking tickets on the oldest steam train still running in Australia called Puffing Billy. Tom is mad keen on trains at the moment so he was bubbling with excitement as we hung our feet out of the train and headed to an old village for a cafe lunch.

I have two main projects for WIPocalpyse 2014 which are the Bothy Threads Cut Thru Castle and Promises Kept by Dimensions, a version of a Noah's Ark. This is my April update although I am late by 10 days - sorry!

Over the last month I have completed the fifth page of the castle so I have started stitching the top left corner of the castle which is the tower.

Bothy Threads Cut Thru' Castle

I haven't spent as much time on Promises Kept unfortunately so must knuckle down and stitch on it more this month. The progress I have made has been on the elephant.

Dimensions Promises Kept 

The question for the WIPocalypse challenge this month is: How do I keep my stash organised? I have a large cupboard in my sewing room which holds my projects. I keep all of my WIPs in separate fabric bags so the threads, pattern and fabric stay together and are not mixed with other projects.  I have a large pile of cross stitch patterns in my cupboard also that are piled up high. Kits that I haven't started yet are also piled together. Now that might all sound very organised but there is some chaos in there and its not all that neat.  It's not photo worthy LOL.

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