2013 in stitches

Once again I've had an erratic year in terms of blogging, but I have made steady progress with my stitching. These were my 2013 happy dances (I THINK this is all of them, but my blogging / photography means I might not have recorded/remembered all of them):

Cross Stitch Projects:
Fruit bell pull - Teresa Wentzler
Eeyore's problem - Designer stitches
Summer / autumn / winter - Blackbird Designs
Conchiti Drummer - NP Designs
Wool Needlebook - Little House Needleworks
Tatty Teddy 'A New Baby' - Anchor
My Heart is True pincushion - Nicoletta Farraruto and Blackbird Designs

Quilts Projects:
9-patch quilt
Strip the willow

Lace Projects:
Bedfordshire Rose Leaves

Knitting Projects:
'Leafy' headband by Happy Living
Green cardigan

At the start of 2013 I had the following WIPS:

*Eeyore's problem
*Gaelic banner
*Fruit Bell Pull
*Night
*Peacock Majesty
*A New Baby (Tatty Teddy)

*Green cardigan
*Crochet scarf

*Milanese lace
*Bedfordshire rose leaves


So how did I do with my goals? Last year I wanted to:
1) Finish A New Baby YES
2) Finish Gaelic Banner NOT QUITE!
3) Finish Night NO
4) Work on all of my other xs WIPs YES
5) Finish the green cardigan YES, APART FROM BLOCKING IT
6) Finish the crochet scarf NOPE
7) Finish Bedfordshire rose leaves YES
8) Start Wisteria lace edging YES
9) Make a quilt YES
~ and, as always ~
10) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!! OF COURSE :)


This year I am starting with the following WIPS:
*Gaelic Banner
*Peacock Majesty
*Night

*Grey Cardigan

*Wisteria Lace
*Milanese Lace

*Jigsaw Quilt

I THINK that's it....

In 2014 I'd like to:

1) Finish Gaelic Banner
2) Finish Night
3) Finish Peacock Majesty
4) Start a big Blackbird Designs
5) Finish the grey cardigan
6) Finish the crochet scarf
7) Work on Wisteria lace edging
9) Finish Jigsaw Quilt top
~ and, as always ~
10) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!! OF COURSE :)

2012 in Stitches

Having survived the food, family and booze and settled into the New Year, it's time for that yearly recap again!

This year my bloging was rather erratic (hope to improve on that this year), and as I sorted through my photos and stitching stash I even found finished projects I'd not shared. Tut tut! I've had a bit of a tidy up of this blog, moving the links of finished projects (which connected to webshots) to a newly created page. Amazingly I only had 3 listed finished projects where I couldn't find a photograph, one of which I'll photograph shortly; one of which I'm not sure where it is (bookmark...); the third was a gift. Oh well...It's not bad for 5 years worth of happy dances though!

Looking back I realised I accomplished much more than I thought I had. Only one enormous cross stitch, but 11 small and 6 medium projects, 2 lace projects, and (for the first time ever) I finished quilt-sized quilting projects - THREE of them! So here we go:

Cross stitch:
Unicorn ornament (TW)
Partridge in a Pear Tree ornament
Two Grey Hills (NP Designs)
Let's Get Fancy Scissor Fob (Sweetheart Tree)
Heartstruck Friends I (Midnight Stitching)
Summer Iris (Blackbird Designs)
Heartstruck Friends II (Midnight Stitching)
Quaker Pin cushions (Milady's Needle) - all six of them
Heartstruck Quakers I (Midnight Stitching)
Heartstruck Quakers II (Midnight Stitching)
E scissor fob
Lincoln Cathedral from Castle Grounds (Needlecraft Centre)

Art Nouveau Peacock (Barbara Thompson)

Christmas Mandolin (Mill Hill)

Lace Projects:

Bedfordshire Lace motif (Christine Springett)

Bedfordshire lace butterfly (Christine Springett)

Quilting projects:
Purple sampler quilt (my design)
Amish star (Oakshott)
Teacher's Pet

At the start of 2012 I had the following WIPS:

*Eeyore's problem
*Peacock firescreen
*Gaelic banner
*Fruit Bell Pull
*Lincoln Cathedral from Castle Grounds


*Green cardigan
*Crochet scarf

*Bedfordshire lace butterfly
*Milanese lace

*Amish star quilt
*Sampler quilt
*Teacher's pet quilt


So how did I do with my goals? Last year I wanted to:
1) Finish my Bedfordshire lace butterfly YES
2) Complete another lace project YES (but only a little one)
3) Finish Peacock firescreen YES. I also finished Lincoln Cathedral
4) Work on all three of my other xs WIPS YES - although I counted 4 others, not three.
5) Finish Teacher's pet quilt YES
6) Finish another quilt YES - I finished another TWO (but only just!)
7) Finish my green cardigan Almost, I'm in the process of stitching it up
8) Finish the crochet scarf Almost - all of the flowers are done, I just need to join them together
~ and, as always ~
9) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!! Of course, but this was an easy goal!

This year I am starting with the following WIPS:

*Eeyore's problem
*Gaelic banner
*Fruit Bell Pull
*Night
*Peacock Majesty
*A New Baby (Tatty Teddy)


*Green cardigan
*Crochet scarf

*Milanese lace

*Bedfordshire rose leaves

I THINK that's it....

In 2013 I'd like to:

1) Finish A New Baby

2) Finish Gaelic Banner

3) Finish Night

4) Work on all of my other xs WIPs

5) Finish the green cardigan

6) Finish the crochet scarf

7) Finish Bedfordshire rose leaves

8) Start Wisteria lace edging

9) Make a quilt

~ and, as always ~
10) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!! 

Yearly re-cap

I've been meaning to post this for weeks, but I never seen to find the time. So 2 weeks into January, here I am recapping 2011...

Last year I did a whole variety of crafting - I finished 4 medium to large cross stitches, 6 smaller cross stitches, 5 knitted projects, 1 crochet piece, 3 lace projects, 1 needle felting project and 1 small quilted project:

Cross stitch:
A New Beginning
Classic Pooh Birth sampler
Bird in Hand
Time for Harvest
Holiday holly biscornu
Hedgerow Birds
Celtic bookmark
Christmas pinkeep
Wild Thyme Fairy
Christmas joy needlebook

Knitting:
Lace scarf
Stripy socks
Zig zag scarf
Chenille cable scarf
Blue cardigan
Pink cable scarf

Lace projects:
Bedfordshire lace sampler
Bedfordshire lace flower
Christmas bangle ornament

Other crafts:
Crochet corsage
Needle felted mushroom
Pink heart quilted cushion

Much more variety and lots more knitting than last year, but my cross stitch productivity dropped off as a consequence!

At the start of the year I had the following WIPS:

* Eeyore's problem - some progress
* Peacock firescreen - lots of progress
* Gaelic banner - didn't touch it
* Wild Thyme fairy - FINISHED
* A new beginning - FINISHED

* Sampler quilt - some progress
* Amish star quilt - some progress
* Milanese lace - didn't touch it
* Bedfordshire lace flower - FINISHED
* Bedfordshire lace butterfly- FINISHED
* Lace ornament- FINISHED

This year I am starting with the following WIPs:
*Eeyore's problem
*Peacock firescreen
*Gaelic banner
*Fruit Bell Pull
*Lincoln Cathedral from Castle Grounds

*Green cardigan
*Crochet scarf

*Bedfordshire lace butterfly
*Milanese lace

*Amish star quilt
*Sampler quilt
*Teacher's pet quilt

So how did I do with my goals for 2011?

1) Finish Wild Thyme Fairy YES
2) Finish Peacock Firescreen NO
3) Work on the other 3 cross stitch WIPs I didn't touch Gaelic Banner, but I worked on the other two
4) Finish the lace ornament and 1 more lace project YES
5) Finish a quilt NO, but I am close with one
6) Start a large TW YES
7) Start Hedgerow Birds (Blackbird Designs)YES - and finished it!
8) Do the finishing on some of the many ornaments I stitched in 2010 NOT ONE :(
9) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!!(my favourite goal from 2010!!) ALWAYS :)

For 2012 I am going to attempt the following goals:

1) Finish my Bedfordshire lace butterfly
2) Complete another lace project
3) Finish Peacock firescreen
4) Work on all three of my other xs WIPS
5) Finish Teacher's pet quilt
6) Finish another quilt
7) Finish my green cardigan
8) Finish the crochet scarf
~ and, as always ~

9) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!!

Happy stitching everyone :)

Yearly re-cap

2011 is already rushing past at an alarming rate (how can I be back at work already????). I really need to sum up my 2010 stitching!

Medium-sized and larger cross stitch happy dances (7):

*Pooh and Eeyore
*Fantasy Triptych
*Sunflower charms
*Mini Greek Island
*Laugharne Castle
*Postman Pat birth sampler
*Pomegranate and Pear Stitches

Ornaments and other small cross stitch (13):

*Joy, Love & Peace
*Storyteller ornament
*Holiday Peacock
*French Country Star
*Peace
*Snowdon
*Oh Christmas Tree
*Winter sampler
*Santa's buddies
*Dragonfly pincushion
*Holly ornament
*Peacock heart
*Winter song

Knitting and other crafts (6):

*Cable knit scarf
*Stripy scarf
*Lacy scarf
*Tulip Scissor Keep
*Quilted mat
*Torchon lace garter

I stitched slightly fewer medium-large projects than last year (9), but more smalls (up from 6) and did lots more non-cross stitch crafting compared with last year, when I completed 2 lace projects. I was also pleased that I managed to blog more often in 2010.

At the start of 2010 I had the following WIPs:
* Eeyore's problem didn't touch it
* Peacock firescreen made good progress
* Fantasy triptych FINISHED!!!
* Gaelic banner didn't touch this one either
* Wild Thyme fairy getting close...
* Postman Pat FINISHED!!

This year I am starting with the following WIPs:
* Eeyore's problem
* Peacock firescreen
* Gaelic banner
* Wild Thyme fairy
* A new beginning

* Sampler quilt
* Amish star quilt
* Milanese lace
* Bedfordshire lace flower
* Bedfordshire lace butterfly
* Lace ornament

Hmm, that's quite a bit on the go :)

So how did I do with my goals for 2010?

1) finish Postman Pat YES
2) finish Fantasy Triptych YES
3a) finish at least one more WIP NO but I finished my Jan 1st start - Pomegranate and Pear Stitches
3b) and make good progress on all of the rest partially met - I didn't stitch on two WIPs
4) start another large TW NO, still not decided which one!
5) stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!! HELL YES :) )

So what for 2011:

1) Finish Wild Thyme Fairy
2) Finish Peacock Firescreen
3) Work on the other 3 cross stitch WIPs
4) Finish the lace ornament and 1 more lace project
5) Finish a quilt
6) Start a large TW
7) Start Hedgerow Birds (Blackbird Designs)
8) Do the finishing on some of the many ornaments I stitched in 2010
9) Stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!!(my favourite goal from 2010!!)

I think that will keep me going ;)

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year!!

Over the last week we've been pretty busy, but having lots of fun - we had a quiet Christmas Day and Boxing day at home, then headed down to Newark to see my family - it was lovely to catch up with everyone - and had a lovely evening with my old school friends. We came home yesterday for a quiet new year. I've caught a bit of a cold, so we didn't quite make it until midnight!!

I got some lovely stash for Christmas - Willow Fairy (DMC Flower Faries) and the chart of Dracolair's Noon Basking from Eddy, and some DMC thread in my stocking from my mum.

Before Christmas I didn't have time to share the photos from the Teresa Wentzler Christmas Ornament Exchange...so here they are:


Byzantine Ornament 1 by Teresa Wentzler. Finished as a pinkeep (fabric in the background used for the back). I sent this to Paula for the TWCOE.


Norwegian Reindeer by Scandinavian Stitches, I made this into a double-sided ornament with Swedish Hearts:


I sent this to Terry for the TWCOE.

These are the lovely ornies I received:

TW's Father Christmas ornament, from Melissa.



Peace 2009 (Sue Hilis Designs) from Natalie.
Both ornaments are wonderful, thank you Melissa and Natalie!

I also sent a pinkeep to Phil and Amanda a bit before Christmas, but never had time to share the photos (I occasioanlly mentioned this last Spring/Summer as a 'top secret project' as Amanda reads this blog!):


Blossoms and Blackbirds by Little House Needleworks


Reverse side - the border from Blossoms and Blackbirds, with my initials and the date. This was my first ever pinkeep, and I was really pleased with the results.

Yearly recap
2009 was a busy year for me, but I achieved lots of finishes.

Medium-sized and larger cross stitch happy dances (9):
* Phoenix
* Sonata
* Birth Band (for Monty)
* Wedding Day
* You were hatched
* Coffin Buzz
* Birth Band (for Hugh)
* Blossoms and Blackbirds
* Waiting for Ships

Ornaments and other small cross stitch (6):
* Golden tree
* J' taime
* Mill Hill Snowflake
* Byzantine ornament 1
* Swedish Hearts
* Norwegian Reindeer

Lace finishes (2):
* Milanese motif
* Bedfordshire heart

That's not as much as last year when I completed 26 projects, 8 larger and 18 smalls/ornaments, but I did finish one more larger project.

At the start for 2009 I had the following WIPS:
* Eeyore's Problem - made some progress
* Fantasy Triptych - made lots of progress
* Las Vegas - abandonned, stitched Wedding Day instead
* Peacock Firescreen - made some progress
* Phoenix - COMPLETED

So most of those are still with me! My current WIPS are:
* Eeyore's problem
* Peacock firescreen
* Fantasy triptych
* Gaelic banner
* Wild Thyme fairy
* Postman Pat

I did achieve most of my goals, vague as they were:
1) Las Vegas (wedding sampler for Jane and Keith) Stitched them Wedding Day instead
2) Postman Pat (birth sampler for Riley - nephew of Leanne) - started
3) Birth sampler (possibly 'Birth Band' by the Drawn Thread) for Monty (Michaela and Stuart's son) - completed
4) Possibly birth samplers for other friends, but I must try and chose small, simple designs - stitched birth band again for Hugh, and you were hatched for Thomas

This year I'd like to:
1) finish Postman Pat
2) finish Fantasy Triptych
3) finish at least one more WIP and make good progress on all of the rest
4) start another large TW
5) stitch lots, on what I want, and enjoy it!!

I've not picked a new start for 2010 yet... it's 4pm so I'd better get cracking...

Happy New Year!

Yesterday I tried to finish the xs on Phoenix. I failed. The bit where the tail meets the flames totally stumped me, after several hours of solid stitching (and NO frogging) I'd barely made headway... Eventually at 12.45 (so 2009 anyway) I gave up and went to bed. So Phoenix will be my first happy dance for 2009...

This morning I got up bright and not so early (11.10!!!!), and started to think about my new year start. I had been so focussed on Phoenix yesterday I hadn't really thought about it. So I decided it was time to be ORGANISED with my stash, at the same time as stash diving for my next project. SO... I made a list of all my WIPs (5), kitted up projects (6), kits (14) and charts (39 - and a few of these have mre than one design in - Best of TW Fantasy for example, was counted as 1). Not too bad all things considering? I also made a list of my fabbies, and measured the pieces, as many are offcuts from larger pieces. I didn't measure the tiny bits though. Hopefully I'll type these up at some point, before I lose the hand written notes. I already have a good list of DMC and Mill Hill Beads, and don't have enough of anything else to be worried.

Eventually I got my choice of new start to a reasonable number, then rationalised that a smaller project might be a good idea... so I chose Sonata by Abbey Lane Designs. I'm stitching it in Belle Soie silk 'Blue Lagoon' as I loved the colour. So not red at all...

Anyway here are photos of my WIPs (I forgot to take a new one of Eeyore's problem, but think nothing's changed since the the last photo, so I used that one here):

Dracolair's Phoenix

Peacock Firescreen by Barbara Thompson

Las Vegas (designed by me from photo)

Fantasy Triptych (TW)

Eeyore's Problem (Designer stitches?)

Yearly Recap:
In 2008 I finished 26 xs projects (don't gasp though..). I did 8 medium to large projects, 2 bookmarks, 1 small project and 15 ornaments. I also finished 1 lace project. Of these, I did 3 birth samplers, 3 exchanges and gave one item as a blog giveaway. The lace project was also a present. Of the remaining 11 ornaments, 10 were given as Christmas presents. So quite a few were gifts, which was nice.

I didn't set any yearly goals and I won't this year, as I prefer my stitching to be for fun, and not to deadlines. I do want to sort out more gifts though, so in 2009 I want to complete:
1) Las Vegas (wedding sampler for Jane and Keith)
2) Postman Pat (birth sampler for Riley - nephew of Leanne)
3) Birth sampler (possibly 'Birth Band' by the Drawn Thread) for Monty (Michaela and Stuart's son)
4) Possibly birth samplers for other friends, but I must try and chose small, simple designs (eherm..)
If I miss these it's not really a problem, they are all late anyway :)

I'll think about my January goals and post those later this week.
Happy stitching :)