Under the Moonlight - Parts 3 - 6

Hot off the scroll frame, parts 3-6 of the PR Mystery Sal.

Progress as of 13th December 2014

I'm all caught up again until January.  I spent the last few days stitching when possible due to being in hospital for minor surgery on Wednesday. So made the most of my time off  from work and stitched stitched stitched!

I'm still a bit worried about the long row of beads, trying to keep them straight. They seem to go wonky every now and then and I know I am not the only one with concerns regarding this.  A few of the ladies are actually replacing the long straight rows of beads with DMC Rayon in white and it looks rather good.

I am persevering with the beading at the moment but I do worry that it will go wonky just prior to framing and being a tad OCD it will drive me mad if any are wonky once framed.

Well we have around 11 days to go before Christmas and I'm not sure if I will manage another update before then so I will take the time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,  and a Safe and happy new year no matter where you are in the world. May you get to spend some time with the ones you love.

Happy Stitching everyone,
Deb

Twisted band sampler update

I have just realised I had forgotten to share my recent update on my Twisted Band Sampler.

Since August it had been neglected as I was working on Taj Mahal Mandala Garden so much. So I decided to spend some time on it last month after starting the PR Mystery Sal.  I love stitching this design the silks from Threadpickerz are so lovely to work with and colours so bright. The bands stitch up fairly quickly  but I must admit those Norwich stitches in band 6 are evil, especially when stitched on 32ct black!  They really had me testing my patience and I did pick up one or two that I have made a mistake in but if anyone can spot the mistakes they are doing really well :)

This was my progress before last month.

And my progress as of 30th November - 5 bands done almost finished the 6th. As you can see I have reached across the top to both sides now and have started working on multiple bands where I can to avoid moving the hoop so much. 

Happy Stitching everyone,

Deb

Under the Moonlight Parts 1 & 2

The new Passione Ricamo Mystery started back on November 3rd, you can read a little bit about it here in my previous entry on the subject.

So far I have stitched parts 1 and 2 of the sal, I ended up delaying my start as I changed my fabric choice. I personally felt my original choice was too light for the theme of this design. It was a lovely lighter blue more so that of an afternoon sky rather than a night sky and as the name of the design is under the Moonlight the design does call for something darker.

I ended up getting a fat half of Cosmos hand dyed 28 count Jobelan from Stitches and Spice. This is everything all assembled ready for the start on the 15th November.

And on the afternoon of the 16th, parts 1 and 2 were stitched. 

As Christmas is often a very busy time of year we have parts 3-6 to work on over the holidays, so hopefully we can all find some time to stitch the next 4 stages which is mostly more of the border stitching and beading.  I am hoping to at least get parts 3 and 4 by this weekend and then parts 5-6 over Christmas. I have vacation time over Christmas for two weeks so I have plenty to keep me busy :)

Happy Stitching everyone,
Deb

Still plodding along with Taj Mahal Mandala

Hello my lovely stitchy friends :)  I hope those of you that are in the US are keeping warm in the very very cold weather you are experiencing and are hopefully safe and not snowed in too much.
Looks like you are all in for another super cold winter this year.  The perfect weather to stay in side and stitch! Unlike here as we enter  our summer we have just experienced a weekend of  very high temps of around 40oC or 104oF, makes for very sticky stitching weather.

I've been plodding along nicely on Taj since my last update and have made a heap of progress. slowly working my way through the middle section.
The detail in this design is simply  magnificent. I can see why many stitchers become hooked on Chatelaine's they are a challenge but a magical feast for the eyes as they develop.

My progress as of  14th November 2014

As you can see I have almost stitched a quarter of the middle square plus the left hand Taj Mahal is taking shape. The colours are simply glorious and I have really enjoyed learning some of the specialty stitches that I have never done before.  I worked some of the woven scotch stitch in the lattice type border around the middle square recently. While it  took me a little while to get my head around it, eventually with a little help from google and some tips online  I got there in the end :) I hopefully will get some close up shots next time I take some photos. 

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Passione Ricamo Mystery SAL 04

Has anyone else signed up for the Passione Ricamo Mystery SAL?  Titled Under the Moonlight.
Yep I've been naughty.. added another WIP to the pile!  Well when it is started in November.

Oh where am I going to find the time? It is not like I dont already  have a gazillion charts I want to stitch. Oh well at least I'm having fun and staying out of trouble haha.. just spending more on stash than I should. Good job I didn't do this years sewing from stash challenge :)

Ok Enabling alert going out here... you have been warned.  For those that do not know about the new PR Mystery Sal you can find details here.  http://www.passionericamo.eu/page2ingl.htm and the PR facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/487004097986116/


It starts very soon on November 3rd so you still have time to sign up if you give in to temptation like I did.

I'm currently awaiting my fabric from http://www.colourcascadefabrics.com.au/ plus my beads and metallics are on their way too.  I've never done a mystery Sal before so this is a new experience for me.

Happy Stitching everyone,
Deb

Taj Mahal Mandala Garden - 6 parts done 6 to go.

I can't believe it has been well over a month since my last update.  Since my recent finishes I have been steadily working on Taj again. I've completed 6 parts of my 12 part chart and slowly moving into the middle section.

I say slowly as I have taken to wasting more time playing computer games than stitching some nights.  While the will to stitch is strong.. getting butt of chair is not so I end up spending more time than I intend on the computer each night.  

This was where I was up to before

And this was my progress as of the 14th October.

I thought I would share this with you all. I saw this in my emails this morning.. sums up cross -stitching perfectly lol

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Not 1 but now 2 finished - Diet Kitty 2 finished!

After having a marathon finish on Maggie the Mess Maker earlier this month I decided to pick up an easy project before concentrating on Taj Mahal Mandala Garden, as my main focus piece.

So I decided to work on Diet Kitty 2 seeing as I had him almost half done.

Before this month I was up to here on him 

And now, he is finished and awaiting framing with Diet kitty 1. 

The fabric looks white in the photo he is actually stitched on  28ct miracle mint Lugana which I swapped for the aida that came in the kit. 

Diet kitty 2 - Started January 2014 - Finished September 2014

So very happy to have not 1 but 2 happy dances of late it has been a long time between finished until this month. 

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Finally a finish for the year!

Phew finally I find five minutes to be able to share with you all that I finished Maggie!!!!!  Yes finished.  At 12.02 am on the 6th of September!

Life has been so hectic since I finished that I haven't had time to share the news until now. My first finish since 2012 and what a finish!  The photo is not the best I was very bleary eyed at 12 am lol.

Maggie the Mess Maker - Dimensions Kit

Started March 2011 - Finished September 2014

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

August 2014 IHSW

Twisted Band Sampler was the WIP of choice for this weekends stitching.  While the weather was wet as predicted here in Brisbane over the weekend, with the very much needed rain. I didn't managed to get as much stitching time in as I was hoping.

Friday night I ended up crashing in bed at 8pm too tired to stitch,  so Saturday I had grand plans once the housework was done. I did managed to get a few hours done on and off during the afternoon. It is slow going stitching on 32ct black. Then around 5:45pm we lost power for a few hours due to a car hitting a power pole near us. Impossible to stitch on black by torch light. I did consider it quite a few times lol.

Sunday saw more progress and even though I did not get as much done as I had hoped I did managed to finish the 2nd band, completely stitch the 3rd band and start the 4th one.

Now back on to Maggie for the rest of the month. Inching closer and closer to a finish. 

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Marvelous Maggie update.

Welcome to my  new followers,  I hope you enjoy reading my updates and I always look forward to hearing from you all :)

Would you believe I have been sitting on a Maggie update from the beginning of the month. How slack of me! So a quick update just to show you the latest  progress photo as there will be another one at the end of the month.  I spent all of July working on Maggie and have kept going for this month too.

Last update Maggie looked like this

As of the first of August she now looks like this

I have made a heap more progress since this photo and I am hoping I get all the stitching finished this month. Fingers crossed!

Don't forget this weekend coming is IHSW. It is suppose to rain here in Brisbane all weekend so it is a perfect weekend to sit and stitch! I am planning on doing a bit more on Twisted band sampler this weekend. 

Until after the weekend

Happy stitching everyone, 

Deb

July 2014 IHSW - A new start

Can I hear a collective cheer from across the globe?  It seems we are back in hermit mode again for July :) Our fearless leader was MIA  last month.  I think many of us suffered withdrawals, while some attempted to hermit in spirit that weekend even if we didn't blog about it.  Let's face it any weekend spent stitching and not doing housework has my vote!

For those that do not know what I am talking about and think I have gone nuts, or nuttier depending on your point of view take a visit over to joysze's blog and she will explain what the IHSW is all about.

For July I have decided to honour this weekend with a.....   NEW START!

Yes yes.. I know for those that know me personally I said no new starts until I have had a finish!  But since when have you known any cross stitcher to keep their promises of  "no new starts", and "no more stash until I have used some". It takes an iron will to keep such  promises and besides,  when my pack of Rainbow silks arrived from Eileen over at Threadpickerz during the week,  I knew this weekend was the perfect time to start Twisted Band Sampler from Northern Expressions Needlework.  I decided not to use the recommended Au Ver a Soie's after I saw the Rainbow pack.  I'm also stitching it on Black to really make those colours pop.

Black I hear you gasp!  32 count at that.. oh my poor eyes, but there is method in my madness lol.  Eileen also have a pastel version to her rainbow pack called sparkling prism. Another 18 beautiful silks, the perfect number to stitch the now being designed sister design to Twisted Band Sampler called Twisted Rainbow which I will probably do on Black also as I'm crazy like that.

I just can't help myself I love anything rainbow. I think that is why I'm a stitcher we get to play with a rainbow of colours every day. Life would be so boring without such wonderful colours at my fingertips.

So here is everything all ready to go.

And here are my progress photos after the weekend - Stitching 1 strand over 2 threads.  

Almost 2 bands done. Two colours done and onto the 3rd. Let me just say those eyelets on 32 count black.. had me questioning my sanity for picking black! Might be time for another trip to the optometrist for stronger glasses! 

Now I'm off to check everyone else's weekend efforts.

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Finally a new Taj Mahal Mandala Garden update!

Yep the title above says it all,  finally I have a Taj Mahal update!   June pretty much became work on Taj month as it has been neglected since March :(  Having Taj now mounted on a scroll frame on my new lap base made things so much easier and quicker.
On the 11th June Taj looked like this. Top outside border and flower border almost half done.

Then on the 20th June 

Then as of tonight the top outside border is finished and the right side started and almost finished the top flower border. 

I so love this design, and can't believe I put off starting it for a few years as I found it a bit daunting. It is my first Chatelaine but I doubt it will be my last.. truly beautiful to look at and it is not even finished yet. 

Now to get Maggie back out and get that little bit closer to a finish this year.

Happy stitching everyone

Deb

Maggie the Mess Maker update

It's time for a Maggie update.  I have been working steadily on Maggie for well over a month and not following my normal rotation, this caused me to kind of hit a wall on Friday last week. I found I kept getting "lost" in a particular part of the chart and knew it was time for a change.
 I love many of the designs that come in the Dimensions range but I loath working with their charts.  In fact I have done two of their wizards in the past and took great delight in destroying the charts once I finished them as there was never a chance I would stitch them again!

I am now just under 3/4's of the way through Maggie and am hoping after some time this month on Taj Mahal I can get my Maggie mojo back as I would love to finish it this year.

On the weekend I put Taj Mahal Mandala Garden on a scroll frame and loaded it on my new K Creations large lap base.  Love it love it love it! It did take a little while to get used to after working with my hoop seat stand but it didn't take long at all to get back into using a scroll.  Now I have the perfect setup for all those many designs requiring beads. 

Happy Stitching everyone
Deb

A little gift for myself

I stitch in the hoop using one of these lap stands (below)  that comes with 3 different size hoops. I like the fact hoops seem to keep my work that little bit tighter than a scroll frame. I have used scroll frames in the past but prefer hoops. The lap style means I can still stitch two handed and not have to hold on to a hoop with one hand.

However I have a rather long list of designs on my to do list that require beading and hoops and beads don't really go that well together. I'm so very worried about crushing the beads so I decided after much consideration and google searches and going back and forth etc to buy myself something to hold a scroll frame. I ended up splashing out and buying myself the K Creations large adjustable lap frame base.

I have not had a chance to try it out yet but the first design to go on with will be Taj Mahal Garden Mandala this weekend coming can't wait!

Happy stitching everyone

Deb

Diet Kitty 2 - WIP a bit more progress

A few weekends ago I managed to get out of the house and gather together with some like minded stitchy friends for a fun day of stitching, lunching and general laughter and good company.
I haven't seen this wonderful group of ladies in oh so long and it was such a blessing to be in their company again.
While there I decided to work on my small WIP of Diet Kitty 2 as it really is awkward to work on a large design like Maggie, so progress was made on the little kitty. I enjoyed spending time on a simple project on the day so much so I decided to make it a weekend of progress and kitty went from looking like this...

To looking like this...

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

May 2014 IHSW and recent stash enhancements

Another weekend of hermiting and stitching has passed. Boy they seem to go so fast and my best laid plans of not doing anything but stitching don't always go to plan.

Most of Saturday was a complete bust. I spent most of the day doing housework and de-cluttering. I seem to be spring cleaning in the wrong season seeing as it is Autumn here in Australia!

I did manage to pass away a few hours on Saturday night and Sunday day blissfully with needle and thread in hand and have made a good amount of progress on Maggie since my last up date. So here she now sits as of Sunday 18th May 2014.

I also started kitting up what could possibly be my next few starts .. once I finish at least 1 work in progress not before....but so tempting. 

I picked up my very first Just Nan chart recently off eBay -  Silver Needle http://www.justnan.com/jn024-silver-needle.html. I'm not normally a Just Nan fan, but this one speaks to me and I can see it hanging on the wall above my cross stitching chair. I'm planning to do the dmc version rather than kit it all out with the Soie d' Alger silks which would prove costly and I don't have many charts that call for these silks. 

I also purchased the digital chart for Passione Ricamo's Prosperity Fae, and ordered some hand dyed Jobelan fabric from Polstitches for this design. Can't wait to actually get a start on this one!

Happy stitching everyone, 

Deb

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My very late April 2014 IHSW update

It is so amazing some times how time gets away from you given I'm a week late with Aprils IHSW report.

So here goes a quick update. IHSW fell on a great weekend. Easter weekend which meant I did manage to find heaps of time to stitch. I certainly hope everyone had a good Easter with their families and got to hermit some what during the weekend.

All of April I have been working on Maggie the Mess Maker and below is my progress as of 23rd April

I have seen heaps of progress and enjoying a stitching groove on this piece at the moment so I am sticking with it and dropping my normal rotation on to Taj Mahal Garden Mandala until I either get sick of looking at Maggie or finish her which ever comes first. 

Just about to sign off for the night and do some stitching and remembered I saw this on face book tonight. Anyone know where you can get them from I so need this! 

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

March 2014 IHSW

I just realised I am a few days late with my IHSW report for the weekend.

Some stitching got done not as much as I wanted though. Mostly on Friday night and Saturday. Sunday I spent the day doing things with hubby, going out to breakfast, shopping and just spending time which was nice.

I did manage to get part 3 of my Taj Mahal Garden Mandala finished and start part 4. No update photo this week though as it doesn't show a lot of advancement compared to the last photo I posted just before the weekend.

Looking forward to next months one which I believes falls over the Easter weekend... Joyze please correct me if I am wrong. That means lots of time for stitching as we Aussies get a 4 day holiday weekend that weekend whoohoo!

Happy Stitching everyone
Deb

WIP's updates and its IHSW again yay!

I'm a bit behind in my Taj Mahal Garden Mandala  updates, and seeing as I get to rotate back on to Taj this weekend, there is no better time for a quick update.

I've almost finished part 3. Which means I will have part 3 finished and onto part 4 this weekend.  Notice there was no "should" in that sentence. Seeing as its IHSW **insert happy dancing here** I have major plans for nothing but stitching all weekend or at least most of it. For some reason the family does insist on me doing some housework,  plus the washing and ironing at some time over the weekend. Not to mention dinner on occasions. Maybe I should go on strike.. what do you think?

Ok here is Taj Mahal Garden Mandala at present. Progress photo as of the 2nd of March. Told you I was behind.

Now for Maggie. Heaps of progress made again and Maggie herself is starting to make an appearance.

DD number 2 asked me the other day why do I have more than one project going at once. I'm sure I heard a collective gasp from stitchers around the world that day! 

I explained that only having the two projects on the go at the moment was  better than my normal 10 or more. That I was trying to scale it down so I could get some finishes. 

But also that seeing as Maggie is so intense in colour changes at times and such a busy design I find it keeps my interest renewed every time I rotate back on to her after a week or so on Taj Mahal Garden Mandala. Not to mention it calms me from wanting to start new projects every few days! 

Officially I have 6 WIP started at the moment -  4 large, Maggie the Mess Maker, Taj Mahal Garden Mandala, The Sewing Room, and Fire Fly Fairies (not much stitches in this one) plus 2 smaller ones,  but only working on these two rotating every two weeks. Who's willing to fess up to how many WIP they have at the moment.?

Maggie the Mess Maker as of 21st March 2014.

Alas the hungry hordes will be wanting dinner soon. So I hope everyone who is participating has a good IHSW and gets to hermit like crazy. 

Happy stitching everyone

Deb 

Maggie the Mess Maker WIP update

I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms!   I have had such a busy week I have not been able to find any time to stitch since last Sunday. Every evening once all the errands and appointments after work have been done I have been way to tired to do anything but crash.
This means poor Maggie has been neglected so far for the start of the month. I am hoping for a quiet weekend so I can do some serious catch up. This is the latest progress photo as of 20th Feb just before I rotated on to Taj for the rest of Feb.

I'm rather enjoying my 2 project a month rotation at the moment. While I have so many screaming to start, (plus a few half finished) I am not listening to them.. so far lol. I am keeping to only two reasonably large projects and maybe a small carry anywhere project on the go at any one time.
This does not how ever stop me kitting up for the next start.. or the one after that or even the one after that! Stash enhancement.. just as therapeutic as stitching itself!

Happy stitching everyone
Deb

February 2014 IHSW

I was so looking forward to the weekend because it was IHSW this weekend. Which meant I had an excuse to indulge in lots of stitching and not much else.

It also fell on the weekend I was due to rotate back onto Taj Mahal Garden Mandala for the rest of the month. I didn't get much time for stitching Friday night or Saturday, but did manage to get a good stretch of time to myself on Sunday for most of the day, so progress was made.

So without further delay, a before this weekend photo and an after progress photo.

 Before the weekend

Progress as of 23rd Feb. Please excuse the fabric colour in this photo as I took it at night.

Happy  Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Diet Kitty 2 - WIP

Before rotating back on to Maggie the Mess Maker for the start of the month I decided to put a couple of hours into Diet Kitty 2 this afternoon. It was a lovely afternoon sitting outside stitching  until the light got a bit too dim to see.. again the curse of getting older.

Not much of an update but some progress anyway.

Progress for 1st Feb 2014

Happy Stitching everyone, 

Deb

Taj Mahal Garden - Part 2

Almost finished page 2 of Taj Mahal last night. If only my mind and body did not insist on sleep.
I had every intention of sitting up until it was finished but at 11pm my plan was foiled! Curses to getting older and not having the will power to pull an all nighter anymore!

I am rather pleased with the progress,  however I might have hit a bit of a stumbling block. I have the printed 12 page black and white chart and the scroll work backstitching is very hard to see and looks nothing like what I have seen on other stitched versions. Also the "mist" back stitching around the Taj's  only seems to go in one direction on my chart on both sides of the Taj's like this \\\\, where as I have seen it stitched \\\\ and then //// on the other side so I'm a bit confused at the moment.

Hopefully I will finish pages 2 and 3 on my next update. I am aiming for at least a page a month so I should have it all finished at the end of the year.  Should... but we will see lol.

Progress from 21st - 31st January 2014

January 2014 IHSW

This weekend I took part in my very first IHSW. While I did not get to hermit and stitch as much as I wished I did get some time to myself on Sunday and managed to get quite a few hours stitching on Maggie the Mess Maker, my WIP for the week.

This is what it looked like before I rotated back onto this project on the 6th January.

And this is what it looks like as of the 20th. 

While never needing a reason to do nothing but sitting and stitching and watching the odd DVD or 3,  it certainly doesn't hurt to have an excuse like taking part in the IHSW. I'm  certainly looking  forward to next months!

Happy Stitching everyone

Deb

Diet Kitty 2 - WIP

Way back in 2006 I picked up a couple of small kits which I called Diet Kitties. I stitched up kit 1 that year switching out the fabric from Aida to 28 ct Miracle Mint Lugana for both kits.

Diet Kitty 1

So before switching back to Maggie the Mess Maker I decided to quickly start the second diet kitty. I spent Sunday afternoon stitching away on what I hope will be a very quick project picked up on random days. 

 I don't cross-stitch at work as the lighting in my area is not great and these days I need lots of light and I only get a 30 minute break so it is not worth it. 

Diet Kitty 2 WIP Started 5th January

The start of something beautiful - Taj Mahal Garden Mandala WIP

Last week I finished page 1 of my Taj Mahal Garden Mandala WIP. All I can say is I am in love! This is my first ever Chatelaine mandala and even after just 1 page it is breathtakingly pretty and I can see why they are so popular.

I love stitching with the silks, again a new experience for me. So smooth, they glide so effortlessly through the fabric. I am most certainly enjoying the thrill of seeing this piece take shape.

I reluctantly put Taj Mahal Garden aside to pay some more attention to Maggie the Mess Maker as I would like to see a finish this year after none last year. At the moment I am working on a 2 week rotating roster for the two projects.

A new year and a new challenge

Seeing as it is a new year I decided to offer up a new challenge to myself, (like I  need anymore!) and see if I can create and stick to updating a blog on a regular basis.
Blogs have always intrigued me, I was not sure if I wanted to do one, or even needed one, but now the new year as rocked around I figure why not!

So as I sit here on the morning of January 3rd 2014, in what is going to be a very hot day in Brisbane Australia - currently it is 29oC (84oF) and it is only 8:41 am, I find myself taking up the challenge. 

My current WIP is Chatelaine Designs Taj Mahal Garden Mandala. It is a fairly new start I treated myself to on my Birthday last month. I'm stitching it on 28ct. I hope to have page 1 finished in the next day or so. 

All my current finishes and WIP photos can be viewed in my Ipernity Albums for those wishing to take a peek.