Two Finishes For WIP Wednesday!

Two happy dances to share with you all today. I could not decide on what to put up above the main body of the design I was stitching, nor could I find an appropriate font, this baby is finished as of now. I may go back at a later time and stitch a saying that is appropriate for the design, but as I have been waffling on whether to do it or not, I am keeping this as is. I truly enjoyed stitching this guy and I plan on stitching it several more times as the design is perfect for fall. 

Here is finish number one:

Design: Autumn's Bounty

Designer: Marva Owen for Black Star Designs 

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours cotton floss in Toasted Marshmallow. The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in Black Crow, Buttercrunch, Dried Thyme, Maple Syrup, Nutmeg, and Sarsaparilla. 

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen in Legacy  by Picture This Plus, from their Crystal line.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red 

Stitchers' Notes: Began Friday, August 3, 2018. Finished Monday, August 20, 2018. Changed pumpkin from orange to white. Substituted Algerian eyelet stitches for  Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red  seed beads. Please note that this chart is OOP and very hard to find. Please also note that this chart is not for sale/trade. 

As of Wednesday, August 15, 2018:

Finished Monday, August 20, 2018:

Finish number two comes in the form of a Mill Hill kit that I purchased on a buy/sell group on Facebook. It was a bargain at $2.50, IMO. This was my first time using the included perforated paper. I am not sure that I like stitching on paper. The floss got caught in the corners an awful lot, which became annoying after a while. 

Here is finish number two:

Design: Caramel Apple (MH18-9203)

Designer: Mill Hill

Fibers Used:  DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart

Fabric Used: 14 count Antique Brown perforated paper by Mill Hill

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads as called for in the kit. 

Stitchers' Notes: Began Tuesday, August 21, 2018. Finished Wednesday, August 22, 2018. Left off beadwork at the top of the design. 

Time for me to be off. I need to clean up my area and check on dinner. Hope everyone is having a great week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday Update For Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Hidey ho, sports fans! Hope everyone is getting plenty of stitching time in. I have managed to get a bit further than last week, but not as far as I would have liked. It's always the way, isn't it?  :)


At any rate, here is what I have so far: 

Design: Autumn's Bounty

Designer: Marva Owen for Black Star Designs 

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours cotton floss in Toasted Marshmallow. The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in Black Crow, Buttercrunch, Dried Thyme, Maple Syrup, Nutmeg, and Sarsaparilla. 

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen in Legacy  by Picture This Plus, from their Crystal line.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red 

Stitchers' Notes: Began Friday, August 3, 2018. Changed pumpkin from orange to white. Substituted Algerian eyelet stitches for  Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red  seed beads. Please note that this chart is OOP and very hard to find. Please also note that this chart is not for sale/trade. 

As of Wednesday, August 8, 2018:

As of Wednesday, August 15, 2018:

Well, it is time for me to be off. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy Stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday And A Change Of Seasons

At least stitching wise. I really wasn't 'into' stitching a whole lot this past few weeks. The air quality here has been absolutely horrible due to the wildfires and it has made it quite difficult to breathe, let alone get anything done. I am sending prayers and good vibes to the people and first responders who are having to deal with this disaster. As bad as my burden is, theirs is far greater.

This actually led me to the decision to stop stitching my latest project , and instead start stitching on fall related things. I have really had the itch here lately to stitch on fall and Halloween related stitchery. I have had this one in my stash for quite some time now and I decided to start it immediately. 

Here is what I have so far:

Design: Autumn's Bounty

Designer: Marva Owen for Black Star Designs 

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours cotton floss in Toasted Marshmallow. The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in Black Crow, Buttercrunch, Dried Thyme, Maple Syrup, Nutmeg, and Sarsaparilla. 

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen in Legacy  by Picture This Plus, from their Crystal line.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red 

Stitchers' Notes: Began Friday, August 3, 2018. Changed pumpkin from orange to white. Substituted Algerian eyelet stitches for  Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red  seed beads. Please note that this chart is OOP and very hard to find. Please also note that this chart is not for sale/trade. 

Well, it is time for me to be off. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy Stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

May Cake Finish

I finished this guy up just in the nick of time. With this finish, this concludes the 'Spring' birthday cake freebies from Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books. I am waffling on continuing with the Summer series, or if I should pick up something from the Bin O'Shame. I have not had a finish from the Bin O'Shame in quite some time. (Almost a year, I think). I really do need to get back to it, as I am soooooooo close to finishing them all up. 

Well, at any rate, here is the second finish for the month of May and the eighth for the year. 

Design: May Cake

Designer: Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen from Silkweavers' in Dusk 

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart. Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 02, Brightest White. 

Beads Used: Mill Hill beads in #02031 Citron,   #42101 Purple and #03050 Champagne Ice Antique Glass seed beads. Kreinik #4 braid in 007 - Pink.

Stitchers' Notes: Design from the 12 month series of monthly Birthday Cakes. Finished Tuesday, May 29, 2018. Left off border. Substituted DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117  B5200 for Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 02 Brightest White. Eighth finish for 2018.

Time for me to be off. I need to clean up my area and check on dinner. Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

April Birthday Cake Finish For May

My latest finish is way late for the month of April. This is due to getting socked with allergies and living in an apartment building with inconsiderate smokers. I am hoping that the situation gets rectified soon, but who knows?

At any rate, I have managed to finish this guy up. I am pleased with the way that it has turned out, although for whatever reason, this one was a bit fiddly to work on. I am not sure why, but that's the way it goes. 

Here is my first finish for May and my seventh for the year:

Design: April Cake

Designer: Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books

Fabric Used: 28 count natural Cashel linen of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart. Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 02, Brightest White. 

Beads Used: Mill Hill beads in #00479 White and and #03050 Champagne Ice Antique Glass seed beads. 

Stitchers' Notes: Design from the 12 month series of monthly Birthday Cakes. Finished Wednesday, May 2, 2018. Left off border. Substituted DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117  B5200 for Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 02 Brightest White. Seventh finish for 2018.

Welp, time for me to be off. Tons to do today and I need to get my next project put together. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Happy stitching! :)

Respectfully submitted,

C. 

First Finish Of 2018

Greetings, stitch fans! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Mine was extra busy and jam packed as I am sure everyone else's was choc-a-block. 

It has taken me almost the entire month of January, but I have my first finish of 2018. It is a small finish, but it is a finish nonetheless. I am very happy that I have decided that I am only going to finish 12 projects this year. At this rate, I will be lucky to get the 12 per year unofficial goal obtained! 

Well, at any rate, here is the first finish of 2018!

Design: Let It Snow

Designer: Barbara Ana Astray Mendez of Barbara Ana Designs

Fabric Used: 28 count natural/raw opalescent Cashel linen by Zweigart 

Fibers Used: Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 02 and 103. Crescent Colours  cotton floss in Caterpillar and Pink Champagne. The Gentle Art Sampler Threads in 0570 Bittersweet, 7013 Green Apple, and 0880 Punchberry.

Accouterments: Mill Hill Magnifica beads in #10001 Ice. White pom pom from Joann Fabrics and Crafts. 

Stitchers' Notes: Substituted called for DMC for a conversion that I found many, many years ago. If I manage to remember where I found it, I will be happy to update this post in order to credit the stitcher that had the original piece. In the original conversion Cerise from Crescent Colours  cotton floss in was used, however, I substituted this substitution for Pink Champagne.  

Time for me to be off and away. I hope everyone is having a fantastic week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

2010 Fright Night Finish

My latest finish is not the project that I recently started. I haven't been feeling all that hot due to the wildfires and as consequence, could not concentrate on such a dark fabric. I chose instead to stitch something else on a light colored fabric. The project should have taken no more than a week, however, I managed to stretch it out to three weeks until completion. These things happen I suppose. At least I have another finish for the year, which brings the total to 26 finishes for the year. Not exactly huge numbers, but then again, there has been a lot going on this past year. :)

At any rate, on with the show!

Design: 2010 Fright Night Quaker Halloween

Designer: Sandra Dering for SanMan Originals 

Fabric: 28 count Cashel linen in Fog by Picture This Plus

Fibers Used: Access Commodities Soie d'Alger in Noir, 234, 521, 633,  and 1336.

Accoutrements: Mill Hill beads in #00167 Christmas Green and #02033 Brilliant Orange. Toho 11/0 glass seed beads 1951-48 High Metallic Purple

Stitchers' Notes: Created for the members of the message board for the 2010 Fright Night festivities. Unfortunately, this chart is not for sale or trade as it is a .pdf file. 

I must be off. I hope everyone had a great weekend. 

Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Quick SMO Finish And A New Start

I managed to start and finish this guy up in one day. This is a really, really old design of Sandy's, 2005 to be precise. What I cannot remember is if this was a part of the Fright Night festivities or if this was just a random Halloween freebie. I suppose it doesn't matter in the long run, however, I do like to be precise in these things. 

I have wanted to stitch this guy up for a long, long time now, however, I just never got around to it. I'm glad I did, because it is such a fun little project. Try as hard as I might, I could not photograph this piece correctly. The fabric is a very pale purple and unfortunately, it appears as gray. Even on a sunny day! Ah, well. These things happen, yes?

Design: Creepy

Designer: Sandra Dering for SanMan Originals 

Fabric: Picture This Plus 28 count cashel linen in Sprite (DMC 3743 Variegated) 

Fibers: Access Commodities Soie d'Alger in Mode, Noir, 234 and 1336. Kreinik #4 001 silver braid. 

Accoutrement: Mill Hill beads in #00167 Christmas Green. 

Stitchers' Notes: This is a MEMBER ONLY freebie for the 2005 Halloween festivities of the SanMan Originals Message Board. It is not for sale or trade! Started and finished on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

My new start is also another halloween related SanMan Originals project. If I recall correctly, this was a Secret Shop purchase in 2011. I tried to resist stitching it on the fabric that I chose, as that piece was earmarked for another project. That is, until I realized, that I would not be getting to that project any time soon. Then I figured, there are a few other projects that I wish to use that fabric for, and when I get around to the intended project (Sacre Coeur by Jools Line of Long Dog Samplers, for the curious), I will just order another piece of fabric. :)

Well, at any rate, here is my start so far: 

Design: Ghost White Pumpkin

Designer: Sandra Dering for SanMan Originals 

Fabric: Picture This Plus 28 count cashel linen in Gothic

Fibers: Access Commodities Soie d'Alger in 2143, 3441, 3842, and 4534. Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Icing and Shepherd's Pasture.  

Stitchers' Notes: This is a 2011 Secret Shop purchase. As it is a .pdf file, unfortunately it is not for sale or trade. Began Tuesday, September 12, 2017. 

Well, I must be off. I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

May 19, 2017 Edition Of Finish Friday

I managed to get this guy finished just in time for Memorial Day. Now that summer has decided to make an appearance, I am hoping that my mermaids will come out and play. I would also like to get a few more Americana themed projects completed. 

I picked up this design on the secondary market. It contained the leftover threads and there is enough to stitch this piece at least twice more. This is nice as the design uses both solid and hand dyed silks. Naturally, I made some changes. DH likes how it turned out. I need to see if I cannot find an appropriate frame for this piece. If not, there is always a pillow or no sew finish route that I may take. 

Well, at any rate, here is my latest finish. 

Design: Tiny Flag

Designer: Shepherd's Bush

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen by Silkweaver Fabric in Antique Almond

Fibers Used: Thread Gatherer's Silk n' Colors in Frosted Auburn, In the Burgundy, and Old Lace.  Au Ver À Soie  Soie d'Alger in 1435 and 3424. 

Accoutrements: Mill Hill beads in #03049 Rich Red

Stitchers' Notes: Replaced beads for stitched flowers. Changed 'America' to read as 'We the People'. As the fabric was not included with the kit because it was purchased secondhand, previously purchased fabric from stash was used. 

Time for me to be off. I hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Love Banner Finish

And with this finish, I am caught up with the series for this year. I love the way this turned out. This series has just flown by. I am really, really looking forward to the rest of the series. Should be lots of fun choosing colors! 

Well, here it is, just in time for next year, haha!

Design: Love (#F-164 from the 2017 Flip-It series)

Designer: Linda Ebright of Lizzie Kate

Fabric Used: 27 count antique white Fanciful Hearts stitch banding in antique white, green and red by Mill Hill. Item number MH07450106 in 4.5 inch wide banding. 

Fibers Used: Anchor six strand embroidery floss in 47, 55, 103, 112, 225, and 230.

Stitchers' Notes: Began Saturday, March 25, 2017. Finished Sunday, March 26, 2017. Stitch banding distributed by Wichelt. Substituted called for fabric and floss for those of my own choosing. Third finish of seven that will be released throughout 2017. Ribbon of unknown manufacturer.

I must be off. It's time to clean up my stitching area and find another project to stitch on. As I have now completed my unofficial yearly goal of 12 projects per year, I think I will now 'play' in my stash and see what strikes my fancy. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C.