Happy Easter 2018!

I've had a lovely long weekend thanks to the Easter Holidays. I left on Thursday night to visit a friend in Southampton, and then we both travelled onwards to London the next day. We met up with another friend and watched her perform in a show. A great night was had by all, especially because it ended with pizza :) 

I visited my family on Easter Sunday and we had lunch and went on a refreshing walk afterwards. It's unusual for me not to have picked up my needle much during the break, but I do have a couple of things to share.

This is my new start. It's Autumn Bird by Satsuma Street Designs, featured in Issue 193 of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine. I fell in love with the colours, so purchased the DMC threads needed to complete this design. It's a mainly block stitching, so an ideal project for after work in the evenings.

Speaking of work, I'm still really enjoying my new role. It's not quite as new anymore, I've been there for a month already. I can't believe how the time has flown by. The latest free gift with Cross Stitcher came in handy though. It was a key ring design and I stitched it up in one evening and it now guards my work key! 

I hope you've all had a fantastic Easter break and had plenty of time for craft and stitching. Thank you all so much on your kind comments on my last post. They truly brighten my day.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Organisation and a new kit

I've had quite a busy week, with no much time for stitching unfortunately. But I did have a lovely time last Sunday with all of my DMC threads. I finally got round to getting them all out and putting them away again in numerical order. I'm lucky to have quite the collection of DMC, but it was making it more difficult to find the ones I needed! I'm glad they're all organised now for easy access. They list the threads required in Cross Stitcher magazine in numerical order, so it should make kitting up projects a lot easier.

I have just started on my new kit that I bought with my Christmas voucher for SewandSo.com. It's called Highland Walkies from Bothy Threads. It was on my wish list for a long time so I was so pleased I got to purchase it. However, I was a little disappointed when I opened it because the threads were just draped over the thread holder, not secured, so the threads were in danger of mixing up. I spent most of the time when I opened the kit sorting the threads and only got a few stitches in. I'm sure I'll have a progress picture for next time. 

I've still got my Christmas sampler on the go. I thought about packing it away until next December, but I don't like leaving a project unfinished. Besides, if I finish it soon, it will definitely be ready to display next Christmas. I've got a couple of new projects on the bench, but I'm going to finish some before I make another new start.

I hope you're staying warm. It's been very bitterly cold in Bristol lately, I'm very glad for tea and stitching!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Stitching through the Winter

Hi all, I hope this post finds you well. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying my stitching lately. Even when I'm not putting needle to thread, I'm reading magazines or browsing blogs or eyeing up my next stitchy purchase. It's lovely to be fully immersed in a hobby once more. 

I've got another card finish to share. This one is a birthday card for my grandmother, who doesn't own a computer, so no risk of her seeing it before the big day! I used a design from an old magazine from my stores, then picked the colours as I went along from my box of leftovers. I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps leftover threads - they're so handy for small projects like this. 

I finished Love Cats fairly quickly. It was all block colour then a bit of back stitching so it was a nice quick one. I'm thinking of adding her wedding date and gifting this to my sister. Just got to find the perfect frame first!

And I have a new start to share. I don't think this one will take me too long at all. It's Time for Tea by Country Cottage Needlework and I've subbed a couple of the threads for ones I already had. I'm definitely a budget stitcher! 

That's it from me this time. Only two weeks to go until surgery, then there will be no stopping my needle :) I've started kitting up a few things so it will be nice and easy for me to pick things up during my respite time. And then it will be Christmas! I've sent some SewAndSo links to Lawrence so hopefully Stitchy Santa will leave something for me under the tree!! 

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Projects aplenty

Hi all, I hope you're well. I've been having a strong week this week. I'm enjoying work again and really feel like I'm making a difference. It's the best feeling to feel so content. I've been really into my stitching lately, even browsing the Sew and So website in my lunch break to seek out new projects! I had a lovely time going through my stash earlier this week and surprise surprise, I've got a lot more fabric than I thought I did :)

I've got a finish to share with you first. I'm lucky enough to have a subscription to CrossStitcher magazine and I'm trying to complete each of the cover kits in the same month as the magazine. So here is the card cover kit, Driving Home for Christmas, from the November issue all finished up . . .

This was a nice quick stitch actually, but I really like the effect, especially with the card board button. I've got some one in mind to send it too, alongside a festive parcel of goodies. I found another kit that I had misplaced in my stash for a pin cushion design. I think I'm going to get this one finished before the end of the year too, so I'm all up to date with my cover kits. 

I'm afraid I've made no progress on Cook's Notes lately. The back stitched letters are charted in such a way that I keep having to split aida blocks and really concentrate on it, so it's not one I can just pick up to do a few stitches in to unwind after work. I think it might become my weekend project, and during the week I will work on my latest new start, Love Cats by Brittercup Designs . . .

As I said, I went stash diving this week and unearthed so many lovely threads and fabrics that I haven't had a chance to use. I think I'm definitely to be able to stitch from stash for most of 2018! I'm using a mixture of beautiful variegated threads for this design and I think the finished look will be excellent. It's just whole stitches and a bit of back stitch, so I don't think it will take me that long to get it finished up. Then it will be on to the next project!

Are you doing much festive stitching? I'm thinking of whipping up a few cards with some of my scrappy pieces and odd and ends of threads. It's amazing what you can create with off cuts. Do you save your leftover threads from kits to make cards? It's a habit I got into when I didn't have much of a budget for stitching :)

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful weekend. We had friends over for dinner last night and today we're off out with Lawrence's family to enjoy a Sunday lunch. I'm sure there will be stitching time this evening, after the baking and the laundry first!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

One Finish, Two Starts

I've been having a bit of a tough time of late with endo, but the silver lining is it means more stitching time! I had a mammoth session last week and managed to finish Cocktails:

I'm going to tuck this away with the companion piece, Teacups, and keep an eye out for suitable frames in the charity shops. Then when we move, I can get them both framed up and on display in my kitchen. 

I couldn't wait to start another project, so much so that I ended up starting two! These pieces are both from the same magazine, CrossStitcher Issue 321. The first one is this gorgeous Sewing Machine project, but I'm just stitching the main top half. Here's where I'm up to so far:

And the other piece further along in the mag is called Cook's Notes. I'm going to have a kitchen covered in cross stitch by the time I'm finished! Here's my progress on that one:

I'm quite enjoying having a couple of projects on the go, I haven't done that in so long. I'm thinking I would like to start another large design again, maybe something like Farmhouse, but I haven't seen one yet that I'd be willing to spend months and months stitching on! 

I haven't got all the thread colours for my two latest starts, but my 123stitch order should be arriving this week. I'm so excited! I've got heaps of stickers coming my way for my latest scrap book idea, as well as plenty of threads and maybe a sneaky chart or two that jumped in the basket as well. 

It's my last full week with the District Nurses this week, then I start my new job on Monday. September is a busy month for me, I hope you've all got wonderful plans for the start of Autumn too.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Tea and Stitching

Hello friends, how are you all? This is my second day off in a row from work, so I got all the boring jobs and chores done yesterday. Now I have time to blog read to my heart's content, as well as settle down to some stitching time with a film later :)

I recently went charity shop shopping with a good friend from University. We browsed the book sections but weren't having much luck. Just as we were leaving our final stop, I spotted a box filled with crafting magazines. Lo and behold, there were cross stitching ones! They were from 2014 and 2015 - who could ever donate new magazines?! There was no price tag but the assistant told us she would sell them 3 for £1. Can't argue with that!

I came home with six practically brand new magazines for £2. They were minus the free gifts that normally accompanying them, but I still think it was extremely good value. I browsed them all for hours before finally choosing a new design to start.

My mornings don't really start until I've had a cup of tea, so this piece really spoke to me. I'm stitching over one, which is quite hard going. I rushed into getting started, and to be honest, should have spent more time considering my fabric choice, but oh hum, I've started so I'll finish. If I'm able to, I'm going to make a Sew and So order soon to buy the correct threads. I'm sure a few other things will sneak into my basket too! 

I've got several pieces that are so close to be finish, but just need tricky backstitching on them. I will get round to it, but it's not as appealing as a fresh start. I'm sure you know the feeling :)

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

 

PS The next post will be my 250th! I think it's high time I did something special. I think I better start rustling up a giveaway prize . . .

Stitch From Stash Update: October

Hello friends. I'm back in the library to bring you my latest report. Stitching was slow at the start of the month, what with the craziness of moving in and settling down into my new flat. But my mojo has returned, boosted by a lovely gift all the way from Canada.

Yes, I was lucky enough to win a SFS prize last month! I couldn't believe it! I was sent four gorgeous charts by Blackbird designs. I couldn't wait to get started on one. I'm stitching this with Dark Chocolate thread on pink fabric. It's dreamy.

 

So, onto the report!

 

New starts:

 

 

WIPs:

 

I'm up to the backstitching on Mouse, but I didn't manage to take a pic before rushing out. I really want to get this one finished, it's taken me far too long.

 

That's all I've got from this month's SFS. I'm so glad Mel will be running a similar event next year. I've enjoyed every month :)

Best wishes

 

Bekca

 

 

Stormy Weather Equals Stitching Time

Hello friends, I hope you're all keeping warm and dry. These storms are awful aren't they? I've managed to dodge the worst bits, but I did have to walk to work in the rain at the weekend, not fun. 

I didn't have a lot to share with you when I first thought about writing a post. I will admit, I have fallen out of love with this little Christmas design. I still think it's cute, but the scattered stitches of similar colours are driving me mad. I will get it finished eventually, but it wasn't helping me to relax after a long day at work. Here's an update to share anyways . . .

I became so disenchanted with this piece, that I decided to move on to a different design. This is my new start, Barnyard by Bent Creek, a gift from Elisa a while back. It's a simple design, I pulled out my own thread choices from my Anchor box and got stuck in. I must say, I'm truly enjoying stitching this one, it's coming together quite quickly.

I think another reason I lost my stitching mojo for a bit was because I didn't have all of my stitching essentials with me. I went to grab my scissors to cut some fabric for Barnyard, before realising I didn't pack them! But this won't be the case for much longer. My parents are visiting at the end of the month and offered to bring some of my stuff down with them. This will make it easier for when I eventually move out into a more permanent residence. I am going to send them a list, and my stitching chest and sewing machine are going to be high up on that list! I'm missing my machine more than I thought I would, it's such a handy thing to have around. Hopefully we won't be apart for much longer :)

I hope you've all had a wonderful start to the week, despite the changeable weather :)

Best wishes,