Fruit Wreath progress

Today is the very last day of my summer vacation and I thought it is a good day to update my blog. After all, I don't know when I will have the time or motivation to write a post again.

For the last two weeks I have been stitching many small designs. Most of them are for the Fair & Square exchange and gifts for my next stitching get-together at the end of August. Can't show you any pictures yet, but I found a progress picture of the fruit wreath that I have been stitching on during my stitching meeting last Saturday.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer!

Progress on the Good Neighbor

I've been picking up the Good Neighbor by the Drawn Thread again and made quite a bit progress on it. The outer flower border is almost ready.

This is one of my Crazy January pieces. Some of the other participants are stitching their 15 (31) projects in rotation and I tried that myself, but it just doesn't work for me. I figured that making only one design priority suit me much better. And for now it is this one.

By the number of stitches this is considered to be one of the big projects, but stitching everything over one on 26ct makes it look so small. 

This design is stitched partly in cross stitch and tent stitch and both with 2 threads over 1. I had quite some difficulties in the beginning to make the crosses look nice, so I bought this 12" hoop to fit the whole design in it. I thought stretching the fabric might help making the stitches more even and it really works. I have started using hoops also for my other projects and I am much more happy with the stitching results.

one down, 14 to go

Just a few moments ago, I finished stitching my first project of the Crazy January Challenge. Hearing from so many other participants how many projects they already finished, I felt already a little discouraged in this Challenge. I also feel, I should have picked much more small projects. The ones I have started are almost all big ones. Anyway, the "Bienen-Emblem" which I started on the 5th day of the Challenge is finally finished. It was always one of my favourites and I am very happy with it's look.

Even thou I am not a big friend of BackStitches I do have to say, that I love the way the honeycomb is set together with BS and full crosses. 

Crazy January Challenge - Days 8 to 15

Here are days 8 to 15 of my Crazy January Challenge.

***

Day 8 - Merry Christmas Stockings by Blackbird Designs

I started stitching this 1-o-1 until I realized that the design calls for 2-o-2 AND 1-o-1. So how am I going to make the 1-o-1 parts even smaller? I will just have to start it allover again with a a different fabric.

***

Day 9 - Monsieur Cockerel by V. Enginger

***

Day 10 - Night Time in Olde Towne by Elizabeth's Garden

I am stitching this one on 40ct. white linen

***

Day 11 - Old World Santa by Carol Emmer

I'm embarrassed to say, but I haven't yet placed a single stitch to this project.

***

Day 12 - Pur vegetal (3rd of 3 French designs from an old German magazine)

***

Day 13 - Tante Minna by Kreuzstitch Liebe

Not much done on this project.

***

Day 14 - The Good Neighbor by the Drawn Thread

I find this one a rather difficult project. Some parts are stitched in cross stitch and some in tent stitch, but all with 2 strands of floss. Which is fine, but the fabric is a 26ct and I am stitching over one thread. I think I will get myself a hoop before continuing on this project.

***

Day 15 - Volle Fahrt voraus by Kreuzstich Liebe

Don't get overwhelmed with this start. It is by far not a start at all. I have been stitching on this project all week long, mostly while taking the bus or train to work. I just love the design. It's from a brand new German Designer.

Crazy January Challenge continues - Days 3 to 7

The Crazy January Challenge continues!

***

Day 3 - 1999 Christmas Sampler by Carriage House Samplings

I am almost ashamed of showing my day 3 start. These ten crosses is all I got done that day. But I have a really good excuse. I am working on a present for my boss's daughter. She is in art college and a very talented painter. I asked her if she would like to paint the logo for my own cross stitching design label and she did the most wonderful job on the picture. As my way of saying thank you, I am making a box with her initials. But more of that in the next post.

***

Day 4 - Atelier de Brodeuse by Passion Bonheur

The chart calls for really bright red floss, but after just a few stitches I've lost my mojo continuing this project. So I frogged those few red stitches and started again with a more antique pink floss. It looks so much better on the Summer khaki linen. Unfortunately I didn't get much done this day either, still working on the box.

***

Day 5 - Bienen Emblem (1st of 3 French designs from an old German magazine)

I really enjoyed starting this project. I love designs with bees and this one is especially beautiful. The entire design is stitched in just two colours.

***

Day 6 - Bonne mère (2nd of 3 French Designs from an old German magazine)

Just a small start on bonne mère. I finished the box that day and therefore didn't get much stitching done.

***

Day 7 - Fruit Wreath from a German magazine

On Saturday, I visited Virpi at her home for a stitching-get-together. We had a wonderful time with tea, English fruitcake, home-baked bread and of course a lot of stitching. This is how much I got done in only a few hours of stitching. I am stitching this design on 14ct aida rustico. I think the colour of the fabric is just perfect to give the wreath a country style look.

Crazy January Challenge - Day 2

I'm a little bit behind on posting my starts of the Crazy January Challenge. It is already day 4 today, but I have only a picture of day 2 to show.

This is the start of the 1827 Biedermeier reproduction Sampler. I have the chart in my stash for at least 15 years but never really liked the colours in this sampler and therefore never started it. Now that I finally did start, I realized that the picture on the chart got the colours all wrong and that it is actually quite beautiful.

I got a lot of stitching done on the first day, due to my meeting with Niina, Jaana and Virpi in a Helsinki café. We had a great evening with tea and hot chocolate and lots of stitching. 

No need to say that we draw a lot of attention to other visitor of the café. Knitting in public is, at least here in Helsinki, quite normal, but stitching, that is a whole different story.

Happy New Year!

Finally! Today's the 1st January and the start for the Crazy January Challenge 2012. The day I've been waiting for so long.

I have decided to start my 15 crazy projects in alphabetically order and the first one is "1814 Butterfly collection" by Carriage House Samplings. What I didn't take in consideration is, that the Butterfly Sampler is the most difficult project in my selection. Almost each butterfly has different instructions, lots of parts are stitched 1 over 1 and I am stitching on Indian raw linen which is about a 38ct and extremely uneven.  

As many others the Mr. and I celebrated New Year's Eve. We have been invited to a friends party, had good food and drank beer, champagne and Russian vodka (one of the invited friends is from St. Petersburg, Russia that's why there is always vodka included). Now our friend lives on the other side of the town and there was no way of getting home during the night. (I tried to get a taxi for hours without any success) So we got home today around 10am, after having a "Robert's Coffee"-breakfast at the railway station. (Chai Latte and French Croissants)

And with this huge lack of sleep I've started bravely my first butterfly right after a little nap. I took this picture soon after starting to catch the last beam of sunlight, but by now half of the butterfly is ready. 

***

Just a few days ago, I have also started a new Christmas design. It's called "1999 Christmas Sampler" as well from Carriage House Samplings. I am stitching on 18ct. black aida and to make a confession: It is the first time for me stitching on black fabric, even thou I am stitching for almost 30 years in total already.

***

Last but not least, I like to share the Fair & Square Round 27 pieces, that I received from Milly. 

Aren't those the most beautiful squares. I love the design and the colour they are stitched in. They will make a great addition to my exchange-pieces display.

***

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!