In the arms of an Angel

We had a fantastic Christmas. Hope you all have had a nice one too.

I've got through a rotation on In the arms of an Angel.

Before:

And now:

Does look it on the full image but I have filled in all the metallic on the red section of dress.

I got a few stitchy bits. Found this mug in sales for a pound so had to have it.

And here is my spoils from Santa. And I do have pennies so no doubt another stash addition is in order.

I mainly looked at mini kits as I have been enjoying doing some smaller ones and mostly got bits that will go on the tree next year.

And here is the finished Christmas Angel. Looks fab perched on the fireplace.

Keep stitching...

Merry Stitchmas!!!

 

Firstly I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!!!

 

I've been full of festive busy so haven't had chance to update, so I have plenty to share stitchy wise too.

 

We have been getting into the spirit of the season. Especially yesterday we saw Santa's reindeer in the park and a Nativity carol service with a real donkey at a local church.

 

The boys both loved seeing the animals!

 

I received my order from Willow Fabrics for which I had a voucher from having my comment published in Cross stitch collection magazine.

 

 

This means I now have the threads I needed for a couple of projects that were on hold for the supplies.

 

So here is the Noel sachet finished:

 

Love the rich colours. I just need to find a minute to back it and stuff it. Then it can go with the Christmas Angel I had made.

 

I have finally put the finishings to the Madonna and Child.

They are now displayed together for the first time. I think they will become a treasured part of our decorations for years to come.

 

I've done quite a bit of Christmas crafting with the my boys.

 

Nanna and Grandpa visited and left a gingerbread house kit, which the boys loved making up.

Warning: may contain pre licked sweets lol

 

 I have completed a rotation on Tapestry Cat.
Here it is before:

And Now:

 You don't know how happy I am to have that border finally finished. In this rotation I have stitched and frogged it twice. I couldn't tell you how many times it has been frogged now. I knew from last time there was a mistake to compensate for. Fixing the mistake completely would involved taking out the whole of the outer border and the flowers at the bottom too. I think with it having been there for so many years that it would risk wrecking the fabric completely and not mention soul destroying to take it out. However once I finally got it worked out it is a minimal bodge to fix it. So next time I get this out it should be onwards and upwards towards no longer being my longest WIP lying around.

I finished this little project I have been working on.

 

 

 

 

I charted this myself. I saw the quote on a plaque in a card shop a while ago and loved it, totally sums my house up. While I was charting it my son lined his foot up with the footprint...says it all really. I'm so pleased with how it has turned out.

 

Hope Santa brings everyone plenty of stitchy goodies and that you all have a lovely holiday season.

Peace and Goodwill to everyone!

Keep stitching...

Full flow festive

Was that really just a week!!! feels more like two since I last blogged and doesn't seem like I've been on with my stitching but here we are ten hours on and a week passed.

Festive preparations are in full flow and it takes some sorting with two little ones around. Having said that it's great fun having them getting excited and we've even been up to some more festive crafting.

I have finished the Christmas Houses.

I also have then finished a ten hours on the 3D gingerbread houses

.

 

That's the end and one side completed and the door started. I had thought they might have been a quicker project but there is a lot of beading and fiddly bits.

 

It will be interesting to see how they stitch up.

 

I forgot that I'd got a willow wreath in the sales last year. I haven't quite decided what to do with it but while I'm thinking some cheeky winter sprites have made a home in it.

 

These are one of my Grandma's makes, so I'm very happy they have found a home. Just maybe need to collect some holly to finish it off.

 

The advent calendar is out again and I've been having fun showing each pillow off each day on my xxxstitching facebook page.

 

It's on with the next rotation and probably more festive fun with the tots.

 

Keep stitching...

Starry Blight

So excited to show you all this. I now have a sewing corner, so welcome to XXXStitching HQ

I'm over the moon. I got thinking seen as the cot has been gone from there for a few months that the space could have been better used and well who needs a bedside cabinet anyways lol

It means now I don't need everyone out to have the sewing machine out as it has a table. I do keep it in the bag still at the moment in case of naughty fingers and the pincushions and scissors have a high shelf but easy to hand still. I think it's just more inspiring to have some bits out to look at every day, with the little ones I have to be careful to pack most stuff away.

It's certainly starting to feel more festive the last few days.

Especially thanks to seeing the lights switched on at the green last night.

We also made handprint angels at playgroup.

Kind of quite excited to look at getting the decorations out soon.

Now I've been back on with Starry Night. But I have struggled this rotation. I'm not sure if it's the fact it has been stashed for so long or if its the confetti.

Here us where it was

And now:

Most of the left is filled in now. It has felt like a slog and I have wanted to start on more of the design than just finishing the page. But as hubby put it I'd just have more confetti to do at the end. I have struggled to get a rhythm going, I think matching the gaps with the chart after such a break hasn't done me any favours. Hopefully next rotation on this I can finish the page and then it will be like starting fresh to do the next one.

I also finished this mini stitch

Keep stitching...

In arms of an Angel update

Feels nice to be back into the proper business of my rotation. So without further ado, here's my progress on Lavender & Lace In the Arms of an Angel:

Before

And now:

Just beautiful. And beautiful to stitch. I always thought Lavender & Lace looked complicated but really it hasn't felt like that. I think the beauty of the shading and detailing make it worthwhile. Also I find charts that you can stitch in focused sections always make the progress more marked.

Weather's starting to get colder which means more time indoors for the munchkins, so we turned our hands to some baking. 

Don't think they have got the measuring down lol. Plum and Apple pies and made some saltdough with the spilt flour

I am starting to feel quite festive. Especially seen as Santa had left his reindeer outside at Christmas fair at the  nearby stadium.

How cute. They were very friendly too. I think I was more excited to see them than the kids!!

I'm on with a massive stash sort. So far looking nice.

Keep stitching...

Crazy January 2012 Hangover

Wow.....my 100th post!!!

Since finishing Joan Elliot's Madonna I have been having a bit of a sort and tidy.

I finished my memory angel

And I started this:

This will be for my Christmas memory angel to hold but I didn't have enough of the green on the bobbin. The perils of a project that uses three strands.

So it's on hold for now along with Thimble Fairy until I sort out ordering supplies. But with Christmas coming and wanting to get the monies worth on the postage I'm just collecting a list together to make an order.

I have then had a look at my rotation list and have got this:

1. In arms of An Angel- continuation
2. Starry Night - that I have had stashed for a while now, I think it got put aside for Crazy January 2012
3. Christmas Houses - I don't think that there is too much to finish on these but I didn't open the packet so we'll see when I get there.
4. Gingerbread houses - I started these when I did crazy January 2012. I am really excited to see what the 3D cross stitch turns out like.
5. Tapestry Cat - I am determined that this time it will get finished. I'm going to have to work out probably to fluff the mistake (check the labels to find the previous posts on this) I just don't think after all the time that the mistake has been there and how much frogging it would take to remove. I don't think I can feasibly do it without destroying it.

I normally stick to four in the rotation but the houses aren't massive projects so I think that it is workable.

I still can't believe I'm still catching up with the fall out of Crazy January 2012 it wasn't a good option in many ways.

To recap I joined a SAL which in January 2012 which was to start a new project every day for the first 15 days of Jan. Then spend the year trying to finish them off. In all fairness this is what sparked the move from being a one at a timer to doing a rotation which has been a fantastic introduction to my stitching experience. But let's have a look at my Crazy 15.

1. Little Fairy - finished 2012

 

2. Royal Guard - finished 2012

 

3. Gift Tags - finished 2012

 

4. Winnie the Pooh - finished 2012

 

5. World of Sarah Kay - finished 2013

 

6. Middle Earth (1page) - hmmm

 

7. Felt Baubles - abandoned due to all the pieces of aida in the free kit had been cut skew

 

8. Christmas Tags - finished 2012

 

9. Christmas Ornies - no progress

 

10. Gingerbread Houses - no progress but in rotation now

11. Madonna and Child - finished 2013

 

12. Kingfisher - no prgress

13.Flaming June (1page) - no progress

 

14.Reindeer Cake band - no progress

15.Christmas Angel (1page) - no progress

 

So that's 7 finished, one abandoned, one in current rotation and 6 none movers.

 

Getting there I suppose and I have done other projects that have crept into my box over the course of the time. Maybe another year and I can have the crazy January hangover put to rest.

 

Keep stitching...