Rotation progress aplenty

As promised, I'm back with more updates. This time I'm going to focus on my rotation pieces. I have five spaces in my rotation so these are the on going projects and  I will leave the newer projects in the rotation for another update.

Firstly Kingfisher in flight as I last showed it:

Then I have the following progress.

I got a page finished and a good start on the next one. It's just coming along nicely.

Next Starry Night. I went from this:

To this:

This was a struggle, I really wanted to just put it to one side and  leave it but after talking to a few people online I decided to carry on and at least try to do a little bit. I came out of stitch and  park I think it was taking the flow out of it. And I have been pleased to have managed to progress This  far:

This last rotation on it I actually started to enjoy it a bit better and someone did point out that once I finish this page I will be halfway. That kinda sounds  great!

Then there is Spirit of the Season as it was before:

And the following progress:

I keep thinking oooo I'm nearly there but I look again and there is still a ton to do. This maybe explains why my younger self consigned it to UFO standing. I am enjoying it and looking forward to actually getting there lol

Plenty more still to come.

Keep stitching

Lost in stitches

I know! I know! I have been terrible for getting round to updating my blog.

Partially because of laziness, partially looking after my crazy tots, partially broadband problems and partially it then just became a mammoth task.

I have it all worked out now and it's going to come in sections to get back up to speed.

Firstly I finished the Love Tree not long after my last post. I rather aptly finished it on Easter day.

It  was a total joy to stitch and grew fast. Bothy Threads have some great kits and they are lovely to use, the colours are fantastic and the designs are fresh and different.

Speaking of which after a recent trip to Manchester my MIL turned up with this

She had liked it and was asking if I'd stitch it for her. She did say I could say no, but that wasn't really and option now was it lol

Coming soon I will get posts sorted for all my minis, stash additions and progress on my rotations.

Keep stitching xxx

bumper update!

Right this is going to be a bumper update. I seem to have been lacking and a naughty blogger. I hope you will forgive me. I have limited time and every time I sit down it has been stitch or blog? So I am sure you will forgive my dilemma.

I wish the app on the phone worked better for blogger that would make things a lot easier!!!

I will try and bring you up to speed with everything. Before this months IHSW be sure to click on the crab to join.

I joined another SAL. I know I know! After crazy Jan 2012 I swore no more and this year so far I have joined 2. IHSW but then that is all about squeezing extra stitches in which is what I am all about any way. And the second is the Joan Elliot one. I love her designs and was really tempted with this one but had held off. Then my three year old started peeking at my stitching and saying mammy I want a Dragon. So how could I resist any longer. So here is the first piece a dragon as requested my munchkin 1.

I changed the odd colour from the chart to what I had in my stash. I now have the Unicorn to do.

I got these bits for Mother's day from the munchkins

And seen as I now have birthday money to spend I have been looking at kitting up the Angel along with a couple other charts I have.

Now I have done a few rotations but I think maybe blogging after each move is too taxing. So I have a few progress pics to show.

Here is my progress on Spirit of the Season

I have to say I am loving getting there with this one.

I have also made some more progress on Starry Night

I am still struggling with this one. It is going to be my labour of love I think. It looks amazing and will be great when finished but boy what a pain to stitch.

This is the progress from my new addition to the rotation Kingfisher in flight. This is from the Crazy Jan 2012 pile.

Here it is as I picked it up from its crazy start

And now:

Love the colours and its a nice stitch once I got past that the 34 cm square design is over 6 pages. I was a bit fuddled to start even though I have already completed the hummingbird in this set. I have settled into it once I decided to stick to a page at a time.

I will give you all a sneaky peek at my Love tree. It's onto the backstitching.

 

How much difference does the backstitching give to this design!!

 



Hopefully I won't leave it as long to update you all. In my defence this year I have already matched my total finishes from last year. I think adding the mini kits during the day has made a huge difference. That and my munchkins are getting bigger. Last year I had a total of 19 cross stitch finishes, 3 of which were large/medium (Birth sampler, World of sarah kay and Motherly Devotion)

This year it's only April and I have finished 20 cross stitch pieces of which 3 are large/ medium (Thimble Fairy, Gingerbread houses and In the Arms of an angel)

I think also it is proof that my rotation is paying off. I'm starting to see the results now!!!!!

Keep stitching

IHSW finishes

Yeah that's right finishes!! Woop woop
IHSW is doing it for me. I have gone from this to finished on this rotation of the gingerbread houses.  And I had already started this cover kit years ago but got it out and finished it off. Im really pleased with getting two finishes. 

Big big big happy dance

Since IHSW I have been making good progress. Plenty to show firstly I finished the keyring I had started.

 

I completed the rotation on Spirit of the season. I am glad to be coming out of the blue section on the right. I was getting a bit worn out of the blueness. But that's the beauty of.  Rotation I can have a break.

I have finished another couple of minis.

 

And seriously here it is folks, the biggest happy dance!!!!! In arms of an Angel is finished.

Need I say more. I have been on cloud nine for the last few.

Keep stitching

IHSW Update

So here it is my first IHSW. I was scared off stitch alongs since I took part in crazy Jan 2012. I'm still dealing with the fall out of that :/

 

But trying to fit in as much stitching time as you can has to be a good thing right?

Mind it has been anything but sore bum weekend for me, squeezing stitches in when I can and look Joysze look what's happened, munchkins running riot!!!!

Lol only joking this they managed in a minute. I snatch my stitching moments when I can anyways, so I thought I'd show the variety of situations in which I stitch.

Like I said anything but sore bum. I carried on with my usual rotation on an evening and the mini during the snatched minutes.

I had this mini already started

 

It's now finished.

It took more stitching than you'd think. But worth the effort and I love the colours.

I also was most of the way into the rotation on gingerbread houses. Here is where I was up to 

And after this weekend

I do love the stitching on these just hope I can get the construction figured out.

I started a new mini and this is as far as I got this weekend.

 

I moved onto Spirit of the Season for it's next rotation. Over the weekend it has gone from this:

To this:

 

Not a huge amount but progress. I will be continuing for its full ten hours.

 

In addition to all this stitching my order arrived of my stuff for Valentine's Day from the hubby.

 

My favourite has to be the needle minder.

 

 

 

Why have I not had one of these in my life before? It's amazing I love it, no more needle lost in the edge of my fabric, or precarious placed between my teeth.

 

And to top the weekend off I found this

It's a piece of my Grandma's stitching and I found it in a luggage label on her trolley that I have inherited. She put it there so she knew that was her trolley but it made me smile to find some stitching in a random place.

 

 

Keep Stitching...

Love Tree and more

I have been a bit tardy on the blog front, which I hope to get sorted this time. I actually have plenty to show, which is pretty cool considering that the munchkins haven't been well so I haven't had much time really.

 

Firstly here is the new addition to the rotations. Love Tree by Bothy Threads.

 

I was dying to stitch this and it isn't disappointing so far.

I have to say I really love the way that Bothy Threads organise the cottons.

 

It makes life so much easier and not having to cross reference a key makes a bit better use of stitching time.

 

And so here is my first ten hours progress:

 

I think its going to be one to show more when the backstitch is done. But the colours are nice and it is a nice stitch so far apart from the DMC light effects for the tree branches. grrrrrrr....

I finished the last of the patchwork cards.

 

So that's all four in the set finished. I feel like I am doing well chalking up the finishes this year. It is really exciting to feel this productive.

 

I also finished off this bird: 

 

 It was a UFO but I have finished it off chalking it up as another finish!!!

 

 

Thimble Fairy found her place on the wall and I am really enjoying seeing her every day. I think she is one of my favourite finishes in a while.

 

I also had the most proudest mama moment. When my eldest (just coming up 3) Jumped on my lap one evening, stole my stitching and carried on.

So cute I could cry!!! Ok he didn't have it right but he had the technique. And here is our finished collaboration of the flower brooches.

 

He also announced that he wanted a Lion. So I had a rummage for him in my stash and found and stitched a lion for him. He is over the moon. Really touching to have someone that excited for a finished piece, he was literally hopping round the room squealing Vinnie's Lion!!!!

 

The pic on left shows however the perils of stitching on the bathroom floor while the munchkins splash in the bath. But hey any minute is any minute right!

 

I have had a go with the construction on the first of the gingerbread houses.

 

I really like it but boy was the putting together tricky and it looks a lot shabbier and wonky in real life than it does in the pics. I am tempted to take it apart and try again. Although as my grandma always said (and a good friend reminded me) its flaws give it character. So I'm going to let it sit while I stitch the other one up and see if I get any better techniques going I might have an adjust on this one and maybe some distance will give me a better feeling for it.

 

Keep stitching...