Short update!

As much as I would love to write you a hugely detailed post with lots of pretty pictures, I'm sorry, this is a very short one!  I just wanted to let you know, I haven't disappeared, but I have been very ill. 

Annoyingly I was admitted to hospital with having a small stroke.  It's affected my co-ordination, my ability to say some words, given me light-headedness, painful headaches and the feeling of "pressure" at the back of my head.  I can't stitch at present, but I'm hopeful that I will be able to very soon and doing anything for any length of time causes the pain and pressure to increase.  

They are still investigating the exact cause of it, once I receive proper treatment I will hopefully be back with you and commenting on your blogs again!

Hope you guys stay well and enjoy the stitching time!  Make the most of each day as you never know what's around the corner!

Finished stuff!

First off, I must apologise for missing my YOTA post, I didn't stitch anything of them so honestly, nothing to see here!

You may remember me mentioning a bit ago that I'd been stitching something as a gift, well it's now been received so I can share photo's!

It's a kit from Anchor called Together Forever designed by Margaret Sherry:

It's stitched on 32ct Fairy Forest Opalescent Murano from Crafty Kitten.  I took a picture prior to personalising as they preferred for their detail not to be shared online and of course I respected that. It was framed in a modern, gloss white frame with an off-white mat.  I did find it hard to get through as it wasn't my choice and although it's cute, the fact it was for someone else put that "obligation" on me to HAVE to stitch it.  I am very pleased with the result and the fabric looked amazing and was wonderful to stitch on.

My next finish is my "Go-Bag" stitching.  I've not shared any pictures of this before mainly because it generally in my bag ready to go!  It's a nice easy to stitch design that is just 1 solid colour, so perfect for when you are out of the house!

Sorry for the slightly creased picture!  This was a free design from Love Thy Thread, who sadly are no longer trading.  It's stitched on a piece of 28ct fabric from Colour Cascades Fabric that has gold opal threads running through it.  It'a actually a little more red than the picture shows.  I can't tell you what the colour is as it was an oddment from one of the month sales from the FaceBook group.

I don't think I've shared a picture of my framed Pyramid with you all yet.  I've had it back for a while, just haven't managed to get a good picture of it, however I'll share one of the ones we've taken of it!

I hope this gives you some idea of how it looks.  We still haven't decided where to hang it, but hopefully once it's on the wall it'll be easier to photograph!

Also, my most recent progress photo of The Three Fates:

I was going to switch away from this but couldn't decide what to switch to.  hubby suggested using a random number generator and picking that way, so I did....seemed the Fates have conspired and are insisting I continue as this was the number that came up!  I think I'll switch back to the left side and continue down, maybe I'll reach the bottom corner, although that may be slightly too ambitious!

Finally, I want to thank you all for your lovely well wishes; I am feeling better now (well at least as good as I get!) and Charlie is doing well too.  Lets hope we continue feeling well until our little trip away at the start of June!

IHSW - April

Thank you for all your kind messages about my health after my last post, I was on the mend but sadly had a bit of a setback last week and ended up stuck in bed for a few days.  I am recovering, I'm just having to take it very easy and go slowly....something I tend to struggle with!

Also, poor little Charlie, our American Cocker Spaniel has been under the weather too, He's getting old now and every time a Vet visit is required I always worry, thankfully it's not anything too serious, just rest and time, so we are chilling out together!

As a lot of you may know, it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend this weekend and I actually managed to get a bit of stitching done, thanks to my forced "taking it easy"!

On Saturday, I dug out Candy Cane Christmas by Ursula Michael that I've been stitching along with Linda and Sasha (check the Saturday SAL tab out for more info).

March

April

I know Linda has been taking part in various challenges so I've not stitched on it every week as I don't want to get too far ahead, it's hard as it's such a fun stitch!

Then Sunday I carried on with stitching The Three Fates - Jasmine Becket-Griffith (HAED).

Friday

Monday

Not masses done, but at least enough to see a little difference :)  I'm going to take it off the QSnaps later so I'll take a full photo then.

Overall I'm really thrilled with the progress and it's been a good weekend!

Thank you to the new followers, I hope that enjoy reading and looking at the pictures.  Please feel free to leave comments, it's always great to hear from people!  I'm sneaking ever closer to the 100 mark, once I hit it, I think it might be time for another give-away!

Pickle Barrel Designs!

Just a quick information post (so no need to comment!) to help raise awareness of the lovely lady of Pickle Barrel Designs.  Nancy's had her designs featured in several magazines and is currently giving away a freebie.  If you aren't aware of her designs and her beautiful blog, please stop by and give her a look...and don't forget to collect your freebie too!

Where did March go? YOTA post!

I don't know what happened but I seem to have missed March!  I've spent pretty much the whole month being under the weather with Sinusitis and generally feeling pretty grotty :(

Due to the afore mentioned grottiness, stitching has been very slow.  I've stitched a little on The Three Fates, but not enough to show any progress as yet.  I have managed to get my obligation stitching done....HUGE YAY!  I had no idea how hard it was to motivate myself to stitch something that wasn't my choice....I don't think I could be a model stitcher!  I can't show you a picture of it at present as the recipient hasn't got it yet (I only completed it yesterday).

I have decided to add Dirt and Glitter to the YOTA SAL (if you are not familiar with YOTA check out Pull The Other Thread).  She's not had any time spent on her for some time and I wanted to try and get some more stitching time on her.

March 2014

April 2015

Not loads done, but some progress and that's the main thing!

I feel such a sense of freedom now the obligation stitching is done and I can finally catch up on some of the SAL's that have been left behind.  I've got quite a few WIP's on the go and being able to get some of them completed would be good.  I also have fallen behind on blog reading so catching up might take some time, but I'll get there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday SAL & YOTA - March

I hope everyone is doing well and managing to get some stitchy time in!  I figured I'd squish 2 SAL updates into 1 post and hopefully save you a little time :)

We'll go with Saturday SAL first, this is the one that is organised by Linda (details on the tab at the top of the page)

February

7th March 

This is such a fun stitch and I love working on it.  I missed last week as I'm still concerned about getting too far ahead of Linda, who is continuing the challenge for Debbie but it's really hard when I love it so much!

Now for the YOTA SAL organised by Pull The Other Thread:















It's very slow going and if you look REALLY hard, you might spot the bit of stitching I did! I've decided to add another couple of my WIP's that have been unloved for a while to the YOTA SAL so that it gives me a bit of variety.  There's nothing worse than trying to force yourself to work on something you really don't feel like stitching so a little flexibility is not a bad thing.

As some of you may know, very sadly, Neil from Eclectic Bloke Designs passed away after losing his battle with cancer.  I didn't know him personally, however I know that some of you guys did and my thoughts are with his partner, family and friends.

Neil's passing has reminded me that life is too short to worry and stress over my stitching.  I had got myself workd up about the number of WIP;s I had and pushing myself into a rotation to make sure certain projects got stitched.  As stated above, I'm allowing myself much more flexibility, it's a hobby, enjoy it.  Life is precious and the time and energy I spend stressing could be better spent.  I'm aiming to have much more of a "go with the flow" approach and see how I feel!

Back at it.....

First off...I'd like to say a big hello and welcome to the new followers!  If I reach 100 I think it may be time for another giveaway to celebrate!

I've finally gotten back to stitching and I've a few updates to share!  I picked up Mini Starlight - Linda Ravenscroft (HAED).  It's been a long while and she's been a bit neglected but this year she's going to get a bit of love!

September 2014

February 2015

Not loads done, but a little progress and anything is a step towards that finishing line.

The Three Fates - Jasmine Becket-Griffith has also been out to play:

October 2014

February 2015

Last up, I've not been stitching on the Saturday SAL as there have been the "Crazy Challenges" in tribute to Debbie, who very sadly passed away last year.  However, I caved last weekend and pulled out Candy Cane Christmas!

December 2014

February 2015

I've dropped off Pyramid 4 with the framer so hopefully I should have it back in the next couple of weeks.  I really love the frame we've gone with and I really hope it work well.  To say I'm nervous leaving my stitching with a framer I've not used before would be an understatement, however we chatted and I'm confident that he will do a good job!  I can't wait to be able to share it with you!

YOTA - February

My post is a little late, I finally got my PC upgraded so it's taken a while to sort it out and install all the stuff I had on my previous.  I'm still not quite there, but it's definitely on the way!

Now, about my YOTA project, turns out I've "borrowed" a fair amount of the threads to use in other projects, which I completely forgot.  I'm now waiting on a fairly large thread order to arrive so that I can get a bit of stitching done!

I would also like to say a huge thank you to all the people who left such nice comments about my finish of Pyramid 4.  I admit, my stitchy bug went wandering once it was done, but it's slowly coming back and I've been doing a little bit.

OMG....I did it!

I did it!  I completed my first large HAED design!  It's not had a bath yet but I was so excited and wanted to share.

I started it when we went on honeymoon to Egypt, as hubby thought it would be a great idea to stitch something Egypt themed while we were there.  We chose the chart together and rather than buying something new, we picked this one which had been in my stash for years!  

For those that wish to know, the "technical" details:

Started: 30th March 2013

Finished: 30th January 2015

Stitched on 25ct White Magic Guide by DMC, 1 over 1 using DMC thread. 

From Heaven and Earth Designs, designed by Michele Sayetta
Original artwork By Ciro Marchetti

I am really thrilled with the outcome and whilst being quite confetti heavy due to all the detail, was still very enjoyable to stitch.  Now I need to find a good framer as this is one I don't fancy trying to frame myself!  If anyone knows of a good framer in the Manchester, UK area, I would be really grateful for the details!

By pushing to get this finished, I've neglected to keep up with the blog reading this week.  I'm going to try to get through as many as I can today though.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments I've had whilst stitching this and I've really appreciated the encouragement.

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend - January

As it was so cold this weekend, it was the perfect excuse to "Hermit and Stitch"!  I've been a little lapse in sharing pictures of Pyramid 4, which has been my primary focus since before Christmas.  Once I've finished this post, I'll make a point of updating my "Work in Progress" tab so that you can see the recent pictures.  However, I'll show you the most recent progress from this weekend!

This was the starting point on Saturday morning:

....and where I got to on Sunday night:

As you can see, not far to go now, so I think I'm going to stick with it until it's completed.  I know I was going to start a rotation, but once this is done, I will start it!

YOTA (Year of the Acronym)

YOTA is a Stitch A-Long (SAL) that is being hosted by Pull The Other Thread.  It's a UFO SAL (hence Year of the Acronym!), so basically any project that has been left by the wayside and unfinished.

I've not really set any firm goals for this year, I generally fail, so rather than set myself up to be disappointed I've replaced them with "loose plans"!

1. Stitch QS Clara - any progress is a step forward
2. Try and finish Pyramid 4
3. Don't be sucked in by too many SAL's! (Note...."Too Many", allows for being slightly sucked it!")

Handily, QS Clara falls into the YOTA criteria, so YAY!  I've not stitched on her yet, so this will be my starting point for the year;

I'm setting up a tab specifically to track my progress for this to make it easy to see how it goes.  I've no idea how much will get stitched, but any stitches at all will be a step forward!

Christmas Stitching & Presents

I haven't made a post yet to thank the people who were lovely enough to buy me stitching gifts this year for Christmas, apologies for all the pictures!

Kim from Sense and Stitchability gifted me the gorgeous Elsa - Kordek from Tilton Crafts

Alicia, The Crafty Princess gifted me not 1 but 2 lovely charts from Heaven and Earth Designs!

Mini Snowflake Daydreams

and A Little Bit of Magic - Spangler

The lovely lady from Pull The Other Thread gifted me the stunning Anastasia - Zielinska, also from Heaven and Earth Designs

The poorly Nikki, who's been suffering from stitching withdrawal after a shoulder surgery gifted me the wonderful chart for  Once Upon a Midnight Dreary - JBG along with the material pack for it that Heaven and Earth Designs also sell!  I suspect she's trying to lead me astray!

I was also lucky enough to receive an Amazon voucher from the lovely Rachel and her sister Petrina, who have a knitting and stitching blog here!  

Hubby, the well trained man that he is, also bought me some stitchy bits too!  I got a kit from Gecko Rouge called Jaunee - Koresh.  

He knows of my love of Angels and my taste in art and picked really well!  I was also fortunate enough to get a voucher for Gecko Rouge from my dear friend Lesli, so I'm taking my time to pick something else out too!  There are several that have caught my eye and deciding is hard!  I've joined the Gecko Rouge FB group and one of the new releases is this:

I keep going back to look at it so this may well be my next purchase!  Although Maleficent, Black Magic Unicorn and Daemon in Rosa are also right there too!

Hubby also bought me my first Gorjuss kit too!  He chose The Fox, which is so cute....well they all are really!

What can I say, but a massive Thank You to all of my lovely friends.  I count myself so blessed to have met so many wonderful people through online forums and blogs.  You make my life so much brighter!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish all my followers a very Happy New Year!  I hope that 2015 brings good things for all of you and your loved ones, with plenty of stitchy time!