Christmas Hop 2019 - Day 20

Hello!

Today is my day on Jo's advent calendar bloghop! If you haven't already visited her, pop over to see all the fun!! 

HERE!

And, what a surprise, I haven't been able to stitch as fast as I thought I would!!!

I've been stitching this little free kit from CrossStitcher magazine every spare minute ...... and I still have more backstitching to do!! I don't know why but my photos look a little fuzzy to me, they were alright in "files", so, if you can't see them very well don't forget to double click on the photo and all should be much clearer!

The kit has a frame to make it into a Christmas Card, so I guess you could say this is my virtual Christmas Card to all my friends! (The binding you can see here is only temporary, to stop the edges fraying.)

CrossStitcher Issue 351

Despite the little tree being finished, it's still not FFO'd. I wasn't sure what to do with it really!

PM25 Christmas Tree by Anchor

But now I've decided ..... it will be an ornament. I'm going to add  ric rak, then make it up into a little cushion thingy that can hang from a tree. I am aiming to finish very soon as otherwise I shall probably lose track of it!

This year Jo asked us to talk about our favourite Christmas film. My favourite film of all time has already been mentioned and is "It's a Wonderful Life"! but there are so many I really love but I'm not sure of their names (what am I like?!?), but I do think Christmas isn't Christmas without seeing at least one version of "A Christmas Carol"!



Have fun, but remember the old saying "A moment on the lips, and a lifetime on the hips" ..... oops, tee hee, did I really just say that out loud type that out loud!?

Ha, ha!

As always, Jo, "Thank You so much for organising us!"



And here's wishing you all a "Very Happy Christmas, and a Happy New Year!"





Hugs,
Barbara xxx

A Cross Stitch Small and Slow Sunday Stitching

Hi there stitching buddies!

I'm linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, 'cos finally I have a few hand stitching projects to work on.

Yay! I finished the first of my three “new to me” cross stitch projects. 

If you already follow me, you might remember?.... this is the one I told you that "took me over" ..... it was meant to be my travel stitching, 

but it's finished already!

Now I need to think how to FFO (fully finish off).

Pattern PM25 "Christmas Tree" by Anchor

But I have to say, with all the needle changes for the different colours it felt it took forever to stitch 

(probably three days) despite being such a tiny picture! Stitched on 14 count

 (14 stitches per inch).

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Today I’m stitching a little more on this pattern from CrossStitcher - it’s the free gift from the magazine.

 I've found I really needed grid lines, 

but are you supposed to keep putting them in and pulling them out? Possibly not, but I don't want to get the grid threads caught in my cross stitching.

The pink binding is temporary while I stitch, so the rough edges of the fabric don’t catch and ruin my thread. The pink tab on the top helps me to pick up and stitch quicker ..... you know what it’s like 

when you can't easily tell which way up is!

From CrossStitcher Magazine issue 351

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Just a couple of pictures while writing. My mum was saying how she missed the "Five on Friday" posts I used to do where I showed places DH and I had been walking, so just a couple of photos from a walk today:

This "little" guy was so happy sitting here that when we returned 30 minutes later he was still sitting in the same place! He obviously had plenty of grass to chew well within reach!

I know!! This is a bit funny, a veggie taking photos of cattle! But still, he does look cute!

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Oh, and this was a delicious veggie meal we had last week at our favourite cafe. Not the clearest photo, I took it with the camera rather than phone and there wasn't really enough light.

Nut Roast with steamed Kale, roast parsnip and carrot,
with a special gravy, and finished with a salad of pea shoots

It was such a tasty meal we've ordered one to cook at home for our Christmas dinner. Just hope the train strikes are all finished so we can go and collect the order!

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Even more hand stitching:

 When I was browsing on Pinterest last week I saw some teeny "Cocktail Napkins"!

Well, as I'm always thinking "Eco" and "Save the World" I thought this would be a good idea! 

I hate going into restaurants and being given paper napkins (often with each course) that get very little use and then go straight into landfill, so this is my very latest hand stitched "Squirrel" .....

using a small piece of Osnaburgh (6" x6") I'm now considering how to decorate! 

This isn't the lace I'm going to use, I was just testing to see if it was suitable. I think the napkin needs brightening up, but not too much as I do plan to use, and wash it plenty, and it might not last too long if it gets stained! So, its not meant to be a heirloom piece!

And, of course, I want this finished NOW! Tee hee!

Must go now, lots of you to visit, and I want to carry on with some of this stitching!

I do hope you'll come back to visit on 20th ..... when I'll be joining in with Jo's On line Advent Calendar. Why not pop over to see what is happening so far HERE.

Hope you are having fun, stitching, too!

Hugs,

Barbara xxx

Linking to Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching

(may add to this list later)

WIPocolypse - 2019 and a couple of finishes!!

Hello dear friends!

Oh dear, since my last WIPocolpse post I keep missing the link up date. And I've been dying to show you a few things I've been making. I haven't finished much from the list this year and I'll have to try harder next year!

WIPocolpse is an easygoing SAL to help us with some of those projects we want to finish before the end of the world (see my list at the end of the post), for more info about WIPocolpse go HERE.

This is the main cross stitch project I’m trying to finish, and this was where I was up to last time:

since then I've worked on .....

..... worked on the header band, adding more turquoise

and stitched lots of little motif's in the borders

I have taken my cross stitch along to my handicraft group a couple of times but somehow something always stops me actually stitching it! Like last time I forgot to take the threads along!!!! I found some thread in the cupboards there but when I got home I found the colour I'd used wasn't the same as the one I'd intended using, so I'll have to frog it!

I finally made some shoes for my doll Izzy (shoe pattern from Ann Woods)

Izzy says she would like a bag next! Funnily enough I've been wanting to make one for ages! (She'll have to wait a little though, but don't tell Izzy, tee hee!)

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One more reason why I haven't kept up with my cross stitch is that I keep finding books I just can't put down!!!!

First of all I'd just finished reading "Tombstone" by C J Sansom (I just love his books, they whisk you back in time and tell you all about an era you never knew about, well, I didn't anyway! ..... this one is set in 1549) and then I was at a loss as to what to read! 

I'd ordered my next book by Anne Perry from the library but I had to wait almost two months before the book became available!!!! In the meantime I was scouring the donated books at my local train station (books which have been donated for charity). We buy them for a £1 or two and the money goes to a cancer charity.

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First was: "A Noise Downstairs" by Linwood Barclay ..... I thought it would be good as I'd read other books by him, and I wasn't disappointed! It kept me guessing to the end.

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Then, after reading the flyleaf, I couldn't resist reading this book either:

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena 

"Why would you run scared from a happy home?

You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work.

You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day.

That's the last thing you remember.

You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there.

They tell you that you were in an accident; you 

lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous

part of town.

The police suspect you were up to no good. But your

husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend is not

so sure. And even you don't know what to believe ...."

One of the reviews said "hard to put down" and I think this must be the first book I've ever read in two days! It wasn't my usual choice of book but I found I really wanted to find out whatever had happened!!!

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I ordered the next book on line as I'd already been introduced to this character by Vickie of  "A Stitcher's Story". This is the first of a series of books about Maisie.

"Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Winspear

Which was introduced as:

 "The "British counterpart" to "Alexander McCall Smith's 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by The Associated Press.

The story starts in England in 1929 as Maisie 

has just opened her own detective agency.

but I don't want to spoil the story, so you'll have to get the book to read more, tee hee!

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I've been working on some new projects too. Last year I bought wool to make a hat, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked. I eventually found one and here is my "finished" hat.

This was my main reason for posting btw!

(might make a bobble for it) ..... for details of the pattern visit me on Ravely as "Knittybarbo".

This is how the bobble from the pattern looks, but I'm not sure it's what I want! I might make an  ordinary style bobble ..... what do you think?  But then, what size do I make it?

I've just finished making a door stop. Pattern from Mollie Makes. There were a couple of little niggles with the instructions - the measurement for the handle wasn't long enough and I had to add fabric at either end. The zip too really needs a little fabric at either end before attaching to bag to "sit" nicely when finished, but even so it looks quite nice.

Doorstop -
Tee hee, it doesn't live on the window sill!

Oooh, I'm a little bit excited ...... I've joined Instagram this week! I know, I said I never would, but have you noticed they are more or less forcing you to if you want to actually look around over there?!! So, I've taken the plunge and slipped in, tee hee! You'll find me as "Flashinscissors". I haven't a clue  how it works yet, so don't be surprised nothing is happening so far!! No photos yet! But I'll be trying to find all my friends there!

I aim to be back very soon with some more Christmas things, but you know how it is, it's so busy this time of year!

Hugs,

Barbara xxx

Anyhow, this is the list of projects I really, really want to finish, but each one is waiting for it's own reasons!

Updated WIP list:

Progress - blue ink
Other projects rediscovered since original list - orange
Finished - purple

Cross Stitch:

1. Camper Van - started last year -  finished 2019.
2. Bee needle case - started last year - still needs FFO.
3. Etoilé thread sampler - framing.
4. Easter cross stitch piece - framing.
5. Polka Dot Lady quilt - finishing.
6. "Stitches" - unfinished.
7. Night time - finishing.
8. Tatty Teddy - back stitching and framing.

Quilting:

1. Polka Dot lady
2. Dormouse
3. Laundry day
4. Name badge - finished 2019
5. Plus two others - block painting

Other Miscellaneous Projects:

1. Goldwork picture
2. Stitch sampler bag
3. Crewel Work - needs framing
4. Luna 
5. Izzy (doll) - who wants a bag and maybe a hat !!?!!