Belated Happy New Year

Just before Christmas Dragonfly came back from the framers.  I am over the moon with her.  Six years well spent!!!!!!

Since then I've been working on Mad Queen Alice.  Wow, have I bitten off more than I can chew!  I didn't realize it was 42 pages when I bought it, that makes it six pages wide (Gulp!).  However, I am two pages in and you can just see the start of her crown in the bottom right of the pic.  As there is quite a bit of block colours at this stage she seems to be stitching up fairly quickly.  I'm really enjoying her and just can't spend enough time stitching at the moment.

Happy New Year everybody and my 2017 bring you all plenty of stitching time!

So nearly there!

I'm still focusing on Dragonfly with every spare moment that I have to stitch.  The finishing line is so close that I can almost taste it. After however many years this has taken I will definitely be done by Christmas.

The plan once this is finished is to start Mad Queen Alice and then do that, Curl Up With A Good Book and Enchanted Flute in rotation.  Just not sure yet whether I do, say, a month on each or have to complete a page of chart on each.  I do now that due to the size of Mad Queen Alice I do intend to do her, one of the others, than back to MQA, the other design, MQA, etc.  Otherwise MQA may never get done.  Can't wait to start her although the piece of fabric is HUGE!

Happy stitching!

Page Finish and New Chart

Yeah, mini happy dance as I've finished another page on Dragonfly.  Only four more partial pages to go!

And I've succumbed and bought another HAED chart, Mad Queen Alice.  Love the design but turns out that it's even bigger than Dragonfly!  Whoops!

Can't wait to start it though! 

Happy stitching.

Running, Stitching and All That

I'm pleased to say that I've just completed week 2 of the C25K training program.  And it was an interesting run.  I just got to the second walk as I caught up with a gentleman who was walking, flat cap, umbrella and all.  As my phone ordered me to start running again I charged past him at full speed.  That was a mistake.  It was too fast.  I struggled on at that rate as he could still see me but it killed me for the rest of the run, so when I turned round I passed him again.  This time I could hardly walk let alone run and my right foot was squelching with every step from getting soaked on my last run.  I must have been a right sight.  Valuable lesson learnt.

On the stitching front, I've done more of Dragonfly and the page is close to a finish now.  The just four half pages to go.  Still hoping for a finish before Christmas.  

And "All That" .... well my eldest daughter got her "A" level results and did brilliantly with A,B and C so is off the Swansea University to study Psychology.  And really excited for her (I wasn't bright enough to go) but there's a lot to do and sort out before she heads off.  Big changes ahead but I'm sure she will have a great time.

Happy stitching everyone.

Some more small steps!

Well I'm definitely not very good at this blogging lark am I?  Sorry once again for my long absence.  I guess I'll just have to accept that this will be an occasional blog and it's still a record of my stitchy progress.

So what have I been doing?  Well, not a lot really.  We've been on holiday and I didn't take any stitching with me so there was no progress on anything in those two weeks and with the nicer weather (most of the time anyway) I just don't seem to stitch as much in the summer.    However, I did get Dragonfly back out last week and have made some progress on her.  The dragon now has a bit more of his tail.  I'm still hopeful that this will be finished by the end of the year, so I'm guessing it is going to have to be my top focus.

On the weight loss, well I had done really well (lost nearly a stone) and then we went away and I ate and drank to much (but it was very nice).  So it is back on the wagon again now and I'm feeling very virtuous having been for a run this morning.  I'm trying to do the C25K which I have done before, so day 1 down and several more to go.  I'll keep you informed of my progress.

Happy stitching everyone!

It's all in black and white

I had a good weekend session of stitching and have managed to complete the first block of Save The Stitches.

It stitches up surprisingly quickly so may be my target for the year isn't so far fetched.

I've done a bit more on Dragonfly as well and she'll come back out again now - even though Chinese Garden is calling me.

Happy stitching.

Another page complete

Yeah, celebration time!!!!

Finished page 15 of Dragonfly, that's another step closer to finishing her.  I'm feeling motivated to complete this now.  It seems so close.  One more full page and then four partial pages.  I might actually get this one done before the end of the year!

Happy stitching!

TUSAL Update, A New Moon and An Eclipse

So today sees the new moon and another TUSAL post so how appropriate that we've had a partial eclipse in the UK.  Its the first time I really remember experiencing one.  The light certainly changes and it almost feels like dusk or early dawn not 9.30am.  We didn't have the glasses so made do with a pin hole in a piece of paper which gave a sharp, if somewhat small image.  However, I did get these on my phone.

This is the sun in the top left but if you look to the lower right you can see a crescent which is the reflection of the eclipse in the double glazing.

This one might take a bit of work to see (and was much better on my phone, I think it's lost some detail in the upload).  If you look at the bottom right of the blur that is the sun's glare you can make out an in focus semi circle.  This is the sun and on my phone there was a chunk missing which was the moon, but I think you are going to have to take my word for it.

And this one I just like.  You can see the sun underneath its glare. 

I know they are not going to set the astrological world alight with their quality but seeing it's only the camera on my phone I was quite pleased with them.

Anyways, back to stitching and TUSAL.  Here's my jar.  It's starting to show lots of the reds now from Dragonfly.

And the dragon itself continues to progress.

Celtic Winter will be back from the framers next week so I'll post you some shots then.

Happy stitching and thanks for visiting!

Late Turtle Trot (March)

Celtic Summer has gone off to be frame, yipee,  Can't wait to get her back and put her up with Celtic Winter.  Two down, two to go.  Don't hold your breath though, it's taken so long to do Celtic Summer that the other two won't be here any time soon!

However, Christmas Pots is now finished.  It needs a wash and iron and then "finishing" but the stitching is done.  (The picture's a bit washed out, I'll get a better one when it's washed).

And I'm pleased to say the Dragonfly continues to progress.  The dragon's face is starting to appear.

And here's a close up of the dragons head.

Only a totally different note I've started a sewing course.  It's for complete beginners and started with real basics, like how to thread your sewing machine.  But at the end of week three I've learnt how to do various seams and darts and I've made a place mat using wadding and bias, which I was actually quite pleased with.  I might even try and show you a picture next time.

Dragonfly Page Finish

In my last post I promised a picture of Dragonfly with page 12 finished.  However, this was a lie, it's actually page 15 finish - Whoopie!!!!  Mind you that's out of 20 pages not 18 so although I couldn't count yesterday I've still got just as much to do as I said but I've done more than I said.  Any way, stop rambling I hear you say.  Here is the picture.

I was also surfing the web last night looking at cross stitch charts and came across Chatelaine Designs and I think I have fallen in love with the mandalas.  I just love the Chinese Garden one which the above link takes you to.  The pictures don't do it justice, have a look at this joysze blog.  The only problem I have with it is that it uses so many specialist threads that, based on another design that is available through Sew and So it comes to over £200 for fabric, threads and beads and that's just not something I can justify.  Oh well, I'll just add it to the wish list anyway, we can all dream.

Just look HERE to see how beautiful these are when stitched.

TUSAL Update

Well it certainly seems to have been a productive month for stitching for me and the ORT jar has the evidence to prove it.

I've really got into the flow of Dragonfly at the moment which is great as it's relatively close to a finish.  I've nearly finished page 12 of 18 pages but the last four pages are only half pages (if that) so compared to what I've done there is hardly any to do (only a few thousand stitches!).  I aim to post a picture of progress tomorrow as I should finish page 12 tonight.

As for Curl Up With A Good Book and Treasures I'm pleased to say I have found the missing pages. They were hiding away on the old computer but still safely there.  I've now printed them off so they are back on my Turtle Trot list.  Save The Stitches has been moved to a wish list, one that I'm sure will grow over time.

Happy stitching all and thanks for visiting and to my new followers!

Turtle Trot Update

It's the 10th of the month so time for an update on my Turtle Trot.

Overall it's been a good month.  I've made progress on Celtic Summer adding a whole load of the beads and I'm hoping for a finish on this next month.

I started and completed "Brew Some Fun" and I've just got to decide what to do with it now, plenty of time to Halloween though so no rush.  It's a Lizzi Kate flip chart so I might even do the other pattern before then you never know.

"Curl Up With A Good Book" has made a little progress from this

To this:-

But I have hit a problem in that I don't appear to have the final page of the chart.  I'm going to have another check of my PC to see if I can find it otherwise I'm going to have to purchase the chart, luckily it is still available.

However, this is also a problem with "Treasure" as I only have half the chart.  I've only stitched half a dozen stitches so this one is going to be substituted with "Save The Stitches".  (I do love to pick the large charts).

There is also progress with "Dragonfly".  From this:-

To this:-

It doesn't look much but it's being stitched one over one on 25 count so it's a lot of stitches for a little progress.  It's page 14 of 20 so it's all in the right direction.  I've got my grove on with this one at the moment so I'm going to stick with it for a bit, at least until the dragon has a head!

Then there's "Christmas Pots", which has gone from this:-

To this:-

Happy Stitching everyone and don't forget to visit other Turtle Trot participants at BAP Attack.