Alphabet Sampler - Long Pillow Finish

This little piece of stitching came from a free cover kit from Needlecraft magazine, sometime in the late 1990s. I think - as was almost ubiquitious with these kits - it was made up into a card. I stitched it and gave it to my gran one birthday. As with everything I stitched for her, she kept it, and when she died five years ago, all these little pieces came back to me. Unfortunately, the card had been damaged, so I carefully took it off the mount - the margins were teeny tiny, as you can see - and kept it in my finishing box.

I didn't really know what to do with it - it wouldn't have made a pinkeep, for example - and the usual "four borders of fabric" pincushion seemed a little, well dull. And then, I remembered all those long pinpillows I'd seen on other people's blogs, and I knew that it would be a perfect finish for this! So off to my fabric stash I went...

I am not exaggerating when I say it probably took me as long to choose a fabric as it did to make the pillow - and I stitch everything by hand! Part of the problem is that rusts, purples and plums are my favourite colours. So I have a lot of fabric in those particular shades. And I really did want to use something from my stash - the reason why I was making this up was because I was snowed in, and couldn't get to the quilt shop which is normally only a 20 minute walk or 5 minute bus ride away down the hill. The hill being the problem...

In the end, I settled on this slightly distressed looking check, which reminded me a lot of a pinafore dress I used to have as a child.

The ribbon also came from my stash, and was originally a charity shop find. Again, it took a while to go through my box of trims to find something I was really happy with. Fortunately, when I showed it to The Hermit, his first comment was about how the ribbon sets it all off nicely so it's probably okay ;o)

This was the first of the finishing I need to do for The Year of the UFO, but I will have to stop for a few days as I have a heap of Uni work to do!

Easter Cracker Sampler - Bent Creek

Design: Easter Cracker Sampler

Designer: Bent Creek

Threads: GAST and WDW included in kit

Fabric: 28 count evenweave from kit

Frame: picked up from local charity shop

I framed this in the summer, and won't be displaying it until the spring - isn't that a shame? I actually bought the frame with another piece in mind, but both The Hermit and I thought this was a better combination!

I have framed it straighter than this picture suggests, too, but I think in future I will ask my local framers to mount my work - they only charge £2-£5 for it, it's more expensive than that to buy the acid free self adhesive mount board in laces like Hobbycraft!

Alphabet Ribbon Sampler - Historic Needlework Guild

Design: Alphabet Ribbon Sampler

Designer: Historic Needlework Guild

Threads: Unknown - from kit

Fabric: 28 count linen, antique white

I finished this piece back in August 2007 but made this piece up in August this year. I gifted it to Tammie for her birthday as she was my partner on the Stitching Bloggers Birthday Club.

Holly Berry Sampler - Bent Creek

Design: Holly Berry Sampler
Designer: Bent Creek
Threads: DMC conversion with red substituted
Fabric: 28 count evenweave, unknown colour

This is the Holly Berry Sampler without the berries - I have buttons to add, b ut I appear to have misplaced them!

This stitched up pretty quickly and completes the set of three - I've already stitched Plum Berry Sampler and Pumpkin Flower Sampler.

So - two posts, two Christmas trees! :o)

Petites Lettres Rouges - Blackbird Designs

Design: Petites Lettres Rouges
Designer: Blackbird Designs - freebie available here
Threads: Stef Francis Fine Mercerised Cotton - Colour 41
Fabric: 28 count evenweave (jobelan) - antique white

I think I ought to rename this Petites Lettres Arcs-en-ciel, because of the rainbow of colours in it :o) They haven't come out very well, as it's a very dull and rainy day here today, and I wanted to email the picture to Alma and Barbara.

I loved stitching this, because using my great grandmother's name triggered many happy memories - she was so much fun, and always full of mischief, even when her health failed and she developed Alzheimer's. I've misplaced a CD of family photos, so I can't share any at the moment, but there is a classic one of granny pinching sweeties ...

My sister has a very strong resemblance to my great grandmother as a young woman. My grandmother too looked very like her mother. And my sister's child, my niece - bizarrely, given that she was born almost twenty years after the death of little great gran - has some of her mannerisms - and way of walking ;o)

I have to say, I look more like my other maternal great grandmother, but in character I think I'm more like my little great gran - I try not to take myself too seriously, certainly!

Abigail Adams Sampler - Chartmakers

Design: Abigail Adams
Designer: Chartmakers
Threads: DMC
Fabric: 28 count linen, antique white

This lovely piece has been sat in my 'framing' pile for probably four years (or more) - I know I finished it fairly early in my days in the flat, as I thought it quite fitting for a gravestone angel to go on our walls, as our main window in the flat overlooks an undertakers... yes, I have a black sense of humour at times!

However, not being of standard dimensions (like 4" x 6") I couldn't find a ready made frame cheaply, so it languished undisplayed - until I discovered the wonder of pinkeeps :o)

Alphabet Sampler - The Sewing Circle

Design: Alphabet Sampler
Designer: The Sewing Circle
Threads: Gentle Arts Sampler Threads
Fabric: 32 linen, hand dyed

This is a little sweet sampler that had been hanging around my UFO pile for too long! I think it was because I wasn't happy with one of the charted colours, but I hadn't had the 'round tuits' needed to make a decision about swapping it out - and frogging!

This time, when I pulled it out, I quickly made some colour choices which is why my fruit and initials are Cherry Wine rather than Old Brick - I think they lift the design and cheer it up. Grey isn't really my thing - I wonder if that's because of my school uniform being predominantly that colour? :o)

Happy Bunny Bunny Day - The Trilogy

Design: Happy Bunny Bunny Day
Designer: The Trilogy
Threads: GAST and DMC (own choices)
Fabric: 14 count aida, tea dyed by me

Ooops, I've just noticed I've still not stitched on the pink buttons for 'flowers' ...

This happy little bunny had some modifications made in terms of colours, and I picked out my initials in pink to personalise it - I was pleased with how that looked and I'll probably do something similar with Trilogy/Heart in Hand/Bent Creek charts with alphabets in future :o) The fabric is a 'one off' too - some boring cream aida in my stash got the tea treatment. Unlike others, I don't bake mine in the oven, but I 'set' the colour with a hot iron, and hope that the piece doesn't need washing!

I still haven't decided how to finish this (which is probably part of why the buttons haven't been added!) but I'm leaning towards a pillow, it's a little large for a pin keep :o)

Summer Quaker Exchange

Design: Quaker ABC freebie
Designer: Gencat
Threads: House of Embroidery - Grapes
Fabric: 28 count evenweave

This is the piece I stitched for Irmeli (no blog) on the Hooked on Exchange blog

I've noticed quite trend towards Quaker stitching (or perhaps it's just the blogs I read!) but this was my first project in the style. It won't be my last - I loved the simplicity of stitching in one colour, although I chose a varigated thread to add interest and because it said 'summer' to me.

For finishing, I was very brave and 'screwed my courage to the sticking post' and went for an octagon shape - I'm still not sure how exactly I got the right dimensions! But it all worked, even though I think I over did the glue holding the pieces together, as it made sticking the pins in tough - and I think I had a dodgy batch of pins, some of the heads came off and my fingers got pricked ... no blood was shed, but I had to get the pliers out to remove the offending items! LOL

And talking of giveaways - you have until Sunday to comment on the Blogoversary giveaway post if you'd like to try and win the scissor pouch!

Button Alphabet Sampler - Brenda Keyes

Design: Button Alphabet Sampler

Designer: Brenda Keyes

Threads: Anchor Multicolours

Fabric: 22 count hardanger, antique white (stitched over 2)

This sampler comes from a book by Brenda Keyes - a designer to whom I turn to time and again when I'm looking for something to stitch as a gift. Her designs are timeless and tasteful and enjoyable to stitch, too.

This is quite different from her usual style, but I was looking for something suitable for my niece's second birthday.

The original design called for it to be stitched over 2 blocks of aida, and to use shirt buttons, but I wanted to keep to stuff I had in my stash, so I stitched it on hardanger and used a packet of tiny buttons I'd ordered online for another project, but had only needed 6!

I made this up into a wall hanging, with ribbon loops for suspending from dowel, but there is enough fabric hidden so that the piece can be framed at a later date.

It took me two evenings to complete - and that included the making up - I think I will keep this in my repertoire in case any friend decides to have a baby in future.

Swirly Sampler Freebie - version 2 - Bent Creek

Design: Swirly Sampler Freebie
Designer: Bent Creek
Fabric: 32 count linen, antique white
Threads: Gentle Arts Sampler Threads

This is the second version of the sampler - I used a finer fabric, but the difference in size wasn't as big as I'd hoped. This time, I used GAST to make it a little more subtle. This is my preferred version, so I'll keep this for myself! I may indeed make it into a pinkeep after all - I have some great fabric that will co-ordinate really well with it, plus a mountain of mount board to use up :o)

Swirly Sampler Freebie - version 1 - Bent Creek

Design: Swirly Sampler Freebie
Designer: Bent Creek
Threads: DMC
Fabric: 28 count jobelan, apricot

This was my first attempt at my pinkeep exchange for Hooked on Exchanges - I thought it came out a bit big for a pinkeep, but it's a really nice design! The Hermit likes it a lot, so I will probably frame it for him.

Christmas Sampler - Leisure Arts

Can you tell that this is my new favourite way of finishing medium size projects? I'm actually liking this more than I did, but I think I'm going to give it away - probably to my sister or niece. Teddy bears aren't really my thing.

Winter ABCs - Lizzie*Kate

Okay, with all the goals I have in my to do list, I probably shouldn't have started this, but I was feeling rebellious - plus I needed an easy stitch as my travel project!

This was pretty easy to do - although there is a counting error in there :o) I like the fact that the mitten was charted as an alternative to using the button. I think I will eventually get the buttons for this set of charts and frog the motifs, but that's a plan for another time!

I made a couple of changes to colours, and used the gold for the baubles on the tree rather than white, just to make them stand out more.

This is going to be framed in frames similar to those I've done the (original) Flip Its in.

Design Details

Fabric: 14 count aida, cream
Threads: Gentle Arts Sampler Threads, Minnamurra Threads (charted for Weeks Dye Works)
Designer: Linda Ebright - Lizzie*Kate
Chart Details: Winter ABCs - Lizzie*Kate Snippet #S33 (c) 2001
Stitch Count: 40H x 67V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch
Threads Used: Minnamurra 250, GAST Forest Glade, Nutmeg, Buckeye Scarlet, Brandy. Cross stitch in two strands of floss.
Embellishments: None.
Modifications Made: Substituted fabric and used own choice of threads. Omitted white stitches and used gold instead.

Christmas Sampler - Leisure Arts

This got dragged out of the UFO pile and finished! Yay! I had to re-do the date - it said 2001, although I have a feeling I started this even earlier LOL!

I know I bought the chart book when there wasn't a lot of choice in the UK, so this isn't really "me" these days, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. I've started making it into a little wall hanging - I may very well offer it up as a prize on this blog to celebrate Christmas.

Plum Berry Sampler - Bent Creek

I think I said pretty much what I wanted to in the last post :o)

I did wonder if the purple was a bit too bright, and thought about frogging all the specialty stitches and re-stitching in a more mulberry sort of colour, but then reality and common sense took over!

Design Details

Fabric: 28 count linen from Silkweaver - Lichen Moss
Threads: DMC stranded cotton
Designer: Bent Creek (Marsha Worley & Elizabeth Newlin)
Chart Details: The Plum Berry Sampler BC418 - Bent Creek (c) 2000
Stitch Count: 40H x 101V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Rhodes Stitch, Smyrna Cross Stitch, Algerian Eyelet Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 3835, 3023, 3787, 3021, 311, 869. Cross stitch in two strands.
Embellishments: Seven assorted buttons.
Modifications Made: Used DMC conversion, substituted recommended buttons

Pumpkin Flower Sampler - Bent Creek

(Hmmm - my pictures are rubbish. I wonder what is going wrong - I'm using macro, and flash and yet they are still very blurry!)

This is one of the set of three samplers published by Bent Creek and I've chosen to stitch them all on the same piece of linen, although I will frame or finish them individually.

I love them - the colours work beautifully - especially on this piece and they are quick but satisfying to stitch, as there are bands of raised stitches in the alphabet.

I chose to use the DMC conversions, and didn't use the recommended buttons - they would have cost me over £5, and the ones I used were from a couple of assorted packets that cost me less than that, and I've used them for several projects! They do go well, I think - I guess that's one of the advantages of having a favourite palette of colours, most things co-ordinate!

Design Details

Fabric: 28 count linen from Silkweaver - Lichen Moss
Threads: DMC stranded cotton
Designer: Bent Creek (Marsha Worley & Elizabeth Newlin)
Chart Details: The Pumpkin Flower Sampler BC420 - Bent Creek (c) 2000
Stitch Count: 40H x 101V
Stitches Used: Cross Stitch, Rhodes Stitch, Smyrna Cross Stitch, Algerian Eyelet Stitch
Threads Used: DMC 436, 611, 3051, 434. Cross stitch in two strands.
Embellishments: Seven assorted buttons.
Modifications Made: Used DMC conversion, substituted recommended buttons

Boo! - Bent Creek

Although the stitched part of this was finished last year, I've only just assembled the tuck bag - which is shocking, given that the bag came pre-made with the kit, and all I had to do was iron interfacing onto the stitching, trim to size and secure with the buttons! At least I have this completed for this autumn, and now it's October, I will display the bag proudly!

I don't really go for Hallowe'en, although I have enjoyed the times I've spent in the USA around that holiday. Over here in the UK, there's not such a big fuss made, and Trick and Treating is rather casual and can be more worrying, as children don't always seem to be escorted by parents, and there's less organisation. Some teenagers think it is a licence to beg for money too :o(

Of course, when I was a kid, the tradition was known as "Mischief Night" in this part of the country - gates would be taken off hinges, dustbins overturned, "Knock Down Ginger" played on unsuspecting householders ... all tricks, no treats! :o) The main excitement was always reserved for Bonfire Night though - these days it's just another occasion that spreads out over weeks, which isn't great if - like me - you have pets who don't like fireworks.

My, I am grouchy this morning! I'd better go have breakfast before I post any more!

Saturday's Sampler - Lavender Wings

This was stitched as a Round Robin on the (now defunct/imploded) Yahoo group "Round Robin Crazy". It was stitched in the DMC conversions given on the chart, which is why it looks quite a bit different to the model on the chart.

Stitched in 2005, this hasn't languished as long as some pieces in my "to be finished" box! I made this into a bell pull by backing it with glazed cotton in cream, which had been given more body by ironing on some lightweight interfacing. Initially, I made this sandwich up wrongly, so I had to do a little unpicking - fortunately, I was stitching by hand (as I always do) so it wasn't as tough as unpicking machine stitching!

I gave the final piece a press, and even from the wrong side, managed to damage the button - it softened and "fell off" the stitching - fortunately, it was repairable, but I will be ultra cautious next time!

Having done all the work, I'm not sure where to hang this, as it doesn't really fit in with decor in the living room or bedroom - it might end up in the hall, which due to its small size and many doors, has some narrow spaces just crying out for bell pulls!

Primitive Primroses - Ewe & Eye & Friends

I acquired this from a trade on the (now defunct) Chartswappers Yahoo Group - I got quite a surprise when the chart arrived with the UFO! I loved the colours, so actually finished this piece rather speedily. However, that was back in 2003 and since then, it's sat in my box of finished pieces awaiting making up.

I chose to make it into a bell pull, as custom framing is so expensive, and thin, narrow frames are hard to find off the shelf. There was enough of the linen to basically fold and stitch to the finished shape, although I had to make the back seam off centre as the stitching wasn't quite centred on the fabric. I used threads pulled from the edges to sew up the seams - this means that my stitching is practically invisible, which is a huge advantage!