Finish or Fling? - Floral Sampler

This was a Wedding Sampler I made for a colleague back in 1996. Their wedding was in February, and that was the month I ended up hospitalised. I didn't go back to work for more than six months. And my colleague had moved on by the time I got back. I wonder how the couple got on?

It would be possible to frog and restitch, but the fabric has got stained at some point in storage - I've not idea what with.

Pros:

• Would only need to stitch initials
• Quite like the design - I stitched another version in a different colour way for my gran, and of course, I have that now.
  

Cons:

• Hate the colours - I'm not a pastel person.
• Damaged fabric
• Already have a version of it

So - Finish or Fling?


Verdict: Fling. Definitely fling! Of course, if anyone has initials KD or is a "K&D" couple, they could try and rescue it?

Prairie Schooler SAL

I've not had a lot of time for stitching over the last few days as I've had work and Uni stuff piling up. This is where I'm at with D is for Drum, the next letter I'm working on for the Prairie Schooler ABC SAL. I have to confess this is my least favourite of the designs. It's just so very American and flag wavingly patriotic, and I'm not. I wish designers would realise that they sell to international markets ... Anyway, I have been working with my design software and have come up with some amendments. The flag is going to be a Scottish saltire, the drum will have a Lion Rampant in the shield (and that took some doing!) and the Bald Eagle will change species and become a Golden Eagle.

Finish or Fling? - Come Home For Love

This comes from the first JCS Ornament Issue I bought. And at the time, The Hermit was living in Canada and I was in the UK. And I thought it would be nice to stitch this for him. And then I got to know the full scale of his antipathy to Christmas :o) So this got put to one side, and it's been sitting getting a bit scruffy ever since.

Pros:

• would be fairly quick to finish, as it's an ornament
• has nice sentimental memories
• like the colour scheme, it's not all that Christmassy

Cons:

• on aida
• The Hermit might still realise it's a Christmas ornament!

so - Finish or Fling?

I think I'll finish this.

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Patchwork

This is probably another project from my time on the South Coast - I was unhappy and I think it showed in my lack of stick-to-it-ness with projects. I had plans for a lap quilt size project from a selection of scraps, but like the Advent Calendar, the fabrics I've used already are a mix of cotton and polycotton, and there is one block finished and one block cut out.

Pros:

• Cheerful
• Uses fabric scraps

Cons:

• Bad fabric choices
• Lot of work if I stick to my original plan
• The Hermit hates Christmas, and another big project hanging around could tip him over the edge!

So - finish or fling?

Verdict: finish, but only these two squares. I might make them into something small, like potholders or a couple of scissor pouches.

Finish or Fling? - Country Companions Wedding Sampler

This is another UFO inherited from my mum's friend. I've never touched it as I have even fewer friends getting married than having babies! I think the last wedding I went to was my sister's, five - or is it six? no, seven. OMG - years ago.

Pros:

• Not a lot to do
• Would make a nice gift

Cons:

• No one to give it to
• Lot of backstitch to do
• On aida
• I don't really do cute
• No idea where the chart is
  

Finish or fling?

Verdict: if anyone would like this as a wedding sampler for a couple they know, I will finish it for them - providing I can find the chart! Otherwise, it will be flung!

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!

Happy Dance! - A is for Anchor

Design: A is for Anchor (from A*B*C) 

Designer: Prairie Schooler 

Threads: DMC as charted  

Fabric: 28 count evenweave, cream 

Stitches: Half cross stitch

I started this on the 28th of December, and finished it on the 5th of  January, as I wanted to stitch my New Year's Day pieces too. Again, this was mostly worked whilst listening to the coverage of the cricket in South Africa - cross stitch and cricket go very well together!

This is how it grew:

 

And this is how the first row completed looks:

Apologies for the dark pictures - we have grey skies because of all the snow we're getting.

I didn't make any changes to this. Although I may go back and work two of the letters in the compass rose in a different colour, as N and W are my initials :o)

D is for Drum is taking slightly longer to work, as I'm doing a bit of a re-design - the flag and shield motif are being changed to designs more appropriate for someone who is not American, and the eagle is changing species too!

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Ornaments (Felt)

This is a set of eight ornaments from a Bucilla Kit. I've completed two, and they've been displayed each Christmas for years now. Because I bought this kit in (blimey) 1997 when I worked in a small South Coast town called Havant for a while. It wasn't totally a happy time and I ended up back 'up North' with my parents. So it wasn't all bad in the end...

Anyway, I don't think I'm harbouring unhappy associations with this - I had to look on Google maps to remember the name of the town! - so:

 Pros:

• Different technique to my normal stuff
• Very cute
• Can work on one ornament at a time
• Have others completed

Cons:

• Very fiddly to do, lots of beads and sequins
• The Hermit hates Christmas stuff

So, finish or fling?



Verdict: finish.

Finish or Fling? - Christmas Ornament

I know I started this when I was working in my last full time, permanent job. So 2004 or 2005, and I've done the odd little bit since. Although I like the colours, I don't like working with the metallic floss - and I'm not totally happy with how the French knots look.

Pros:

• Not a lot of work to do
• Would look great in the basket in my bathroom

Cons:

• Working with metallic floss - and aida
• There's a ring mark which I'm not sure will come out, which will limit finishing options

So, finish or fling? This is going to be a close run thing...



Verdict: finish

Finish or Fling? - Chatsworth

This UFO isn't even one of mine - I think my mum was given it by a friend, and somehow I've ended up with it. In my defence, it is only a recent acquisition. So, do I adopt it and finish it? Or should I pass it on again?

Pros:

• The local connection - Chatsworth is only about 10 miles away and as a family we often used to go and picnic or walk in the grounds
• Would go with my Derbyshire map project
  

Cons:

• No personal connection to the project
• Stitched on aida
• Lot of work to do
  
• No picture of the finished design (and I can't find one online)

This is a picture of Chatsworth House. It is thought that Chatsworth was the basis for Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice, and indeed, was featured in the Keira Knightley film version.

So - do I Finish or Fling?


I think, on balance, I will fling this, but keep the chart in case I feel a burning need to do it at some point in the future.