First legs of the challenge.

Hello there fellow stitchers!

As i promised last time, i will show you the progress made on one of my current wip, HAED's Spiders Queen, while stitching for the #StitchAroundTheWorld2019 challenge.

I leave you with some pics of the first legs already stitched.

The start, with the first page complete.

In January I've completed 12140 points on this project and i'm happy with the actual result.
Let's see how many stittches will bring the months ahead...

See you soon,         
   

Still there, still stitching.

Hello there!
I know, i'm bad at updating my own blog, but i'm trying.

Since finishing Leo and Night Moves, i've switched to stitch Window With A View Max Colors (my first MC! Whoohoo!) by Dominic Davison.

This is my fourth HAED start.


Well, after starting that in mid August 2018 and also participating in the 100 days of HAED challenge, and finishing just a bit more than two pages, i've found myself wanting to implementing Spiders Queen in the rotation.
She asked and deserved some attention after two long years and thus i gave in and in 2019 i'm participating in two challenges hosted over facebook:

1. 100 days of HAED with WWACMC
2. Stitch Around the World with SQ 

These challenges are fun and i'm still making good daily progress on both wips.
(Pics to come, after the first 100 days challenge is over).

See you soon,     

How time flies when you're stitching...

Well it's been a while since the last post...

Been busy stitching and searching myself in those last few months.
Did i find what i was looking for? Probably not, so let's skip to the point of this post: i've been stitchin a lot (in all honesty i'd spend every single moment with a needle in my hands and the beautiful threads... If only that would be possible). 

Let's now take a look at the progress made.

• Leo 

Finished on March, 8 2018. I'm so happy with the result and honestly it looks so much better in real life than it does in this photo.
*Pics of the framed piece to come (hopefully soon)!

• Last Minute project for Christmas 2017

I almost forgot to post this but better late than never, right?

It was fun stitching with three threads, as i already knew the feeling and the outcome it's not so bad with the 3D looks.
It was so much easier than stitching an HAED but I needed it.

• Night Moves

As I'm typig this post I'm prepared to do the #60daysofHAED challenge after partecipating in the #30daysofHAED hosted over Facebook.
The first challenge was easy, focusing one month on only one project it wasn't so hard in my opinion but with this new challenge (that starts April 24th) we will see... Maybe I can commit on stithing Night Moves on 60 days or maybe Spiders Queen will scream at me for attention (I negleted her since having completed the first page so long ago) after the first 30 days... Who knows what will happen?
Returning on the subject at hand: on Night Moves I've surpassed the halfway point and I'm very happy about how it's coming along.

See you soon,

Almost the end of 2016.

Hello!

How time flies sometimes! Stitch after stich and in a blink of  an eye... It's almost the end of December.

Let's start this wrap-up post with a last minute project.

Yes, this is a Christmas related project started at the end of the year. *yikes*
The photo is covered because it's a surprise, but in the next year I'll show you the result.
The floss isn't DMC, but for a kit it's not so bad. The final effect of this pattern is a 3D feeling as the directions tells you to use 3 strands of floss.


As for the other wips:

• Leo. 

This is where I've stopped in November, with a bit of the first lion's leg finally showing.

• Night Moves.
  Pages 1, 7 and 13 are done, for a total of 17760 tent stitches. 

For now that's all...
If only I could I would  stop to look (only for a short period of time) at the HAED patterns who are waiting to jump in my ever-growing wishlist.





I wish you may find happyness, health, love and many, many stitches (and progress with your favorite crafty hobbies) in the next year. 

Happy holidays!

See you soon,

Dye fabric - first try.

As the title of this post say… Well, it took me a great amount of time but I’ve finally managed to dye some fabric. *happy dance*
I’ve used various tea to obtain some color. Specifically, for a total of ten bags i’ve used: 4 black tea, 3 bags of cinnamon/orange, one bag of English breakfast and two bags of mint/lime were put in the boiling water.
Those bags were first infused (since it would be a crime not to drink some really good tea) and then placed to dry a couple of days prior the dyeing process.

I’ve tried on some 72 white Aïda (that equals to 18ct fabric).

First I put on the stove a pot containing simple water to boil. After that I’ve put in some salt, stirred, turned off the stove and then added the tea bags in the pot. *The salt will make the dye color-fast and it will not run in the future. 
I’ve let the tea  bags simmer for 10  minutes then I’ve take them off.

In the meantime I’ve washed the fabric and rinsed it well from all the starch.

.

When the 10 minutes passed I’ve put the still damp fabric in the tea and let it simmer about 25 minutes. *I’ve controlled the time. After the first 15 minutes I’ve checked the fabric and then added another 10 minutes. I wanted the fabric to be completely uniform in color, so it needed to be fully under the dye water.

When the time’s up, I washed the fabric with a generous amount of vinegar (just to be sure the color won’t bleed) and then run it under some water.

Just before washing there was some tea residue but it didn’t ruin the fabric nor bleed a darker shade of color. 

I’ve let it dry outside and this is the final result rven though the photo is a bit darker than the original colour…

I'm quite happy with how the little piece of fabric turned out. 

Now, I only need to find a small design and put in good use the fabric. 🤔 Do you have some ideas or suggestion in what to cross stitch on there?

                                                  I wish you many happy hours of stitching!

                   See you soon, 

Period of progress.

Hello stitchers! How have you been? Hope everything is alright with you all out there.

I was a bit busy and didn't feel ok (and thus I almost forgot to post this little update on my personal progress on Leo), but don't worry! I'm here to make amend.

Let's start with some photos...

Those were taken through the last year, 2015.

This,

was the first photo taken in the new year.
You can see a square 10x10 already stutched, that was the requirement of the new HAED fb group challenge. That stated to stitch ten full square in a checkered pattern in a new area.

I remember it was fun stitch in this new way and at the end (which I'll show you next time) there weren't the feared lines between each squares.
The confetti stitches has slowed me down a bit, but that was a little price to pay for having tried something i never thought to do while stitching.


I wish you a week full of happiness and cross stitches.

See you soon,

Of finished challenge and birthday.

Hello stitchers!

In the last month (just some days after the last post i wrote) I've managed to finish the Facebook NEW HAED group second challenge.

This time the challenge was to complete an entire page with the "cross country" method, one colour at time.
I've tried to resist (well, not so much!) from starting another HAED pattern, but Night Moves was calling me... And when a particular chart calls you only have to listen.
So... Yeah, I've dismounted Leo from its frame and i've started the second wip.

This is the first of many "first times".

Night Moves is the first pattern I've worked with the tent stitches thecnique.
More specifically i've opted to try the "continental" tent.
Theright side is looking like this "////" and on the back the stitches aren't like this "||||" but a bit slanted.

Challenge finished.

This method prevents the fabric from distorting itself when stitching with tent stitches.

The other first thing is... The loop method for starting. It's easy to make and saves a good amount of time from having to reach back for bolcking the threads.
I'll add that this techinque is really fast. So fast indeed that I've completed the first page and the challenge in two weeks. (!)
50 colours in that short time frame was really something!


Another first time: the use of Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid pb10 (first thread i've brought from the USA). This thead is sparkly and it gives the pattern a nice "feeling".
Last of the first times: the parking method. I've tried it with six threads on Leo when it was still placed on the Q-snaps frame but with so many colours i've feared (stupid me!) to mess up in some ways, so i quickly gave up and stitched it like i've always done before, following no particular scheme or the 10x10 grid.

Oh yes! One last thing.

Last Wednesday was my birthady and though I didn't brought something stitchy related (yet) i've brought this cute necklace.

I had many reasons for this purchase. I've wanted this necklace from the first time i've saw it, years ago but through one thing or another I didn't get the chance to buy it before and soon it was out of order. From all this I laerned a lesson: if you want something don't wait too much or you could end up a bit sad.
But this year, with a graet deal of luck I had finally found a seller and quickly made the decision to buy the three stars necklace before it would be too late. Long story short: at the end the neckalce has traveled way more than me and showed up just a couple of days before my bithday.
Now I'm happy but something will make me happier.
Guess what? Another purchase of an HAED chart, since Leo and Night Moves, when they will be finished and framed will go to my mother... And I too want an HAED all for me.
The wishlist is ever growing, it's so, so so very difficoult to choose only one, but sooner or later I will make a final decision.

Ok, rant is over! If you managed to read this far: congratulations! I hope everyone will have an awesome week end, filled with happiness and many cross stitches!