A Small Finish and HAED BB Sal First Update

My first finish of 2013...

Its a very small finish and only took 3 days.

I still need to count how many I will be doing through the year but at least 1 is done.

And here is my first update on QS Literate Dragon:

In retrospect probably not the best chart to choose as my first HAED project but I am committed now and will continue on.  I found out that I do not like parking but I have found a way that I like.
I will only be working on this every fourth day from now on as I don't want my other projects to suffer and I have all year to finish this one anyway.

Futurecast And Request

I have been keeping to my rotation but I have changed the days on a project from 4 to 3.  I found that by day 3 I was already itching to move on and I spent most of day 4 wishing I was working on something else.

So here is Futurecast after 3 days of work:

Today I will be starting to make Christmas Decorations.  Over a year ago I made my daughter an advent calendar and I am going to choose my fav patterns from that design and just make them so that I can hang them onto the tree next year.

We have a smallish tree and next year I will be buying a larger tree  So I have decided to use the smallish one as a totally hand made tree.  Any decorations I make and any others that I buy that are hand made will go on there.

On that note I have a request.  I have been wanting kits like the these two for ages now but hubby has said no to me buying them from 123 Stitch due to the expense of postage and tax I will have to pay when I collect it from the Post Office.

24 Festive Ornaments - Janlynn

Tiny Christmas Stocking Ornaments - Bucilla

Now my request isn't for someone to provide me with kits.  But maybe there is someone out there who reads my blog, and has made them for themselves and might still have the designs and instructions lying around, and might be willing to part with them?

I can't offer much in return as what we get in SA does not compare to cross stitch that can be bought in UK or USA.  But I do have a stash of South African dyed threads that I would be willing to exchange.  Just mention what colours you like and how many skeins you think is fare for your trouble.

They are just plain simple threads and nothing fancy buy here is my collection:

And lastly here is my threads ready for the start of QS Literage Dragon:

I have a few HAED designs I want to start, but looking at the amount of threads needed for a QS got me thinking.

I am not a person who likes not having all the threads needed for a project when I want to start it... so I spent four years collecting all the dmc threads.  I used my birthday money and any spare cash I had and bought them little by little.  Now I have one set of all the plain dmc threads and now you see my problem.  I might be willing to slowly start adding to my threads as I will not need to purchase all new colours every time I start a HAED but what I can't wrap my mind around is how people who do multiple projects store their floss when they have completed a design as they will be storing multiple bobbins of some colours.  Any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Happy New Year and Hocus Pocus Update

I hope that everyone is going to have a very nice New Year.  I will be enjoying the evening with my stitching.

Linda asked me what my previous update was so here are the details.

It's called Glass Aglow and is published in The World Of Cross Stitching Issue # 163.

I worked on Hocus Pocus for the last 4 days and here it was before:

And After:

Next time I will do finish off the backstitching of her face and hair.

I have a new start today and it's a TW freebie called Futurecast.

The main thread that will determine the dragons colours is a South African dyed thread and this is what it looks like:

I am not participating in the Crazy Jan 2013 but I am so looking forward to reading blog posts of everyone who is participating.

Merry Christmas And New Start

I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas. We had a nice but peaceful time. We went and had lunch with the husbands family and were home by 3:30pm. The husband spent the rest of the day having a nap and reading, daughter played with her presents and I had tea and stitched.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who leaves comments. I love getting them and really appreciate the fact that you take the time to leave them for me.

 I also started a new design. Well technically it's six small designs but I have chosen four that I am stitching on the same fabric and will get framed. I loved the way it looked in the magazine but since stitching it, I am not sure if I like it as much. But I will give it chance till I have at least one of them finished before I make up my mind.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Summer Fairy Update

This is how she looked the last time I put her away:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

I usually backstitch as I go, but I enjoyed wathing her come to life, that I only started the backstitch this time round:

A Small Finish and Update

It took me two days to actually get buttons but it's done. The finishing could of been better and I should of stuffed it more but I like it and am happy with it. Sorry for the not so great pics. I tried using my cellphone camera and digital camera and they both look washed out. I wish I could find a camera that took details and colours well. 15 Sided Biscornu ( I will put the details in my FO tab as usual.

I used Threadworx Wildfowers, that I won at TryllaCraft Blog and then DMC 964.

Then here is my new start:  A Friend Like You

It is not as far as I would of liked but hopefully next time it comes up will be more productive.

TUSAL and Update

Sorry for being absent... I have had technical issues which kept me away.

Here is my December TUSAL:

I can't believe that it is the last one of the year.  I will continue saving my threads until the end of December as I want the whole years worth in my bottle.

I also have a finish.  I can't believe it, as I though I would have no more finishes this year.

Cut-Thru Fairy Hill:

I will add the details in my FO's tab.

I have 2 new starts, although one is technically finished and just needs finishing.

15 Sided Biscornu:

This is a pic I took of it while I was putting it together.  It is finished and I am busy spraying it with scotch guard.  I wanted to go get buttons for it today but I was too busy here at home.  Tomorrow is Sunday so the fabric shop isn't open, and I will have to go early Monday morning.

 It was one of my close friends birthday recently and I didn't want to give her the usual gift.  I sort of gave her an IOU until I found the perfect gift and I finally found it.  This is what the finished item will look like:

I still have two days of work on it before I put it away, so I will post what mine looks like then.

Sadly I have put my HAED starts on hold.  With all the end of year expenses like, stationery and books for the next school year, new uniforms because she has outgrown her last ones and of course Christmas presents, I just could not still ask hubby if I could buy 3 meters of 16 count for the 3 new starts I want to do.  But it's okay...  my daughter is priority and as long as she has all she needs it's all good.