BFF stitch along blue bell woods

 well I have finished the backstitching and so bluebell woods is complete, well except for the finishing. I have a frame I think will do but I have to sort out a mount.

I am rather pleased with the way it turned out, there were moments that I was not so sure however as often is the case the backstitch has made all the difference.

We have not settled on a next project and there is time to do that as next week we won't be sewing next week as my BFF has a life event taking priority.

I apparently backstitch that bit faster so my BFF did not quite get finished on the night, however she has the special dispensation this time to finish up outside of our normal sewing sessions.

I did a bit of work on the cross stitch angels, and I do mean a little bit, about 9 stitches (it would have been more but I had to do the nine three times, sew them, unpick them and then sew them in the right colour) so no picture this time. 

So pop on over to my BFF's blog to see how hers is progressing click here

BFF Stitch-a-long nearly almost

 oh a finish is so close yet is was not add a few moments more or even half an hour more to our stitching time close so next week we have the tantalising promise of a finish.

So we started the backstitching together with the medium trees to the left (the small trees do not require any backstitching)

Doing the trunks was fine, doing the branches reminded me that there has been a bit of naturalised stitching happening with the variegated leaves. However, that was not much of an issue and I felt that "seeing the wood" for these trees made quite a difference.

So trees done, what next, well for me it had to be the big bluebell stems and leaves starting in that bit closer to the edge than I would like bottom right hand corner.

There are a few naturalised stitches there as well, or shall I call them individualised design moments. Which ever they still look like the thing they are supposed to resemble so I am good with that and if I only mention it here well who is to know!

And this is what it looks like now.

After the trees my BFF made a different choice for her own reasons so pop on over to her blog for her update. (click here )..and as a finish approaches we tentatively go back to contemplating what next...well my friend initially brought it up, me I was no not going there today I have had enough of making decisions for today, but can't put it off much longer. 

I should take some proper measurements and take a trip to the loft, I wonder if I have anything in the collection that might make a suitable frame.

Bits - a - quilt fixing session

 is done for this time around, I kept thinking I was done and then I would spot another bit.

So here is how it looks now.

You can most easily see the new turquoise patches, but they are not the only ones that are new.

I like the way the needle turned patches sit on the quilt but only time will tell how well they will hold.

So at the moment all the pen rings are gone and the quilt goes back on my bed, till next time there are enough sections that need fixing.

if you want to compare its current appearance to its original then click here

Gifted Gorgeousness link up March 2021

Wow managed to participate three months in a row to the GG Link up hosted by Jo, over at Serendipitous Stitching which is basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed , to or from.

Last year a new publication came out with Disney characters, you know the type, 1st one is very well priced , later less so but they hope to draw you in with the serialised project or projects.

I saw what looked like a rather nice Pooh bookmark so as my Dad was going to the news agent asked him to pick it up for me.

When he came back it was the second one they had given him ! Ah well there was a pattern that called to me as I have a friend d that is particularly fond of Disney's first Princess.

So I thought I would make it for her.

I made a start...

and although letters are not normally my thing

I was quite enjoying the Assisi effect

now my friend and I write, back and forth on a regular basis, a bit more so during 2020 I think

just as I was getting to the next word on the pattern my friend told me that she was getting this publication! Oh no, given her love of this character she was bound to stitch it for herself, what to do.

Now the next word has four letters, by happy coincidence so does my friends name...so change just one BITE to just one LISA...so it will be different and personal.  I think about it a bit and work away from the writing till I am sure.

Then I go for it, changing a B to an L that was not too bad , both words share the second letter, I was expecting the S to be the difficult one to figure out.

So whilst I graphed and did not like and tried versions I focused on stitching the silhouette.

Oddly the S was not so bad it was the A that gave me problems . Now I maintain that is an A, there is a bar at the top and one at the middle and a gap at the bottom. That is an A, my mother and BFF (still even if she did side with my mother) both said it looks more like an H!

Time for the stalk whilst I contemplate if I want to add the green to the name that was on the original pattern...I didn't

And the leaf.

just the finishing touch of a bow to go and I thought going to do it in nice shiny Marlitt thread.

Not that you can tell in the picture here

Then I did the green in the letters after all!

The original was intended for a lunch box (so the just one bite was both a nod to the story and a pun on the lunch box) I had never planned on doing that, but whilst sewing it I came across a box that looked as if it would be the right size, I bought it on the off chance as I was sure if I left it till I hade checked the measurements it would be gone.  Luck was with me and it was the right size.

just

I used some shiny metallic braid  to finish off the edge and was rather pleased with the way it looked and the colours gave a hint of Christmas, which is what this was intended for.

Now if you have visited my blog before you will know I like the inside of a box to have as interesting an inside as outside.

In this instance there was a second Snow white which you have already seen

And she went inside the lid of the box, the envelope held by the bird was just so appropriate for a gift to my pen pal.

Now if you did not come her from Jo's Blog then pop on over to see her GG post and from there hop around all the other participants.

oh and yes I did do this as a little video, no music yet waiting on my brother being inspired.

BFF Stitch a long,

 we are back on track to be sewing together on the bluebell woods from next week. I was working on my Easter Stitch so will wait till then to share that.

Here is a reminder of where I am on Bluebell woods, due to the way my variegated stitches sat I don't have a little chap in a green jacket or a bobble head on mine. click here to see my BFF's update and bobble head?

It will be interesting to see if either of them survive the backstitching on my friends piece.

Sewing over one

starting with the hands.  The much smaller size for the stitches was not too bad (I suppose after da-vincis-la-sacpigliata- it is still not all that tiny) it is remembering you need to be more aware of the warp and weft as you go so that the stitches do not slip.

However, as anticipated stitching with one colour and indeed with (so far at least) less confetti  was delightfully relaxing.

It looks like such a lot was stitched tonight when focused on the over one section (and I did work on two of the hands) pull back and it is a little less encouraging. 

Still this was a good start and I am so pleased to be at this point after all this time.

Sewing with two needles

 I mentioned last time those 9.5  blended stitches to finish off the mountain. Now the thing about blended stitches in a Wentzler design is you are blending multiple combinations from the same range of threads so you can end up with the single strands of the shades being used at different lengths.

So I might have one strand at 6 inches and another at 8. That gets on my nerves if I only need the one stitch in that blended shade. Uneven tails just don't work.

So this time I threaded up two needles with the the single strands for the two required threads and stitched them that way. half stich with one needle and shade, same half with the other needle and shade then repeat for the top stitch. Totally illogical I know but doing it that way was less irritating for me and reducing irritation when ninja hunting is important.

I did manage to finish the mountains..yeah! And find a few more ninjas ..... double yeah! 

So that means it is time....time to fill in some of those empty spaces stitching one over one, and the best bit.......

no blending big YEAH!

Now you can pop on over to my BFF's blog and see how she is progressing with bluebell wood, (she might even mention the little blue man in the green coat) and perhaps you can guess when we might both be onto the backstitch and once more be in tandem. 

Click to link to BFF's blog