Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2021

Wow it is that time already?  Indeed it is scary how time passes so fast, almost like magic!

If you are a blog hop regular you can skip this paragraph, if this is all new to you then read on. The hop is hosted by Jo over at serendipitousstitching she gives participating bloggers a letter to post alongside their themed stitching and if you hop from blog to blog collecting the letters and hopefully enjoying some spooky or magic stitching and leaving comments (we bloggers like comments) along the way you will discover the phrase for this year.  So if you did not start over with Jo and you want to join in you might like to click on the link above and start at the beginning. That's assuming I am not the beginning as I don't know where my letter comes at time of posting.

This year I had 99% of my stitch for the blog finished nice and early, very early but not as early as my BFF which probably spurred me on.

This is from Cross Stitch Crazy's Fantasy Collection Designer Chart Book. The individual design does not have a title listed but comes under the heading "Cast a Spell" and is by Shannon Wasilieff.

If you have visited with me before you will be aware that on occasion ( OK quite often with smaller designs) I change things a bit from the original. In this instance instead of the 10 different colours charted for the dress, hat and ribbons I used just 2, but variegated thread I had in my oddments box. 

The hair was supposed to be 3 shades, I blended two in the needle (some call that tweeding) instead. 

Left off a potion bottle and wand, added to the purple smoke (originally 1 shade I again used variegated).

And....(I chuckle yes there is an and) on the original in the middle of the purple smoke was  a bit of green...but that space was just too serendipitous not to make better use of and that was the last 1%  of this project that had to wait till Jo sent me my letter.

And here it is conjured up for you by this rather bonny witch.

Letter collected (comment left ?) time for the link to the next blog on your journey to discover just

CLICK HERE to visit needlepensword. and keep on collecting. Don't forget to go back to Jo at the end and comment your answer (you can't check it straight away as she will moderate comments and not reveal it or peoples guesses till the hop is over.  Good hopping...

BFF SAL 5..X marks the spot

 The spot where a star will go!

I have planned out in my mind what is happening at the top of my version of this as I am not going to do the Big Onion (well that's what that particular design element looks like to me) so to see that you will have to view my BFF's blog.

So to do my sky I need to know where the star is going, it wont be in this shade, it is due to be metallic.

But that is for next week. This week I almost finished the backstitching.  I would have finished but the colour I have used for the backstitch does not work well against the colours used for Joseph. It was not right for the ram's horn either but the dark blue I used there was also not right for Joseph. I have another option in mind but ran out of time. 

Pop over to my friends blog to see how she is approaching this and how things are going with the big onion (.CLICK HERE) or perhaps you will get to view her new obsession in the crafting of wool.

Sampler quilt

Top altogether I have made one attempt at marking out the quilting, changed my mind, washed it out and been distracted by other things.

So there has been quite a pause on this project.

That is OK there is no deadline for this.

Scissor box

 in the same general theme of things not being quite as expected  for containers of sewing supplies. Think the Danish biscuit tin to threads or buttons.

So this is a box for bottles..wine bottles. I don't do wine. I don't do alcohol at all.  I do however love a box so when this caught my eye in the charity shop it came home with me.

And had a bit of a make over, with some foam scraps and material scraps to pad it out it became the box I keep my big scissors in. The ones I use for cutting material. My pinking shears and yes my screwdriver also live here.

and I do like using it a lot.

I keep trying to figure out a way to fit the lid better, perhaps to hold smaller scissors or snips.

BFF Sal 5 the Christmas one

 this evening the first plan was to finish the foreground and path then make a decision about the big onion.

The path and sides near as my meandering view of the pattern completed I added some "off pattern" single strand half stitches to blend them in a bit as all that white was not working for me.

My BFF felt this addition was really procrastination so I would not have to make that decision.

She is right and ironically the step to backstitch before progressing on the design that she considered last week I took this week as further avoidance of the onion.

So here it is with one wider bottomed than called for sheep and one shepherd appearing out of the blobs.

As anticipated the backstitch is making a lot of  difference and I am hoping that looking at it, staring at it even before next week I will make that much put off decision. I am strongly inclined towards leaving off the element of the design that is irking me. However, what to replace it with is still just a nebulous thing.

It is funny, although there are elements of this that I do not love and I have had more than one happy accident when working on it I am enjoying the process. And the freedom for chat.

To see how my BFF's interpretation of the design has gone CLICK HERE

IHSW I remembered!

 I stated this project many moons ago and thought that I would work on it at least once a month during IHSW- International Hermit & Stitching Weekend.

i did manage it initially then I would forget and miss it, only recalling when Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching would post an update on her blog.

The addition of a Facebook Group would I though fix the dodgy memory, and it did but somehow the potential Hermit (me) had thus far other things planned..ohps!

But this month, this month I have sewn. It may not have been an amazing amount but putting away the threads from the face and getting out some of the threads and making a start on the solar system feels like something significant.

I do hope that this is not a one off and I will be a November Hermit.

BFF Sal the Christmas one still...

 and time for the path up the right side and down the left and ohps...something not quite right.

The ram (yes the blob on the left is a ram) is not quite where the ram should be. It is too low, however you will not be surprised that the result of the ohps is a bit of design modification not some work for the frog.

So my path is a little different to my BFFs, but then I am not inflicted with inkblot syndrome at this point (which let to a mad internet search for the title of a spoof western I recalled with inkblots being used to analyse a  gun toting outlaw as my BFF hates a mystery) 

I remain conflicted about the big onion, I have a bit more path to add before I have to make up my mind.

CLICK HERE to see my BFF's progress.

oh and it was Evil Roy Slade..that picture we were looking for.

BFF SAL All together now

 the main characters are in. (with a small dispensation for me to finish off Joseph)

and once more the distance provided by the photograph makes them look more like figures and less like blobs.  Mind I can see Bambi's mother in Joseph's robe. I wonder if the back stitching will take it away or if it will always be there when I look at it?

So next week it will be either path or the big onion.

Click HERE to pop over to my BFF's progress ..which looks oddly oriental to me...I think it is the path on hers that does it.

Looking pretty?

Second angel face completed, close up this face did not look to be working as well as the first however I was not too worried as I anticipate the backstitching will make quite a difference.

Yet again a bit of distance and it looks so much better. If a little pensive.

Having the cross stitching on the angels including the hands and faces done feels like a milestone.

The Solar System awaits and the image that drew me to this pattern in the first place. 

The Earth.