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.

Added this just for the apple at the very end of the song.

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

Not quite as planned

 but still progress.

The plan was to finish off the mountains, those last 9.5 stitches mentioned in my previous update on this project.  However as each one was a different blended stitch when I took the project out I thought I would start with the few stitches needed to finish the hourglass as although blended at least there were three next to each other.

On completing those I did my usual ninja check to see of any of those missed at the time spotted later empty spots were the colour on my needle..oh yes there was, so off to the angel on the left and do that quarter stitch.

Whilst I was over that side of the patter I noticed half a row where I had completed the bottom half of the stitch and not gone back over it..OK so fill in that section and look for any more of that whilst it was in the needle...oh my there is a full row at the bottom going the complete width of the design and I've not done it.

OK complete that and notice there was a small section of the inner caption box at the bottom that was not done, stitch that and find a couple of quarter ninjas that were in that (angel wings on the right). Get my eye on another couple of little stitches in angel robe and on it went till my eyes got tired.

The result

and there are still 9.5 stitches to go to finish the mountain! yes I never did get to the section I had intended to do!

Funny that.

Repair time

I noted in my post of the original Bits-a-Quilt that it periodically needs fixing as either the material wears out or the seams pull away (or both). Perhaps rather than say it periodically needs fixing I should say periodically I make the effort to do some fixing.

I keep one of the washable markers I use for quilting in the bedroom and as I spot a tear forming or a popped seam well I draw a ring around it or an arrow pointing to it so I can find it again when I am in a fixing mood.

That often occurs when I am sorting and come across random bits that would be for the current bits-a-quilt creation and think oh a bit of fixing might be due.

This is an example of a worn area, and that orange ring around it is not an added after the picture was taken to draw your eye to the spot, nope it is on the quilt in marker pen to draw my eye to the spot.

Here is a section pinned ready, there are as I hope you can see four patches going on here  to cover the worn sections. The pale lilac is already sewn down. The turquoise is a new addition to this quilt (I found a few bits that are from the edge of Bridal-bouquet- the pink and gold have made a previous appearance, but the original pieces in those colours look like a different fabric as years of use and washing have faded them.

These two pieces of flowery blue are a good example.

The section at the top has faded, the section at the bottom is a newly discovered piece of the original fabric (a dress my mother made for me when I was a child, loved that dress).

My technique for patching / repairing the bits-a-quilt has changed over the years  as I have developed my stitching. This time I am trying a version of needle turning.  

This is how it looks once I have finished stitching it.

Before this session of fixing started there were already over 20 "fixes" on here 

There may be as many to do this time around, I may even get them all done, or I may run out of fixing mojo and leave them for another time.

Reached the summit

but Everest remains unconquered! True there are only about 9.5 stitches left, but they are all different symbols and every one of them is a blended (tweeded) stitch and that includes  the fractional one!

But my BFF and I have a mantra when a project is slowing, or it is just one blended stitch too far and a stopping point is reached...well at least there was progress.

And I remain hopeful that next week, my ninja hunting will be more successful, the mountains (and reflection in the symbolic lake) with be done, the little stitches in robes and wings captured and the last stitches in the hour glass done so I can move on to hands and faces over 1.

Hmm now that I type that is sounds like quite a lot and an evening spent blending threading starting stopping and repeating ,but well it needs doing and I can but see what progress it may get...for this week here is my update picture

Funny thing the angle I took that picture does to the sword!

That being said it is Stake Conference via Zoom over the weekend and this is my go to stitching for watch only zoom meetings so there might be progress before the next shared stitching session with my .

This week as I have been playing find the missed stitches that are hiding in plain sight my BFF has been playing hide the white with stitches...pop on over to the blog for a quick update on her bluebell woods....click here