BFF SAL 23 part one week two

 and the stitching is completed.

I am happy with the variegated thread replacing the intended thread from the cover kit.

I am also happy with the result of my initial error. You can play spot the difference between my BFF's version (she followed the pattern except for the variegated swop)

next week we move to the stitching on SAL 23 part two.

Oh Click here for my BFF's blog

A thought and a framing tease

 I have been framing today, after the Sunday stitching and before ninja hunting on the dragons.

As the framed items are gifts can't post them just yet. However, when holding finished stitches up for my BFF to see over Messenger she oft asks me to put something behind to stop the light coming through and distorting the image she can see.

That reminded me of the unplanned result of adding yellow paper behind the design on a birth sampler because there were cut out Ducks in the mount I wanted to emphasise. The result was a subtle warming of the cross stitched piece.

So  in this instance I thought something much more intentional and reflective of the colours I would want as the subtle shade.

So it does not look like much but here it is.

It is for three finishes , one bigger than the other two. In person, I can see the difference it makes and on pieces that are not full coverage I think I may well do variations on this as a framing technique in future.

I didn't think it would show much on the photographs but I think it does and am quite pleased with the result. So now to arrange getting them to the recipients.

And then once I can post the full pictures perhaps you will tell me if you can see the difference the back sheet makes or if I am seeing it because I know it is there?

Sunday Stitching 22.2.2026

I was going to say it was a bit like the weather, more grey but today there is actually some Sunshine.

The kitten however still with the grey stuff.

Blogger stats tell me a lot of views this past week or so are from Germany so Hallo und willkommen, bitte hinterlassen Sie einen Kommentar, wenn Sie eine Person sind. Eigentlich können Sie einen hinterlassen, wenn Sie ein Roboter sind, beides wäre interessant.

A little something

for a wedding.

I will decide to do these things at the last moment.  In this instance inspired by hearing two days before that the decorations for the wedding would include balloons.

It is from a cover kit, but I made some modifications in particular adding the gold blending filament, to the cross stitched balloon hearts and adding the backstitched gold hearts.

I have a little bit of gold blending thread as regular visitors will be aware.

A quick trip to the loft the morning of the wedding and it was all ready to go.

I have crossed out part of the details for the couples privacy.

I rather like how it turned out.

Little bit of tissue paper and some wool and all set.

BFF SAL 23 part one

 well unless we get fed up with it and there is no part two. It could happen.

I have already deviated from the original design on this cover kit, I miss counted so there will be optional spot the difference opportunity with this SAL

As usual we have approached the stitching differently, although we were both agreed that the edge would be variegated threads and not dotty stitching of three shades of green  and a white. 

My BFF chose her variegated on the night, I had a post session hunt for suitable so I can try it out next week.

So this is the position I reached with our seasonal stitch as my BFF calls it.

CLICK HERE to see her progress. Now before deciding on the double kit as SAL 23 we had discussed moving onto something a bit bigger afterwards, we do like to vary the size and style. We had decided on a designer  and a few potential images. However, when mentioning it towards the end of the stitching session neither of us could recall what it was. None of it, source image designer theme! We looked at each other aghast.  Minds blank we scrabbled for anything to jog our memory. Mmm errm oh it was something she had not something I had. It was a bit bigger than a kit but not massive? It was ?? An then suddenly she remembered and we laughed so hard we were in tears at the madness of it.  And then sent a message in messenger saying what it is just in case we forget again!

I am a bit late posting, too tired on Wednesday evening and other things on Thursday (more on that later) so my BFF was first to it this week.

Fidgety fingers

 and did not want to start anything new or work on anything complicated.

Needed  a something.

So, well knitting, no not That cable project but another long term project that was once intended to be a waistcoat but is no longer.

It is wool from my BFF, a big ball of wool (dress making scissors for size reference) and after a few rows the fidgets were gone.

Then back into the bag it went, project hibernation once more.

Sunday stitchings 15.02.2026

 I did sew last week, just white and I did not post as the picture was not that different from the week before as the white is not easy to see.

This week I finished the "reachable" and "easy to see" white. Rewarded my self with a few stitches of pink in a central spot and a shape that would have been suitable for a post yesterday. I then moved onto a very pale grey.

Hm so pale it is not that easy to see even next to the white.

on a close up ? Maybe a bit better.

BFF SAL 22 a finish

 but not a final finish. Backstitch completed, with some individualisation to compensate for the skinny head of my cow.

made for an interesting expression.

We had a slightly different stitching arrangement for the night, Roni can tell you about that. And we both felt perhaps a pointy needle would have made the backstitch easier.

Then thinking of the differences between out finished stitches I suggested they would make a good spot the difference game which lead to our attempts to take pictures of both together. Mine in hand and Roni's on screen.

I think Roni's picture of hers in hand and mine on her screen will have worked better once she posts it.

We have plans for SAL 23, which makes a change.

Progress? Maybe.

 In 2022 I burned a dragon on a box the dragon was holding a sphere and I thought I would make it look like it was holding the world.

Except when I took a picture of it, well to me it looked like the head of a bear and my BFF thought it looked like a wolf.

In an attempt to make it look like the world I coloured it blue and green. That did not work, just made the creature, whichever you saw look mouldy.

A re think was required, and whilst I did that it went up into the loft as I had a stand or perhaps mount thought going on in my head.

That got paused, I think I wanted to do some extreme sanding and then could not be quite bothered.

So, whilst I was in the loft over Christmas and working on something else up there (expect that something to get a post of its own later when it hopefully gets to its intended placement) I came across the box whilst looking for a pencil.

Down from the loft it came. I am not sure what I intended to do with it. It sat, and I looked at it and it sat.

Then I thought I would just go over the sphere with a white marker pen. A few times, until the blue and green went away. I did, it sort of did and I wondered "would it look better if the background was all dark". Getting out the pyrography stuff takes a bit of time, and preparation and organising ventilation, its winter and cold. There just happened to be a black marker pen in arms reach.

"just to get an feel of how it would look" I tell myself.

"Hmm not bad" was quickly followed by "people sometimes colour the pyrography perhaps?"

The metallic watercolour paints  also happened to be within arms reach and one thing leading to another..

...painted dragon, it even has metallic blue over the black, just to see how it looked, background.

The question of if it is progress or not, I do wonder what was the point of doing the woodburn in the first place if I was just going to paint it?

It is not even finished. The sides need something doing to them, and the inside of course and that mount/stand whatever may need a rethink.

At least I have a new Forestella Song to add to the musical background of my ongoing contemplation.

I wonder if perhaps the title of the previous song might be something the box is singing as it waits to be finished.

Finally framed

 I have mentioned that finding square frames is quite tricky so if I see some then I buy them.

Of course most of the time they are then not the right size for anything for ages however, I digress.

I bought two identical square frames from the charity shop, still in their original wrapper with the original price on there. The charity shop price was half the original and about normal charity shop pricing.

I had nothing in mind for them until in our last BFF session my friend and I were chatting and a particular Christmas themed piece I had completed was mentioned. The thought came to me later that it might fit one of the new frames.

And you know it did!

It stayed in the "mount" I made from an old Christmas card which I thought might have just been for display purposes when it was my  day in the Advent link up. in 2022, so it has been waiting for a frame.

Although it will have to wait till Christmas 2026 to be displayed.

Pleased as I am with that I am even happier the whilst getting out the Robin I also found The windmill and thought this too is of a size for the little frame.

Wow you think that has been waiting since 2013, erm no that is the year I started blogging and did a post about it. It was started and finished in a year that started with 19?? 

However, its wait is over and it went up on the wall immediately.

And for the Forestella song ? Nocturne and words from the Wind 

I think that this January has had more posts than any previous January, which is strange as I don't feel like I have been getting that much done.

There is an odd sense of achievement in having got from one end of this month to the other this year.