BFF SAL 26 seasonal start

 and all the black completed. Let the guessing what it is commence.

My BFF  has a bit if the black to go, so what she is seeing in hers is different to what she sees in mine and different to what I see.  Funny, same but different once more. 

CLICK HERE

BFF SAL 25 a start and a finish

 we had planned this as our next project last week, indeed we managed an in person get together and Roni picked up a little piece of red felt so it would be to hand.

We did not realise that we would be working on this on International Dog Day.(which is 26th August, we will be blogging later than that as usual) I found out due to the little corgi icon in my search bar, Roni heard about it at work.

But realised or not here is our pick, the Scottie dog key ring cover kit.

I had considered adding some features to the wooden form with pyrography before doing the stitching but did not get around to it.

So made a start with the dark green, three strands for the cross stitch, then what the pattern described as dark red but looks more like a shade of pink to me.

Dark red done then it was onto the light red, hmm pinker red and the base for the tartan was done.

Onto the backstitch that would make it look like tartan.  And here I had a silly thought. When doing  a previous project on wood and using a felt backing I had used the backstitching to hold it down in the middle. However, I was forgetting that was just a little bit on the thread drop and just one strand.

This was different, more backstitch than you think when first looking at it, and not continuous flowing there and back lines. 

The first line was in the cream and four strands. Not too bad going on, But the next one was more difficult and by the third I needed to use plyers to get sufficient grip on the needle at the angle I was trying to pull it through. Roni, made aware by my grumblings and the fetching of the plyers was a wiser woman than I. CLICK HERE for her take on the project, we each had our own tired brain challenges.

I was still battling with my backstitch through the felt and she was all completely finished! I had the special dispensation this week to finish off screen time. So I did.

I would like to say that the struggle was worth it and the backstitch on the red felt gave a pleasing checky result, if not a tartan one. I would like to but to be honest can't. It might have somewhat worked if I had been able to keep the lines straight on the back and the stitch sizes consistent.  I failed, and the result was not worth the extra effort. I had started so I had to finish, but on this occasion I think I should have kept it simple. 

That being said, the tartan effect on the front, on the cross-stitch part well that worked very well indeed.

Last picture the finished keyring , placed on top of the illustration on the kit which being to size I find amusing.

The question of if this little tester of sewing tartan will lead me to trying anything similar is still being debated. It was done in one session and a bit (it would have been done easily inside the two hour mark if I had not made it awkward for myself) and stitching blocks was OK, but the back stitch, hmmm, but if not trying to do it on something with a exposed or semi exposed back, perhaps that would not be as irritating.

We are all set for next week and a bit of forward planning seasonally speaking.

BFF 24 all sewn up

 backstitch completed, after some pausing for the missed stitches flushed out of hiding by the magic of the backstitch. We overran out allotted time by 14 mins as we wanted to finish.

I used the darkest green and the darkest pink from the pattern to do the peas stems and flowers respectivly.

I like the peas and stems, and I am dithering a bit on the pink, between liking the subtilty and wondering of perhaps a shade darker would have been better mid petals.

It looks a bit more defined in the picture than it does held in my hand.

Plans for BFF 25 are pretty much set but that is for next week.

To pop over to my BFF's blog CLICK HERE

BFF SAL 24 I'm back!

 for this SAL you may recall I have used the count of Aida as per the pattern, the colour sort of as per the pattern in that it is white but it is not the pre flecked stuff the designs normally go on. I have used the colours as stated on the pattern (well eventually after the one issue with the pink) . Then on to the backstitching.

Mouse tail paws and nose "brick red" as per the pattern, mouse fur again as per the pattern. Round the eye in a darker brown all going OK.

Then onto the sweet pea plant which the key tells me should be in dark charcoal grey. A few stitches in and no! I don't like it, it feels too dark, too solid next to the delicate tones of the mouse.

Hold it up to the camera for my BFF to see. Oh very dark she agrees. Out it comes, hmm what to use instead. BFF holds up hers, she had decided to use a different shade (perhaps her blog will tell you about that choice) which was a mid-dark brown. OK will give that a go then as looks alright on Roni's.

Same number of stitches in for that and .... no not working for me.

Third time lucky and I am happy with this choice.

using the darkest of the three greens from the pea pods as the backstitch on the pods and next time on the stems. My intention at this point is to use the darkest pink from the flowers to backstitch the flowers.

So the diverging from the pattern me is back, I did not manage to stay on pattern for the whole project!

CLICK HERE for my BFF's update and musings on the delights of backstitch for this project.

we do have plans for the BFF 25 (wow) but not a big  project , something small and we hope quick whilst we contemplate what our next larger project may be.

Indeed there may be a run of smalls as Roni calls them then a move to a seasonal stitch with that deadline which unmoving year after year always appears to come as a surprise of sorts. But is also to my mind to early to mention whilst it is still summer and wow its a tad warm!

BFF SAL 24 Playing cat and mouse

 my BFF had not had the opportunity to finish all of the cross stitch on our SAL ready to start backstitching during our online session. She did let me know beforehand she would still be working on that. So I thought I would work on my Sunday Stitchings kittens.  I had been thinking of working on them in other time to get them finished,

So that is what I did until my BFF mentioned she was doing the white in the mouse's eye. As I had not done that and was at the end of a pink thread anyway I stopped to do an eye highlight.

a close up of the worked areas. I have created a design opportunity on the kittens patchwork, I am a stitch out, it will get a fill in not an unpick. 

Click HERE for my BFF's update

Then we stopped altogether and had a warm beverage of choice. Mine was Hot Chocolate and a piece of Cornish Clotted Cream Shortbread with prunes on top. I never said I wasn't a bit odd.

It tastes many times better than it looks.

BFF SAL 24 and

 cross stitches all done.

Well the glint in the eye of the mouse is still to add but other than that it is just the backstitching to go.

The backstitching is supposed to be in four colours. According to the chart that is a brown for the fur, coco for the eye charcoal grey for all parts of the flowers and pea and brick red for the tail and paws.

My immediate thought was it was a mistake, or it was from the Robin pattern that shares the key, and my BFF and I discussed it and thought nope going to just use the grey for the lot.

However, in typing this I had the amazing though to check the colours "pulled" into the little box for the project and see what was being described as brick red and well, I thin I may just stitch with the shades as set.  My BFF using a different material to me may well find that for her doing all the grey is the thing.

I in this instance am rebelling against my usual modifying self by sticking to the pattern...it is really still me honest!

CLICK HERE to see her update.

So BFF 25 looms, a sort of milestone that, we never did get around to discussing that as I have a personal milestone of sorts coming up tomorrow  and we will be having lunch together on 1st August to mark the occasion. We might squeeze in the question of BFF 25 and if there is any need to do something special for it. Mind finding something we both want to stitch is special anyway I think.

BFF SAL 24 plus

 Had a late start because I fell asleep. My sleep patterns are a bit off at the moment.

Once awake, well sort of  I started with the pink. Managed two shades and some filling before my eyes objected to recognising the symbols on the pattern.

I was going to stop then recalled I had finally got the black thread out so

The mouse has an eye. There is still a touch of white to go into the eye to give it a bit of sparkle. But it looks less like a zombie mouse now.

Then I stopped with the stitching and went to look at the WOX Etsy store. As I get to pick a PDF pattern from there as a thankyou for my  published letter. There is a limit to that, can't choose any of the Wrendale patterns.  Which given we are stitching one at the moment is somewhat ironic.

My BFF and I looked together, which is fun at times as we do have different tastes BFF SALs or not.

There were some we both liked the look of but did not think we would like to stitch them. Some we liked but did not think the framing would be easy and was a bit essential. Others one liked the other did not and back and forth we went. This is the second time I have been given this opportunity and I've not stitched the last one.

We did eventual reach a decision, and I will let WOC know.

When it gets sewn is another thing entirely.  

CLICK HERE to see my BFF's progress

 

BFF 24 Pink and

 holiday chatting and other discussions and not watching the football.

there was less pink than there might have been as I made an ohps. Which I could not figure out and by the magic of the internet my friend did.

Still it was a pleasant evening of friendship.

Now off to watch you tube videos on attaching piping with a twist, in friendly solidarity.

Click Here  to see my BFF's progress.

BFF SAL 24 filling in

 is so much fun.

I was working in pink again this week ( after a little tech support/ hand holding as my mother 

's new phone had arrived) and after adding the dark pink to the almost done flower, then mad a start on the last two, I reached this point.

With a nice just fill it in no counting area.

Perfect for the last little bit of sewing for the evening.

I think the sweet peas are looking recognizable now.

CLICK HERE to see my BFF's progress.

BFF SAL 24 a semi finish

 the mouse is done, apart from the eye, which I will leave till last.

I can see the shading on this so much better in this picture than in person. The flowers look more complete this way as well. It is odd that even at arms length it does not come together visually, it needs distance.

Click HERE for my BFF;s update.

BFF SAL 24 a bit of everything

 brown to start till my eye were fed up with that. Then green, that is the last of the green done and then onto the light pink.

to see my BFF's progress (once shared) Click HERE

We anticipate a RAL for next week. 

Charity Shop Frame

 and mount for £1 and I thought maybe I know what might fit in that.

Brought it home and fit it did.

And now it is on the wall.

You might recognise it as BFF SAL 14 (and currently on number 24 , just wow!) Click HERE for details of the finish and pattern. As that is quicker for me than typing it in again.

BFF SAL 24 brown

one of the missing browns.

Oddly my BFF and I were working on the same shade, the symbol sounding like a yoga pose, the downward triangle.

The initial stitches went in as fillers between previous stitches, that was nice. Then they moved into areas that did not have that framework. That was a little bit more work. There are still stitches to go in that shade but my eyes were tired of them before our designated time was up. 

There were two stitches in "sideways lollypop" which symbol  lead to the earworm of the Oh lollypop lolly lolly pop song.

Being a good friend I shared!

Click HERE for my BFF's update.

BFF RAL May 2026

 as my BFF was out and about for work again this week.

I could have used an ongoing project for my RAL but instead I decided to start a little kit.

At the point I stopped I had just spotted a mistake so now I need to figure out fixing it. It is just a stitch out but that can be enough on a small pattern.

    

It came with the needle but I think I might need to swap to something a bit pointier as there are a lot of  fractional stitches and the material is rather stiff.

Click HERE for a link to my BFF's post.

BFF SAL 24 Not Brown

 that was the essence of my colour choice for this evenings session.  The result two shades of pink and a touch of green.

I now have jump off points for the top two flowers.  This evenings chatting was a little odd as I was sure there was something I was going to say to my BFF, something to tell that could wait for our face to face chat, not important enough to need immediate telling via Messenger, and I could not recall what it was at all.

Normally we would address this by listing off  the potential topics, was it work, or crafts, or food or family. Might it be Church or shopping? And at some point we would hit on something to jog my memory. Tonight, nope still no idea what it was.

Click HERE  to pop over to my BFF's blog and her evenings stitching.

Ah well, at some point it will come back to me I guess.

Oh and next week we anticipate a RAL.

BF SAL 24 pink and

 a touch of light brown.

And a relaxing chat.

Click HERE for my BFF's update.

BFF SAL..24, week whatever it is

 loosing count, of the weeks and the days but happily not the stitches this time.

I started off with the pink I finished with after last weeks corrections. Then it was back to brown as I finally got around to checking if the two shades I was missing ( I hope it was just the two) were in with Millennium. They were.

Click Here to pop over to my BFF's blog and see what she has been up to. Mind at the moment the link will probably take you to her most recent crafting zone until she gets the SAL posted.

Oh and if you are visiting and don't see your flag on the right and want it added, you need to click on the flag counter. It looks pretty, which is why it is still there. However, it does not count the number of views to my blog from different countries, rather it counts the number of times it is clicked on from my blog and where those clicks originate.

The follow button works, as does the comment via e-mail and the normal comment option.  A quick Hi would be nice so I know if any increase in views are from people or robots. 

Although at the rate AI is going it won't be long before "they" are capable of leaving comments. 

BFF SAL my turn

 for an ohps and unpicking.

I was doing the pink tonight, first the pale pink, a bit of green to create a second jump off point for pink.

Then onto a darker pink which was my finish point for the evening which I held up for my BFF to see.

Oh, she said that pink looks so much darker on the white!

I had thought that it was rather bold.

Oh dear, the key has the colours for both this design and one for a Robin...there are two reverse R symbols, one with the opening solid and one open.

Yes, I used the wrong one, so out it had to come.

And then as the rules allow  back in with the right shade.

I had mentioned that I was enjoying this one sufficient to consider stitching it twice, I had not meant on the same piece of material.

Click HERE to see my BFF's progress.

BFF SAL 24 week three

 more green, peach and pink

comforting chatting and a lot of yawning ping pong.

we finished a full nine mins before our usual stopping time as sewing when you are nodding off is quite difficult.

CLICK HERE for my BFF's update.

BFF SAL 24 week 2

 I would have posted this yesterday, but it might have looked like an April fools, that my BFF and I are doing the same pattern as they are looking quite a bit different so far.

I started with the pink and a recount or two as it did not look to be curving as anticipated. However the curve did appear so I guess it was ok.

Onto the green which looked rather brighter than I thought, double check the number and the right one so I guess it is OK.

As I am sort of cross country here and not filling in sections as I go I am trying to make sure I double check the negative spaces as well as counting the stitches as I go.

Looks to be working so far , so I guess its OK.

It looks guessable to me but I have some elements un-started that Roni has begun. Pop over to her blog for her update CLICK HERE all is well that ends well and she is OK.

Forestella are due to release a new song soon, I know the title and at this point would prefer not to have a project that it goes with...Armageddon! The lyrics might be something that lets me tie into a project for sharing. So I guess that will be OK.

Very useful is an OK.  Although sometimes "I'm OK" is a bald faced lie.