Fully finished

 and all ready to go up this, ah it still feels too early to mention it, its still summer, not even had Halloween or bonfire night yet but well you can tell just what season it is most likely to be displayed.

The stitching was finished last year, and I bought the magnetic poster hanger then intending to use that but I had not figured out how to finish off the edges and stiffen it so it would hang well.

A combination of things aligned to get me to the finish.

Firstly, the thought of  a complementary colour behind the fabric enhancing the effect from the front previous used in The Twins samplers and The Dragons. Secondly the leftovers from the crafting at Church

A4 sized sheets of orange felt and lastly coming across the item needing some finishing off.

First step fix the few sequins I managed to melt with careless ironing. Then add the felt to the back, the colour through worked and it did indeed add sufficient stiffness but what to do with the sides?

Top and bottom are covered by the hanging frame.

Hmm perhaps ribbon, what did I have, I was thinking I might have something in either yellow or gold to reflect the ribbon on the cross stitch.

What caught my eye was some red and green ribbon with a touch of gold. There was exactly the right amount to sew down both sides and to make a faux  hanging loop. I say faux as it is there simply to cover the string loop on the frame and add a little cohesion to the finish.

Any other "hoarders" or recyclers will fully understand my joy at being able to use up exactly the piece of ribbon I had. Nothing left over all used, bliss.

Is it perfect? No, but it is finished which is good and I am happy with the result. I can take the hanger pieces off and use them for something else if I want to as they are magnetic.

Perhaps something for a season that is colder than the current heat wave will make me feel cooler.

Which left me with a bit of a Forestella dilemma, what song to add?  Settled on this one.

Kool, because at the moment that is nice.

 

Sunday Stitchings 16.08.2026

 and a bit of a surprise even to me. Having finished the Kittens last week and as noted wondering which way to go with this next, I expected I would choose a small kit that I don't have in common with my BFF and do that.

Something small, simple, most probably on 14 count with all the threads to hand.

That is not quire what happened.  I went to get a little kit, got my eye on something else that has not had an outing for some considerable time.

Not on Aida, never mind 14 count. Not small, well the project isn't, the stitching size one over one so yeah small. Were all the threads at least with it?

No, they may have been once upon a time, but as other projects needed them some have been utilized elsewhere then put back in the main thread storage box.

Was I at least working on a simple fill of block of stitches.

That would be another no. 

Millennium, the one over one earth in Teresa Wentzler's Millennium. So confetti ninjas.

I was still not feeling up to the Comet but I did manage to find and fill a few stitches whilst also watching the talks at church.  The first speaker noted he was substituting for the person originally called and had only found out after midnight on Saturday they would not be able to do it, and he felt that was a bit late for him to assign anyone else so he was doing it.  My mother and I smiled at each other, we have both on more than one occasion arrived at church and been asked to give a talk when someone had not arrived with five mins notice.  Indeed I had to do that so regularly I started having a just in case talk tucked into my scriptures.  Todays last moment talk was very good and engaging.  Which was a good counterpoint to the sewing.

I think I have everything south of the equator filled in now. There are still quire a few stitches to go to complete the earth.

There are even more left to go in the Halley's comet, all pale shades and twisting my eyes. 

My mother asked me her favourite question, is it finished yet! 

No..not yet...sigh!

Christmas Eve and

 the red linen project.

I was drawn to the light effect when I saw the pattern in the WOX. Mind I did not have all of the colours or the red material and there was a little pause whilst I rectified that.

Most of the cross stitch is three over two, it looks  quite effective even without the backstitching.

The backstitch brings it into focus.

I did not have the specific sequins or beads specified, as there were just a few I decided to use what I had on hand.

I like how it turned out, which is great, occasionally patterns feel "less" when stitched than they did in progress. 

I had hoped to have it properly fully finished for this year. I have a poster frame hanger ready but other  things have pushed there way in. Life things and crafting things, not always in an order of importance when applied to crafting, just in order of coping. Perhaps I will manage it over Christmas other issues depending and it will be displayed for part of this Christmas.

Oh I forgot and have added this after by request, this is Festive Lamp Post designed by Fiona Baker and is from issue 301 Xmas 2020 The World of Cross Stitching.

I have this year tried to have something to post each day in the run up to Christmas, not quite an Advent but an odd attempt to hold onto something of a normal routine and in memory of the Advent hops of years gone by.

A new song from the wonderful Forestella

Which depending on how I am feeling hits me differently each time.

BFF RAL selective amnesia

 that is the only explanation for me picking this up again today. Well that and an optimistic thought that having managed some finishes recently of slightly bigger projects , Crowned Cross and The project that is slated for seasonal sharing perhaps I could get another project sorted.

At first glance there is not a lot left to do, but and it is a big but what is left is special stitches. Ah yes that's why I paused. 

I have it out so what looks the easiest, there are stems to do, ah stem stitch on the sixth month, the sixth flower. I did get that done, lazy daisy leaves, no not feeling that stitch. I procrastinate by looking for anything else in the colour in my needle. Ah yes there is and joy it is just backstitch on the poppies.

That felt like a lot of effort, but it has got me started.

However there was a lot of muttering about the chart and the key.

All of the stitches are identified by a shape, with the symbol of the colour to use with a line pointing to the section to be completed with that stitch type and shade.

It is eye boggling, and that is also something I forgot!

having picked it up again I might manage to keep going to a finish or perhaps not.

Maybe it will be my project for next BFF RAL.

I wait to see.

CLICK HERE for my BFF's update. 

BFF RAL I've finished but sadly not started!

 before our evening session I had finished all of the thread on my bobbin but not all of the backstitch in that colour.

So that would be a loss for me at thread chicken.  Maybe not, I checked my duplicate or spare threads and hooray for the win, I had more.

So I started the evening with the last quarter partially completed and with the flow of the stitching set in my mind.

And as noted at the start,  I have a finish.

Crown Cross

I did have some time left and that was used to put the threads from this project away and I thought to get out threads for my next project. However unless they are sitting in other projects (I will have to check) looks like I have quite a few to order first. So no start just yet!

CLICK HERE to see how my BFF's evening went.

We remain undecided about the next SAL so we may RAL a little longer unless we settle on something before next week.

There is a tentative connection here.