08. The Sampler House Strawberry Sampler

Stitched on 32 count Antique White linen

Close-up of some of the speciality stitches.

I really like those tiny pink eyelets near the top.

The word is stitched over one.

I drew a strawberry plant in the corner of the mount so it co-ordinates with Bilberry

I chose a lighter wood for the frame.  

The design just fits into a standard mount too.

07. Nora Corbett Alphabet Fairy S

Nora Corbett Alphabet Fairy S

Stitched on 32 count Oceanic Fantasia by Crafty Kitten

Using the Crescent Colours recommended

I made one minor change.

I used DMC 356 to backstitch the skin (it's my preferred colour for the job) and a dark purple for the dress.

06. Stitch for Syria - Red

Stitched on 28 count white Jobelan

using DMC 107

This is for the Concern Stitching for Syria project.  

The charity is running a Women's Centre in Lebanon and wants to make a hanging for the walls to show the women that the international stitching community is aware of their difficulties.

You sign up on the website and they send you a little chart to stitch and send the square to their London office.  

05. Nora Corbett Alphabet Fairy C

Nora Corbett Alphabet Fairy C

Stitched on 32 count Oceanic Fantasia by Crafty Kitten

Using the Crescent Colours recommended

I made one or two minor changes.

I used DMC 356 to backstitch the skin (it's my preferred colour for the job).

I used DMC 208 for the swirls on the thing in her hand and stitched it over 1 using the chart CC.

I used DMC 500 for all the other backstitch just because it looked better than brown.

And of course, one major change!  I didn't stitch the square border or the filled in background.  None of the other fairies have a square border and by using a beautiful hand-dyed fabric like this you don't need to stitch the background either.  I extended the waves on the right and the top so they are more curved.  On the original they were cut flat by the border.

04. The Goode Huswif Book of Spells

Book of Spells by The Goode Huswif.

I started this piece for the DUCJC on the 10th January, 2015 and then put it to one side until the end of April.

I took another break just before Christmas then picked it up again in January.

The fabric is a 40 count linen called Jewel Butterbeer by Under the Sea Fabrics.

I used the DMC conversion with a few personal changes.

The moon is 4145 (greys) and 4130 (oranges).

It took a long time but is one of my favourite parts now.

This photo includes a ruler so you can see the final size of the piece.

A little over 9 inches or 23cm.

The plan I have is to get it colour photocopied and use that as a cover for a notebook and frame the original.

03. CCN Poinsettia Place

Poinsettia Place by CCN

Part of the Santa's Village series

Stitched on 32 count Twilight Blue linen

Using recommended DMC

except for Blanc (used B5200)

dark green house side

yellow for windows

02. Mr. X-Stitch Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa by Mr. X-Stitch

Stitched over 1 on 28 count black evenweave

Converted the Anchor to DMC

The finished piece is 1.75 x 2.25 inches

01. Plum Street Samplers 12 Days of Christmas

Plum Street Samplers 12 Days of Christmas

I first saw these designs in Just Cross Stitch magazine which published First Day and Second Day in 2011 and 2012.  I liked them but the series never continued.  Until now!  Following numerous requests for the series Paulette decided to make them the Mystery SAL for 2015.

She charted them for four colours; red, green, black and gold.  But I thought it would be fun to use just red and one accent colour for each day.  I started with pear for First Day and continued to choose a suitable colour for each day.  I also continued with the quirk of having one motif a different colour to the rest of them where possible,

I stitched them over one on some 25 count creamish linen I had. 

Finished as part of an exploding box:

The first thing I did was get a 12 x 12 inch piece of thick double-side scrapbook paper and score various fold marks so it could become a box.  Then I mounted the first four days on thin card and stuck them to the paper.

I turned the paper over and stuck some 12 Days pictures I had cut from a card purchased on Etsy:

Then I took a second piece of thick scrapbook paper and cut four pieces, slightly small than the sides of the first box.  I attached the next four days on one side:

I turned it over and stuck the corresponding images from the card on the other side.  You can see how I stuck the four pieces together overlapping them to form a solid base:

I used a third piece of paper to make the same shape, just a little bit smaller.  I stuck the final four days to this part:

And the same on the reverse:

Using the offcuts from the second two pieces of paper, I made three lids:

Then I folded the boxes up and put one inside each other:

This was where the problems started!  The three boxes fitted perfectly inside each other.  Without their lids.  However the lid of the middle box made it too big for the outside one to close.  I adjusted the lid which then meant the smaller box wouldn't fit with it's lid on!  Now I have to make the smallest lid even smaller.  Next time I will make the difference between the boxes greater so I don't have this issue.

It's difficult to show how they work in photos so here are some video clips, with a surprise at the end of one of them!

Here's what the card looked like before I cut it up!

Available from Bunk Boutique on Etsy

40. Beehive Needleworks Sunflowers and Acorns

Beehive Needleworks 

Sunflowers and Acorns

Stitched on 35 count linen using

recommended DMC plus GAST

39. Blue Ribbon Designs Hallowe'en Box of Treats

I decided to stitch a combination of designs from Blue Ribbon Designs from JCS Oct 2015 to make this box:

The lid is stitched over one on 32 count blue linen.
I left off the bats and changed the word Bag to Box.

Here are the side views:

You can read all about the process on my blog post here - Serendipitous Stitching

38. Brooke's Books Trixie The Hallowe'en Witch

The design was charted for perforated paper but I decided to use 28 count tan evenweave for the main stitching and paper for the embellishments.

I left off a couple of the bows which just wouldn't sit right!

Scrapbooked on Scrapping The Magic's Twilight collection.

37. Primitive Hare Hallowe'en Cubes

The Hallowe'en Cubes designed by The Primitive Hare.

Stitched on 32 count Vintage Grain linen.

I stitched one per month throughout the year.

Finished into cubes:

I used the same backing fabric in three different colourways:

36. Glendon Place Friendship Compass

This is for Mouse who will be celebrating a zero themed Birthday at the start of next year.  She has decided to make a quilt using squares stitched by all her friends.

I spotted The Glendon Place SAL on their FB page and thought it would be just right for the quilt.  Especially with the name Friendship and the Compass being Mouse's friends from all points of the globe.  

That is why I put my initials next to the East Point where I live!

I used 32 count white evenweave and various shades of purple because it is Mouse's favourite colour (and one of mine too!).  I substituted the beads for bright pink eyelets just in case beads weren't suitable for the quilt finish.

I only stitched the central compass because I thought the entire square might be a bit overpowering for the project.

35. Just Nan Ghoulies and Ghosties

Just Nan Ghoulies and Ghosties

Stitched on 28 count tan evenweave

34. Satsuma Street Pretty Little London

Scanned picture to show the colours

Close up of the cloud.  

I added the silver metallic because "every cloud has a silver lining"!

Framed for my scrapbook to co-ordinate with Pretty Mini London

Closer photo:

The curved top is to give the effect of a snowglobe.  Rainglobe?

And here is a nice collage of all the iconic sights in the design:

Top - The Rain, Coldstream Guardsman, Houses of Parliament Clock Tower, Tower Bridge

Middle - A Black Taxi, The Gherkin, A Red Bus, The Shard

Bottom - St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Railway Arches, London Eye

I stitched Pretty Little London on 32count antique white linen because it was the only white I had at the time and "Stitch from Stash" but with hindsight, it was not the right fabric for this design.  I have some 32 count white evenweave I will probably use that for the next "Little" design.