Cross Stitch Update

So, it's not as though I needed another project, but I did pick up a rather large holiday themed Cross Stitch recently, and have made a good start on it. It won't be done for Christmas this year, but I hope to keep making progress. As well as stitching more on (and finishing) the Alice in Wonderland piece.

Cross Stitch Update

After a long period where I hadn't felt much like cross-stitching, I got back into it a little while back - finished off the Thirteen Colonies piece finally, and went back to work on this one, as well as starting a new, larger, Christmas one (I know, I know - I have other Christmas one(s) I should work on. But anyway...)  You can see from the photo below, that I managed to finish the Cheshire Cat and begin on the page which is below him...

Cross Stitch Update - Finished!

Well, this needs ironing, obviously, but the stitching is done. It's astonishing how quickly you can actually finish something when you spend time working on it...  I've got a new piece which has a Christmas theme, which I'm actually going to start now, but I do also want to carry on working on another piece in progress, The Alice in Wonderland piece.  I might alternate one week on and one week off, or might work on both of them through a week, not really sure. Guess it will depend on what catches my fancy. But I'm definitely going to make a point to stitch at least a little almost every night. Watch this space.

Cross Stitch Update

So, I've actually been doing a bit of cross-stitch lately - I have worked on this piece a bit over the past year or so, but only once or twice a month, rather than almost nightly. Lately, I've been trying to be better about stitching in the evening while watching telly rather than just being on my phone - it's tempting, especially when one is tired, to just sit and veg. Anyway, this piece is nearly done - there's a bit of the left border to do, then the bottom left corner of that centre bit and another planter like the one on the right. And a few little bits, like there is a spacer symbol of some sort between the states' names. But it shouldn't take much longer to finish, especially if I keep up the nightly work. 

Here's the last photo I can find of it - but I've certainly added quite a bit since this photo was taken, before this week - for instance, most of the state names have been done for quite a while. 

Cross Stitch Update

So I did do a little stitching in the past week or so - but only a little. Still, you can kind of see that the Cheshire cat will actually have a smile, which is progress, of sorts. Maybe next week will be better!

Cross Stitch Update

This is finished now - I just need to find a little frame for it and then it can be a gift. It needs ironing, of course, but if you ignore the wrinkles...

Cross Stich Update

Finally been doing a little cross-stitch again - this is going to be a gift for someone, so I do have a deadline (it's only a small piece, though, so it won't be a problem finishing in time.)  My daughter Sarah has been getting into cross-stitching lately, so that's prompting me to be better about actually doing some!

Cross Stitch Update

Only a wee bit of progress here - a little more branch, and a start to the Cheshire Cat, which sits on it. I don't suppose next week will really have much progress at all, as I am out most night supervising the dressing rooms at the Gang Show, which Alex is performing in. But perhaps I'll get a bit done on the weekend, before I go...

Cross Stitch Update

Had a bit of stitching time this week and managed to get through some of the bottom border (need to do a couple of stitches in the teacup), finish up the queen's head and crown, work the key (very pale) on the right and start on the branch, on which the Cheshire cat will be sitting.

Cross Stitch Update

Well, she's got most of a head, now. It's progress!

Cross Stitch Update

Only got a very little done on this, this week - probably just one evening's stitching. But some progress is better than no progress, and perhaps, eventually, the Red Queen will actually get a head (it's fitting, somehow that she doesn't have one yet....)

Cross Stitch Update

Well, I put the Christmas Angels away - I got some work done on it this year, but I reckon there's at least another two years worth of work to do, given how infrequently I work on it and how busy I am around Christmas. This is probably a good thing, as what would I do with out my Christmas nemesis to complain about each year?  This is a detail from the Alice in Wonderland piece - you can see the Red Queen's dress is coming along nicely. Especially as I haven't had a lot of time to stitch this week.

Cross Stitch Update

Haven't had much time for stitching this week, as we've been out in the evening for lots of evenings. I did make a little progress on the red border outlining where the lettering goes. To the extent that you can now actually make out the word "glory" pretty well. It's getting there. Gotta save something for next year anyway, lol. 

Cross Stitch Update: Christmas Angel Nemesis

Been working on the border this week - not a huge amount done, but you can begin to see the shapes of the letters in the bottom left corner. There are a lot of half stitches, which takes a while to do. But it's getting there...

Cross Stitch Update: Christmas Nemesis

Well, I can't even tell you the last time I stitched on this before this week - last year I had intended to, but wasn't very well and then just couldn't face it. This year, I was feeling cross-stitchy again, and Christmassy, too, so I pulled it out to work on. I don't have a before picture, but most of the work wouldn't show much anyway, as I did a bunch of fiddly things in the middle, mainly:

I filled in (mostly; I am missing the final colour for this) and outlined the end of this bell pull. 

I outlined the end of this bell pull, where it sits on the blue dress. And filled in some missing stitches in the red sleeve - it was only one colour, so I must have been missing it before and have bought it since.

I outlined the blue angels hand (there are actually a few stitches still missing in her thumb, which I need to go back to) - and a few stitches in the collar of her robe. 

And then I started on a new row of red in the border. I'm going to work on the red border next, so next week the progress should be a bit more visible. It's actually not all that far off being finished, though I doubt it will happen this year.  All the central bit is stitched, except a few stitches here and there (and some beads in the head-dresses), so it's really just the border to finish off. I say "just", as though it can be used in that context!

Cross Stitch Update

Well, I had intended to work more on this, but foolishly (accidentally) sliced the pad of my thumb open on a broken teacup, so even after it finally stopped bleeding, it's been awkward to use for the better part of a week. Especially for any task you have to use the pad of your thumb for, like pushing a needle through fabric (I hate thimbles). Maybe next week!  (The dress is the only area of progress, so it's all I've shown in detail.)

Cross Stitch Update

Made a bit of progress on this - it doesn't look like that much, but stitching the brown of the gown actually took quite a while. Next week it might get a bit more interesting - I hope!

Cross Stitch Update

Having finished the Hallowe'en piece, I pulled out this half-finished Alice in Wonderland stitching to work on, at least until I need to move on to Christmas things. Didn't get a lot done, but did finish the vine on the bottom left and make a start on the Red Queen's dress.  I haven't been home much this week in the evening, so there hasn't been a lot of stitching time...

Cross Stitch Update (Finished!)

Well, here it is - it's finished!  Woo Hoo, and in plenty of time for Hallowe'en - not that I will necessarily be able to find a frame for it by then, but I can always just leave it lying about or something, lol.  Or maybe I'll make this one into a cushion!  Think I might work on the Alice in Wonderland piece for a few weeks before I feel ready to tackle other seasonal work (not thinking about that winter holiday just yet...). 

Cross Stitch Update

And here's this week's progress - nearly finished!  Definitely going to be done in time for Hallowe'en, yay!