Not a "mummy blog"

I can understand why when ladies become mums, everything quickly becomes all about motherhood and children. It's totally overwhelming and you learn so much so quickly and there's nobody there to share your newfound wisdom with. I am sure there will be plenty of "mummy posts" in the coming months, but I really enjoy being part of the crafting community (before I disappeared so unceremoniously) so I hope you'll let me stay. Even if my crafting achievements are few and far between!

I have stitched on a gift this month which is remarkable as I hadn't previously done any cross-stitching since last November. We drove down to visit the grandparents at the weekend so while baby was contained in his car seat I had a couple of hours either way with my hands free!

It's a design by stitchrovia. I don't want to give too much away because it is for a surprise gift... though may be the Christmas after next before it is finished! I did enjoy doing it again though, cross stitch is a slow but satisfying craft and once I've finished my current project (more on that soon) I might try to move more quickly with it.

Catching up

I'm not very consistent at the moment- neither is life. It's busy and occasionally threatens to engulf me entirely. But I am learning to recognise the anxiety  as it comes, to rationalise it and lean into peace. I'm getting there, slowly. This is a 'new' that is above and beyond all the changes in physical situations, but within. Maybe I'll talk about that next week (although I am going to the real life sea next week so you may be kept in suspense...)

On with the Stitch-alongs. I'm late for TUSAL and Gifted Gorgeousness but I'm here! I've actually missed the TUSAL for the past few months. TUSAL stands for "Totally Useless Stitch-along" and it's an opportunity for people to show off all of the scraps they've created by stitching over the month. We moved house in April and as a consequence my TUSAL jar was packed away, and I had to move on to a smaller, travel-sized version. I still haven't gone back!

 

Isn't it cute?

You can see the layers much more clearly from the different projects I was working on: lots of blackwork back in April, then some bold colours from my applique in May, and finally all the pastels from the 'Storytime Classics' sampler I've finally got stuck into this month!

It is also handy to carry around with me- I like to squeeze some stitching into my lunch break when I can, or just pass the time if I have to wait a while somewhere. I made a little drawstring bag way back when I bought that baby sewing machine, and it still gets plenty of use:

Just the right size to squeeze into a handbag! You can also see the progress I've made on the aforementioned sampler from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery; I got off to a very bad start at the beginning of the year but have completed 2 month's worth this month already, so I'm optimistic it might still be finished by January 2016.

Unfortunately it has been my main project this month, and is the only one that doesn't qualify for "Gifted Gorgeousness" (see what I did there?!)

Gifted Gorgeousness is run by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and it's an opportunity to share any crafting that has been done as a gift, or received. Last month I could only share a teaser with you but this month I can share what I sent to Canada in the Disney Craft Swap I joined in:

My swap partner liked 101 Dalmations and mentioned that Cruella DeVille was her favourite character, so I stitched some blackwork Dalmatians and an applique Cruella for a tote bag. The dalmatians were also supposed to end up on the bag but that didn't work out, I'm pretty please with the notebook cover as well though! I really enjoyed making for somebody else- it gave me to opportunity to try things that I wouldn't have done otherwise, and I made things in a style that I wouldn't necessarily want to keep. This post is a bit photo heavy already so I won't post close-ups now, but I was REALLY PLEASED with how it all turned out.

I also included some Cadbury's Marvellous Creations chocolate (the one with popping candy because it's my favourite), some hand-dyed threads from riotous colours, and a card with an illustration of Leeds on the front.

It has also been my birthday since this time last month and I have been treated to some beautiful Gifted Gorgeousness! I was given this cross stitch kit by some good friends:

I've wanted a Bothy Threads pattern for ages but have never quite been brave enough to buy one so this really was a treat! I'm looking forward to having a go with metallic threads and a bit of beading too so that will be fun.

Finally, my wonderful husband MADE my birthday present this year. It has been very mysterious as lots of small envelopes kept arriving in the post, and then he borrowed my spray glue and got all a bit stressed out while I was not allowed upstairs, but look at this:

Isn't it gorgeous?! The postcards are all from places we've been abroad together. This photo doesn't show off quite how well it goes in the room as well. To be honest I would have been over the moon with anything he'd gone to the trouble of making for me but this is perfect. I am a very lucky lady.

Sun, scraps and swaps

The sun (or lack thereof) has been the big even across the UK today. As humans we find it amazing that our little moon can block the light of the sun, however we forget that the clouds do it all the time! Here is my picture of the sun covered by the moon covered by the clouds:

It's time for another "Totally Useless Stitch-along" check in.

There's a bit of fat orange right on the top there as I have framed up my 'Noah's Ark' Piece and used that to stretch it over some card. I promise this is my last photo of it, but I just have to show off the finished product:

The frame is actually without glass. This is partly due to my mounting skills being such that the glass really wouldn't fit, but I also worried less about it because I had been discussing mounting with a friend who said she much preferred cross-stitches not behind glass, because then you can really appreciate the texture. I like that idea so we can pretend it's by design; however I now have a 12x12" piece of glass up for grabs!

Finally, I am taking part in my first ever craft swap and my gift arrived yesterday! It was on a disney theme and my swap partner (@_ashyoung_ on Instagram) stitched a quote that I love into a frame and onto a pencil case:

I'm looking forward to taking the pencil case into work with me. I need to get cracking on my piece too; I'm still at the collecting materials stage!

Gifted Gorgeousness

It’s been a busy weekend in our household as we’ve been up in Glasgow visiting friends and watching some Six Nations rugby in Edinburgh! I was never a sports fan before I got married and now I know more about more sports than I previously knew existed! Going to a match is good fun whether or not you really understand the rules (and I’m getting better…) because the atmosphere is great. Lots of sport on TV also means lots of stitching time for me and there are no prizes for guessing what my “Gifted Gorgeousness” post is going to be this month:

Yes, it’s very VERY nearly done! There are some birds flying over the top and of course the dreaded backstitching. But it will be a gorgeous gift, hopefully all done by next month’s check-in.

See you tomorrow for some writing time: I was hoping to have it all lined up and scheduled for the morning but we got back home later than planned tonight so it will probably be up after work, I’ll try harder next time!

Launching "Writing Tuesdays"... on a Friday

Well, the response to my creative writing suggestion was overwhelming! (by overwhelming I mean I had two comments and one was from my mum, but that's still way above average)

I've decided I'm going to write on a prompt every two weeks (one week is unsustainable, a month and the momentum would soon be gone) and post what I've come up with on a Tuesday, along with the next prompt. It would be great if you have a go on the same theme, to share what you've written or a link in the comments. How does that sound, good?

If no one joins me I'll just keep writing.

Here's our first prompt:

If you could travel back to any time in the past, what date would you choose and why? Would you attempt to influence past events while you were there? Why or why not?

It feels a bit like a school essay title! Feel free to answer some or all of it, for you or an imaginary character. I'll post mine on Tuesday 17th February.


Finally, LOOK:

The boat is DONE! There are some zebras and birds on top of the animals you can see are missing, then the eyes and noses, then the water, then all the outlining. 39 days to go. 6 weekends. It's on.

A month of 'new's

In an effort to keep my word in mind this year, I'm going to try and update the last week of every month. It's still January, we can be optimistic! So what's new?

I am still very much a 'new girl' at my new job. I'm getting into the swing of it, but only as I try to do things am I realising that I have no idea how the systems work! I'm trying to ask lots of different people for advice so no one person gets too fed up of me. There are a few other newbies that have started since the new year as well which is, well, comforting. It reassures me that I'm not stupid for getting it wrong! One of the challenges is being based in so many different places; I work into a different setting on each of the four days I work. It means that although I've been properly there for four weeks, I still haven't done a full week in any one setting! I think I will feel 'new' for a good while yet.

The new job has led to a few other new lifestyle changes as well- not least that I now have a 4-day working week! This was a conscious decision to try to build in some breathing space to my life, as the burnout of last year has taught me to value. It's a tricky one, because so much in our culture tells us that busyness is value, and to make space without filling it again can be looked down on. This blog has really encouraged me this month to value that space and not be tempted into re-filling it until I'm ready.

We also have a new car! Meet Izzy the I-10:

She's lovely. I am unhappy about becoming a two-car household but now that I'm much more community based and Pete is starting a new job in another town (update on that next month! yay!) it had become unmanageable. Both cars won't be used every day but there is a bit of a bottleneck on activities in the middle of the week, and being able to both do them on the same night means we do get to see each other occasionally through the week as well. TIME is what I'm learning to value this year.

I am considering starting up something new on the blog; I have been missing writing the more reflective posts that used to make up most of it's content, but have recently bought an e-book of '1000 creative writing prompts'. I'm considering having a go at one of those a week as well, just to keep the writing side of me happy. Maybe you could have a go at the same prompt each week, and we could start something?

Finally, I did allow myself to start a new crafting project this week, just for a little while, to stop me going completely crazy. It's the frosted pumpkin stitchery's Once Upon a Time sampler, so there's just a little bit to do each month. Here's how far I got in an hour last night (disclaimer: it's my first time working with evenweave, that stuff messes with your eyes/brain!):

Have you tried anything new for the new year?
Are you up for joining me in a rusty attempt at creative writing?

Same old, same old

I'm not feeling very motivated to blog just now, and I'm not really sure why.

I'm still stitching away on Noah's ark, and I reckon I have achieved half-way by now, which means I stand a chance at success! I was up to here by Wednesday:

I have since started on the giraffes, working on animals two by two! It is a bit frustrating not being able to start anything new but I am *definitely* not taking on any massive projects for a good while once this is done (famous last words...)

I was also disappointed to realise that I really should be starting a new TUSAL jar, as I was just about getting last year's one filled up! Admittedly I had cheated by adding my crochet yarn offcuts to the same jar, but it was getting there. I only got into the world of 'craft blogging' over the summer so it's fun being at the beginning of the year and learning what all the crazy acronyms mean. Here are the beginnings of my 2015 stitching:

Not a bad effort on half a month I think!

Hopefully I'm more inspired next week.

Just a little bit of panic

I'm having another attack of far too many ideas just when I'm not allowed to start anything else! I'm developing a mild degree of panic around the Noah's ark cross-stitch. The reason? The little beneficiary of this turns one in March and that is my self-inflicted deadline (it was meant to be a Christening gift but I started it the weekend of the Christening; Christmas has clearly been and gone). It's taken me four months so far and I'm still just short of halfway through the cross-stitching before I even start on the backstitch! Giving myself a few days leeway for framing, that leaves me with:

Eek! This may be the year of new, but there are no new projects allowed until this is done. After that, I really want to have a go at making one of these:

from Mollie at Wild Olive. It just seems topical. And it is beautiful.

Before I go, here's my first (nearly finished) make from my grown-up sewing machine! I jumped right in at the deep end but I think I got away with it. Just needs the buttons adding and it's done.

Festive Fun

What a month December has been.

Today has been my first chance to stop at home. I have pottered, taken some photos of all my festive creativities and cleaned the grout between every single bathroom tile with a toothbrush. I'm not really sure where to begin here, so I think I will just re-establish the blogging pattern with some follow ups of all the different things I was in the middle of before the Christmas mist descended!

First of all, this is a long-overdue picture:

FINALLY, it is framed and gifted! I had to re-arrange the text a bit as the pattern puts in a length which I didn't know, so I added the time as well. The sparkle in the fabric looks great in the frame and they loved it!

Also already gifted are my snowflakes. I starched and stretched them in batches of 5 and am so pleased with how they look, blocking them made all the difference.  Here is my little blizzard:

 And a surplus one that has made it onto my tree:

 It was a bit of a panic by the end, and for the first couple of days after they were all given out I didn't quite know what to do with my hands any time I had a free moment!

Finally, project number 3. There was no chance of me making the Christmas deadline and I'm already anxious about the March deadline for his first birthday, but here is the current structural state of Noah's Ark:

Getting there, slowly but surely! It would be no good for anybody colour-blind, just a hundred different shades of brown and yellow.

I've plenty more to write, some exciting crafty Christmas presents to show off and my "OneWord" for 2014 to review, but I think this will do for now. Just another long-overdue TUSAL to broadcast!

Totally Useless at keeping up!

Now for all the crafting. I'm beginning to feel the pressure a bit, and last Saturday I took the decision to do some crafting instead of writing about it. I'm also struggling to take pictures because the sun has been MIA for a week or two now so there's never any decent light! But hey ho, we can pretend the grainy, amber hue is some kind of vintage effect.

First things first, the "Old stitches, New tricks" competition! Thank you for the lovely feedback. Unfortunately my little basket was nowhere near the winners in terms of skill, scale or time invested. I did get a special mention on the blog though which I was pleased enough with! I hope you looked at the other entries, they were great.

I'm a week or more late on my TUSAL update, so here is my jar:

You'll see that I did cheat and put the ends from the basket in there as well (well it was kind of cross-stitch...) I can't show you the finished Doctor Who sampler as it's away being framed and I somehow neglected to take a photograph beforehand. Noah's ark is getting there (slowly) though:

That roof was a weekend's work. I'm dreading starting on the boat itself. Not going to make it by Christmas I don't think.

I've also been working on some snowflakes:

They've been quite fun to make and I feel like I'm almost getting to grips with crochet, at long last! I'm making one each for a group of friends so still quite a way to go, but they aren't slow to make. They are quite handy on the train, I can make one in a couple of days' commuting.

Finally, I made some crafty friends last Saturday! Kate of Beak Up Crafts had arranged a get-together in Leeds of people who like to make things. She wrote about it here. It was great fun; I don't think I would have been brave enough to go if it had been any further away but I'm glad I did. Everyone there was from such different backgrounds in the 'day job' but people were very open and we ended up having some quite personal discussions. I'm looking forward to joining them again for some 'crafternoons' in the new year.

Old Stitches, New Tricks

Well… Here it is: My &Stitches “Old Stitches, New Tricks” entry!

I’ve really enjoyed doing it and actually the possibility of a prize has spurred me on to complete a project I intended to do in the summer. 

It all started with this AMAZING bike:

My bike is a multi-purpose tool; as well as transporting me to work and back, and beating the traffic jams into town, it has also taken me on some epic rides down the length of the country and around Stage One of this year's Tour de France. I wanted a basket that would let me take a handbag when meeting friends, but that could be completely removed to lessen the weight for endurance rides up big hills.

I thought something like this might work: 

So I duly bought the appropriate basket. As my bike has a bit of a monochrome theme, I thought I would be clever and use some wire for the thread. But that didn't work out so well, it didn't loop nicely and couldn't really be seen. It would have to be yarn. 

I also struggled to decide on a pattern. I wanted something more meaningful than triangles but struggled to work out how to design onto diamond shapes. I printed some template paper from the web and tried drawing out a round design then simlpifying it into stitches, but that didn't work. I tried copying some tiny embroidered flowers from a bag I own, but that didn't work. I tried translating standard cross stitch patterns into diamond shapes but they were far too intricate.

Finally, I stumbled upon some beading patterns. "Brick stitch" became my saviour!

This is the image that opened up to me google page after page of designs that would work within the mesh, and look pretty to boot. I had initially wanted some flowers, but in the end it was the butterfly that won me over. The pattern I used can be found here; it's the "Purple Butterfly".

And that was that! I used the yarns I had available to me, and the colour scheme was mostly decided by which I had the most of. To thread the yarn through the holes I used a tiny safety pin as a needle:

And then I basically back-stitched the pattern, tying knots at the beginning and end. I experimented with turning them into cross-stitches as in the letter sorter above, but that looked quite messy on this scale (unfortunately my camera couldn't cope with focusing on a mesh at that range, but trust me it wasn't good).

I am so pleased with how the stitching came out:

And a close up of the finished item:

So there we are! I hope you like it as much as me. I've used a whole combination of crafts: yarn, cross-stitch / embroidery and beading (might have to try the real thing soon!) All of the links to the different sites I've gathered inspiration from are on this Pinterest board; that seemed more manageable (and pretty) than a long list here.

Thanks &stitches for inspiring me with such a creative competition!

Plans Plans Plans

So I hinted that I've got a few projects I'd like to get going in the next couple of weeks... I honestly don't know where to start! The Doctor Who sampler is all but finished (will be done by Friday), Noah's ark is on its way and I've got some variety to get stuck into.

First up, I want to enter the "Old Stitches, New Tricks" competition over at &Stitches. I have a bike basket see, and I'm keen to jazz it up a little.

My inspiration has come from Greedy For Colour's incredible bike, and a simple little tutorial I found on cross-stitching onto a letter rack. The original plan was to keep with the monochrome colour scheme of the bike and use some silver wire but that has proved less than successful, so I'm hunting for some cheap tiny balls of wool that might be more effective. Watch this space!

In the light of my recent thoughts about snowflakes, I'd like to crochet some for a group of friends, each one unique. At last count I had 10 different snowflake patterns, and here is my practice run:

 (I've since located some sparkly yarn which will definitely be required for the gifts!)

I also went a bit crazy and bought some clock parts the other day, so I'm considering trying to get some button clocks made up before Christmas in case people wanted to buy them as gifts. They will be much more simple than the one I made for my  mum, but hopefully still as pretty.

Then I have a two more gift ideas to make in the next couple of weeks, more on those when they have been gifted! November will be busy...

Does anyone else have more ideas than time?

What a difference a month makes!

A month seems to go by so fast these days, and it's time for that slightly-odd blog game where I show you how many loose ends I've cut off this month:

I'm getting there! There is LOTS of black from my Dr Who stitching this month, a bit of gold from the Dalek and some grey from the elephants in Noah's Ark. So fairly monochromatic.

BUT... *drum roll* ... I have finished the design on the Dr Who sampler! Just the words and framing to go, it is VERY exciting. Here's where I was up to by last night:

I am really quite proud of myself, to be on track for finishing an entire project within 2 months. We are house-watching for Josh and his parents this week so I'm considering whether I can get it done and framed before they get back, as a welcome home gift. Anybody got any advice on framing? This is what size the aida was that I bought so there's not much space all the way around, I think I might have to take it to a professional for it to look acceptable.

You'll also notice I've bought a needle minder- it's amazing what it turns out you can't manage without when you get into a hobby! This beautiful wooden button came from planetvonnychops on etsy. So cute!

Once the Dr Who Sampler is done I'll have time to start some new projects. Maybe I'll blog some of my ideas in the next week, now I'm off to get buying materials!


Have a look at other people's TUSAL odds and ends over here.