Stitching goals

I mentioned in my last post that I will write a blog post when I've met the stitching goals I have set myself. These are only small but will help reach larger goals that I hope will be met by the end of each month. So I've got monthly goals written out for March and April only as this will be a small trial to see if it is a manageable task, see if it helps or puts me off stitching etc. 

End of March goals:

• To have finished Tatty Ted and have decided on personalisation.
• To have completed the smallest poppy on Trio of Poppies.
• To have completed February of the Songs of the Weather SAL.
• To have reach 400 stitches on HAED Kitten.
• To have reach 400 stitches on Mystic Garden.
• To have completed the E-Type Jaguar as much as possible (missing threads).
• To have have 3 10x10 blocks stitched on Café de Paris.

I hope these are do-able although I've nearly completed 2 of the goals already as I'm really into working on HAED Kitten...I'm on 300 stitches already and I just need to add DMC 909 to reach the goal for the E-Type Jaguar.  

Of course there'll be TUSAL and IHSW blog posts as well.

A few purchases to develop some skills.

Here are some sewing patterns I bought, New Look sewing patterns are on sale (they're only £2.95) until the 9th March. I've not tried to make anything bigger than a bag so this will be venturing into unknown waters - I know in an older post I mentioned trying to make PJ bottoms but unfortunately they didn't go to plan as although I used another pair of PJ bottoms as the template the waist was too small.

 So, after going out to get fabric for 2 projects...I'll be making a pair of PJ shorts this time with a proper pattern :P and a nice dress for myself. Though a dress pattern is actually missing from this photo.

Tatty Ted as of 22/02/2013

Well here's the promised photo of Tatty Ted which is so close to being finished! Speaking of which I've now started to think of what personalisation I could add... Though he's no longer a secret, I'm determined the full finished piece with personalisation will be kept hidden until the day it will be given to the recipient *fingers crossed*.

I was looking to finally get around to completing part 1 of the Around the World SAL only to find that I'm missing my sticky note that had all of the colours chosen for each symbol of the key! With only the outline of one heart (dark green) and one set of speciality stitches (floral colour 4) done, I'll need to pick a new set for the rest of the colours.

HAED TT Kitten 172 stitches - 24/2/2013

I realised from my original Cross Stitch Crazy 2013 list, I've only started/worked on 3 so I'm doing my best to get the other 12 started. Though I have just started HAED Tiny Treasures Kitten 2 so I've now started 4 out of 15.





I came across this little treasure in a yarn stall at a market.
The kit was £5 so when I've grown confident in knitting, he'll certainly be made.

I've come up with a list of stitchy goals that I'd like to do and the idea will be to post a blog update when I've completed them but it'll be a trial run or two as I don't know how well this will work.

February's IHSW

You may remember in my last post I posted a photo of the piece I stitched for an exchange? Well, I received mine and here is the lovely package.

I have finally made a start on Mabel's SAL after getting the missing threads. Bit of a hiccup with the second satin stitch (not sure where but it was there) so I've frogged that and will attempt it again this afternoon. I'm hoping to finish January by the weekend.

Café de Paris

The weekend just gone was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) there's a link on my blog if you'd like to find out more about it. So, you're probably wondering what I worked on and how much was done? Well I've got to say I'm getting annoyed with Café de Paris (Parisian Street Scene). I hadn't stitched much but each of the few times I went back to it, I had to frog the majority of the progress from the last stitching session so this weekend I was able to catch up on all that was frogged (basically a restart) and do a bit more. Therefore there isn't much on this one.

 I started another of my Crazy January Challenge which is the E-type jaguar though I'm still missing 2 threads for it.



I've put a few more stitches in on Mystic Garden which I'm missing a lot of threads for. Trio of Poppies - Apart from the green used to backstitch and a few stitches in the centre of poppies, I'm finished with the main green stitching. I was saying to Ed' that I can feel the end is near with that cross stitch and he immediately popped the bubble of relief by reminding me I've still got huge patches of sky to sit and stitch!

Trio of Poppies 18th Feb 2013

Trio of Poppies 1st Oct 2012

Looking through my photos you are certainly due for an update on Tatty Ted which will come along in the next post hopefully accompanied by another Crazy start (I was unable to start 15 in 15 days due to other commitments) and progress on my current WIPs. I've been messing around with the blog layout and appearance so please do tell me if anything is hard to read, etc.

February TUSAL

Well it's February, January seemed to drag. I've had an update to give you for a few weeks now but I've been preoccupied as my Nana passed away. She was such a lovely lady, not a bad word could be said about her and the comfort we can take from this is that she's no longer in pain.

My little jar was quite full this month.

Well I finished the "Who? Me?" chart and will be sending it to it's recipients soon.

Finished "Who? Me?" by Joan Elliott

As I said in the previous post, I have started the HAED BB SAL after finishing "Who? Me?". So Mystic Garden has 124 stitches in, I've added a tracker bar at the top of my blog for page 1. I've done a good amount of stitching on Tatty Ted and Trio of poppies - I've nearly completed all of the green in this piece. I had to more or less restart Café de Paris luckily there were only 25 stitches in it. I also took part in a valentine's exchange on facebook and the idea was a pincushion with a heart somewhere in the design. I haven't received mine yet but here's what I made for my  exchange partner, it is my own design.

Love pincushion, my own design

When writing this post, I've realised just how much stitching I've done since I last posted. There will be photos of the other projects next time, promise!