1:12 Scale Table Top Quoits and 1:48 Scale Tea Trolley

I got this 1:12 scale kit with an order from Jane Harrop. I've had it for a while, but because I don't have a place for it I hadn't put it together, until today (ie 23/9/21). It went together very quickly.

This 1:48 scale tea trolley is one of the kits from the Petite Properties 2020 advent calendar. It was very fiddly to put together! 

I used one of these alcohol pens I received earlier this week, to colour the tea trolley - much quicker than using paint. These are "skin" colours, but since there's a Mahogany, Natural Oak and others, they work just as well on mini furniture! I may get more colours ... or borrow some of Ang's ...

 

Spell of the Moon

Another design I stitched in August 2021. I thought it was going to be plain sailing, but I first made a mistake on the tree trunk, and had to re-stitch the house 4 times! I didn't use the DMC suggested in the pattern, but use a very dark browny grey for the bits which were originally in black, and changed the yellows too. The moon was stitched in overdyed thread, but I used a variegated DMC instead. I really like the end result. 

The frame is from an old roombox! It was originally painted a faded white, and I gave it a couple of coats of about three different greys and black. 

In the book ("Winds of Autumn") this is finished as a little cushion, but since I had this rough-looking frame, which was the right size, I thought I'd frame it instead.

 

And I Will Love Thee Still

I haven't posted anything for a while because I've been so busy doing the actual cross stitching, and I now have a pile of things I need to frame, or finish otherwise.  

This is And I Will Love Thee Still, from Blackbird Designs' "and Blossoms as the Rose" book. I used the DMC colours. I stitched it in a couple of days, in August 2021.

The drum (or pincushion ...) is stuffed mostly with sawdust, plus a layer of polyester filler at the very top.

Herringbone stitches around bottom and top,  

 

Bower Birds ...

The plastic "glass" had a scratch down the right side, so I've re-framed it without it! Looks nicer without the glass actually.  

 

Bower Birds

Have now framed Bower Birds. I was going to paint the frame, but I decided not to - I think it looks nice in its original colour. This is a design by Liz Mathews. 

 

Two Cross Stitch Finishes

Not the best photos ...

Two cross stitch finishes. The first one is Bower Birds, designed by Liz Mathews. It's stitched with one strand of DMC 3024, over 2 threads. I bought a frame from The Store, but have been too busy stitching the next design to frame it! 

And this is Needleworker, from Little House Needleworks. Again, with one strand (of Classic Colorworks overdyed cotton threads), over 2 threads. 

Now to decide what to stitch next 😊

 

More Project Bags!

So, more bags! Another 6.  I originally cut all 6 14" x 11" ... but had to trim the one on the front a little, because the vinyl was a tiny bit too short at the left, and it came undone after I'd sewn on the binding! How annoying ...

 

May Flowers Tree

This is May Flowers Tree, from Hello from Liz Mathews. I actually stitched the design, and made the tree, in January, but couldn't decide what to use as a base. I went through lots of different containers, but finally decided on the plainest, smallest old candle pot! There's a piece of foam, cut into shape, and a couple of layers of wadding, inside the tree, and moss peeking out of the bottom of the tree. I glued the moss to the base of the triangle, as per Liz Mathews' instructions. I mixed tacky glue and chopped up moss to fill the candle pot, and stuck the tree trunk in the middle and left it to dry overnight. I finally finished it today! It's stitched on 18 count Aida. The colour is very similar to the linen Liz used for hers, but I had this Aida and thought it would work, and I think it looks really nice with the off white thread. The thread is DMC 3865.

 

Fake Patchwork Mat

This is a very fake photo ... The set-up is fake, because I only put the plant and lantern on the mat so it would make a nice Instagram pic! The patchwork is also fake - it's a printed fabric - but I did do the quilting along all the lines. I made it a while back, before I started making the project bags, and I was even considering using it to make another bag, but I needed something to put on top of the stove heater, to protect it from scratches. Last night I cut out a looooong piece of fabric for the binding, and attached it, and then started hand sewing the back of the binding. I have the basket full of project bags (and projects ...) on top of it, so that you can hardly see it, but it serves its intended purpose!

 

Three more ...

Three more project bags. I made these last week, but had to finish off the binding, and I did that (late) last night and then started to hand stitch the backs of the bindings, and finished them all today. These are the smaller size - 10" x just under 8", because I managed to cut the vinyl the wrong size! These should be a good size for the smaller projects, or at least for projects where the patterns/charts are smaller. I still want to make a few more of the larger size, but will have to wait until I get the vinyl tablecloth I ordered, and then see if it's the right thickness! Otherwise I will have to wait until I can get some more of the 150 micron vinyl I originally bought.

UPDATE - I found 150 micron vinyl on Amazon and have ordered some!! (same day as above ...)

Folklore Hoop

As soon as I finished Yonder I started on this one! This is Folklore Hoop, designed by Jacob de Graaf of Modern Folk Embroidery. It took me three days to stitch. Finished it this morning, and I've framed it in a flexi hoop. I want to add a felt circle to neaten the back, but I can't find the felt. 

I used Ruby Slipper wool thread, from The Gentle Art Simply Wool and 32 ct Zweigart Belfast.

The design is centred in the hoop, it's just that I couldn't quite get a straight-on image when I took the photo!

Yonder

Yeah, I've finished and framed one of my cross stitch projects. It's taken only 5 days to stitch. I didn't think I would be able to finish because I'd run out of DMC 741. Ang gave me some she had, but I used it up. But I thought I knew where mine could be, so I got out my sewing projects bag earlier today, and there it was! The frame is one of the ones I bought from The Store, and it fits really well.

I used sequin pins to attach the fabric to a piece of foamboard. I had to discard the first piece of foamboard because I'd cut it the same size as the glass from the frame, which meant that when I added the fabric the piece wouldn't fit in the frame! So I cut another piece, and this time trimmed ⅛ of an inch from two sides, and then it fit perfectly. I'm happy with how the dark frame matches the darker colours in the design.

 

Another One ...

I needed smaller bags for some of my projects. I made a mistake with the measurements again though! I thought I'd cut the vinyl at 11" x 8" ... but no I had cut them 10" x 8", so I had to trim down the width on all of the quilt sandwich backs! I have 3 more ready to sew up. The bottom left corner could be squarer, but they're for me so who cares - it gives it some character 😂

I've got a bunch of projects in bags, in a big basket. Some are completed, waiting to be framed, but most of them are WIPs! I have to stop buying patterns now and stitch what I have. When I came back to cross stitch I was planning on finishing old kits, framing them, getting rid of anything I wasn't going to stitch ... but instead I started to watch Flosstube (well, Flosstube came first, and then I went back to the cross stitch!) and I want all the patterns people are stitching! I also have all of the DMC threads (and now Ang has given me 3 more boxes ...) so the intention was to start using up all the stuff that I have. Instead I'm buying the "fancy flosses", or overdyed threads, the patterns call for. Not for all of them, because I don't want to start a huge collection of all the fancy flosses, but if there's just a handful, or there are no DMC conversions provided I've been buying those too. I'm going down a long and winding rabbit hole ...

Room to Sew

I bought the April 2021 issue of "Cross Stitcher" in Morrisons the other day, and found the perfect design to put in this house frame Angelique gave me! It's a design by Zoe Patching, and was very quick to stitch! I started it yeserday. The backstitching took longer than the cross stitches, and the scissors took me several attempts to get right, but I eventually got there. The blue in the rug is not the colour used on the chart, but when I realised I'd made a mistake I'd stitched too much of it to re-do with the correct colour. Had to leave window and basket out, otherwise it wouldn't have fit the frame. I ironed on some heavyweight interfacing to the back of the design, and cut it to fit.

The frame is from a charity shop.

Floss Rings? Floss Ring Bling? (or whatever they're called!)

Made these yesterday. Not sure what they're called, but they're just decoration to add to a ring holding embroidery thread! The clock cabochons came ready made, and the Xmas one is punched from scrapbook paper. I've put a couple of them onto the thread rings for some of the projects I've got on the go. I added a jingle bell to the Xmas one, and will add charms to the others when they arrive. By the way, I've got a few of the clock cabochons to go in my 1:12 scale home decor shop! I have plenty left, so I'll use them in the dollhouse too.

 

Yes, another bag ...

This is the bag that went wrong ... Luckily I had two pieces of the binding fabric, already cut to size - I think I'd cut it out to use on another bag, so didn't have to bother cutting anything out. I managed to fix the sewing machine last night, there was a piece of thread underneath the feed dogs, which is why the fabric kept jamming. Because I had to trim a bit off the side and bottom it's a little smaller than the other bunch of bags I made, but it's still a nice size. If (when ...) I make more bags I have to get the dimensions correct though ...

 

A Bunch of Project Bags

Yep, more bags! Can't make any more until I can buy the vinyl, but I should have enough for all of my projects now. I meant to make them 14" x 11", but I got it in my head that it was 14" x 10"! Later I found another piece of vinyl, and I thought I'd make sure I cut that bag 11" tall ... but I went to trim the quilt sandwich ... and cut it at 10"!! They end up as a neater sized bag, but it's a little bit easier to fit an A4 sheet of paper in the 11" bags.

I spent a couple of days hand sewing the bindings - my arms ache so much ... I was halfway through the binding on this pink bag, when the side came undone, and I realised I'd cut the vinyl a tiny bit too short on the left side and along the bottom, so I've re-trimmed it and it's ready to sew up the binding on the machine, and so on. I had to fix the sewing machine last night though, because there was a bit of thread stuck underneath the metal plate, and the fabric kept getting jammed in the feeddogs! 

I also want to make a few smaller (approx A5) bags, from the bits of vinyl I have left over.

Julbocken

This is Julbocken (The Yule Goat), and it's another design by Jacob de Graaf from Modern Folk Embroidery. It's sttiched on 32 count white linen (the same fabric I used for Distelfink Heart), and DMC 3777. It's taken me 7 days to stitch, and was a very easy to follow chart. I have a frame I bought from The Store the other day which I think I'm going to use for it. 

There was a moment of panic ... I'd used a piece of fabric I'd previously cut for Distelfink Heart, but I didn't centre it correctly, and when I got down to the bottom I was sure I wouldn't have enough room to stitch the whole of the frieze! If I hadn't had enough fabric I thought about repeating the top frieze, but luckily I didn't have to. I'm going to have to use glue and lots of pins to hold everything in place, but the frame I have has a mount so that should hide any gap at the bottom. 

Distelfink Heart

Loved stitching this one! It's called Distelfink Heart (distelfink = thistle finch), designed by Jacob de Graaf from Modern Folk Embroidery. It took me 6 days to stitch. I now need to get a frame for it, or have it professionally framed. It's stitched on white 32 count linen, and DMC 815 six stranded cotton thread.

 

Butterfly Duo

This was a cross stitch kit I bought years ago, and I found it in a drawer recently and decided I'd stitch it. Not my style, but it was quick to stitch, and it does look nice. I started it in December, and today I bought some frames from The Store, and when I got home I picked this frame to put it in. But when I read the finishing instructions I realised I hadn't stitched the line of ecru backstitch around the butterflies, and that took a couple of hours! I had to trim the backing card because it didn't quite fit inside the frame, and then I put the label from the frame and the glass (plastic actually ...) on the back of the card, and then replaced the board with the hanging loops/stand, to make sure the finished piece was stable and secure.

The piece of Aida was trimmed to size, stuck on a piece of white paper, then I fringed the edges and stuck the whole thing to the backing board. Made the bow from the piece of wired ribbon, which was included in the kit, and finished 😊

I'm not sure where I'm going to hang it - maybe in the bedroom?

It's called Butterfly Duo, and it's by Leisure Arts. It's stitched on 18 count Aida.

Another Two Project Bags!

I finished two more project bags today. Spent hours sewing the beindings on the bags of both bags, and my hands are aching.  I have a few more bags kitted up, except for the zips, but when I get more zips I want to make those up too. After those are sewn up I'll give it a rest, at least until I can find some more of the vinyl. 

I'm already using the brown bag to keep my Winter Rose Manor project in. I'm glad I didn't go for the slightly smaller size because these are fine for most projects. I still want to make the 11" x 8" ones though.

                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Had a few problems with the pink bag though. 

As I was sewing the binding along the top edge I realised I'd cut the quilt sandwich a bit smaller at one point, and had to sew up the gap as well as I could. Now, if I'd cut the binding strip at 2.5" inches instead of the 2" I decided to go with, then I would have been able to go over and cover the "gap"! Instead I'm going to sew that piece of lace over the join, but I'm waiting to get some fabric glue before I can do that.

The second mistake ...  I went to open the zip to put the bit of lace inside and realised I'd managed to topstitch the zip bands to the back of the bag! Luckily it was just a matter of unpicking the two lines of topstitching, and I now have a useable bag! I hand tacked the edge of the two zip bands down because they were a little bit "flappy" ...

Those two lines of topstitching to the left of the seam unpicker are the ones which I'd sewn to the edges of the zip, not realising that I was sewing onto the back fabric! 

Project Bag No 3!

So, I changed my mind and finished another one of my project bags ...

 A Xmas/winter themed bag for my Xmas/winter projects!

Another Project Bag

Another project bag completed. This one is smaller than the first bag - 11" x 8". I was going to make it the same size as that first one, but the rotary cutter slipped and I cut a bit off the top left side of the interior fabric ...

Made this one yesterday, after a couple of hurdles. I've used a yellow and white gingham for the back, and was going to use it for the zip bands and binding, but the fabric puckered when I run it through the sewing machine! Then I managed to break the zip I was going to use ... The zip I used is from the ones I bought the other day, from *Flowers, and although I didn't think the green of the zip matched the green checks, they look perfect together! And I managed to get a nicer finishing on the zip too. I used a much longer zip than I needed so was able to cut off at both ends, and so avoiding the plastic bit at the "beginning" of the zip.

Spent a while hand sewing the binding at the back earlier today.  I have 3 more completed bags, waiting for the binding to be hand sewn, but I'll probably stick to one a day ...

*I was nicely surprised at the selection of zips they had in Flowers! They had large plastic boxes full of them. I should have bought a few more, but I've ordered so many on the Internet I didn't want to overdo it. I will probably buy a couple more the next time I'm in town - either from there, or I'll try Princess Silks II, whichever is closer.

Project Bag

I've been doing a lot of cross stitch, but I'm waiting until I've finished something before I post a picture. I want to make project bags in different sizes, to hold all of my kits.

This is the first bag I made yesterday. I had a headache and of course that's when I decide to start to make stuff!  Didn't turn out too bad, although I should have used a longer zip, I think. I'm waiting for a bunch of zips I bought on AliExpress. I got some I'd bought from eBay last week, but I made a mistake and bought some 10" zips when I meant to get 14"!  (And then again ... I should have bought 16" zips to give me more room to centre the zip, and then be able to trim off the two ends.) The ones I've bought from AliExpress are in different lengths, so I should have a nice selection to choose from. Now to wait patiently for them to get here! 

We're in lockdown again, and even if I could go to Princess Silks II or Flower, I don't know if they'd have 14" or 16" zips in different colours.

So, here's the first project bag I made. Angelique gave me a lot of fabrics, and these are two of them.

I copied the idea of adding a button from ones I've seen on Etsy! I want to add a charm zip pull too. I've bought lots of different charms on eBay and AliExpress. Plus cabochons and binder rings and all sorts of bits to make all kinds of things to use for cross stitching. Nothing essential ... just things that I've seen Flosstubers using! Well ...

The chart in the bag is from Jacob de Graaf (Modern Folk Embroidery). I like the way the design in the model has been framed and I intend to hang mine like that too! I've got the DMC thread, and I'm now waiting for the 32 count linen so I can start on this design.

I've been watching a LOT of Flosstube, and although I don't want to end up like many of them, who have HUGE piles of WIPS, I do have a lot of unfinished kits, and I keep buying patterns and starting more projects!

The last cross stitch I finished is called May Flowers Tree, by Hello from Liz Mathews. The stitching is finished, and the design has been sewn into a tree shape, and it looks really nice, but until I find a pot or candlestick to "plant" the tree in I won't call it finished. I've bought two things from AliExpress and hope I can use one of those things. 

I'm waiting for so much stuff - linens, threads, charts, books and so on - which is holding me back from starting any of the designs I want to stitch.

In the meantime, I have the fabrics cut out to make a few more the project bags. By the way, I know understand why the bags I've seen for sale on Etsy are so expensive - they take hours to make!