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.

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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!