Cross Stitch Cafe - stitching out of 2012 and into 2013...

flowerofscotland

Hello stitchers.

Am back at work today so catching up during my lunch break (turkey sandwiches :rotfl:)

Apologies in advance for the length of the post - you may want to prepare yourself with a mince pie and beverage of your choice first

Thanks for all the warm Christmas wishes - what a lovely group this is:A

sweetcarer love the Irn Bru ad ( though I can't stand the taste of it so the ad wouldn't make me buy it). The Real Counties design is awesome and because each county is a different design I think you would feel like you were making real progress every time you completed a county ( I wouldn't start with Yorkshire :rotfl:) Maybe you and Ruth should do a SAL (stitchalong)
Sorry you are feeling down - it's not surprising when you are facing so many challenges

magscat Your 4 circular seasons look A-MAZ-ING

nmm well done on progress on BD

beg sorry can't help with JG Designer - you could try emailing her via the Cross Stitch Guild website

chicky how lovely to get a stitchy gift from someone you don't know very well

bossymoo My only other tip would be to consider gridding your fabric using thread (avoid marking pens on navy aida). It's a lovely design with lots of beautiful details but not something I would recommend for a relative beginner so keep us all up to date with your progress and there is always someone who can answer any queries

couldsavemore My initial plans for 2013 stitching are:
Stitcher's 12 Days of Christmas by Sue Hillis which was started on 10 11 12 and will be finished on 11 12 13 (although I haven't managed a single stitch on it in December :eek:)
2 Shepherd's Bush stockings - probably Thomas and Charland

I've got lots of other things I would like to stitch but these are top of the list.

I think cushions are a great way to display stitched work - have you decided on a design yet?

brednallI would cut the full skeins into useable lengths (1m is probably too long) depending on whether you use the loop method or use 2 separate strands. I would put these onto a home made thread holder - a piece of card (Christmas cards are great for these but not the glittery ones) with holes punched down one side. Write the thread number and the symbol next to each hole and loop the thread into the hole. If you store the leftover threads on the card you will know what DMC number they are and will find they can be used to stitch charts in magazines etc.

Which Historical Sampler design are you stitching? I love a lot of their designs

gingernutty how frustrating to run out of thread - sewandso have very fast delivery

Louise I love the family rules and can't wait to see your version. I think you should start one of these and work on your UFOs when you feel inspired by them (which will happen). Your quilt square is lovely

firefly lovely stitchy gifts

I think I mentioned that I was given some Xmas cash which I am saving for the sales or until I see something I must have. I was also given a wonderful sewing box which is a gingerbread cottage - I won't attempt to describe but will take a photo when I'm home.

flowerofscotland

blue_eyed_girl wrote: »

Quick question - can you get the number stickers to go on the bobbins for Anchor threads - I seem only able to find DMC ones. Going to have a real sort out/tidy up of threads.

This could be the first of many New Year Resolutions - I wonder how long it will last

b_e_g

I've never seen any but you could download a list of thread numbers and print them onto a sheet of sticky labels?

blue_eyed_girl

fos - good idea re printing numbers onto stickers - I just hadn't thought of that. Will have another look at Jane Greenoffs cd when my head is a bit clearer and if I still cannot work it out I will definitely try contact them. Thank you so much.

sweetcarer - so sorry you are feeling down. It must be a really difficult time for you both. Our ds has just found temp work after vitually 12 mths of unemployment. It's not just the financial strain but it also brings with it health issues which make looking for work even more difficult. Hope you both get a change of luck in 2013.

Louise - love family rules. Looking forward to seeing them completed - later this week??? :D

Going to tidy up for 30 mins (:D) then I think I will settle down with a nice cup of posh coffee and maybe a nice posh biscuit - makes a change from rich tea fingers.

b_e_g

Ruth_honey

Hi everyone!

I've been popping in briefly to read the posts over the past few days, but this is the first time I've been able to properly catch up and reply.

Like FOS said in her post, you might want to make a cuppa & grab a snack before you start reading. It's a long one, I'm afraid!

I hope you all had a lovely christmas and weren't too stressed out with the build up. I did have my moments, but then I thought my visitors are coming to see me. They're not going to care too much if the house isn't immaculate. They'll have somewhere to sit, an air bed to sleep on and there's enough loo roll!:D LOL! And it was all fine. My cousin & her boyfriend arrived on Christmas day around 7pm & we exchanged presents, played board games, listened to christmas music, ate yet more food & drank mulled wine. The next day we watched some christmas TV, had some nibbles and they left about 3:30pm. Hubby, Blossom & I went to bed and crashed out for a while, then in the evening my mum & her boyfriend came round. Exchanged more presents, ate more food (how many mince pies have I eaten this week???) and had a catch up. :beer:

I had lots of lovely presents. DH bought me a Kindle, we had quite a few christmas DVDs from people, a slow cooker (thanks mum!), 2 very pretty tops, some chocs, lots of socks for some reason (!!!), a watch, some jewellery, books and Red Dwarf X on DVD and Blu Ray. No cross stitch whatsoever, though. Oh, no...WAIT! I'm mistaken. I DID have a cross stitch chart from Blossom. It's the Pixel chart from Labyrinth. I found it on Esty & mentioned it to DH and he must've ordered it on Blossom's behalf. To go with the Blu Ray of the film that he bought for me. LOVE that film. :T

Flat Eric-Oooh, that Snowcake soap is lovely. It was nice working in Lush. It was just the new boss that I didn't like. She was 19 & it was her first ever job (who employs someone as MANAGER that had never worked before???:eek:) and she hadn't got a clue. She was such an idiot & I ended up walking out in the end. Long story...
But I always smelt nice when I came home and the staff discount was generous. EVERYTHING got covered in glitter, though! Even my motorbike was covered in glitter for ages afterwards. :rotfl:
Did your sister manage to get home for Christmas? I was worried that my cousin might get stuck. She now lives in Plymouth & was going to Gloucester before heading this way to London. She was driving up, and although the roads were affected, I think the trains got the most disruption. I feel so bad for anyone who couldn't get home for Christmas. I know they were saying don't travel unless it's essential, but Christmas IS essential! Most people only get a few days off to see their family & to have that cancelled is so disappointing.

The quilt squares are a lovely idea, but I just won't have the time to stitch any. However if anyone needs any fabric or threads for it, let me know and I'll send some to you.

Brednall-Your pictures are all wonderful.Did your Mum like Jemima? The circular mount sets her off perfectly. The coasters are sweet, too. I hope they were noticed & appreciated!

Maria-The angel wings look amazing. Where was the chart from? It's just detailed enough to look striking, without being too fussy. Nice work!

nmm-Update is looking great. Can you please remind me what the finished design looks like? So many designs get posted on here that I forget sometimes. Thanks.

Flowersofscotland-Your christmas message was lovely & I agree totally. I love this group and the wonderful people that share it.

Mags_cat-I can just picture your Mum opening her gift, then straight away going to get a hammer and hook to hang it up on the wall before you eat your christmas lunch! LOL! They look great!

bossymoo-That's a great design. Wish I lived in a house like that! Maria has given very good tips for stitching it. There's nothing I can think of to add. Just keep us updated with photos, please.

Louise-What stand up DVDs did you get? I still want the new Michael McIntyre one and Sarah Millican. I know they ALWAYS get reduced after christmas, though. I was saving some Amazon vouchers for one, but then Brave on Blu Ray was in the Lightning Deals, so we ended up spending them on that as we'd both like to watch it. Are you enjoying your Kindle Fire?
Love the quilt sqaure you've stitched. Is there a reason the names are different colours? Just curious...

Sweetcarer-Sending you hugs. Christmas can be a very depressing time for some people and when you're feeling low, it's hard to drag yourself up. I think stitching will help. I know that stitching the quilt squares must be very emotional, but think of how touched the families and friends will be that a total stranger has taken the time to do something so special for them. It's a wonderful thing to do for them. Please come on here and post when you need to. It's good to get it out, even if there's nothing we can do to help. We're all your friends and don't you forget it!

A stitch-a-long for the map would be a nice idea. I'm in no rush to start it, although I've got the fabric & threads (oooh, maybe not the gold, actually. I'll need to check), so when you're ready, let me know. We can kick each other up the you-know-what to get it finished.

Right, I'm caught up and think it's time for some lunch now.
Hope you're all having a nice afternoon.

Mags_cat

Ruth_honey wrote: »

Mags_cat-I can just picture your Mum opening her gift, then straight away going to get a hammer and hook to hang it up on the wall before you eat your christmas lunch! LOL! They look great!

There was already a (rectangular and very very old) winter cross stitch hanging up, so it was just a case of swapping them over - but yes, she would have done!

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments about the series - I'm pleased with how they look.

Ruth_honey wrote: »

Louise-
Love the quilt sqaure you've stitched. Is there a reason the names are different colours? Just curious...

Pink for the little girls, blue for the little boys and the purple-y colour for the teachers was how I saw it. Everyone is right - it is lovely and I'm sure it will enhance the final quilt. :T

nmm

firefly369 wrote: »

Nmm - I have completely forgotten what the finished piece looks like but you are making great progress. Thanks for the update.

Ruth_honey wrote: »

nmm-Update is looking great. Can you please remind me what the finished design looks like? So many designs get posted on here that I forget sometimes. Thanks.

Thanks guys and of course i can post it again, i love looking at BD

Ruth_honey

Mags_cat wrote: »

There was already a (rectangular and very very old) winter cross stitch hanging up, so it was just a case of swapping them over - but yes, she would have done!

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments about the series - I'm pleased with how they look.



Pink for the little girls, blue for the little boys and the purple-y colour for the teachers was how I saw it. Everyone is right - it is lovely and I'm sure it will enhance the final quilt. :T

Ah, that makes sense. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't actually seen a detailed news report about the shootings, so I don't know how many girls/boys/teachers died. I hate that this kind of thing is happening in the world.

Nmm-Ooooh, how gorgeous! He's just incredible. Hurry up & finish!

*Louise*

Ruth_honey wrote: »

Louise-What stand up DVDs did you get? I still want the new Michael McIntyre one and Sarah Millican. I know they ALWAYS get reduced after christmas, though. I was saving some Amazon vouchers for one, but then Brave on Blu Ray was in the Lightning Deals, so we ended up spending them on that as we'd both like to watch it. Are you enjoying your Kindle Fire?
Love the quilt sqaure you've stitched. Is there a reason the names are different colours? Just curious...

Sarah Millican (watched last night, hilarious!) Kevin Bridges, Michael McIntyre, John Bishop and Danny Bhoy

Mags got the name colours spot on, that' s the reasoning behind it

caroline78

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was perfect. Although Santa brought far too much for Jaxon. I had wanted to get my tree down yesterday but there is still about 25 presents under it that haven't been opened yet. Any every toy he got makes a noise, some randomly in the middle of the night....lol

I have signed up for the quilt too, found a lovely star design that looks nice and bright, so checking now to find some aida on offer...xx

nmm

**Off Topic** Caroline just noticed your signature, good luck with all your goals. For the driving test, i recommend the driving test success dvd, my OH would go on it several times a day, he passed his theory 1st time and his practical on the 2nd attempt (car broke down on 1st one :rotfl:) He only took about 6 weeks of lessons too, he had several 2 hour lessons and a great teacher Lots of luck.