Bee pincushion

The weather is finally getting better here in Finland. It isn't all that dark and gloomy anymore and most of the days the sun is shining, though it is still cold and we have a lot of snow.

I have been stitching a lot this month and a really wish I could show you some of my finished stitching. However, they are all mend for exchanges and gifts. It kind of frustrates me, that I have nothing to show.

But I dug out another project from last year. I finished this bee pincushion just before Christmas, but the light was so bad that I couldn't take any good pictures. Today I remembered that I haven't shown this project yet, so here it is: my bee pincushion.

The pompom ribbon is unraveling a lot and I had quite some trouble with it. By far it doesn't look perfect but it is fine for me. After all, this pincushion is not for decoration, I am using it almost daily and it will wear out eventually anyways.

The bee design is from Tantes Zolder and I stitched it with my own hand-over-dyed thread on 25ct evenweave one over one.

something a little older

It's the second last day of the month and to my shame I have to say, that I did not finish the Biedermeier sampler. I haven't even continued stitching on it.  

It just happened that I got surprisingly involved in a few act-of-kindness-projects. As well there is the Fair & Square exchange and some other small gifts that have to be stitched and finished.

As it usually goes with this kind of projects, I cannot show any pictures until the lucky ladies have received their gifts. And that may take a few more month.

However, I do have one project to show that I stitched sometime during last autumn. 

I stitched this apple sampler for an autumn exchange and was kind of in a hurry to get it all ready. It finished the sampler into the lid of a round black painted box. As it happens so often, it completely slipped my mind to take a picture of the finished box.

I really loved how the box turned out. It was so much my own style. I was very much tempted to keep it myself. I think I will stitch it someday again and finish it just the way I did for the exchange.

progress and two small finishes

I have an update on the Biedermeier sampler. I started stitching the upper border, but then I got really upset with this design and put it away for a few days. It didn't take long until the bad conscience kicked in. After all it is my goal to finish the sampler by the end of January, so I stitched a few crosses here and there every now and then. 

It is not just that the border pattern is a quite difficult one, but I also found no less than four mistakes in the chart. Luckily I have a good picture of the stitched model, as well as a small picture of the original antique Sampler. So with every part I stitched I was comparing with the original and the model. Several stitches were in the wrong spot and some of the colors where also mixed up.

Usually I am not complaining about mistakes in a chart. Designers are only human and mistakes can happen. But this is a reproduction. Shouldn't the chart be double and triple checked? The chart was printed in a magazine that is now almost 20 years old, so I see no need to complain to the publisher. It is just simply annoying.

Because of being so frustrated with the sampler, I decided that I need a few quick finishes to cheer me up again. So for last night's cross stitching marathon I stitched two small freebies.

First one is "BeeKeeper" by The Drawn Thread

I love stitching bees and this is a perfect little design for me.

Next I stitched "Rain" by Prairie Schooler

This one is stitched 2 over 1 on 18ct. evenweave.

I have another small design under my needles right now, but I think tonight I will be ready continuing on the Biedermeier Sampler. There are still two weeks to go, maybe I do get it finished this month.

1827 Biedermeier Sampler

The new year has started and that means, it is Crazy January Challenge again. Rather to start 15 new projects this year, I decided to do the alternative WIP challenge. I picked 12 projects, for each month one. I know, it should have been 15, but my projects are big and I have no bad feelings about skipping three. 

The whole list of projects can be found in the side bar on the right. They are in no particular order. I haven't even decided which project to stitch in which month. I'll just pick them up as I go.

Anyway, during January I am stitching the Biedermeier Sampler. It is a reproduction from a Sampler dated in 1827. I started this one with the Crazy January Challenge last year, but I didn't get more than a few stitches done. 

Now I've been stitching for about a week and almost a third of it is ready. 

I hope to finish the sampler this month, so I can move on to the next one. Though I am a little doubtful to finish all 12 projects this year. But lets see. After all there are 51 more weeks time.

Christmas ornament exchange

This year I participated in a private Christmas ornament exchange with two other stitcher from Finland and I would like to show you the beautiful ornaments I got.

First one is from Virpi. 

Besides the beautiful ornament the package included lots of other goodies. Virpi really spoiled me this year with this amazing Christmas gifts.

The other ornament is from Kaisa.

Kaisa knows that I love primitive designs and she really nailed it with the "I believe in Santa" ornament. The colors are quite bright in the picture but in real life they are beautifully aged.

Now, here are the two ornaments that I stitched.

Virpi mentioned that she likes trees, so I picked this sampler tree by Little House Needleworks. It is stitched 1 over 1 and finished it into a tree shape. 

Kaisa said she likes primitive designs just like me. So I picked one of my favorites from The Primitive Hare. Also stitched 1 over 1 and finished with red lace into a big bauble.

Of course I also included little extra goodies with both ornament, but I missed taking a picture of it. 

Many years ago Sampler SAL

I have been working on one of my SALs and made great progress. The second row of "many years ago" is finished. Now I have only one more row to go and this one will be finished. Though I doubt that I will manage to finish it by the end of this year.

Cow project bag

While browsing files on my computer I came across some pictures of a stitched gift that I made in early October. It was the gift for Outi the hostess of our Autumn stitching meeting. She loves cows, so I just had to stitch something that included cows. 

I stitched the cows on a linen band and then later sewed it into a project bag.

It was my first time sewing a project bag and I had a little trouble adding the ribbon for closure. But in the end I figured it out.