BFF SAL 11 - Happy New Year

Here we are at the start of a new year.  The Christmas period was hard for us, we had a sudden bereavement in the family when my father in law passed away unexpectedly.   So the blog and the stitches largely took a back seat for a while, although my BFF and I still did a Skype night last week just to have some time with each other.

But I've missed the SAL,  and with the help of my local library we were able to access back copies of Cross Stitcher magazine to find a pattern we both liked by a designer we both like.  There are variations,  so we remain on our theme of The Same But Different.   And typically,  particularly in my BFFs case, there will be variations on the variations.   But that is her tale to tell when she wants to.

So for now, here's my start on my own.  I'm working on 18 count for only the second time (feel like I hardly count the Tree of life as it still looks so huge in comparison to my BFFs over one..)

Enjoying this one, and eagerly planning our way through and beyond it.

Catch my BFFs update here

Advent Calendar Blog Hop

Welcome to Day 5 of the Advent Calendat blog Hop. Hosted by Jo at http://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com, we need to share a winter or Christmas stitch, and answer the question... What's For Afters?

This one is a previous SAL piece for both me and my BFF. I have yet to figure out how to mount it.  

But I do still rather like it, and it will form part of my decorating this year, along with two plastic canvas finishes. 

So - what's for Afters?

Here, I have many memories of childhood,  where 'afters' was a first a sherry Trifle for pudding,  served immediately after Xmas dinner, and then a whole other buffet of both sweet and savoury offerings at the early evening,  shared with my maternal grandparents.

These days, as a family,  our Xmas meal is at the evening slot, so we occasionally actually go for 'Pudding for Dinner', also known as 'Eating dessert first'.  The content of this varies, but is often a Baileys flavoured special dessert from a local supermarket, or sweet mince pies with Baileys double cream.

It's varied though, some years we're too full of breakfast or chocolate to bother with dessert.

Merry Christmas to you all, Blogpeeps!

BFF RAL- a partial finish (ish)...?

There are stages of 'finishing ' in this craft world of ours aren't there?

Tonight a Xmas project reached Stage 1 Finish .. ie all cross stitch done (the Eagle eyed among you will note that means with the exception of the eyes... I don't like being Watched by my stitches whilst I'm backstitching, so I tend to leave the eyes to the latest possible point!).

Stage 2 will be backstitch complete,  and finally Stage 3 frame chosen and item framed.  But that is yet to come for this fella.

Check out my BFFs progress here

BFF SAL 10 - FFO Reindeer

Yassssss!!  Finally completed.  Have to admit I was nervous around the cutting edges, but it went OK.

Have opted to make sure he's displayed face on, as I had zero energy left to think up creative solutions for hiding the back of his antlers- but let's be honest nobody looks at reindeer butts anyway,  do they?

And flash photography doesn't do the thread any favours, it's not as see-through as the images suggest.

Check out my BFFs update here

BFF SAL 10 - deer oh deer

Well, the cross stitch and backstitch part is finished.  All that remains is assembly.  And there I paused for the night, for fear that I accidentally remove feet or antlers.   I know that I don't really want to follow the process for cutting around the antlers,  but I suspect I may have no other choice. Going to practice with some paper first I think.  So here he is, awaiting my next steps.

Check out my BFFs update here

BFF SAL 10... halfway to somewhere ??

.. not paradise.  Loving the fact that am nearly done with my reindeer,  but liking him less as it goes along somehow, maybe that will change once the backstitch is completed?  Still has a dog in a reindeer costume look about him somehow!

Check out my BFFs update here

Sooooo close... BFF SAL 10

Oh, so close to completion of the cross stitch part now for me. I make it 35 stitches to go in the second antler (although my menopausal brain keeps helpfully supplying the word Horns instead...much hilarity ensued in trying to correct it and only making things worse)

My BFF thinks he looks like the dog from the Grinch dressed up as a reindeer.   I hope that wears off!!

Check out my BFFs update here