Translate

Sunday 15 July 2012

Theme-a-licious July Update, Yet another set of 11 things and a Secret SurpriseGiveaway!


July's theme is Jolly July - It's a jolly holiday with your WIPs...you can concentrate on Christmas designs, ornaments, or even pick a different holiday to render in stitchy goodness.


Yana asked me recently how Jolly July was going, up until that point - not at all!!  I'd been focusing on my Baby Birth Samplers.  So I grabbed the Just Cross Stitch ornie preview issue and chose the Blue Ribbon Woodsy Winter for my Theme-a-licous project.  Here's the progress so far:




This is a nice quick and easy stitch, only a few fractionals in the cardinals.  I've nearly stitched the border then it's just some snow to do.  I'm planning to stitch the matching ornie from last year's Christmas Special and frame them together.  It's stitched on 32count linen in twilight blue rather than the tan colour.  I bought a FQ of this linen for various small projects, it's very stiff but that makes it easier to stitch a small.  I think it would be annoying for anything bigger than I'd have to roll up and crease it (I always stitch in hand).

The 11 Questions are still rolling around Blogland and here's my latest tagging by Evalina from This and That
  1. What projects do you like to stitch - big or small?  A real mixture, I always have one of each on the go.  Small for daytime, big for evening.
  2. What is your favourite fabric? - 32count Murano for most projects.  I do prefer evenweave to linen as a rule.
  3. How many cross stitching books do you have? - Lots!  More than 20 anyway.  I keep them in the kitchen as I can browse them while I'm "cooking"
  4. What is your favourite cross stitching magazine?  The now no-longer with us Gift of Stitching.  I haven't read all the back issues I treated myself too, I save one per month so I can pretend it's still going!!
  5. What time of the day do you do most of the stitching?  Weekends and evenings.
  6. Does your significant other supports your stitching hobby?  Financially or emotionally? LOL.  Now I working I can buy my own supplies again.  Hubby can't understand why I can't make money out of selling the finished pieces as he sees them as works of art.  The Large Boy is always interested in what I'm stitching too.
  7. Do you collect stash or just buying supplies for the current project?  Collect stash!
  8. What is your favourite drink after five?  I'm teetotal (does that surprise you?) so it'll have to be a nice cup of coffee!
  9. Do you listen to music, audio books or TV while stitching or just to the sounds of nature?  At the moment I prefer silence, partly because the Small Boy still isn't sleeping perfectly so I like to be able to hear him if he wakes.  Otherwise it's either an audiobook or Kerrang Music Channel.
  10. Do you have any live plants in your home?  Love this question as I have at least three dead ones!!  I have some very leggy cyclamen on my kitchen windowstill, they're still alive.
  11. What do you like to read? (Adventure, romance, mystery, non-fiction etc.) Books or magazines?  Fantasy and Sci-fi.  I'm reading alot of YA (Young Adult) at the moment for work.  As I mentioned in a previous post I get some advance copies of forthcoming releases which is a huge bonus!  I've just read John Boyne's new one "The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket" a nice story about a floating boy.  I've also started reading Eragon out loud to the Large Boy at bedtime, 2 chapters a night, it's going to last us most of the year as there are four books in the series.

And the Secret Surprise Giveaway?  I've been keeping an eye on my comments as they crept towards the 2000 mark.  This weekend Anne from Doll's Musings left 2 comments, they were numbers 2000 and 2001 so she is my Secret Surprise Winner!  Not sure what she's won yet but I'll let you know when she gets it.  Don't hold your breath anyone, Christine is still awaiting her Easter Prize!

Finally - the finished Noah's Ark by JBW.  A lovely gift from the lovely (and generous) Kaye of Kitten Stitching, totally unsolicited she sent me the chart when I admired it on her blog, along with the fabric and thread.  As baby was already here I had no excuse not to start immediately!



I love this design with all the cute little animals.  I think the little elephants are my favourites.  It is stitched on 28count flaxseed linen 1 over 1.

17 comments:

Julie said...

I love this design, I can see you using the chart again and again for future babies.

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Wonderful birth sampler - I love the red and all the animals, too!

Yana Hanim said...

Jo, you said 'I've not stitched anything even vaguely holiday themed and only have three days to the mid-month check-in.' but you are the first to check in! congrats :) I will post mine tomorrow :)

Vickie said...

Noah's Ark is a very unique baby sampler, which makes it great!

Kathy Ellen said...

When the summer weather is so hot, it is lovely to think of Christmas.....great start on your BRD ornament. Noah's ark is really special and will be a very special newborn heirloom piece.

Anonymous said...

dead plants and snail giftaways.. I feel less guilty now somehow.. :D
my Jolly July is going awfully bad, need to do something about this..!
happy xxx!

Ziggyeor said...

cute sampler. I have not done any jolly July I was working to get love quilts squares finished!

Kaisievic said...

Love your Jolly July start and the sampler has come up beautifully.

hugs, Kaye

Christine said...

That little woodland ornament design is lovely.
Great finish on the Noah's Ark. I love how the scale on the animals is so "out", are they huge rabbits or teeny little elephants I wonder.
PS do you think we should tell Mr Noah that both his lions are lions and both his chickens are cockerels?

Brigitte said...

I love your little birth sampler. And the ornament is a nice choice for Jolly July.

Dani - tkdchick said...

That ornament from this year's preview issue is going to be lovely!

Congrats on your Noah's Ark finish its adorable, but then JBW's stuff always is!

Giovanna said...

Congrats on the finish, it's really adorable!

Sherrie said...

Hi!
Beautiful Birth Sampler, love the color you used. Have a great day!

Sherrie
Food for Thought
http://100sweets.blogspot.com/2012/07/theme-licious-jolly-july-check-in.html

Anonymous said...

Noah's Ark is very sweet and your ornament is looking great.

geeky Heather said...

Love the ornament and that Noah's Ark is great!!

Oh my, I think a cyclamen is my all-time record for shortest life of a houseplant under my care. The only things I can keep alive indoors are African violets! They thrive on neglect, LOL!

Topcho said...

Aww, love Noah's arc! I think the giraffes are my favs :D And I love this set of 11 answers , № 10 made me lol - we might have live plants at home, but it's sooo not thanks to me! I finally got to answer my question from your tag, I guess better late than never ^^"

cucki said...

Aww dear it is such a cute sampler ..can you please tell me the name if the designer??i love it so much and so do my son. Thank you xxx