Slow Sunday Stitching

It's time for the weekly hand stitching party!

Everyone is most welcome to join our gang! All you have to do is prepare your favourite beverage, grab your stitching project, and enjoy the relaxation that hand stitching offers. Hopefully we never get out of control like the stitchers in the photo!

But I attended Stitch North in Brampton, Ontario Canada last weekend, and let me tell you, there were some pretty rowdy tables of eager and very funny stitchers!

 And when Cheryl of Tiny Modernist set up her vendor booth, there was a rush of stitchers pressing forward in a purchasing frenzy and wild with excitement. Just look at these amazing Tiny Modernist biscornu pillows. That is the PhD level of 3D construction right there!

I can't adequately describe the energy in the stitching room of over 200+ stitchers, all meeting new people, seeing extraordinarily gorgeous projects, and talking about their love of stitching designers, flosstubers, beads, threads, colours, patterns, and finishing methods. I learned so much from talented hand stitchers from around the world. What a thrill!

I did make a bit of progress on a few little things but also made so many errors requiring unstitching. If you want to see the things I actually worked on, hop over to youtube and watch my Stitch North 2024 video recap.

Look at this beautiful mason jar lid made by Barb my table mate! Isn't that amazing?!? The stitching was sooo tiny! I want to quit my job and make a hundred of them! No wait... how would I pay for the supplies?? 

I guess I should keep my job so I can pay for the VISA bill for all my new projects. Total swoon! Some new gorgeous Roxy floss and speculaas linen to stitch on, and a pattern gifted to me by table mate Danielle.

Look at this photo...

I met Caroline of Evertote and Kerri of Roxy Floss, and was a total speechless dork! Luckily they helped me chose supplies while I answered "I don't know" to every question they asked! LOL

So this weekend I am hanging out with some quilting friends and hope to finish 3 quilts and 1 quilt top. What are you doing this weekend? What are your hand stitching projects?

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Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday, which means it is time to slow down and do some hand stitching. It has been such a whirlwind week that I still haven't even had time to visit all the hand stitching links from last week.

Today I am stitching in Brampton, Ontario at Stitch North! It's the last day of my first cross stitch retreat and it has been a wee bit overwhelming! I made a youtube video of some recent finishes and the projects I brought to Stitch North that I intended to work on. But I didn't actually. I have spent a lot of time visiting and shopping the vendors mall!

However, this past week I did finish this lovely Modern Folk Embroidery project (stitched 1 strand of thread over 1) using a variegated DMC floss on 25 count Lugana. I love this chart (and it's free - click here to get it) and put aside all my other projects to finish it. I just couldn't put it down until it was finished. In my video you can see I put it in a frame that I thought I would like, but it's much too dark. I will think of another finishing option for this special design. Thank you to designer Jacob for sharing this lovely chart with us!

In preparation for this wonderful retreat, I purchased a bunch of DMC floss (which I haven't yet touched) and thought it looked like a pretty bouquet of colours! I have learned so much about hand stitching this weekend, and I am in awe of the creativity and beauty that I have witnessed. But sadly... I didn't stitch what I brought to work on!

Apparently I have purchased a lot of new items and projects! Here is a new project called Gathering Acorns that my table mate Danielle gave me the chart for. Then I bought the 32 count Speculaas fabric and 7 Roxy hand dyed threads I purchased for it... OMG all of it is so gorgeous! I may or may not stitch on it today... stay tuned.

So what are you stitching today? Please link up your blog post below and share your progress with us!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party!  Take a few moments to set aside your machines, your devices and screens, and just take a deep breath... ahhh... so much better. Now pick up your needles and fibres, and put a few stitches into your project. You will feel better in no time!

I have a finish to share today, which is always very exciting! This is the "Life In Full Bloom" mystery from the Fat Quarter Shop. The mystery started May 2023 and is stitched 2 over 2 on 28 count Lugana. The design measures 6.5" square and it is in a Wood Side frame (which interestingly sometimes looks blue and sometimes looks green).

This is the first time that I framed a cross stitch piece myself and I was pleased with how it turned out. Next time I will use a thinner foam core board which will allow me to put a piece of thin batting behind the stitchery. I didn't put the glass in - do you think I will regret that choice?

This was such a fun project for me. It was my first mystery cross stitch, and although I was not able to keep up with the steps as they were posted, I enjoyed learning about what I enjoy to stitch (flowers!) and what I do not enjoy (large blocks of same colour thread to fill it!)

 

Progress continues on my version of Modern Folk Embroidery's "Light a Single Candle". I am stitching it 1 strand over 1 square with a variegated floss on 25 count Lugana, which is very tiny and delicate.  It is hard on my eyes, and I use my cheater glasses, and my magnifier, but I LOVE it so much! 

I am very excited to be attending Stitch North next weekend in Markham, Ontario. Is anyone else out there in blog land attending this event? It promises to be a hand stitching extravaganza and I can't wait for all of the inspiration that awaits! 

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly celebration of the art of slowly stitching by hand! We encourage you to slow down, breathe deeply, take a few stitches, and enjoy seeing the slowly created projects of hand stitching gurus from around the world. 

I came across a lovely quote this week: 

"Focus is how you knit the hours of the day together. With focus, the day becomes a beautiful tapestry. Without focus, you end up holding a bundle of loose string." (James Clear)

My days have been bundles of loose string lately due to caretaking responsibilities. It is my privilege to be in this role, and I do it without regret, however it does sometimes become overwhelming when demands exceed capacity.

I was so happy to finish a cross stitch project for my Mom's birthday gift. The pdf pattern was purchased on an Etsy shop and was easy to follow. (You can watch the designer Sarah's flosstube video here). I used DMC variegated thread 4240 and it is stitched on 32 count Belfast linen.

I finished it into a pillow filled with poly pellets. It has a nice weight to it and I really like it. 

I recently joined a book club with a flosstuber named Katie (whose channel is The Novel Stitcher). She picked a book for everyone to read, which is called "A Single Thread" by Jennifer Chevalier. And when we start the book, we start a new stitching project of our own chosing. I am starting the Modern Folk Embroidery's free design called "Light a Single Candle". I am stitching it 1 strand over 1 square with a variegated floss on 25 count Lugana.

It is so sweet and so tiny, and also very challenging. The top border is stitched and it is just over 3" wide! I am also really enjoying reading the book and stitching the design I have chosen to work on while I read. Obviously I'm not doing the reading and stitching at the same time! LOL 

I feel very connected to Violet who is the main character of the book - she is learning to embroider on Cathedral kneelers in 1932. She did a lot of ripping out of stitches, and so am I! If you would like to learn more about the "stitches and pages" book club, click here. Feel free to join us!

What are you hand stitching this week? Please link up your blog post below and share your projects with us - we love to see your slow progress!

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