Peppermint Purple (Green) - weeks 32 & 33

I completed 2 more blocks for the blackwork SAL.  I’m 2 weeks behind as of today.

SYOA - Chapter 2 - snitch - revised

I wasn’t happy with the snitch so I frogged it and re-stitched it.  This is the free pattern by Little Mojo.  I stitched it with the charted DMC colours.

I’m so happy I re-stitched it.  Now it feels like the chapter is complete.

Photo below shows my original snitch, same pattern but stitched with metallics and over 1 using tent stitch.  I wasn’t happy because it was too small to show all of the detail like the rest of the items in this chapter.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - Happy Dance!!

 Last night I finally finished Chapter 4. Next Chapter will be released on Tuesday, September 1, so I have a few days to catchup on the Peppermint Purple SAL and maybe do some extra stuff at the top on this project.

More birthday cards

 I forgot to show these 2 cards I made for family birthdays in August.

The first one (August 16) for my brother-in-law (Dave's sister Diane's husband Greg) who loves to fish.  I created a fishing vest.  I looked at images on line and then made my own.  I used several die cut shapes to make all of the items ... 

• "S" for worms
• "J" for fish hooks
• circles cut in half for bobbins, then add 2 smaller circles to top and bottom to match each end
• 2 long stems glued together to make a fishing rod
• added a string of Christmas lights for the hooks on fishing rod
• glued white sewing thread to look like the fishing line goes through the hooks.

Fishing Vest card closed

Inside the card I used a goldfish stamp & die set.  I thought it was funny because he would never go fishing for goldfish.

Outside cover.

The second one (August 24) for my sister-in-law (Dave's brother Bob's wife Olivette) who loves the beach and cruises to warm locations. 

This one was fun because I got to colour with pencil crayons.  I printed 2 different beach colouring pages on white card stock.  I coloured the main scene, then added the palm tree, ship and sun from the other page that I coloured.  I framed the beach scene with seashell paper left over from my sister's mermaid card.  Found a fun Happy Birthday to colour, then framed around with green cardstock which was also used inside the card. 

Sunday, October 25 is Mother-in-law day.  I need to make a card for Dave's mom.

I usually make about 20 different Christmas cards each year.  I like to have choices when I mail them out.  

I also have one more birthday card to make at the end of the year.  My close friend Lisa turns 60 on December 30th.  

I also will need 3 birthday cards in the beginning of January (3, 10 and 19), so I need to get them done early.  I won't feel like making more cards after I do so many for Christmas.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - sweets - update #4

I finished all of the backstitching on the Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans and started stitching the table end/edge. I chose a beige a little darker than the fabric so it stands out as a shadow for the edge, but not too much that I have to stitch all of the table.  This way I hope the fabric looks like the table itself.

In case you were wondering how the chapter looks with all of the other ones, here is a photo of the whole project so far.

The only thing I’m not happy with on the whole project is the golden snitch. I stitched it in metallic floss over 1 thread to make it smaller, but I find it doesn’t stand out like everything else. I have decided when I have time I will frog it and restitch it over 2 threads. Not sure if I will use the metallic floss or not.  Other than that I love how the whole project looks all together.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - sweets - update #3

I have completed stitching all of the Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans.  I still need to back stitch around 4 beans and then stitch the end/edge of the table top to give it some perspective.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - sweets - update #2

Last night I started stitching the Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans.  I’m not using the original chart from Stewart.  My son Jaspar and I don’t think they look realistic enough.  I was going to create some myself, but managed to find a pattern online that works.  They do look a lot bigger than the original ones, but at least these are more round/oval shaped.  They also use 3 different shades of colour (light, medium and dark) to give it some shape and 3D look.  I have chosen about 10 colours (x 3 for the different shades) to stitch the beans.  I want them to standout a bit from the other items in the chapter, so I chose greens that were not the same as the peppermint toad.  Tonight I will stitch some more beans.

 

Peppermint Purple (Green) - weeks 30 & 31

I decided to take a break from the Harry Potter SAL and work on the Peppermint Purple SAL.

Week 30

Week 31

SYOA - Chapter 4 - background - update #5

Last night, I completed the brick wall and all of the backstitching of the bottles, glasses and sweets.  Next I will start working on the Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - background - update #4

I finished re-stitching the left parchment edges.  I will continue with the bricks in the background.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - background - update #3

I have filled in half of the bricks for the background. I’m backstitching around the bricks, window and drinks as I go.  Tonight I will re-stitch the left side of the parchment that I had to pull out because it was wrong.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - background- update #2

I think the frog has finally left, the window is now done.  Thanks Thanks I have to complete the dark outline of the bricks and then started filling in the bricks.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - background - update #1

I’m not sure how many times I will need to pull out threads in the brick wall.  I have started the window, but now i have missed up the diagonal mullions inside the window frame. I was supposed to leave a space in between each diagonal row instead of crossing over each row because it ends up looking like a regular cross stitch “x” instead of lines meeting at each intersection when backstitching.  I guess I need to focus more when watching TV.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - backstitching - update #2

I stitched quite a bit last night. All of the backstitching is complete on the bottom half under the brick wall. Now that I see the photo this morning I realize that I need to do some frogging on the brick wall because I need to add the window beside the the cherry syrup glass and Butterbeer bottle.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - backstitching - update #1

I started backstitching around the outside of the bottom items whiskey glass, chocolate frog, Butterbeer bottle & glass, and cherry syrup bottle & glass. I need to complete the backstitch on the bottles and glasses until I finish the bricks and window in the background. I will wait to do the Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans after everything else is completed. Then I can decide what colours I need to balance out the project. I might use some colours from the other 3 chapters and top portion.  So many people hate to backstitch, (I don’t mind it)but you have to admit it brings out so much more details and makes the items pop on the fabric.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - sweets - update # 1

A few days ago I started stitching the chocolate frog. This is how much I got done in one evening, but haven’t had time to finish it. Hopefully tonight I will be able to stitch. I love how the colours work beside each other in these 3 chapters.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #16

I completed the Butterbeer glass and started working on the brick wall in the background.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #15

The Butterbeer glass is  about 99% done.  I have a few stitches missing in the foam floating on top and on the base of the glass.  Then of course the backstitching the liquid inside the glass.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update # 14

Yesterday, I started stitching the Butterbeer glass.  I’m about half way finished.  I love how this looks with all of the other items.  Every bottle and glass are all so different.  I hope to have this chapter done by the end of August, so I can start the next chapter on time.  I think I have time, but I will need to stitch a little bit each day.  I still have the chocolate frog and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans to stitch and plus I have the background (brick wall and window) to do before it is complete. 

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #13

I just finished backstitching the word Butterbeer on the label. I tried it in a yellow as charted, but it was not clear enough. I even tried 2 strands of floss.  Then decided to use 1 strand of black and I’m happy with it.

Here is the label up close.

Here is the whole bottle.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #12

I’m almost finished with all of the cross stitching on the Butterbeer bottle.  I have 1 or 2 more rows to stitch at the bottom of the bottle, then backstitching on the inside of the bottle and label.  Now that I have stitched the Butterbeer green label, peppermint toad and cherry stem all in dark greens I’m thinking I might frog the umbrella and use the same colour greens on that to balance out that side.  The umbrella is looking all washed out with the lighter greens.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #11

Today I continued stitching on the Butterbeer bottle.

SYOA - Chapter 4 - drinks - update #10

I completed the whiskey glass and started the Butterbeer bottle.