Gifted Gorgeousness SAL December 2020 update

Hello Friends,

It's that time of the month(I know I know, its late to say that) when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

Not much stitching happening these days, that's the reason I'm not posting here. Wonder if anybody even noticed my absence?

Clare sent me photograph of the fully finished flower I stitched for her Church Christmas tree . How very kind of her to remember to send pics to the contributors!

She finished it beautifully in a flat fold ornament, you can read about her tree here.

Another gift which was stitched in 2018 but was used now is this ornament I gifted to my penpal for her birthday today.

This was a cover kit from The World of Cross Stitching Magazine and was received in an exchange with Kerry, who no longer blogs.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL October 2020 update

 Hello Friends,

It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

I have a small gift to show you this month . I was finally able to stitch and send a flower for Clare's flower bouqet. Second week of March I found Clare's post where she asked "Could you help me make a bouquet?". I emailed her about the requirements and address. 

And then the pandemic started. Mail service was shut down from March to July. When mail service resumed in August, I sent  a test mail to UK to see if things were working. Thankfully the mail reached and I started stitching flower for Clare's bouqet.

Magnolia

Designer -Amanda Gregory

Pattern from Ultimate CrossStitch Flowers, 2016

I'm glad to report the Clare received the flower .This is Amanda Gregory's pattern taken from Ultimate CrossStitch Flowers, 2016. The magazine was a free gift for I-phone users.

Cross stitching has taken a back seat and I have been participating in snail mail and postcard swaps.

Not cross stitch related but I though I will share with you guys anyways.

In July, I participated in Junk Mail swap. The idea was to use stuff we have in our stash and not buy anything new.

I made a coaster from an old T-shirt , upcycled some packing materials to make postcards and envelopes.I also made these Yo Yos from extra fabric I had from a dress.

In September I participated in Rain postcard swap. I didn't have any printed postcard for the theme, so I decided to draw some.

October was Mini Autumn swap, again I didn't have any printed postcard for the theme, so I decided to draw some. The requirement of the swap was to write a letter, include a bookmark or tag . Thankfully I had a perfect bookmark , which I made in May, for the theme.

Happy to report all the swap packages were well received. I had so much fun making these packages , it pushed me to try my hands at doodling , not to mention take a good look at my stationary stash.

The pandemic situation hasn't improved in my city , however things are opening up for business now.

Hope you guys are safe .

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL September 2020 update

Hello Friends,

It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

After a month of no cross stitching, here I am presenting a small gift I made for my mother's birthday which is today.

Pattern name :All My Love
Designer : Lesley Teare
Pattern source: Cross Stitch Crazy Magazine, Mar 2016

My mom visited us in January and liked the basket of cross stitch ornaments I had on display. Since then , she has expressed her desire to make some for herself but she didn't have the supplies. So I thought what better idea gift than something she wanted to make herself.

She liked the gift and hinted that she would like some more. That should give me some more entries for GG posts .😀 

As its her birthday today, I would like to share something about my mother. My mom married at an early age of 21, moved to live in a state the language of which she didn't speak. She learned the language, changed her dressing style ,learned the cuisine of the new state along with other challenges of married life . For those unaware, language , cuisine and attire changes across every state of India.

My mother has been the main force behind my brother's and my education and career. She wanted us to do best in our fields even if it meant defying the norms for young girls specially.

Every craft I know has been taught by mother. She knows knitting, macrame, crochet, cross stitch, Indian embroidery, sewing to name a few.

She is an amazing cook and loves to feed people. Even with limited income of my father, she helps needy now and then with food and paying the school fees.

She is protective of family, is always there to support them thru tough times. She  encourages me to pursue hobbies when I get busy with job and life.

She inspires me to be a better person everyday.I know she won't read this, but I felt like sharing it with you ladies.

Also, a very happy birthday to our wonderful GG SAL host Jo, who amazes me the amount of stitching she gets done with work and family, hosting SALs and blog hops.

Wishing you a great stitchy year ahead Jo.

Hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy.

Let the People Choose-September Update

Hello Friends,

First Saturday of the month I join Jo for The People's Choice SAL . Jo takes a poll for people to choose a topic for the month and the participants then post about stitchy projects related to that topic.

This month's topic is Geometric.I love Geometric patterns, though I actually don't stitch as many as I would like.

The project I'm most proud of , under this theme is this Fractal I stitched back in 2014. I was a beginner then, still I didn't get intimidated by the number of colors (90) in it.

This was a freebie from Cross Stitch Collectibles.

Another geometric project I stitched pre-blogging days as a beginner is this freebie from About.com.

The geometric shape I love most is Heart. I have stitched a few small ones ,you must have seen them before many times on my blog.

Hope you like what I have shared here.

Let the People Choose-August Update

Hello Friends,
First Saturday of the month I join Jo for The People's Choice SAL . Jo takes a poll for people to choose a topic for the month and the participants then post about stitchy projects related to that topic.

This month's topic is Freedom.I have to be honest that I had no clue which project I can show for this topic , so I waited for Jo and other's interpretation.I was very tempted to copy Jo and Rachel's interpretation. 

Over the years I have seen tons of designs related to American Independence and patriotism but there aren't many related to other countries specifically India. So I decided to stitch something related to Indian independence as August is Independence Month for us Indians.

A stitched a small Indian flag and made into a fridge magnet . I think I'm very happy with result.Yesterday, my beautiful country completed 73 years of Independence.

This certainly has inspired me to stitch or look for more designs which show Indian culture .

Will keep this a short post, however I must ask how you are dealing with the new look of blogger. I have logged into blogger after a month and was surprised the new layout.Looks like I need some training to handle this new format.

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL July 2020 update

Hello Friends,
A very late post for the SAL due to absence of stitching Mojo.

It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

Like my post, my gift is a late baby gift/sampler for my best friend's daughter who just turned 3.

Sweetet Feet
Maria Diaz
CrossStitcher Magazine, Issued 209

I didn't want to stitch a traditional birth sampler , so I selected this Maria Diaz design and added name and date to it.
This is my first time stitching something depicting human body part ..it was interesting to see how different shades grew into a shape.
I haven't been stitching at all this month, though I have spent some time on my other hobby of snailmailing. I have started another gift for a baby..actually a kid now, hope to show the finished project in next GG post.
That's it from my side..Happy stitching and stay safe.

Let the People Choose-July Update

Hello Friends,
First Saturday of the month I join Jo for The People's Choice SAL . Jo takes a poll for people to choose a topic for the month and the participants then post about stitchy projects related to that topic.

This month's topic is The Designer You Have Stitched the Most. Its good that Jo changed the topic from Most favourite or most popular to this, because I don't have a favourite designer.

Most of my stitching projects are gift , so I try to search designs which suit recipients likes rather than designer. 
Yesterday I sat and made an excel sheet to record how many projects I have stitched of each designer. I have completed 68 projects since 2014 and two designers tie at 5 projects each.
The winners are Durene Jones and Lesley Teare. Both these designers are major contributors to patterns in British cross stitch magazines and I mainly source my projects from there.

Durene Jones patterns, all stitched in 2019

Lesley Teare's patterns I have stitched

I have even received a Lesley Teare pattern stitched in an exchange.

I love stitching cover kits  and most of them don't mention the designer.Another designer who has most simplest patterns is Helen Phillips.

Helen Phillips's patterns I have stitched

Have you stitched patterns from any of these designers? Do you select projects based on designer or theme?
It would be interesting to see how many new to me designers I find once I go blog hopping for this SAL.

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL June 2020 update

Hello Friends,
It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

For the month of May, I made good progress on my oldest WIP and decided to start a new project on the first day of the month.Here it is ,after 5 days of progress.

Can you guess what it is?
Saturday, 13th June was World Wide Knitting in Public day. If you have been following me for few years, you will know how this day is special to me.Since 2015, when I first found about this event, I have been either organising or participating in the event for the craft group I am part of. This year there was no way knitters were going to meet in public, so the craft group I'm part of decided to meet online. Another online meet up was organised by a Indian yarn manufacturing company. I participated in both and had fun.
I decided to stitch the following pattern to mark the day. I'm not much of knitter so this will be sent to one of my knitter friends when the postal service resumes.

Pattern by Daily Cross Stitch

I have used threads given by my pen pal and my mom, the backing paper is from my pen pal ,so this qualifies for the SAL. Originally my idea was to finish it as an ornament, however I changed my mind last minute and thought of trying something new.
My English speaking friends, what is the proper word for this type of finish?
That's it for the gifts I made.
Now some chit chat..for the first two weeks of the month I was feeling lonely and anxious. There is no improvement in the pandemic situation here and the number of cases are increasing exponentially. The lockdown was relaxed on 8th and it looks like it was a grave mistake to do so. We (Husband and I) haven't stepped out of the house in months and that's the only way I see to keep us safe.
What makes me anxious is not knowing when things will improve? When will I be able to travel? When will I be able to see my parents?
There is a shortage of supplies here and that causes some irritation. I'm not able to pursue my hobby of snail mailing - I miss writing and receiving letters.
The pandemic has given birth to hundreds of apps to connect with people, but somehow I'm starting to feel friendships made over social media are not real. I have this feeling that one day if I stop blogging or posting on Facebook or Instagram , no one will notice. Most of the people care only about likes and followers.
I have been blogging for 5 years now, and during this time few people I thought I made connection with stopped blogging. I miss them and wonder do they miss me/us? It feels that the person doesn't care about the time and efforts put by the other person in the relationship. While I respect the reasons due to which an individual stops using any social media, these experiences have made me hesistant to start a new relationship.
What are your views ? Do you get attached to people over social media? Is it just about comments and likes for you?May be you are a lucky person who made genuine friends thru social media .

Anyways,I'm feeling better now and want to focus on the positives .
I hope I haven't bored with you my rant.
Take care and stay safe.

Let the People Choose-June Update

Hello Friends,
First Saturday of the month I join Jo for The People's Choice SAL . Jo takes a poll for people to choose a topic for the month and the participants then post about stitchy projects related to that topic.

This month's topic is Dragonflies.Now, who doesn't love dragonflies...such  pretty colorful creatures.
I have stitched a dragonfly only once for a biscornu swap.

The pattern is a freebie from Stitch Happy blog. She has more dragonfly patterns which can be found under the label.
I don't think I have any dragonfly patterns in my stash, however I have saved this free pattern  a few years back.

Its a freebie which can be found here .
That's it from my side for this topic, now to check what others have posted for this SAL.

How did I do for "Stitch every 'Day' in 'May' "

Hello Friends,
May month has come to an end, I hope 'Maynia' in the cross stitch world has settled down. I have enjoyed looking at the various versions of Maynia . I hope you enjoyed whatever version you followed, after all its about enjoyment right?
My personal goal was to Stitch every 'Day' in 'May'. I'm very happy to report that I was able to stitch/craft on 29 days out of 31 days of the month. I'm realising that setting this personal goal helps me come out of my comfort zone(read laziness) .
My main focus was to make some progress on my oldest WIP, Indian Peacock by Dimensions.I added 3711 stitches, full and half, to the project and the progress is clearly visible.

Before and After

I started and finished a small project for our anniversary which I showed in my last post.

I also knitted these bookmarks from left over yarn , such a quick project.

A new craft learnt and key ring made.

I think I will try to stitch every day in June as well as the lock down has extended my part of the country. My city is the worst hit in the world and numbers are rising by thousands every day. Its a scary situation, thank God for our crafts to keep us sane.
Hope you are safe and staying home wherever you are.

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL May 2020 update

Hello Friends,
It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info. This is an easy SAL where you have a choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

Last Saturday, Hubby and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary and I made a little gift for him.

This is a free pattern from Cathy at Hands on Design. Here is the finish from designer look like

Picture courtesy :Hands on design

As you can see, I changed everything in this pattern:fabric,floss color and finished look.
I downloaded this pattern in 2018 , wanting to stitch it for anniversary in 2018. Well, better late than never.
The buttons you see in this design are my maternal grandmother's . Last year, I visited my maternal uncle's house with my mom. During the visit,my aunt , mom and I went up to the store room on the terrace to see what can be used from stuff left behind by my grandparents. I got my hands on these buttons, some zippers and some crocheted pieces. My maternal grandmother was a master crocheter, knitter and embroiderer in addition to be a wonderful cook.
I also wanted to share this macrame key ring I made after attending a free workshop on Instagram this Tuesday. The workshop was designed to use materials we had at home , yarn scraps, threads etc.

I don't know about other countries ,however a lot of Indian artists, crafters and organisations have been conducting free or minimal cost online workshops to help people cope with the pandemic. My snail mailing friend encouraged me to check these workshops as she herself benefited from one she attended. 
I think it's a great idea to learn a skill or two and/or share your skills with others.
Please share if you have picked up any new hobby or a hobby you stopped pursuing years ago during this pandemic .
That's it for today, will try to put some extra stitches this weekend as it is IHSW .

Let the People Choose-May Update

Hello Friends,
First Saturday of the month I join Jo for The People's Choice SAL . Jo takes a poll for people to choose a topic for the month and the participants then post about stitchy projects related to that topic.

This month's topic is Fire. Now this is a tricky one- I don't think I have stitched a piece with fire in it. No problem about that, we can interpret the topic of this SAL in our own way. I waited for few people to post about this topic and see what their interpretation is.

Fire is considered holy in Hinduism, religion I follow. Agni, and thus fire, is a symbol used in many Hindu ceremonies that form a rite of passage; births, marriages and funerals.Fire is a source of light and I can't imagine celebrating my favourite festival Diwali without light. Diwali is a festival of lights and we light earthen lamps, candles and these day electric lights to celebrate the festival.I stitched this piece in 2018 :

Free Pattern from Daily Cross Stitch

I have received many hand made Diwali gifts showing Diyas(earthen lamps) over the years.

Gift from Preeti

Gift from Zhraa

Gift from Zhraa

Gift from Tammy

Here are patterns on my wish list showing earthen lamps:

Now,I'm going to check what other have posted for this SAL.