Its been a year- a year of exploring, stitching and being at peace!

Hello friends, 

Can you believe its been a year I moved to Scotland ? They say time flies when one is having a good time...clearly that is the case here. 

What a year it has been ...settling into a new country, new weather , new culture and new routine . Some of my family members were curious how I was happy being at home and wasn't taking up a job after working for 20 years . I guess its easier when someone is a home body like me. I love being at home- waking up at my own time, just sitting with my cats, gazing at the rain , reconnecting with my hobbies .

Summer is has been lot kinder to us here in Scotland than rest of UK . We had maximum temp of 26deg C twice and currently we are at 15-19 deg C range . We have explored nearby places on day trips and went away to Aberdeenshire for our 19th wedding anniversary. 

Marischal Collage, Aberdeen

Fyvie Castle

Aberdeen beach front to the North Sea

Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, Scotland

Everything is so beautiful in the summer and I observed the transition from spring to summer thru new flowers I would see on my walks every week.

Rhododendron

Peonies

Tulips at Greenbank gardens

 

I have been stitching , though I got exhausted once and once the mojo was thrown out of the window. I will share which projects did that to me.

I had the pleasure of hosting one of my penpals at my house in May. We first connected thru Instagram and have been exchanging mails since few years. He surprised me when he said he would visit Scotland from France to meet me. I wanted to stitch  a gift for him either on the theme of letters(snailmailing) or something related to Scottish Culture .

I'n very happy to show this is what I stitched for my friend, nothing speaks more about scottish culture than Fish & Chips.

I was on a tight deadline for this project so I burnt the midnight oil few days before his arrival. At first my eyes took time to 25 ct evenweave as I have been stitching on 14ct aida in last few years. I skipped the border on the vertical sides .

Another project I have completed is for my maternal aunt , this will be finished into a small pillow for decoration.

I love daffodils , I had such a lovely time stitching this. However , I did get frustrated by the end , why would a designer use 18 colors for  a pattern of  47*47 stitches! This pattern was one of the two smaller patterns from a big design, so may be the designer didn't optimise the colors. 

I have finished another gift, which I will put in a frame today. I have few more Christmas finishes , however I'm saving them for Christmas time .

I'm travelling to India to visit my family next Sunday ...so excited to meet them after a year. I will carrying some finishes to be fully finished using my mother's sewing machine.

Hope to write more regularly on the blog in future. 

Have a relaxing Sunday my friends.

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 April 2019 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 a easy SAL where you have choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

Warning :This is a picture heavy post.

If you read my second last post , you know that I'm moving out of Kuwait. I have been showered with gifts from friends here , specially my craft group. I think I have shared over the years that my craft group was a big part of my life here in Kuwait , infact for some years it was the only reason I used to get out of the house on weekends. So obviously , I'm going to miss my craft group the most .

Here are the crafty and handmade gifts I received last month.

Lovely Canadian Chaussette yarn handwoven by Mineville Wool. Gifted by Jody

This tote was gifted to me by friend Rene, who not only made the crochet mandala, painted the other side but also sewed the tote herself.Isn't she super talented? I have never seen such neat fabric painting .

Look at this super gorgeous shawl gifted to me for my birthday by my friend Z.

Am I lucky or what?

Another gift is  Free mag from World Craft Week, I know what you may be thinking, how do I manage to score all these free mags 😛

I haven't been crafting for obvious reasons , however I made some simple and quick gifts

A Rug and a Hug for a Mug ,pattern by Cathy Rubin
Made for Tammy

Simple Garter Coaster, pattern from Mr. Darcy Creations, made for Jeena

At last some cross stitch , I stitched this lovely pattern from Durene Jones for my crazy cat friend Rene. The pattern was so easy to follow , I enjoyed making it even though I haven't done many full coverage pieces.

Pattern by Durene Jones from The World of Cross Stitching Magazine, Feb 2016.

That's it my friends for today and may be for a few more weeks. On this day next week, I will be in a different country , standing in guest house surrounded by cartons.
Hope to settle down soon and come back to routine. Send me your good wishes virtually .

Let the people choose-March-Freebies

Hello Friends,

Today I join Jo for another SAL which she is hosting called THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE SAL. You can read about it on her blog.

The theme for March is Freebies..I can bet that there will be 0 stitchers in this whole world who haven't stitched a freebie in his or her lifetime.

I, myself , have stitched quite a many ..In fact somewhere in 2017 I realised that I'm not stitching any thing from patterns I had bought 😁 .

Let me share freebies which I have stitched over the years without repeating the ones I already showed in  February's Hearts post.

Pattern Name:Life is not where you go
Stitched as a Mystery SAL ran by House of Margaret in 2016

Freebie from DMC club
One of earliest pieces, size is 144H*217W

Freebie from www.cross-stitching.com

Freebie from Whispered by the winds

Freebie from Whispered by the winds

Freebie from Tinymodernist

Freebie from Maria

Freebie from Cross Stitch Collectibles
Stitch count :200H*75W

As you can see I have stitched some big freebies which have taken me months to complete.
As a stitcher, I would like to thank all the designers who are generous to offer beautiful freebies to the stitching community.

While we are talking about freebies, I would like to talk about a topic close to my heart: legal patterns and respecting copyright.
If you are a new stitcher who is just starting and doesn't have a stash , take some time to read about legal patterns and try to keep away from Pinterest and other dubious websites. Most of the designers are kind enough to release weekly or monthly freebies , so much that one can stitch legal free patterns whole life and never run out of designs.
If you are a stitcher like me who comes from a country where cross stitch as art has died and there is no availability of magazines , kits or patterns, please use internet to get information on proper ways of buying craft supplies. Respect copyright , don't share patterns thru emails , don't show parts of patterns on your blog or other social media. It is OK to not know things in beginning, but once you become aware about copyright , please follow the rules.
Our designers work very hard , most of the times they have full time jobs in addition to their design work. I have seen designers shutting down their websites or shops due to copyright infringement.And its a sorry state.
One of the other mistakes I have seen being committed by stitchers is sharing patterns when talking about freebies or what they are stitching on their blog or social media groups . Please don't share the actual pattern if you want to show what you are stitching , share a picture of cover picture (sample picture of pattern stitched) and link to freebie.
Ok, enough of preaching ..now some info about legal freebies. Cross stitch Crazy Magazine and The World of Cross Stitching Magazine are giving their March 2019 issues free until 3rd March. Go get some lovely patterns free by downloading thru their app.

 

No these magazines aren't paying me for promotion, I just like to spread some joy by sharing information about legal freebies.

Wow, this has become a long post..I'm off to brunch with my expat friends now.I will announce the winner of my giveaway in my next post.
Till then take care friends.

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL January 2019 update

Hello Friends,
Welcome to the first check-in of my favorite SAL, Gifted Gorgeousness hosted by Jo of .
I just realized I have been participating in this SAL since it started, well almost, one month after it was started 😁.

I’m at my parents house now and it is coldddd.. not the cold winter where it snows but  where one has to wear two layer of warm garments inside the house.Houses in India are still not equipped with heating , we use traditional methods of putting on layers, thick blankets and closing windows to avoid the chill.
Most parts of India celebrated the harvest festival with different names Lohri, Makar Sakranti or Pongal yesterday or today.
Its time to get together and celebrate the harvest and eat traditional winter foods.
I was fortunate enough to celebrate Lohri with my family (parents, brother, sister in law and nephew) this year . Lohri is the name of the harvest festival in states of Punjab , Haryana and Delhi.
A bonfire is lit outdoors with wood and cowdung cakes, prayers are offered and lots of dancing to folk songs is involved.Lohri is celebrated with offering popcorns, raw flattened rice(poha), peanuts 🥜, rebdi (sweet made of jaggery and sesame) to the fire.

I know you must be thinking that why I’m telling you all this in a GG post, well I think it is one of life’s biggest gift to be together with family on festivals and special occasions. I’m sure many of you agree.

I was able to gift my mom the birthday gift I made for her 60th birthday in September. Though she still thinks she has completed 58 😂.

This is how it looks framed. I bought a photo frame from a sale and just fitted the fabric in the frame with no glue .
I have a small gift planned , all kitted up , just need to be started.

That’s it for GG post, I will try to visit blogs and comment while on vacation .
If you see this post, that means I’m able to write a blog post and successfully post it first time from my mobile .

Smalls SAL November Check-in

Hello Friends,

Its last friday of the month , time to show what smalls we stitched during the month. I'm participating first time in Smalls SAL this year hosted by Heather. I decided to join this SAL as I usually stitch birthday cards or exchange pieces throughout the year and this gives me an additional chance to blog.

Can't believe we are entering into last month of this year. Where has the year gone?

I have a small finish which has killed my stitching bug (again!). This was a cover kit with two designs , but fabric provided for one. I picked up a random piece of aida from my stash and the quality of fabric was so bad that I stopped stitching it after 30 mins I started it on Sept 1. But an incomplete project bothers me so I picked it up again but couldnt get myself to complete it.
So my sweet husband , who has always motivated me to craft, picked up the project and completed the cross stitches and half of back stitching.

Ideally this post should have been titled "One where the husband completes the project".

Cover kit from The World of Cross Stitching 

I know you can't tell from the picture the quality of fabric but that's the magic of back stitching ..it makes a sad project look happy :)

I think one of the reasons why I'm not enjoying cross stitching since last few months is that my projects don't have a intended receiver when they are started.

You see, as I have mentioned before, I mostly stitch gifts. I draw motivation by imagining how would the receiver like the piece I'm making , and deadlines of gifting help me keep a schedule.  I'm sad that I don't have more people in my life for whom I want to stitch , ones who appreciate the hard work behind this craft. May be I should not bother whether the gifts I give are appreciated or not, that way I can have more intended recipients ..ha ha. Pls let me if you have ever lost motivation to stitch.

Ok, time to stop the rant and wrap up the post. 

Wishing you all a Happy December.

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL September 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 a easy SAL where you have choice to stitch any designer, color or pattern, just that it should be a gift for someone or gift from someone.

Today I have a finish to show you which is a gift for my mother's 60th birthday . Her birthday is on Monday, unfortunately I will not be with her that day physically but yes in spirit.

Here are some details

Project Name    Fabulous Florals

Start Date          4/13/2018

End date           9/11/2018

Stitch count       121H*129W

Designer           Claire Comerford

                                  Source              The World of Cross Stitching Issue 245

Fabric               18 ct white aida

Number of colors               35

Number of stitching days        55

I'm very happy with the result , though it was a bit challenging project with lots of fractional stitches , back stitching and some metallic . 

The fabric I used was a gift as was the magazine from which the pattern was chosen, so this project is a full blood GG project 😉

That's it my friends for today, I'm off to check other entries for the SAL.

Have a good weekend.

Smalls SAL August Check-in

Hello Friends,

Its last friday of the month , time to show what smalls we stitched during the month. I'm participating first time in Smalls SAL this year hosted by Heather. I decided to join this SAL as I usually stitch birthday cards or exchange pieces throughout the year and this gives me an additional chance to blog.

I have two smalls to show you this month :both are cover kits from magazine.

These were stitched during my stitching slump with the idea that quick finishes will cheer me up and motivate to stitch more..well that's not what happened! What can I say..I'm the slowest stitcher in the universe and each of these took me 5-6 days to complete.

Flower garland Felt stitch kit
from The World of Cross Stitching magazine

My first pincushion

Floral Pincushion
Designer :Jennifer Ellory
CrossStitch Crazy magazine. Aug 2014

To be honest ,the pin cushion wasn't easy to stitch..most of the stitches are fractionals with lots of backstitching. I think magazine editors need to understand that not all illustrations can be converted into 2 inch cross stitch designs.

Both of these cover kits were gifts from Kerry, they can very well count as GG entry.

I stitched these with a goal in mind which will be revealed when I achieve it 😉.

Well that's all for Smalls SAL today, I'm very close to finishing Fabulous florals WIP . In fact if I wouldn't have been on movie watching spree last week, I would have completed by now.

Have a good September everyone.