Sans Soucis rounded

 After some additional stitching time I got around the frame of Sans Soucis - and happy dance for matching corners!!!

Long Dog Samplers: Sans Soucis

Fonal / Floss: Caron (#63,#153) Gloriana (#67) Edmar Rayon (#206)

Anyag/Fabric: Tea dyed Zweigart white 32 ct line

I am back - coming with Sans soucis again

After a looooong hiatus I worked on Sans soucis. My eyes, which were exceptionally good started to feel my 50 years. I simply did not want to accept the fact that I need glasses, so I quitted stitching for a while -  I still read without glasses and I moved to reading instead. But for our summer vacation I took Sans soucis (also glasses ...) with me, and had quite a nice progress. Originally the right side was only a small corner in line with the the dark bird.

Long Dog Samplers: Sans Soucis

Fonal / Floss: Caron (#63,#153) Gloriana (#67) Edmar Rayon (#206)

Anyag/Fabric: Tea dyed Zweigart white 32 ct line

Kingfisher still flying

I made quite a nice progress on Kingfisher. I finally got used to stitch with glasses on. The optometrist said since my sight is still good to read small letters, and I need glasses only for stitching, I do not need any special ones, drugstore ones will do the trick. I bought several ones to try and opted for the 1.5 for my cross stitch, and having 2 of these means if I lose one I still can find another somewhere in the flat! 

Anchor: Kingfisher

Fonal/Floss: Anchor from the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart white 16 ct Aida from the kit

Kingfisher in flight

Having my stitching mojo back I made some progress on Kingfisher. I left it here in August 2021:

Anchor: Kingfisher

Fonal/Floss: Anchor from the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart white 16 ct Aida from the kit

Put some stitches in the first few days of September, and found it quite meditative to stitch the tree trunk.

 

Beanbag galore

I made 3 beanbag covers and 3 insides for them, and I re-made them several times :)

The story started, that my husband came with the idea of a beanbag as his birthday present. Since he hardly ever gives any hints for his presents, I immediately started to look for a pattern. I have found quite a lot, and it was quite difficult which is the ideal one. I chose one which seemed to be fairly easy, moreover, it was creased by a Hungarian girl living in Costa Rica!

https://hungaricanjourney.com/how-to-make-a-convertible-bean-bag-chair/

I had a big faux-fur material and decided to use it as a cover, but there were no direct dimensions for the inner lining, so I made one I thought will be ok. It turned to be too small, so I mage a much bigger one, which fitted much better, and also redesigned (with a scissor:) ) the cover as well.

When I sent some photos to family, it turned out our niece is asking for a beanbag for ages, so I quickly made one for her, but from a different pattern. When I realised the adult is huge for her room, I made a smaller one as well. By that time I was so quick the it took me only one evening to put it together, and the longest time was to trace the pattern to the fabric!

The pattern I used:

Sizes: 

adult: top 20cm / bottom 40cm , width 50 cm, height 120cm

teen: top 17,5cm / bottom 35cm , width 45 cm, height 110cm

Kid beanbag:

I used quite a big amount of textil for thebean bags, but still did not make a dent in my stock. For our niece first she had chosen a beige fabric from my stock, but I realised it is too thin, so I checked the local fabric store for some sturdy material. The girl advised me to use upholstery fabric, and they had some super beige leather fabric one, so I bought 4 metres. Then it turned out she needs smaller one, so I went back for more, but there was only 1.8m remaining - but after playing a little with the placement I managed to fit it on!

Big bean bag pattern:

Outer: cc 4m of strong canvas ( 300x130+ 80x80+ 60x60 in cm)

Inner linig: 

Lavender sac for Mariann (Sajou 601 - M)

After a long-long hiatus I will restart my blog. In the last couple of months I hardly stitched at all, instead embroidery I was reading a real lot. But then an idea came, and by took on the needles once more!

In July we have visited Paris and stayed with a cousin of my husband. She was real nice to let us stay in her appartment and I made this little present for her.

Sajou 601: Letter M

Fonal/Floss:Caron Waterlilies Iris

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart 40ct teadyed by me

Baby book for a boy

I have created a baby book for my husband's aunt, who took it to a baby shower of her neighbour's baby boy. She was a designer and when she closed her shop she gave me a lots of supernice fabrics. I tried to use then in the pictures, and I really like the results!

I also tried to document how I put the book together. The inner pages should be 1/2 inch smaller than the covering ones. The original size of the cover is 6 1/2 ", the final one after turning in the pages somewhere around 6"

original sewing order:

Textil usage is real small, less than 0.5m for all of the book.

Sailing ship cover

My hubby bought a used sailing boat last summer, and came with a very old cover, which was not a real good fit either. During winter it was really torn up, so he was looking for a new one. What he had found, that ship coverlets are priced like made of gold with diamond studdings, and moreover, there is not one in the size he needs it. Having finished several king sized quilts on my Bernina I was jumping in when my he asked me to sew a cover for his smallish (5m length) treasure. 

The material is superstrong and superheavy (630g/m2) UV & water resistant, I had real sore muscles moving it. I added a breathing hole, a place to fit the middle column, and it can be fitted with a sailing cord to be tight. It survived several bad weather since, and still good as new!

Fabric from: Interponyva, Budapest Vágóhíd út 55, interponyva.hu

 

Cotton fabric

 I have bought quite a lot cotton fabric in my neighbouring discount fabric store in 2022 November. All of them are knits, width 100cm. Purple 40cm, striped 150cm, kiwi 150cm, blue 200cm.

There was also 2m 1,50 width fauxfur

 Price 6550 for all

Turning on Sans Soucis

We had a few day off and went for a long weekend, where I took San Soucis with me. We were planning trekking, but the first day it way raining all day long, so I had time with my sampler. I finished the left side and the top as well, turning both corners!

Long Dog Samplers: Sans Soucis

Fonal / Floss: Caron (#63,#153) Gloriana (#67) Edmar Rayon (#206)

Anyag/Fabric: Tea dyed Zweigart white 32 ct line

Autumn in Spring

I have finished the 3rd quarter of Autumn Watergarden. Participating in the weekend challenge of Chatelaine stitchers on facebook really gave a huge focus, and pushed me forward with each motive. There is only the last quarter, but before I finish this I will move to another piece. 

I am thinking which one should be: 

Mushroom and Fern

Kingfisher

LongDog Sans Soucies

or shall I start Herbularius?

Chatelaine: Autumn Watergarden

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Eagle eyes in the Autumn garden

I was quite sad that from now on I will need the glasses, but miracle of miracles: it was the grey fabric and not my eyes!!! When I took out Autumn Watergarden, which is my usual antique white Belfast there was no problem with seeing the holes. I am happy to go on with my own sight, and hopefully they will last a couple of years...

I not only continued this piece, but also joined on facebook the weekend Chatelaine stitching, and having explicit goals really motivates me. Mushroom&Fern went quite slowly, but Autumn Watergarden either has significantly smaller parts, or I am much better to reach them, so I had quite a nice progress in the last 2 weekends. 

During the week I have almost no time for stitching. Life is turning back to prepandemic routine, and my travel is back. It is not too much, 2 days every 2-3months, but I did not miss it at all... I like meeting my colleagues in person, and I also like travelling for fun with my family, but mixing work and travel is not to my taste.

But enough of whining, pics are better:

Chatelaine: Autumn Watergarden

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Fussy ferns

I have finished the middle part of Mushroom and Fern. It was a real pain to stitch the meadow with all the swirling ferns and vines, I think I frogged at least half of them. But the result really worth all the effort! The photo does not do justice, in real life it is gorgeous!

Chatelaine: Mushroom and Fern Mandala

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart Cobblestone 32 ct Belfast

Mushroom center with some help

Chatelaine: Mushroom and Fern Mandala

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart Cobblestone 32 ct Belfast

I have finished the center medallion of Mushroom and Fern, the next step is putting in the ferns and grass around. 

However, maybe it is my years (turning 48 this year), maybe the darker fabric (Zweigar 32ct Belfast Cobblestone/Granite) but it was very difficult to see the holes, so I bought some reading glasses 1.5+, which are helping a lot. This is the first time using anything to see and it is quite strange. I hope having 1.5 is not too hard on my eyes... I will have a yearly check in 2 months time, I will ask my doctor, just to be on the safe side!

Little bit of Sans Soucis

In the weekend when my husband went to a music rehersal - he is a drummer in an amateur band -, we spent the afternoon with my sister in law and I moved forward with Sans Soucis. I finished the box with the birdies (except the accent on the lower one), and added the frame, and a little bit of the side flower as well. 

Long Dog Samplers: Sans Soucis

Fonal / Floss: Caron (#63,#153) Gloriana (#67) Edmar Rayon (#206)

Anyag/Fabric: Tea dyed Zweigart white 32 ct line

New Chapter: Mushroom and Fern

 After finishing Pomarium, Saturday I moved to a new Chatelaine chapter: Mushroom and Fern Mandala. I was hesitating between several ones what I have kitted, some of them printed as well, since I prefer to stitch from paper not from the pdf provided. 

• Mushroom and Fern - already printed for stitching 
• Deep Blue Sea -kitted with beads, floss
• Herbularius - kitted with beads, floss
• Tinctorium - already printed for stitching 

There was also the option to continue wioth Autumn Knotgarden, where I am halfway, but since it is really difficult to choose from all these beauties, I asked my son, and he picked Mushroom and Fern, so mushroom it is. I put all the floss to their envelopes (I keep all the used floss in a separate envelope and the envelopes in a basket for easy reach), and I have started the next chapter!

Chatelaine: Mushroom and Fern Mandala

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart Cobblestone 32 ct Belfast

Pomarium ready to be framed

Pomarium is ready! Please be prepared for a picture heavy post, with all the beauties loaded here. Next week I will take it to the framer to spend half a fortune for the framing, but 5 years of work (33 posts!) worth it.

Chatelaine: Pomarium

Fonal/Floss: DMC + many silks as suggested in the kit

Anyag/Fabric: Zweigart antique white 32 ct Belfast

Finished box

I have finally finished my Around the World in 80 stitches piece. This is only a small part, actually Part 1-2 what I have started in 2018, stopped stitching in 2020 and which were sitting in my box for 2 years.

Around the World in 80 Stitches - Papillon Creations

Anyag / Fabric : 32 ct white dmc

Fonal / Floss : Anchor

Slippers

I have made a few slippers before skiing, it was a project I was planning at least for a year. Not perfect, but I like them anyway. It is for the cold winter evenings, or guests, we usually go barefoot.

The base was some old IKEA slippers I covered with many scraps. I was really digging deep, the internal part is babysoft and some pluch materials remaining from some backing, the top came from an old grey jeans, and even the bindings are from some old ones I found in my binding box.

 

A short reminder how I did it:

1) Putting the top together, inside up, batting (200), outside down, and drawing the form with chalk

2) Adding straight lines to the top:

3) Sewing on the straight lines to keep them together.

4) Sewing around the top form

5) Cutting the top around the stitching

6) Adding binding to the top

7) Sewing bottom parts together with zigzag: original ikea bottom, strong material below, soft material on top

Sewing top and bottom together with zigzag (1.5/1.5)

(no photo)

Adding external binding with straight stitch, first with the bottom, then turning on the top.