Back for 2019

Hello friends!

It’s been almost a year since my last post and it seems when life gets busy blogging is one of the first things I let go. Technology has played a big part as the demise of my laptop coupled with the blogger app for the iPhone no longer being supported has meant it’s really difficult for me to blog with ease. But you’re here for the craft so let’s draw a line under 2018 and I’ll show you what I’ve been doing this month. 

I love Instagram and I’ve chosen to participate in the #stitch9challenge where we chose 9 projects to focus on for 2019. These are mine:

I even have a finish! This is Merry String by Lizzie Kate, stitched in mostly called for threads on a piece of random 28ct opal from sparklies. I loved stitching this and that’s probably why it was my 2nd finish in January. 

I also finished my Lizzie Kate flip it stamp for January stitched in a mix of called for DMC and random Jodyri threads, fussy cut to best work for the design. February’s is the plan for Saturday.

My two other wips for this month are Prairie Schooler’s Where there are bees, stitched on random fabric flair 28ct with the called for DMC. 

Main Street by Country Cottage Needlecraft is the last project for this month and if anyone has watched my flosstube will know that I’m turning it into a Gilmore Girls themed version. 

The flower shop has remained that but with 1000 yellow daisies. The bookstore has become Doose’s market and the gazebo needed very few changes at all! Here is what the original looked like from the CCN website...

... and here is mine so far! I love this piece! 

Thanks for reading if you made it this far and for keeping my blog in your reader. Just in case you were wondering whether my blog name was relevant...I made over 20 biscornu last year so, yup I think so! 

Happy stitching friends.

February Gifted Gorgeousness

Hey folks 

Time for GG hosted by the awesome Jo of Serendipidous Stitching. 

Last month I had nothing to share! This month everything is either being gifted or stitched using gifted stuff! 

So let's launch into the projects that will be gifted...

Birth Sampler. I brought this in Aldi would you believe for £2.99. The floss is good quality and chart is very clear and even came with a hoop. I swapped out the aida for some witchelt star sapphire linen. I'm stitching this for my friend who is due in April. 

Next up is the Japan bookmark by Anchor . I started this back in 2012 and had only stitched 50 stitches. I'm stitching this for my mums birthday next month. This may have even been a gift to me. 

Love never fails is a freebie by the Primitive Hare and stitched in a 4 ply thread by 21st century yarns over one on 20ct belana  and is going to be an ATC, along with a couple of the designs on the next pic and the 4 tiny biscornu will become scissor fobs for friends. 

So on to the projects that were gifted to me...

Spring frills by Just Nan. I won this eons ago in blog giveaway from Carolyn. 

Palko Lap calendar SAL stitched with gifted fabric and a couple of gifted threads. Yup it's done!!! Happy dance. 

Have Faith by Design Works. A gift from Steph. 

City landscape by Zweigart on gifted fabric from hubby and the kids. 

Humbug by Shiny Room. Brought with a gift voucher to Sew and So from stitchy pal Shannon. 

I was gifted this chart too this week from another stitchy pal Rachel. 

I started this little embroidery I got from Paperchase at Christmas with another voucher. 

Wow! that was a lot for one month!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stitching friends.

WIPocalypse January check in

Hey folks,

It's been a busy old stitching month. Would you believe I didn't stitch on one gifted piece, hence no GG check in, but boy, did I get to work on those wips! You can see my 18 in 2018 chosen projects here., so let's speed ahead to my check in post for Measi's Wipocalypse

Year of WIP's 2018

Hello Friends

Happy New Year!!!!


As I said in my last blog, I'm taking part in the Year of WIPS as part of Soulful Stitching on the book of face. The challenge is to have a minimum of 15 wips of any size and complete at least half. This will also tie in nicely with Wipocalypse 2018 hosted by Measi which I'm doing again this year.

Just in case you are new here...I'm Kerry - married mum of two kids 7 & 12, (2018 brings me a teenager argh!!!) I work as an office administrator and I'm half way through a diploma in business admin. I've been stitching for 13 years and have other crafty hobbies too Jewellery making is one that has been a big thing in 2017 for me and I've loved beading with my 7 year old. - some of which has featured from time to time in my floss tube videos - I'm Kerry in stitches there and Kerry_in_stitches on Instagram. 

Here are the starting points for my chosen wips, date I started and my target for it. Despite being numbered they're not in any particular order. 

1. Giraffe Silhouette by Maia - Started 3rd March 2017 - Target finish. 

2. M'lady's Greenhouse by Gaynor French (Stitcher Anon) Started 31st May 2017 - Target finish

3. Cityscape by Zweigart in WOXS 251 Started 18th September 2017 - Target page 1/3 finish 

4. Blackwork Lady by Lesley Teare in WOXS, Started12th November 2017 - Target finish  

5. Spring Frills - Just Nan - Started 4th March 2017 - Target finish.

6. Blackwork Houses - Susan Penny in CrossStitcher 310 - Started 29th October 2017 - Target finish.

7. Garden Shed (Fancy Outhouse SAL) by Michael Powell - started 3rd December 2017 - Target finish.

8. Calendar SAL - Palko Lap Blog - Started 10th March 2017 - Target finish.

9. Tiny Christmas SAL - Armada Designs - Started 1st December 2017 - Target finish.

10. First Snow - Drawn Thread - Started 19th September 2017 - Target finish.

11. Winter Village - Stone Street Stitchworks - Started 26th December 2017 - Target finish.

12. Have Faith - Design Works - Started 28th December 2017 - Target finish. 

13. Japanese Bookmark - Anchor - Started January 2012 - Target finish.

14. Elizabeth Shephard - The Scarlet Letter -  Started 31st December 2017 - Target 2/4 pages.

15. Celtic Cross - Textile Heritage -  Started 7th January 2018 - Target finish. 

16. Celebration flag - Susan Penny for Cross Stitcher 305 - Started 5th January 2018 - Target finish for the #RoyalWeddingSAL

17. Sweet Heart - Stone Street Stitchworks - Started 7th January 2018 - Target finish.

Still to start before 18th January

18. Cityscape -London by Jody Rice of Satsuma Street (CSC 202) - All kitted up and ready to go - probably tonight! Target for a finish too

So as you can see I only intend to carry 2 forward into 2019, I am also doing a year of starts which includes 18 new starts for the year. These will be mostly small or medium charts from my collection of Bent Creek, Heart in Hand, Trilogy and Lizzie Kate and hopefully all the Main Street Series too. Most of these are partially kitted too so Stitch from Stash hosted by Stephanie (OhSewCrafty) (but on Facebook) is completely do-able too.

I hope 2018 is a fantastically stitchy crafty year for you all.

Hello...is it me you're looking for

... probably not, but I'm here anyway!

Hello dear friends,

It's been 2 months since I blogged and I'm sorry I didn't post link ups for theme-tas-stitch, life has been so hectic due to work, family, college and all the other things that take up time in the run up to Christmas. I hardly stitched during November as I decided to do the School Christmas Fair and did my usual thing of making 100 felties in a month. (+40-odd pairs of earrings). I did make time for Flosstube - I guess that is still a new and shiny thing so still holds my attention, and is easier than blogging believe it or not!

Theme-Tas-Stitch October link up post

It's the 21st, so time for Theme-Tas-Stitch

This month's theme was...

Opulent October -

Break out the bling - stitch with beads, charms, metallics or on sparkly fabric.

A bit of a challenge for me this one as I have lots of projects that could fall into this but aren't necessarily blinged up yet!

I was reading my post from last month's TTS and realised that I didn't actually show the tree keeper from The Drawn Thread. It was stitched on some random fabric that was actually the piece from the kit up next. It has way more beads than were called for, but hey, it's a Christmas ornament it needs bling!

The fabric was from a cover kit from Crosstitcher in 2015 I think. The kit was enough to stitch one of the houses but I liked all three and had some nice natural linen from Sew it all grab bag and the kit floss was actually enough to do all three houses so that's what I did. I substituted the single cross stitches for beads to show snowfall. The little Christmas tree has gold beads and the snowman has petite black beads for coal.

My last bit of bling was on Plum Street Samplers 12 days of Christmas and I finally put in five gold rings. It wasn't as hard to stitch on 25ct with metallics over 1 as I thought it would be.

I also made some needleminders from buttons and pendants I've had for a fair while. If that owl isn't opulent then I don't know what is!

Link up here and show us what you've been up to. 

Next month's theme is:

No X November - 

Blackwork, Hardanger, pulled thread or speciality stitches the choice is yours or maybe it's time to tackle the backstitch on some of those almost finished projects.

I have more ideas for this month than stitching hours in the day so we'll just have to see how well I do. I plan to start the black work lady from walks, finish the half stitch on my giraffe silhouette and have a new Christmas start as part of #santasundayxs on Instagram. November is a very busy month for us so no X November could well be no stitching at all Eek. I'm back on the PTA at school so I could end up making felties all of November too...

You can now find me on Instagram as Kerry_in_stitches and I've also ventured into the world of Floss tube. I have 3 videos now - my channel is Kerry in stitches there too! Pop over and say hi!

Happy stitching friends. Have a great weekend.

Gifted gorgeousness October

Let's face it my blogging has been hit and miss to say the least so firstly apologies for not having kept up with my blog reading. 

I've decided to keep this one short and sweet to get me back in the habit and share some of the things I've been working on over the last few weeks as its time for Gifted Gorgeousness hosted by the marvellous Jo of Serendipitous Stitching.

September saw a new start on the cityscape from WOXS 251 which is on gifted fabric from my children for Mother's Day this year. Not a huge deal of progress as there is a lot more backstitch than you first realise. 

I also made some biscornu and used the teeny tiny ones to make scissor fobs which were gifted to my postcard pal from stitch from stash and to a flosstuber that I've become friends with along with some blackwork charts. They are stitched on gifted fabric too. 

I also had a good few days on my Just Nan humbug - spring frills. It's such a pretty pattern but is far more intensive than you think given its size. It is so pretty though. This was a giveaway win eons ago from Carolyn. 

I've been doing this next one as part of #santasundayxs on Instagram. (You can follow me there as kerry_in_stitches) I've really struggled for motivation with this one over the last year or more, so it has been so nice to really fall back in love with it and just spend one day a week working on it. I think I have about 650 stitches left to do so I am aiming for a finish next weekend. It's 12 days of Christmas by Plum Street samplers and was a free design from them in 2015. It also uses some threads left over from a gifted kit.

In other news I have been making Flosstube videos and you can find me on YouTube as Kerry in stitches. I'd love if you are a Flosstube watcher to go over and have a little look. I've done three videos now and do them fortnightly. I'd say that's the reason I'm not blogging but to be honest it's more that every spare minute is spent stitching at the moment. 

I have been fortunate to have won a couple of giveaways recently. I won two Nora Corbett charts from Tiff and I also won the Friday freebie from Crosstitch crazy which was fabric, a chart and threads. 

I've given up on trying to keep this short so I'll tell you about my final gift I've had this month and that was from three marvellous friends who took me to the Birmingham Hippodrome to see the musical Hairspray! It's my absolute favourite musical anyway so to see the stage production was just amazing so not a bad early birthday present at all.

I'll be back at the weekend with the theme to the stitch link up, until then happy stitching.