Workin' on it

One of the things I love to see on other people's blogs is progress shots, pictures of a project coming together.  For large items I love watching this progress over the course of several months.  But I never do this on my own blog.  OK, so the window is a bit of an exception to that, and I do show you the progress on my dancers cross stitch, but that's not much.  It's time that changed.  I can't say I'll be very good at showing you my progress, but I'll try!

This is number #33 on my humongous list, it's by Heritage Crafts and is one of a series of sepia old-fashioned pictures.  I bought it with the intention of making it for my dad, and that's still it's purpose, though I'm considering ordering a couple more to go with it!  It's a pretty quick stitch, you're looking at about 6-hour's work so far I think.  It's mounted in a 6" Q-snap frame there, but I've since sewed scrap fabric round the edges and put it in a 10" frame.  I could do with an 8" really!

This is some pieces of fabric.  One day it will become block 4 on the Skill Builder BOM.  I cut the pieces but then had to go and clean out the rabbits (this was last Sunday), so they remain on my cutting table.

This is an example of why you don't often get progress shots.  Two years ago at the Hobbycrafts show (which I'm going to again tomorrow - look out for a stash post!), mum bought me this little necklace kit in a tin.  It's slices of some fruit or vegetable, or is it Brazil nut?  They're dyed and possibly have something else done to them (it was 2 years ago!) and then have holes drilled in them.

I started making this a long time ago and the cord they provided (1.5mm cord) snapped as it was too thick to go through the holes and the tugging weakened it.  I finally got round to buying a thinner cord - 1mm I think - and then finally got round to stringing it.  I think it took me 10 minutes, but that was only because the jump ring was playing me up!  I had to add extra knots as it was too long when finished.  I'm only little and I have giant boobs so long necklaces tend to sit on my bosom like they're on a shelf.  Not a good look.

I'll be back soon to show you the window, all done but not installed, and to show you what I bought at the NEC, I suspect that will be a long post!