Gifted Gorgeousness May Link-up Post

    

Welcome to the May Gifted Gorgeousness link-up. The link-up date continues to be the 15th and I will keep the link-up open until the end of each month so you have plenty of time if you are late posting.

The format remains exactly the same, there is a list of rules on the main sign-up page if you want to check what is required but basically anything connected to the word "gift" is allowed, whether it was a gift TO you or is a gift FROM you.

My focus piece this month does not have a gifted component at all, so I can't show that.  Some of the Just Nans were gifts so here are the latest ones:

Days 10 and 11 - Bunny Hop

Days 12 and 13 - Heart Butterfly

Day 14 - Italian Ice 

(the lovely blue fabric is not showing up at all)

This one was a gift from the designer and the fabric was a gift too.  

Steady Thread - Tree of Life Temperature SAL

Look at those warm yellows and even 2 days of orange in May

stitched on 28 count Meadow Mist linen from Silkweavers

I record the temperature each day and then stitch the leaves on the Sunday morning.

My Dark 13 design is stitched on gifted fabric, a beautiful 40 count linen called Witch's Brew from Zweigart.  My plan is to stitch one letter per month until we reach October and then complete it during Dark October.

stitched on 40 count linen called Witch's Brew from Zweigart

Now it is your turn to show us your Gifted Gorgeousness for the month.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field and NOT the words "May Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month.  And link to the actual post, not just your blog.  It is easier if you copy and paste the link, rather than typing freehand.

*

*

Finally, I will do my best to pop round and visit everyone this month, I'm a little behind in my blog reading again!

Finally Fully Finishing Fun for May

    

Hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher

This SAL is designed to motivate us all to do something with that box of Finished pieces instead of just storing them under the bed.  We will all be linking up on Rachel's blog on or after the 10th of each month (10 Hour Stitcher - 10th of the month).

Just one framed piece this month.  I had a very simple black frame in my stash which was the perfect fit for a recent finish - Hocus Pocus Cabinet from The Primitive Hare:

Not very exciting, but does the job!

Finally, the Just Nan-athon continues.  Here are Days 7, 8, and 9:

Yes, there is just one photo.  In the past when I have finished a design in the previous year, I started a new one the next year.  But this year I decided to continue on whatever I was stitching in an attempt to get more done on each one.  So last year True Blue Heart was Day 7, I finished the projects for Day 8 and Day 9, so this year I stitched Day 7 for three days in total.  And got a lot done!

 

May TUSAL

      

It's TUSAL time!  

Here is my TUSAL jar with my current projects:

On the left is my focus piece for the month; Claire by Nora Corbett and on the right is today's Just Nan design which I'll be stitching this evening - True Blue Heart.

Here's Claire and my progress so far.  I've cut my thread into equal lengths and so far I've used 6 lengths which is just over half a skein.  The chart says the design uses 2 skeins of DMC (8m) so we shall see how I go.

stitched on 28 count anonymous hand-dyed evenweave

Finally, here are Day 5 and 6 of my Just Nanathon:

May Plans

 At the start of the year I made a list of 24 projects I want to stitch this year for my "24 in '24".  The order I stitch them in is going to be determined by the WIPGO Board.  Jessie-Marie calls two numbers each month and those will be the two projects I stitch that month.  One small and one medium.

In April, the numbers were 18 and 21.  These related to the Quiet Hour Sampler by La Broderie and A Partridge in a Pear Tree from Cottage Garden Samplings.

I finished both of them in record time and then went back to the March choice of The Primitive Hare Hocus Pocus Cabinet which was also a finish.  A very successful month.

In May, the numbers are 5, 13 and 19.  These relate to Drawn Thread Spot of Autumn, my Longest Day Marathon and Nora Corbett's Claire.

Claire is no problem, it's amusing after all the black on Hocus Pocus Cabinet that I now have another all black project!

stitched on anonymous hand-dyed 28 count evenweave

I bought this offcut piece of evenweave from a needlework shop, it wasn't labelled with a colour or dyer.  It's just big enough to fit Claire and her sister Evanora on.

However, for the small, May is the month for my annual Just Nan-athon so that will have to wait, either until I finish Claire or next month.

Meanwhile, here are the first four Just Nan designs:

Finally, what about 13?  Well, that's the centre square and I use that for my Longest Day Marathon so I'll be ticking that off next month.  Hopefully!

April Stitch from Stash and Pie

 Here's my monthly Pie for April:

My April "focus" piece was A Partridge in a Pear Tree from Cottage Garden Samplings and that only took 12 days for a finish!

stitched on 35 count cream linen

After that I went back to March's choice determined to finish it.  The Primitive Hare Hocus Pocus Cabinet fell victim to the frog and looked like this at the start of the month:

And now it looks like this:

stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Mocha linen

I spent a lot of days on this because the black was so tedious!  I really didn't want to stitch on it at all some days but made myself add at least 2 lengths of black.  The lettering was much more fun.

I used a mixture of DMC, Anchor and Jodyri threads for this one.  Some half stitches using one strand for the bottles, Smyrna for the Spider Eggs in the jar and some whipped backstitch for the threads the little spiders are hanging from.

Now I need to find a new black frame for it in time for Halloween!

In the evenings I started with The Quiet Hour Sampler from La Broderie and finished the month on the Circle Cross Zodiac Tarot. 

I finished Aries:

Only 1 more sign to go!

stitched on 28 count Sky Blue evenweave from Silkweavers

Finally, another zero spend for Stitch from Stash.

April WIPocalypse New Designers

       

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

Each month we have to share the projects we want to complete before the End Of The World. Since 2011 I have chosen a number of projects to focus on that year, starting with my "11 in '11" and increasing to "24 in '24" for this year. This month I stitched on 5 of them and had 3 finishes.

8. La Broderie - Quiet Hour Sampler - Finish

17. Cottage Garden Samplings - First Day of Christmas - Finish

22. Primitive Hare - Hocus Pocus Cabinet

23. Cricket Collection - Spring - Finish

24. Cottage Garden Samplings Halloween Sampler

Finally, Measi always gives us a topic to discuss:

April – Which designers have you discovered lately?

Because I've been working on my older designs and those in my stash, I haven't really been looking for new designers too much this year.  Circle Cross who does the blackwork is the most recent designer I got really excited about and wanted to buy all the things from her.

I also have a few designers in my list that I haven't stitched before this year - Rainbow Hunter who does the Alice bottles being one.   I also have Stitchy Princess, Life in Stitches and Maria Bravko still to come this year when the WIPGO Board chooses their names.

I did see quite interesting designers on the Lindy Stitches Nashville Shopping List videos.  She's made a playlist of those one so you can easily find all the lovely enabling in one place!

Lindy Stitches Nashville Shopping List 2024

April Smalls

   

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Rachel

For my Smalls stitching this year, I have chosen 12 smaller designs and numbered them for my WIPGO Board.  Each month one Small will be stitched in the evening timeslot and hopefully finished within the month.

In April, the WIPGO number was for a very old chart from 1995 which I have had in my stash for about that length of time so was great to get that one stitched at last!

Quiet Hour Sampler by La Broderie

stitched on 28 count White linen

I used a Jodyri Thread called Aurora Borealis instead of the charted Waterlilies

I love the sentiment on this one.  
I did a Google Search and the full poem is:

“Oh! For a book, and a cosy nook
And oh! for a quiet hour,
When care and strife and worry of life,
Have lost their dreaded power,
When you read with zest the very best
That mind to mind can give,
And quaff your joy without alloy,
And feel it is good to live.”
–Anonymous

The beads are more visible in real life.

In the centre I added four smaller beads rather than the charted charm.

This will make it easier to frame too.

I also swapped the placement of the initials and the year.  If I sign a project I use all three of my initials not just JP.  I've had three sets of initials in my life - JMC, JMM and JMP - so I like to include my Middle Name in my signature.

After I finished that one, I moved on to the Circle Cross Zodiac signs and started Aries:

stitched on 28 count sky blue evenweave from Silkweavers

Finally, WIPGO for May is Drawn Thread Spot of Autumn.  I stitched Spot of Winter and Spring ages ago but still have Summer and Autumn to go.  So they are both on my board for this year.  HOWEVER, May is also the month for my Just Nan-athon so I'm not sure how I will fit this one into the rotation.