Here is my SAL update on the Cut Thru Garden Shed cross stitch kit. Designer credits are here. If you need a reminder of how it’ll all turn out in the end, you’ll find a photo in this post.
This is where I was up to last time.
Gardening is becoming one of my favourite pastimes so far this year. I was worried about my sunflowers last time and I’m pleased to report that they’ve all survived the slugs and snails who’ve been having a party here every night due to all the recent rain. Their fun and games is being curtailed by the hedgehogs who are being very well fed this year! So far, the wood pigeons have also left the sunflowers alone. Hurray! Anyway, I grew loads of flowers last year with great success so I’m trying a few veg in a new raised bed this year. I can feel a courgette glut coming on already.
All the gardening means I didn’t have lots of time to cross stitch but this was an easy square to do so I met my target again this time. Here it is.
This is how it looks with the back stitching completed. Every shed needs a warm stove.
Both Connie and Debbierose are taking a break from the SAL for a while. Hopefully they’ll be back soon. Please enjoy the latest updates from the rest of the group by clicking the links below. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences. Posting takes place every third Sunday, local time. Our next updates will be posted on the 30th June 2019.
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Catherine, Deborah, Clare, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, Sharon
About the SAL
This SAL (Stitch Along) is slightly different to other SALs in that we don’t all stitch the same design at the same rate. We choose ONE unfinished project, or ONE new one, and show progress of its completion over a series of three weekly updates. There are no deadlines and no set amount to stitch. The result is that the space in our drawers full of WIPs (works in progress) is gradually being freed up to store lots of new crafty goodness. It’s surprising how much motivation I’ve gained from being in this SAL. If you’d like to finish a project you’ve left unfinished for a while, or start a new one with us, you can join us by leaving a request in the comments below or sending me an email. The address is on the right of this page. I’ll send you a few simple rules to agree.
Sewing Beside the Sea 
stitchingranny
/ June 9, 2019Gosh Avis, this one looks almost plain :o) compared with the normal busy squares you do. Think, weather allowing, we are all spending more time in the garden than stitching at the moment.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Yes, it was a quick square to stitch. I’m loving the garden at the moment 🙂
claire93
/ June 9, 2019ooohh all ready for a cup of tea and tenis racket ready for Wimbledon!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Yes, it won’t be long. My favourite player just won the men’s final at the French Open so I’ll be cheering him along at Wimbledon too.
Pyros & Patch
/ June 9, 2019Hi Avis! The temperatures are perfect for garden work! I posted the photos of the carrot flowers. Beautiful details that can be seen on the embroidery as it goes! Good cross-stitch and good summer!
Carmela
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Yes, the weather is beautiful here today again but we’re going to have heavy rain for the next couple of days. That will be a good time to do more stitching 🙂
kathyreeves
/ June 9, 2019This time of year is soooo busy in the garden! Wishing you lots of fresh cucumbers and pickles too!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019I’m not growing any cucumbers because I don’t like them. I don’t like courgettes very much either but I tried my daughters chocolate courgette cake last week and I think I could easily be converted 🙂
ccflo3
/ June 9, 2019This is so cute. Love seeing your progress on this each time
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Thanks. I’m pleased with how it seems to be coming along with not too much effort.
Carole
/ June 9, 2019I see the kettle’s on 🙂
I may have a courgette glut this year too. The seeds I bought were a pack of six different varieties. I couldn’t plant just one of each, ’cause they might have been lonely so I now have twelve plants LOL
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Oh dear! You’re certainly going to be overun with courgettes. I managed to give 3 of my 8 plants away. I’ve now got 2 under cover which I expect will do well and the other 3 are in poor soil outdoors. I don’t mind if they don’t produce. If you like chocolate cake, you might be grateful for the chocolate courgette cake recipe on the BBC Good Food web site. It’s delicious!
Carole
/ June 10, 2019I grow mine in containers, in well manured compost and they always do well LOL
I shall look up that cake recipe. I have made a very nice courgette cake with cream cheese frosting, and I love courgetti, roast courgettes and raw courgettes in salad. (less watery than cucumber) I think I’ll be making a lot of things for the freezer again this year though 😉
lbick
/ June 9, 2019Love the stove and kettle. Yes every shed should have both in it. Glad your sunflowers are doing well.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019The sunflowers are better than I could have dreamed for. They’ve all got a bud and I don’t think it’ll be long before I have my mini field of gold 🙂
lbick
/ June 11, 2019That is great. I love sunflowers, they are my favorite flowers. I have tried growing them and had some luck, but the bunnies in our area like to eat them so it’s hard. Enjoy yours.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 11, 2019Bunnies…that’s one pest I don’t think we have!
lbick
/ June 11, 2019😀 We are high up in the mountains in the summer. We don’t have many bug pest, but the bunny population has exploded and they are a pest. We also have deer that like to eat my flowers. 😀
gingerninjacrafts
/ June 9, 2019Your cross stitch is coming on great, I love seeing what will be in the next bit of the shed each time the SAL comes along. Good luck with your courgettes, we didn’t have a great crop last year but I’m hopeful for a better year this year, so far the slugs don’t seem to have been as bad as last year (famous last words, I’ll get up and everything will be eaten over night, lol!!)
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019That’s the trouble with slugs! I’m going to sink some jam jars with beer into the veg bed in the next couple of days. We’re overun with snails as well. So far, so good with the crops but I know how they can ruin everything overnight. No chance of growing potatoes in the ground here but I saw a Youtube video last week of someone grow them in “bags for life” and another guy who has a bucket garden. I could go on and on as I’ve suddenly got the gardening bug and can’t get enough of it!
gingerninjacrafts
/ June 18, 2019Hehe, me too! Having been a flat dweller for many years I’m loving having my own space to grow things. We got bags to grow potatoes this year and they have lots of greenery although no flowers yet so fingers crossed there are some tatties growing nicely in there! Maybe I’ll try the beer jam jars in my veg boxes (although hubby might not be up for sharing his pint with the slugs!! x
wybrow1966
/ June 9, 2019A warm stove, cup of tea, comfy chair and ginger biscuits!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Now you’re talking. Ginger biscuits are my favourites!
nwpaintedlady
/ June 9, 2019The garden has been calling along with your garden shed ~ you really did get a lot done. There is so much detail your work and all done so beautifully. Love your project! Sharon
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019The sewing and the real gardening have been so much fun. It’s lovely to have a red hot shower after all the gardening work and then settle down to stitch with a cuppa afterwards 🙂
Jocelyn Thurston
/ June 9, 2019Love how the whole vignette here is slowly emerging.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019The squares are my way of setting a target. I like to work on lots of things so I just do one square on the shed and then I feel free to do whatever I like. I need the discipline of a target even though I set it myself.
Renee
/ June 10, 2019Fabulous progress! It looks great and I love the tea kettle addition. I am so glad to hear your sunflowers are doing well.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019I’m over the moon with my sunflowers. In fact, I’m totally smitten with gardening at the moment.
rutigt
/ June 10, 2019Of course, every shed needs a warm stove 🙂 We also have a lot of snails in our garden! Good luck with your gardening 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 10, 2019Thank you. I’m very enthusiastic at the moment because it’s going really well and it’s so nice to be out in the fresh air. Maybe that will change if I have a disappointment or the snails and slugs decide to have a party.
Lindashee
/ June 10, 2019You’ve made decent progress despite the time spent gardening !
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 11, 2019It’s such an easy project to do 🙂
marymargaretripley
/ June 11, 2019I love watching the progress on this!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ June 11, 2019I love stitching it too 🙂