I’m introducing my new SAL project today. It’s another cross stitch kit and a change of style for me this time. Here it is:
As you can see from the packet, it’s an Anchor kit of a design called Highlands Landscape. My sister bought it for me for my birthday last year. She likes to keep me out of trouble. I love the picture because the Scottish Highlands is one of my favourite places to visit. I could happily live there but unfortunately the Highland midge finds me far too tasty so that isn’t going to happen!
The design finishes at at 5.5 x 12.5 inches which isn’t huge but it’s full coverage and there’s a lot of confetti stitching as well as blended shades which use two different threads at once.
I’ve enlarged the chart as usual and chopped it up into 21 squares of about 30 x 30 stitches each. I’m going to try and complete 3 of those squares for each SAL update. The top half has hardly any back stitched detail but the foreground has a lot so it could take 8 or more updates to complete.
I started at the top left corner. Some of the stitches are just diagonals and others are full crosses, giving a little bit of texture to the clouds. The photo doesn’t show it very well.
By the time I started the second square I was getting more used to changing from half to full crosses so I didn’t have to unpick as much.
Here’s the first 3 squares finished.
It’s been fun to stitch something completely different. I always enjoy the starts and finishes most of all. The biggest challenge this time will be keeping up the pace I’ve set myself. I know I don’t have to finish this much every time but when I set myself a challenge…
Please enjoy the latest SAL project updates from the rest of the group by clicking the links below. Several members are starting or restarting a new SAL project today. I can’t wait to see what they’ve chosen. 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 5th January 2020. Yes, 2020!!!
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Linda, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Jenny, Carmela, Jocelyn, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie
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 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 
witchylin
/ December 15, 2019This one is a nice change for you. I like it very much.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Yes, the colours at the top are almost like watercolour paints.
Avril Baxter
/ December 15, 2019Love the scene. I quite enjoy single and double threads and combining colours and the piece isn’t too large. At the moment my main piece is Sarah Brazier from Hands across the sea samplers and it is huge.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Thank you and welcome to the blog. I’m enjoying doing something different this time. Your sampler is very pretty! You must have a lot of patience :-).
claire93
/ December 15, 2019this is a lovely design Avis . . . all those gorgeous purples yet to come ^^
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019I know. What’s not to like, eh?
Helen Rowen
/ December 15, 2019I love, love, love, this one Avis. It really is my kind of stitching. I love the idea of cutting your patterns into working pieces and think this is something I may try as even doing one of those 30 x 30 squares each time would give me a realistic time frame. I just need to get my stitching mojo back, or maybe have more holidays as I seem to stitch more when I am away from home lol . xx
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019I think I started chopping up charts when I stitched the ABC Bears. It just seemed to make sense to do it that way, one letter at a time. I found I was less distracted if I couldn’t see the other letters as I stitched. I wouldn’t stitch any other way now. Lots of the charts are too small for me these days so it’s easy to enlarge, stick together with sellotape (on the back) and then chop into manageable sections. I like to clip the little chart to the edge of my fabric as well. If it takes more holidays for you to get your stitching mojo back, go for it!
craftycreeky
/ December 15, 2019It’s lovely, especially the blending of the colours in those hills 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Yes, I think they work really well and using the half stitches on the slopes was a good idea too.
Moira
/ December 15, 2019Love this one! And love the idea of enlarging the pattern and “cutting” into smaller units to make stitching easier. I have a couple of patterns from books that I’ve always wanted to make, this might be how they get done.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Thank you and welcome to the blog. I do all my cross stitching this way now and it works for me. If you do have a go, just fasten your mini chart to the edge of your fabric with a paperclip and away you go :-).
salpal1
/ December 15, 2019It’s a gorgeous piece! I also love the highlands, have only been there once, but my heart is there. 😉
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Thanks! Maybe your ancestors were Scottish. Scotland always feels like home to me 🙂
salpal1
/ December 16, 2019Some of them certainly were, though I suspect not as many as family lore would tell you. 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019You might have the same problem as me 🙂 I did some research on my Dad’s side a few years ago. My Grandmother always told everyone she was from the Forest of Dean. Sounds exotic doesn’t it? We all believed her. Turns out she was born just up the road from the rest of us!
salpal1
/ December 17, 2019Lol!!! My grandmother always said she was Clan MacDonald, and we have a humorous but healthy outlook when it comes to Campbells as a result. But when Mom and I were in Scotland some years ago, we went to the Clan Donald center on Skye, and there wasn’t a trace of our family name. So if there is a MacDonald connection, it goes back to some woman in the 1800’s or earlier. We didn’t know enough about the family line before then to check it out.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 18, 2019Tracing family history in Scotland can be tricky prior to 1800. Part of my family was from Fife and I only got as far back as that. It was still very interesting and worthwhile, finding out about the jobs they did etc. I read that records can be unreliable pre 1800 in Scotland because families had to pay fees for baptisms etc. to the kirk and many couldn’t afford it so they didn’t bother. Even for the ones who did get baptised, the person holding the ceremony wasn’t always literate which meant they had to wait until a scribe was available to write up the records. Sometimes they’d wait several days or weeks before doing the records so by that time the details were sometimes forgotten. I hope you can find out more about your family history if you’re interested in doing so.
salpal1
/ December 18, 2019That is interesting, I didn’t realize they had to pay for baptism. It’s always about money, isn’t it? I am interested, and hope to have time to really dig into it all someday.
Lindashee
/ December 15, 2019This new project looks absolutely wonderful !! Definitely a nice change of style, I personally love mixing full and half crosses, it looks silly at first but when an area is completed it’s like “oh wow, it does give it alot of texture”. Very good going, so much progress already !!! 😀
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Yes, I like the effect of the different stitches and I remember some of the really complex pieces you’ve stitched. I haven’t looked ahead on this chart but I suspect most of the half stitches are in the top half as that’s where the softer shades are.
kathyreeves
/ December 15, 2019Beautiful, and a great change of pace for you!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019A change is as good as a rest, so they say 🙂
Sharon
/ December 15, 2019This is absolutely a gorgeous! The colors in this are amazing and I am excited to see your progress on this. The sky already looks amazing!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Thank you. I think the sky looks like a watercolour painting. It’s been lovely to work with such delicate shades compared to the brights in the last project.
Pyros & Patch
/ December 15, 2019Beautiful new project ! It has sweet shades of color!
Carmela
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Thank you Carmela! I’m admiring your finished sampler. It’s beautiful and you completed it so quickly :-). Looking forward to seeing what you choose to do next.
Connie Butner
/ December 15, 2019This is such a beautiful piece. I love the sheep in the foreground! I can definitely see the texture created by the changing from half to whole cross stitch. It really adds quite a bit to the overall look of the piece.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019It’s quite a tranquil looking place isn’t it? I could sit there and stitch all day if the midges would leave me alone haha!
Renee
/ December 15, 2019Avis, what a fabulous gift! This is such a beautiful kit and you are off to a lovely start. It will be so much fun to watch it grow!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019It is! My sister always knows what I like 🙂 I’m enjoying it so far.
hettyanddaisy
/ December 15, 2019I love this project and the highlands but not the midges. I’ve never cut my projects into workable sections – I just start from the middle and work outwards.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Oh the dreaded midge! LOL Yes, I’ve worked the same way as you before and I’ll probably do so again some time.
magpiesue
/ December 15, 2019Oh, this *will* be a change. It’s going to be beautiful. I admire the way you’ve set out to accomplish the stitching – and the self discipline to carry it out!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 15, 2019Well that’s the plan. Hopefully it’ll be achievable 🙂
Christina
/ December 15, 2019Such an exciting project! The colors and stitches are so beautiful already 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019I love a new start so I’m very happy 🙂
marymargaretripley
/ December 15, 2019Wow you got a lot done Avis! We loved Ireland too when we visited this summer.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019I’ve never been to Ireland but I’d love to go. Maybe one day…
Jocelyn Thurston
/ December 16, 2019Love the look of this design…all those purples…heathers? Also intrigued by your method of sorting before stitching. Sounds like an excellent way to stay on track. Happy Stitching, Avis.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019Yes heathers and some thistles in the foreground as well. I always enlarge the charts, tape them on the back to make one big chart and then chop into manageable chunks. I use a paperclip to fasten the mini chart to the edge of the fabric and away I go 🙂 It works for me.
rutigt
/ December 16, 2019Ah, this is a beautiful embroidery! So sweet of your sister to give you that!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019She’s good to me 🙂 I’m really enjoying the change of style in this one.
Carole
/ December 16, 2019Oh that is such a lovely project and you’ve made such a good start. That’s a lot of stitches!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 16, 2019Yeah, I might have to adjust my target because most of this first stage was only half stitches. I’ll see how it goes.
teamwilsun
/ December 17, 2019Oh Avis, that’s so lovely! My husband and I married at Gretna Green and honeymooned in Scotland, so I really look forward to watching this project grow.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ December 17, 2019That’s lovely!!! I’ve been to the old blacksmith’s forge so I know exactly where you mean 🙂