Since the last update I picked up the Woodland Sampler from the framer. I think he made a smashing job of it. I chose a wooden frame and double mount in cream and green. The framer gave me several nudges in the right direction as to what colours etc. to choose. I paid extra for art glass which is so much clearer than other picture glass. I’ll be living with this sampler for a long time so it’ll be worth the cost. I’ve just noticed the left hand green border looks odd compared to the rest. It’s fine, I checked. The window is on the left of the picture and the double thickness border has created a shadow. Phew!
I haven’t hung it on the wall yet because I’m going to have a switch around of all my pictures. They’ve been part of the furniture for so long that I don’t even see them any more. It’s time for change.
Now it’s time to introduce my new SAL project. I’ve chosen one of the Roll Your Own designs from Ink Circles. My other half bought the charts for Christmas a few years ago and I’ve been itching to stitch one for ages. My friend Claire introduced me to Ink Circles a long time ago. We’ve stitched some of the designs together for this SAL including Cirque des Cercles. There are links at the right of this page if you’re interested.
This is the charts I have. There are 2 large and one small design in the pack. The Ink Circles charts are always very clear and easy to read so this is going to be an easy project to stitch.
I’ve decided to make the design at the top and I’ll be using fabric and threads from my stash. The design is all full crosses so I’m using white 16 count aida and lots of leftover threads, some of which came from my lovely friend Lin when she decided she wouldn’t be cross stitching any more. Thank you again Lin!
Tracy, the designer, gives advice on how to choose your own colours as well as lists of threads for the versions on the cover photo. If I run out of a certain colour I’ll be able to substitute with something else. I’m stash busting :-). Anyway, I’ve chosen purples (who would’ve guessed?), greens, teals and blues plus black for the borders.
Ready to start. I love the needle holder. I’m still using the needle case you made for me Claire :-).
This is how far I got with the black border. There’s a lot of counting to do but the chart is so good that it’s very easy to stitch.
I think it’s going to be fun when I start to fill in the colours but I’m going to finish all the black first. It’s not a huge design.
If you’ve been in this SAL for a long time you’ll remember MaryMargaret. She took a very long break but is now ready to get back to stitching along with us. Welcome back MaryMargaret.
Please check out what everyone has been up to by clicking their names below. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences as we’re posting today at local time.
Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny,
Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie, Cindy, MaryMargaret
Our next updates will be posted on the 18th September 2022.
About the SAL
Please note this SAL is not accepting any more new members until further notice but this is what it’s all about anyway. 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.
Sewing Beside the Sea 
