FLASHBACK NEEDLEWORK - "Birds of a Feather" by Fanci That

 Another one from the fall decorations bin.  

 Pattern: "Birds of a Feather"

Designer:  Fanci That

Fabric: 28 count Linen 'Raw'

Threads:  as charted

Crow Button from chart pack kit purchased at The Needle Nest

Corner buttons are vintage from my mom's buttonbox

Finished as a wall hanging with Debbie Mumm "Sunflowers - black" fabric

c. 1995

FLASHBACK NEEDLEWORK - "Halloween Needleroll" by Shepherd's Bush

When I was putting away the Halloween decorations a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I hadn't shared this one.   Stitched and finished in 3/2000.

May I say that these are hard to photograph.  The cylinder shape means that it won't stay put without propping it up on something and you also can't get all the motifs to show at the same time.   

Center

Left

Right

All materials from the SB kit plus the ends are lined with plain black quilting cotton.   

These are fun little mini band samplers usually with a charm or button(s).  I have half a dozen finished ones and three still in the stash.   

I'll try to take photos of the finished ones as they come out for display this year.  And I'm thinking about pulling one of the remaining kits out once I finish the Garden Santa ornament to put into the 'modern' slot.

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 16, 2025 AND Rotation #7, Slot #1 (Modern) Changeover

 With the finishing done on both the Boo Scissor Keeper Fob and the Butterfly etc Doorhanger (links to FFO posts), the Modern slot on this rotation has come to an end.   And since both the Modern projects got done, I have to choose a new project and get it set up.   It's been a while since I did one of the perforated paper Santas and they are easy to set up so I looked through the five that are in the stash and picked the one I had chosen to represent my dad.  He was a US Air Force veteran of the Pacific theater in WWII, a teacher and librarian, but also a certified Master Gardener.  Since he did the work on that certification after I was already away at college, I'm not sure what all went into that, but he was very proud of it.

This is the "Garden Santa" by Sandra Cozzlioni when she worked for Willmaur, before she moved to Mill Hill - so no beads or buttons on this one.  (Though honestly, I'm eyeing the center of that big sunflower to maybe add some bling from the stash!)  

I have already sorted the floss and it's ready to go when this slot comes up in the next rotation.   Moving this one out of the stash list to active project status gets me to under 90 projects fully kitted in the stash without increasing the WIP count!   It's been a very productive couple of weeks on the needlework front!

(ETA:  here's a page with all the kitted projects and the ones I would like to kit once the stash has been whittled down a bit more.)

For Slot #2 of the rotation (Historic), I've pulled out the Blackbird Design "To All a Good Night" next.  The latter part of this week, I put in about 4 hours on this project.  A bunch of those stitches were the mortar on the bricks between the roofline and the top windowsills.   The WDW "Oak" blends into the fabric, but in person, you can see the texture of the stitching.  It's just not very impressive in a photo.

I'm well stuck into the brick facade of that tall, not so skinny house, with the space for the floral swag over the front door starting to show up in the partial bricks.   I'm only at 48% on this project, so I doubt I'll get the stitching completed before Christmas next month.  Especially since I have a bunch more finishing that I want to get done by the end of the year.  

But progress is progress.  I'm not particularly a 'seasonal' stitcher (my tiny foray into Halloween over the last couple of weeks notwithstanding).  I have no problem on working on a Christmas piece year-round, for example.  Finishing each slot in the rotation is more important to me, to be honest.  Hopefully you all won't mind seeing things 'out of season' as I work through them.

Linking up with the folks from the SSS crew - here's a link to this week's roundup.

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK and FFO - "Boo Scissors Keeper" Fob by The Drawn Thread

I'm on a roll!  The next finish!  This was my birthday start for 2025, just a little cute something to scratch the Halloween itch.

Pattern: "Boo Scissors Keeper"

Designer:  The Drawn Thread

Fabric: 36 count Edinburgh Linen by Picture This Plus in color 'Sand'

Threads:  DMC as charted

Beads and Button from chart pack kit

Cording: DMC 310

 

Stitches:  Cross stitch two over two and one over two, double running & back stitch as charted (added outline to ghost motif), Herringbone Stitch (cat's tail), Satin Stitch (candy corn), modified Jessica Stitch (bat)

 

Started 10/22/2025, needlework completed 10/12/2025, finishing completed 11/13/2025

Time approx 6.5 hours

Backing fabric - crescent moon fabric from the kit

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK and FFO - "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees" Doorhanger by Just Nan

This project was an online class from Tapestry of Dreams from 2001. 

Pattern: "Butterflies, Blossoms and Bees"

Designer: Just Nan - class exclusive

Fabric: 28 count Cashel Linen by Zweigart in color 'Lilac'

Threads:  AVAS Sole d'Alger silks as charted

Beads and charms from class kit

Cording: DMC 3042

 

Stitches:  Cross stitch two over two and one over one, double running and back stitch as charted, Smyrna Cross, Mosaic Stitch, Satin Flowers, Plaited Stitch border, Round Eyelet, Pulled 4-sided Stitch, Small Triple Leviathan Stitch

 

Started 5/4/2025, needlework completed 10/13/2025, finishing completed 11/11/2025

Time approx 44 hours

Backing fabric - purple paisley from the quilting stash

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 9, 2025 AND Rotation #6, Slot #4 (Not Counted Thread) Changeover

With the finish on the "Floral Tote" (link to the FFO post), it's time to choose a new 'not counted thread' project.   I have five candidates.

1) The cutwork tablecloth that matches the napkins that I did back in 2021.   It is 'only' card table sized, but considering how long the one and a half napkins took, I'm putting it off.

2) The cutwork runner that I re-booted in 2023.  I do want to do this one since I have the matching piece finished.

3) The "Bateau Bayeux" crewel class.   

4) The "Leafy Tree" surface embroidery class.

5) A vintage German needlepoint that was a gift from my late mother-in-law.

I feel really guilty about all of these - classes I paid for and never started; multi-project sets only half done.  But I'm choosing to do the needlepoint first.  The reason is that it's by far the most awkward to store.   Even rolled up, it doesn't fit in the 'stash' bin.   There's no stitch plan or cover photo with the canvas, though the threads are there.  But I think I'll just do it in the 1960s style of all Continental Stitch.   

I've done some Google image searches, and it seems as if several German needlework companies used this artwork as the basis for kits over the years.   "Old Farmhouse" is the title translation.  Most of the ones I could find on Etsy had very little additional information, but they all seemed to consider this style and design as "Vintage".  Oma brought it back from visiting her brother and his family in Germany in either 1987 or 1988.   But it was a thrift find then, so may well date much older.

I need to get some stretcher bars to set it up for the next time this slot comes around, and I need to sort the yarns for it, too.

The finish on the Floral Tote also completed Rotation #6 for the year.   There's enough time to squeeze in one more round, I think.

So Modern Slot up first - two projects in it.  The finishing on the Just Nan "Butterflies" doorhanger and then continuing on my birthday start of the Drawn Thread fob.   

I got the charm attached to "Butterflies", selected a backing fabric and got everything cut out.  Today's task is to decide on a cording color and make the cording.  Since I'll have everything out, I think I'll make black cording for the "Boo" fob, too.

Linking up with the SSS crew (current round-up here).

FINISHED NEEDLEWORK and SEWING PROJECT - Floral Tote Bag

 This FFO counts as both Needlework (for the embroidery) and Sewing (for the zipper and lining). 

This project was given to me with all the materials by a co-worker when her sister passed away.  The sister was a needleworker and I purchased most of her DMC thread stash, and Wilma delivered it to me in this unfinished tote.   

Designed and produced by Fairway Needlecraft Co.  Item #71654.  The price sticker is from Ben Franklin, which left this area around 1995.  OLD Stash!

I used the tutorial from Notches Sewing for the zipper and the one from Sewingly Carol (#6) for the lining with a box bottom.  (Both links to the YouTube tutorials.)

The zipper and lining turn this into a project bag with handles - very useful.  I used a 16-inch / 40.5 cm #5 jacket zipper from Amazon (not an affiliate link).

The lining fabric is quilting cotton in a solid lilac color from the stash.  Left over from a project when JC was a baby!  Eventually even 40-year-old fabric has its moment LOL.