Needlework Days - May 2012

Needlework Days at Feisty Tapas is back, and this month I have some progress to report! After not quite managing it last month, this month I have finished the bottom half of the sampler and made a start on the top half. There are still some gaps for the text and dates which will be added in at the end, but apart from that it's finished. It's nice to be starting the top half. It's a bit like having a whole new sampler to work on, as apart from the border it is very different. I'm also enjoying working on the inscription.

I'm afraid that my contributions to Needlework Days may end up being rather samey, as I only work on one piece at a time. This is because I know how easy it is to build up a stash of different patterns and kits, and I would never have time to complete them all, so I hold back from buying more.

This month I'm also sharing a picture of my thread stash, such as it is. I'm sure that fellow stitchers and crafters can relate to the excitement I felt when I purchased this thread storer from Hobbycraft a few years ago. I had such a great time neatly winding all the thread onto the bobbins. I made a lot of friendship bracelets as a teenager so some of the threads come from then. There are also leftovers from various kits, and some of it I'm sure has been "borrowed" from my Mum at various times. Because I tend to work from kits with everything included I don't need to keep all the different colours on hand, so I use these for other little things that I make.

I'm already eyeing up my next kit, which is a bit naughty because I know that I've got a long way to go on this one yet. I'm thinking about an old map design, as a bit of a change from samplers and because I also love maps. Has anyone else seen any other nice map cross stitch kits or patterns out there?

UPDATE - I finished the Three Things sampler in March 2014! You can see a photograph of the finished sampler here - Moira Blackburn Three Things sampler completed.