Click for a closeup view

This is week 3 of my Randje per week SAL. If you check this against week 2 post you can see that this is actually version 4! I left only 2 spaces between the bands and thought it looked a little crowded so I turned the band upside down and started again leaving 3 spaces. I am now quite happy with this version and will add to it each weekend when the pattern is released by Simone. You can also see 3 letters - ETH - have been added to the side band - these are the first 3 letters of my grandmother's name. I have posted about my grandmother before - can you remember her full name?

For further information of this SAL go *here*

Jane of  Jayne's Stitching Tales sent me a picture of her beautiful finish of Sew Advent. It is stitched on 28ct natural linen band using DMC threads. Thank you Jayne for sharing your Sew Advent.

If you have a Sew Advent, or indeed, any iStitch Designs finish, please send me a picture together with a note of fabric and threads used and a blog link if you have one. My email address can be found on my profile.

Thanks for visiting

Take care

Click for a closeup view

Last post I showed version 2 of my Randje per week SAL and this post shows version 3. I'm glad I purchased 2 metres of the banding because, rather than unpicking these tiny stitches, I could start yet again. So, on re-stitching, I moved bands 1-3 over to the left of the banding leaving a wider margin to the right where I have inserted 2014 sideways on. I have plans for the rest of this margin area which will be revealed in the next few weeks. Week 2 was released last Saturday so I have added bands 4-6. The scissors, which show how tiny this piece is, are hand-made by M Roulot of Nogent.

For further information of this SAL go *here*

Cornelia recently sent me a picture of her Sew Advent. It is stitched on 40ct raw Newcastle linen with Needlepoint Inc Silk threads in white, red and green. Beautiful stitching Cornelia - thank you for allowing me to post your picture.

If you wish to share your pictures of any iStitch Design please email them to me, together with details of fabrics and threads used and a blog link if you have one. My email address can be found on my profile.

And for those who love scissors:

iStitch Designs now has a Facebook page *here* where you can post your finishes and see old and future designs. There is also a link on the sidebar so please visit and, if you wish, join the group!

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January 4 saw the start of the Dutch SAL Randje Per Week *here* and there is a Facebook page *here*. There are, I think, some 600+ participants of this SAL. I decided to stitch this on the banding as suggested by Simone but it's 28ct and those of you who know me know how much I prefer miniature so this project seems enormous! I do have 3" and can easily get the 4¾" banding from Sew and So but without the red edging so I may re-start this. This SAL is a year long weekly project which will, at the end, produce a 2m long band which I am planning on mounting on wood rods with finials. I will then roll it up and tie with a heavy twisted cord and keep in my sewing box. As I am not sure how I will finish the back I am trying to keep the back as neat as possible. I purchased the red-edge banding from Soed Idee and am using DMC 498 and stitching 2*2. There is a secondary colour to be used and I am undecided whether to use blue DMC 336 of DMC Blanc. 

Just before Christmas a friend of my daughter asked me if I would stitch the above verse in commemoration of the year's anniversary of the still birth of her first grand-son and this is what I did. I have no idea where the verse is from or who wrote it and if anyone recognises it I would be happy to give credit. It's stitched 1*1 on 36ct white linen with HDF BeGrimed for the words and the butterfly bodies and Woad Blue 2407 for the butterfly wings.  

Kati of Threads, Thoughts and Other Notions  stitched Sew Advent in the recent iStitch Designs SAL. They are both stitched on the same fabric, 28ct foggy morning jazlynn by the crafty kitten. The threads used... DMC 815, 3362 and then ecru for one, and B5200 for the other. Thank you Kati for allowing your lovely stitching to be showcased!

If you have finished your Sew Advent or, indeed, any other iStitch Design which you would care to show here, please send me a picture, together with details of fabrics and threads used and a blog link if you have one. My email address can be found on my profile.

Two new iStitch Designs have been stitched and the charts prepared. I only need to 'finish' the models for the frontsheet picture and I can then release them for sale.  

I've also finished stitching Camille Jullien which is the SAL I was stitching on 64ct uneven weave linen with Tudor silk thread.  Instead of turning out oblong it turned out square but I'm happy enough with it and will post a picture as soon as I frame it. 

Barbara of Luv2Stitch2 sent me a picture of her colour version of Sew Advent. It is stitched on 36ct cream Edinburgh linen using HDF silk threads in Baneberry, Imperial Green 3337 for the holly and the year, Fagales 4463 for the reindeer and OMG Red 1149 for the heart. She also added Mill Antique Seed bead #3049 and tiny jingle bells. 

Maureen (no blog) also used HDF silk threads in white, red and green (unknown shades) and her linen was 40ct Frosted Café by Sassy's Fabbys. Instead of adding a bead for the reindeer nose she stitched a tiny French knot.

A big thank you to Barbara and Maureen for allowing me to show their lovely stitching and I look forward to seeing their 'final' finishes!

Sew Advent is now available as a complete chart *here* or by clicking on the CHARTS button on the sidebar. It will also be available at LNS (US only) shortly.

Thanks for visiting

Take care

This one is stitched by Brenda of Time 2 Xstitch on 40ct raw linen using the recommended Needlepoint Inc silk threads. 

This was stitched by Caroline (no blog) from my Stitch-n-Bitch group on 30ct natural linen banding with Splendor S820, Silk-n-Colors Forest and white Krenik silk threads which she finished as a bell pull.

Claudia decided to stitch monochrome with a Hand Dyed Fibers red silk thread on a golden linen.

Melissa used Icicle, Collards/Baker Apple on 28ct Silkweave Quaker cloth.

Michelle of Stitchcraft Place used unknown hand dyed threads on 32ct raw linen. 

Penelope stitched on raw linen with white, red and green threads and finished as a hemstitched bell pull. 

Robin used NPI white, HDF in Rubbed Dark Red and Rubbed Evergreen silk threads on 32 count sage jobelan.

Last but certainly not least - Rowyn of Stitching Under the Southern Cross used DMC threads on 35ct linen hand dyed with tea and coffee. 

I am glad this is not a competition as there is no way that I could chose from these beautiful versions of Sew Advent! Each stitcher has made this sampler their own by adding their initials, a name, choosing their own linen and threads and a slight alteration here and there - I love them all. Thank you ladies for allowing me to showcase your stitching and if there are any other finished Sew Advents out there, I would love to showcase them too. Please email me a picture, together with a blog link if you have one and details of fabrics and threads used. My email address can be found on my profile.

I have been asked if I have anything planned for next year. I certainly have something in mind ;-) so keep visiting. 

For those of you who didn't sign up for the SAL, Sew Advent is now available *here* or by clicking on the CHARTS button on the sidebar. 

Thanks for visiting

Take care

Day 18 of Sew Advent SAL.

Band 18 is the second part of the band between Dividing Bands 16 and 17 and is stitched in regular cross stitch. Dividing Band 17 is stitched in Montenegrin Stitch.

Rowyn of Stitching Under the Southern Cross sent me a picture of her version of Sew Advent stitched with DMC threads on 35 count fabric that she coffee and tea-dyed. Check out her blog - she has the most adorable baby girl - Annabelle! Thank you Rowyn for allowing me to post your work here.

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Take care 

Day 17 of Sew Advent.

Band 17 is one third of the band between Dividing Bands 16 and 17 and is stitched in regular cross stitch - note the red accent stitches. Dividing Band 17 is stitched in Montenegrin.

Anyone have any progress pictures to share please?

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Last night I had a dream which started off with helping a Dutch lady to round up two chickens and the most strangest looking dog that had escaped from her garden but upon returning the said animals to her garden ... there on a garden table sat the most wonderful sampler I have ever seen. I asked her whether she had stitched it and she replied that she had stitched the bottom section - a pictorial scene featuring a lady and gentleman in period costume. The sampler was stitched on a very very fine linen with the most tiniest of stitches and had both colour and whitework sections. I can still see it in my mind's eye but I know it will disappear at some point - if only I could take a photo!   If only I could reproduce it!

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Day 16 of Sew Advent SAL. I cannot believe how quickly the days are going! I hope that those of you who are 'stitching along' are enjoying it and that those of you who are 'watching' are too?

Band 16 is stitched in regular cross stitch and Dividing Band 16 is stitched in Montenegrin Stitch.

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Day 15 of Sew Advent.

Band 15 is stitched in regular cross stitch whilst Dividing Band 15 is stitched in Herringbone Stitch. 

Come on stitchers - share your pictures!

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Take care