A finish and a new start....she says...looking shiftily at the light fitting!

Helloooooo!

So...where to begin...ok, so...you still reading? Good. I shall continue...

I have decided to try an audio book and shall get that downloaded to the relevant device for starting next week and I shall reveal my choice then...its was a very scientific selection process...so...yeah....

I have also decided that I do need to read books more and so I am going to try for the next twelve months to dedicate the first weekend of every month to be my BWABWA. This is where I will try to read as much as I can during the weekend and report in on the following Monday with my progress. Feel free to join me...Oh! and if you are wondering what the catchy BWABWA stands for...

Buried With A Book Weekend...the A is just to make it easier to say...try it? Its fun, right?

Also, yesterday I had the lovely task of deciding what to stitch next, I had a day or two off and was raring to pick up my needle. I recently rediscovered some WIPS (Oooh! Aaaah!) that I thought (hoped?) were lost forever but on the plus side it did mean that I had more choice.

I came across a design that was almost finished..like almost...and decided maybe I could finish that...as I looked at it I remembered all the reasons that I hadn't finished it the first time around and the biggest reason was the composition, yes, the composition really did annoy me.

Remembering it all annoyed me further and so I decided to use this for something positive. I decided to finish it off in my own way and to use it in my yet-to-be-created-smalls-mediums-scrapbook, an idea that Justine mentioned on the Christmas Ornament SAL.

All in all I am happy with how it looks....

So here is what I was stitching originally....I apologise for the quality of the photos but it really brought out my petulance.

I bought this kit two years ago on a whim after seeing some other Gorjuss designs and thinking how cute they were. I was on holiday at the time and the LNS I went into was tiny and not nearly as large as a bathroom. It looks harmless enough, right? And I like it....for someone else...what is wrong with it I hear you cry...so I am hearing things now?! 

It started off ok, I stitched the girl first, everything but the backstitch, and then began work on the trees...then I looked at the picture....and thought....

Why is a young girl standing alone in the woods?

Why aren't the trees in the woods leafy because these look a bit creepy?

Why is she standing in a puddle? Its not a puddle its a shadow I think.

Do you think that she wet herself in fear?

Where are her shoes?

So those flowers are made from net and beads, hmmm, I think they are not so nice..or maybe the are, are they?

As you can tell, I really did read far too much into the picture that I was stitching, but the more I looked at the shadow the more it looked like a puddle and the more I looked at her feet the more I wondered where her shoes were! I began to wish I had chosen one of the other fab designs.

So yesterday when I picked it up to finish it, I remembered all these things, and decided to just wing it! So I had this to start with....

I stitched some back stitch on the hair, around the face and for the eyes and then finished by doing the outline of the dress and legs but I didn't line the socks.

I then added the heart button as a pendant and this is my end result...

I am happy for it to be in my scrapbook and looking at it makes me think that it may have been more of a reflection of my emotional state back then, feeling lost and alone and I really am glad that I now have a better use for it. 

I often see posts of peoples successes in stitching and their fabulous stitching etc. but have you ever had something that didn't go to plan? Maybe a design that you hated for no reason too? 

Before I go...I chose to start my new kit of the Indian lady....I opened it up and it comes with pre-sorted threads, a large colour pattern, 14ct fabric and two needles.

I decided to use the fabric provided even though the count is so high and the fabric itslef seems to be starched and feels almost like stitching on cardboard. I did think about washing it or using a different fabric but I have enjoyed of late stitching on plastic canvas and this is somewhere in between. The stiffness and sturdiness is actually what makes it ideal for a lunchtime work project too.

So here is the final design again to remind you...

Here is what I have stitched so far...

which is part of this corner...

and I almost forgot but the fabric edges have been sealed? stitched? hemmed? you know what I mean! lol

So, I am happy to be stitching this which I will rotate with Faery 66 and I have a skull to finish too! (about 2 years old as well and most likely for the scrap book) with IHSW being reserved for the Christmas Ornaments.

So how has your week been?