Of Needles, Pins & Stitching Things

The bird, the bear & the peacock....

2012-01-29T19:00:00.000Z

Thanks everyone for all your encouragement to just knuckle down and get stitching that bird. Ta-dah!! It's done. Mind you, I’ve realised that I’m not that into stitching larger areas with GA Maple Syrup. Maybe it’s the dyelot I have, but it sure didn’t feel like there was much variation when I was stitching with it (does look a little bit better in the picture) and, truth be told, I found it a dreary colour to stitch so much with. You can guess I was one happy camper when I put the final stitches in (I’ve just realised that I still need to stitch the eye so technically it’s not quite finished yet!!!). I like this bird better now that it’s done but isn’t that always the way.

My one stitching commitment this year is to stitch something Christmas-related each month. My aim is to have a selection of PS santas and some ornaments by the end of this year. This month I started off with a PS santa…..

From PS booklet #88 Old World Santas II. Stitched on 32ct natural light linen & suggested DMC

The only thing that is slightly freaking me out is the bear’s eyes! Can you see the crazy bear stare?!?!?!?! Of course, now that I’ve noticed it, I can’t stop seeing that every time I look at it! The fabric in the background is what I used for the backing.

I recently won a giveaway that Sally was holding on her blog. I’m one of those people who rarely win anything so it was the loveliest surprise when I heard from Sally to say that I’d won the BBD chart, Peacock Pinkeep. It arrived a couple of days later and showing huge self-control I resisted putting BBD LF Autumn to one side but did allow myself to plan what threads I would use to stitch it and now have it all kitted up and ready to go. I want to stitch it with more of a red so I’ve pulled out Belle Soie Poison Apple to go alongside the Tortoise Shell and will see how that works. Thank you Sally and, if any of you aren’t familiar with her lovely blog, click here or follow the link for Stitchyangel’s Treasures in my blog list on the right.

Okay, enough ramblings from me for today. Stitching plans this coming week include working on Christmas Garden again. I’m itching to get a bit more done on this one. Seems like quite a few of us are stitching it and I’m enjoying seeing everyone’s progress. Other than that, enjoy what’s left of the weekend!

Until next time……

Stitching goings-on around here

2012-01-18T14:04:00.000Z

Hi everyone! Time for an update I think. Stitching goings-on around here have mostly been me stitching on BBD’s LF Autumn and Christmas Garden when I get the chance. I picked Christmas Garden up again a couple of days ago and this is where I’ve got too.

As for BBD’s LF Autumn, I need to get started on stitching the large bird but have to admit that it’s not filling me with much enthusiasm at the moment so there's been more than a little bit of procrastination going on.

Time to knuckle down and just get on with it! I do want to spend a few more days on Christmas Garden before picking this one up again but, hopefully next time I blog, I’ll have the bird completed. The Winter chart arrived through my letterbox a couple of days ago and I'm full of enthusiasm to stitch that part so I'm hoping that that's going to be the added incentive I need to focus the mind on some bird stitching!

Until next time!

New Year, new start .. just not on the 1st....

2012-01-06T14:44:00.000Z

Hi everyone! New Year, new start? Not quite…… I had plans, January 1^st I was going to put the first stitches in BBD’s Christmas Garden (the chart and threads arrived with perfect timing on December 31^st) but I got a little sidetracked and only started this one yesterday.

I’m going with the suggested CC (loving Calico Kitty, first time I’ve used this colour) but have changed the fabric. In an attempt to start to work through my fabric stash I’ve gone with some 32ct Lakeside Linen. Not sure of the colour (note to self, start pining the name to fabrics!!!!) I’d err on the side of Examplar, maybe Light Examplar.

Something else that arrived with perfect timing. On December 24^th I received a lovely surprise in the mail from Carol at Stitching Dreams. Inside was the most gorgeous PS Santa stitched over one and some pretty fabric which will soon be put to good use! Others have talked about Carol’s over one stitching and how exquisite it is and I can certainly agree with them. It is just perfect and I was thrilled to be able to hang this ornament on our tree in time for Christmas. Thank you Carol! If any of you aren’t yet familiar with Carol’s blog do click here or you’ll find her in my sidebar, and go meet Carol and read her wonderful blog.

After Christmas I did go back to this one, my poor, neglected BBD LF Autumn.

I don’t think I’d put a stitch in it for almost a month and, given that the final part is now released, I reckoned I needed to get going on it again. Not much progress (can you tell there wasn’t much stitching going on in my house over Christmas and New Year?!) but having picked it up again I plan on trying to keep working on it and Christmas Garden (maybe 2012 is going to be the year I finally conquer rotation!).

As for New Year resolutions. I tend not to make them in my day-to-date life but I do like to set some stitchy ones. Only one monthly stitching commitment, and while it’s not going to be exclusively Christmas ornaments it will be on a Christmas theme. I’m thinking PS Santas and a couple of ornaments in the mix. I do want to try and show a little restraint as regards stash enhancement. Using more of the fabric from my stash is top of that list, resisting the ‘must have straightaway’ (online shopping is way too easy!!) urge and, if I don’t have a thread colour, check if there is an alternative I can use that I already have. Hmmmmm, lets see how I get with those ideas!

And so here we are into another year. I do want to say thank you to everyone for their continued visits to my blog, to those who take the time to leave a comment and for the encouragement and friendship that have been part and parcel of being a blogger. When I started I never imagined that anyone, other than a few people, would take time to drop by and it still amazes me that so many people pop in to see what I’ve been up too!

Hope all is well with you and yours. May 2012 be a year of health, happiness and lots of stitching!

Until next time ……

Resolution #3 - that monthly ornament one!

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000Z

Hi everyone! Time to share the Christmas ornaments that I’ve stitched through the year. I really don’t know what I was thinking back in January, there was definitely some over-enthusiasm for stitching resolutions going on, and I think it’s fair to say that in 2012 I’ll be making a resolution more along the lines of not thinking up three monthly stitching commitments! One will do nicely!

Here’s the one I stitched for this month. Part of a freebie chart which you can find here.

Stitched on some linen from my stash and DMC 815

And then, here's a recap on all twelve!

January – Bright Needle Love in a Manger

February – BOAF Santa from Memories of Christmas*

March – BOAF Christmas Tree from Memories of Christmas*

April – Homespun Elegance Blessings*

May – Homespun Elegance Merry Yule^

June – Prairie Schooler Christmas Tree from A Christmas Visit*

July – Little House Needlework Silent Night*

August – Samplerbird Stitchery Holiday Spirit^

September – Prairie Schooler Christmas Welcome from A Christmas Visit*

October – Shepherds Bush Merry Be^

November – Shepherds Bush Santa’s Fill

December – La Comtesse & le Point de Croix freebie found here

Those marked * finished by Deb of Artistic Needle

Those marked ^ finished by Karen of My Favourite Things

The rest? My own attempts at finishing!

Thanks for all the lovely comments you left about my PS 12 Days of Christmas. Even though I got a little carried away with resolutions this year I am pleased that I completed them all and love that this wreath is hanging in our home this Christmas.

DS#1 and DD arrived home yesterday and DS#2 was on a very early flight this morning from Newcastle and is now home. So, our house is full once again. It’s been a year since everyone has been home together and yet now that they are all here it seems like no time at all since last Christmas. So, we are settling in for several days of enjoying Christmas and hopefully I can get a little bit of stitching squeezed in there too! Whatever your plans for Christmas I hope you have a wonderful time.

Until next time ……

Resolution #2 - PS Twelve Days of Christmas

2011-12-18T13:23:00.000Z

Hi everyone! A second resolution completed…….

Yes, I’ve managed to keep on track with stitching the whole of the PS chart The Twelve Days of Christmas through this year. Never mind twelve days of Christmas, it pretty much took me twelve days to actually get these little pillows put together and on the wreath as I didn’t manage to set aside a day to sit down and work on getting them all assembled from start to finish.

But, it is now completed and I’m thrilled to have ticked another resolution off that list and to have this wreath hanging up for Christmas. I can’t take credit for the idea of putting them on a wreath and displaying them this way. I saw KarenV’s wreath on her blog last December and thought it was a perfect way to display these. All pictures are clickable if you want a closer look.

Back soon, still have the monthly Christmas ornaments to share now that I finally have the Christmas tree up! My ornament for December is stitched, just have to finish finish it and then I’ll be good to go. Thanks for all your lovely comments last time round on my Nikycreations pillows. Two resolutions down, one to go!

Until next time ……

One resolution down, two more to go.....

2011-12-08T11:04:00.000Z

Hi everyone! One of my resolutions way back in January this year was to stitch the little pillows from Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. I loved the idea of stitching one each month and that they would be little seasonal pieces to have on display. As you can see below I finished the December one a couple of days ago.

So, having managed to stitch all twelve here’s a little recap of each of them.

All of them were stitched on either 32ct lambswool or vintage country mocha using the suggested DMC threads.

All filled with rice.

Mostly my own interpretation of the little finishing touches.

And all them were fun, quick projects to stitch.

While we are very definitely into December and heading full-speed towards Christmas I do still need to share my November ornament! This one was stitched in November but the actual finishing crept into the first few days of this month.

This design is one of the shop exclusive kits from SB. I stitched this years ago but still had enough threads to do it again. I added the little stars on the stocking instead of the beads that were originally used. Stitched on a scrap of fabric from my stash.

Seems like these days most of my stitching is Christmas related. I need to get busy on an ornament for December (still have to decide on what I'd like to stitch for that!). Yesterday I pulled out the sewing machine and started putting the PS 12 Days of Christmas pillows together so, hopefully next time I blog I'll be sharing those. Hope all is well with you and yours. As always, thanks for dropping by!

Until next time.

Making a start......

2011-11-28T10:40:00.001Z

Hi everyone! Well, I’ve made a start on the latest BBD LF’s Autumn. Not much progress to share but it was good to pick this one up again. Given that we’re almost into December and that Christmas is looming on the horizon I’ve the feeling that this one may not get my full attention for a few weeks.

Next up are two of my recent finishes which I sent to KarenV to work her magic on. I asked her to finish DT Button Tree as a wall hanging and here it is….

Next up is GH’s Three Crows. Karen suggested using the wide ricrac round the edge and I love how it has turned out.

Thanks Karen! As ever, I’m thrilled with both of these finishes and thanks, not just for these two, but for the other pieces you have worked your magic on for me during this year!

Finally, guess who's finished stitching the blocks from PS 12 Days of Christmas! Ta da!!!!! Yes, I managed to stitch both #11 and #12 this month. The fabric in the background is what I plan to back all twelve with.

Now the hard part (for me!!). Finishing these as little pillows!! My plan is to attach them to a wreath but, who knows, that might change!!! I’m also seeing the possibility of them hung on a garland across the fireplace. All I do know is that I need to set aside a day to get these all put together. The stitching part has been fun, not so sure that the finishing won’t put years on me!!!!

Hope all is well with you and yours. Our daughter and her boyfriend got engaged two weeks ago and we are thrilled for them! Talk of a wedding in 2013 and, while that still seems some way off, I can see the time just flying in!

Until next time….

The latest stitching that's been going on around here

2011-11-17T10:18:00.001Z

Hi everyone! Time for an update I think! I was so close to finishing Quaker Christmas Tree Sampler when I ran out of thread. The closer I was getting to finishing this one the more I knew it was going to be tight but was keeping my fingers crossed that I’d have enough. Not so. I ran out when I’d only one motif left to stitch!!!! So, had to wait a few days until I was able to buy another skein but here it is, all finished.

Stitched on 32ct BOAF Sandpiper using suggested DMC

In taking so long to do a blog post I do have some other things to share. First of all, I received these back from Deb at Artistic Needle and once again she’s done a wonderful job. The LHN one is the ornament I stitched in July and the PS one was stitched in September.

LHN Silent Night and PS Welcome from Book #48 A Christmas Visit

Next up, the November pillow from Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. I enjoyed stitching this one. Those squirrels are definitely doing a happy dance at finding these acorns!

Nov pillow stitched on 32ct vintage country mocha using suggested DMC

And finally, the latest BBD LF chart has popped through my letter box so I’m looking forward to picking this one up again.

Until next time!

Seems to be a tree 'thing'....

2011-10-30T12:07:00.000Z

that I’ve got going on at the moment! DT’s Button Tree is finished and I’ll share a pic of that in a moment. First of all though, here’s a pic of my latest start. Yes, another tree, CHS Companion Quaker Christmas Tree Sampler to give it its full name…..

I’m stitching this on 32ct BOAF Sandpiper using the suggested DMC threads.

And here is DT’s Button Tree...

And …..

Stitched on 32ct Summer Khaki linen using suggested DMC and WDW Blue Spruce

If anyone has stitched this and is wondering where the birds at the bottom are? I decided against stitching them as I liked how the tree looked just standing on its own. I have to tell you though, it took me several days to decide on the button placement. I ended up leaving it laid out on the table and anytime I walked past I’d have a look and maybe change round a button or two. It does show you where to place them on the chart and which size goes where but I still found I needed to play around a little bit with them.

Guess what I’ve got caught up on?!?!?! Yes, I’m back on track with the PS 12 Days of Christmas blocks. Here’s #10….

Stitched on 32ct Natural Light linen using suggested DMC

Plan is to stitch the final two next month and get them all put together…..fingers crossed!!!

I can’t believe we’re nearly to the end of another month, and almost to the end of another year! Seems like 2011 has just flown by. Thanks for all the lovely comments you left last time and I hope that you’re all getting lots of stitching time in this weekend!

Until next time …..

One of those 'this 'n that' posts.....

2011-10-19T09:04:00.000+01:00

The only stitching that’s been going on with me lately has been bits and pieces. I’ve been keeping an eye out for news on the release of the next part of the BBD’s LF and seeing that it is now due out in a few weeks has had me holding off starting anything on the larger side. Getting on with the smaller stuff though does mean that I’m track with those things for this month. First up is this one, SB's Merry Be pin cushion.

Slightly on the large side to be considered as an ornament but hey, that’s how I’m looking on it - my Christmas ornament for this month! I have a great fondness for SB Christmas designs and this one was no different, I really enjoyed stitching it and working with the silks again. I can take no credit for the lovely finishing. This one I sent to KarenV and it arrived back home again on Monday. Thanks Karen for another great finishing job!

Then these two, the October chart from Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar and the next block from PS 12 Days of Christmas. I loved the colours in the little October pillow, those red apples just popped off the fabric! Block #9 of 12 Days of Christmas. My plan is to also stitch the 10^th block this month so, with a bit of luck, I should be back on track with these by the end of the month. The PS block is stitched using the suggested fabric (32ct natural light linen) and DMC threads. The little pillow is stitched on 32ct vintage country mocha and suggested DMC threads.

And in amongst those is a new start. DT’s Button Tree using the suggested fabric and threads – 32ct summer khaki and a mix of DMC and WDW.

Although it’s a couple of weeks ago now, thanks for all your good wishes for DS#1 and his running. It was a miserable, wet day but he finished the distance and he has definitely been bitten by the running bug and plans to keep doing it.

Thanks also for the lovely comments you left last time round on my finishes. You sure know how to make a girl feel good!!!

Until next time …..

Some September finishes

2011-10-01T11:09:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone! I’m so glad I persevered with the satin stitch border on Three Crows. Even though it was driving me crazy, once those basting stitches were in, it helped keep me straight. I finished it a couple of days ago so in time to list it as a September finish.

Goode Huswife Three Crows stitched on 32ct Puck by Elne of Lynnyn using suggested DMC

Thanks for all the nice comments left last time round on my wooden bobbin finish. Quite a few people asked about where I’d found the bobbin. I bought both it and the chart from Casa Cenina in Italy under the listing for Marie Suarez. I’ve had nothing but good experiences in ordering from this company so have no hesitation in recommending them to order from should you want to give them a go. You can follow the link above or click here.

It may be the first day of a new month but time for me to share my finishes from a couple of my monthly projects for September. Both Christmas related. First up is the ornament I picked for September from the PS chart A Christmas Visit. I stitched two from this booklet last year and pretty much love each design that’s in it so decided it was time to have another one stitched for this Christmas.

PS Christmas Welcome stitched on 32ct natural linen using suggested DMC

Then there’s my on-going PS 12 Days of Christmas blocks. This, as you can see, is #8 so I’m still running behind. Given that I really would like to have these all completed (and not just stitched but made into little pillows!) for this Christmas I need to switch up a gear and get back on track with them.

PS 12 Days of Christmas stitched on 32ct natural light linen using suggested DMC

As always, thanks for dropping by! Whatever your plans are for the weekend hope they are good. DS#1 is taking part in his first 10km run tomorrow, in Edinburgh. He took up running about 6 months ago and decided he needed to have something to aim for and signed up for that. So, we’ll be cheering him on from a distance and hoping it goes well.

Until next time ….

A froggy came a-calling….

2011-09-23T11:02:00.017+01:00

Let’s keep the whole ‘frog thing’ to later on in this post I think! First up? This one.

Marie Suarez Bobines Cherie stitched on 32ct natural and white using suggested DMC

I stitched this as a birthday gift and, as it has now been received, I can share it here. This was a fun stitch, first time I’ve attempted something like this and I thought it was a cute way to hold your scissors. The stitching is over one and attaching it to the wooden bobbin was much more straightforward than I thought. Now the little fob?!?!? That was a bit more fiddly but I got there!

Next up is my Christmas ornament for August. I did have this stitched in August but thought I’d wait and share until I had it all completed. This is Holiday Spirit by Samplerbird Stitchery and I sent it to KarenV to finish it in a tree shape for me. Another lovely job by Karen, this is how it looked when she returned it to me

and this is how I finished it…

Holiday Spirit by Samplerbird Stitchery (found here) on white 32ct with CC Bandana & Mill Hill beads

The little flowerpot I found in Hobbycraft when we were in England in July. I decided to keep going with the white and red theme so painted this white and attached the ribbon.

All was going well with Three Crows until I started the satin stitch border. Has anyone else stitched this one and found that the satin stitch border was a pain in the neck or was it just me?!?!?! Having frogged twice – now in reality I didn’t get that far each time, just a couple of triangles and then I’d discover I was ‘off’ – I realised that if I wasn’t going to be completely bald from tearing my hair out I needed to think about this logically and come at it from a different angle. I decided to do some basting lines and that has made my life much easier! This is what I did first of all.

A line for the top of the triangle, a line for where each triangle started and finished and then a line for the middle so I would know I was spot on for the longest satin stitch.
And this is where I am now (and hopefully the frog has gone on its merry way!) …

The basting lines have made all the difference so if you’re ever stitching this one and the satin stitch border is doing your head in, this might work for you too.

Another weekend almost here! Where do the weeks go?!?!?! Wishing you all a good weekend. Thanks for dropping by and I hope all is well in your part of the world.

Until next time …..

Crow love to start, quilt love to finish

2011-09-15T09:27:00.012+01:00

Some crow love going on around here with this one and yes, several of you guessed correctly last time, this is indeed Goode Huswife’s Three Crows. I'm stitching this on 32ct Elne of Lynnyn linen in Puck using the suggested DMC.

I’m planning on finishing this as a pillow and did start out thinking that I’d just stitch the crows and the alphabet and leave it at that. Now that I’ve reached that part I’ve changed my mind and plan on stitching the border of satin stitched triangles.

I’m still on track with stitching the little monthly pillows from A Primitive Calendar by Nikyscreations. So here is the one for September.

Stitched on 32ct Belfast Vintage Country Mocha using suggested DMC

This was a fun stitch, it reminded me of stitching all those quirky folk on CHS Sampler Folk last year.

Wouldn’t you love to waken up to this view every morning?

And what looks out on this view?

A quilt shop! Imagine having your very own quilt shop in your very own garden. That is exactly what this is, found down a country lane with farms and fields all around.
Recently the shop celebrated its 5th birthday so some friends and I took a bit of a road trip to join in the birthday celebrations. I was pretty good in restraining my spending, picked up some fabric that I think could work as the backing for the PS 12 Days of Christmas blocks, another piece of fabric that caught my eye and some lace trim. After that it was into the adjoining workshop for tea, coffee and home baked goodies! There were lots of lovely quilts on display that had been worked on in classes and workshops through the year.
So, having started with some crow love let me leave you with a little bit of quilt love with this ……
this ....

and this ....

Until next time …..

First part completed

2011-09-05T14:17:00.009+01:00

I was happy dancing a little bit last week as I put the final stitches in the first part of the current BBD’s Loose Feathers.

Stitched on 32ct Antique Ivory using the suggested overdyeds

It ended up that once I reached the alphabet I flew through that and now, here I am anxiously awaiting the second part being released so that I can get back to stitching on it!

Some more lovely finishing by KarenV to share this time round. I was so pleased with how she’d finished my BBD Glad Tidings that I asked her to do the same thing with CHS Her Sampler which I’d stitched last year and hadn’t got round to doing anything with. I loved this one so much when I stitched it so it was a shame that it was just lying in my finished pile and had been lying there for so long!

Stitched on 32ct cream linen using suggested DMC

Then there was the PS freebie ornament I’d stitched as my June Christmas ornament. I asked Karen to finish it with the contrasting red and green felt backing and I think this one turned out so cute!

Stitched on 32ct lambswool linen using suggested DMC

Another birthday has come and gone and I received this as part of a lovely birthday package from my stitching friend Leigh. I was thrilled when I saw this BBD pillow, I have admired this on many a blog but it was a chart that somehow never managed to make its way into my stash. Leigh also made this sweet scissor fob, isn’t it lovely?

Finally, a sneak peak at what I’ve started to stitch, back to one of my favourite designers. Recognise it anyone?!

As always, thanks for taking the time to drop by. Hope all is well with you and yours. Here we’re being warned that we’re in for some autumnal weather this week. I see lots more time to stitch on the horizon!

Until next time ….

This 'n that

2011-08-24T09:12:00.006+01:00

How's that for a very unimaginative blog title but it's about time for an update and my brain isn't coming up with anything better! While I still have my stitching mojo there’s no doubt that I’m in ‘summer’ mode at the moment. Add in DH having a week off work and while we didn’t really do very much there was some pottering around and pottering around definitely eats into my stitching time!!!

When I have been stitching I’ve continued to work on this one…..

I am hoping that I will have this part finished before the next part is released! There I was thinking I’d have this stitched in a couple of weeks, plenty of time to pick up something else and then go back to this one. Not so!!!! It is coming together nicely though and, alphabet lover that I am, I’m looking forward to stitching the bottom row of letters!!!

Remember I stitched BBD’s Glad Tidings a month or so ago? I sent it to KarenV to finish for me. There is a ribbon trim along the back so this can be hung on a wall (and it will eventually be doing that). I love what she’s done, love the green beads and gold trim that she used. As soon as this one arrived home I asked her to do another one for me so I’ll have that to share in the next week or two.

And before I go….. I have managed to do one of my monthly ‘smalls’. Here is the August pillow from the Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. Stitched on 32ct lambswool linen and using the suggested DMC threads.

Do you see the little antique button? I received this and several others from my stitching friend Denise and I thought it would work perfectly on this one.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Never mind my blogging, I’m miserably behind in my blog reading and commenting. Hopefully I'll be starting to rectify that soon!

Until next time….

Home again

2011-08-08T09:41:00.017+01:00

Well, a week away without taking any stitching with me and you can guess that means that I don’t have too much stitching to report! Here’s my progress on the BBD’s LF Summer, mostly what was stitched before we headed off.

With perfect timing, the day before we left, I did receive a package from Deb with three ornaments which I had sent to her to be finished. These were stitched earlier this year as part of my month Christmas ornament stitch. As always, I’m thrilled with what she’s done with these.

The two BOAF ornaments are from the chart Memories of Christmas (now OOP unfortunately) and the 3rd one is a Homespun Elegance chart, Blessings.

DH and I have just returned from a week in England. Part of the time we stayed in Leeds and spent a day in York, somewhere that I had always wanted to visit. We did a tour of York Minster which was wonderful. DH was game enough to climb the 275 steps of the Central Tower to get these wonderful views over York and the surrounding area. I didn’t! I choose the more relaxing option of sitting outside on the steps enjoying the sun and people watching!
I had noticed that there was a Quilt Museum on the info map so couldn’t pass that by.

A lovely half hour was spent walking round looking at the quilts both old and new. No pics allowed to be taken of the quilts but if you click here you can read more about the exhibition.

On our way home we spent a night in the Lake District. Again, a first for us, usually we’re driving past this area either heading to our destination or heading home. Even with all the clouds in the picture we didn’t have one drop of rain while we were there.

We stayed here,the Britannia Inn in Elterwater. What a lovely spot and given that we had booked this online so didn’t have a personal recommendation it ended up being a little gem!

A week without stitching did mean I came home and couldn’t wait to pick up a needle and thread again. I’ve started working on something that I can’t share just yet as it’s to be a gift and I also need to get busy on Christmas ornament for this month and the other monthly stitching commitments I have. I'm due a package from KarenV who has done another wonderful finishing job for me. I asked her to hang on to the piece until I was back home before sending it. So, next time I blog I'll be sharing that.

Goodness! I think these are the most pics and links that I've posted at one time so hopefully they all work!!!! As always thanks for all your lovely comments and for taking the time to drop by! I am looking forward to catching up on blogs and seeing what everyone has been working on while I've been away.

Until next time….

BBD progress

2011-07-28T10:50:00.005+01:00

A progress pic of the latest BBD Loose Feathers to share this time round. I was thinking that I really hadn’t made much progress as I’ve only been able to snatch a little bit of time every day to pick this one up. Then I looked at what I’d shared last time and realised that I had done more than I thought I had. Do you ever find that? You may think that you haven’t done much but then you look back and realise that, in fact, even though you didn’t feel like you stitched much you’ve done more than you thought!

At the weekend I did finally work on the next block of PS 12 Days of Christmas and now have the 6th block completed. That still means I’m behind on my self-imposed schedule of a block a month but, at least I’m not heading into August and getting further behind! Here it is in all its glory with its companions!

Thanks for all the lovely comments last time around. I know many of you are sweltering in heat that would be unheard of here and which, if we did have, would likely make us all just melt!! We’ve had a few nicer days lately so that is making a lovely change from all the cloud and rain. DH and I have upcoming plans to head over to England to visit our daughter and youngest son. We're both looking forward to spending a few days with each of them and hoping that the weather will be nice!

Until next time …..

Sometimes .....

2011-07-19T11:08:00.004+01:00

there is just nothing nicer than starting a new project.. And when there’s an alphabet involved?!?!?!?! Say no more! This is what I started yesterday ……………

the latest Loose Feathers release from BBD. I am very much looking forward to stitching this one and with there only being 3 parts hopefully I’ll keep on track with it!

I’ve been really on the ball as regards my ornament stitching for this month and here is LHN’s Silent Night all stitched with just the finishing to be done (which isn’t going to be done by me!). This was stitched on 32ct natural linen/silk using the suggested threads.

Then here is the July pillow from the Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. I have been looking forward to stitching this one, it’s one of my favourite charts in the year. Stitched on 32ct lambswool linen using the suggested DMC and I added the little heart button as it seemed to fit.

Now to get back to PS 12 Days of Christmas, I have two blocks to catch up on this month as I ran out of time to stitch my block for June. Given that my stitching mojo does not seem to have deserted me like it usually does in July with a bit of luck I can get back on track with those.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Seems like July is following on from June in this part of the world with cloudy skies and rain. Likely that’s the reason why I still have my stitching mojo this month, I’m definitely not being distracted by sunny skies and wanting to be outside!

Until next time …..

Birds, bees & butterflies

2011-07-09T09:51:00.015+01:00

Hi everyone! Time for an update on the stitching that has been going on around here. First of all, here is a finished BBD’s Glad Tidings. Stitched on an unknown fabric (likely R&R) from my stash and the suggested overdyeds.

I have changed/adapted some things. I left the two butterflies out, I just preferred the gold, red and green tones through this and wanted to keep the overall piece that way. I added another star above the flowers to balance it a little more. I didn’t go with the single gold stitches that are randomly stitched in the background. I did do some of them but with stitching this with two threads I felt the threads showed up too much at the back of the fabric so took them out. I’m not sure about this though. I’m wondering if I tried stitching them with just one thread would it work. I do feel like the two corners are a bit empty. Then the bird in the bottom right hand corner?

I changed it. I’ve always thought this bird looked more like a poodle with a boot on one leg and, given that I couldn’t shake that picture in my head, I knew that was always going to catch my eye if I stitched it that way. So, a slightly different version of the bird.

Time to share another golden oldie! Something stitched back in 2002 which I have had major procrastination over finishing myself. No longer! Thanks to KarenV and her great finishing I now have this one out on display and I’m thrilled with what she did.

I had to resort to digging out my stitching journal that I kept back then to be able to give this one its proper name. An older one from EE&F, one of their Blacksheep kits, Summer Hive, stitched on the fabric and threads that were included.

A little late to be reporting a finish for June but here’s last months Nikycreations pillow which I did finish by the end of the month. Of the twelve designs this probably was my least favourite but, having stitched it, I will say that it grew on me. This one is stitched on 32ct country vintage mocha linen using the suggested DMC.

Thanks for all your great comments last time around. I’ve been trying to be good about adding to my stash these days but couldn’t resist signing up for the new BBD’s Loose Feathers so I’m looking forward to that being released soon.

Hope all is well in your part of the world. Enjoy the weekend!
Until next time …..

Progress and a couple of blasts from the past....

2011-06-24T12:50:00.010+01:00

Hi everyone! BBD’s Glad Tidings is the one I have mostly been stitching on lately so here’s a progress pic. The leaves won’t remain like this, they are meant to be filled in with satin stitch so lots of satin stitching coming up in the not too distant future!

A finish to report….this is my chosen ornament for June, a Prairie Schooler chart, one that caught my eye when I was trying to decide which one to stitch for this month. This one I plan on sending off to be finished. Stitched using suggested fabric and DMC threads. I changed the lettering slightly. There's a K charted for under the H, I guess to fit in the space better, but being me,I had to go with the I so that the alphabet was 'right'!

Recently I saw Karen's finish of BC Buzzzz and it reminded me that I had this one stitched but had never done anything with it. I dug it out only to discover that I’d stitched this back in 2001!! Yes, 10 years ago!!! I sent this off to KarenV asking her to finish it as a long, narrow pillow. It arrived home today and I’m thrilled with what she’s done. She’s matched the colours perfectly and I love the little buttons she added. Thanks Karen for another great finishing job! The sun managed to shine for a little while this morning so the perfect opportunity for a picture taken outside!! Ready for another oldie?!?!?! This one was stitched in 2002!! I left this in to be framed when I picked up BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler. A Brightneedle design, Sweet Autumn Sampler, from way back. I’m not sure what linen I used but do know that it’s stitched with the suggested silks. This one sat for far too long in my finished pile and it’s good to finally get it framed and on display!

Hope all is well with you and yours. Thank you for all the great comments last time round. It’s always lovely to hear from everyone and I do appreciate you taking the time to leave them. Another weekend coming up, where does the time go. DH and I spent last weekend in Edinburgh visiting DS#1 who has been living and working there since March. The weather was awful…rain, rain and more rain …..but we had a good weekend. Great to be able to spend some time with DS#1 no matter what the weather’s like. No major plans for this weekend. I need to get moving on the June pillow from Nikyscreations and the 6th block from PS 12 Days of Christmas. I am way behind on those this month. Oh and add some tennis watching in there too from Wimbledon!

Until next time …..

When you can't decide .....

2011-06-12T09:25:00.009+01:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for the lovely comments you left as regards my framed Happy Hearts Sampler and ornament finish. Since I last posted it seems like I’m having a case of ‘startitis’. Not something that usually strikes me but here I am with several things on the go. First up, is BBD’s Glad Tidings. This one has been in my stash for a while. Not sure what the fabric is, it’s something that I’ve had for years, all I can tell you is that it’s 32ct and feels like R&R but I’ve no idea what the colour is – it looks paler in this photograph but really it’s a mottled tan colour. When I pulled out what I had in my fabric stash this was the one that seemed to work best with the suggested overdyeds.

I’ve also started this one, Not Forgotten Farm’s Grey House. I’m using the suggested colours and stitching it on 32ct lambswool.

And last but not least …. BBD’s Tulip House Stitching Companion. I’m stitching this on 30ct R&R Café Kona with the suggested overdyeds.

Here are two of my monthly finishes from last month. The fifth block from PS 12 Days of Christmas and the May pillow from Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. Don’t ask how I’m getting on with those planned monthly stitches for June – nothing even started yet.

It’s good to know that I’m not alone with a comments ‘issue’. I’m finding it still happening so hopefully whatever glitch is going on will soon be sorted out. My followers bit has been gone for weeks but I’m seeing that happening on other blogs too.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. While some parts of the UK have been enjoying a sunny June it’s just not happening around here. Most days are cool and cloudy and seems like it rains at some point each day. There are some hardy souls determined to try and look summery in their t-shirts and shorts no matter how chilly it is. Don’t know how they do it!

Until next time ……..

Some framing, an ornament and putting May behind me

2011-05-28T13:37:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! I think it’s fair to say that May has not been one of my better months for stitching. It’s been a funny old month around here, some good things going on, some bad and I guess for a while the bad outweighed the good and when that happens I tend to retreat a little. This morning though I went to my framer to pick up BOAF Happy Hearts Sampler that I’d left in with her a few weeks ago. Here it is….

And a close up of the frame….

I’m thrilled with what she’s done and I think it’s just what I needed to get my enthusiasm going again. I can see some stash diving going on later on this afternoon and hopefully I’ll have got my stitching mojo back a little.

Just as well I was enthusiastic about my Christmas ornament stitching at the start of the month. I did manage to stitch that before my needle ground to a halt and sent it off to KarenV to finish it for me. Here it is…

HE Merry Yule Santa stitched on some 28ct Heatherfield that I found in my stash – no idea of the name, I want to say Hickory, could be right, could be wrong!!!! It has a red and green fleck through it and I thought it would work well with the design. Can’t say that I really liked stitching on it (now I know why it’s been in my fabric stash for years!!!), too soft for me, but I love how it turned out and plan on using what I have left on a couple of other HE ornaments. I changed things slightly, didn’t use the Wisper for the beard, added a little jingle bell at the end of his hat instead of a colonial knot and didn’t stitch the pipe that he was smoking. Love the finishing that Karen did on this one – thanks Karen!

Aside from some stash diving this weekend I do have the May pillow from Nikyscreations stitched so want to get that put together. I also have my PS block from 12 Days of Christmas stitched so I have, at least, managed to keep with my monthly stitching commitments, just not much else!!!!

A blog question now! Has anyone else been having trouble leaving comments on posts? While I have got behind on commenting the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to catch up in the last few days and sometimes Blogger will just not let me post, keeps telling me I have to sign in and then when I do it seems to kick me out again and I can get no further. I know there were issues with Blogger a couple of weeks ago with things going on with people’s posts so I’m wondering if they still have some gremlins in the works.

Have a nice weekend everyone. Hope all is well in your part of the world and thank you for dropping in on my little spot in blogland!
Until next time ....

Time for those little things....

2011-05-08T10:42:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! I had the greatest of intentions to blog before the end of April so that I could share my smaller monthly finishes but, well, it just didn’t happen. So, here I am with a couple of April finishes even though we’re heading into the second week of May! First up, here’s my latest finish from Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar stitched on 32ct vintage mocha linen using the suggested threads.

Then, here’s the ornament I stitched for April. This is an older Homespun Elegance chart, Blessings, and I stitched this one on a piece of blue linen from my stash and the suggested threads. Not finished, finished as this is one I’ll be sending off for someone else to do!!!!

Continuing on with the Christmas theme, here’s the fourth block from PS ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’. Stitched on the suggested linen (32ct natural light) and threads.

I’m not planning to make these into little pillows until I’ve them all completed so at some point I will need to stitch a couple each month to give myself time to finish them for Christmas (hopefully this Christmas!). Here's a pic of the four completed already.

And then I want to share this one with you. KarenV over at My Favourite Things has started a new venture in offering a finishing service. I’ve always loved how she finished her stitching so was thrilled when I heard what she was planning. This is the wonderful job she did on my LHN ‘He’s a Flake’. I love what she did with him, my only request was that she finish him as a flat-backed ornament and I left everything else up to her. If you’re not familiar with Karen’s blog go check it out, she does the loveliest things. You can click on the links above or find her in the blog list in the sidebar.

And last, but by no means least, thank you everyone for the lovely comments you left on my last post about my Birds and Berries Needlebook. You sure know how to make a girl feel good and I really appreciate that so many took time to leave me a comment.

Until next time ….

A finish finish for BBD's Birds & Berries

2011-04-26T18:29:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your lovely comments last time round and all your encouragement for finishing this one myself. Yesterday was a cool and cloudy Easter Monday in my part of the world so the plans we had to take a drive and have a walk didn’t materialise. Instead, staying home seemed much more appealing. I reckoned that it was now or never as regards finishing BBD’s Birds and Berries Needlebook. So, out came the sewing machine and ….. ta da! ……

I did an online search for places in the UK stocking the fabric used to line the needlebook and found it here. It's the first time I’ve ordered from this company but I now have them bookmarked and will likely order from them again. I’d ordered before the cut-off time of 1pm for same day despatch and sure enough the fabric was put in the post the same day and arrived the next morning.

Instructions followed, sewing machine used and with thanks to my stitching friend Denise (no blog) who very kindly sent me an envelope of lovely buttons not so long ago, I even had the two buttons to stitch on.

I’m happy with how it turned out and, as I didn’t have a disaster (!!!), I’m hoping it will give me a bit more confidence for future finishing!

Until next time …..

A BBD finish....

2011-04-21T10:08:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone! A finish to share this time round! Yes, BBD’s Birds and Berries needlebook is completed and what a nice piece it was to work on. I loved the colours and well, I think I’m going to be on a BBD kick for another little while as there are several other designs in A Stitcher’s Journey that are calling my name.

This one is stitched on a piece of 32ct linen from my fabric stash and I used the suggested threads. My only change was that I stitched the year in the top right hand corner rather than 'No 2' that was originally charted. Believe it or not I’m contemplating finishing this one into a needlebook myself ! Having read the instructions and telling myself that all I have to do is sew straight seams I’m thinking I might give this a go. Now, as you know, I’m not the world’s most confident finisher so could be I’ll chicken out when I get to the bit but, I’d really like to give it a try.

The nice spring weather we’ve been having has continued (and yes, DH has had to cut the grass again!!!!). This week my daughter is home for a few days. As she hasn’t been here since Christmas it’s lovely to see her although already the time is going far too quickly. She leaves Saturday and that just feels like it'll be here in no time. Wishing you all a lovely Easter and if you’re spending it with family and friends, enjoy.

Until next time….

Some BBD time.....

2011-04-12T12:52:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, not too much stitching going on around here but as it’s been almost two weeks since I blogged I thought I’d drop in and let you see what I have been working on when I’ve had the chance….. This is the Birds and Berries Needlebook from BBD’s A Stitcher’s Journey. I’m stitching this on some linen from my stash. All I can tell you is that it’s a 32ct, it has the feel of Lakeside and has a pinkish tone to it! I’m using the suggested thread colours (a mix of Crescent Colours and Sampler Threads) and liking how the muted mauves and pinks are stitching up on it. Such a pretty project to have on the go and I’m loving my BBD ‘fix’! We’ve had some wonderful Spring weather lately, lots of sunshine and you can literally see everything growing in the garden, including the weeds!!!! DH cut the grass last weekend to much grumbling – it is not his favourite job – but it really needed to be done even if it was only the start of April! Now it’s up to me to get out there and pull up the weeds! Hope all is well in your part of the world and, if it is Spring, that you are enjoying some warmer temperatures and sunnier days. Thanks for dropping by! Until next time …..

Rounding up March.....

2011-03-31T11:19:00.009+01:00

Hi everyone! I want to start off by saying thank you for all the lovely comments that were left on my last post about my Happy Hearts finish. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to do that, it was lovely to read them all and there were quite a few new names in there so I really appreciate that. Talk about making a girl feel good about her stitching!! I seem to be suffering withdrawal symptoms from Happy Hearts and have been doing that thing of pulling out different charts and not being able to make up my mind which one to start. What I have managed to do this month though is keep on track with my monthly pieces. Didn’t manage it in January or February but somehow I’ve managed it in March!! So, here’s a round-up of those.

I’m back on track with the PS Twelve Days of Christmas blocks and here is #3. Stitched on 32ct natural linen and using the suggested DMC’s.

Then here’s the March pillow from A Primitive Calendar by Nikyscreations. For this one I used 32ct vintage country mocha with the suggested DMC.

And then my March Christmas ornament. I stayed with BOAF again this month and stitched the Christmas tree from the same chart as last month, Memories of Christmas. Not finished finished as this is another that will be making it’s way to Deb. Stitched on 32ct chestnut linen and using the suggested WDW.

Let’s see if I can keep on track in April!

As always, thanks for taking time to drop by. DS#1 is arriving home tonight and will be here until Sunday. I’m looking forward to seeing him, haven’t seen any of our three since Christmas so it’s starting to feel like it’s been a while. Mind you, I do have the small matter of moving a lot of stitching stash off his bed so he can actually sleep in it!!! Hope all is well with you and yours.

Until next time….

And it's a finish!!!!!

2011-03-22T11:08:00.009Z

Hi everyone! Yes, a finish to report! BOAF’s Happy Hearts is completed! I put the final stitches in yesterday morning but waited until this morning to take pics in the hope that it might be a brighter day. It isn't. Although it is lovely and mild outside it is also cloudy and dull so, these pics are all taken with the flash. I have to say though, it does bring up more of the true colour of the fabric than when I don’t use the flash! Oh, and the two hands in the top left corner? In these pics it looks like they blend into the fabric but in 'real life' they are much more distinct.

BOAF's Happy Hearts Sampler stitched on 32ct LL Autumn Gold using WDW

I started stitching this with the intention of making it personal to my family. I liked that I could stitch our surname in place of the word ‘true’ which is in the original design in the top heart. I’ve added the initials of our three children, two of those are done in the hearts that were charted to have initials but then I wanted DS#2 to have his initials in a heart and did those in the one with the arrows.

Then in the entwined hearts are the initials of DH and me and below that is the year we were married (where have all those years gone?!?!?). I decided to add my parents’ initials under that and then under the heart at the top with our surname I’ve added my parents-in-law’s initials. I never had the pleasure of getting to know my FIL, he died many years ago when my DH was a young boy but my MIL was a lovely person who welcomed me into her family with open arms. It will be two years this summer since she passed away and she is still much missed.

I’m feeling a little bittersweet about having finished this one. A couple of weeks ago and I was feeling like I’d been stitching on it forever and yet now, here I am and I will miss working on it! This was one that had been in my stash for years so in that regard it feels good to have finally stitched it! Now to go and see whether I dip into my stash or I give in to the new BBD booklet ‘A Stitcher’s Journey’. It is proving more and more of a temptation except that I love it so much that I’m not sure what to pick first!

As always, thanks for dropping by my little part of the world! If you take the time to leave a comment, thank you! It is always so nice to hear from you all!

Until next time ……

Almost there.....

2011-03-11T10:43:00.007Z

Hi everyone! Progress to report on BOAF’s Happy Hearts and I’m starting to feel like this one is nearly completed. My plan is to make this one our own family sampler. As I’ve been working on this over the past months I’ve spent time thinking about whose initials will go where and what I have in my head now is most likely what I’m going to go with. All will be revealed when I’m reporting this as a finish!

Then, here is the second of the squares from PS Twelve Days of Christmas that I’m stitching individually. Once again not quite finished in the month I had planned but finished within the first week of March! At some point I will need to stitch two of these in a month and then I’ll be back on track! Stitched on the suggested fabric - 32ct natural light - and using the suggested DMC threads.
Finally, I sent this as a little ‘thank you’ to Myra who had so kindly sent me one of her lovely project wallets several months ago. I thought it would be fun to send her something that she could use coming up to St Patrick’s Day and adapted part of the Plum Street Samplers freebie Hare’s Lucky Day as a scissor fob. I stitched it over one on a piece of fabric from my stash and used the suggested thread colours. It reached its destination last weekend, in almost record time as I had only mailed it on the Monday! I was very surprised when I received a lovely email from Myra thanking me as I had thought it would be days more before it reached her.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Stitching plans for me this weekend? I need to think about which Christmas ornament I want to stitch this month, get started on that, and some more stitching on Happy Hearts. As always thanks for the lovely comments you leave and for taking the time to drop by my blog.

Until next time ……

Putting rotation to one side....

2011-03-04T09:34:00.014Z

Hi everyone! I’d love to say that not having blogged for a couple of weeks means that all I’ve been doing is stitching, stitching and more stitching but, alas, not so. I have been getting a little stitching done but my lack of updating has really been more to do with life and other things getting in the way! But, here I am back on track and here goes with sharing what my needle has been doing lately.

First up, a progress pic of BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler (and another pic where the fabric doesn't come up as it really is!). So much for me hoping for a February finish with this one……

My plan now is to just keep working on this and this one only. It has only taken me two months into 2011 to realise that at heart I am still not a rotation girl and I prefer to just keep stitching on one larger project at a time. So, this one will be what I’ll be working on until it is completed (and hopefully that will be at some point this month!). Then I’ll turn my attention to AaHRH for a while.

I will keep to having a few smaller projects on the go. Here is my February ornament which I did keep on track with and finished by the end of the month. It’s not finished finished as I plan to send this one off to Deb to work her magic for me.

BOAF's Memories of Christmas Santa stitched on 32ct chestnut linen & suggested overdyeds.

A couple of days ago I came home to this lovely package of goodies.

I had sent Elaine some charts and she very kindly sent me a surprise ‘thank you’ package. The chocolates are long gone (I made sure I took this picture as soon as I had opened the envelope!) but I love the little pillow she stitched for me and look forward to stitching the little kit.

Another sunny day here. Today I’m off to have lunch with a dear friend who I haven’t seen in a while. We catch up every so often and it’s one of those lovely friendships where, no matter how long it is since we last saw or chatted with each other, we just pick up where we left off. Thank you, as always for dropping by my blog and for the lovely comments you leave. It is much appreciated.

Until next time….

Some heart love

2011-02-16T09:46:00.008Z

Hi everyone! Look what turned up on my doorstep a couple of days ago …..

I had sent these to Deb at Artistic Needle for finishing and I am beyond thrilled with what she has done. First up is BBD’s Sweet Heart which was my first finish of this year. She finished it exactly as I asked with the chenille trim and I am just thrilled with it. It’s filled with a mix of crushed walnut shells and polyfill and I love the extra weight the walnut shells give it.

Then here’s BBD’s Pins & Tulips pincushion. This is a finish from last year, so it’s been sitting for a while asking me to do something with it. Again, Deb followed my wishes and I love it. It’s also filled with a mix of crushed walnut shells and polyfill.

Two more fantastic finishes from Deb that I’m still oohing and aahing over because never in a million years could I have made them look so nice!

As for my own stitching. Well, it’s a little bit past Valentine’s Day but here is a heart finish. It’s the February pillow from A Primitive Calendar by Nikyscreations. A quick stitch and a quick finish! I went with a running stitch round the edge so it is finished slightly differently. This was stitched on 32ct lambswool linen using the suggested DMC.

I’m planning on stitching a BOAF Christmas ornament for this month and the suggested fabric is BOAF’s Wren Brown which, I don’t have, and have never had, in my stash. Any suggestions on a suitable alternative? I have some Chestnut and I was wondering if that was close or am I way off. It’s seems somewhat similar to the picture on the chart. Any thoughts much appreciated! When it comes to changing fabric I am such a ditherer!!!!

Hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for all the lovely comments left last time round. It is always so good to hear from everyone.

Until next time …..

Happy Hearts

2011-02-09T16:46:00.006Z

Hi everyone! I’ve picked up BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler this week and have enjoyed getting back into it. I started this back in November then between the lead up to Christmas, putting it down to work on AaHRH and stitching smalls, this piece has been a little neglected. It’s a dark, wet day here today and having tried to take a picture in natural light I ended up using the flash. It actually gives a better idea of the true colour of the fabric than any of the other progress pics. They have looked washed out no matter what light I took them in!!

Other than that, I did finish this…

Yes, the first block of PS 12 Days of Christmas which I ran out of time to finish in January. Stitched on the suggested fabric using the suggested DMC threads. The plan is to stitch these all individually.

Thanks for the lovely comments on my finished January ornament. I have decided on which one I’m stitching this month, got everything gathered together today, so plan on getting started on that plus, I want to work on the February chart from the Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar.

I had an unexpected trip to the dentist today having broken a bit off a tooth and 6 hours later my mouth is only just starting to thaw out! Not my favourite place to visit but it was good to get the tooth fixed so quickly. I had phoned to see when I could get an appointment and was told there was a cancellation that I could take if I was able to get over there. So, I jumped into the car and headed off. Good to get the tooth fixed and a definite bonus was that it didn’t give me any time to stress over having to have work done! Before I had really thought about it I was in that dentist’s chair!

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Until next time…..

January round-up

2011-02-01T10:50:00.006Z

Hi everyone! There I was under the delusional idea that January wouldn’t be ending until later on this week! I have no idea why I thought that but let’s just say that when I realised on the weekend that, in fact, January ended on Monday it gave me something of a shock. So, where I’d thought I still had plenty of time to do the final finishing of my chosen ornament for January (read that as procrastinate for a few more days!!) instead there was a quick change of stitching plans for the weekend and the ornament got bumped up the list! And here it is…..

This is the ornament from the Brightneedle chart Love in a Manger Sampler. I’ve stitched this one a couple of times as gifts but have always stitched it over 2. This time round I decided to stitch it over one. It’s stitched on 30ct R&R Alabaster that I had in my stash and a mix of DMC and WDW rather than the Thread Gatherer Silk ’N Colors called for.

Although I’m giving myself two months for each block of AaHRH I thought I’d give you an update on where I am with this second block. I’m using DMC instead of NPS and have been happy with the colours so far. Well, I started to fill in the barn with the suggested DMC (921) and felt it was far too orange. I did that thing of stitching a little bit more because I might suddenly love it but then realised that that wasn’t going to happen. Having checked a DMC/NPS conversion chart online it listed DMC 356 as an alternative and with thanks to Siobhan, who put the three colours together and said that yes, the 356 was a closer match, I’ve now started to fill in the barn with that and like it much better. You’ll see the 921 orange in the top left of the barn. Yes, still to be frogged, I just had more enthusiasm for starting the 356 in another part of the barn but it gives you a chance to see the difference in the shades and I will eventually get to the frogging.

Out of the things that I had planned to stitch in January there was only one that I didn't manage to do - the first little block of PS Twelve Days of Christmas. I did make a start on it …..

just didn’t manage to finish it…….hopefully this month!

I hope all is well with you and yours. It’s a nice day here, the sun is shining and I’ve noticed that my daffodil bulbs are coming to life and are showing about an inch above the soil. I love seeing signs of spring appearing. As ever, thanks for all your lovely comments and for dropping by my blog to read my ramblings!

Until next time….

Happy Hearts & still going with those small finishes

2011-01-24T08:42:00.007Z

Hi everyone! A little more progress on BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler to share. As you can see the alphabet is now complete and now it’s time to get back to some more hearts and start working on the number blocks that are along the bottom. I’m thinking that I might just break that up a little, do a number block and then work on another part and not just leave all that solid stitching to the end.

I seem to be on a roll with my intention to stitch more smalls in 2011. Now, it’s still January so this is probably more a case of January enthusiasm that will slowly fade out during February!!! Here’s EE&F’s Petit Exemplary #4 finished as a scissor fob. I stitched this little one on some 32ct cream linen and used the suggested DMC. It lists Anchor threads and I have the feeling that this was what it was probably originally stitched in as the windows and door on the house don’t seem to stand out as clearly as on the picture in the chart.

Stitching plans for this week? I want to concentrate on CHS AaHRH. I’ve stitched a little on the second block but I really need to just set aside some time to make major inroads into it rather than just a day here or there. I’ve my ornament for January stitched but not put together yet, plan is to do that this week too so I can report a finish before the end of the month.

Thanks for your lovely comments on my little pillow finish. I can’t wait to start the February one but I’m going to hold out and wait until the month starts. Thanks for your continued visits and comments and I hope that this week is a good one for everyone.

Until next time…..

Another small finish and back to some hearts

2011-01-14T11:44:00.005Z

Hi everyone! Another week and another small finish to share. This is the little pillow that’s for the month of January from the Nikyscreations Primitive Calendar. I’m hoping to stitch these each month and have the twelve completed by the end of the year. This one is stitched on 32ct lambswool using the suggested DMC threads.

I’ve picked BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler up again. It was put to one side leading up to Christmas but it’s nice to be working on it again. Feels like the perfect time of year to be stitching on it with February just around the corner. This continues to be the fabric that never looks the same twice when I take a pic!!! This is being stitched on 32ct LL Autumn Gold. At some stage I will hopefully have a pic to share that shows the real colour of this fabric!!!

I’m having fun watching everyone’s progress on the Crazy January Challenge. It was something that wouldn’t have worked for me but that doesn’t stop me enjoying seeing what everyone is picking to stitch and how they are getting on. There are some lovely projects out there. I’ve seen charts that I have in my stash that are definitely now calling my name and, of course, I’ve also seen charts that aren’t in my stash but I think will probably be making their way there at some point!

As always, thanks for the lovely comments you take time to leave and thanks for dropping by! Have a good weekend!

Until next time…..

New Year - first finish

2011-01-07T09:49:00.005Z

Hi everyone! Time for an update I think although I can’t say that my stitching is back in full gear yet. A first finish for 2011 though, this one…

BBD’s Sweet Heart from the Joyeux Noel book stitched on some 32ct cream that I had in my fabric stash and GA threads. I did substitute a couple of the colours, Chamomile for the stems and leaves and Harvest Basket for the basket. I’m sending this one off to be finished.

Without making any definite New Year resolutions I do want to follow on from last year and stitch more that is already in my stash. Looking back on my 2010 finishes I’ve realised I did quite well in that regard. The majority of my stitching was what I already had (although that didn’t stop me adding to my stash!!). I’m also going to add in fabric and threads and try and work more from what I have. Too often I convince myself that I have to have the suggested fabric only to order it and when it arrives realise that I already had a suitable alternative. That’s what can happen when you are so reliant on online ordering I guess.

Stitching more smalls is also on the agenda for this year plus working more on AaHRH and Christmas ornaments. I’ve finally got round to deciding what ornament to stitch for this month and plan to work on that this weekend. I also want to pick up BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler again. This one has been sitting sadly neglected for about a month now.

Happy New Year everyone! May your year be one of health, happiness and lots of stitching enjoyment. As always, thanks for dropping by and thanks to those who take the time to leave a comment! It’s always lovely to hear from you.

Until next time…..

Stitching gifts, finishes and plans for 2011

2010-12-30T09:33:00.007Z

Hi everyone! Even though it’s not even a week since Christmas Day it already feels like ages ago. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. Ours was lovely, spent with my parents. I do have one more Christmas pic to share, a gift that I have received from my stitching friend Jenny (no blog). When I opened the package and found this inside ….

I was just thrilled. I love this CHS design and love how she’s finished it.

I can’t say that I’ve been managing to get much stitching done in the last week but, when I did, I worked on Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow and look at what I can show you…

Yes, block 1 is completed! I can honestly say I underestimated just how much stitching there was going to be in these blocks. There I was thinking, two months to stitch a block and have it as a sort of part-time project, no problem! How wrong was I?!?!?! Now that I realise that each block will take some serious, in-depth stitching I will be making sure I work on it each week and not just think I can pick it up and have it done in a few days!!

Coming to the end of 2010 and my mind is full of what I’d like to stitch in 2011. I’m definitely going for an ornament a month and I want to also include these as smaller monthly projects.

Add in my AaHRH blocks plus one main project and maybe this ‘one project at a time’ stitcher is going to find herself a little over-extended! Let’s see how I go!!!!

Thanks for all your lovely comments about my Christmas decorating in my last post. Once we get past the New Year celebrations I will be itching to get Christmas packed away for another year and then the house will seem quite bare. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2011! I am looking forward to another year of blogging and friendship!

Until next time …

Christmas around the corner....

2010-12-21T11:32:00.009Z

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the lovely comments that you left about my monthly ornaments. I am chuffed to bits that I managed to do it this year and I’m planning to try and keep doing an ornament a month next year. Not much Christmas stitching going on around here. I did do something that is stitched, just not cross-stitched and is now hanging on our tree…

This is from a felt kit I bought a little while back and thought I would give it a go. I definitely liked how quickly it stitched up, probably just over an hour! How’s that for instant stitching gratification!!!

A little bit of fabric stash has made its way to my house. These were in the sale that Buttonberry here in the UK is currently having and I couldn’t resist. I’ve ordered several times from Emma and Lisa and have had great service every time.

Right now all I’m working on when I get the chance is the first block of AaHRH which I’m now aiming to have stitched by the end of the month (Dec 16th has been and gone without it being finished - no surprise there!). So, given that there isn’t much stitching going on I thought you might like to see some of the Christmas stitching around our house……

A few snowmen....

I do love unpacking our Christmas things every year. When they’ve been out of sight for most of the year there’s always a feeling of re-discovery when you unwrap them and put them out. Does anyone else find that?

Before we know it Christmas Day will be here. Only my daughter is still to arrive home, her flight is Thursday night so we’re just keeping everything crossed that the icy weather we’ve been having doesn’t cause further problems. DS#2 came home last week and DS#1 was due here on Saturday but had to change his original travel plans because of the weather and got home Sunday night. Before I go I just want to say thank you for your continued visits, to those who take the time to leave comments and for your friendship. May each and every one of you have a lovely Christmas.

Until next time ........

Christmas Joy, ornaments & that resolution....

2010-12-09T09:27:00.020Z

Hi everyone! An ornament finish and a look back at my monthly ornaments is what this post is going to be all about. Here is my December ornament, Cherished Stitches Christmas Joy from the 2010 JCS ornament issue. I did alter things on this one. I changed the colours, used GA Cranberry and WDW Juniper, and it is stitched on 32ct cream Belfast linen. Instead of the acorns I stitched the tree motifs.

Guess what?!?!?! This year, for the first time ever, I have managed to keep to my resolution made way back in January of stitching an ornament a month. Do you know how many years I would say that it was one of my resolutions and my family would give me that look; you know the one, that look of ‘yeah right, we’ll believe that when we see it. How many years have you been telling us this one?!?!?!?!’. Well, this year, somehow, I stayed on track. The summer months were the ones where I found it could easily have become a chore but I hung on in there. I even managed to stitch a couple of other ornaments in the mix but below you can see my ‘official’ monthly ornaments, the ones I would tell Siobhan and Cari each month that I was planning to stitch.

Jan - Prairie Schooler Santa from A Christmas Visit chart*
Feb - Blackbird Designs Merry Christmas Stocking*
Mar – Prairie Schooler Santa from A Christmas Visit chart*
Apr – Homespun Elegance Joyous Heart*

May – Homespun Elegance Mr Candy Cane*
Jun – Little House Needleworks Red House in Winter
Jul – JBW Designs Christmas Tree
Aug – Renato Parolin Joy

Sep – Bright Needle Holiday Stars freebie
Oct – Blackbird Designs JCS Ornament issue 2010
Nov – Midnight Stitching Snowman’s Quaker Christmas freebie
Dec – Cherished Stitches JCS Ornament issue 2010 (with own changes from original)

Those marked * were finished by Deb of Artistic Needle.

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments on my snowman ornament finish last time round. I think we all are in agreement at how inspiring it is to read blogs and how much we get from the friendships and being able to share in each other’s creativity. Thanks as always for your continued visits and taking the time to leave a comment. I am somewhat behind on my blog reading and commenting. My daughter was home for a long weekend (went back Tuesday night) and I can say that for the time she was home I did not pick up a needle. I’m supposedly meant to have block 1 done of AiHRH by the middle of next week. Yeah, well, we’ll see!!! I think I’ll be needing to have the turbo needles out to get that done.

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Until next time …….

Starting to feel like 'Tis the Season'

2010-11-29T11:26:00.009Z

Hi everyone! Brrr!!! It’s feeling a little like snowman weather around here with a covering of snow that has now been frozen by the low temps we’ve been having and isn’t looking like it’s going to disappear any time soon. So, let me start off with sharing my ornament finish for November, a cute snowman, who I first saw stitched over at Carol’s blog, Stitching Dreams – if you have never visited Carol’s blog, head on over there, she is the loveliest person and has a wonderful blog. I have shamelessly copied Carol’s idea of changing the colour to blue. When I saw her stitched snowman I thought he was so cute and the blue worked so well. This one is stitched on a scrap of linen I had in my stash and I used GA Blueberry which I know isn't what you would necessarily think of as a Christmas colour but I liked the shade of the skein I had.

Midnight Stitching Snowman's Quaker Christmas freebie found here

Here’s where I’ve got to on BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler…..

Another pic where this fabric probably looks completely different again! I’m enjoying stitching on this one even though I feel like I haven’t made much progress since my last pic. In between working on this one and my November ornament I have also been putting a few stitches in Autumn at HRH. Mid-December is when I’m hoping to have finished this block so keep your fingers crossed that I will be posting a pic showing that I have actually managed to keep on track and finishthe first block!!!

I hope all is well with you and yours. For my US friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed your holiday weekend. Under four weeks to Christmas – how did this year go by so fast?!?!?!?!

Until next time …..

Hearts, a Christmas sheep & a little bit of a fabric fix

2010-11-19T09:34:00.009Z

Hi everyone! Progress on BOAF’s Happy Hearts continues. I’m stitching this on LL Autumn Gold although from the couple of pictures I’ve shared so far I can see that this is going to be one of those projects where the fabric ends up looking different each time I take a pic!!! Plus, in this pic I feel like the blue is coming up even more strongly than it does in ‘real life’. You’ll see I’ve now got to where I’m able to get a little bit of an ‘alphabet fix’ again!

I had a bit of a finishing day yesterday. One I can share and one will have to wait a little while as it’s for a Christmas exchange. Here’s the one I can share ….

LHN Peace on Earth on 30ct WDW straw linen & suggested threads

A Christmas present but I reckon I’m safe enough to share a pic as the person who’ll be receiving it has no idea that ‘Of Needles, Pins & Stitching Things’ exists and I really doubt that she is going to stumble across my blog any time soon. As you can see I decided to finish this one as a flatfold, the same way as I finished LHN's Red House a couple of months ago. The fabric you can see is what I used for the backing.

The Creative Stitches craft show rolled into town last weekend. I went along with a couple of friends but found that it was mainly card making or beading stalls. No stitching supplies, not even a skein of DMC to be found. There were several good quilting stalls though so I didn’t come away empty handed …….

and I did enjoy fondling fabric even if it was of the quilting variety. I love the red one with what I’m taking to be large snowflakes, there are several other Christmas ones and I do love green so couldn’t resist picking up this bundle of greens in fat 1/8ths.

That's it from me for this time. Thanks, as always, for dropping by! Wherever you are I hope you have a good weekend. I think our weather is meant to be quite nice, thank goodness, it seems like there’s been nothing but rain and gales this week. I’ve had enough of rainy, wet weather for a while.

Until next time ……

Hearts & a case of call me crazy!

2010-11-10T10:14:00.007Z

Hi everyone! How are things? A little more stitching done on BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler. Soon I’ll be finished with the top row and can get a little bit of an alphabet ‘fix’!!

A couple of people have asked me about this one. I‘ve had this one in my stash for a number of years but, as far as I know, this is one of the BOAF charts that is still available.

Then it’s very definitely a case of call me crazy!!! I have so far resisted the temptation to stitch any of the CHS Hawk Run Hollow designs. Not because I didn't love them but just the size of them was daunting. Well, the autumn one was released earlier this year and it’s been the one to push me over the edge and decide that, as long as I contented myself that it would take me a long time, it was a ‘must stitch’ for me. Natalia over at Stitching-4- Joy is going to be keeping me company and she’s stitching on Shores. We did decide we didn’t want to put ourselves under lots of pressure so we are aiming to stitch a block every two months. Here’s my progress to date, I’ve got to the middle of December to finish this block so, fingers crossed!!!! Given that I’m very much a ‘one project at a time’ stitcher we’ll see how I go at having two larger projects!!! Who knows, it may change my mind completely on rotation! Then again, it may not! I am stitching this with the suggested DMC colours and on 32ct sandstone.

I just had to share a pic of what has arrived at my house. Stitched by a dear stitching friend (no blog) and something that I will treasure. This is one (of many!) BBD that I would see finished on other blogs and loved so you can guess I was just thrilled when I opened the package and discovered these inside.

I’m off to spend a ‘stitchy’ afternoon with a friend. I’m looking forward to some chat, laughter and some stitching in there too! Hope all is well in your part of the world. Thanks, as always, for your continued visits and comments. It's always good to hear from you!

Until next time ……

Joy, hearts and falling leaves

2010-11-02T16:59:00.010Z

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your lovely comments on my completed Live Laugh Love by La D Da and BBD ornament. You are all the best and certainly know how to make a girl feel good about her stitching!

Given that we’re into November (how did that happen?!?!), and December will be here before we know it, I thought I’d start with one I stitched earlier this year……August to be exact ……and which I have finally got round to putting together.

Renato Parolin Joy ornament

Confession time. Not only did I cut the fabric a tad too close to where the finishing seam was on one side but, having stitched three sides together, I realised that I’d left that side as the final seam. Since then I’ve had a major case of procrastination. Well, no matter how much I hoped/wished/dreamed, it really wasn’t going to finish itself. So, I took a deep breath and spent a fiddly hour trying to stuff the ornament and finish the seam without the linen unravelling on me! The seam isn’t perfect, don't look too closely (!!), but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will hold!!!

Back to some stash diving and I’ve started this one ….

BOAF’s Happy Hearts Sampler on 32ct LL Autumn Gold. I'm planning to have this one as our family sampler so I'll be putting in the year that DH and I were married. Not sure whose initials of the five of us will go where so that I’ll be leaving to the end and deciding then. I've only really made a start on this but I'm enjoying stitching with the stronger colours on the fabric.

Would you like to see a couple of pictures of how far into autumn we are around here?

The leaves were probably at their best about a week ago but was I organised enough to take the camera when I was out and about?!?!? No!!!! Since then we’ve had quite a bit of rain and wind and you can see that some of the trees have lost most of their leaves. It was sunny this morning (not now, the rain is pouring down again!) and I remembered to take the camera with me so hope you enjoy a little taste of what’s left of the autumn colour near to where I live.
Life’s been busy around here, some redecorating going on and eldest son was home for the weekend so I’m a little behind on my blog reading. I’m hoping to fix that this week and get caught up with everyone!

Until next time ……

Words to live by.....

2010-10-25T16:50:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! I put the final stitches in La D Da’s Live Laugh Love earlier today.

La D Da's Live Laugh Love stitched on 32ct Exampler Lakeside Linen using alternative colours - CC Blackbird, English Ivy & Red Currant

I have enjoyed stitching this piece, I love the words and how true they are. I think sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in things and really, what nicer sentiments are there for life but to live, laugh and love.

Then, this is what I stitched for my October Christmas ornament …..

the Blackbird Designs ornament from the latest JCS ornament issue. I received this all kitted up and ready to stitch as a birthday gift from a dear stitching friend. For the second month in a row I’ve managed to not just stitch my chosen ornament but finish it also!!!! The lace trim I added as an extra, it just seemed to be calling out for something else added and I thought that would work. I loved this one, from stitching with the Belle Soie silks, the colours and the design itself.

And last, but by no means least. Look what arrived for me last week! Melissa over at Words and Blooms held a 2nd anniversary giveaway on her blog not so long ago and I won! I have to tell you, I don’t consider myself ‘lucky’ in the slightest when it comes to winning anything so you could have knocked me over with a feather when Melissa emailed me to say congratulations. I now have the lovely Polly Whitmarsh Sampler by The Exemplerary – chart, fabric and linen – and I am very much looking forward to stitching this one. Thank you Melissa! If any of you haven’t visited Melissa blog do drop by. You can click on her name above, find her in my blog list or click here. She stitches the loveliest things and visiting her blog is a real pleasure.

Well, I do believe that is it from me this time round. We’ve had some very heavy frosts in this part of the world the last couple of nights. I don’t know that I’m overly fussed on having to scrape ice off the car in the mornings in October but, the up side is that while it’s felt chilly the sun has been splitting the skies and that is good to see.

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last blog post. Really Deb is the one who deserves the praise, she does some wonderful finishing. Thanks for dropping by and remember …… live, laugh, love!!!!

Until next time ....

Home is where the heart is .....

2010-10-16T11:01:00.010+01:00

Hi everyone! Look what arrived back with me this week……

CHS Hearts & Flowers stitched on 32ct LL examplar using suggested DMC

I sent my Carriage House Samplings Hearts & Flowers to Deb at Artisticneedle and, true to form, she has finished this just beautifully. She had sent me pics before she mailed it back and even from those I was so excited by how it looked. Now that it is home I am beyond thrilled with it as she has finished it exactly to my wishes. Excuse how the fabric seems to be coming up different shades each picture. It has been so dull and cloudy here this week, some days I’ve had lights on all day, so not really favourable to picture taking.

Deb has added it to her finishing album so if you want to pop over there and take a look (and see all her other great finishes) click here.

Also in the box , two more finishes I’m delighted with ….

Homespun Elegance's Mr Candy Cane and Joyous Heart which I stitched earlier in the year as part of my monthly Christmas ornament SAL with Siobhan and Cari. Thank you Deb!!

La D Da’s Live, Laugh, Love is coming along nicely. I love the sentiments in this and it’s turning into one of those pieces that I look forward to picking up and working on.

Hope all is well with you and yours. My daughter is home this weekend and it is so good to have her here! Already it seems like the time is going too fast. Sunday evening will be here before we know it and she’ll be heading off again.

Whatever you are up to this weekend, hope it’s a good one!

Until next time ……

Unexpected gifts & finds

2010-10-10T10:33:00.010+01:00

Hi everyone! Good to know that I’m not alone in my aversion to french knots and that quite a few of you also take the option of beads when it’s something that will work just as well! Thanks for all the lovely comments on my finished Crows, Corn & Cats and ornament for September.

Since I last blogged I’ve made some more progress on this one …..

A little further on and I’m still happy with my thread choices.

This past week I’ve had my first experience of being RAK’d!!! Dear Myra over at Gr8dame's Place surprised me with an envelope that just brought a smile to my face. When I opened it up inside was this lovely project bag that she had made in the nicest fabric and, not just that, but when I unzipped it I found these two packets of sweets (now eaten I have to say!) and a skein of DMC 115 which is one that I will be making good use of coming up to Christmas.

Thank you Myra! It made my day and I am already using it to store my current project! Now, if any of you aren’t familiar with Myra’s blog I suggest you drop by and meet a lovely lady whose blog I love to visit to see her stitching and finishes. You can find a link in my blog list or just click here.

You know when you are looking for one thing but end up coming across something that you hadn’t been looking for in the first place?!?!? That happened to me this week. I was looking for some old quilting magazines that I knew I had packed away somewhere. In my search for those I came across a box that had a number of frames in it. One frame in particular caught my eye and here’s the result …

Notforgotten Farm Samplers Pennsylvania Pillowe
Stitched on 32ct R&R Roast Crown Blend & suggested DMC threads

I stitched this several years ago, it never made it to becoming a pillow but I’m liking how it looks in this frame. Still have to find the magazines though!!!!

Well, I hope everyone enjoys what’s left of the weekend! Weekends are when I try to work on whichever Christmas ornament I’ve picked for the month so, at some point today, I’ll be stitching a little more on that.

As always, thanks for dropping by!
Until next time……..

It's all in the eyes.....

2010-10-02T11:32:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! While the weather here is very much autumnal I have to admit to still finding it a little unbelievable that we’re into October. Where is this year going too?!?!?

Time to share a finish.....Chartmakers Crows, Corn and Cats. I enjoyed stitching this one.

Chartmakers Crows, Corn and Cats
using an unknown overdyed & suggested threads apart from WDW cadet for the house

Those cats eyes though!! I have to admit to having been taking the option for a while of using beads when french knots have been called for in a design. Much easier just to attach a few beads! Well, this one didn’t shout ‘beads’ to me, french knots seemed more appropriate. I just had to see if I could still remember how to do them!! The black cat on the corn stalk? The chart shows just one french knot but no matter how I tried this one just kept looking like a one-eyed mutant cat. The other cat is slightly better but, to me, it still looks like its eyes are pretty quirky!!

I’ve just started on this one….

La-D-Da’s Live Laugh Love. I’m stitching it on LL Light Examplar. I didn’t have the Gloriana silks and when I pulled the DMC alternatives I wasn’t that taken with them. Instead I’ve opted for CC Red Currant, English Ivy and Blackbird. While I’ve only really started on this so far I’m happy with my colour choices.

Well, I didn’t manage to blog before the end of September but let me share my September Christmas ornament. Not only stitched but I actually managed to finish it too!!! This one is a freebie by Brightneedle from a number of years back.

Brightneedle freebie Holiday Stars
32ct cream using suggested DMC and beads

Have a good weekend! The sun is shining here, the leaves are starting to change colour and sometimes there’s nothing nicer than an autumn morning. Given the amount of rain we’ve had this week, it’s lovely to see. As always, thanks for dropping by and I hope all is well with you and yours.

Until next time……

Autumn stitching and some new stash

2010-09-22T13:25:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! First of all, thank you for the lovely comments on my first attempt at a floss tag and my finished BBD Summer Basket. I plan on having this one framed, I haven’t taken anything to the framer for months (could even be the start of this year) as I have managed to do my own little bit of framing when I’ve needed too but this one I want to take.

I didn't seem to find much time for stitching in the last week but I have started this one …..

Crows, Corn and Cats by Chartmakers which is now, I’m pretty certain, OOP. The suggested threads are DMC but I’ve used WDW Cadet for filling in the house rather than the DMC 926. Years ago I stitched this as a gift and put it on the back burner to stitch for myself at some point. Finally I’ve got to it!! This will be finished in no time at all as it’s a small design. I’m stitching it on an unknown scrap of overdyed that I had in my stash.

Well, there’s nothing like new stash to make a girl feel good - and to help forget that another year has passed. Yes, a birthday last month and time to treat myself to a birthday order from Lois at Elegant Stitch! In amongst this little lot will be my next start, one where I need to put my thinking cap on as I want to use different colours.

Also in the package ……

CC Wild Berries so that I’m good to go when the notion strikes to start stitching BBD’s It’s Berry Time. The Silk ‘n Colors is Autumn Twilight for BBD’s Sarah’s ABC Pincushion and the Caron Waterlillies Sable is for …… something I now can’t remember!!!! Seriously, I opened the package, looked at the thread and thought ‘now what chart did I order that for’?!?!?! It will come to me. Some day I’ll have a light bulb moment and remember!!!!!

We headed to Leeds over the weekend to leave off DS#2 who’s starting his M.Sc at the university there. It also gave us a chance to see DD. She’s been living in Leeds for the last two years but, wouldn’t you know it, she ended up moving the week before DS#2 arrived! She has changed jobs and is now living just north of Manchester. It’s not that far, only about a 50 min drive, so they can still see each other from time to time. She came over Saturday evening and the four of us went out to eat. Then Sunday morning DH and I went to see her in her new apartment. It’s lovely and I like that I now can picture where she is. After that we headed for home and now it’s back to just DH and me rattling around here for a while.

Well, I think that’s about it for this time. Thanks for your continued visits and comments and I hope all is well with you and yours.

Until next time ……

A final finish for summer

2010-09-15T09:38:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! BBD’s Summer Basket can be reported as a finish! I put the final stitches in on the weekend. I did enjoy stitching this one, the colours are so delicate and summery and I was pleased with how the cream linen worked out instead of using the suggested WDW Baby’s Breath.

From the picture on the front cover of the chart my skein of GA Clover seemed similar to what was used in the original model. That had patches of deep pink that did go to lighter pink but then my skein also went into large chunks of white. I ended up just making sure I used the deeper tones otherwise it completely faded out. I ordered another skein of GA Clover (with thanks to Karla at The Patchwork Rabbit for going the extra mile to try and send me one that wasn’t too pale) which was more overall pink without the really deep tones and used that with the darker pink. So, if you pull the colours to stitch this one and you look at your skein of Clover and think it looks too pale I guess what I’m saying is, you might want to consider changing to something that has deeper pink in it.

Notice a difference in colour in some of the letters from previous posts? When I finished the zigzag border at the bottom and still had some of the deeper pink left I went back and re-did the paler parts of the letters O, R, S and T so they stood out a little more. Other than that, I used the suggested threads all of which worked just fine.

Then, something I stitched last month but as I was sending it as a part of a birthday package I didn’t want to show until it had been received.

Chessie & Me freebie - Bird & Flower stitched on 32ct linen using suggested threads

My first attempt at a floss tag holder and overall, I was pleased with how it turned out although, as always, the perfectionist in me felt that it could be improved upon!!

Thanks, as ever, for your visits to my blog and to those who take the time to leave a comment. It’s always great to hear from you!

Until next time …..

Progress & another Boo to share

2010-09-07T13:39:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! I’m still mixing the seasons with my stitching, probably much like the weather here – sunshine one day, rain the next! First of all, the little freebie from Plain and Fancy Merchant was my alternate stitching project to Summer Basket this week. As I didn’t have a pumpkin charm I substituted a little black button instead. The fabric that the little pillow is sitting on is what I used for the backing and I couldn’t resist using some more of the PTP Relic and going with just plain black thread.

'Boo' freebie found here

BBD's Summer Basket is coming along nicely. The top row on the left hand side…???

Well, I developed a serious case of brain freeze on this part, it took three attempts to get this row stitched and both times I’d pretty much completed the whole row before realising I needed to frog it!!! You'd think that having frogged it once I'd make sure to get it right next time but, no!!! Only 3 star motifs left to stitch, the top and bottom row on the left hand side, initials and the zig-zag border.

Thank you for all the lovely comments you left on my little ‘Boo’ finish last time round and, as always, thanks for taking time to drop by! I always love to hear from you. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Until next time….

Boo!

2010-08-30T19:22:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, the urge to do some autumn/Halloween stitching proved too strong and I put BBD’s Summer Basket to one side for a day or two and stitched this little one. Not just stitched, but even finished!

'Boo' from BBD Trix or Treat booklet, stitched on 32ct PTP Relic & DMC 310

I know, me stitching and finishing something at the same time?!?!?! Almost unheard of!!!! It was a very quick little project though and I was on a roll so decided to just keep going!

I do have progress to report on Summer Basket. The alphabet is just about completed apart from the over one ‘y’ and ‘z’. I want to stitch some more of the star motifs at the top and sides so I’m not left with a whole pile of those to stitch at the end and I think I’ll work on those the next day or two. Then I’ve been thinking I should start on the zig-zag border at the bottom and break the stitching of it up a little bit instead of leaving it to the end and having to stitch it all in one go.

Other than that, I’ve still got itchy fingers to leave summer behind and move on to something more seasonal for autumn. I definitely plan to stitch the lovely freebie over at Plain & Fancy Merchant but I also see some stash diving coming up. I’ve a couple of charts in mind…. let’s see what calls my name the loudest!

Hope all is well with you and yours. I’m almost scared to say anything in case I’m tempting fate but we’ve been having some lovely sunny days lately! What a difference to see sun and blue sky instead of all the cloud and rain that seemed to happen most of August!!!

Until next time…..

Summer, Christmas & starting to think Autumn

2010-08-24T11:57:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my finishes in my last blog post. You can guess the notion to finish anything more has not struck since!! However, hopefully it will be here again soon! What I do have to share this time round is progress on Summer Basket…..

And I’ve finished the stitching on my August Christmas ornament. My choice this month was Renato Parolin’s Joy from the Peace, Love, Joy chart. I used DMC 816 for this and some 32ct antique white (I think!!) that I had in my stash.

Hope all is well with you and yours. DS#1 was home last week, headed off on Sunday, and it was great to see him. This weekend DS#2 will be arriving home after doing his month’s internship with a company in Leeds. He’ll be home for about 3 weeks before he heads back to university. School starts here next week and while I’m past the stage of any of my three starting back to school there’s no doubt it does make me feel like autumn is just around the corner. That and the fact that it's now dark by 9pm. Where have the long summer evenings gone?!?!! I’m feeling some autumn stitching coming up very soon!

Until next time …..

Summer Basket progress & some ornament finishing

2010-08-17T11:12:00.013+01:00

Hi everyone! Hope all is well in your part of the world. Well, what do they say about when the mood strikes????? I am very much a procrastinator when it comes to finishing, but every so often, out of the blue, I’ll suddenly feel like dabbling with card, glue, ruler, fabric and ribbon. When I do have those days???? Well, I know I need to make the most of them!! So, this time round not just a progress pic to share but some finishing pics because I have finally got my backside in gear and spent a little bit of time cutting, glueing and finishing!

First off, my progress on BBD’s Summer Basket. I just love the colours in this one. I know when this is done I’ll be anxious to start on something autumn/Halloween related but as the sun struggles to shine here for any length of time this is a nice one to be working on.

Then, some Christmas ornament finishes ….. this one finished as a flatfold

LHN Red House in Winter using suggested fabric & threads

Then this one …….

JBW Christmas Tree, unknown fabric, suggested threads & ribbon trim

Followed by one that has been sitting in the finishing pile for more months than I care to admit too! If you take a look at my 2010 finishes in the sidebar you won’t see it listed there because yes, this one has been waiting every so patiently for me to give it some love and care since last year!!!

Plum Street Samplers Quaker Calendar - using 32ct cream linen & suggested threads

And finally, this one …..

Plum Street Samplers Quaker Calendars - using 32ct cream linen & suggested threads

Another one that’s been waiting for a while but, at least, I have it listed as a 2010 finish, admittedly back in March!!!!

Dear only knows how many more months it will be before the mood to finish strikes again but, I do feel like I’ve made a little bit of a dent in my finishing pile and it feels good!!!!

Thanks for your continued visits and comments. I’m reading a lot about the high temps many of you are having this summer in the US. Hope the heat starts to die down a little for you all soon and it becomes much more comfortable. I can’t even begin to imagine living in that heat!

Until next time……

A finish, a start & some stitching mojo returns

2010-08-11T09:42:00.012+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, I seem to have hit August and have a bit more of my stitching mojo back. My mind has been buzzing about what I’d like to be working on in the next few months, I’m feeling enthusiastic again about stitching a Christmas ornament each month and it feels good!!!!

First of all let me report a finish……

Yes, I put the final stitches in BBD’s Pins and Tulips Pincushion a couple of days ago. I did enjoy this one. Now, me with my symmetrical mind couldn’t just stitch the letter L in the top left corner. No, it didn’t sit right with me that there wasn’t a letter in the bottom right so I had to put a T for my surname there! A little bit of a change from the original but it works for me.

Next up is my new start. I wanted to squeeze in one last summer piece before I start getting the urge to do some autumn stitching. So, here’s BBD’s Summer Basket which I’ve seen popping up on various blogs the last little while. I just love the colours in this one and, of course, it’s an alphabet …… need I say more?!?!?!! I put the first stitches in this yesterday and here’s my progress. I am not using the suggested fabric but have gone with a cream which I think should work fine.

I’ve had some nice mail in the last week, the latest BBD Anniversaries of the Heart has arrived plus I ordered this fabric from The Pied Piper. I’d seen their name mentioned on KarenV's blog and having checked their website saw several pieces of fabric to order. Quick, prompt service and I’ll be ordering from them again.

Next week DS#1 will be home for a few days. Tomorrow he’s off to Edinburgh. When he was a student he had a summer job in the Edinburgh Festival and he still goes back every year to meet up with friends and go to some of the shows. Hope all is well in your part of the world and, as ever, thanks for dropping by!

Until next time ......

Home again and back to some stitching

2010-08-01T19:50:00.009+01:00

Hi everyone! Can anyone tell me how it got to be August?!?!?! It seems like the month of July just flew in and I can’t say I managed to get too much stitching done! Here’s hoping for better things in August! First of all though, thanks for all your lovely comments on my completed Sampler Folk. For now it’s in my ‘finished’ pile but I’ll be framing it at some point.

Since last I blogged I have started this one……

Yes, another that I have loved but which has been languishing in my stash pile for a while, BBD's Pins & Tulips Pincushion from their booklet Thank You, Sarah Tobias. This one I’m stitching on some 32ct Puck Elne of Lynnyn linen that I had left after stitching Ellen Birdseye. I’m using the suggested threads and, given how quickly this is stitching up (only started it yesterday) I’m hopeful of a quick finish.

DH and I had a lovely time when we were away. We first of all spent a couple of days with our eldest son and then we visited with our daughter. It was good to see them both and spend a little bit of time with them. DS#1 plans to come home later on this month for a week so we’ll see him again soon. DD has no plans for a visit home in the next few months so it could be nearer to Christmas before we see her again.

We also spent a day here – Hay-on-Wye. This is a lovely town, full of second-hand bookshops and, if you love books, you’ll be in heaven! Here are just a few of them.

I loved how so many of the shops had comfy chairs that you could sit in and read. There was even one that had a resident tabby cat! No-one minded if you wanted to spend ages browsing and now that we’ve visited DH and I would love to go back again for the Festival that’s held each year at the end of May. Aside from bookshops, look at this gorgeous view from the car park?!

And finally, before I go, remember the Christmas ornament stitching that wasn’t really happening last time I blogged?!?! Well, I do have a finish to report for July…… this one …..

Yes, one that was a very quick, easy stitch but I do love these JBW Christmas designs. I plan on trying to finish this one myself – let’s see how I do with a triangular shape!!!!!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. Thanks for dropping by and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I’m always thrilled to hear from you.

Until next time ……

Sampler Folk finished!

2010-07-21T11:48:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, a finish to report but that’s about it in my stitching exploits at the moment. Yes, Barrick Samplers Sampler Folk is complete.

I did love seeing how these folk turned out. Mr Stripey Pants to start us off and after that it seemed like each had their distinct personalities. I loved their hands on hips as though they were saying ‘hey, look at me!’. The one who looks like he’s just got off his horse makes me smile! Then what about the large striped animal on a leash – a very large cat or a dog? What do you think? Even though I might not be stitching much this month I have enjoyed stitching each of them and love their quirkiness.

Not sure what I’m going to pick up next. I still haven’t started my Christmas ornament for July. It’s looking increasingly likely that the one I mentioned to Cari and Siobhan that I was planning to do this month will not be stitched. I’ve it sitting here all kitted up ready to start but do you think I feel like stitching it?!?!?! No!!! I’m realising that I need to rethink and go for one that I feel a little bit more enthusiastic about doing at the moment if I want to keep on track!

Neither am I sure what my next larger project will be. A couple are calling my name so hopefully next time I blog I’ll have made a decision.

DH and I are heading off on Friday for a few days, going to see DS#1 and DD and spend a little bit of time with each of them. Not sure if I’ll take any stitching with me. We’ll be driving quite a bit and it would be perfect if I could stitch in the car. Unfortunately I can’t (nor can I read in the car), if I did either of these things within a mile or two I’d be looking very green and needing to stop!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. Thanks for dropping by and taking time to read and leave comments. I always love to hear from you!

Until next time ……

Sampler Folk family continues to grow

2010-07-09T11:27:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, as often happens to me, I hit July and, while I’m not in a stitching slump it seems like my stitching takes more of a back seat. Three days away, of course, will eat into any stitching time and since we came back it seems as though I’ve been flitting from one thing to another and not settling to anything! There is some progress to report though on Mr Stripey Pants and his friends as you can see.

Barrick Samplers Sampler Folk

And the times I am picking this up I’m enjoying stitching these quirky little characters.

Other than that, we had a wonderful time at DS#2’s graduation. The sun shone on the day, the graduation ceremony was in the afternoon and we went out for dinner afterwards and had a lovely meal. Now he’s home for the month of July, we’re already home almost a week so I know this month will just fly in.

Thought I'd leave you with a little taste of summer. I have this one out on display at the moment. I can tell you it’s by EE&F and it came as a little kit. The name of it? I don't remember! I stitched this some time ago and now can't find the chart! I do love this one though, perfect colours for this time of year.

Hope all is well with you and yours, thanks for continuing to stop by and have a good Friday!
Until next time ……

Adding to the family

2010-06-30T10:27:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, Mr Stripey Pants’ family has grown a little since last I blogged. I’m enjoying stitching this one although I’ve been finding myself putting off stitching the motifs underneath the little folk as it’s a little repetitive. Rather than be left with all of them to stitch once I’ve everyone completed I’m going to start stitching two motifs each time a little person is done. That way, it hopefully won’t feel so repetitive.

I’m still smiling at these eyes. Then again, we have who I’ll call Mr Stripey Pants wife and she doesn’t even have any eyes charted! I'm still loving how the hands on hips give these little guys an attitude!

As we’re getting to the end of another month (can someone please tell me where this year is going?!?!), it’s time for me to share what I stitched for my June Christmas ornament. Here’s LHN Red House in Winter. Stitching houses is another love of mine and I couldn’t resist this one. My only thought on it is that I’m not sure I want to finish this as a stuffed ornament. It may well end up as a flatfold. I see this one sitting out on display more than hanging from a tree. I know Siobhan and Cari have both been stitching on their ornaments this month so watch out for their finishes.

LHN Red House in Winter on 32ct natural linen & suggested threads

Tomorrow DH and I will be heading off to England as DS#2’s university graduation is on Friday. Those three years that he’s been there have just flown. He’ll be coming home with us on Saturday (along with all his stuff packed into the car – that will be one full car!) and he’ll be here for a couple of weeks before heading off to start a summer internship. I’m very much looking forward to having him home even though it’s only for a short time.

Hope all is well with you and yours! If you’re a Wimbledon fan like me, hope you’ve been enjoying the tennis!!

Until next time …….

A little guy with attitude!

2010-06-23T10:29:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! I know, it’s been longer than usual since I posted but things have been busy around here and my stitching (and computer time!) has taken a little bit of a back seat. My daughter was home last week, along with her boyfriend, so I was spending some mother-daughter time and enjoying every minute of it. They headed back to England on Saturday night and the house seemed very quiet on Sunday but, it did mean that I lifted a needle, thread and some fabric again and started on this…..

Barrick Samplers Sampler Folk on 32ct sandstone linen using suggested DMC threads

Yes, another one that’s been in my stash for a while but one that called my name. I do love to stitch alphabets (or wording of any kind) and I guess I needed another fix of letters after finishing BBD Pink Hill Manor. When I stitched this little guy yesterday he made me smile ….

I’m thinking this should be called Sampler Folk aka Mr Stripey Pants with attitude!!!! He just cracks me up. I don’t know about you but I think it looks like he’s wearing sunglasses, they just don’t look like eyes to me, and it gives him an air of 'don't mess with me'!! I’m looking forward to stitching the rest of the little folk to see how they turn out!!

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my finished BBD Pink Hill Manor! I do appreciate that you take the time to comment and love reading them all. Right now I am way behind on my blog reading but plan to get caught up in next few days. Meanwhile, the Wimbledon tennis has started and I’ll be parking myself in front of the tv for the next two weeks, stitching in hand and enjoying the tennis.

Hope all is well in your part of the world!

Until next time…..

A pink house finish & some sewing machine time

2010-06-10T11:52:00.012+01:00

Hi everyone! Apart from deciding on the personalisation I think I can report BBD’s Pink Hill Manor as a finish. I put the last stitches in yesterday and I did enjoy stitching this one, the pinks and peach tones were such nice colours to work with. This was stitched on 32ct Elne of Lynnyn in Puck and the suggested threads (a mix of CC and GA).

Yesterday, I managed to turn this.......

into this!!!

My quilting friend Margaret took me under her wing and I spent a lovely afternoon at her house yesterday while she helped me put this together. Credit where credit is due, she did the majority of the putting together and then I did the finishing of stuffing and adding the buttons but she also made sure I sat at her sewing machine and sewed a number of seams!!! So, of course, I came home determined to drag my much unused sewing machine out and see whether I can actually get it to like me and do what I ask it to do!!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. The sun is shining here this morning after a miserable couple of damp, rainy days. Not sure what I’m going to be working on next there are a couple of things starting to call my name. By next time I blog I should have decided.

Until then……

Pink Hill Manor amongst other things

2010-06-04T10:46:00.012+01:00

Hi all! The weather has been nicer this week, the temps have climbed a few degrees and it’s feeling much more like it should for June. First of all, I want to say thanks for all the lovely comments on my finished Infatuated. I plan to get this one framed at some point. I haven’t taken anything to the framers in a while and this one is a finished size that I doubt I’ll be able to find something myself. So, a trip to the framers could be on the cards soon.

I’ve been stitching away on BBD’s Pink Hill Manor and enjoying the colours in this one. It’s such a sweet design and one of those pieces where the colours are so restful and calming to work on!

I took a little road trip earlier in the week with a couple of friends who love to quilt. They were going to a shop I wasn't familiar with. It sounded intriguing - about 30 miles away out in the country, along a narrow country road that’s only single lane so you don’t want to meet a car coming the other way and the ‘shop’ is, in fact, a very large garden shed in this woman’s garden! Well, what a lovely little place! I never thought to take my camera with me but I wish I had. This lady had more fabric packed into her ‘shop’ than you could imagine and she had an even larger shed beside that that she used as a workshop. I have dabbled in quilting, many years ago when my first son was just a baby. Then his sister arrived and between a toddler and a baby, a smallish house that didn’t have room for me to spread out my quilting projects, I changed direction and started to cross stitch. So, underneath this stitching addict there does lurk someone who could quite easily get started back to quilting. Needless to say, I didn’t come away empty handed! I bought some fabric

then some of this ric rac that was just that little bit different to anything I’ve seen local to me

and I also bought this little kit. Let’s see if I can manage to put this together!

Other than that, DS#2 finished his final exams at university this week. Now it’s the wait for the results and graduation at the start of July. He is planning on continuing as a student for another while as he is hoping to do a Masters next year at a different university.

Wishing everyone a nice weekend and thank you for dropping by!

Until next time…….

An infatuated finish and moving on

2010-05-28T10:41:00.013+01:00

Hi everyone! How are things in your part of the world? Here it is a little chilly and our gorgeous weather of last weekend seems like a distant memory! The sun is at least shining this morning, much better than the rain we had yesterday.

Anyway, before I go any further……I can report a finish! Yes, I put the last few stitches in Infatuated yesterday and what a lovely stitch this was.

Sheepish Designs Infatuated stitched on 32ct Belfast Cream linen & a mix of DMC & WDW threads

I did do some hair-tearing over deciding what colour the house would be. I think I tried about 5 different overdyeds and wasn’t happy with any of them. Then I had something of a light bulb moment and decided to go with the colours of the strawberry and the heart, DMC 3721 and 3722, but add in a lighter shade from the same colour family. Then I just randomly re-threaded my needle with a different shade each time I needed too and was much happier with the finished result than trying to find an overdyed that I thought worked.

Meanwhile, I’d a nice stash day yesterday when BBD’s Pink Hill Manor arrived. I’m on auto for this series but have, as yet, to start stitching on any of them. This one though has caught my eye and I think this will be my next start.

I’m planning on stitching it on 32ct puck Elne of Lynnyn that I have in my fabric stash. So, no stash diving for my next stitching project.

And, before I go, here’s my Christmas ornament for May - Homespun Elegance's Mr Candy Cane, stitched on 32ct lambswool linen using the suggested threads. Siobhan, Cari and I are still managing to keep on track with this!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Until next time…..

And I decided on ........

2010-05-20T15:44:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, some very deep stash diving has been going on around here. It worked though and here's my new start ...... Infatuated by Sheepish Designs.

I’m stitching this on 32ct Belfast cream (guess who’s trying to be good at the moment and work her way through some of her fabric stash before adding more!) and I’m using the threads called for, a mix of WDW and DMC. I am going to be stepping out of the box though on my choice of colour for the house. In the chart it uses WDW Coleus which isn’t available anymore and which I don’t have in my thread stash. The alternative listed is DMC 3686/612. Well, if I’m honest those colours, and even the original WDW colour from the picture, don’t really grab me so I’m doing something that will be a challenge for someone like me who tends to follow instruction on thread choice to the letter - yes, I’m planning on going with something different! I’ve pulled a couple of overdyeds that may/may not suit and plan on leaving the house to last to give me a better overall idea of what I think will work best. Wish me luck!!! This will either go very smoothly or I’ll be tearing my hair out with indecision!!!!

Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments you left on my last post about my finished CHS Her Sampler. I love reading all the comments on any of my blog posts and really do appreciate that people take the time to leave them! So, thank you!

My Christmas ornament for May is finished but I didn’t get myself organised to take a picture when I was taking some of Infatuated so that will have to wait to next time. Meanwhile, hope all is well with you and yours and that lots of stitching is going on!

Until next time……

And it's a finish

2010-05-14T10:10:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, almost the end of another week and this one seems to have flown in. Our weather has been quite chilly this week, hard to believe that we’re almost to the middle of May. My DH had to scrape frost off the car windscreen one morning this week!! It would be nice if the temps could start to rise a little more soon.

Anyway, here she is…….

CHS Her Sampler stitched on 32ct Belfast cream using suggested DMC threads

Yes, CHS My Sampler is finished. I was able to get the DMC thread I needed on Saturday (and at the crazy price of 75p although I noticed they were now stocking Anchor and it was selling at 99p a skein!!!! Little wonder I only buy from there when it's an emergency?!) so was able to get back to stitching it and finished it a couple of days ago. I did enjoy stitching this one. I loved the greens, loved how it all came together and it’s one of my favourite stitches so far this year.

Now to decide what to stitch next. I seem to be going in circles with that. My stitching mojo is in full flow but it’s like it’s in hyper-flow so I’m stash diving, pulling charts out and then not being able to make a decision! Anyone else find that they do that at times? I think some of it is that often I’ve got a pretty good idea in the back of my head of what I’m going to stitch next when I’m reaching a finish and that hasn’t happened this time round. In the meantime all that indecision did get me started on my May Christmas ornament so at least I’m on track to get that one done this month. I only have a little bit more to stitch on it and it’ll be a finish too.

Wishing everyone a great weekend and hopefully next time I will have made a decision on what I’m going to stitch and will have started!

Until next time….

This 'n that

2010-05-06T13:18:00.007+01:00

Hi everyone! Well, not yet a finish with Her Sampler but almost there. I’ve run out of one colour (DMC 3011) and, of course, it’s the colour that’s used most!! When I started I knew I might be cutting it fine whether I’d have enough or not but hoped for the best. By the start of this week I knew I was going to be out of luck. I won’t be able to pick up another skein until the weekend (and hopefully will be able too, there’s only one place here that sells DMC and it can be a bit hit or miss on finding the ones you want). I know that DMC are usually okay with dye lots but I couldn’t tell you how long I’ve had this skein and, just in case there is a slight variation in colour, I reckoned the best thing to do was to stitch the borders so they, at least, would be exactly the same. If there is a slight change in colour it hopefully wouldn't be so noticeable being used in the motifs.

Other than that, these arrived today so my plans for this afternoon include getting them potted up and then hoping that with lots of tender, loving care they will grow!!!
They don’t look like too much at the moment, do they?! A friend’s daughter was doing a fund-raiser in their Guide group where you could order plants from this company. There are five plants – 2 peppers, a tomato, courgette and aubergine. I’ve grown peppers and tomatoes before, with mixed success, but the courgette and aubergine will be new to me. These are all varieties that can be grown in containers. Now all that's needed is a warm, sunny summer and lots of luck!!!!

And before I go, thought I’d share the PSS Quaker Calendar that I have on display this month. I’m still dragging my feet on getting the last two in this series stitched but hope to get them done at some point this year.

Hoping all is well with you and yours.
Until next time ……

Progress on Her Sampler & a little taste of Christmas

2010-04-30T10:12:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! I’ve been expecting a package in the mail and knew I’d want to be sharing pics of what was inside next time I blogged but, wouldn’t you know it, this package decided to take its time. More on that in a moment.

First off, let me share my progress on CHS Her Sampler. This is such a lovely piece to stitch. Some of it I think are the greens in it, green is one my favourite colours. Of course, alphabet addict that I am, I love the alphabet and then there’s the acorns which are something else that I like. Actually reading back over those last few sentences its little wonder that I love this piece so much as it’s ticking a lot of boxes in my list of likes!!!!

Back to the package. Monday I was thinking it would arrive – no luck. Tuesday I’m thinking it’s bound to here – no luck. Wednesday? Definitely this would be the day – nope! Now I’m really starting to wonder where it’s got to as I knew it had been mailed on April 15th and, while it was coming airmail usually that takes a week, maybe 10 days at most. So, imagine some major postman stalking going on!!! Finally, Thursday it made it!!! What was I waiting for so anxiously? Well, it was a package from Deb with my finished BBD stocking and PS ornament inside. As you can see below, Deb has done her usual fantastic job on both. First off the BBD stocking which I've been ooohing and aaahing over since I unwrapped it because I could never in a million years have made it look as good as this if I'd tried to finish it!
Then this one which I'm also thrilled with ......

Other than stitching goings-on DS#2 headed back to university last weekend so the house is back to being quiet again (and my grocery shopping bill is much reduced!). It’s a long weekend here, Monday is a holiday, but no plans made as yet for doing anything special. I think it could depend on the weather which isn’t looking that promising! Hope everyone has a good weekend, almost May?!?!?! Where is this year going?

Until next time…..

A new start amongst other things

2010-04-19T18:40:00.012+01:00

Hi everyone! Hope all is going well with you and yours. Well, having said that my plan was to do some stash diving I have to admit that I didn’t dive as much as I thought I would! I was only really getting down to some serious stash diving when an envelope arrived and I got totally sidetracked. I’d ordered a couple of CHS charts one of which was Her Sampler. Any more thoughts of stash diving went out the window as I knew this had to be the one I worked on next. So, having started this on Friday on some 32ct linen and the suggested DMC threads, here’s my progress….

Before that though I had managed to start a little bit of stash diving and hadn’t gone too far when I came across the CHS Virtues series. I’d already stitched Hope and Faith last year…

CHS Hope and Faith stitched on 32ct Vanilla Gold using suggested threads

but, of course, having stitched two of them I then went on to something else and never got back to the others. A couple of hours stitching over two days and this one is now completed. Only two more to go!

CHS Charity stitched using 32ct Vanilla Gold and suggested threads

Stash diving aside, last year I stitched BOAF’s Bloom Where You Are Planted – stitched on 32ct R&R Roasted Crown Blend using the suggested threads. It was one of my finishes that I put to one side and hoped that at some point I’d come across a frame. I found one last week. So, let me leave you with another finish that has finally made it into a frame (another do-it-yourself job so don’t look too closely!!)......

Until next time……

BOAF's Soweth Sampler completed

2010-04-12T09:07:00.009+01:00

Hi everyone! Good Monday morning! A lovely day here, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and it’s even been like that the last few days. Makes such a difference when the sun shines, doesn’t it?

Well, I’m happy to report that BOAF’s Soweth Sampler is finished!!

BOAF Soweth Sampler using Elne of Lynnyn 32ct Puck linen & suggested threads

I’d been so slow with the first part of this and then, when I really got into it last week, wouldn’t you know it seemed to stitch up much more quickly and before I knew it I was putting the last stitches in on Saturday. Still have to decide on what initials and date to put in but other than that it's done.

Not only Soweth finished but over the weekend I finished my April Christmas ornament.

This is Homespun Elegance’s Joyous Heart (just realised I’ve still to add the charm!) stitched on 32ct lambswool using the suggested threads. Oh, I didn’t go with the colonial knots for the holly berries, just did beads instead. Siobhan, Cariand I are trying to keep to a resolution of stitching an ornament a month. Can I tell you, I’m definitely finding having the company a good thing. I doubt that I’ve ever managed to reach April and still be on track!!

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments on my framed Ellen Birdseye. I loved stitching her so much and I love that she’s now out where I can see her every day.

What’s next? Well, some stash diving coming up I think. I seem to have been on a roll for stitching charts that I’ve had in my stash for more years than I care to admit too so I think it’s highly likely that my next start is going to be another one that has been calling my name for awhile.

Have a good week everyone!
Until next time ……

Progress on Soweth and a finish makes it to a frame

2010-04-06T13:48:00.006+01:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Easter! Ours was nice. It was good to have DS#1 home for a few days. He lives and works in the north-west of England now and headed back yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile DH is away to a conference in England. He left first thing this morning and will be home on Friday. Only DS#2 and myself here and you can guess my plans for the next few days aren't going to include lots of housework and cooking of meals!! No, I'm more on to the idea of having some quality stitching time, reading and computer time!!

As for stitching. I'm happy to say I’ve managed to make progress on Soweth Sampler

I am being slow on this one, I really don’t know why, maybe I’ll just blame the time of year! I’m enjoying stitching it, it’s not that I’ve started it and don’t like it, it just seems to be one of those projects that’s not working up as quickly as I thought. I looked at my 2010 finishes list in the sidebar and have to say that March was not one of the better months for me as regards finishes. While I am in no way a super-quick stitcher I do usually manage to finish a larger project within the month. March turned into a couple of small finishes and that was it. All I can do is hope for better in April. I should get Soweth finished, I’m over halfway with it now and I’m certainly going to aim for it being an April finish.

What I did manage to do over the Easter weekend was put Ellen into a frame ….

GH Ellen Birdseye

Now, this is one of my ‘do-it-yourself- framing jobs so please don’t look too closely!!! I saw this photograph frame and thought it might work. The wood is maybe a little too dark, it is dark brown but it's looking more like black in the pictures. So, I might look for something else but, in the meantime, given that I finished this back in January it feels good to have it out on display.

I’d love to say we’re having gorgeous Spring weather but it has done nothing but pour with rain this morning and it definitely doesn’t feel much like Spring! It is meant to get better later this week and I can’t wait to see a bit of sun again!

Until next time .......

Blink and you'll miss.....

2010-03-29T18:48:00.010+01:00

the amount of stitching I managed to do this past week!!! It was such a small amount that I’m not even going to take a picture to share. I pretty much just lifted my needle and thread once and stitched the first three letters of the wording in BOAF’s Soweth Sampler. Yes, that was it ….the total amount of stitching in over a week!!!! Let’s just say I’m hoping for bigger and better things this week!!

I do want to share this though. I stitched this little pillow for the latest exchange I was in and as it’s now reached its destination I can share a pic. It was stitched on a piece of 28ct R&R Oyster Mist using the suggested DMC.

This is from the blog Danybrod which I love to visit. She does some lovely designs for smalls and I love the colours she uses. Now I need to find the time to stitch this for myself!

A busy week with Easter coming up. DS#2 came home from university in England yesterday and will be here for a month. DS#1 will be home towards the end of the week and will be here for the Easter weekend. In amongst all the comings and goings I am hoping to make more headway with Soweth Sampler and I need to start thinking about which Christmas ornament I want to stitch in April.

Until next time .....

Stash diving and those seven things!

2010-03-19T10:28:00.008Z

Hi everyone! Well, I’ve been doing some stash diving this week and, while I’m planning on having BBD’s A Stitcher’s Companion on the go as my smaller project, once again I’ve ended up pulling out something that’s been in my stash for quite a few years. Having seen Melissa's progress on BOAF’s A Very Fine Sampler it got me to thinking that it had been a while since I’d had a BOAF 'fix'. So, my latest project is this one …..

BOAF Soweth Sampler. I'm stitching this on the same linen I used for GH Ellen Birdseye earlier this year and using the suggested WDW colours. I only started this on Wednesday so not much progress to show but this is where I’ve reached.

BOAF Soweth Sampler on 32ct Puck Elne of Lynnyn using suggested WDW threads

I have to say ‘thank you’ to both Cari and Melissa who thought of me when they were giving out the award below. Thank you ladies! In some ways I still feel a 'newbie' in the blogging world and I am still amazed that people take the time to drop by when I post to see what I've blogged about! So you can guess I'm even more surprised when others think of me for awards!

Now can I tell you, I’ve been pondering over what ‘interesting’ things there were about me that I could share. At the start I was having a bit of panic about being able to find seven things to list and I’m hoping Cari and Melissa don’t mind that I’m combining their two awards into one – finding 14 things about me would definitely tax my brain!! But, here I am several days later with my seven things:

1. I loathed Maths at school, it was my worst subject by far. Somehow I ended up marrying a Maths teacher who thinks maths is one of the best things in the world!

2. I shared a house for 5 years in my early 20’s with four other girls and let’s just say we had a lot of fun!

3. When I was 24 I was in the process of organising to go to the US for a year. One of my housemates had a thing about walking in somewhere on her own and this particular night she persuaded me to go with her so she wouldn’t have too. That night I met a guy, we started dating and yes, those plans for the US were shelved. That guy became my husband 1 ¾ years later and I never did make it to the US for a year!

4. I’m one of those very fortunate women who have short labours. My daughter was the quickest, she only took 1 ½ hours to appear and I only just made it to the delivery suite! When I was expecting my 3rd I was well warned to get to hospital as soon as I thought anything was happening otherwise I could be giving birth in the car!!! I made it to the hospital in time!!

5. I started stitching 24 years ago, I came across a little flower kit on aida and thought it would be fun to stitch. I was hooked! Going online was the thing that really broadened my stitching, online shopping has a lot to answer for!! Shepherds Bush were the designers who got me moving from aida to linen. I think the only constant thing that has been with me through my stitching is that I loved stitching alphabets and samplers when I started stitching and I still do all these years later. There are other things I would have stitched back then that I wouldn’t think about doing now.

6. I cannot bear my feet being touched. I’ve never had a pedicure in my life, it sounds like torture to me, and I don’t know what I’m going to do should I ever need to have anyone working at my feet! Another thing that I’m squeamish about are eyes. Never ask me to look in your eye if you think you have something in it!!! I just won’t be able to do it!

7. I‘ve had two jobs. First one was in a university where being a telex operator was part of my job. This was back in the dark ages before even the fax machine was around and on the very rare occasions that a telex machine is ever mentioned now most people go ‘what?!’. I left that job when I was pregnant with my first child and was a SAHM for 13 years. My second job was, believe it or not given the whole maths thing, in the accounts office of a hotel!

I know I’m now meant to nominate 7 blogs but I’m going to cop out on that bit as I really don’t know how to pick 7 blogs as there are so many that I love to read and quite a few people have already done this! So, thank you again to Cari and Melissa for thinking of me when handing out this award and I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading seven things about me, interesting or not!

Until next time…..

Odds, ends & that envelope

2010-03-11T11:18:00.012Z

Thanks everyone for all your lovely comments about my finished CHS heart. I really do appreciate that you take the time to write and I get such a kick out of reading all the comments.

Well, crazy stalker woman waiting for the post has gone! Yes, BBD Honeysuckle Manor finally arrived but, I have to tell you, it only turned up yesterday so I’ve been crazy stalker woman for quite a few days!!! I’m sure I was quite the picture pouncing on the envelope shouting ‘yes!!!!’ and jumping up and down! I’m pretty sure the postman will have heard me as he walked away from the door but hopefully he'll like that not all the mail he delivers is unloved. It was worth the wait, the samplers are lovely and I really like the smaller pieces, plus this alphabet addict especially loved ‘A Stitcher’s Companion’ and I can see that being one that will definitely be stitched. Finding something similar to the wooden frame that is used will be something of a challenge given the lack of supplies here but that’s not going to put me off stitching it.

While I was pacing and waiting it did give me the chance to stitch and finish this….

PS ornament from A Christmas Visit booklet using 32ct Permin natural & suggested DMC

my March Christmas ornament. Cari, Siobhan and I are encouraging each other this year to stitch an ornament a month and so far the three of us are doing good!

Then, I finally finished this!!!

Plum Street Samplers Quaker Calendar V using 32ct Cream linen & DMC

Way back at the start of the year I mentioned that I had the last 3 to stitch in this series. Given that it has taken me almost 3 months to stitch one it’s looking like the other two aren’t going to be stitched in double quick time! Here's the one for March (that I did manage to stitch last March when I was still on track with these).....

From Plum Street Samplers Quaker Calendar II

Finally, let me leave you with a taste of Spring. Not picked from my garden, my daffodils are growing but are nowhere near ready to bloom, but lovely nonetheless.

Until next time…..

A CHS finish and impatiently awaiting stash!

2010-03-04T10:48:00.008Z

Hi everyone! It’s a lovely Spring day here – yes, I’m going to use the word Spring as it is March and it feels like I can use the word now. For those of you still under feet of snow I know that you’re probably feeling like Spring is a long way off!!! It’s chilly here this morning, I have to go out shortly and will need to scrape ice off the car but the sun is shining, the sky is blue and that is so nice to see. Okay, without further ado ……

CHS Hearts & Flowers on 32ct LL examplar using suggested DMC threads

Yes, Hearts & Flowers is a finish! I put the final stitches in on Friday so I can claim it as a February finish even though I’m only getting the chance to sit and blog this morning. I decided not to finish the whole chart, I love this just as a heart and the plan will be to send this off and have it finished as such rather than having it framed. I am definitely happy dancing that I have finally stitched this given the number of years it’s been lurking in my stash!!!

What next? Okay, I have to admit to stalking the postman. Anyone else doing that?!?! Melissa I'm hoping you've had your good mail day!! BBD Honeysuckle Manor is on its way to me which just makes me even more impatient for it to arrive!! Can you guess that every morning I’m doing the hoping/wishing thing that it arrives ‘today’ although really I’m being a little unrealistic that it could get here that fast!!! So far, no sign but, with a bit of luck it might arrive in the next day or two. I can’t wait to get that book in my hot little hands and see all the delights that I just know are going to be inside. I definitely see me wanting to stitch something from that so, being the ‘one-project-at-a-time’ person that I am, I am holding off on starting a larger project. I have been doing some stitching, working on a piece for an upcoming exchange that I can’t share just yet and I’ve made a start on my March Christmas ornament which is going to be another PS one.

That’s it from me for this time. Hope all is well in your part of the world and enjoy that Market stash when it reaches you!
Until next time …

Hearts, flowers and a strawberry

2010-02-24T15:44:00.010Z

Not quite there yet on Hearts & Flowers but I reckon that my next posting will be reporting it as a finish as I plan to just stitch the heart. As you can see, I really don’t have too much left to do……

Look at what I've received from my good friend Betsey (no blog) in a recent exchange. Isn't it lovely? The design is from Dames of the Needle.

Dames of the Needle Strawberry Flower

When I opened the box and saw what was inside I was just thrilled. I have tried to make one of these strawberries and can I tell you, it was a disaster! I made the classic mistake of cutting too close to the seam line where you pull it together at the top so that when I did try to gather it all together it just came apart. Thing was, I knew I’d cut too close but I kept going, you know where you hope that it will work out even though you know that it really won’t?!?!?!?! Can you guess where it ended up?!?! Yes, in the bin with me totally put off attempting another one!! So, I appreciate this even more, Betsey's finishing is so good.

Remember last post I talked about the pink in the toe of BBD Merry Christmas stocking? Well, as you can probably guess, the pink is gone!!! I decided to do that little part in the WDW Lancaster Red which was what was used above it and I like it much better!

Yesterday we were getting warnings of heavy snow through last night and today. I got up this morning expecting it to be a winter wonderland outside only to find that it was a mixture of rain and sleet and no sign of any snow. I’m sure some places had the snow but looks like we’ve escaped it. Rain and sleet? Still good weather to stay inside and get some stitching done!
Until next time...

CHS Hearts & Flowers & sneaking in a little bit of Christmas

2010-02-19T11:29:00.007Z

Hi everyone! Well, not as much stitching time as I would have liked this week. I did manage to thread a needle every day, just didn't get to thread it as many times as I would have liked! More stitching done on CHS Hearts & flowers and this is where I am with it.

The picture shows the fabric much lighter than it really is. It’s Lakeside Examplar and is a lovely warm tone that works really well with the thread colours. I’d love to have this as a finish in February so that’s what I’m going to be concentrating on this next week I think.

Last weekend I worked on my February ornament, BBD Merry Christmas Stocking and finished it.

I’ve used the suggested CC colours one of which is Clay Pot for the stitching under the year at the toe of the stocking. I'm not sure how clear it is but can you see that the picture on the chart is more a slightly lighter red and not pink as such, or at least not pink in the way my skein of Clay Pot is! I have to admit that every time I look at my stitched piece the pink catches my eye, but not in a good way! I’m considering re-stitching that little bit in one of the other colours before deciding if the Clay Pot is what I want to use. Has anyone else stitched this stocking yet? If so, is their skein of Clay Pot more of a red than a pink?

And finally, here is my totally finished January ornament, a PS one from A Christmas Visit. I know many of you use Deb at Artistic Needle and this is the first time I’ve sent something to her. It won’t be the last! I love what she’s done, I’m so thrilled with this, never in a million years could I have finished this so well!

From PS booklet A Christmas Visit

Well, that’s it from me for this time. I hope everyone has a good weekend whatever they’ve got planned. I don’t have too much planned so hopefully I can fit in lots of stitching time!
Until next time ….

A little bit of this and that with hearts involved

2010-02-12T17:02:00.005Z

I think this is going to be one of those blog posts that’s about this and that but not really an awful lot of this and that! Ever had one of those weeks when you feel like you’ve found time to do quite a bit of stitching but when you look at what you’ve actually done it doesn’t really seem like all that much?!?! That seems to be the way I’m feeling about CHS Hearts & Flowers. I keep looking at it and feeling like I’m not making much progress. Anyway, here’s where I am with it….

Other than that this week, I stitched a little bit more on my BBD December stocking ornament.

BBD Merry Christmas on 30ct R&R Iced Cappuchino

And that’s what I plan on working on this weekend with the aim of finishing it. Now, that’s the stitching I’m talking about, not the actual making into a stocking which I really don’t see myself attempting. No, that will be going elsewhere to be finished!

It’s been quiet around here this week. Spring is starting to feel like it might just be around the corner, the days are noticeably lengthening now and I’ve noticed the green shoots of the daffodils starting to poke up above the soil in the garden. I'm sure we're not rid of winter yet but it's nice to see a few signs of change. Before I go I do want to say thank you to everyone for all the lovely comments you leave and for everyone who drops by my blog, Valentine’s Day on Sunday and I hope it’s a good one for you all.
Until next time….

Some Valentine finishing and a new start planned

2010-02-05T10:58:00.007Z

Happy Friday everyone! Almost the weekend! Well, I seem to have had one of those weeks when all I’ve done is putter around and flit from one thing to another. Whilst I was doing that though I came across several Valentine pieces that I’d stitched last year and never got round to finishing. I reckoned that I really needed to get my act together and not have another year go by so, as a result of sitting down yesterday afternoon and having a finishing session, here they are……

First off is this one, an older Goode Huswife, Valentine Sampler, using the suggested DMC but I have to admit I’ve no idea what fabric I used!! If I was taking a guess it looks like it could be a 32ct lambswool.

Then this little one, a Prairie Schooler design using a NN thread, Elderberry Wine on 28ct R&R Oyster Mist.

Prairie Schooler from the leaflet From the Heart

In amongst all my puttering around I did start on my February Christmas ornament, this one…..

BBD Merry Christmas from the Merry December booklet using suggested threads on 30ct R&R Iced Cappuchino

And last but not least, I made up my mind about what my next project is going to be. Another one that’s been in my stash for more years than I care to admit too but one which I think will be perfect to work on in the month of February…….

CHS Hearts and Flowers using lakeside 32ct examplar

Okay, that's it from me for this time. Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Until next time ....

Ellen Birdseye - a January finish

2010-01-31T12:30:00.006Z

Yes, here she is, I am able to report Ellen as a January finish!

Goode Huswife Ellen Birdseye

Fabric: 32ct Elne of Lynnyn linen in puck

Threads: DMC 611, 612, 3012, 3371, GA Old Red Paint, Old Blue Paint

I actually put the final stitches in late yesterday afternoon but waited until this morning to take some pictures when the light was better. I have loved stitching this piece, she is definitely one of my favourites and, now that she’s completed, well, I've got that strange feeling of being a little sad that I won't be working on her anymore.

Melissa very kindly shared the colour changes she'd used and from those I introduced red into the piece using GA Old Red Paint and instead of DMC 931 I used GA Old Blue Paint.

This was the first time I’ve stitched on the Elne of Lynnyn linen and I really liked it and will be using it again.

Now to decide on what’s going to be my next project! I’ve a couple of things in mind, I’m jumping between staying with Goode Huswife or going to Ewe & Eye & Friends or something from La-D-Da. Decisions, decisions!!! Who knows, even though I have those in mind it might end up being a completely different designer! It's just going to depend on what jumps out and says 'stitch me'!

Hope everyone’s having a good weekend and if it’s cold and snowy where you are I hope that you’re able to stay inside, keep warm and stitch!
Until next time…

Coming along nicely....

2010-01-27T10:41:00.009Z

Here’s my latest progress on Ellen...

You know, I didn’t feel like I’d stitched much more on Ellen from the last time I’d updated on her. So I was quite surprised when I looked at the previous picture I posted and saw where I was then. I've stitched more than I thought! I am quite close to finishing this, in fact, I might even manage to make this a January finish which I’d love to do given this is Wednesday and I have until Sunday (which seems ages away at the moment).
I only have two more lines of the words, the two bottom motifs and the outside border to complete. Clear the decks!!! I’m aiming to have this stitched this month!!!!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my DT piece. Several people emailed and asked about the alphabet I had used for the border. I knew that back then I always kept a journal of anything I stitched but it was a question of where that journal might now be!! I did some delving into all my stitching stash and discovered it. I must admit it made for interesting reading, it reminded me of things I’d completely forgotten about - things I’d stitched and given away as gifts or exchanges plus it was just interesting to read again about some of the pieces that I still have here, some hanging on the walls some not. Amongst the info I’d always put down the date I started and finished, if I changed anything, if the pattern was a gift who’d given it to me, etc so it’s quite detailed. I haven’t kept a journal like that in a number of years, it just sort of went by the wayside. I had so much fun re-reading it that it made me think about starting one again even though I now have this blog to keep track. So, here’s a question - do you keep a journal as well as a blog or do you just use your blog as a way of keeping track?

Back to the seasonal spots. Here’s the info:

Fabric: 28ct cashel linen in toasted almond
Capital letters: DT’s For the Birds
Lower case letters: DT’s A House in the Country
Birds: a selection from each of the above patterns

Well, I guess it’ll be no surprise if I say I’m hoping to find time to stitch on Ellen today. Have a good Wednesday everyone!

Until next time…..

Thought you might like to see

2010-01-22T12:41:00.006Z

Back in 2003 (yes, I know, here we are in 2010!!) I stitched the four Drawn Thread seasonal Spots on one piece of fabric but never got it framed. The framer I was using at that time wouldn’t frame anything that he couldn’t put a mat round before adding the frame and this was one I wanted just with a frame. Back in this post I shared a piece that I’d left in with a framer I'd used for the first time. This framer said that she was happy to frame something without mats and I left this piece in with her just after Christmas.

Now, given that it’s almost 7 years from I stitched this! I can’t remember what linen I used but I do know that I went with the recommended threads and then stitched the border alphabet and birds in Caron Waterlilies Fiesta.

Thought I’d share as, even though it has taken me so long to get it framed and I haven’t stitched any DT pieces in a while, I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out and I will be finding a spot to hang this.

Thanks for all the good wishes on the dental visit on Monday. I survived!!! I’m back this Monday for the follow-up appointment and then I’m hoping that’s me done with visiting the dentist for a while! Wishing you all a good weekend!

Until next time….

Ellen, Santa and a little bit of a squirrel

2010-01-18T09:21:00.007Z

Monday again! I can’t say this is going to my most favourite Monday morning as later on this morning I have the first of two dental appointments for root canal treatment (follow-up one next Monday). Can I say that I’m not particularly looking forward to it?!?!?!? So, in the hope of taking my mind off what’s ahead of me in an hour or so let’s talk stitching!!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on Ellen. A week later and here's where I am with her.

Excuse the darkness of the picture! I took it without a flash and it is still quite dark this morning. Now that I've seen how it looks uploaded maybe I should have used the flash! I’m still loving working on her and she is very definitely one of those pieces that I look forward to picking up and stitching on every day.

I’ve also been working on my January ornament and I’ve finished it! This one stitched up very quickly and I’m hoping to work on several PS ornaments through the year. I see finished ones on blogs coming up to Christmas every year and I always love how they look and yet, even with having the patterns in my stash, this is the first time I’ve actually stitched one! I plan to stitch a couple of others this year and get myself a nice little collection of them going.

From the Praire Schooler leaflet A Christmas Visit stitched on 32ct Permin in lambswool using suggested DMC colours

Other than that, I did make a start on the tenth Plum Street Sampler Quaker Calendar but I haven’t got very far with it as you can see.

Now that I’ve my January ornament stitched I’ll hopefully work a bit more on this one and see if I can report it as a finish next time.

Well, I hope everyone has a nice Monday. Now I'm off to stitch a little while and see if that can keep my mind off what's ahead of me this morning!
Until next time ....

Progress on Ellen & some picking up where I left off

2010-01-11T12:31:00.004Z

Good morning everyone. What a difference 24 hours makes! This time yesterday we still had lots of snow and ice on the ground. Now? Temperatures seemed to rise enough yesterday for a thaw to start. Roll round to this morning, it’s raining and we no longer have a winter wonderland out there, the snow and ice are disappearing with every hour that passes!

I’ve been stitching away on Ellen and enjoying every minute of it. Why it took me so long to start to stitch this is beyond me but, now that I have, I’m so glad that I did! Then again, I have more than enough in my stash to say that about a lot of things that I have yet to get around to stitching! I did have a slight blip towards the end of last week with one of those moments when I started to doubt using WDW Williamsburg Red instead of GA Old Red Paint. With still no sign of my skein of Old Red Paint to be found here my dear stitching friend Siobhan popped an extra skein that she had into an envelope and sent it to me (thank you, Siobhan!). I stitched a second flower head so I could compare the two. There was very little difference, only a miniscule difference in the shade if I’m honest but, me being me, I felt more comfortable going with GA’s Old Red Paint. So, I undid the one flower head that I had done in Williamsburg Red and re-did it in Old Red Paint. Would anyone have noticed if I’d stayed with Williamsburg Red? Probably not but I’m back in my comfort zone!!!!

Goode Huswife's Ellen Birdseye on 32ct Elne of Lynnyn linen in Puck

This week it goes back to just DH and myself at home as DS#2 leaves tomorrow to head back to university in the north-east of England. My stitching plans for this week are to keep working on Ellen and try to get back to these …...

One of my stitching goals last year was to stitch one of the PSS Quaker Calendars each month. I managed to stitch nine of them but ground to a halt in October. Given that I’ve only three left to stitch it would be a shame not to keep going so I’m planning on picking up where I left off. Oh, and also in the mix will be my January Christmas ornament.

As another week starts hope all is well in your part of the world.

Until next time…….

Ellen Birdseye to start off 2010

2010-01-05T12:32:00.005Z

Ellen Birdseye by GH is my first start for 2010. While I was going through my stash trying to decide which one was calling my name this one kept falling into my hands. Then I saw Melissa's finished piece in her review of 2009 and I loved the red that she had introduced so I felt that here was another sign that this one was meant to be what I will work on in the coming weeks. Melissa very kindly shared her colour changes some of which I am using. Here is my progress so far……

Of course, as always seems to happen, the one colour I couldn’t find in my threads was GA Old Red Paint! I should have it, it’s ticked on my list of GA colours but it’s not where it should be with my other GA threads! No doubt it’s hiding in a drawer somewhere. I’ve pulled out WDW Williamsburg Red that I’m thinking might work as an alternative if Old Red Paint doesn’t show up in time. I’m planning on going with GA Old Blue Paint for the birds, I like the more muted shade of blue than the DMC 931 and I’m using the tea-dyed linen I purchased last week. Bertie, you are right, it’s a lovely linen to stitch on.

It feels so good to finally have some stitching time! The Christmas decorations are down and packed away, only DS#2 is still at home, he heads back to university next Tuesday, and although the house felt very bare when the decorations were first gone here I am a couple of days later and Christmas is becoming a distant memory!

Until next time ......

2010 just around the corner

2009-12-31T17:59:00.004Z

There has been too much coming and going in this house over the past week and I pretty much haven’t managed any stitching at all! I can feel myself starting to have withdrawal symptoms, I need to get a needle in one hand and fabric in the other and take myself off to a corner to stitch. Some of my lack of stitching is that I’m having a hard time deciding what project to start. As things got busier leading up to Christmas it seemed like all I had the time to do was smaller projects, somehow it was just so much easier to pick up something small. Now I’m getting past that and have the urge to get into something a bit larger but I seem to be going in circles with exactly what I’d like to start. Of course, add in the whole ‘start of another year’ thing and, while I’m not really one for making huge resolutions, there is no doubt that stitching plans come to mind. You know the ones …. finish those WIPS, work on patterns you already have, make a resolution to stay on the stash wagon and not buy any new stitching stash until you’ve made a dent in the mountain of supplies you already have. To that end, just in case I hit midnight tonight and have a moment of madness and decide to go with the no new stash thought, let me share some post-Christmas purchases that I have sneaked in before 2010 arrives!! First off, this fabric. Given my love of splodgy, tea-dyed fabric and how it never goes to waste in my fabric stash this has been a perfect choice. It arrived this afternoon and as soon as I opened the envelope I just fell in love with its yummy, splodgy, tea-dyedness and can’t wait to stitch on it.

32ct Puck hand dyed linen by Katie Trendell

www.thesamplerguild.co.uk

Then, another purchase that I’ve been thinking about this past little while and decided it was time to treat myself…….

A Perpetually Engaging Diary from the Collection of Micheal & Elizabeth Feller and
Ackworth Memory Book - http://needleprint.blogspot.com/

I can’t say that I’m completely resolution-less, the old chestnut of an ornament a month still raises its head with me each year and this coming year I’ve got company to help me try to do that. Cari and I are going to give it a go and see what we can achieve. Let’s see if we can keep each other going!

I do want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! DH and I have no grand plans for tonight, in all likelihood us ‘oldies’ will spend this evening watching tv and leave the celebrating to our offspring who are heading out. Maybe I can even tie my brain down to deciding just what would be the perfect 2010 stitching start for me. Before I go though, I do want to say that although I have only been blogging for a few months it has turned into one of my best decisions in 2009 and I’m so glad that I finally plucked up the courage to do it. To those who have welcomed me so warmly, to those who take time to visit my blog, to those who leave comments which I enjoy reading so much, can I wish you all health and happiness in 2010 with lots of love, laughter, friendship and stitching!

Until next time ....

Almost Christmas

2009-12-24T11:52:00.003Z

I was beginning to think that I’d run out of time to make one final post before Christmas but looks like I’m going to make it! The last week seems to have flown in and I’ve managed to reach the 24th and have everything bought, wrapped and groceries organised. So, suddenly here I am and today looks like it will be one that isn’t full of stresses and battling through queues of last minute shoppers. Instead it will be spent at home enjoying having a full house again. Our eldest son arrived home Saturday night, our daughter arrived last night and both of them were very lucky and managed to avoid having any major flight delays with the icy weather that has been going on here. It’s lovely to have everyone home, we’re all looking forward to Christmas and I’m going to leave you with one final finish that I managed to squeeze in.

ornament from Christmas by Jardin Prive using suggested DMC threads and finished as a pinkeep

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas however you are spending it.

Until next time….

Merry Winter

2009-12-16T11:18:00.004Z

Here is HE’s Merry Winter stitched and finished. I have the feeling this is probably going to be my last Christmas finish for this year. I have a couple of ornaments that may or may not be put together before the 25th but, if they’re not, that does give me a headstart for Christmas next year! Back to Merry Winter, I did enjoy stitching this one, I like that I can keep this out on display even once Christmas is over.

Homespun Elegance A Quaker Year: Merry Winter on 32ct Lakeside Linen light examplar using CC Belle Soie in Cranberry and WDW Cocoa (I thnk!).

My cards are written and sent, my tree is up and I only have a little bit of Christmas shopping left to do. There’s the inevitable grocery shopping to be done at some point next week and the dreaded queues in the supermarket but, other than that, I’m looking forward to our two sons and daughter coming home for Christmas. Our youngest son, who’s at university in the north-east of England, will be the first home; he arrives tomorrow evening and will be here for almost a month. I’m looking forward to having him home for a while.

Only just over a week until Christmas. It will be here before we know it!

Until next time …..

Christmas .....ornaments......time for the tree

2009-12-10T18:15:00.011Z

Hi everyone! I can’t believe it’s only two weeks and a day until Christmas. Is anyone else finding the month of December flying in? I do have some Christmas things up around the house but I still have cards to write and a tree to put up (the boxes with the decorations have been staring at me forlornly for a couple of days) not to mention some gifts still to buy. But, I’ll get there.

This time round I have pictures to share of the lovely gift I received in the Christmas exchange I was part of. This gorgeous stocking ornament was stitched for me by Sarah (no blog). It’s a freebie design from this blog and I just love it.

http://hearty-craft.blogspot.com/

She also included this lovely mug mat which she’d stitched and is from this blog.

http://gumtreedesigners.blogspot.com

Then, as my package has now been received by my partner I can share a picture of the ornament I stitched for her.

Blue Ribbon Designs freebie

Fabric: 32ct Light Examplar

Using suggested threads

Stitching-wise, well there's still some procrastinating going on around here but I have made a start! HE's Merry Winter is over half-way to being put together and I should have pics next time.

DH and I are back to just the two of us rattling around at home. The weekend went by far too quickly and the house seems quiet now but, in a couple of weeks, everyone will be home for Christmas so we’re both looking forward to that.

Finally, I just want to say ‘thank you’ for all your comments and for visiting my blog. Hope all is well with you and yours and your Christmas preparations are stress free! Now for my tree.....

Until next time ……

Some Christmas finishing procrastination going on.

2009-12-03T11:33:00.008Z

Well, my Christmas stitching mojo may be in full swing but my Christmas stitching ornament finishing mojo certainly isn’t!!! I could stitch quite happily on a seasonal theme but actually getting round to turning things into finished articles?!?! This, of course, is where I start to wish I’d kept to that idea that I have every year of stitching (and finishing!) an ornament each month….. maybe 2010 will be the year I finally keep to that schedule (don't hold your breath, I've been talking of doing this for years!). So, no ornament finishing to show this time round but I have added a couple of Christmas designs to my stash. Here’s a pattern from Jardin Prive that as soon as I saw it knew I had to order.

Then when I was blog-hopping I came across this and knew it was another ‘must-have’.

http://www.pineberrylane.com

So, both have made their way into my stash pile.

This past week we have had two birthdays in our family, my DD and my DH. My DD turned 24 last Friday, she has lived and worked in England for just over a year so wasn’t here at home on the day. She is coming home this weekend though and will be here until Tuesday. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to spending some time with her as it’s been several months since she was home. Then DH’s birthday was yesterday. We’ll just leave it that he’s a good bit older than 24!! ;) We went out for dinner last night, to one of our favourite restaurants, and had a lovely meal but that was about the height of the excitement. Still, it meant I didn’t have to make dinner and a break from that is always nice. For years now I’ve always felt that once those two birthdays are out of the way then I can really start to think ‘Christmas’. So, onwards and upwards and maybe, just maybe, I’ll have organised myself into a ‘finishing day’ by the next time I write!

Until next time ….