Stitch a long - June

 At least today we had a dry dog walk (yesterday we got drenched)!  And we saw lots of foals - aren't they gorgeous.  Lola has grown up with the horses in the forest so doesn't take any interest in them at all.  If we see a horse and rider approaching though we do tend to sit her down and wait for them to ride past but that's only a curtesy thing not because she bothers with them!

 It's nearly July (where has the first half of the year gone?) and realised I haven't posted a photo of June in the Linen and Thread stitch-a-long. The circular pattern will eventually have my initials and the year sewn into the centre but I'm not sure what colour I want to use so I'm holding off doing any of the initials at present.  I'm also hoping that July won't be a huge motif like Aprils but there is bound to be one somewhere along the line to balance the picture.  But I am still enjoying stitching it and I'm still very pleased with my colour choices!

I'm linking up with Kathy's blog for some slow Sunday stitching.  Hop on over and take a look!

Slow Sunday stitching

I haven't worked much on this project recently because the large square frame is very cumbersome to hold but last week when I was in town I found the craft charity shop had reopened and as it was there first day there was no one inside.  I popped in and bought a wooden scroll frame for £3 which is the perfect size (normally I could spend ages in there browsing but I still feel uncomfortable out and about).  The frame has been cleaned and put in quarantine for three days and I can now take the picture off the square frame and remount it - ready to go!!  So this is where I am up to today and hopefully I will have more to show later in the week.

 

Hop on over to Kathy's blog for some more slow Sunday stitching inspiration!

Bee Happy and face masks

On Monday shops in England that could maintain social distancing opened there doors! Some pictures on the news showed hordes of people rushing to get bargains - In my opinion they are all completely potty!  I did however pop into town to visit the haberdashery department of our one and only tiny department store.  I've been waiting to finish off the two face masks I've made for DH and I but needed elastic.

 

I looked on line at several designs and decided to go with this shape.  I got the pattern via a link on Karen's blog but despite searching back through her archive I can't find the original link.  It is called an Olsen mask I think and there was a really good YouTube video to go with it which made its construction much easier! My salmon coloured spotty mask was the prototype and DH's mask (with the creepy cat fabric) I modified and put an extra layer in and then I decided to sew another narrow hem and insert a pipe cleaner so they now fit nice and snug around the nose.  My next quest is to find some space related fabric and make some more - DH is an amateur astronomer so he needs planet or space men fabric!

 

And a bit more work has been done on Bee Happy - I've just realised I've left off a stitch on the B - still easily rectified!





Slow Sunday Stitching

 I do love this Bee Happy project from the Cotton and Twine subscription box!  I Particularly like the colours and there is something lovely about stitching bees! With that in mind I purchased a sweet little cross stitch pattern of a bigger bee from Etsy (as if I don't have enough to do already).  Although I could start it now I am going to finish this first and also finish June's section of the Linen and Thread stitch a long, oh yes and I also needed a couple of colours for the new bee so I'm waiting for them to arrive in the post!

This project is progressing well and again I love the colours in it!  I am linking up to Kathy's for some slow Sunday stitching so hop on over and take a look!

Take Care and have a great slow stitching day!

Bee Happy and orchids

I've managed to add a few more stitches to Bee Happy (I've also started working on Junes section of the Linen and Thread stitch a long - but more of that on Sunday) while listening to an M C Beaton Hamish Macbeth audio book.  I normally like to read these books - this is book 30, but couldn't get this as a down load from the library and as they should be read in order I'm listening to it instead!  I can however see the benefits of this because I was able to stitch and listen - so excellent use of time!

While out in the forest this morning walking the dog we came across lots of orchids growing amongst the bracken.  We did this same stretch of path a couple of days ago and didn't spot them then but what a treat.  They are so delicate, the flower is only about 1.5 inches high but so nice to see them!

 

Summer

It really feels as if summer is here (although we have had a couple of cold days) because today it is lovely sunshine and I am back in my shorts!

 

This little birdie was completed a while ago but it can now be displayed on my wooden house.  It is a Heart in Hand Needleart kit and they do a huge selection of kits but unfortunately I haven't been able to source the company in the UK.  I could get them from the USA but they wanted to charge such a lot of import tax at the time it just wasn't worth it. Besides which we do have some lovely cross stitch designers in the UK so I will stay local at the moment. But he is very cute and I like him a lot.

 

One such company is the Historical Sampler Company who design the patterns that come in the Cotton and Twine Subscription boxes.  I've made a start on Junes picture and will carry on working on that this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also linking up to Kathy for some slow Sunday stitching.

 

I am signing off today with a picture of my lovely Lola who was six yesterday - six on the sixth day of the six month 2020! I did buy her a new toy to celebrate her birthday (a pink fluffy rabbit) but have put it in quarantine for three days - she can play with it tomorrow!)

 

And this photo taken today on our walk (DH looks miserable but he wasn't he was busy enjoying his ice cream - but excellent picture of Lola!)

 

 

 



Cotton and Twine

I ordered the Cotton and Twine box last month for Faye and didn't realise it was a monthly subscription, which meant that when Mays box turned up I just had to keep it - I mean why would I send it back?  I love everything about this box (even the pretty box it gets delivered in), the lovely green tissue paper its wrapped in and the goodies in it! As well as the fabric, threads and pattern, it comes with the frame included and a few other bits and pieces - honey chocolate and organic coffee never go amiss!

I also made another Positivi Tea!