Winter

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day!

I have a finish to share.  Winter is completed and will be displayed on my little wooden house in the new year.  It's great to have every season completed.

Merry Christmas

 Merry

Christmas

to my fellow bloggers!

Red work hanging heart

 

Thought I would start off this last post before Christmas with a picture of our tree.  We finally managed to get it decorated last week and now all the presents are bought and all the card are written and posted all that needs to be done is that last big food shop, which shouldn't be too difficult because I managed to get a delivery slot on the 23rd December - job done!

I also managed to finish my 2021 Christmas hanging heart - just in the nick of time.

I am linking up with Kathy for some slow Sunday stitching.  Hop on over and see what everyone is stitching today.

Gifts from the other side of the World!!

 I really have no idea where the last two weeks have disappeared, but they have!  

Some time ago Kim in Tasmania who writes sarahlizzies.blogspot.com offered one of her beautiful hand crafted Parisian boots to anyone who wanted to add their name to the pot. My name was pulled out of the 'hat' and last week this lovely parcel arrived!

I've added lots of photos so you can see how much detail and work there is and I'm very happy to add this boot to my collection of Christmas lovelies!

On another note I finished Ambers cross stitch initial and that's framed and waiting to be wrapped for Christmas.

I've also started another Attic 24 crochet blanket and I will hopefully have something to show next week and I am adding stitches to my 2021 red work hanging heart.  I will be adding more to this today for slow Sunday stitching, so hop on over and take a look at what everyone else is stitching today.

Ta-Dah!!

 Im very excited to show my finished Jacquie magic needle book from Faby Reilly's stitch a long! Sewing it together was tricky but it was definitely worth the effort. The first photo shows all the components sewn together,

before attaching the last piece where the blue pins are to turn it into a 'magic' needle case.  I must admit it was only ten stitches but very fiddly!

I learnt a lot doing this project, but the instructions from Faby were excellent as was the support via the Facebook page.  I'm looking forward to her next stitch a long!

I've also been working on my cotton and twine winter cross stitch.

This afternoon for slow Sunday stitching I am going to start my 2021 Christmas hanging heart.  I've been making one of these every year since 2014!  Hopefully next week I will be able to show a finished heart (well maybe that's a bit ambitious, but at least started!)  

Hop on over to Kathy's blog and see what everyone else is working on today.

 

Cross stitch

 Its been another busy week but I have done some cross stitch. This one can only be worked on during the day but progress is being made!

In the evenings its easier to work on Aida rather than linen so this week I started on a cotton and twine subscription box that has been sitting around for a while.  This is Winter and will complete the four seasons.  It doesn't need to be done until January though. I decorate with Christmas projects during December so plenty of time to finish this!

Tomorrow I will link up with Kathy for some slow Sunday stitching.

We managed a walk at Kingston Lacy, a lovely National Trust garden this week and the autumn colours were stunning.  So I will sign off with some pictures!

Little Sisters and Jacquie needle case

 I finally managed to get the binding on the 'Little Sister' table topper.  Just don't look too closely at the corners (because they aren't right angled corners I had a real job getting them flat!)

Tomorrow Faby Reilly publishes the last part in the Jacquie magic needle case stitch a long, so I had to get a bit of a wiggle on to get the first part completed.  The four felt pads are stitched together along with the cross stitch/embroidery words.  They are whip stitched together using the blue outline around each piece.  I must admit it's a bit fiddley but the end result looks so good - smooth and neat!  The coloured pins were also placed in very precise places and I understand its important to get the colours in the right place to make assembling easier (I will let you know if easy is the right word to use!)

Today for slow Sunday stitching I will pick up Ambers little cross stitch and add a few more crosses!  Have a lovely Sunday!

Little Sisters table topper

 Ten days ago I set myself the task of quilting one Little Sister block every day.  I am happy to say I met my target and I even managed to quilt the four joining triangles!

The skirt of each Little Sister is stitched slightly different - all straight lines and using the perle 8 or 12 thread so the stitches are rather large in some cases but I actually like that look.  I've added a photo of the back but its even harder to see the quilting I think. I added the larger International Sister block because I knew it would probably sit in my box of UFOs for ever if I didn't use it!

Yesterday I went through my batik fabrics looking for a suitable binding and couldn't find the right one.  Then remembered years (and I do mean years) ago Faye gave me a jelly roll of brown batiks for Christmas.  I made it up into a quilt top but it just didn't work - not enough contrast.

Its hard to see but the border has a thin bright green fabric between each square and I thought that might make an interesting binding so yesterday I set to and started to un assemble the flimsy. But I think its going to be too bulky and maybe too fussy for the binding so I will use the brown batik instead.  So today for slow Sunday stitching I will sew that on and then hand stitch the binding down.  Hopefully next Sunday I will have a finish to show!

Lots of stitching!

 I feel I've achieved so much this week!  Part of it was due to spending 24 hours confined to the house because I got pinged!  In the UK everyone was encouraged to put the Covid 19 app on there phones and if they came into close contact with any one who tested positive with the virus, they got pinged and told to get a PCR test done.  It generally occurs up to five days from getting pinged which meant I was away in the van and the only place I could have got within striking distance (on my own as Laurie wasn't pinged) was in the supermarket buying a pint of milk!! So like a good citizen I got my PCR test at a local drive through centre and the following day (20 hours later to be precise) I got the all clear.  I didn't think I had covid, I still wear a mask in shops and still step off the path if anyone comes too close, but its reassuring to get a negative and off course it all happens through the phone which is generally in my ruck sack on my back.  Well what it meant was I got a whole day to sew - not so bad after all!

The wings on the dragonfly finally got done!  Such fiddly work but I am so glad I persisted because I think the end result will look fantastic.  On Monday Faby Reilly will publish the first part of the assemble process.  

I did a bit more on Ambers little cross stitch,

and layered up the 'little sisters' table topper and decided in a moment of madness that I would hand quilt it.  My aim is to quilt one little sister a day, which means I should get it done by slow Sunday stitching (next week!) And I also admit I'm rather enjoying the process!

Slow Sunday stitching

 We've been away in our van again for a few days and it's been lovely.  Plenty of walking, lots of cake and some sunshine too!  I took three projects with me - well i never know what project will take my fancy. I started doing some more of the black outline on the Bayeux tapestry cockerel but it just doesn't hold my attention.  So for slow Sunday stitching I am determined to get the outline finished on the cockerel and then start filling it in.  Then I might feel more like outlining the leaf stems....well lets wait and see!

The second project I took with me didn't even make it out of the cupboard but the third one was the little picture I am cross stitching for Amber and I actually got lots done on this one.

I've made several of these initials as wedding gifts over the years.  The kits were made by Lanarte and I don't think you can buy them any more.  I manage to put all the threads from every kit together and hopefully I will have enough to finish this off, although I am already short of the gold, by about twenty cross stitches! Fortunately they are DMC threads (except the gold!!!!) and have the numbers attached so if I do run out I can at least buy the odd skein or two.

Dragonflies and Pumpkins

 I've been doing work on Faby Reilly's stitch a long and it is slowly coming together!

I really struggled with this wing - it's 26 gauge wire, organza and button hole stitch, the pattern is for 32ct  linen but mine is being stitched on 28ct.  Faby gives excellent instructions telling us how to convert the size wing to the right sized linen count, but did I get it? NO. But what is good is you can ask any question on the Facebook page and Faby answers it really quickly!  I must admit I am very pleased with how it turned out (I have another four wings to make for the last panel!)

I've added the sequins using a round eyelet stitch, some Queen stitches between the mayflies, whipped backstitch for the stems and raised satin stitch for the eyes and of course woven picot stitch for the tail! For slow Sunday stitching I will be adding the beads around the sequins and I might have another go at one of the wings!  Hop on over the Kathy's blog to see what everyone else is working on today.

I have got a finish to show before I go and it's Ambers pumpkin hat (beautifully modeled if I do say so by Amber herself)

P.S. And I made pumpkin risotto for supper last night - yum!

Dragonflies and hats!

 The heating was switched on earlier in the week but we are back to rather warm, sunny days again, which feels much more spring like than autumn!  I've been doing some work on the Faby Reilly project, it's quite slow going but it is so pretty I want to get it right.

Still a long way to go but I am really enjoying the process and should get the sewing complete before the end of the month when the instructions are published to start assembling the needle case.

When I was out on Wednesday I snapped this dragonfly!

and this Llama (or is it an Alpaca?) but that's a whole new story!!

I've also started knitting Amber a woolie hat!  Next Friday we are going to a pumpkin farm and I had a real urge to knit her a pumpkin hat to mark the occasion (when I say pumpkin I mean it's just orange yarn).

Mind you if its as warm as it has been today she definitely won't need a hat!

Tomorrow I will link up with Kathy for some serious slow Sunday stitching!

 

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I can't claim to be doing much stitching today I am suffering from a miserable head cold (and I know exactly who I caught it from)!  First cold in nearly two years I think - of course last year we were all wearing face masks so nobody caught a cold!

Still during the week I have managed to do some stitching!  My aim every month is to try and finish a couple of my UFOs so picked a couple that wouldn't take long.  My niece is nearly six and I've made her a Christmas tag since her first Christmas to put on her present and then hang on the Christmas tree. (apologies for mentioning the 'C' word, but it is October now so I think its acceptable!)

This week I remembered to buy a 2022 diary so decided that I could make the cover without to much trouble.  I must like aqua coloured fabric because this years diary is also made with the same colour fabric!

Well thats all for now folks.  Hop on over to Kathy's blog for some slow Sunday stitching!

P.S.  Very remiss of me not to add where the lovely hummingbird pattern came from!  You can find it HERE and she's called Sugar Baby!

Slow Sunday stitching

 Goodness September is just galloping away!  Its been a beautiful month with mostly lovely weather but apparently tomorrow it changes so I have to decide if I want to catch up on some sewing or cut the grass?  Today would normally start with a long walk in the forest but the UK is feeling the effects of no/low fuel at the petrol pumps.  Every news item is saying we don't have a fuel shortage, just an HGV driver shortage.  That still means our nearest petrol station has run out of fuel because everyone has been panic buying (remember the toilet roll drama during the height of the pandemic?)  So we have decided because we've got a busy day tomorrow (and have to use the car) we will stay local.

I've been trying to catch up with my Faby Reilly stitch a long project.  I'm about two weeks behind.  But I'm really enjoying the process and now we are getting onto more fancy stitches and some stumpwork.

I really love the effect of the whipped backed stitch.

The sequins and beads were attached yesterday, raised satin stitch has been added to the dragonflies eye and I've started on the woven Picot stitch.  But I'm not very happy with the top end of the tail - looks like its been squished in something.  So I have to decide whether to carry on and see if it looks OK or start again?  Probably start on part 7 and decide later.

I also managed to finish my cotton and twine subscription project and just need to add a few more stitches to secure it to the zipped pouch.

The colours and style of this pattern really appeal to me so I've enjoyed this one very much.

I haven't had the chance recently to look at many blogs so I am linking up to Kathy's for some slow Sunday stitching and I shall settle down later this afternoon and catch up on what my fellow stitchers have been working on!