Gossip in the Garden and cross stitch

The rain continues, not quite on a daily basis, but more like we are used to in the UK, which after the heat wave and the hose pipe ban is rather refreshing. It is however too late for some of my plants unfortunately, despite watering regularly with a watering can, some have not survived!

I've had a good week creatively with more work on gossip in the garden.

This is the last block that requires needle turn applique and stitching!

This needs a good press and cutting to size!  But my first Dresden plate is complete.  I must admit I really like it despite complaining about how fiddle the templates are to cover! The instructions didn't say anything about cutting out the back but I took some advice and I have done that and I think once its ironed it will be good.  I'm now on my second one and in between putting together some hexies.

And of course I always have to have some cross stitch on the go.  This is the fourth and last bird and Easter egg from Satsuma Street.

That's all for this week folks.  Hop on over to Kathy's blog for some slow Sunday stitching!

Rain (yippy) and Gossip in the Garden!

I feel as if I've achieved lots this week!  Helped mainly by three days of rain (not entire days but certainly enough to start to turn the brown, dead piece of grass in my back garden into something almost green!).  But it did allow me time to spend in my sewing room and it was wonderful.

I put together a large block from the gossip in the garden project.  I had several of the components ready, I just needed to attach the stubby dresdens and 60 degree diamonds to the background squares and make up the blocks along the top row.

I also had time to make up this small block

I thought I would lay all the pieces out on the floor to see how much more I have to do!

This proved useful, despite being really careful I have two spotty aqua blocks next to each other.  I corrected that straight away!  I am definitely winning! I have one small block to make with some words and an applique teacup, two large blocks of hexies and four blocks with Dresden's.  I am not keen on making those but I have been covering the templates on and off since starting the project.

For  slow Sunday stitching I'm going to start to assemble the Dresden and hexies blocks and continue listening to an audiobook 'Where the crawdads sings' by Delia Owens - I'm half way through and can highly recommend it!

Have a great Sunday and happy stitching!

Family, cross stitch and gossiping in the garden!

Another week of intense heat!  I know we are not alone in suffering from the heat so I promise not to go on about it!!

We have just returned from a week away in the van, visiting family in Norfolk.  Its the first time I have been with both my brothers since my dads funeral 5 years ago, so it was lovely to get together!  We took our time driving across to the east of the country and stopped off for a couple of days in Cambridge to see the sights and then on the way home.  It did mean we had no TV or internet connection for 7 days (I know shock horror.....but actually it was really nice not to worry about emails, the news or anything!)  What it did mean was I got lots of sewing done, sitting in the garden and chatting to the family - 14 of us in all.  

I did this sitting in my garden last night before it got too gloomy to stitch (should have taken this with me to Norfolk as I was gossiping in the garden)

For slow Sunday stitching I will start to applique the shapes.  Hop on over and take a look at what other people are stitching today.

I did manage to finish the outline of the cotton and twine project.  I will put it away now until I decide what the centre panel will say.

I also got into my sewing room to make another block to replace the one that was rather jarring to the eye.  I also decided to replaced it with a pin wheel rather than the original.  I'm now considering replacing the purple block. 

Thats all folks for this week.  I had wanted to post more photos but its taken me an hour to download three picture - terrible wifi here unfortunately!

Have a nice day.

 

Callie's cushion and a turtle dove!

I'm writing this early and posting it for slow Sunday stitching because I'm not going to have access to internet but I did want to show you Callie's cushion completed and on its way to it's new owner.

At my craft class last week I decided to start working on Ambers 2nd Christmas decoration (I know I am so organised!!)

The components are embroidered, I just need to soak the solvy off and then I can start assembling.

I also did a bit of crochet on my sweet pea blanket.

Don't those sweet peas from the garden match the colours in the blanket perfectly!!