Penguins and Dr WHO

 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I did!

Two finishes, which is always nice!  The first one is Penguins, which I did manage to get the last part completed on Christmas Eve but as we were away I haven't had the opportunity to post.  So drum roll please.

The Penguin Advent SAL came from Climbing Goat.  I've really enjoyed doing this and I am very tempted to sign up for another of her SALs which starts in January and goes on until November.  Anyway watch this space!

And the second piece completed is for Love Quilts UK which needs to be in by the end of January, but I will wait for the new year before posting it off.

When it is assembled I will hopefully be able to post a picture.

I won't get the chance to post on Sunday or get the chance to do any slow Sunday stitching we off out visiting friends.  But hop on over to Kathy's blog if you can to see what others have been stitching!

Twas the night before Christmas!

 It's the last part of the Climbing Goat stitch along and I can't tell you how much I have LOVED it!  The last piece of the pattern is of course....... Father Christmas.  It is going to take me a little longer than I thought to complete it but it will be finished today so pop back tomorrow and take a look!

Merry Christmas!!

xx

Advent SAL

 One more day to go!!  This little chap perched on top of the tree is super cute.

Advent SAL

 Day 22 of the Advent SAL.  Two more sleeps until Christmas!

Advent SAL

 Goodness Christmas is really galloping towards us now!  Only three more parts to this SAL.

Advent SAL and Christmas gifts

 It's day 20 of the Climbing Goat Advent SAL!  I love these very cute little seals.

I tired to link up with Kathy's blog last Sunday for slow Sunday stitching but couldn't.  I also couldn't comment on any ones blog.  I will try again tomorrow although I do have the little ankle snappers staying this weekend (they have gone out on a play date, hence the opportunity to post!)  I have managed to make a few small gifts this year.  The little bags are going on the Christmas table - we are visiting my son and his wife this year.

I also made some zipper pouches for the grandkids to hold little card models I've got for them to make.  It was touch and go that they would be delivered in time, which meant I rushed to make the pouches yesterday before they arrived - I didn't know how big the pouches needed to be!  Any way success!

Hop on over Sunday to see what other people are sewing.

Advent SAL

 

It's a seal!!

Advent SAL

 Cute little chap conducting the junior choir.  

I must admit I thought they were holding presents not song sheets!

Advent SAL

 I must admit I hadn't expected the SAL to go in this direction.  But I love it!!

Advent SAL

 It's a snow penguin!

Advent SAL

 Another cute chap to add to the colony!

Slow Sunday stitching

 That's day 14 finished.  How that two weeks has flown past  Which means there are only 10 more posts for the stitch along!

Love this little penguin skiing!  Soooo cute.

That's probably all I will be able to achieve today, but at least I did get some slow Sunday stitching in.  I'm off to my sewing room to finish some small gifts that will go on the table for Christmas Day.  Hop on over to Kathy's blog for some more stitching inspiration.

Advent SAL Day 13

 Another day completed!

Advent SAL Day 12

 Half way through this lovely stitch along.  Must admit I am loving it!!

Advent SAL Day 11

 Wasn't sure I would get todays finished in time!

Advent SAL Day 10

 These little chaps are so cute!

Advent SAL Day 9

 I am loving this SAL!

Advent SAL Day 8

 This little chap is ice skating!

Advent SAL Day 7

 And day 7 is completed!!

Linking up with Kathy.

Advent SAL Day 6

 Here we are at day 6 and the Christmas tree has just got bigger!

I will sign up to Kathy's blog tomorrow for some slow Sunday stitching where I will be stitching Day 7 of the Climbing Goat SAL.  In the mean time I took this photo of Amber's rose today.  Just seems weird that it is blooming with lots more buds still on it!

Advent SAL Day 5

 This little fella is keeping warm and snug in a cosy scarf!

Advent SAL Day 4

 Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Advent SAL Day 3

 And another cheeky chappie!

Day 2

 This little chap joined the colony today.

Day One

 The first part of the penguin Advent SAL dropped this morning at 9am.  Because the weather is foul I was able to complete this little chap.

All being well I hope to post the new addition to the flock daily.

Dr WHO and Advent SAL

 I've been beavering away at the Love Quilts UK square and am very glad to say all the black and white is completed and I'm nearly done with the red!

Tomorrow of course is the 1st December and the climbing goat Advent stitch along starts.  I had a go at dying some Aida, which wasn't very successful.  The blue dye just didn't hold.

I don't mind the green piece but the other square looks pink!  So I decided to go ahead and order a piece of fabric and I needed a couple more colours so I added them to my order too.

By rights this time next Sunday I should have 6-7 penguins to show!  I am linking up to Kathy's blog for some more slow Sunday stitching.

Storage caddy and Dr WHO

 Last month I joined Debbie Shore's Half yard sewing club on a years subscription. I admit it was in a moment of madness!  After all I have so many UFOs I really didn't need any more projects to add to the ever increasing pile.  But I have quite enjoyed browsing through all the projects - although there are a lot that don't interest me.  This hanging storage caddy caught my eye.

And I am rather pleased with the way it turned out.  The step by step instructions were really good and now I can see all my rulers.  There were a couple I have bought, still wrapped in cellophane that I had actually forgotten I owned.

I've also been pushing ahead with the Love Quilts UK square that doesn't need to be ready until January but I would quite like it finished so I can post it before the Christmas mail rush!

I also want to sign up to an Advent cross stitch project from Climbing Goat Designs.  With that in mind I decided to have a go at dying some Aida fabric.  It didn't turn out quite how I imagined but more of that next week.

I'm off out tomorrow for Joshua's 3rd birthday outing.  We are visiting Beaulieu Motor Museum because they have a special exhibition of the cars from the Pixar film Cars.  Joshua is completely obsessed with Lightning McQueen!

Hopefully I will get a chance to link up with Kathy's blog for slow Sunday stitching 

Elves

 I have been beavering away at getting the two elves from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' finished and I am very happy to say that I have!  I think it's fair to say there should be a drum roll now....

and the back

The pattern comes from mmmcrafts and her attention to detail is fantastic.  The girl elf is for me and the boy for Joshua.  I added the year onto the back of there coats not realising the boys belt would mask most of it.  Next year I will reverse them and I will make myself the boy.  In the mean time I'm happy they are done!  Now onto Amber's gold ring.  

 At class on Monday I finished off the Two Turtle Doves mat I started probably ten to fifteen years ago.  I just needed to zig zag around the pieces, quilt and add a border.  Not sure I have chosen the right border but I am not changing it!

I am off out for Sunday lunch tomorrow but hopefully will get time to pop over to Kathy's blog for some slow Sunday stitching.

Progress!

Wow how did November sneak in so fast?  But I am very happy to say I can now tick off one of my Christmas projects as complete!!!

I mounted this on board and then cut a rectangle of Christmas fabric which I sewed onto the aida to cover the back.  I think its turned out rather well.

and some progress made on the two little elves.

Although I didn't enjoy putting these little elves together (I found it way harder than the other projects I've made from mmmcrafts) I did enjoy assembling the heads and items they will hold.  The letters to Santa are actual envelopes I made using thin card and the teeny tiny pencil was made with a cocktail stick - but it really does look like a pencil!!)  I added Amber and Joshua's names with a tick because they have been good and mum and dad have a cross - obviously they haven't been good enough! The instructions Melissa, who designs these patterns, has an amazing eye for detail.

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

Christmas projects!

 It suddenly occurred to me that we are nearly at the end of October and although I've started every Christmas project I haven't completed any!  So with that in mind I got busy.  

Progress on Merry Christmas.  I realised I should have been using a second shade of red!  It's a bit annoying to pick it up when I've nearly finished it.  That said I am NOT unpicking it!!

Yesterday I made a start on stitching the two Elf's.

It seemed to take several hours to stitch the girl elfs body and stuff it.  I made a start on the boy one but ran out of time (dinner was calling).  I enjoyed making the slightly bigger people ornaments but found the little people quite difficult.

I still have Ambers Christmas ornament to make and I need to finish the Dr WHO square for Love Quilts UK.  But I am fairly focused now!!!!

I did get the Project Linus quilt quilted and the binding attached ready to take back to class at the beginning of November.

I am linking up to Kathy's blog for some slow Sunday stitching

Linus quilt top and Switzerland

 I have been away on holiday to Switzerland and had a wonderful time.  I took my Dr WHO cross stitch with every intention of adding some more crosses, but it stayed in my suitcase the entire time!  So because I don't have anything to show progress in I thought I would show the Linus quilt top I made in class at the beginning of October.  I have some fleece in my stash so just need to layer it and add a bit of quilting before the class in November.

To finish I have added a couple of photo's from our holiday.

A wonderful hike in the mountains

The Rhine Falls 

Art Gallery in Zurich

Chirp

 Goodness me how does the week fly!  Here we are again at the weekend.  I've picked up the Chirp project again after seeing the completed project my friend started after she saw mine!  

I just didn't have the right colour to do the outlines of either of these birds so I've ordered a couple of skeins of Perle 8 in the hope they turn out to be the right colours.

I've also added some more stitches to Dr WHO but will show that progress next week.  In the meantime I'm off tomorrow to the Pumpkin Farm with the children but will try my best to link up with Kathy for some slow Sunday stitching

Dr WHO

 I am happy to say I have seen a physio and have some exercises to help ease the trapped nerve in mu shoulder/elbow. It is too early to make a difference yet but in my head I am feeling happier!!  So with that in mind I started a new project!!  It is cross stitch square for Love Quilts UK and will go towards a quilt on the theme of Dr WHO.  The BBC have kindly allowed Love Quilts UK to use it's Dr WHO logo, The Tardis and it's baddies for sign ups only for the Charity.  I had to buy several of the colours needed but had plenty of black to be going on with.

Despite only using black at the moment I'm rather enjoying this one.  For slow Sunday stitching I shall add some more of the outline.  Hop on over to Kathys blog to see what others are stitching today.

Elves and Chirp!

 I haven't been able to do much sewing since my last post, partly because we have had guests staying and I also have a trapped nerve in either my shoulder or elbow!  I must admit it's been painful but next week I start some physio which hopefully will help. 

I have managed to finish the 7th bird in my chirp project.

and here he is with the rest of the flock.

A little while ago I started preparing my grandchildren's Christmas ornaments.  I had finished the stitching but hadn't had the chance to soak the solvy away.  That's done now and I can start assembling the little boy and girl elf when I can sew again!

I will link up with Kathy blog for slow Sunday stitching