Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cross stitch. Show all posts

Monday 28 February 2022

Another oldie framed

 

I've just been checking back on my blog and hadn't realised that I started this SAL of Beatrix Potter in 2011. I finally finished it in 2015 and since then it has been in a drawer with all the other stitching that needs framing or finishing off. OH framed it for me a couple of weeks ago and it's now hanging on the wall where it belongs. I have quite a few pieces that I got fed up with stitching on or my tastes changed but looking back through them now I want to at least finish another one or two this year.


February's ornament is finished, I'm not sure if I'll finish them off as trees as they are in the booklet or whether to just have them with a loop for hanging on the tree. No rush at the moment to decide.

Another small stitch to make up, I can't remember who it is by and the chart has been put somewhere safe and I can't find it either. Too much going on in this old brain of mine lately and not all of it good.



Another couple of project bags have been made and have made a welcome change to get my sewing machine out as it doesn't get used as much as it should. Lots of fabric in the cupboards waiting to be used, both patchwork and dressmaking so I ought to make more of an effort before gardening season is upon us.



I had a craving for something sweet over the weekend so a little baking was done, needless to say that there's not a lot left of either the cake or the tarts now. I love making cakes, it was the last job that I had in my working life when I made cakes for a tea room which I really enjoyed doing.



No flowers in the garden at the moment though we have been out getting everything in the garden ready for Spring but a nice bunch of daffodils makes things look cheery. OH is out in the garden now putting in new compost bins that he's made but as it's raining I don't think he'll be out there much longer.


That's about it for now, take care,

love Sue xx



 

Thursday 27 January 2011

Beatrix, an exchange and a new start

Beatrix is coming along nicely though I forgot to post a pic last week when I had done another two motifs, I did another one this week so although I'd like to get it finished soon, I can at least see some progress..



My Valentine exchange arrived with Carol this week and I hope she enjoyed receiving it as much as I did stitching it for her.
The pattern is from a Shepherds Bush leaflet, Valentine Folio. Stitched on 28 count antique white jubilee with DMC threads.




My new start is a Country Cottage Needleworks Summer Garden I can't wait to get stuck into it but every time I've sat down to stitch this week someone has either phoned or popped round so not many stitches have been put in. It has been nice catching up with friends and family, nothing like a good gossip or a moan to make you feel better.



As Chris was the only one to enter my PIF, I shall stitch something for her and do a couple of RAKs during the year, the problem is, who do I stitch for, there are so many nice people out in blogland.

Not  a lot been happening in this part of the world though my middle daughter, the only one left at home, has informed me that she will probably be moving in with her boyfriend in July so I might get to have my craft room yet, wouldn't that be nice. I'm not sure how I feel about being an "empty nester" yet but she will be 30 this year so I guess it's about time that she put some love into a home that they can share.

It is freezing tonight so I'm going to make myself a nice hot drink and snuggle down in bed with my book,

Love and hugs,

Sue xx

Tuesday 4 January 2011

A New Year, a birthday and stitchy updates

I know that I'm a few days late but I'd like to wish everyone one out in blogland a very healthy and happy New Year and may all your hopes and dreams come true.

New Years day is also my birthday so a double celebration in our house although after a hectic Christmas with all the children and grandchildren, it was nice to have a quiet birthday this year spent sewing and knitting while hubby decided to put in a new loft ladder and add to the insulation in the roof. I received some lovely sheepskin slippers, another Lilliput Lane house and some M&S vouchers from my daughters so I feel truly blessed.

Last year as you've probably noticed, my stitching bug kept going on holiday but hopefully, he'll stay with me this year as I have quite a few projects that I'd like to do.

I've joined in with Chris's Quaker SAL and have decided to try and finish off my Beatrix Potter which I started stitching in 2009. This is as far as I got with it.


I've also joined in the Valentine Exchange on Exchange Heaven blog which is coming along nicely.

And, as for those socks that I have been knitting, well, I finally managed to finish one of them after struggling with four needles.

Whilst Tony was emptying the attic, he found my knitting machine that had been up there for a while as I ran out of space to use it; I've persuaded him to bring it downstairs for me so that I can have a play around with it. Goodness knows what state it is in, probably covered in rust knowing my luck, but I'm dying to have another go on it even if I just do a scarf.

I was lucky enough to be chosen for one of Elisa's PIFs before Christmas so on my next blog post I will offer the same to anyone out there who wants to join in. I've also got another project that I want to start, a Country Cottage Needleworks chart that I bought last year but as the batteries in my camera need charging at the moment, I'll put a pic up next time.

It is so cold this evening and we had snow again today so I'm having a lazy night sitting by the fire with the TV and my stitching and trying hard not to finish off that box of chocolates that keeps calling........

love and hugs,

Tuesday 2 February 2010

A new month

I am so glad that February is here as January wasn't the best of months for me and ended last week with my youngest daughter Rachel being admitted to hospital with chest pains. Thankfully she is out now though she has to take a strong course of antibiotics and as she is three months pregnant it was a very worrying time for her with all the drugs that she was given when she was first admitted.

We've looked after her daughter Lily for most of the weekend and it's been lovely to hear her shout my name when she wakes up in the morning and even her singing away at 4.30 one morning was a joy. I can't believe that she will be two years old on Sunday, it doesn't seem five minutes since she was born.

I thought that it was about time that I posted a photo of my Travelling Stitcher SAL as I think this is the last week and I'm nowhere near finished yet.


This is what I had done by the end of the second week but then I couldn't find the cable to attach to the camera to download the photo. I have done a little more since then but not a lot so I must try this week and stitch a bit more.

I hope that wherever you are that the weather is better than it is here, very wet and windy, just the sort of day to sit and stitch if only I could get off here!!

hugs,

Monday 23 November 2009

Part 3

Part three of Prairie Sampler is finished so by this time next week it should hopefully be finished.



I've run out of one of the threads though so with any luck it will arrive in time for me to finish on schedule. It's been lovely stitching this and I'm hoping to get it framed before Christmas.

It's been wet and windy again today, really miserable weather, so I'm making the most of sitting by the fire and playing with Lily. She's decided that she likes grandma's cakes!



I can't believe that Christmas is so near, we've been trying to sort out how we can get ten round our small table this year, I think there's going to be a lot of furniture moving. I've nearly done all my Christmas shopping which is a first for me as I usually leave it until the last minute but it's been a lovely experience shopping for grandchildren this year and I get to play with the toys first.......

hugs,

Sue


Sunday 4 October 2009

LHN Starlight Sampler

A finish at last.

I've only had the bottom border to do on this for ages but I've just not had the time to finish it but I finally knuckled down to it yesterday and here it is.

It's been lovely to stitch and so lovely to see it finished.

I have joined in with a SAL for LHN Prairie Sampler, link is in my sidebar, and although it doesn't start until November 1st I thought that I'd get myself organised so the threads and fabric are waiting for me to start.

It's a beautiful sunny day outside so I am going to brave the spiders and do some much needed gardening

Monday 21 September 2009

An exchange and a proposal

My gift came today from Wendy Jo for the autumn/halloween exchange on Exchange Heaven and it is absolutely gorgeous.


The finishing is perfect and the colours so rich. She also sent me a piece of fabric that I shall certainly find a use for. Thank you Wendy Jo.

My other news is that Rachel, my youngest, phoned me last night from her holiday and told me that Darren had proposed and she had accepted. Me and DH knew he was going to ask her as he came and asked for our permission last week which I thought was rather nice. Of course we said yes as he's been so good for Rachel since she met him 18 months ago and after her first disastrous marriage she deserves someone who'll take care of her.

I managed to get some more stitching done on starlight last night until the spiders started invading the house. We had two giants crawling round the living room but thankfully Tony caught them both otherwise I'd have still been jumping up and down on the settee, I am such a wimp!!!

Have a good day whatever you're doing.....

love

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Exchange received

It's cold and wet and miserable here in Derbyshire, so I'm sitting here doing nothing apart from catching up with tv and putting my feet up. Not much stitching going on either as it's been a busy few weeks though that is going to be remedied soon hopefully.

I received my exchange from Lucy on the Exchange Heaven exchange. The theme was "Home" and this is what she sent me.



This is so apt for me as I'm never without a cup of tea in my hand. Lucy charted the design herself, isn't it lovely.

This is what I stitched for Wendy Jo; I made it into a door hanger and added a little pincushion to match.





I made a little pocket on the back and trimmed it with lace, I read on her blog that she liked red so I hoped that she liked this.


Hoping to get my LHN Starlight Sampler out again soon, it's been too long since I've sat and stitched.

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Stitching and strawberries

It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted on my blog, time has a habit of flying by when you're having fun. Lily as usual has kept me busy and so has my poor cat Chester. No sooner had I posted the pic of him on my last post, he got attacked by another cat and was quite seriously mauled. His head and neck had to be shaved and as the other cat had nicked a vein, he had to have staples in his head and chin to stop the blood. He's now on his third lot of antibiotics because his jaw keeps swelling up and if there's no improvemnt by Sunday, then he's got to have an operation to investigate. I hope that it calms down for the weekend, he's getting a bit too old to be put under.

We've also had a couple of visits to Chester to see my new grandson Joshua, who is now a happy and healthy 12 lbs. He's having to have physio on his neck as being overdue in the breech position has made his neck weak on one side but Sharon says that you can see improvement after only a couple of sessions.

On the stitching front, well, I've hardly picked a needle up in the past two weeks as Tony has been off work so we've been doing all those little jobs that need doing around the house that I can't manage on my own.

I received my exchange gift from Carien for the Gift of Friendship bookmark exchange, this is what she stitched for me along with the card kit that she gave to me.

I stitched for Debbie who said that she liked flowers and butterflies.
She let me know that she loved it and the colours that I'd chosen were her favourite.

And finally stitchy wise, I have to say a big thank you to stitchin' sweet Sue for the goodies that she sent to me. A few weeks ago on her blog she posted a pattern link for some felt strawberries and I happened to comment that I didn't have any red felt left. No sooner had I commented than she offered to send me some which she did in double quick time along with some charts and a skein of Weeks Dye Works thread that I'd never tried, indeed a true act of kindness. So Sue, just for you, here is my effort of making those strawberries and I now realise why you said that they were flying round the room.Align LeftThe garden is rewarding us after all our hard work.
The chillis are waiting for some more sunshine to ripen but we've picked loads of tomatoes, sweet peppers and we are giving cucumbers away as fast as they grow. It's certainly been a good year for the greenhouse.......

hugs,

Monday 13 July 2009

Rainy days and Mondays

I've had that song going through my head for the past couple of hours, especially the first line ...."talking to myself and feeling old", probably because that's how I've been today but rainy days don't get me down, in fact I love the rain on my face (as long as it's not cold rain) and since I've retired, Monday is just another day to do as I please, within reason.
Last week when we did have some sunshine, me and Lily made the most of it and got the paddling pool and play mat out and went for a splash.
She really enjoyed getting me and her mum wet! I can't wait for her to get her first words out, she is trying so hard to tell us something and she "talks" for ages in her own little way. She is so comical. Last weekend was my sister's 70th birthday party and it was the first time that Lily had been on a dance floor. She kept trying to catch the flashing lights that were on the floor and she just went round and round in circles until she was dizzy She didn't want to give in though and she got quite upset when it was time to go, but with kisses from everyone and a balloon to see her on her way she was smiling by the time she left.
On the stitching front I have finally finished LHN Natures Beauty, I say finally because when I'd put the last stitch in and sat back to admire my work I noticed that I'd stitched the flowers on the left of the verse half a stitch lower than the other side. Tony said that it wasn't noticeable but I knew it was there so I had to rip it out and start again.
I started another LHN called Starlight Sampler and I've also put a few more stitches into my Beatrix SAL so I'm happy to say that I'm feeling good about my stitching.
The garden at the moment has a mind of its own, some things are growing and some are definitely heading for the compost bin.
These are my first tomatoes of the season, followed by a sweet pepper or two.This is how the garden looked a couple of years ago; last year we decided to get rid of the drive down to the shed so that we'd have more lawn. Tony has decided to get rid of his old kit car that lives in the shed so we won't need the driveway down there any more once it's gone.And this is how it looks now, it's looking a bit bare but we intend to put some more shrubs in when we get round to it. The borders are filling up nicely thanks to all the seeds that Chris sent me, even the seedlings that she sent through the post survived and grew.Some days I wonder what I've done with my time but when I look back at these photos I know where my time went and I'm quite pleased with the results. Some days it's been hard work but I love being out there, it's so peaceful.
And finally, this is my old Persian cat Chester; he's twelve years old now and this is how he spends most of his day. Wouldn't it be nice to be so relaxed.

Hugs,

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Never a dull moment

It's been a busy week what with looking after Lily and making sure that the garden is well watered now that everything is planted and growing. I can't wait for all my bedding plants to bloom, there's certainly enough in the ground now to give a good show.

I must thank Bev for the award that she gave me over a week ago and I've still not managed to put it on my blog but here it is now.Thank you so much Bev and once I've found my list of blogs to give it to I'll put it on here.
I have managed to do a bit of stitching, this is the scissor fob that I stitched for Janice on the Exchange Heaven blog, it was a quick little stitch and I really enjoyed doing it.

It's not a very good photo as it was taken when my camera was still playing up, but I think I've got it sorted now.
I've only managed a little on my Beatrix Potter this month as other things have taken priority and I do find it hard to keep the fabric from flopping around everywhere, but it's better than nothing.
I've even put a few stitches into my LHN Natures Beauty and hopefully before long it will be finished, but I've been trying to finish a bookmark that I'm doing for a Threads of Friendship exchange before I do anything else of mine.

I was looking through an old box with some of my earlier stitching in and I came across a UFO well hidden amongst my sewing stuff. I started this years ago and I loved doing it at the time but somehow it got pushed to one side, I think it's all the different colours in the garden that put me off. I was stitching it to make as a fire screen, maybe I ought to give it another try.
It's a Teresa Wentzler design called an English Garden Sampler, I've stitched the middle section with the alphabet and the potted trees and to be honest it looks a lot nicer than the picture of the kit above, there's a lot of green and gold in it which looks lovely.

And finally, I can't end the day without putting up a photo of Lily; she fell over today just after I'd taken this picture and she has a slight chip on her front tooth. I don't know who cried most, me or her. I felt so guilty that I'd let her fall over and I asked Rachel, her mum, to come over in her lunch hour to check her over. I'm so glad that I'm past child bearing age !
And just one more, here's baby Joshua just before he left hospital.
hugs,