Gentle Stitches

I have another finish :). After not many finishes so far this year I'm on a bit of a roll but I reckon that will stop for a bit now! I do love stitching my HAEDs but a finish every so often keeps me going! So without further ado here is my finish.

Shakespeare's Peddler Gentle Stitches

32 count evenweave

Crescent  Colours

Started 27th March  2013

Finished 8th May 2013

SAL with Mouse.

The chart for this and LHN A Stitcher's Heart is for sale if you are interested.

I am now getting ready to start the SAL with Lainey and Mouse when they are ready. Still have to sort some fabric which I intended to do last week but didn't get done.

I do have another finish but it's a page finish on HAED QS Spirit of Winter. It's taken me since my late Dad's birthday on 10th February to do just one page but I do only stitch on it one evening a week at the moment. The next page will take longer as it's a fuller page than this one.

I have a little more progress on Guardian this time. It's growing albeit slowly and I am very pleased with how it's looking.

Finally QS Holly Fairy. I am now thinking I might get this finished before my target which is 11th September as that's when I started it last year. I do still have a fair lot to stitch but she seems to growing better than Guardian although that is maybe my imagination! Once she is finished I'll move QS Spirit of Winter into her slot.

Tonight is Little Sheep Virtues SAL night with dear Barb which I'm looking forward to.  I just love stitching these cute little sheep.

Tomorrow at craft club I plan to start my May ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. Fingers crossed I get back on track!

I almost forgot my little L*K chart giveaway. I popped the names into a bowl and the winner is Vickie! Congratulations! I have your address so I'll pop the chart in the post as soon as I can :)

I'm going for blood tests on Thursday. I haven't been feeling well for a while but have put it down to menopause and my Dad passing away but I finally pushed myself to seeing my doctor last Friday as feeling ill every day is getting me down. I decided, rightly or wrongly, not to mention my Dad as I knew she would immediately put it down to that and say I'm depressed which maybe I am but I didn't want her brushing me off. My lymph nodes in my neck are slightly up so I guess I'm fighting something but on checking my ears, throat, eyes, balance and blood pressure she couldn't find anything there which is weird as it feels like it's my ear, throat, etc. I go back for the results a week tomorrow as my doctor is on holiday after that so fingers crossed the results are back by then. I just want to feel well again.  

We have had some interest in my Dad's house which is good and we had one offer on Friday which I didn't even bother to discuss with my sister as it was just short of £20, 000 less than the estate agent valued it at. To be fair it seems that the gentleman didn't know what the market was like here and he hadn't even looked round it as it was his parents that had and he was just dealing with it! I know it needs modernising inside but it has been valued to take that into consideration. Fingers crossed for a better offer from someone as I hate having to keep checking that everything is OK. My Dad isn't there and it's upsetting.

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxxx

Here Again!

Here I am again and with another small finish. As I had hoped I finished my April ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. I desperately want to keep up with this SAL as it's good for me to have some focus so I'm hoping to get started on my May choice at craft group next week.

Lizzie*Kate Flora McSample 2012 Ornaments Noel

32 count Gander Rose Linen

DMC

Started 23rd April 2013

Finished 7th May 2013

While I remember I'd like to give this chart away. It is Lizzie*Kate Friends Are Like Angels. I won it on Needlecraft Haven a while ago and  I've stitched it a couple of times and would like to pass it on. I would very much like it to go to someone who comments regularly so if that is you and you'd like to stitch this please say so in your comment. All I ask is you pass it on when you have stitched it :) I know a lot of you will probably already have stitched it as it's a design that has been around a while. I'll pick a winner next week.

Monday Barb and I SAL'd on LHN Little Sheep Virtues Peace. I am really enjoying this one. I got the sheep stitched and made a start on the tree. 

Onto my HAED stitching now and my progress on Guardian from Friday and Saturday. Not sure if you can actually see what I've stitched here but it's the first 7 rows across page 13.

I'm planning on getting page 1 of QS Spirit of Winter Robin this Sunday however the bits I have left  has lots of confetti in it so it may take another Sunday to finish! 

Finally my progress on QS Holly Fairy. She'll be coming out again tomorrow evening so, hopefully, I should have more done then. Isn't she so cute?!

I was having a tidy up this morning and had a count up of the pieces I have to finish. I'm not counting the pieces I have already sorted fabric, trims etc for ( that amounts to 6 I think) so I have 10 pieces. 10!!!!!!! HELP!!!! Arghhhh! I NEVER leave myself that many to finish but my heart just hasn't been in it. I think I need to start to finishing a couple of weeks before I disappear underneath a mountain and get suffocated by my own unmade-up stuff!

Thank you for all your lovely, kind comments on my last post. You are all so wonderful and thoughtful. 

That's it for now. Fingers crossed I might get Gentle Stitches done tonight :)

Take care everyone.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx

Happy Birthday Michelle!

Last Friday was my lovely friend Michelle's birthday. I was contemplating what to stitch for her when I remembered this design from the Jan/ Feb issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine. I wanted to stitch it in one of Michelle's favourite colours so rather than being subtle about it I just asked her what her favourite colours were lol! So here is what I stitched.

Homespun Elegance Family, Friends, Faith Forever

Unknown 28 count fabric

Thread Pickerz Silkz Peacock Blue.

Started 16th April 2013

Finished 23rd April 2013

Birthday Gift for Michelle.

I had a finish last Monday. It should really have been finished the Monday before but I got distracted! This my SAL with my dear friend Barb

Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Love

32 count Vintage Country Mocha linen

DMC

Started 1st April 2013

Finished 29th April 2013

The next sheep, Peace, arrived last week so we'll be starting that one tonight. I've got to sort my fabric yet but that won't take me too long!

I haven't taken any photos of my HAED progress from last week so will save that for another post. I managed 7 rows on page 13 of Guardian and am getting on well with QS Holly Fairy.

Mouse and I are still SAL-ing on Shakespeare's Peddler Gentle Stitches. I managed to stitch a few of the flowers on Wednesday.

Typing of Mouse I received a surprise package from her. She had been on a stitchy weekend to Whitby and look what she sent me! A lovely piece of sheep fabric and a sheepy button ( she knows me so well!) but look what else! She found my marbles and sent them back to me! Now I lost my marbles long ago and it's so good to have them returned to me! LOL! Thank you so much Mouse. I did email you to say a huge thank you so hope you received it :)

I'm way behind on my April ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. Yep still stitching on it and it's now May. How on earth did that happen???? So I'll most probably be late starting and finishing my May one and on it'll go! I'm going to take it to craft club tomorrow and try and finish it.

It has been a lovely Bank Holiday weekend here in England but it looks as though it'll be downhill after tomorrow with cold weather, winds and rain forecast. I hate to say this ( please don't shout at me!) but I do not like the hot weather. I don't want it cold as we've had a long winter but it's too hot for me today! DH and I went to my Dad's house this morning to cut the grass and tidy the garden a little so that it looks presentable for when people view the house. It just makes me feel so sad when I see it empty and my Dad not there. I just want him back. 

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love.

Sally xxxxx

12 Pages Down, 18 To Go!

It appears that I am getting a bit bad at this  blogging malarkey!  I need to get myself back to posting more although while I'm stitching so many HAEDs it seems a bit pointless blogging more as my finishes are few and far between. Need to get my finger out!

So what I have been up to. Some stitching, still no making up on the stuff I've got finished. I think the only thing I've actually made up in months is the  birthday gift I stitched for Lesleyanne. I swear I need a swift kick up the backside but right now I'm not entirely sure it would do any good anyway! My Just Nan Floral Fifteen sits half made up on my chest of drawers in the dining room and taunts me about the fact that I haven't done anything to it in months! The stitching I am fine with. The making up is a no no! Maybe one day I will shock you all and myself for that matter!

This week has been quite successful on the HAED front as I've actually managed to finish a page on both QS Holly Fairy and Guardian! Yay! So one full page and 4 partial pages on QS Holly Fairy and 18, yes I did say 18, pages to go on Guardian! HELP!

I didn't stitch on QS Spirit of Winter Robin last Sunday as I had something to get finished so I need to get it out tonight and get some done. I noticed last time I picked it up that I hadn't gridded it properly so must be careful of that. 

I had hoped to get Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Love finished last Monday but it didn't quite happen. As you can see I just have a bit of the border to do. Barb finished hers the week before and you can see it on her blog:). We are impatiently waiting the arrival of Peace now and have you seen Courage, which is the next one? So sweet.

A little late in the month but I have finally started my ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. I doubt I'll get it finished in time as it's not much  of a start but I'm going to take it to craft group on Tuesday and see if I can plenty done. Can you guess what it is? Lol!

I had a very successful evening on Shakespeare's Peddler Gentle Stitches, my SAL with Mouse, until I realised that the vines weren't right. I'd stitched almost the full row when I realised. I counted and better counted but they were right.  It turned out I had too many stitches on the row above which I think I'd stitched the second week of our SAL! Ugh! So a- frogging I had to go. I've almost got it all restitched but let me tell you I wasn't a happy bunny!

That's all my stitching news for now. How are you all getting on with Bloglovin? I must admit I'm not using it much as I like to use my tab rather than use my PC and it doesn't seem to work too well on mine so I've been using my reading list on Blogger which I find easy to use on my tab. I'll still keep Bloglovin for now as there might be some updates that will make it work better on my tab.

Take care everyone and I hope the weather is improving where you are. We thought Spring was here but it's turned rather chilly again!

With much love,

Sally xxx

Blessed

Lots of stitching has been done since my last post and not only that I have also received some lovely gifts. I did not realise until dear June emailed me but I had won one of her lovely giveaways. Last week this arrived. Look how beautifully it is wrapped.

I had to take a photo before I opened it up and found this lovely chart, ribbon, thread and pins.

Thank you so much June, I love it all.

This week I received a package and envelope from dear Lainey. She has been having an awful time of it lately and you may have read on her blog that her DH had  a cancer scare. I have been keeping in touch ( not as much as I should have really ) showing my support as have several of her friends. Look what she sent me to say thank you. How sweet is that and how beautifully wrapped :) Honestly, Lainey, no thanks were needed but thank you so much.

Also she sent me the LHN Curly Q Ewe chart so that I can join in with her and Mouse in their SAL. Bless you Lainey you are so sweet for thinking of others when you are going through it yourself. I look forward to our SAL. I was going to order the threads I need in the JJs sale but international shipping from the States has increased dramatically so any saving I make would be swallowed up by shipping so time to delve into my thread stash or wait for Patchwork Rabbit to reopen:).

I am so blessed to have such lovely stitching friends. So many of you have been wonderfully supportive since I lost my Dad and for that I will be eternally grateful. As silly as it sounds I shed a wee tear or two when I received the sales leaflet for his house from the estate agent on Friday and later that day the stone mason rang to say that the head stone was back on the grave so my DH, Abi and I went to look at it. Seeing my Dad's name there with my Mum made it seem so much more real and Abi and I cried. Sounds crazy but I'm sure some of you will understand what I mean.

Anyway enough of that! Time to show my therapy stitching. My Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues SAL with Barb is going well. Barb has not been well so started after I did but I was a little slow the first Monday I picked mine up :) Here's where I am at  so should be able to finish it next Monday. I'll make a start on my April ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL then and hope I can get it stitched up before next month!

Of course my problem when I have other things to stitch, like the ornament, is that I don't want to put one of my HAEDs away while I stitch it as I'm afraid I wouldn't pick it up again but it think I may have to give QS Spirit of Winter a miss this  coming Sunday and stitch on something else! Speaking of QS Spirit of Winter this is my progress.  I always think it hasn't grown much but then when I look back at the last photo I think that doesn't look so bad!

I had a panic with HAED Guardian this time. I'm sure those of you who stitch HAEDs have all done it at some point! I was stitching where the angel's hand is and it just did not look right. I was thinking I'd done something wrong so checked the colours against the thread key and no that was all fine. Anyway I put it to one side while I went to make a cuppa, glanced at it and thought wow there is a hand!!! So pleased with this page as it's nice to get away from background as there is a lot on this one!

My SAL with Mouse is going well. I'm loving the colours in this so much. Just hope I can finish it how it's shown on the photo! My finishing bug has gone awol and I'm seriously scared it will never come back as I certainly don't want to resort to framing everything again!

I stitched a teeny bit more on HAED SK Dragon's History.  Note to self- stick to stitching 10 x 10 squares on this piece rather than wandering!  I got very confused on this and I know that some shades of a  colour are in the wrong place but I can't really tell so not even attempting to put it right!

Finally QS Holly Fairy. I am quite  close to finishing page 4 and am so excited by it. I know I'm sad aren't I?! I'm still hoping to get her finished by September if  not before but with 5 more pages to do I'm not sure I can do it! OK 4 of those are partial pages so maybe I can!

Just want to send a heads up to those of you who like using silk thread. One of my stitching friends on Facebook has just started dying her own silks. At the moment she only sells from her Facebook page but is hoping to get a website set up soon. If you're on Facebook and fancy having a look her page is Thread Pickerz Silkz.

Hope you are all well and stitching up a storm.

Take care everyone and thank you for visiting. I appreciate it more than you  could know :)

With much love

Sally xxxx

Oops!

Well it's been nearly 2 weeks since I posted last.  Time flies doesn't it?!

I have been stitching lots but just not felt much like blogging and I am sorry to say I haven't been reading your blogs much either as I haven't had the enthusiasm I'm afraid. Of course it's been the Easter holidays too and although we haven't done a great deal time has just flown. Last week Abi was on work experience with Bridlington Free Press shadowing their photographer. The rubbish bus service from here to Bridlington meant she could neither get there on time or get home when she'd finished so my DH took the week off to take her there and back.  She actually  ended up only working 3 and a half days but thoroughly enjoyed it. Last week she had one of the photos she'd taken published in the paper then this week there is a write up and photo of her at her desk along with a photo of her with an owl which Paul took at Sewerby Hall.

I actually managed to finish my March ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL before the end of March. I enjoyed stitching this and love the fabric I've used ( thank you Lois ) and think I might just treat myself to a fat quarter of it one day.

Bent Creek Glad Tidings

32 count Salamander linen

DMC

Dani I'll get the chart in the post to you as soon as I can :)

No other finishes but I do have a new start. Mouse and I started our SAL of Shakespeare's Peddler Gentle Stitches last week and so far I am loving it. I love the colours and it's so nice to stitch.

Oooh I have another new start. How could I forget that the next Little Sheep Virtues, Love, arrived last week so Monday Barb and I made a start. Well I think Barb did as, bless her,  she's not been well.

I'm afraid that all my other WIPs are HAEDs now. I think I'm a teeny bit addicted as I added to my stash this week during the sale but more about that in a bit! I'll start with the one that will hopefully be my next HAED finish and that is QS Holly Fairy. I've been working on getting lots of black background done and there is also some blue in that. I took it to craft group with me on Tuesday morning and just stitched solidly on black!  I'm itching to get her finished but it will take me a few months yet I think.

I've been managing a little progress on Guardian and here is is in all his glory!  It makes a nice change to actually stitch him rather than background.

As I said in my last post I've been giving SK Dragon's History some attention driven by the March competition on one of the groups on Facebook I belong to. Well that attention paid off as I came third and could pick a reward from the items some the ladies have donated  I chose a Mystic Stitch chart called  Daybreak. I'm intent on keeping up with adding a few stitches on this when I can over a weekend.

My Sunday evening stitching is QS Spirit of Winter Robin and he's coming along nicely.  Once QS Holly Fairy is finished this will move to her slot in my rotation :)

Finally I sat down for a wee while on Easter Monday afternoon to pop a few stitches into Mini The Forgotten my SAL with Lisa. It doesn't get very much attention so it was nice just to put a few stitches in.

As I said earlier I added to my HAED stash this week. I really shouldn't have as I now have a grand total of 23 and when I'm going to get around to stitching them all I do not know as even the QS take a long time but they are so worth the time and are not expensive when you think of all the hours and joy you get out of them.

 Anyway I was feeling pretty down so I treated myself to Faces of Faery 132 Ornament and Mini Home is Where the Magic Is. Yes I know I have the SK of this but I decided I like the full picture as well but would never do the BAP so the mini it was! I think the SK and Mini would look lovely hung side by side. Then on Wednesday my lovely friend Lesleyanne RAK'd me with this.

Mini Jolly Old Fellow.  Now there is a story behind this which I told on Kerri's WIP pic of the BAP of this. I might have told it on here and I apologise if I have. Every time I look at photo of this on the HAED website the train gets me. Years ago my Dad told us how when he was a boy he'd askedfor a red toy train from Father Christmas  but never got one. So I  bought a red toy train, wrote a letter on the computer from Father Christmas saying how sorry he was it was late and popped it under our tree for when my Dad came on Christmas Day!  He kept that train until the day he died and we had it put in his coffin with him along with a Lindt Chocolate Rabbit that the girls had given him several years ago that he never ate as he said it would remind him of them.  Lesleyanne thank you so much for your wonderful, kind RAK. It means so much and once QS Holly is finished and I move QS Spirit of Winter Robin to her slot I'll be starting him :)

I feel terrible to that I forgot to show these lovely threads that dear Michelle sent me from her trip to South Africa. Aren't they gorgeous? I am so sorry that I forgot to show them Michelle. Thank you so much xxx

Well that's all my news for now. Thank you for reading  my ramblings and for all your lovely comments. They mean the world to me.

Until next time.

With much love

Sally xxx

A Birthday Gift For Lesleyanne.

A couple of weeks ago it was my lovely friend, Lesleyanne's birthday. I was a little late sending her birthday gift but she was very understanding. Here is what I stitched for her.

Lizzie* Kate Friends Are Like Angels

Unknown fabric

GAST & DMC Variations

Started 19th February 2013

Finished 5th March 2013

Gift for Lesleyanne

I am very happy to say that Lesleyanne loves it :)

I had a finish this week which is great as my finishes are few and far between with me stitching so many HAEDs. I sometimes think I must be mad having so many but I have got my love for stitching them back. Anyway back to my finish!

Little House Needleworks Home of a Needleworker ( Too! )

Silkweaver 25 count Stormy Skies

Crescent Colours

Started 3rd October 2012

Finished 21st March 2013

Of course it wouldn't have taken me as long to stitch had I not abandoned it in favour of CCN Gingerbread Cottage! I love how it has turned out!

Mouse and I are going to be going back to our SAL next and are starting Shakespeare's Peddler Gentle Stitches so I'm looking forward to that.

I have almost finished my March ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. I'm hoping to get it finished this week. I really like how this is looking. I have been stitching this with my dear friend Barb while we are waiting for the next Little Sheep Virtues.

Onto my HAEDs now. QS Holly Fairy is coming along well. That bit under her face was driving me mad on Thursday evening and I will admit to getting a bit lost at one point and wanting to throw it but I composed myself and sorted it out!

I did a little  bit on QS Spirit of Winter Robin. He has a beak now!

I've started to try and stitch on SK Dragon's History as one of the stitching groups I belong to on Facebook are running a March competition where we count up the number of stitches we do each session on our SAL piece. It's been the kick up the butt I needed to get a bit done on this. If we're not doing anything on a weekend I sit for a couple of hours on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon and get a few stitches in. I need to do something like this for Mini The Forgotten! Run a competition for myself and say when I get so many stitches done I can treat myself to something lol.

Finally my progress on Guardian. I am making pretty good progress but it never seems enough somehow when I still have so many pages to go. I am determined not to give up though like I usually do and see it through to the final stitch even it takes me until I'm 60!

So I'm impatiently waiting for the next LHN Little Sheep Virtues, Love, to arrive on our shores.  It seems to take so long and I'm desperate to get started on it! Also have you seen the gorgeous Cottage Garden Samplings Garden Journal series?  Oh wow it is so pretty and I love the idea of actually making it into a journal. I am desperately hoping that Karla at Patchwork Rabbit will be able to get them in but I'm waiting to hear from her. She did say she'd look into it so fingers crossed. So much so for only buying the Little Sheep Virtues this year but the way I've been feeling I think to hell with it! I'd  order from the States but shipping has got ridiculous but if she can't get them I think I might have to bite the bullet and just get them!

Before I forget I was most disappointed to read that Google Reader is finishing on 1st July. I really liked using it as it was so simple. I am giving Bloglovin a go now and it seems pretty good so I've imported all the  blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin.

Thank you to all of you who keep visiting me and leave me such lovely comments. It's lifting to know that so many people care so much and are thinking of me and my family.  This past couple of weeks I've wanted to cry every single day but try and hold it together for my girls sake. Sometimes it just hits me and all of a sudden I just think I've lost my Dad. It's so hard to think of him not being here even though he's in my heart and always will be. Then of course there's the idiot company who send a  bill even though I was told his gas and electric accounts would be on hold for 3 months and it's not 3 months yet! Not very compassionate at all!

That's all my stitching for now. Until next time.....

With much love

Sally xxx

New Starts, A Finish & An Almost Finish

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! I have been busy stitching and have had two new starts, a finish and have almost finished my LHN.

So here is said LHN Home of a Needleworker ( Too! ). I'm stitching this with the ladies in the parlour at Needlecraft Haven. I'd love to get this finished next week but don't think I will. There is a bit to do yet.

My new starts now. The first one is my ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. This month is a free choice so I decided on Bent Creek Glad Tidings. I thought I'd stitch this with Barb until the next Little Sheep Virtues arrives here in the UK. I'm pleased with how much I got done.

Next new start is JBW Designs Our Family which you may remember Julie kindly sent me a few weeks ago. I started this at craft club on Tuesday. Not much done as I decided to stitch the border on LHN Merry Skater and that took me ages!

My finish is this. Loved every single stitch and it just makes me smile and believe me I need something to make me smile!

Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Hope.

32 count Country Vintage Mocha Linen

DMC

Started 18th February 2013

Finished 4th March 2013.

Can't wait for the next one to arrive!

Progress on my HAEDs now. Some are going better than others! I finished page 11 on Guardian and made a good start on page 12. If I can keep on making some decent progress I shall be happy.

QS Holly Fairy is coming along quite nicely. I'm stitching lots of black at the moment. I really should have bought a cone! Wonder if I get this finished for the middle of the year?!

Next is QS Spirit of Winter Robin. There is a bit of  confetti in this which slows me down quite a bit but it'll worth it. Can you see the bit where the robin's beak will be?

Finally I got a good few stitches in on SK Dragon's History. I spent a little bit of time on Saturday afternoon then as Mother's Day was on Sunday here in  the UK I decided to stitch in the afternoon. So I've almost stitched the top 20 rows of this. Again quite a bit of confetti so it doesn't grow very fast.

Thank your to those of you who have emailed me to ask how I'm doing now. In all honesty I'm not doing very well but I don't want to  bring my blog down and have people stop visiting ( I once had an email several years ago saying maybe I should start a second blog for the personal stuff) and it is, after all, a stitching  blog so I put a brave face on! My stitching has been a God send and I don't know what I'd do without it.

Until next time.

With much love

Sally

xxx

Ignore this bit!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin