Saturday 26 June 2010

Another Spot!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my first mattress pinkeep:) I cannot believe how wonderfully easy it was to make ( thanks to Vonna again) and I can't wait to make up this one:) Yes I started Drawn Thread Spot of Summer and was enjoying it so much I just had to keep going until it was finished!

The Drawn Thread A Spot of Summer

28 count evenweave

DMC and Carrie Creations

Started 17th June 2010

Finished 24th June 2010

I don't have any other finishes this week just my usual WIPs! First up is CHS Shores of Hawk Run Hollow and I am making, what I consider, to be relatively good progress on block 6 and 7. For all it's a double block it is going really well and I think I might just get it finished before the end of July ( I'm trying to do a block a month and seen as this is a double block I'm giving myself June and July!!! Lol!)

I am still plucking up the courage to start making up the casket of my JAT Sampler Garden piece but in the meantime I stitched a bit more on the needleroll ( I think!) which is one of the accessories that will go in the casket:) As you can see I've just started stitching the cat.

I actually got loads stitched on Chatelaine Spring Morning on Monday and Tuesday partly because it was such a nice afternoon on Tuesday I decided to sit out in the garden and those green vines just seemed to fly by!!! I do love how this is looking.

Finally HAED Guardian came out on Wednesday, again I sat out in the garden for a couple of hours, but when it came to stitching in the evening I just didn't seem to be in the mood somehow although I did make myself stitch on it for an hour before I put it away. I made a start on page 5 which is my 7th page. It's not a full page so, hopefully, it will go quicker!

I am really pleased with all the stitching I've done this month ( can you believe it's nearly July?!) and I feel I am finally back on track after spending way too much time on the PC over the last few months. I got too into the games on Facebook and now I've got rid of the ones that were taking up too much time which means I can now see posts from my family and stitchy friends!  It also means less time on the PC and more stitchy time! I feel the happiest I have in many months in most aspects of my life.

Anyway next month Barb and I starting another SAL. It's another The Sampler Girl design and it's Return to the Sea With Jane Austen, which I am really looking forward to starting :) If anyone would like to join us please feel free to do so:)

I am really looking forward to visiting Chris for the day one day next month:) We're going to have a making a box day lol!!! I can't wait as I've never made one before:)

That's all my stitchy news for now:) I will be stitching on Shores this evening whilst watching Dr Who!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I'm hoping to sit out in the garden again tomorrow and stitch so keep your fingers crossed that the lovely weather we're having here continues:)

Take care.

Hugs

Sally
xxx

Thursday 17 June 2010

My First Mattress Pincushion

It was such a lovely day today so I decided this afternoon to sit out in the garden and finally make up The Drawn Thread A Spot of Spring into a mattress pincushion. I used Vonna's brilliant tutorial and it made it so easy :) I really enjoyed making it up and I am extremely pleased with my first attempt. Si without further ado here's the pictures. These were taken outside so please excuse the shadows. I have now started A Spot of Summer and will make that up in the same way.



Another finish is another Shepherd's Bush needleroll, this time Beehive. This was a quick, fun stitch. I forgot to look on the SB website to see where the bees were supposed to go and as I only had one bee I just put it where I thought, which may well be in the wrong place!

Shepherd's Bush Beehive Roll

28 count vintage green linen

DMC threads, Delica beads

I made quite good progress on CHS Shores last Friday and Saturday but would really like to do better this week! Of course stitching on something like this whilst watching Dr Who is never an easy thing!! However I will try harder lol!

Sunday evening I managed to get my name stitched on the piece that will be the bottom of my Sampler Garden Casket. Unfortunately it's not quite in the middle but I didn't fancy having to frog the over one so it's staying where it is.

Chatelaine Spring Morning is going well for all I ended up having to frog the Algerian Eyelets as I had stitched them in the wrong place. I would have considered leaving them but they would have been the wrong colour so they all had to come out. I love how this part is looking though. The piccie is not too good as it was taken outside and has come out a bit too bright.

Finally I managed to get the page I was stitching on on HAED Guardian finished and I've gridded the next page which isn't a full one so this one might go a bit faster! I am really enjoying stitching on this again and, hopefully, I won't get fed-up of it again!

I am itching to stitch so many things right now! I could very seriously have startitis if I let myself but I really must behave!

Thank you to everyone who visits and leaves comments. They mean so much to me:)

Hugs

Sally
xxxx


Friday 11 June 2010

Sweetheart Sampler Stocking

First of all thank to everyone who left good wishes and hugs for Abi :) They were all greatly appreciated. She returned to school yesterday after feeling rather rough for a few days. Her eye is now almost back to the pre-cyst days which we are very thankful for:)

At long last I stitched up a little RAK for Nicola. Last year she very kindly sent me her BBD Their Song chart when she had stitched it up ( and I still haven't stitched it yet even though my fabby and threads are all ready!) so I decided to stitch the Sweetheart Sampler stocking from the February stocking booklet. Instead of using red thread I decided to do something a little different and chose Carrie's Creations Banana Split and backed it with an autumnal material. Nicola received it yesterday and loves it so I am pleased:)

Blackbird Designs Sweetheart Sampler Stocking

30 count linen

Carries Creations Banana Split

Started 1st June 2010

Finished 3rd June 2010

RAK for Nicola

After Abi's surgery last Friday I didn't get much stitching done in the evening due to a return of the headache I'd had on and off all week so I didn't get much done on Shores. I did, however, manage to get the dolphin ( ?) stitched on Saturday night. There actually looks to be loads of stitching in this double block but I think it may not take as long as I think it will!! Time will tell:)

Sunday evening JAT Sampler Garden Casket came out again after not seeing the light of day the week before! This is the casket bottom ( not top as I've written on the photo!) and I just have to finish stitching the year then decide whether I'm going to add my name or just my initials. After that I may have a go at making the casket up but I need a trip to The Range or Boyes to get some ribbon- lots of ribbon! I still have the accessories to stitch after that but they shouldn't take too long.

Since breaking Chatelaine Spring Morning out from the depths of my fabric box I have really been enjoying stitching on it. I had forgotten what a gorgeous piece this was and would love to stitch Autumn Dusk next to make up the four in the series and as I have it in my stash it may well get started this year ( just don't quote me on that!!!!)

Finally the angel that Dani wouldn't mind eating crackers in her bed!! (  Dani I LOL'd at this when I read your comment!) Having said he could eat them in my bed too!!!! I didn't get much done on him this week so am hoping next week I can get the page finished and move onto page 5 which is only a small page!

It's all hell let loose in our house at the moment as Jess is home from university for the summer! We've had to sweetheart my father-in-law to store some of her stuff in his spare bedroom as we just don't have room for it here. It's nice to have her home though!

I think we may be getting some decent weather tomorrow so I may sit out in the garden and stitch. It's been so cold again this week. We really need some sun!

Thank you to all of you for your continued visits and comments. They mean so much xx

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs

Sally
xxxx

Friday 4 June 2010

A Long Day and A Hunky Angel lol

Today was one of those days we really don't want to repeat in a hurry! Lol! As I said in my previous post Abi was seeing a consultant on Wednesday about the stye she had. Well my poor baby got herself in such a state when we got to the appointment that she was damned near having a panic attack but thankfully the staff were brilliant and made sure we didn't have too long a wait to be seen. Her consultant was fantastic and decided that because she was so nervous just seeing him he would remove what turned out to be a cyst, rather than a stye, under general anaesthetic rather than a local. Next thing we knew he's ringing admissions to get her in as soon as possible! He really went above and beyond and we ended up in a specialist eye clinic today with her first on his list so she didn't have to wait and get worked up. Abi was so brave, I was so proud of her. I know to some it may not be a big deal but she's never had any experience of this before and she is a worrier ( like me) but she took it all in her stride. I was very emotional after I'd left her when she'd gone " to sleep" but the staff were wonderful. You hear such stories about hospitals these days but we were treated so well and Abi was well looked after. So she now has a bit of a bruised eyelid and it's rather swollen but the cyst is gone at long last :) hopefully never to return. We are so glad it's all over now.

Right onto my stitching:) I managed to finish block 5 on Shores before 1st June although I did stitch on it an extra evening to get it done. I am not particularly looking forward to the next block as I'm going to tackle the biggy in the middle! I did enjoy block 5 though and really love how this one looks.

After the little bit I did on Chatelaine Spring Morning I couldn't wait to get back to it again so I finished the lily of the valley part barring some back stitching and moved onto the next bit and this is where I'm at now. I am enjoying this piece again so much and intend on keeping this in my rotation now until it is finished. I'm going to add all the beads once the stitching is done.

Now onto the hunky angel! As promised I've picked up HAED Guardian this week:) I stitched a little bit on Tuesday and more on Wednesday and I think I did around 300 stitches in total. It felt good to be stitching on this again.

I've also started and finished a small gift but will show that once it's all finished up and been received. I might get that done this weekend if I'm lucky:)I think I've got my measurements sorted for the mattress pinkeep I'm going to make up with Drawn Thread Spot of Spring so there's something else I may do over the weekend!

I have to say that I have really been enjoying my stitching so much more of late. I haven't been spending quite so much time on the PC on an evening so have been getting much more done.

Right time for me to go off to check on Miss Abi, get relaxed and get Shores out!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Take care

Hugs

Sally
xxx