Wednesday 20 December 2017

My Birthday, Finishes and Father Christmas Framed!

Hello everyone! I'll apologise now as this is going to be a bit of a picture heavy post. I'll start with my two recent finishes.

First up is this lovely.

Little House Needleworks Christmas Angel

32 count Platinum linen

DMC

Started 31st October 2017

Finished 14th December 2017

Then this one.

Mani Di Donna Winter Days Sewing Basket

28 count Permin Silver Blue Linen

DMC

Started 26th August 2017

Finished 16th December 2017.

If I get chance I'll start making up the basket before Christmas!

As you may know I do a private ornament exchange each December with 2 of my dear stitching friends Chris and Barb. This is what I stitched for Chris.

Lizzie Kate Very Merry ( JCS ornament mag 2017)

32 count Permin Natural linen

DMC

Started 14th October 2017

Finished 17th October 2017.

Ornament for Chris.

And this is what Chris stitched for me which I love. I've hung it from my new garland on the mantlepiece. Thank you so much Chris xx

This is what I stitched for Barb.


Lizzie Kate Flora McSample's 2016 Treats Do You Hear

32 count Permin Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 14th October 2017

Finished 31st October 2017

Ornament for Barb.

And this is what Barb stitched for me which, again, I love! Thank you so much Barb xx

I am getting down my WIPs now and am hoping for an almost clean slate to start 2018 with! Haha! If it happens it'll be a miracle!

Chris and I started our annual December SAL. We are stitching LHN No Place Like Home. I am stitching mine on 28 count Permin Amber linen using some of the recommended threads. I have frogged the words more times than I care to remember!

Barb and I are still stitching away on our SAL pieces. For our Lizzie Kate I am stitching this one.

For our sheep one we are both stitching LHN Born in a Manger. I am loving this one!

I am still plugging away at LHN Lantern Lane and now have a wall and some railings! I can't see this one being finished for the end of the year!

My socks are finished but I didn't take a photo! I'm waiting for the sock blockers I ordered to arrive so that I can block them. Fingers crossed they arrive before Christmas! I have now started a hat. Call me brave or stupid but it's my first hat and I've chosen a fairisle one!

I framed Mini Jolly Old Fellow although I am not 100% happy with him. 

Finally it was my birthday last week and I was thoroughly spoilt by my family and friends. Abi took me out for lunch on Wednesday to Costa so we could try one of their festive sandwiches and hot chocolate. We were going on my birthday but some of the roads weren't too good after rain then a keen frost. Anyway I will let the picture do the talking as I've written on them who they are from.  The only one not photographed is the jacket that Jess bought me as I have been wearing it :) Thank you all so much for thinking of me on my birthday xxxx









Oh also ( I have so much to show you that I almost forgot!) I received some ornaments from Barb, Michelle and June for my tree :). Thank you so much ladies.



Well I think that is all my news for now. I know I won't get chance to blog again before Christmas so I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Stay safe and have a wonderful time. Thank you for continuing to visit me and leave such lovely comments even though I don't visit you all as often as I should.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx

Monday 11 December 2017

HE'S FINISHED!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited! After way too long my Father Christmas is finally finished!! So without further ado here he is 😍


Heaven and Earth Designs Mini Jolly Old Fellow

Artwork by Dona Gelsinger

25 count Magic Guide fabric

DMC

Started 21st June 2013

Finished 6th December 2017

Yes he took me 4 years but he did get put away for quite a while. I am so pleased with how he turned out. In my opinion Dona Gelsinger does THE best Father Christmas! I have a frame for him so will be getting that done soon.

Next year my surrogate sis Lisa and I have some plans afoot to stitch so many stitches a week on our BAP WIPs so for me that is HAED Guardian B&W and Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ). I will alternate as and when I feel like it. I have HAED SK A Dragon History to finish but that will get stitched on a Tuesday evening I think in place of JOF but probably not until after Christmas. Then ( yep there's more) we have also decided to do a stocking SAL starting 25th January and stitch on them on the 25th of each month or more if we want to. As it is my birthday tomorrow Lisa suggested I buy into the HAED Birthday Club then the stocking chart would only cost the $10 for the price of the club. So that is what I have done and I shall email Michele at HAED tomorrow.

Barb and I will be carrying on SALing next year too so I am looking forward to that as well.

I just have a couple of things I have finally made up to display. I have WIPs to show but I'll leave that for another day.

This one is the one Chris and I stitched for our December SAL back in 2014. Jess had this tray she had saved that had toiletries in and was throwing it away earlier on in the year so I kept it. I've roughly painted it and mounted Silent Night into it and trimmed it with white pom pom trim.

This one is Shepherd's Bush Red Snowman which I stitched last year.

I have finally found a 5" tart tin so that I can finish off Plum Street Samplers Merry Ewe. I am going to have to paint it though as it's silver coloured rather than black or dark grey so I got some paint yesterday and DH has found some metal primer in the shed. I need to rough the surface up a bit then I can get on with it. It's too cold and was rainy and sleeting to go outside to spray the primer on so that will wait until another day!

That is all my news for now. I'll be back another day with my WIPs and maybe some photos from my birthday. I have had a few packages arrive in the post from my stitching friends :)

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

Friday 17 November 2017

Stitching and Trying My Hand at Socks!

Seriously how did it get to be November already! Not only November but the 17th November!! Not long now to December!

So I have plenty to show since my last blog post but some bits that I can't show as they are ornaments for my private ornament exchanges with Chris and Barb and a couple of Christmas gifts that I'm stitching on too. Need to get those finished ASAP!

I've been doing a little finishing too. These bits were all sewn up and just needed the trim on so I gave myself a good talking to and got that done. 



I have had a finish :) Not sure I'll actually have anymore this month as I seem to be doing quite a bit of reverse stitching of late which is not good! As you will know Barb and I SAL together a couple of times a week and we have both finished our sheep SAL.

Country Cottage Needleworks Jump for Joy

32 count Permin Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 25th August 2017

Finished 6th November 2017.

It is just so cute!

So because we'd finished that we had to have a new start! well it would be rude not to wouldn't it?! We started Little House Needleworks Born in a Manger. I am stitching mine on 40 count vintage country mocha linen using DMC and Classic Colorworks. I love how it looks on 40 count and, of course, I love vintage country mocha linen. It is my favourite.

The new SAL on the LHN/CCN Facebook group has started so I've had another new start. It is LHN Christmas Angel. This is one I've had reverse stitching on! I didn't like the colour of the wings once I'd got a bit stitched on that so I took it out and used a lighter colour. Then I discovered I was out a little on one of her arms and it looked like it was broken lol! So that came out and I restitched it. Fingers crossed for no more mistakes!

I'm also using LHN Lantern Lane for the SAL as we can use Christmas/Winter ones that we have already started. I have also been reverse stitching on this one as I hadn't left enough space between one of the letters. I got them all restitched and a few more! 

I am still stitching away on Mani Di Donna Winter Days Sewing Basket and am so desperate to get it finished now. I am at the stage where I really don't want to stitch on it anymore. I don't know why as I love the design.

Final stitchy photo is..............................yep Mini Jolly Old Fellow. Ta-Dah I have finished page 8!!!! Just one more teeny page to go now :)

I was very lucky when my name was picked out on the LHN/CCN Facebook Autumn SAL group to win one of Vonna's gorgeous project bags. Let me tell you it is beautiful! It arrived the other day and I now have a project in it. This photo really does not do it justice. Thank you so much Vonna :)

I have picked up my knitting needles again. I haven't knitted anything since the aran jumper last year. I'd bought some tinsel chunky wool and a pattern to knit a snowman just before Christmas last year and had put it away in a cupboard. I decided it was time to get on with it and I now have a very cute snowman!

I think my plan is to use up my wool stash to give me room in the cupboard although I don't have much. So next on my needles is socks. I have had the kit for a few years and have been too scared to try. However it is one of the things that I really want to try so last week I cast on. I ended up having 3 attempts and on the 3rd attempt I was away thanks to a friend on Facebook who gave me a tip. I am now ready to do the heal and that is scaring me lol! Fingers crossed I can do it. I have heard many people say that socks knitting is addictive and I have already been looking at more sock wool! I am being good until I know whether I can complete a sock or not!

A couple of weeks my DH and I went up to Pickering to see my good friend Chris who has moved up there. It was so good to see her and her DH again and we had a lovely day. Then last Saturday my surrogate sis and dear friend Lisa was in Hornsea for the weekend so we had a stitchy afternoon. I don't think we've seen each other for 2 years at least so it was really good to get together and catch up. It makes me feel sad that my lovely stitchy friends live so far away but it makes it even more special when I get to see them. There are many I would love to meet that live too far away. 

That's all my news for now. I will catch up with you all hopefully over the weekend. Thank you for sticking with me even though my posts are few and far between.

With much love,

Sally xxxx


Thursday 12 October 2017

A Finish for Autumn and A Birthday Gift for Lainey

Actually it's two finishes but one is a Winter one! Yes I am here sooner than usual as I thought I could show my finishes now and maybe I'll have some more later! Well you never know!

First finish is this beautiful one.
Little House Needleworks Autumn Band Sampler

32 count Belfast Light Mocha Linen

GAST, CC and DMC

Started 1st September 2017.

Finished 11th October 2017.

I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this one and just love the lovely Autumnal colours. I think I will finish this one off the same as I did the Winter Band Sampler a few years ago.

My second finish is this cute one. The chart was a gift in the advent box that my dear friend Lisa sent me a few years ago. I feel quite ashamed that it has taken me so long to get around to stitching this but, you know, when you have too much stash things end up wallowing in the pile!

Lizzie*Kate Snowman '10

Unknown fabric

DMC, CC and WDW.

Started 14the August 2017

Finished 11th October 2017.

I have some pretty blue Pom Pom trim to use for this one when I actually get around to doing some finishing. What happened to that I'll finish a few at a time?! I'm not sure what I'll be starting next for mine and Barb's LK SAL but I have an idea or two! 

Last month it was Lainey's birthday and as she loves sheep like me I stitched this for her.

Shepherd's Bush Friendsheep ( free chart with purchase of button. Not the button shown as I have already used it )

Unknown fabric

DMC

Started 27th August 2017

Finished 29th August 2017

I am happy to say that Lainey loved it. I added a sheep pin that I bought ages ago from The Primitive Hare.

I had a memory come up on Facebook this morning and it was my HAED Mini Jolly Old Fellow from last year. In that year I have managed to complete another 3 pages but I really feel that I should have had it finished by now! I took the up to date photo of him this morning and just looked and thought am I really going to get him finished for this Christmas? I do hope so. There is not much to do but it's keeping the momentum going when I sit down to stitch him. He is looking rather good even though I do say so myself.

It's not often I actually sit down and stitch during the day anymore but on Sunday I decided to say to hell with it and I stitched away the afternoon, cooked tea, then carried on in the evening. This is what I stitched on.

As you can see this house, well mansion, is taking a while to stitch but the roof is now going on and hopefully we should have the window frames all in soon! 

Barb and I are stitching away on our sheep SAL and we are both stitching Country Cottage Needleworks Jump for Joy. I just love this piece as it's so bright and cheerful. Look at those cute little lambs! 

My final WIP pic is Mani Di Donna Winter Days Sewing Basket. I have almost finished stitching the sides so am hoping to start on the ends soon. 

I have been a bit naughty recently and bought a few charts. Two I can't say what they are as one is to stitch for a private ornament exchange and the other for a Christmas gift! The other is an LHN ornament chart so that I can take part in the ornament SAL on the LHN/ CCN Facebook page starting, I think, in November. Would you believe I had none in my stash although now that I think about it I could've stitched one from the JCS Christmas ornament mags! Oh well!!

A couple of weeks ago we went on our annual trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park at Doncaster. I took a few photos and am showing a few here. We were very lucky as moist of the animals were out and about. I think I fall in love with lions, tigers, polar bears and leopards more every time we go!















So after using an app to do my blog last time on my iPad this time I'm just using Chrome in desktop mode on my iPad then I'll add my photos laptop later. Blogo, which was the app I used, was really good but I didn't like the idea of not being to log out of it. The first time I used it I found a way to disconnect my blog but then the next time I couldn't find that so ended up deleting the app and reinstalling it! Not something I want to have to do every time. So I decided to try it this way for now and maybe next time I'll try adding photos through Chrome as well!

Has anyone who has an iPad or iPhone done the update to IOS 11 yet? I have heard some not so good things about it so am holding off for a bit. My DH has done it on his own phone but is holding off on his works phone until he gets the all clear from their tech team. I am thinking I may hold off until then too lol! 

That is all my news for now. 

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx