Catching Up! ( Picture Heavy)

Hello! I'm hoping you'll still be with me seen as I've disappeared again. I decided I'm going to catch up today and then, hopefully, blog more regularly. I think what has been putting me off has been I'm so far behind showing my finishes so this post is going to be picture heavy I'm afraid with those and my WIPs!

So let's get started with my WIPs. As you know I am doing a few SALs so first of all this is my sheep SAL with Barb. It is Plum Street Samplers Kringle and Woolard which I'm stitching on 40 count vintage country mocha. 

Another SAL is a Lizzie Kate with Barb and Sue. I have just finished Snow Belles ( see photo further down post!) so I have just started Home is the Nicest Word There Is. I am going to have to frog the E in The and the word Nicest as it's all too high up. 

Barb, Sue and I are also stitching on LHN Farmhouse Christmas still but we are on the last one now. I have enjoyed stitching these but I think I am ready for something different. 

Sue and I are stitching Silver Creek Samplers My Christmas List. I am loving stitching this and hoping to finish it for Christmas and on the wall. Fingers crossed!

I am still stitching on the Dessine Par Elke Christmas SAL but I forgot to take a photo! I can't show my last WIP as it for an ornament exchange so no peeking at that one until it is finished and received.

As you all know we commemorated 100 years since the end of WW1 on Sunday. I made a wreath to put in my window but I don't know what I did with my photo so I'll show that next time! However I do have to show a beautiful glass plaque that was a gift from my dearest friend Barb made by her DH Martin. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw it and I will treasure it always. It is in memory of my paternal grandad's cousin who DOW at the Battle of Arras in May 1917. 

Here are a few photos from our town to commemorate 100 years. 

On Instagram there has been a stitchy wish list tag going round for a while and I popped my wish list up. A few weeks ago I received a lovely message from Jen @spooneriestitcher saying she could grant one of my wishes and it arrived recently. Not only did she send me the chart she also sent some DMC to stitch it with. This is going to be my New Year's Day start! Thank you Jen :)

So onto my finishes now and I actually think I will just let the photos do the talking! 

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos. I know there are a lot but now I am caught up!

Until next time. With much love.

Sally xxxx

A Finish For a Birthday

Hello again. I know it's been a while. I think I'm going to have to be content with a blog post a month rather than pushing myself to do more as it's just not happening at the moment! I should do them more often as I just end up with a picture heavy post but never mind!

So my friend Gill had a 50th birthday coming up at the beginning of June but I didn't get chance to see her before hand and she was away on holiday for her birthday. I finally got to see her yesterday and give her her gift so I can now show it. I had a bit of a problem finding something to stitch for her. She loves the beach and the sea but I didn't have anything in my stash and nowhere in the UK seemed to have anything in stock that took my fancy so I had to resort to plan B! I remembered her saying that she really liked something I had stitched for someone else a few years ago so I stitched that! I am happy to say that she liked it. Phew!

Homespun Elegance Family, Friends, Faith Forever ( from the Jan/ Feb 2013 issue of Just Cross Stitch )

32 count white jobelan

Victorian Motto Sampler Threads Faded Berries

Started 21st May 2017

Finished 29th May 2017

Birthday gift for Gill.

The other night I had another finish. I just love this piece. I've stitched it for Abi :)

Lizzie*Kate Promise Me

32 count Sparklies Gingerbread Murano

DMC.

I just can't get a good photo to show how pretty the fabric is.

So I had a new start because I'd finished Promise Me. I had another Lizzie*Kate kitted so that is what I started. It's one of the Boxer series and it's I Cannot Count My Day Complete. I'm stitching it on the fabric that came with the chart and DMC.

Barb and I are still doing our sheepy SAL on a Friday evening. I have nearly finished mine and just have a little backstitch to do to finish the sheep off. It is Forget Me Not which I won in a giveaway from Chris in the USA a while ago. 

Barb and I are also stitching together on a Monday evening but we are doing different themes at the moment. She is stitching Spring by Cross Eyed Cricket Collection and I am stitching Silver Creek Samplers Through the Storms. I have restarted the verse and got it all stitched!

Mini Jolly Old Fellow has been a bit slow going. I think I'm getting a bit bored now but I am nearly there. Well I say nearly but I do still have 2 more partial pages to go after this one!

I have finished the first bit of The Magic! I am so glad that I persevered with over one on 32 count as it does look rather good. I might not finish it the same as the model. I made a small start of the next bit.

Everytime I do a post I forget about LHN My Lady Christmas but not this time! I only stitch on this for a couple of hours a week at the craft group I go to. I love how it is looking.

I have been a bit naughty since my last post *hangs head in shame yet again* but I have done really well so far this year with my stash buying. Anyway I have been looking at the Stitchrovia charity SAL for a while and finally decided to buy it. I think it is for such a brilliant cause ( MIND in case you haven't heard of it or seen it ) and as someone who has suffered from mental health problems and whose Mum went through it and tried to commit suicide I felt I just had to have it. Both my girls have anxiety issues and struggle with depression from time to time too so it something very close to my heart. I haven't made a start yet but hope to soon.

My next purchase happened when I was surfing on Peakside Needleworks and I saw Sue had an LHN chart called House Rules which I really, really wanted so I ordered that along with a piece of 36 count fabric to stitch it on and a DMC I was running out of.

Then this last week I needed that DMC to finish Promise Me and my local shop is now closed so I can no longer just nip in there when I need the odd one. So I went through my charts and my DMC to kit up a few projects for the next few months and popped an order in with Lakeside Needlecrafts as they are the cheapest I've found DMC here in the UK. They arrived very quickly too so I was impressed :)

Now I need to behave for a few months at least! As I said I have done well on Stitch from Stash and hope to keep it up for the rest of the year. I have signed up for part B starting next month. 

Thank you all for your lovely comments last time especially those congratulating Abi on passing her driving test. She now has a lovely little Fiat 500 Pop to drive around in. It is taking some getting used to and her anxiety kicked in big style when she got it but she's getting there now. She hasn't been far in it yet but she did pluck up the courage to go to Beverley the other day and that boosted her confidence.

That's all my news for this time. I have some pieces half made up so hopefully by the time I post again I'll have them fully finished!!

Until next time.

With much love,

Sally xx

Friendship & Blossoms

Hello from a slightly dull east coast of England. Apparently we are in for a few days of showers so umbrellas at the ready folks!

I have a few finishes to show as well as this wee gift that I stitched for my lovely friend Michelle for her birthday. I am happy to say that Michelle loves it. I used Homespun Elegance Friendship & Blossoms but rather than stitching it in one piece as charted I decided to do the top half as the front and the  bottom half as the back of a hanging pillow.

 Homespun Elegance Friendship & Blossoms

28 count vintage country mocha linen

DMC

Started 5th April 2014

Finished 25th April 2014

I popped the final stitches into this.

Country Cottage Needleworks The Tea Room

30 count R & R Irish Creme linen

DMC

Started 4th March 2014

Finished 2nd May 2014.

Thank you Mouse for the loan of the chart. As soon as I've finished Needlework Shop I'll get both charts back to you :)

After many months I have, at long last, finished Snow Angel. I have been stitching along with Shirlee on this and I was rather jealous when she finished hers a few weeks ago. I found that if I was very careful after my dizzy do I could stitch for a little bit so I got it done.

Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel

40 count  Newcastle Sand linen

DMC

Started 1st January 2014

Finished 2nd May 2014

Shirlee and I are starting our next SAL tomorrow which will be LHN Warm Winter Woolens. I had planned to stitch it on 32 count vintage country mocha but I don't have enough left so rather than order more just yet I'm going to use 36 count WDW Straw that I had left over from LHN Song of the Seasons.

The week before last I finished Day 7 of 12 Days of Christmas so Barb and I will be starting Day 8 on Friday.

April's Daisy is almost finished. It is full of mistakes but never mind. I do need to frog the rabbit though as it is too far over compared to the border.

Another one almost finished is CCN Frosty Forest Racoon Cabin. Just the border, fence and racoon's eyes to do.

Lo How A Rose is going better now I have frogged the DMC that was the old shade colour.

Finally The Needlework Shop is being slowly built. I think I must have those builders who stop for a cuppa every half an hour! I shall be in the parlour with Barb and the other ladies over at Needlecraft Haven this evening cracking the whip to get more built.

Thought you might like to see a few more of my photos. While my DH was on holiday a couple of weeks ago I rather naughtily bought myself another camera. I had been toying with it for a while as I wasn't 100% happy with the bridge camera I had. Anyway I had seen this beautiful,  retro looking Olympus that looked just like the OM10 film camera  my DH used to have and after much deliberation, online reading, telling myself no etc etc I went for it. Two days later we were on our way 70 miles to where I'd bought it to exchange it as it was faulty!  So I am now a compact system camera owner ( lighter than a DSLR but able to change lenses ) , which is what I originally wanted but talked myself out of, so no longer have that super zoom at my finger tips that I had with my bridge camera, and so far I am happy with it. I am getting used to having to change lenses when I want to zoom further than 42mm but it does feel like I'm havingto learn all over again! My bridge camera has been traded in for a good price so I don't feel so bad about having a new camera. These photos are a mixture of my bridge camera and  my lovely new Olympus.  Unfortunately I haven't been out with it for over a week.

With my old camera

 The following are with my new camera

It was a long weekend here with May Day on Monday. Not a deal was done as Abi has been full of cold since Monday last week. I felt like I was going down with cold then Thursday I got up out of bed with the room spinning rather unpleasantly.  After getting myself extremely upset and sobbing like I haven't sobbed in a long time I managed to get myself to the drs and was prescribed some medication. Friday I succumbed to the cold that had been trying to say hello all week.  I think the dizzy do was the final straw. Jess has been home for the weekend;just 4 more weeks before she's done with university and home for the foreseeable future.  Fingers crossed she graduates on 14th July.

That's it from me for today. I need to go the cemetary today to take some flowers then onto the shopping outlet near there to get a birthday present. I don't feel like it but needs must and I am sure the fresh air will do me some good.

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love

Sally xxx