March

Happy March! These weeks are flying by so quickly! Last week March came in like a lion with "the beast from the east". To be honest it was a bit of a let down where I live. We didn't get the amount of snow that was forecast but we did get the high winds which gave us a wind chill of -10. This week it is more like Spring although yesterday we did get snow but it melted very quickly. 

So since I was here last I've been getting a fair amount of stitching done. I really need to get myself motivated to do some finishing but I need to go through what I have to finish then go through fabric and trims etc. 

The first piece I have to show was finished last time I blogged but I couldn't show it as it was on the way to my dear friend and fellow stitcher Barb for her 70th birthday.

Silver Creek Samplers Sweet Friendship

28 count cream cashel linen

DMC

Started 19th October 2017

Finished 31st January 2018

Birthday gift for Barb.

I covered a paper mache box with fabric and mounted my stitched piece onto the top. Barb was delighted with it :). Inside the box I popped a sweet little glass bird that I spotted in the local garden centre. 

I have had a few more finishes since my last post.

The Snowflower Diaries I Will Be There

40 count sand linen

GAST

Started 8th February 2018

Finished 27th February 2018

I stitched this one for the third, and final, time.

Lizzie Kate A Little Stitch

28 count Amber linen

DMC

Started 19th February 2018

Finished 28th February 2018.

Final finish is a snowy one!

Country Cottage Needleworks Snow Place Like Home 1

40 count vintage country mocha linen

DMC, CC & WDW

Started 14th January 2018

Finished 24th February 2018

Of course I had to start Snow Place 2 :)

Lesleyanne very kindly lent me all 3 parts of the Lizzie Kate A Little Mystery. I did have it and stitched a couple of the bonus designs ( gifted one of them) then sold the charts. I had forgotten about the piece I had stitched and gifted and came across the photo on my PC late last year and instantly regretted selling the charts! So I have made a start on the main design and got part 1 stitched and part 2 started. Thank you so much for lending me them Lesleyanne :)

My progress on LHN Little Red Barn is going slow but, hopefully, I might have a finish on Sunday. The next one in the series, Horsin' Around, arrived last week. 

Barb and I still doing our sheep SAL ( and our LK one as well as the Farmhouse Christmas with a lovely lady called Sue) and I am plodding away on The Pastoral. I might actually have a sheep soon!

Of course no post is complete without my HAED pieces. Lisa and I stitched on the 25th of last month on our stockings. It doesn't look much but at least it's progress!

We are also doing well on our 300 stitches a week SAL. Last week I got carried away and did more but this week I haven't done any yet BUT Lisa is visiting tomorrow so I'm going to do mine then. We are both so excited to have the opportunity to have a stitchy afternoon again :)

Finally I'm still plodding along on the dragon. I'm getting there slowly!

Oh I almost forgot about the Stichrovia Quotes to Live By WIP. I only stitch on this at craft group and if I have something I need to get more done on it doesn't get much love. So it's going slow but I have got a bit done on it in recent weeks.

After Lizzie Kate's announcement about her retirement I decided to add a couple of her charts to my stash. I know I'm doing stitch from stash but I knew I'd kick myself if I didn't get them so I bought Winter Smalls and Collect Moments. Then the other day I was thinking maybe I'd get a few more. The places I use seem to be sold out of a lot and taking a while to get more in but I managed to do a couple of orders and picked up most of what I wanted. There is another but it comes with threads so I'll just look out for it chart only on the Facebook selling sites. I did miss out on it when a friend was selling some stash! 

Thank you so much to all of you who left good wishes for Jess. It really means a lot. She is doing really well, has been to the hairdressers, doctors and out to Dungeons and Dragons which she plays with old school friends without having a panic attack. She is also back at work. Work have been so good and very understanding.

So that is all my news for now. Until next time take care everyone.

With much love,

Sally xxxxx

New Starts & Finishes

Hello! Here we are in February and it has been chilly. We haven't had anything more than a few light snow flurries which has been so disappointing. Some parts of the country have had quite a bit but I'm still hoping! In the meantime I'll just stitch Winter.

So since my last post I've had quite a few finishes so that means a few new starts. First the finishes.

 

Lizzie Kate A Little Stitch

32 count Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 3rd January 2018

Finished 7th January 2018.

Birthday gift for Chris.

Of course this was finished when I did my last post but I couldn't show it as it was a birthday gift for my dear friend Chris. I am happy to say that she loved it :)

Another finish is this one.

Mani Di Donna Winter Cottage in a ball

Weeks Dye Works gingham linen

DMC & GAST

Started 1st January 2018

Finished 24th January 2018

Please excuse my photos. I think I had my settings wrong on my camera!

As you may remember Barb and I stitch on Lizzie Kate Designs on a Monday evening. I finished this one.

Lizzie Kate Christmas Sampler

28 count Amber linen

DMC

Started 20th November 2017

Finished 22nd January 2018

Then I started this one and finished it at craft group today.

Lizzie Kate Flora McSample 2016 Treats Do You Hear What I Hear

28 count Lambswool linen

DMC

Started 29th January 2018

Finished 13th February 2018

On Fridays Barb and I stitch on sheep designs.I popped the last stitches into this.

Little House Needleworks Born in a Manger

40 count vintage country mocha

CC & DMC

Started 10th November 2017

Finished 12th January 2018

Now I have started The Drawn Thread The Pastoral. No sheep yet!

As I said finishes mean new starts. First one is Country Cottage Needleworks Snow Place Like Home 1. I'm stitching it on 40 count vintage country linen using the suggested threads.

Barb, Sue ( no blog) and I are SALing on the new LHN Farmhouse Christmas series and we started it a week last Sunday. I am using threads from my stash for this one.

Lisa and I made a start on our stocking SAL. It is going to take us years to get them done but it's nice to stitch on it just one night a month. My start doesn't look much but this is 2 evening's worth.

My dragon is getting some love and I am now determined to get him done. It's going much easier now I've worked out exactly what I'm doing!

Of course Lisa and I are working on doing 300 stitches a week on a BAP of our choice and I'm doing well at keeping up with mine.

I almost forgot that I got my Winter Days Sewing Basket made up. It is far from perfect as I really struggled with it.

Finally you may remember my Baa-ble hat from my last post. Well I decided that it was too big and I was likely to lose it off my head so out it came. I had to order some smaller DPNs to knit it up again and it's finished and fits much better this time :)

So far 2018 has not been brilliant. Well it actually started Christmas Day going to a family meal and just went from bad to worse quite quickly. My eldest DD has been suffering with anxiety attacks and a couple of weeks ago it got so bad that she couldn't even leave the house to go to work. I rang our surgery to ask for a home visit but I was refused one because she's too young. I felt like screaming well what the hell am I supposed to do! Thankfully they were able to give her a phone appointment and she was given short term medication so that she could eventually get to the surgery. That was fun  trying to get her there last week as she had an anxiety attack but the staff were very good. Anyway she is now on longer term medication and seems to be doing that bit better. She is managing to get out the house now with me for short walks but the doctor has signed her off work for 3 weeks. It has been awful seeing her like this and it made us all very anxious but fingers crossed she's starting to improve. We know it's going to be a long haul and that there could be set backs.

That is all my news for now. Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxxx

A Holiday, Good News and Stitching. ( Picture Heavy)

Oh dear it has been a while since I last blogged. I had intended to do it a few weeks ago but.............well it didn't happen!

I have been doing some stitching. Not quite so much in recent weeks due to a holiday ( more about that later) and just not really wanting to. I haven't hit a slump. I just haven't been wanting to stitch as much.

That is mostly because mistakes have been made and the type of fabric I'm using!

You may remember I had started Silver Creek Samplers Through the Storms. Well I had almost got all the verse stitched when I looked at the thread key and realised I had been stitching in the wrong colour! Arghhhhh! I could have left it but I wasn't sure I'd have enough thread to finish the verse and stitch what should be stitched in that colour so it all came out. Every last stitch :( I then got started in what I thought was the correct thread only to discover that it was the wrong shade of blue! Needless to say I haven't taken it out again as I think, if I did, I'd end up scrapping it and never stitching it! So here is where I'm at now. Please excuse my awful photos. I really should have taken them somewhere else.

I had a new start of Lizzie*Kate Promise Me. I'm stitching this for Abi. I did a little bit of this while we were on holiday. I have now run out of one of the colours and, as my local shop has closed, it's no longer a case of just nipping in there for more. So I'll stitch on other bits until I can do an order. I am really enjoying this one.

I am not doing so well on The Magic with it being over 1 on 32 count. I did consider scrapping it and restarting it over 2 as I don't think I'm going to finish it as it's supposed to be but I've got quite a bit done. 

I almost forgot that I haven't shown my finish. I looked back at my last post and saw it was only a WIP then. So...........

Lizzie*Kate Good Things

Unknown fabric

DMC

Started 13th April 2017

Finished 24th April 2017

My sheep SAL with Barb is almost finished so I'll be finding another sheep inspired chart from my stash to stitch. This one has been such a lovely one to do. Just the house to fill in and a bit of border.

Finally my Father Christmas! I have, at last, finished page 6 and made a small start on page 7. I can almost taste that finish!

That's all my stitchy news for now. I forgot to take a photo of My Lady at Christmas but it is coming along nicely.

I don't remember if I have mentioned it on here but my youngest DD has been learning to drive since October last year. She did her theory test earlier in the year and on Friday she took her driving test and passed :). She was so happy and on such a high she looked like she was fit to burst! So yesterday she wanted to go looking at cars. She said it a bit overwhelming especially when we came across a bit of a pushy salesman at the final place we looked. We'll be taking her again to look and hopefully she'll find something within her budget that she likes.

As I said earlier we have been on holiday. We only plan on going once this year rather than twice like we did last year. I already want to go back which isn't good!! We went up to the Galloway area of South West Scotland again and stayed in a lovely little cottage just on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park so it was quiet and peaceful. We had red squirrels coming into the garden and lots of birds. We visited places we hadn't gone to before, some we had seen before, and the scenery was just amazing. I'll pop up some photos so this might be picture heavy if I get a bit carried away!!!

So until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx