Progress report and a happy dance!

I honestly hadn't realised just how much stitching I had done in January, but here it all is!  My second Christmas ornie, it's stitched on 28C evenweave coloured pale green, with the recommeded DMC threads. A funny little candy eating snowman design from 2009 JC Christmas edition.

And here is my Bothy Threads 'Buzzy Days' completely finished, beads as well. They are not the beads that came with the kit as Nell ate those when she was still a puppy and was eating everything she could!!

I am pleased I have completed it, as it lost its charm for me half way through!LOL

And I have stitched a whole lot more of my  'Summer Celtic Lady' and stitched the beads on the blue part of her gown. This section I completely frogged and redid last December because it had gone horribly gone. I intend getting this finished before the end of the year.

And it may not look as though I haven't stitched much on my Chatelaine, Convent's Herbal Garden but I have... 'onest!

This was my new start.. it's Rosewood Manor 'Quakers and Quilts.'  I have worked out how much I have to stitch each month to get this completed this year. This is my BAP!

Of course I also stitched 'The Arbour' in January which was my 'small' This month  I am starting
Down Sunshine Lane 'Pastel Hearts' Needle Roll as my small. I have stitched another Christmas ornie but still have to make that up.. busy, busy, busy because I am also making a patchwork quilt. I don't like to waste a minute of my days..
Happy Stitching and Happy Days all.

Chris xx

Deep and Crisp and even!

We woke this morning to 5 inches of snow and Nell loves it.. she is like a small child dashing through it.

Fun fun fun, except when she comes back in and there is balls of  clinging to her hair  and she brushes past you... ugh wet wet wet!!

But there is quiet beauty about it.

A day to stay in the warm and sew or stitch.

Hope you can do just that.

Happy Days

                                               Chris xx

Argggg!! The Dentist...

Did you know that an almond raspberry slice at Costa coffee is 458 calories??? But after the dentist I felt I deserved it.. she was more polite than last time, six months ago.  I think she remembered my little talk on 'I am a war baby and lucky to have any teeth at all !!!’ Or my notes are marked as 'difficult grumpy old bag!!'

However, after examining my teeth, she offered to clean them, which I wasn't happy about, as I rarely ever need that. However she said that it wouldn't hurt and just take a minute or two... well she stretched my little mouth to its limits, sprayed me with water all over my face and dug around at the base of my poor teeth.  I stopped her when she got to my sensitive tooth and she said, ‘just rinse,’ and was then going to polish my teeth, but I hopped out of the chair, well actually struggled to get up from the prostrate position they put you these days and said.... 'Enough I don't want that and I am not having that done again!!!' Didn't wait for her to say anything else and slammed the door on my way out!!! Which I might add, I had to ask to have closed otherwise anyone going past would see me stretched out on the couch with my mouth saying '0', what a to-do!!

DH has to see the hygienist, why I don't know because he cleans his teeth every night and I sometimes don't,  but when I do clean my teeth I clean them for at least 3 minutes. When I worked I used to watch my digital clock from the door of my ensuite,  and if you have ever done that you’ll know that the numbers jiggle up and down when using an electric tooth brush, so that must be your eye balls as the clock stays still !!LOL

I asked to have my next appointment Feb 1st 2013, twelve months away!!  I am hoping by then, she will have moved on!!LOL

So you can see, I had to have that almond slice I deserved it!!LOL

Thank goodness I have some uncomplicated stitching to do this evening as Lesleyanne has lent me her Snowman L*K  chart.

Chris

Woo-hoo look what I won!

It so pretty.. It was such a surprise to win... thank you Nancy of http://victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.com

I can't wait to sew it myself.. this is the finished needle book. My camera batteries are dead so I can't take a photo of the kit.
What a great start to my year.
Happy Days

Chris xx

Christmas ornie and a small...

This was a freebie from http://lacontesselepointdecroix.blogspot.com.. and altho' this may not be there now as it was a while ago when I got it, she has plenty more and all very pretty.. this is for the Monthly ornie challenge. I intend to stitch all Christmas ones as I saw how some one had decorated her stair rail with greenery and all stitched ornies so I would love to do something similar.
It is stitched on 28c Even weave with DMC 321 and is hanging on our Christmas tree which is in a pot and hopefully will be our tree for 2012!

 And this my first small of 2012 and part of my challenge to myself to stitched the charts I have as well my WIPs in 2012!! It is stitched on 32c Belfast linen antique white with the recommended DMC threads. Its Shepherd Bush 'The Arbour.' It appealed to me as it is so delicate looking. I did change the stitching between each row.
I am now continuing my WIPs.. I can see a finish before the end of January!!
Happy Stitching all

Chris xx

My first star block

I had a super saturday although to a certain extent it was 'brain aching!!' LOL I went to a patchwork/ quilting class. I did go to a few last year and then with moving and settling in etc I couldn't fit it in. But yesterday  I made the effort.'Brain aching???' You may ask why? Because I have made cushions covers, two throws for our little consevatory settee and a bed quilt with squares, rectangles and simple triangles, in the last two years, but now I feel  I am ready to do something more difficult.. and here it is. This is done as a sample and I need I practise some more.

If  you are not a quilter you might think this looks good, but I haven't left enough fabric at the points, so if I was to sew  more around I would lose the points. But it was a try, which took me 3 hours plus!! The class was only 2 hours so I came home and finished it. The pointy bits are called 'Flying Geese' and I am confident that with practice I will improve, I will, I will!! LOL
Whatever,  I did enjoy the class and the woman who teaches it was very helpful. I am looking forward to next week.
Happy days!

Chris xx

A win!!

Isn't  it just so pretty I am thrilled to have won this. Thank you Nancy

Do have  a peep at her blog she is always having givaways.. but as well as that her HDF is beautiful.

What I love about her threads is, that you can have a range of all one colour, so pale colours through to a darker shades. They are amazing.

I can't wait to start this, hurray up Mr Postie!

And this is our cutie Nell fast asleep on her blanket with her head on the little pillow we gave her for Christmas.

She is such a sweetie and a lovely dog, three years old this coming year in March but still loves to play.

This morning as I was in the garden pegging out our washing and checking my bulbs. as I walked back and fro, she was following me with her ball. Each time I stopped she dropped the ball at my feet for me to throw it. She loves playing 'fetch!'

Happy Stitching all

Chris xx

WIPocalyse and BAP progress

This is The Arbour by Shepherds Bush. A small that should have taken no time at all.. I say should have but I didn't like the rows between each section so I chose to stitch different stitches.

I had a few tries on some scap linen to see the effect, hence why it took longer. But I am pleased with the results. Its very pretty and delicate looking and should be finished this coming week.

And this is my BAP Rosewood Manor Quakers and Quilts. This is going to be my year long project but I have several bigger designs to stitch as well.....

So the sooner I have posted this, the sooner I can get back to my stitching!!

Happy Stitching all
Chris xx

BAP Challenge

Becky is hosting  a BAP...Whats that you may say? Well to be honest I don't actually know what the initials stand for but what you must do is start a design which must be at least 12x 10 inches and finish it by 31st December 2012... here's the link As I am already stitching designs for my WIPocalyse I have chosed Rosewood Manor's 'Quakers and Quilts' for this challenge.

There is even a $100 prize draw for finished pieces!

Happy Stitching all

Chris xx

WIPocalyse!

I always feel quite virtuous when I see some stitchers have more than 10 WIPs as I really only have these three! Celtic Lady Summer... still to finish stitching and loads of beads!

  Chatelaine Convent's Herbal Garden.. only just started and I made a mistake and cast it to one side..

Fortunately having enlarged this photo I can see the mistake and it is easily rectafied so this will be back in my rota.

This Bothy Threads was an impluse buy and why?? I don't know.. I only need to do the back stitching and some beads so this is going to be my January finish!

However I think this year will put me in the ranks of more than 10 wips.. hey ho.. what else is life about except to do the things you love..

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And these are the charts I really want to stitch.

This first one was a swap with Gaynor.

I so love it so must do this one this year!

A little one in between bigger designs. Shepherd Bush's 'The Arbour'

And as I stitched Rosewood Manor's Spring Quaker last year.. this is a must for 2012.

Its called 'Quakers and Quilts'

And I love it. I have it all kitted up ready to go.

With 32C Cream Belfast linen and the recommended Valdani floss.

Ohhh can't wait to start this!

This is so pretty gifted to me by Elisa.

I hope I can stitch it as well as she did..It's Down Sunshine Lane

'Pastel Hearts' Needle Roll

And these are so cute. I have wanted to stitch these so an age..

Valarie Pfeiffer's 'Sitting Pretty'

These would perfect as a birthday present for someone I know who is a 'twitcher!!'

And I thought each one of these motifs could be stitched between bigger designs. It's

Just Nan's Floral Fifteen biscornu.

Gifted to me by Julie.

Hers was wonderful

As well as these I have kitted up and which costed a lot more than I am willing to admit to,

BB's Anniversaries Of The Heart.

This is just the first one, there are 12!!

I think all these are going to keep me busy right up till 2015!!

Happy Stitching all in 2012..

   

                                                  Chris xx

Find out about the WIPocalyse here