Much Stitching Not Much Blogging

Once again apologies for not having blogged for some time but I have been stitching and I hope the photographs in this blog will make up for it. First of all I finished The Wool Gatherer. I wasn't keen on the mats for it so got Chris, my framer, to mount and frame it for me. I am very pleased with the result.



I started the Swiss Alpine Mandala which I am enjoying stitching. This is the first time I have stitched a Chatelaine using all silk. It has been put on the back burner for a bit because I am stitching things for Christmas.



Next up are the teapots. I have managed to keep up with them but there is now a huge snag. I have been stitching away at November only to find out that by mistake JABC had sent the teacup design with the teapot buttons. I am now going to have to unpick a whole pumpkin which was nearly finished so there is no way that November will be started by November because I have to wait for the right chart to come! The teacup designs are totally different from the teapots and I should have realised there was something wrong especially as it says at the top of the chart November Teacup. It just shows you read what you expect to see.



For a bit of fun and because I wanted to stitch something quickly I finished the little Just Nan bunny.



My daughter bought me the Gingerbread House bell pull from Victoria Sampler last Christmas and I have recently completed that. I have still to make it up but that shouldn't take long.



I had treated myself to The Gingerbread Stitching House again from Victoria Sampler and I am enjoying that as well, although I am not looking forward to making it up. I am not sure I can get all the items needed here in England so I think there will be a little experimenting going on.




I have so many lovely things to stitch in my stash it is hard to choose what to stitch when The Gingerbread House is finished. I am torn between The Toy Gatherer, some Drawn Thread Gardens and some Just Nan Christmas small items. I think Just Nan will win because I already have the frames.
I saw a completed Japanese box, Chatelaine, on somebody's blog and that is tempting me to buy the download but I think I had better clear some of my stash first.
We are off to Paris this weekend so I will be taking a small piece of stitching with me, it helps pass the time on the train.
Happy stitching everyone and thank you for calling by.

Five finishes

I know I haven't blogged in some time but I have been stitching. I have five finishes and probably more starts than I should have. Because the camera is charged ready for our holiday there are no photographs but I will put this right next time when I get back. Happy stitching everyone and please don't give up on me just yet.

Anyone for a cup of tea?

Apologies for not having blogged for some time but my photographer has been ill and I am not very good with a camera. The photographs on this blog are taken with my new camera which I have still to get to grips with.
I managed to finish the April teapot just before the end of April so contrary to what I said before I decided to stitch May. ( A woman is entitled to change her mind after all.)



I wonder how many of you guessed what the April teapot was going to be. We can't decide what the May one is, either a waterlily, tulip or magnolia who knows.



The June teapot was finished in excellent time and my daughter mounted and framed it for me. I now have more mounting board so the others will be mounted in time. The plan is to use the same frame but change the picture each month. I wouldn't have room to display them all at the same time.




I have done some more work on the Wool Gatherer and love the pastel colours which I know are not every body's favourite. I found that the design on the mini swag, for want of a better name, at the bottom is not symmetrical. Mine will be. I hope to finish the whole thing by the end of June. I have the Alpine Garden, Chatelaine Designs, just waiting with all threads, beads and fabric ready to go.




I have made a start on the next Christmas ornaments for Yoyo's SAL. I decided to start with the dove, not too much stitching.
You know how you are advised to read all instructions first well guess who didn't? Having merrily cross stitched away with pale grey I noticed that there were different symbols for different stitches. My cross stitching with two threads should have been half cross stitching with one thread. Reverse stitching was necessary. Then I could hardly make out where the half cross stitches were because of the colour of the thread against the fabric. Lesson learnt read all instructions first. This half cross stitch raises a question do you do the first half of the stitch or the second? The instructions said the first but I thought it would look better with the second. I wonder what everyone else thinks about this? I haven't stitched enough for a photograph yet and I am rather worried about Yoyo.
I have also done a little on my UFO see blog I've started so I'll finish eventually.
Progress on this is going to be s...l....o....w.

Because of illness we have had to cancel our holidays for the early part of the year but this has meant we are able to enjoy our garden so I have include a few pics to show an English garden in June when ours is at its best.










Happy stitching every one. Thanks for calling by.

The Peacock framed and other bits and bobs

My framer has been waiting for the green mounting board for the Peacock Tapestry for some weeks. It eventually arrived and I collected the finished work this week. It is BIG. I am really pleased with it and it has replaced Inspirations in my hall.



Sewing has had to take a back seat for a while so I have only done a little of the Wool Gatherer which I am enjoying.



I managed to finish the March teapot in April!



This is part of April's which I expect I will finish in May. I think I will miss May and start on June so that I have a chance of finishing one before the new month starts.




Last but not least I have managed to keep up with Yoyo's Christmas SAL, in fact I am slightly ahead because all six santas are now finished. The photograph shows the last four. My next target for the SAL is six bird ornaments. I will put a photograph on next time I blog.



Happy stitching everyone. I will try to blog without such a time gap next time.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Now the Peacock Tapestry is finished I am able to get on with other things including housework, not my favourite especially when you know what you have got in your stash. I have made some progress on The Wool Gatherer which I am really enjoying stitching (no blends).




I have made a little progress on the teapot which should have been finished by the end of March but wasn't. I must do better this next week.




I am on target with Yoyo's Christmas SAL and must try to finish the next Santa and start the last one this month.



The garden is looking lovely at the moment with masses of daffodils and other spring flowering plants. I was amused to see a sparrow recycling a little bird's nest which had been in the acer last year. The great tits and blue tits have had their annual battle over the possession of the nest box and as usual the blue tits won. We have another box but it is obviously not so desirable. My husband tells me the crows are back pulling the white winter coat out of the pony in the next field for their nests. Summer is on the way.
I hope you all had a lovely Easter and best wishes for a fruitful stitching week.

A finish and a start.

For those who are followers of Speedy Stitcher's UFO blog you will know I have been working hard on the Peacock Tapestry. I am pleased to say it is finished.
With the help of encouraging comments and the purchase of The Wool Gatherer by Shepherds Bush which I could not start before the tapestry was finished I managed to get it done before Easter.



What a joy it was to open my new kit. Then the problem started. It took me close on two hours to sort the threads. If I had not had the DMC colour swatch I don't think I could have managed it. When all the colours are together they look so alike yet when you have sorted them you wonder why you had a problem. I have made a small start and it was great not to have to prepare any blends.




I intend doing this alongside Chatelaine's Alpine Seasons Garden now that I have collected all the threads etc needed for the design. Happy stitching and Easter to you all.

TUSAL and Before the Last Wind Down

Unfortunately I haven't any shamrock in my garden so I thought I would go for a crock of gold but the sun went in and the crocus closed up. Perhaps the little girl at the back is looking for a leprechaun! My TUSAL seems to be filling up quite quickly possibly because of the wastage from frogging and making blends for the Peacock Tapestry.

I am about to make the last wind down on the peacock tapestry and I am putting a photograph in which, hopefully, will be the last before I can show the completed project. What a happy day that will be.


Because the two projects I am hoping to start when the tapestry is finished are large ones I have bought the 12 teapot designs from JABC and I have made a start on March. I think it is meant to be a crock of gold and you can just see the outline of the shamrock appearing.



On a completely different subject altogether I think we may have had a disastrous winter in the garden. It looks as though our huge New Zealand Flax, which flowered for the first time last year, has succumbed to the hard frost as has one of the bottle brush plants. The sweet bay has been badly affected but we think they will survive. We are half way through March and not one daffodil in flower yet, so much for global warming.
Happy sewing and gardening everyone.