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Monday, 1 March 2010
Alphabets à ... finish!


Click on the picture for a closeup view


I put the final stitches into Alphabets à... last night and then added my initials and the year 1*1 in the top right hand corner which wasn't very easy considering the fabric is 48ct! This French Gander linen can be found at Simply Necessaries for those of you brave enough to try it. The sampler measures 8" x 6" so you can imagine how tiny the stitches are.


Click on the picture for a closeup view

Although you cannot tell from the really awful photographs, the linen is a very pale ivory and the red thread was AVAS Soie Surfine 109 stitched 2*2. For the scissor enthusiasts, these tiny golden scissors are Elizabeth 1 by Kelmscott Designs.

I have no idea what I shall work on next. I have three new designs charted but I am wondering if interest is waning or is it simply that the Nashville Fair has been too much temptation to all? Maybe I will pick up an older project that was put to one side; such as the miniature red stitching shown *here* from Miniature au Point de Croix by Françoise Prax which I got from amazon.fr; or maybe a re-start of the Merry Cox Diminutive Sewing Set shown *here* - I really did not like this much although I adored the tiny wood tray so I may design my own version based on the dimensions used by Merry; or how about the long forgotten Loara Standish sampler *here*? The list goes on ...

The sun has got his hat on .... hip hip horray!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Friday, 26 February 2010
Do you know your ABC?


Click for a closeup view

Alphabets à... is almost finished. In fact, if I had left the minature knitting alone, I would probably have finished it by now! The fabric is a pale ivory 48ct Gander linen although it it looks darker. I should finish this over the weekend and I have already been looking for a chart for a new start. Shall I stitch up the models for the two new charts; sort out an unfinished piece or just choose something completely new? Decisions, decisions...

The rain has stopped although it's very windy this morning. A little sunshine would not go amiss.

I heard from a friend who is celebrating her birthday today on a Carribean cruise. The ship is docked at St Lucia and she is enjoying a champagne breakfast before disembarking for a cataraman trip around the pitons . Happy birthday Sue - enjoy your trip!

Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend
Take care

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Monday, 8 February 2010
Alphabets à ... update


Click on picture for a close-up view

I am really enjoying stitching Alphabets à ... it's so tiny and delicate despite being stitched 2*2 on the 48ct Gander linen with the Soie Surfine thread - the side measurement is slightly under 7". There are two sets of 'patterns' to be stitched under the B and the rest of the top alphabet before I can move on to C. I have no idea why there is no x,y,z in the lower left corner!

I have chosen both fabric and thread for the new iStitch design although, of course, I may yet change my mind once I start stitching. I am also working on the hem-stitch tutorial which is proving difficult as I just cannot get good clear pictures of the steps involved. Please be patient - it is on it's way!

I had planned a shopping trip to day but, once again, it's raining heavily so I'll stitch instead.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Thursday, 4 February 2010
As easy as ABC!


Click on the picture for a close-up view

As promised yesterday here is Bleu de Soie's 'Alphabet à ...' I am having so much fun stitching this one! This picture was taken yesterday and I have stitched more since then. The back-stitched stems to the tiny flowers inside B and both the flowers and back-stitching in A are now completed but, as it's much too dark to take a new photo today, this one will have to do. The 7" hoop shown in the picture is a vintage wood Duchess Felt Cushion Hoop that I won on ebay. There is no screw to tighten it but the inside hoop is lined with felt to hold the fabric.



A detailed picture shows the 'pattern' row - I love those little carnations in the top row! I am stitching 2*2 with Soie Surfine 109 on a 48ct pale creme Gander linen so you can imagine how delicate this is.


In the past couple of days, I also stitched Jinglebell Reinder from Daffycat Designs, my January ornament for the 2010 Christmas Challenge. A few days late but 'better late than never'. I accept that it's not 'finished' but I prefer to stitch a few and then have one 'finish' day. Ken asked if this was a 'no idea' - I looked at him blankly - he said 'no eye deer' - mmmnn - I sometimes wonder how his mind works!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Monday, 25 January 2010
A new start and a day out!




As promised in my last post, here is a picture of Bleu de Soie's 'Alphabets à ...' - not a great picture for once again it's dark, gloomy and raining so I had to take the picture under my Ottlite - click on it though and get a closeup view. There is a little backstitching yet to go into the B to form stems for the small flowers. I am really enjoying this one.



Click picture for a closeup view

And a few pictures of our visit to Canterbury with our friends from NYC. We collected them from the railway station, after their delayed departure from London, and then drove out to the village of Fordwich where we had a traditional British Sunday lunch of roast lamb at The George and Dragon. After lunch we went back into Canterbury for a walk around the city to, hopefully, lose the lbs put on by said lunch! Almost forgot, check out the photo with the reflection in the mirror and meet Derek and Ken!

Thank you for visiting
Take care

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Sunday, 24 January 2010
A belated birthday gift!



Yesterday I received an unexpected envelope in the mail from Jill who sent BBD's Tokens of Friendship to me as a late birthday gift - thank you Jill - a wonderful surprise!

I have been stitching but I don't have time to take a picture as I'm going out very shortly to meet some very old friends who are over here from NYC on a quick visit. I will post a picture of my WIP on 'Alphabets à ...' tomorrow. For those waiting to hear which colour thread I chose - it was - none of the ones shown *here* as I found two more reels of red Soie Surfine in my stash and used one of those instead!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Thursday, 21 January 2010
Decisions, decisions!


It's time for a new start. The chart is chosen - 'Alphabets à ...' by Bleu de Soie; the fabric is selected - 48ct creme Gander linen; the thread is ... I cannot decide! As the fabric is a high count, I have opted to use AVAS Soie Surfine in either red or blue but which red or which blue? I rather like the denim blue but the brighter blue looks good. I also like the darkest red but the bright red look nice and then there's the peacock blue/green - oh decisions, decisions!

I have part-stitched Sew Spring. I had to go with a white linen rather than the rue green linen because, as I thought might happen, the greens of the Watermelon thread were disappearing into the green of the fabric. Pinks and greens - not my usual palette but it's pretty. Many years ago I coveted a pink and green bicycle - it was called a 'Pink Witch' - oh how I wanted that bicycle but, despite numerous letters to the guy in the red suit and pleas to the parents on my birthday, I was never to have it. Does anyone remember the Pink Witch? Did anyone have a Pink Witch?

It's dark and gloomy and threatening to rain. Where is the sun? Who has it?

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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