< iStitch
Friday, 16 March 2012
Christmas in March and a new blogger!





I promised myself that this year I would not have a mad panic with stitching and finishing Christmas ornaments so I stitched one in January (which remains stitched but unfinished) but in February I was much too busy with the pre-stitching of my class and my flu didn't help much either! Now that I am fully recovered from the flu and I have finished the class pre-stitching I couldn't decide what to work on next so I decided to stitch February and March ornaments and the above is February. The pattern is a freebie from Log Cabin Needleworks and can be found *here* (scroll down a little). I have stitched my version in HDF Gigi's Christmas thread on 40ct antique white linen.





I have been on the look out for the above book by Brenda Keyes for quite a while. It's been OOP for a long time now and the only copies I've seen have been selling for very high prices. However, I saw this one on eBay last week and made a bid and won it for the princely sum of £3.77 plus postage! How lucky was that?






A sure sign of Spring is my sweet little tortoise Tommy awakening from his long Winter sleep. He still has to go back in his box overnight but once the nights get warmer he will be able to stay out in the garden 27-7. I gave him a warm wash and bathed his eyes and he was ready to roam the garden checking out his usual haunts.


And now news of a new blogger! Buttons 'n Bows is my friend Sue's blog. Sue is a fellow member of our Stitch-n-Bitch group so without further ado go *here* and say hi to Sue and welcome her to blogland. She not only does the most wonderful quilting but she stitches too so bookmark her for future visits so as not to miss out on seeing her beautiful work. Welcome Sue!

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Sunday, 19 December 2010
Six initials, an alphabet and a birthday!




At last I finished the six ornaments for the children! From the top, Thomas (age 13), Georgia (age 9), Alex (age 13), Jack (age 17), Kirby (age 21) and Megan (aged 15). These ornaments are all stitched from a Sajou alphabet with HDF Perfect Red 6215 on 32ct count raw linen. I also used a white silk thread on the girls' initials and finished the outer edges with white Delica beads - the ones for the boys I left plain. The red and white alphabet ornament at the bottom is stitched 1*1 on 35ct white Brussels linen with HDF OMG Red 1149 and the pattern is Coeurs d'oiseaux from François Prax Miniatures au point de croix book - see *here*




As you can see we had more snow overnight. It snowed on my birthday last year too. No plans for today except to put a few stitches in Jane Rees.

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Thursday, 5 November 2009
Red!



In my red box, amongst other things red, were these charming lavender pillows and this stunning stitchers companion case, all beautifully sewn by Valie. Click on the picture and you will see how exquisite these are. Inside the companion is a skein of red silk, some pretty pins, a length of red lace and red scissors with a fob of red beads and a tiny tortoise charm. My friend spoils me - thank you Valie for your generosity!



For those of you who coveted my Eiffel Tower scissors in yesterday's post, here is another picture showing the size of these gorgeous scissors. Here is another pair of Eiffel Tower scissors with a beaded fob in my favourite colour and which has a teeny Eiffel Tower at it's end! Have I made you envious?

I made a start on the model for Sew Winter yesterday but I was not happy with the thread I had chosen so out came those tiny stitches. I was hoping to make a restart today with another thread but in this morning's mail came the latest Dan Brown book - The Lost Symbol - so I guess I will curl up on the sofa and read!

Did anyone notice the minor changes to my blog? I was fed up with my header picture and wanted a more neutral look so off came the picture and the stitching teddy is now in black and white and will probably be changed completely when I find something I like better. And also a slight name change 'iStitchaholic' has become 'iStitch' - the link is still the same - only the name has changed!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Saturday, 16 May 2009
Un cadeau de France!



Yesterday the mailman delivered a delightful package from across the English channel. Look at the perfect stitching on this lovely pinkeep. The fabric on the reverse shows a map of Paris with a strip of intricate lace and see the scissors - the Eiffel Tower! There were other goodies too - I have been spoiled again - there are much better pictures here. A perfect gift from a dear friend. Beaucoup de mercis mon cher ami doux! 

No stitching for me these past couple of day as I have been reading a book that I got out from the library. It's one of those books that once you start, you can put down. 'The House at Riverton' by Kate Morton tells the story of Grace, a one-time housemaid at Riverton Manor. It neatly jumps from 1914, when Grace, at 14 years of age goes into service at the manor, to 1999 when Grace, now 98, is visited by a young director wishing to make a film. "Ghosts awaken and old memories - long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could." Read it - I promise you will enjoy it.

I have also made some more beaded scissor fobs but I did not take any pictures before they went into the mail on their way to their new owners. I shall make some more! 

Strange weather we are having - bright sunshine one minute, dark clouds and rain showers the next. I think I will stitch.

Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend
Take care


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Monday, 20 April 2009
Petites Lettres Rouges - *Edited*


At last I have a stitching photo to show you. I know it's not a lot but it's a start! This piece is called 'Petites Lettres Rouges' by Blackbird Designs who are holding a contest (here) with a freebie pattern. I have until April 27 to complete my stitching and produce a picture and although I am not sure if I will be able to do this, I will certainly try. As befitting a pattern called 'Petites Lettres Rouges', I am using French 40ct Gander linen in a pale creamy beige together with a deep red Soie Surfine thread. Both fabric and thread were gifted to me by dear Valie and I think this is the perfect project to try them out.  

I went to the library yesterday to stock up on reading material and found a copy of Jane Johnson's 'Crosses Bones'. I think this book is also published under the name 'The Tenth Gift' but why it was published under two titles I have no idea.* Part of the synopsis reads "Her fiery temper and determination to be more than a country wife are matched only by her skills with a needle." Crossed Bones is a story of two young women; of an adventure that began 400 years ago on the craggy Cornish coast and will end in the dusty bazaars of modern-day Morocco. It is a search for secrets - and it is a story about finding love where you'd least expect it ...". I will report more fully once I have read it. It's not my usual type of book as I prefer the ilk of John Grisham, James Grippando etc but I'm always open to trying something different!

The sun is shining today but there's a chilly breeze (one of the downsides of living near the ocean) so any thoughts of reading or stitching outside is out of the question. Maybe it will improve later.

Thanks for visiting
Take care  

*Edited: I have now discovered that this book is called Crossed Bones in the UK and The Tenth Gift in the US (see here). 

A small calf-skin bound book called 'The Needlewoman's Glorie' is given to Julia by her lover. The book had belonged to a Cornish girl, Cat Tregenna, some 400 years ago. Cat was kidnapped by Barbary pirates in the summer of 1625 and sold into slavery in Morocco. Julia sets out to uncover the story of Cat and of how the book makes it's way back to Cornwall. 

Cat is a prolific needlewoman and there are many references in this book to her needlework. It's a great read which I thoroughly recommend - I sat up late last night to finish it! So, if you haven't read it, check it out, I am sure you will enjoy it! I so wish I could find 'The Needlewoman's Glorie in an attic!

   

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Saturday, 14 February 2009
Fast service from Amazon.fr!


Amazing service from Amazon.fr - on Thursday I ordered the above book (see my previous post) and this morning it arrived! You would not believe how tiny the patterns are and I cannot wait to try one. I know that I cannot read any of the instructions but a pattern is a pattern in any language! Thank you Valie for showing this book on your blog - I would never have known it existed otherwise.

The postman also handed me a card to collect a package from the Post Office as there is Customs Duty of £16.19 to pay! How extortionate is that? I am expecting two packages - some fabric from Needle in a Haystack and a Valentine exchange.

Yesterday I finished another motif on Beatrix Potter SAL. I am not enjoying this as much as I enjoyed Hannah Beeby; the motifs seem exceptionally bigger than those on Miss Hannah - maybe because I am working on 36ct whereas Miss Hannah was on 40ct. However I like the fabric and the silk floss and will carry on.

Happy Valentine's day to all - I received a bouquet of yellow ? roses from Ken!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Stitching, reading, internet and a visitor


Apart from an ornament for the Christmas in July exchange, all my imminent exchange stitching is done so all I need to do now is have a marathon 'finishing' session. Maybe I should have finished as I went along but, hopefully, it won't take too long. I really want to get back to Hannah Beeby as she has been badly neglected of late. I am also expecting Donna's RR to arrive via Wendy and I am looking forward to stitching on this.

My replacement wireless router arrived this morning so I took time out to set it up. Although my existing router worked fine while linked to my computer with a rather ugly red ethernet cable snaking across my desk, the wireless did not work, which meant that neither the other desktop, nor my laptop could pick up a connection. My ISP decided the router was faulty and sent out a new one. I've no idea why but it was not as easy to set up as the original one but I got there in the end and the red cable has now gone back in it's box. I hate wires and cables don't you?  

This past couple of days have been glorious weather-wise and I have spent a lot of time in the garden either stitching or reading. My latest book is Sea Change by Robert Goddard  which is set in 1721 and described by the Guardian as "A lively mix of political intrigue and high adventure". Not my usual crime and thriller type book but it's the last in the pile of books given to me by a friend and as I had nothing else to read I gave it a go. 

Yesterday, while I sat outside stitching, I caught a glimpse of a movement to my right and when I looked over there was a squirrel about a foot away from me. Such a cute little guy who stopped, looked me straight in the eye and just stood there. I said 'hello' but he didn't reply!  He didn't appear frightened so we just eyed one another until he decided to leave. I wished I had had my camera out there and will, in future, take it outside with me just in case he decides to make a return visit.

Tonight our Stitch-n-Bitch group are going to a Thai restaurant for dinner and I am looking forward both to seeing everyone and, of course, sampling the fare.

Edited: Chapter 46, page 438 of Sea Change reads:

"The coaster had many calls to make on its way, the number and duration of which far exceeded Spandel's expectatons. Tuesday morning found the vessel no further on than Deal. There Spandel lost patience. After a salty exchange with the skipper, who declined to refund any portion of his fare, he went ashore and continued his journey by road."

Deal is my home town! What an amazing coincidence. I wonder what Deal was like in 1721? 

Thanks for visting
Take care  


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Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Stitching and the like


Thank you all for the kind comments on my last post. I think I have just about recovered but although I have been stitching I have no photos to show. After my disaster with my HOE freebie chart exchange I decided not to re-stitch the piece but to start something completely different but I had problems with the new piece too! I stitched part of a faggot stitch border and then filled in the inside but when I went back to finish the border I could not get it to line up! Arrgghh - I think my heart wasn't really in it - so I threw it to one side - took a fresh piece of fabric and started yet again but this time I finished the faggot stitch border first. Hurrah it lined up so I have now started to re-stitch the inside and, so far, everything is fine. I have been put off signing up for the next exchange for this and other reasons but, saying that, if I can finish this one without any further problems and then do the LHN exchange piece, I may sign up later.

We are having wonderful weather here in our little corner of the UK and I have been spending a lot of time in the garden. The potatoes that I planted in patio bags are coming up and my tomato plants are doing well too. These are first time projects for me so it's great to see them thrive. I do, of course, have to be careful because Tommy thinks that anything in the garden is either his breakfast, lunch or dinner! I love to sit in the garden and read and have just finished Jacquot and the Waterman by Martin O'Brien and A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly - both really good books. Today I am going to make a  start on Hunter Killer by Patrick Robinson. When I left work one of the girls handed me a huge pile of books and I am now working my way through them.

As there are no stitching photos to show you I thought, for those of you watching my eggling, you would like an updated photo. OK it's not 2ft tall (yet) but it has grown some and I am keeping watch for any buds.

   
Thank you for visiting
Take care

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Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Quaker sampler




Last week, while I was searching for something, I came across the above sampler that only needed a few more stitches to finish it. So, it came to the top of the pile and it's now finished. Sorry the picture is a bit squiffy! I started this while on vacation in Florida, I think last year or was 2006? It's stitched on 36ct fabric (I have no idea what colour, but it's a nice shade) with Soie Crystal silk threads. It was supposed to be stitched on two different colour fabrics with the alphabet on a separate lighter piece but when I came to put them together it didn't line up even though I was using the same count fabric! Luckily enough I had enough space to re-stitch the top half on the same fabric that I had used for the bottom. I am trying to decide whether to hem-stitch it or just to get it framed as it is.  Any suggestions?

My chart for the Quaker Friendship Round Robin has arrived. I have decided to go with the OMG Red (2 over 2) on lambswool 32ct, which fabric I have on order. Although I have a piece of this fabric I wasn't too sure if there was enough for this project so better be safe than sorry. As soon as this arrives I will make a start on my area.

I have finished stitching my biscornu for the HOE exchange and I need to finish it. I will post a picture once my partner has received it. 

I have also joined the HOE pinkeep exchange and I have more or less decided what to stitch but I need to check my partner's blog (when my partner is assigned to me that is) to see likes and dislikes. 

I finished reading Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. I enjoyed it but the ending seemed to "rush to a finish" if you know what I mean! 

Now I am off to make lunch and then settle down to watch a movie and stitch some.

Thanks for visiting
Take care
Carol         

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Thursday, 14 February 2008
Help - decision time!


Today my silk threads arrived from Vicki Clayton. I had thought that the arrival of these three spools would influence my decision as to which colour and as to what fabric to use for both Hannah Beeby and Edgar's Quaker Friendship Round Robin. Oh dear, it's not that simple! All three colours are absolutely delicious and I am as undecided as ever. The two fabrics shown are on the left a natural brown 32ct and on the right a flax 36ct and the thread colours from top to bottom OMG Red, Mermaid Blue and Imperialosity.  Just how do I decide? Maybe I should just put the spools into a bag and draw one out? As the Quaker Friendship is a Round Robin I think maybe 32ct would a good fabric choice but did we decide on lighter linens - is this too dark to be considered a light linen? Or shall I go order some 32ct flax - like now? I thought I had some 32ct lambswool, and yes I do but ... when I unfolded it, I had already cut into it and I don't think it will be large enough now and, as my chart has not yet arrived for the QFRR, I actually have no idea how big it is!  Oh why is life never easy?  

I have been stitching but still nothing I can show. Merry has been frogged and put aside for now and I have made no start on the matching 'smalls'. However, I did decide on what to stitch for my partner in the HOE biscornu exchange. The front is done but as I ran out of white 12 perle I could not make a start on the back. I say "ran out" but I should I have a ball somewhere. My cabinet shows a vast array of colours of both number 12 and 8 perle cottons but not a white 12 to be seen so I really must remedy that. Why is it that the colour we need now is always the colour we do not have?  

Tomorrow is the workshop I am giving for the Carnation and Strawberry scissor fob and I have received a confirmation email that the group are looking forward to it. The model will then be sent out to Karoline as she won this in the earlier draw.

I have also been catching up on my reading with "Sepulchre" and I am finding it difficult to put down. It's by a British author Kate Mosse (not the British model - she does not have an 'e' on her surname) and is set in two years - 1891 and 2007 - and switches quite neatly between them. I won't give the storyline away in case anyone wants to read it!  Kate also wrote an earlier book in the same ilk called "Labyrinth" which I also enjoyed immensely. And now I'm going to make lunch and then read some more.

Thanks for visiting
Take care
Carol  

         

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