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Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Something blue



Click on picture for a close-up view


Not long ago the Emblem of Love RR came to a finish and here is my sampler which has returned home. It is stitched on 1*2 white 36ct antique white linen with HDF Magpie Tears 2349. Thank you to all of you who made such a wonderful job of your sections and a big thank you to Edgar for moderating. Now I need to find a suitable frame.




Enclosed with my RR was this lovely crochet pot holder from Suzanne who was the last to stitch on my RR. It's far too pretty to use as a pot holder and is being used as a mat under my pencil pot on my desk. Thank you Suzanne.


Last night I finished this tiny ABC sampler - I have no idea what it's called or whose design it is - maybe someone knows? It is stitched 1*2 on blanc cassé 55ct Gander linen with Soie Surfine 109. I am thinking of finishing this either as a pinkeep or a needlebook.

Still no sign of my Gander linen from Tissage Gander - I am really itching to start Jane Rees now. In the meantime I will stitch up the model for my latest iStitch Sew Design.

The weather continues to be bright and sunny and I am spending a lot of time in the garden.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Emblem of Love RR




I have now finished my commitment to the Emblem of Love RR ending with Margaret's piece. As you can see there is still one section to be stitched. I have enjoyed this RR very much and wish to thank Edgar for arranging it! 




Here's a close up of the section that I stitched. It would have been great to have been able stitch a different section on each RR but I only had one repeat so I can't complain! There are three colour versions of this sampler and three monochromes, one red, one dark blue and my own light blue one and all versions are lovely. I am looking forward to my RR returning home and once I receive it I will post a picture. 

I have a couple of new Sew designs charted and ready for stitching and another part-charted. Sew Seasons is still in the stitching stage but hopefully won't be too long.

It's very cold and quite dark here today - I am wondering if we going to get a summer this year? I am planning a 4 week trip to the west coast of Florida towards the end of the year; this is one way to get my 'sunshine fix' before another long hard winter! 

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Friday, 7 May 2010
Cadeaux français



A pocket needlecase with French tapestry needles; an ornate stitch ripper; my French friend spoils me! These were part of my gift from Valie on her recent visit to the UK. It was last week but seems so long ago now! Thank you Valie.

My reels of Soie Surfine for Sew Sew must be swimming the channel instead of taking a plane or the ferry as it seems to be taking ages to get here - I guess I am impatient to be finished stitching this one. I have finished one motif on Margaret's Quaker Emblem of Love RR and will take a picture once I have completed my section. It's stitched in a vibrant red (1089) from Threadworx which is a thread I have not used before. An RR is a great way of trying out new threads and different colour schemes that perhaps one would not normally choose to stitch. This is the last leg of this particular RR and I have thoroughly enjoyed participating and a big thank you to Edgar for moderating! 

The weekend is upon us once again so enjoy!

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Wednesday, 5 May 2010
White sands and tropical breezes ...





My French friend had a longing for the seaside and therefore chose to stitch Sew Nautical in beautiful muted shades of soft blues, pastel greens and more to make Sew Nautical come alive in colour. Valie has listed on her blog the threads she used for you to copy if you wish. This truly is a very beautiful version of Sew Nautical and thank you Valie for allowing me to post your picture.

Sew Nautical is available *here* or by clicking on the CHARTS button on the sidebar.

As I thought yesterday, the dentist removed the offending tooth that was causing me pain and I am so glad that it's gone. The gap is at the back and we will decide what the next step is at my subsequent appointment.

No stitching yesterday or today as yet. I had hoped that the black Soie Surfine thread I have ordered would arrive from Paris this morning but no sign of it. However, an Emblem of Love RR did arrive so I will start my section later today. Margaret chose skeins of Threadworx in a really vibrant shade of red and we all know how much I love stitching with red, so I just know I will enjoy stitching on this one before it finally makes its way home to its owner.

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Emblem of Love RR






I finished my section on Wendy Jo's Emblem of Love RR. It's stitched on 36ct white linen with Crescent Colours 'Wavy Navy' - a perfect choice for such a pretty sampler. I thought I would again show off my Nogent scissors in the space yet to be stitched! 





Here's a closeup of the section I stitched - it's the same section that I stitched on Suzanne's piece *here* but looks quite different in monochrome to the multi-colour version. I have now only to stitch on Margaret's piece and this RR will be finished - I cannot believe that a year will have past.

Yesterday afternoon I set to work on the model of my own little Quaker sampler aptly called 'Sew Quaker'! 

Tonight Stitch-n-Bitch are having a birthday dinner to celebrate not one but two birthdays! Gifts have been purchased and wrapped and cards have been written so all I have to do is turn up. Happy Birthday to Lynn and Caroline.

Thanks for visiting
Take care  



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Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Sew Easy by Andrea




Photo by Andrea


Andrea of The Craft Room has kindly allowed me to post her version of Sew Easy. Both Andrea's stitching and finishing skills are amazing and show what a incredible finish can be achieved from a very simple design. It is stitched on 36ct antique white linen with NPI silk threads in 998 and 226 and finished as a pinkeep. I love that she has stitched the tiny hearts in red and complimented them with the red heart pin at the top. There are more pictures over on Andrea's blog. Thank you Andrea for allowing me to post this.

Sew Easy is still available for free *here* or click on the CHARTS button on the sidebar.

I finished stitching my section of Wendy Jo's RR last night and I will take a picture later. I think a new start for this afternoon, probably Sew Quaker!

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Lost!




Lost or MIA? My Favorite Needle has gone AWOL - I have used this needle constantly for over five years - yes over five years! So - where is it? There I was stitching in my favourite stitching position (sideways on the sofa with my feet up) when disaster struck and I dropped my needle. So where is it? Did it feel over-worked and under-paid? Has it gone on vacation? Is there a needle heaven? I have lost it on other occasions but it's always turned up. I know I have plenty more needles but ... this one is smooth; it's easy to thread; I miss it! 

Sew Peacock is stitched and almost ready for release.

Wendy Jo's Emblem of Love RR arrived here this morning so I will be working on that later today. I love the CC Wavy Navy colour she chose for this. It's a shame I have to stitch a section which I have already stitched on other RRs but I suppose this is inevitable when we all started on different sections.

It's another sunny day here in paradise (eh ... I mean Deal) and Tommy the tortoise is already out of his box this morning and wandering around the garden. For those of you who asked questions about him on my previous post go *here* and read past posts about him.

Thanks for visiting
Take care 


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Thursday, 11 February 2010
Emblem of Love RR



I received Edgar's Emblem of Love RR in Tuesday's post and got to work on it straight away and finished my section last night. It was difficult to choose which section to stitch as usually I go for one adjoining an already stitched section but, as I had already stitched the section adjoining Suzanne's choice and the one stitched by Deb, I decided to count across from Suzanne's stitching and did the upper left hand corner. I much prefer to stitch a different section on each one and, hopefully, I can continue to do this.




A closeup picture shows in more detail the section I picked. I had to remove one small motif to make space for my initials.




This was the scene yesterday morning as snow started to fall heavily. It came down thick and fast and started to lay almost immediately.




I cannot believe how quickly it fell. This morning I awoke, once again, to a winter wonderland so I think it must have snowed all night. It's extremely cold and is still snowing on and off. My son called me to say it took him 4½ hours to get home from work last night which journey normally takes him 15/20 minutes! This morning he is snowed in and is working from home. We are invited to a birthday/dinner party tomorrow evening so I guess Ugg boots and thermals will be the dress code!

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Monday, 4 January 2010
Two Quakers




This is Deb's Emblem of Love RR with three sections stitched. Deb chose a pink linen with a selection of threads leaving us to decide which threads we used for our section. I do not usually stitch on such a colourful fabric so I found this quite a challenge.




A close-up of the section I chose to stitch. I am trying to pick a different section on each one but this doesn't always work out towards the end of a RR. I apologise for the poor pictures - I think they actually look slightly better if you click on them to enlarge. It's very dark again today.




And now an update on Beatrix and, as you can see, I am nearly there! There was no stitching for me over the weekend as we had visitors but I will get back to it later this afternoon. Why did I leave that large motif at the top? I am now determined to finish this before I start anything new. There will be rejoicing when this one is finished!

Thank you to all who have suggested names for the latest iStitch chart. There are a couple that have caught my eye but I have not yet decided on a final name.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Friday, 1 January 2010
The winners!




Firstly a Happy New Year to all!

The basket (usually filled with stitching goodies) was emptied and refilled with the comments left on the giveaway post. I was going to use a random generator but I like the old-fashioned way!





Ken dipped his hand into the basket and pulled out the 3 winners - first out was Ann, second was Sue and the third was Kathy A. I then asked him to draw two more - Patsyanne and Blazensun - congratulations to you all. You should have received your charts by now except for Patsyanne who, despite leaving three comments, still forgot to leave me her email address and will now know that the moon is made of blue cheese! Please email me Patsyanne - you can find my email address in my profile and I will send your chart to you.


My section of Deb's Emblem of Love RR is finished well before the deadline and I will post a picture before I send it on. I then picked up Beatrix - two more motifs finished on this one. One motif, I must admit, has a mistake but I have decided to leave it. It does not affect the overall look of the sampler and you all know what a chore I have found stitching this one!

Decision for today - shall I carry on with Mistress B or have a New Year start?

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Wednesday, 7 October 2009
An Emblem of Love



I finished my section of Suzanne's Emblem of Love RR and have been waiting for a bright day to take a picture. Unfortunately we have not had any bright days lately (my SAD is taking its toll) and it's forecast gloomy for the rest of the week so this is the best I can do. This piece is stitched on 36ct creme linen with all recommended threads but with one change from Apple Butter to Raspberry Parfait. As my Quaker pieces are usually stitched monochromatic it made a change for me to stitch with multi-colours and I like it! I hope Suzanne does too.

Sew Autumn is almost ready for release. After waiting for Silk-n Colors Autumn Bouquet silk thread to arrive and starting to stitch with it I decided it didn't look 'Autumny' enough so I am now re-stitching with HDF Raisin Wine. This is the same thread I am using for Beatrix Potter. Check back in a few days if you (eh Angela?) are stalking my blog ;-)

I still need to start those Christmas ornaments for the children - I can see a last minute panic here.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Sunday, 4 October 2009
Christine's Sew Red


Christine from France sent me a picture of her version of Sew Red. It is stitched on a pale rose vintage linen (14 fils.cm) with Crescent Colours 'Cocoa' and an unknown rose coloured thread. Isn't this a really pretty interpretation of Sew Red?

I finished my section of Suzanne's Emblem of Love RR and I will take a picture later once I have ironed it. I've also stitched another motif on Beatrix Potter. Next - I need to stitch my two new designs - Sew Autumn and Sew Noel. Once they are stitched they will be ready for release so don't forget to keep visiting!

Kirby got a freebie lift back from Uni for the weekend and she is here with me ready for a roast dinner. She has already printed off copies of the new charts to take back with her so maybe she will stitch them before I do.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Thursday, 1 October 2009
Yu's finish of Sew Red



Yu from Japan has sent me a picture of Sew Red finished as a beautiful tin topper. She stitched this 1*2 on Zweigart 40ct antique linen with DMC 815 thread. There are more pictures on her blog which, although written in Japanese, is worth a visit just to see her great pictures of her WIP of Mary Wigham! Thank you Yu for sharing your finish and if anyone else wants to share their version of Sew Red, please get in touch. I have yet to see a finish of Sew Blue - who will be first?

No pictures of my own stitching today. Yesterday I worked on Suzanne's Emblem of Love RR. This is the first Quaker I have stitched in multi-colours and I am amazed at how pretty this is turning out. I am hoping to finish up on this is the next couple of days and will post a picture when I have done so.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Thursday, 24 September 2009
A gift, a house guest and having fun!



As a thank you for sending her the Sew Red and Sew Blue charts, I received a lovely gift from Paula of Kelmscott Designs - a pair of her newest scissors, Tudor Rose and a pretty Adam and Eve needleminder. Thank you Paula - it's nice to be appreciated and thanks for the offer of help to 'turn professional'. I will definitely give this some thought.


While my daughter and son-in-law are away in Leicester for a few days after helping Kirby move to Loughborough, Hector is holidaying at my house. After a dull day yesterday, the sun decided to make an appearance and he found a sunny spot in the living room.


And Kirby seems to have made a great start to Freshers Week. She is already wearing her 'Towers' t-shirt and is obviously enjoying herself! You can party this week but remember that lectures start next week!

Last night was Stitch-n-Bitch so I took along Suzanne's Emblem of Love RR which arrived in yesterday's mail. I only half-stitched a motif so not enough to show yet. I am also working on a new design but it's still in it's early stages. I have 'finished' the belated birthday gift so I need to put together a package and get it in the mail to it's recipient.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Saturday, 22 August 2009
New Moon


It's New Moon so here is my orts jar for Tusal and on the right day too! If you peep inside you will see the blue threads from Emblem of Love and BAM IV and 'a splash of red' which I mentioned in an earlier post - I wonder what this can be? Can anyone guess? I am such a tease!

Last night was a new start on BAM V with Valie. We decided on EEF's Brown Bunny - such a sweet little chart. I am using the recommended DMC floss 3032 on 36ct Gander linen with a cute little charm to be attached. I think this will stitch up very quickly so I should be able to post a picture as early as Monday.

It's hot, it's sunny - so what am I doing sat at the computer when I should be in the garden?

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the weekend
Take care

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Friday, 14 August 2009
RR update



I finished my section on the Emblem of Love RR on Tuesday evening but have only just got around to photographing it. This is a beautiful design and I am looking forward to stitching the other sections on others. Another one in blue, one in red and, I think, three polychromatic ones. As you can see I stitched my initials 1*1 into my section too and I hope the others do the same on the sections they stitch.

I started a new gift project which is almost finished and have another one ready to go in the mail if I can find a box to put it in!

Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Take care


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Monday, 10 August 2009
The lady stitches the blues!


I made a start on the Emblem of Love RR. I am stitching 1*2 on 36ct fabric and I love the delicate blue against the antique white linen.


It's also time for BAM IV. Again a delicate blue but this time on pure white 35ct Brussels linen. I need to fill in the squares in the border. The pattern calls for one stitch but I think maybe a silver or white bead or maybe a white palestrina knot. I need to buy a charm to fill the gap after the z. The pattern had a stitched 'bug' - I don't 'do' bugs of any type!

Do you think the lady has 'the blues'?

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Saturday, 8 August 2009
Spring in August?


I think that Spring is in the air even though it's August as Tommy is trying to escape from the garden! Either that or the hot weather has sent him crazy. He is marching around the garden at top speed, trying to climb walls and even mounted a rock only to fall headfirst into the border. I am wondering if there is a female in the neighbourhood?


He climbs the plants and even attempts to climb the wall. At one point he fell over onto his back but was quickly rescued.

The last picture shows a tiny Jenny Wren. Just before I took this picture there were three birds, a male and female who, I think, have been nesting in the clematis and a tiny baby! Wrens are quite rare in this area so we feel honoured that they chose our garden for their home.

I have been stitching and will post pictures soon. I made a start on the Emblem of Love RR, I have part-stitched BAM 4 with Valie and have finished stitching the cube pincushion which now needs 'finishing' before it can be mailed to it's new owner. All of these pieces have been stitched on 35/36ct fabric which seems big after my miniature stitching. A friend showed me a piece of 28ct linen banding she had just purchased - it was enormous!

To celebrate the birth of her new grandson Oliver, Patti of Tapestry of Dreams has a great giveaway. You have until September 4 to enter.

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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