< iStitch
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Brown Bunny!

(Click for a closeup view)

No, this is not Brown Bunny that I am stitching for BAM 5 with Valie but a beautiful Brown Bunny pinkeep made for me by Amy for an exchange. Isn't this just gorgeous? It's much nicer than mine which I will show to you later in the week. It's stitched on 32ct Antique Ivory Belfast linen with DMC thread and the backing fabric is Blackbird Designs Moda. Amy personalised the stitching by changing the B to a C and adding both sets of initials and just look at that incredible bow! What a wonderful exchange - thank you so much Amy - I love it!


This morning's mail also brought me the prize that I won from the Stitcher's Village July competition. There are eight charts, together with the Dinky Dyes thread packs and accessories! What a magnificent prize.

At long last I have made a start on the children's Christmas ornaments. The first one is a red and white pendibule which I need to personalise and 'finish'.

I have also been designing using my new Macstitch software. I had forgotten what fun it is to have design software and I have been 'playing' and charting up some alphabets and motifs. If anyone is interested, I will make my charts available once I am satisfied with them. Needleprint has a Infinity Library of Quaker Motifs in editable format together with the Beatrix Potter Chart and will be releasing more charts in the future. All of these are compatible with Macstitch and, of course, for the pc users among you there is also a software available for you.

Thanks for visiting
Take care


Labels: ,

 
| 18 comments
Saturday, 7 March 2009
A photo shoot, an exchange and a giveaway winner!


A short while ago Kirby went to London for a photo shoot and they made her up, did her hair and took some amazing pictures. I am going to get one professionally printed and framed. The photo on the left is a full-length shot but Mosaic Maker wouldn't let me upload the whole picture.


Yesterday I had to go into town to run a few errands and lo and behold the postman tried to deliver a package! How typical is that? And I had only left 5 minutes earlier. Anyway, he left a card so I collected the package early this morning. Amy and I had a personal exchange and this is the lovely Friend heart ornament that she made for me. Isn't it beautiful? Perfectly stitched and finished with a pretty beaded hanger.
 

Amy also enclosed some fabulous goodies: four cuts of finishing fabric, a set of bubble bath, body lotion and shower gel, tissues, magnetic notepad and a smaller notepad, Sweetheart candy and heart shaped dark chocolate (delicious - well I had to try one so I could report on it!) and a great project bag. Thank you Amy for a wonderful exchange. 

As you all probably know this is my last exchange for a while. I now have a date for my hand surgery - March 24. This has come rather quickly and although I know that I will be pain-free once it's done, I am still a bit apprehensive in having it done. I am stocking up on books and dvds and, hopefully, the weather will be a bit warmer so I can relax in the garden and recover in the sunshine!

Almost forgot, the winner of the Rainforest Romance pattern was Sue. Please email me Sue with your snail mail address and I will get this into the post as soon as I can. 

Thanks for visiting
Take care and have a great weekend

Labels: , ,

 
| 20 comments
Saturday, 28 February 2009
An exchange for Amy


I have heard from Amy that she received the exchange that I sent to her. I knew Amy has been laid up with a bad ankle so I wanted to do something special for her. I guessed (correctly) by her pretty pink blog that pink is her favourite colour so I chose a pink and white theme.


The tin topper is part of a freebie SALexandre (here) but I chose to stitch it on 32ct white linen instead of the 28ct listed. It is stitched 1*1 using DMC 899 which colour matched perfectly the velvet ribbon around the bottom of the outside of the Altoids tin. The embroidery sits upon a base of white Dupion silk and the inside is lined with the same silk fabric with a padded base. The inside of the lid is  lined with 2 pieces of white felt tied with a tiny white silk ribbon bow. For the pinkeep I used the same flower border adjusted in size to make a pinkeep small enough to fit inside the tin and I added Amy's name on the front and the year on the back. The needleminder is made from a covered button - I removed the button shank and glued on a pair of tiny magnets and you can see by the needle it works! I also made Amy one of my Swaroski crystal scissor fobs to complete the set.

This is the project that Kirby is stitching for herself in lime green on the same fabric. She hasn't got too far along with it as she has been busy with her studies, her part-time job and she has also caught this awful fluey bug but as soon as it's done I will post a picture. 



Last night our night sky was so clear this was the view from our back garden of the Moon and Venus. The Moon almost looked as though it was laying down and Venus glittered like a diamond. Apparently it is what astronomers call the 'greatest illuminated extent' of this plant's disk - whatever that may mean! It will not appear again until the Spring of 2010 and although it could be seen again tonight, the Moon is now above Venus. Not the best of photos I know but I tried!

No stitching these past few days as I have been feeling too bad to concentrate and I have decided a visit to the doctors is the way to go. On a good note I did manage to sleep for a few hours last night.  

Oh nearly forgot, thank you to Akila for the Blog Award - much appreciated. 

Thanks for visiting
Take care

Labels: ,

 
| 21 comments
Thursday, 26 February 2009
A thimblecase to die for!


I received a incredible package in the mail today - my exchange from the lovely Su! She had told me to watch for my mail this morning so I was ready and waiting for that knock on the door. Inside the package I discovered the above. At first I thought it was an ornament but no it kind of 'rattled' - no, not a jingle bell but a thimble - you squeeze both ends and one of the sides opens to reveal a tiny hidey-hole wherein nestled a thimble! I love it!


The mosaic picture shows each of the three sides - one with two tiny little bluebirds and Su's initials - maybe this represent Su and I? A second side has a little squirrel and my initials and as you all know I adore squirrels so this was a great choice! The third side has a gorgeous pattern with a tiny rhodes heart and the date. Those of you who have received anything made by Su will know exactly how beautiful this thimblecase is. Her stitching and finishing are superb! 
  

Not only did Su send me that beautiful thimblecase, she enclosed some cuts of pretty finishing fabric, a tube of pastel coloured beads and a pair of stork scissors - now a girl can never have too many pairs of scissors can she? Thank you Su for such a wonderful exchange!



And, lastly, for those of you waiting to see my miniature red stitching, here it is. When I picked it up yesterday I could see a mistake - oh no - 1*1 on 40ct - I had left off one tiny cross on the bottom of the l so I had to unpick m, n and o! I thought about leaving it but being ever the perfectionist, and of course the p and q would not have fitted into the spaces between those tiny hearts, out those letters had to come! The Vikki Clayton silk floss is ideal for stitching 1*1 on high count fabrics as it's thinner than AVAS or NPI silks. I am enjoying this miniature stitching and I know that Beatrix Potter will seem enormous after this! 

My cough/cold bug is worse; when I lay down I cough; I've tried extra pillows but they don't help. I will leave it until after the weekend and if it's still bad, I will make an appointment with the doctor.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

Labels: , ,

 
| 35 comments
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
A White Christmas?





No, it's a White Exchange! When Su and I decided to do an exchange I thought long and hard as to what to stitch for and then I remembered that she had said how much she liked the pink and white pincushion (here). As this is one of my favourite pincushions, which I enjoy both stitching and finishing, the decision was made but now what colour to use? I had just finished my whitework Christmas Snowflake ornament for the 2009 Christmas Challenge (here) and suddenly the choice was made - a whitework pincushion! It's a CA Wells' pattern and stitched on 35ct white Brussels linen with DMC white perle 12 and AVAS Blanc Optique silk floss; the ribbon is a 7mm white silk. To complete the 'white' theme, the extras I sent were, of course, white! I apologise for the poor pictures - I would love any tips of taking pictures of whitework stitching although I sure Su will put great photos on her blog! Maybe I should have waited and stolen (umm - borrowed?) her photos? 

Yesterday I stitched for 4-5 hours on my chosen pattern from the Miniature au Point de Croix book. I am stitching 1*1 on 40ct (I promise to use the 50 or 55ct next time) using HDF OMG Red 1149 and OMG (no pun intended) it's gorgeous - would you like to see? I will work on it again this afternoon so, hopefully, I may even finish it today! I have no idea what I will do with it once it's finished but I am thinking I will hem-stitch it. 

I still have my cold. Despite swigging cough medicine before I went to bed, I coughed for most of the night and hence slept in late this morning. I am now late with the chores so I need to get off the computer without my daily 'blog read'. Hopefully I will catch up later.

Thanks for visiting
Take care   

Edited: Take a look at Su's blog - she has, as I thought she might, taken some wonderful pictures of this pincushion. I am going to look for a photography class!

Stop Press: I've changed the colour pictures to black and white - they look better - I think!

Labels: , , , , ,

 
| 25 comments
Monday, 16 February 2009
Valentine exchange received!


As we all know last Saturday was Valentine's Day. The postman came early and gave me a card to say there was a package at the Post Office but I had to collect it as there was duty payable on it so, as Ken was going out, he called in to collect it for me. When he got back I could see the package was from Jill and I could not wait to open it. Inside was a amazing array of goodies so I will work my way through the list. First up was a pair of scisssors with their own heart decorated sheath; a cute pair of heart socks; two red threads; a packet of needles; red pins; heart buttons; notelets; 'Gloves in a Bottle' which I have been wanting to try for ages; heart shaped chocolates from a specialist shop in Ohio; a gorgeous heart marking pin/thread counter which Jill had made herself  ... yes there's more ... a pair of red embroidery scissors with a delightfully stitched fob and then there was a magnificent bourse! Jill says there is her first bourse but you would never know - it's absolutely gorgeous. It is the first for me too, as I have not tried this finishing option  but seeing this beautifully stitched and finished bourse has encouraged me to have a go myself! Thank you Jill for such a memorable exchange and for thoroughly spoiling me - I love it all!

Information for all exchangers out in blogland, please be aware that any packages coming into the UK from the US there is a customs charge on anything over the value of £36 (approximately $50) even if the said package is a gift! Extortionate I know so please remember if your 'extras' are over this value it might be a good idea to undervalue them on the customs form. (I hope Customs & Excise do not read my blog LOL).

No stitching yesterday as we were out for the day and this morning I had to go into town to run errands and tonight we have guests for dinner but hopefully tomorrow I can pick up my stitching before the withdrawal symptons set in!

Thanks for visiting
Take care 

Labels:

 
| 16 comments
Monday, 9 February 2009
Valentine exchange



I read on Jill's blog that she has received the Valentine exchange that I stitched for her. The pattern is from 'Mes Petits Coeurs I' from Au Fil des Rêves and is stitched on 32ct white linen with DMC 321 floss. It is backed with tiny red and white gingham fabric and is embellished with a red heart button and red silk ribbon bows. To complete the package, I also sent cuts of the same gingham and white linen fabric, a pair of scissors with a red ribbon fob and some red Swaroski crystal marking pins. I am glad that Jill noted that the heart had a tiny peacock - this wasn't by accident and it helped me decide which of the two patterns on the chart to stitch!

I stitched on Beatrix Potter yesterday but it's way too dark to take a picture today - it's raining and I have to go into town! There is still no sign of the silk ribbon I have on order so I guess I will have to call or email them to chase it. 

Kirby came for the day yesterday; she saw one of my exchange pieces and decided to do one for herself so she chose fabric and thread (my stash is cheaper than any LNS ☺) and she set to with needle and thread. She has chosen 32ct white linen with a lime green floss - definitely not a colour I would choose but I am positive her finished project will be gorgeous and I will make sure that I photograph it when she finishes! 

Not much else to tell you about so ...

Thanks for visiting
Take care

Labels: , ,

 
| 20 comments
Sunday, 8 February 2009
A perfect choice from Becky B!


I received the most wonderful exchange from Becky - a perfectly stitched and finished long Whitman's tin! The design is 'She Tends' by Shepherd's Bush stitched with DMC threads on 32ct putty linen and embellished with four sterling silver charms. 



Isn't this really gorgeous? The inside is lined with a pretty green and white flower print and lovely braid. And, not only, did I receive this, Becky also enclosed a profusion of goodies; a box of coloured pins, a pack of John James needles, a pair of gold scissors, 2 charms, a tin of mints and a sweet little sheep tape measure! I love it all - thank you Becky for making this exchange so perfect!

I have finished stitching my last exchange for a while (see previous post) although I do need to 'finish it'. I am waiting for the 7mm silk ribbon that I have on order to arrive and once this arrives I can get it done and in the mail to it's new owner. I also have another finished exchange to mail out so, hopefully, I can send them both off this coming weekend. I had both of these exchanges outstanding, together with a third part done, when I went down with that cold/fluey bug and was getting worried that I would be late but now I am actually early! Phew! 

So now ... it's back to Beatrix Potter so watch out for updated photos within the next few days. 

I see that Jill has received the Valentine exchange I sent to her so come back tomorrow for some pictures!

Thanks for visiting and thanks, too, for the great comments on my February 2009 Challenge ornament!
Take care

Labels: , ,

 
| 20 comments
Monday, 26 January 2009
An exchange and a RAK


Recently Becky and I did a personal exchange and now that Becky has received her package I can show you the mattress pincushion that I did for her. I knew exactly what I wanted to stitch for Becky - check out all those tiny bees! The pattern is a CA Wells design from a class I took with her in Cape Cod in 2002 called 'Stitching in the Garden' which I amended very slightly. It is stitched on 30ct Brussels linen with Glorianna Winter Woods, NPI silk threads and DMC 12 perle cotton 642.


This morning I received a lovely package from Anita of Little Stitches. Anita is a really talented lady - go visit her blog and/or her website to see some of her lovely designs which can be purchased at such a reasonable cost. In the package were some Access Thread Drops, a Cover Button Kit and extra buttons, some shaped and coloured eyelets. some needles and a skein of Carrie's Creation silk floss in a gorgeous share of mauve and teal called Epithany. I've not tried this silk floss before and I am looking forward to giving this a try. Thank you Anita for such a lovely gift. I have something a bit different planned for these buttons so watch this space!

At last the sun has made an appearance and I feel so much better this morning so I am planning on some 'finishing' today. I have two exchanges which should be sent out next weekend so hopefully I will be on time. I was beginning to panic a bit as usually my exchanges are stitched, finished and mailed well before the deadline! 

I did stitch some over the weekend as I made a start on my Beatrix Potter Quaker SAL and I will post a picture tomorrow. I found it quite comforting to curl up on the sofa and lose myself in a few Quaker motifs and I am very pleased with both the fabric and floss that I have chosen. 

Thanks for visiting
Take are 

Labels: , , ,

 
| 18 comments
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥