< iStitch
Friday, 7 September 2018
iStitch Designs - Mini Band Sampler







New release from iStitch Designs! This Mini Band was designed to fit inside a Tim Holtz Locket book. The blue model was stitched on 40ct white linen with AVAS Soie Surfine 2652 and the red model on 40 antique white linen with AVAS Soie Surfine 109. Both models are stitched one thread over one linen thread. The stitch count is 29 x 190. This new design is available *here* 
 or by clicking on the CHARTS button on the sidebar.


Thanks for visiting
Take care
Carol 




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Thursday, 13 March 2014
Sew Adorable - a sneak peek!



I just love teasing? Here's a sneak peek of iStitch Designs latest chart called Sew Adorable which will be available shortly. It is stitched 1*2 on 48ct antique white Gander linen with HDF Baneberry and how cute is that little bow? I found a tutorial on Pinterest that shows how to make these tiny bows using a fork! It's so easy and I will share the link when I release the chart so you too can make these cute little bows. 



I found a piece of 40ct silk gauze in my stash and decided that I would like to stitch a miniature sample on it. I had thought to stitch one of my own designs on it but recently I was gifted a chart called Léontine Chatelard 1898 by Meriem Chauvet of Couleur Tourterelle and thought that this was the perfect pattern. When it's finished it will measure 7cm x 6cm - you can't get any more miniature than that can you?  It wasn't too difficult to stitch on the silk gauze as the holes are quite pronounced although finishing off a thread on the back isn't too easy. The thread is AVAS Soie Surfine and I am using a Bohin 28 needle but I might try another type of needle next time I work on it. 

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Sunday, 21 July 2013
Camille Jullien update



Click to enlarge


An update on Camille Jullien SAL. As mentioned in my previous post  I was struggling with the 64ct uneven weave linen so I decided to overlock (serge) pieces of 48ct and 55ct Gander linen ready to give in and restart Camille but I persevered with the 64ct and above is my current progress. I am only able to stitch this is daylight with a magnifier but I am loving the delicacy and how tiny this sampler (181 x 146 stitch count) will be. This might be my last foray into such high count stitching although I never say never and I do have another piece of 64ct ;-) ...

Not such a nice day today so no reading in the garden unless the sun makes an appearance this afternoon.

Thanks for visiting - enjoy the weekend
Take care


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Friday, 13 April 2012
Miniature blue



Picture clickable for a closeup view

I have finished stitching Sajou Miniature Blue and I now need to decide on a final finish. Maybe a needle book, a pin keep or a box top, if I can find a small enough box, but any suggestions are welcome. This is stitched 1*1 on 38ct Blanc Cassé Gander linen with AVAS Soie Surfine 2587 which is a very dark navy blue. The needle, placed to show exactly how tiny this is, is a Bohin 28. The design measures 2¾" x 2". This pattern is available for free *here*.

I will be re-starting this project again stitching 1*1 on 32ct Gander linen with AVAS Soie d'alger 161, again a dark navy blue. This time the stitched pieces should fit onto the pre-cut cards I purchased at the Sajou stall at the AEF in Paris last February. I will be stitching all the charts from Sajou Card No 2 and finishing as a fold-up booklet.



Picture clickable for closeup view

A few years ago my sister brought us an Iford Weeping Cherry tree that has an amazing story which I posted about *here* scroll down. Last year most of the blossom was blown off by the wind but this year we have a stunning display of pretty flowers.

Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend
Take care


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Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Miniature blue and white violets!





As you can see my miniature blue Sajou stitching is coming along. The needle is a 28 Bohin which shows how small this stitching actually is! The scissors are new (well new to me) and are one of my most recent eBay finds. They cost the princely sum of £3.20 - such a bargain.




Last year my dear friend June gave me some violet plants which I planted into a patio pot. They were doing really well until the heavy snowfall earlier this year which I thought had killed them off but, much to my surprise, they not only recovered they are now flowering. I was expecting blue/mauve violets but they are white. Violets are one of my most favourite flowers - so tiny and delicate. I must admit I didn't know they came with white flowers!




On my trip to the AEF in Paris in February my dear friend Valie gave me this beautiful padded, hand-made pouch. She said it was for the Macbook Air which I have been coveting for quite a while. Now what is that poking out from the pouch - oh yes my new 11" Macbook Air - thank you Valie both from me and my new MBA!


Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Saturday, 24 March 2012
Sajou update




Just a quick post to show an update on my Sajou project. Not much further forward but I am enjoying this 'miniature' stitching. I have realised that I should be stitching on a lower count linen if the pieces are to fit the pre-cut cards I purchased with the charts so I have ordered some 12 fils (32ct) Gander linen and will either re-stitch 1*1 on this or maybe stitch 1*2 on 55ct Gander instead as I have a lot of this in my stash. Decisions, decisions. I will however finish the above which will make the perfect 'front' for a needle book or a tiny pin keep.

I thought I was over my flu and maybe I am but ... I now have the most horrendous cold so I'm not sure if its the flu making another appearance or a completely new bug. Whatever ... enough is enough ... I think I need some sunshine!

Thanks for visiting - enjoy your weekend
Take care


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Tuesday, 20 March 2012
A new project




When I was in Paris last month I purchased No 2 Sajou chart plus a spool of their Fil A Gant thread in a dark navy. I have been itching to start this project...




I did a couple of test stitches with the Fil A Gant but I found the thread to be very stiff and curly from being wound on the spool so I contacted Fati of Atelier 196 to see if AVAS Soie Surfine came in a similar colour. Yesterday I received three 100m spools of no 2587 which is actually darker than the Fil A Gant but still a very nice shade of a dark navy. I managed to stitch the above yesterday which I thought was pretty good seeing as I am stitching 1*1 on 38ct blanc cassé Gander linen. The pictures are clickable for a closeup view.




This is Sajou pattern and the Fil A Gant thread. I will stitch all the patterns in the booklet and then finish as a folding book. I saw this finish at the AEF and Sajou also sell the pre-cut card for finishing which I also purchased.



The above finish of the freebie Easter chart is by Brenda of Time 2 Xstitch. It is stitched on 28ct white Cashel linen with HDF Premium thread in Pastel Rainbow. Brenda has put this very pretty pincushion into a basket along with other goodies for an Easter exchange. I think the recipient is one lucky lady! Thank you Brenda for allowing to showcase your stitching here.

This Easter freebie is still available *here* or by clicking on the CHARTS button on the sidebar. The chart can then be found under 'Freebies' on the sidebar.

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Blue Miniature





Yesterday I decided to do some miniature stitching. I choose this small chart which I have previously stitched in red *here*. It is stitched 1*1 on antique white Edinburgh 36ct linen with Soie Surfine 2652. The needle is a Bohin 28 which shows how tiny this stitching is.

I have also been working on a new iStitch Design - something for Spring and it has rabbits!

Thanks for visiting
Take care


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Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Red - again!




My orts jar has only red thread inside! Here is my latest red piece. Stitched 1*1 with AVAS 2925 on 35ct white Brussels linen this is Coeurs d'oiseaux  also from the François Prax Miniatures au point de croix book. This tiny sampler measures 1½" x 2¼" and was a little easier on the eyes to stitch than the ABC aux oiseaux which I posted last Thursday. I have started yet another tiny design from the same book and yes it's red!



At last a little more sign of Spring as the daffodil bulbs are pushing their way up through the soil. It should not be too long before Tommy will awaken from his Winters slumber. I can't wait to see him again.

Thanks for visiting
Take care




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Thursday, 4 March 2010
OMG Red!






After finishing Alphabets à... I decided to finish yet another 'red' project. This tiny sampler is called 'Abc aux oiseaux' and is from 'Miniatures au point de croix' by Françoise Prax. I started this last year and came across it nestling between the pages of the book. It is stitched 1*1 on 40ct white linen with HDF OMG red 1149. The needle is a John James size 28 which should give you an idea how tiny this sampler really is! I am undecided how to finish this but I am leaning towards a pinkeep using Clover Aplique pins painted with a red nail polish the same shade as the thread. I found another half-stitched tiny sampler inside the book called 'Coeurs d'oiseux'. This one is stitched 1*1 on 35ct white Brussels linen with AVAS 2925 so will obviously be a little easier to finish. I will work on this later today and then, I think, an Easter project but shall I stitch Sew Easter or something else?

Before I forget, is anyone having problems uploading pictures to Blogger? I was using the old post editor and kept getting the message 'Server Error - The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request. Please try again in 30 seconds.' I have now changed to the new post editor and I was able to upload the picture immediately.

Sew Summer is now charted but may need a little tweaking. Sew Quaker and Sew Peacock are both charted but need to be stitched.

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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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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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

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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!

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Monday, 23 February 2009
Red silks!


The Vicky Clayton silk flosses I ordered for my 'miniature' stitching arrived this morning - such a choice of luscious reds. I took my Miniatures au Point du Croix book to Stitch-n-Bitch last Wednesday evening and now they all want a copy - I guess Amazon.fr will be inundated with orders for this book! My LNS rang me to say that the 55ct (!) linen she ordered in for our group has arrived and she has put some by for me so I will be collecting this later today. I doubt I will be stitching 1*1 on this! 



I received Edgar's Quaker Friendship RR last Wednesday, I stitched my section and it is now back in the mail to Valerie in San Francisco. This is the last RR I need to stitch on so now I have to wait patiently for my RR to return home. Edgar chose the same Vicky Clayton Raisin Wine silk floss, together with Old Maid of the Soil for accents, for his RR that I chose to stitch my Beatrix Potter Quaker sampler with, although his fabric is 32ct stitched 2*2 whereas Beatrix is 1*2 on 36ct. It's surprising how different they are. 

I also made a start on a re-stitch of a Christmas gift that went missing (here). Poor Wendy-Jo was upset that the tiny cracker I had sent to her got lost in the mail so I said that I would either stitch her another or something completely different but she chose the cracker. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can send it to her. 

I thought that my cold/flu bug had gone but no ... either that or I have another cold. This is the fifth week so hopefully it will clear up soon as it's definitely no fun sniffing, sneezing and coughing all the time. 

Last night we had a power cut. You would think that, in the middle of the night, this wouldn't cause much of a problem but for some reason, when the power came back on it tripped our alarm system. So at 3.25am I was out of bed re-setting the alarm which in itself caused a problem as it wouldn't reset. Ken ended up turning off the electricity supply and disconnecting the system to stop the awful noise - I bet you are glad you don't live near us!

Thanks for visiting
 Take care

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Saturday, 14 February 2009
A-D in miniature!

My first attempt from the Miniature Petit Croix book! I am using 35ct linen and stitching 1*1 with AVAS 2925 silk floss. The top A-D is tent stitch; the bottom A-D is cross stitch; the needle is a size 28 so you can see how small this stitching really is. I prefer the cross stitch version so will now stitch my chosen pattern in cross stitch although I may try both the tent stitch and cross stitch on 40ct linen first! Anyone got a spare magnifier?

Thanks for visiting
Take care

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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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Friday, 13 February 2009
An English country cottage



I came across a roll of stitched pieces yesterday and among them was this pretty Derbyshire cottage. I have no idea when I stitched this piece although a couple of the other pieces with it were dated 1995, so I assume it was around that time. It is stitched on what looks like a 28ct evenweave linen in DMC threads using petit-point stitch. It measures 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" so I think it would finish nicely into a pinkeep or does anyone have any other ideas? Not only did I find this but I also found the original pattern! So ... if anyone is interested in having this pattern, please leave me a comment and, if more than one person is interested I will have a draw, say Friday, February 20.  

I finished the last of my exchange pieces yesterday so I am well ahead for the end of the month deadlines. I am going to put together the goodie packages now and hopefully get them in the mail sometime soon. 

Also yesterday, whilst blog surfing, I went to visit with Valie and saw her miniature stitching and it blew me away. Such tiny stitches, such precision; I fell in love! So, I decided that I just had to have the book that she showed in the picture - Miniature Petit Croix by Francoise Prax. Off to ebay I went and then to Amazon.co.uk without any success on either, so I then went to Amazon.fr and there was 'The Book'. Mmmm now this website is obviously written entirely in French and my French, apart from please, thank you, hello and goodbye is non-existent - I really should have paid more attention in my French classes! But with a little help I managed to buy my book - at least I received a confirmation email so I assuming that I did something correctly and, hopefully, the book will be with me shortly. 

Thank you for visiting and a Happy Valentines Day to you all.
Take care

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