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Friday, 15 August 2008
Some stash and a harvest!


The silk thread I had ordered from Vicki Clayton arrived this morning. I had planned on using this for the Beatrix Potter sampler, which sampler I have been wanting to stitch for ages but couldn't decide on fabric and floss. When I stitched on Mindi's QFRR using Vicky's Raisin Wine, I just knew this was the colour I wanted for BP but as my QFRR piece (along with Edgar's and Rowyn's) has gone missing and we are thinking that a re-stitch is the way to go, I am wondering whether to use this gorgeous colour for my re-stitch. Decisions, decisions!  Also in my package was some 1/2 yard 'tags' and some cloisonne frogs (which I couldn't resist). 

Hannah Beeby is stitching up quickly now I have forgone the SAL. I seem to be the only one stitching and posting progress and as I was getting rather lonely I have decided to just get on with it now. I will post a picture in the next few days. 

I am really looking forward to Sunday as my Stitch-n-Bitch group have an all-day stitch-in with a 'bring a dish' lunch. Maybe there will be more stitching than bitching but who knows :o). I'll take my camera along so expect some 'action' shots next week!   
  


This week I harvested one of the patio bags in which I have been growing potatoes. Not the biggest of crops but they did have a lovely flavour! My tomatoes were doing well but we have had awful weather this past week with really high winds and rain which has certainly played havoc with my garden. I am beginning to think that my first effort of gardening may be the last. 

Have a good weekend
Thanks for visiting
Take care

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Sunday, 17 February 2008
Blog changes, Hannah Beeby and Quaker Friendship
If you came to visit yesterday you would have found my blog looking a bit strange. I was trying to change my template to a Pannasmontata template called "L'amour".  Andrea has this template on her blog and I really admired it so wanted to do something similar.  She has very kindly be talking me through it (thanks Andrea) but I have had some problems. I think firstly that having a Mac computer caused a problem because, when I downloaded the template from Pannasmontata, it did not load as a gobblegook file so, after deciding it was probably using a Mac, I turned on the pc and used that.  As Andrea suggested I opened a 'test blog' to play around which I did.  I then downloaded the template, deleted the html on the new blog and replaced it by cutting and pasting the html from the download and hey it worked! So I went to my blog and did the same and voila a new template even if I had lost my side bar links. By this time Ken wanted to use the pc so I though no problem I can 'tweak' on the Mac and replace the missing sidebar links but ... I couldn't because when I went to customize the layout it just came up 'upgrade template' and I could not get into layout at all. So, once Ken had finished on the pc, back there I went but the same thing happened.  Luckily I managed to get my original template, together with the sidebar links etc back so now I am back to square one!  

Kirby called round yesterday after her Saturday job in Sainsburys (supermarket) while I was playing around and she said she preferred the original blog anyway! But I hate being beaten by a machine so - watch this space! Any comments/suggestions appreciated.


I stitched a few 'test' pieces last night. The top one, which I gave up on as I thought it 'disappeared' in the fabric, is Vicki Clayton's OMG Red (one strand) on flax 36ct.  I then stitched two 'snowflakes' on lambswool 32ct. The one on the left is one strand of OMG Red and the other one, using two strands, is two sections in OMG Red and the remaining sections in Imperialosity. So this means that for Quaker Friendship I will go with OMG Red with two strands on the 32ct lambswool but the only problem here I only have a piece 19" x 14 1/4" so I am not sure if it's big enough.  I know the 19" is fine but not sure about the other side so I may have to order some more. And for Ms Hannah - mmmnn - I like the green again on lambswool but I do have a piece of 36ct antique white in my stash so I am going to do another test piece with one strand on that. I had not realised how thin the VC silk was and I definitely did not like the coverage with one strand on 32ct.  I must make up my mind as if I have to order 32ct lambswool I may as well order 35ct too!  Again all comments/suggestions welcome.

Well, enough rambling for today.

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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Monday, 11 February 2008
Fabric arrived!

My fabric arrived from Needle In a Haystack  this morning - really fast shipping from California to the UK!
  
I am still undecided which to use for Hannah Beeby so I will wait until my silks arrive from Vicki Clayton and I will decide then. But ...  is 40ct getting smaller or do I need new prescription lenses?? It's a long time since I stitched anything on 40ct so I have decided to stitch a test piece first - I will probably make a Quaker scissor fob to match my project.   

I had an email from Carol S at the weekend giving me the name of my partner in the HOE biscornu exchange and I am gathering fabric and floss together for that.  I have sort of decided what to stitch so will make a start on this later today. But you will have to wait for pictures until it's stitched, mailed and received by my partner. I have been to visit her blog to see what she likes and really hope I can come up with something to please her. 

Thanks for visiting
Take care
Carol
 

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