Stitching Review for 2007

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last posting, wow! I haven't had that many responses for a LONG time! Anyway, I'm almost better now, just very tired indeed and looking forward to a week of healthy sea air from this Friday. We've booked a nice little house to stay in and are both ready to go!

Just fished back to the 'goals for the year' posting from early January and, well, let's see how I did:

To finish:

*Dog portrait (freestyle - silk shading) - YEAH! (Photo above)

*Blue tit (cross stitch) - YEAH!

*Delicate Dreams cushion cover (hardanger with beading) - YEAH! (Part photo above)

To start (and finish as well!!):

*Child of Spring (Victoria Sampler counted thread piece) - stitched, but still needs sewing up.

*Blue tits and Seedheads (Derwentwater cross stitch) - WIP

*Cataflute (Margaret Sherry cross stitch) - YEAH!

*Mediæval Flowers (Textile Heritage cross stitch bookmark) - YEAH!

*Baby Quilt (Vintage Quilts book - first go at quilting) -YEAH! And put to good use too!=)

*Hardanger Bell-pull (Mary Hickmott) - YEAH!

*Berry Parade pouch (stumpwork, own design) - didn't get to this one.

*10th & 20th anniversary cards (both hardanger with floral bits and bobs) - did the 10th, but it was bargello with ribbon work, but I had too much on with other stuff to get to the 20th, so that poor couple got neglected!=(

*8th anniversary card for DH (blackwork) - didn't do this in blackwork, but did the stumpwork ladybird you can see in the header photos instead as his card.

Other things stitched during the year:

*5 hardanger sympathy cards and one 5th wedding card in hardanger with floral trims.

*1 freestyle engagement card (part photo in header above - the roses bit) and 1 ribbon work card.

*A bedding set with a monogram on each pillowcase and 2 on the sheet, plus 2 related small motifs in the centre of the sheet.

*A stumpwork waterlily and damselfy picture.

Currently in Progress:

*Bluetits and Seedheads cross stitch pic as mentioned above.

*'Branches' card, on which I've done no more work since the last photo posted as I've been horizontal fighting off viruses most of the time! I'll have to take it on holiday with me, which is a shame as I wanted to hand it over before I went... I've recovered from the shock of finding out that the recipient's wife is 'a professional stitchie who teaches textiles', as a mutual colleague put it and am eager to get on with it!!! At first I was gutted as I wanted it to be something really out of the ordinary, some of which will be lost if stitched things are kinda normal to him, but I decided it didn't matter after all. It's gonna be an original whatever and it'll be out of the ordinary for the majority of the folk who sign it.=)

*Just need to finish up 'Child of Spring' into a cushion/pillow (depending on which side of the Atlantic you speak) and hope to do that whilst we're away too.

Planned for 2008, (other than finishing above WIPs):

*Cross stitch the final in the birds trio, 'Goldfinches and Thistles', which can all be framed together and put on the wall of our newly papered bedroom, (which is what DH has been doing whilst I was too ill to move!!!)

*Learn blackwork. I'm gonna take this from the very simple stages, just as I did with hardanger and get it firmly under my belt. Shouldn't be very hard at all. Trouble with me is that I tend to go at things at too high a level when I need to start much nearer the beginning!

*Do some more of the DMC stumpwork kits that the ladybird came from as well as some more of the those Crafty Ribbons kits I bought. They all fit beautifully into cards too. I have other kits that I want to try as well, such as a goldwork stringed instrument card, a small spray of flowers in Brazillian work and so on. Easier on me than trying to start with something like Ariel's Heart!

*Start a City & Guilds course, probably level 1 stumpwork and, if I get a sewing machine in time, the level 1 patchwork and quilting too.

I really want this coming year to be relaxing on the needlecrafts front and really be a learning year as much as anything.

Progress temporarily halted....=(

No, nothing to do with Christmas, which, as you may have noticed from the lack of seasonal things here, doesn't feature with me, it's just that I've been laid flat in bed over the past 3 days. I had a virus the week before and was stuck in really sick with it from Tuesday night to Sunday. I went out then and wished I hadn't. It might be that it's one of those that you need to totally rest out before it's safe to re-start life or it could be that I got re-infected, but I ended up even worse! So, no more elements from 'Branches' to display at the mo, but I'm beginning to feel better now (can sit up for more than 30 seconds!!!) so I may be able to get the actual tree outline finalised today as well as getting on with the 2 musical instruments. I did get all the elements I needed sorted out the other day in that I made a Word document with correctly sized images to copy in stitch. So, I've done something, just nothing that you can see.....=(

Hope everyone else has managed to avoid the bugs and hasn't over-eaten too badly!!!

Second element completed

Here's the doorplate. Both it and the Uni logo will be 'cropped' down to the outlining by folding back and glueing or stitching the surplus fabric to the rear of the motif. Both are backed with Vilene (isn't that a horrid name??).

In case anyone's wondering what this nameplate says, it's DH's sense of humour. He thought that the chap who this card is for's name sounded like 'octagon', so he translated the whole thing into German, including titles and it came out as Herr Doktor Achteck - (Mr) Dr Octagon. I daresay he will see the funny side of it, thankfully it's hardly insulting and not the kind of thing that any sane person could take offence at!!! DH was once called 'Mr Coffee-Coloured' (brown) as a direct translation of his name into Taiwanese Mandarin!!=)

Finally, 'Branches' goes WIP!

Yes, at last, I've finally managed to get a proper start on 'Branches'. I've done the first of the appliqué/slip elements, the University of Leeds logo worked in white Anchor stranded cotton and outlined in Anchor Ophir on dark green, and it's now safely stored ready for when it can be attached to the main card. Funnily enough, it's one of the last things that will go on!! I'm currently working on the octagonal doorplate, which I don't think will take me too long either. Should be ready to display that tomorrow, then it's on with the two instruments. One will just be a case of cutting out the right shape from a piece of gold kid leather, but the viola will be an interesting challenge!!

Other than that, I've made two 'thank you' cards in papercraft today as well.

End of an era....

So, full-blown teaching is finally over now for me=). Last week saw me out with my post-grad group for an end of class meal together on Monday night. I've had some nice responses from the students in the class about how much they'd enjoyed it etc and that was touching to read. One of my friends told me last night that I was 'visibly relieved' and lighter for the teaching being behind me.


Apart from a few other things that need doing,
'Branches' is the next big project and I got the initial prep of the fabrics done the other day. Each piece has interfacing/Vilene ironed on the back of it to strengthen it. The smaller pieces need it in order to be stiff enough to pass as hard slips and the main fabric won't last at all well without something to make it more durable under the weight of what will be quite heavy embroidery. Hope to get it properly WIP over the next few days.

Haven't done a thing more on the Bluetits. In fact, I haven't put in a stitch on anything for quite a while! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME????!!!!

Back from Scotland with some stitching progress - WOW!

We got home last night at 10:30 after deciding not to travel back today and lose most of the day on the road. Felt nice to be home, although we had a nice time with friends who looked after us very well.=) (Hi Pauline!!!) Back to the regular run of things now though, but at least work finishes for me on 6 Dec until late January and even then some things will be done by someone else - HURRAH!

Did some cross stitching whilst I was away and
<- here are the results so far. Finished the bottom bird and started putting in some of the background half-stitching. There's still one more bird to go in the big gap on the right hand side, but it's not joined to anything other than the background stuff, so I thought it was better to put some of that in (contrary to the normal procedure, huh?) so that I get the last main element in the right place!! I hope to get that done over the next couple of weeks. I want to get both that and the 'Branches' card done before the end of this calendar year and to take both the 3rd birds trio picture and some small, fun kits away with me when we have our hols in early January. We've settled on a cottage not too far from home rather than going abroad. Less fuss, expense and more relaxing. Less fuss about food too!

Didn't spend as much this time....

So, after blowing a good £70 at the last show only about 6 weeks ago, I was a really good girl and didn't part with much more £20 this time.=) I think that everything I bought is actually for the branches card. Even though the GAST & WDWs skeins and the Kreinik cord I got were more 'I like those' and collection builders, I've since realised how useful the 'bark' colour will be on making the tree proper look realistic and that the other might well come in handy too, but we shall see! The card blank also arrived today, along with some re-stockers in other sizes and colours.

Anyway, here are today's buys:

3 balls of Anchor pearl cotton #8 in tree brown shades, one each of WDW, GAST and Kreinik, a peice of gold kid to make a saxophone out of and a piece of gold-ish silk to make the octagonal door plate out of. The real office name plate is a gold colour with lettering in black, so I wanted this one to be similar. I also got a bunch of keys charm to either hang off one of the branches or appear in the 'lost property box' under the tree. Either way, it'll save a bit of work.

I also enjoyed looking at info about various stitching and textile related courses, such as City & Guilds and the display of A Level work from a local school. I hope I get a reply from the local art college about their Textile Design A Level soon, as this is really much more my thing than teaching. Oh, met the new teacher yesterday and gave her copies of everything we've done in class so far and so on. She has no experience of teaching Chinese, but she has done other subjects, (including English to Chinese people - and she is Chinese), and has a fair idea of what sort of work is involved and also a keen and willing to learn attitude. Although someone with more experience would have been better, I think she'll make a good job of it in time.=) She's very enthusiastic and excited about it all in a way I never could be, so that's just got to be good for the students.

We're going away now until Monday and I'm taking my cross stitch with me, so hope I'll have something to report back on there soon! At least with work soon to take up SO much less of my time, strength and attention, there'll be much more time for creative pursuits.

New design as promised

Remembered to get a photo of it today! It's the initial plan, complete with notes, for a leaving card for our team's manager who's also legging it soon to a very fancy sounding job up in Durham. The above is called 'Branches of Your Life' and, although a lot of it isn't quite clear here, it's going to have characters from the various languages we teach interlinked and hanging from some branches. The others have stuff on that remind us of him - mostly sporty things, the fact that he's known for losing stuff left, right and centre, (even managed to lose his bike once, although I dread to think how he managed that!), and some 'roots' things - i.e. the Cornish bird and crown for where he was born and the Leeds Uni logo and Yorkshire Rose for where he's been for the last 8 or so years. I ordered the necessary jumbo sized card blank from Impressive Crafts, who make the most expensive, but nicest card blanks. We're going for the sky blue one. I'm hoping to make a start on the Uni logo and the octagonal door plate soon as they need to be worked separately, then attached. It's going to be a challenging (although not too badly), but enjoyable project.=)

Moira, you asked where I got my Elizabethan Embroidery books. The first two I got from the Viking Loom stand at the October stitching show I went to, but this link takes you (hopefully!) to their on-line catalogue. The other two I ordered from the New Stitches Stitch Direct site. Each book is £12.95. Don't look on Amazon as the sellers there are asking STUPID prices. I even e-mailed one and asked him if he was serious in wanting £200+ for a £13 book!! The thing is though, that I understand they've recently been re-printed, so they're not as hard to get hold of now. At stitch shows, many of the specialist book sellers who have stands there sell them too. I bought mine on the strength of the stitched models that Viking Loom (a fascinating stitchery shop in York) had on display. If you drooled over the photos, you would be positively swooning over the 'real things'! I'll be asking them for some thread suggestions for the thicker metallics when I'm at the Harrogate Halls show next Thursday.

Latest Acquistions

Have I spelled that right? Sigh! The downside to typing and the computer age.

Well, it's been an interesting week and today has been a good old 'duvet day' so far, but now I'm feeling a little more invigorated, esp as the post just came with these->
One of the new Anchor multicolours in light green, 2 of the 3 new Kreinik green shades in the fine cord, 3 DMC Light Effects metallics from the Antique Effects series and 4 reels of DMC fine goldwork thread in 2 shades each of gold and silved. You'd think that there was only plain 'gold' and 'silver', but there are ever so many!

I also got my ticket through for the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show. I wasn't going to go this time as I bought so much at the October Fashion, Embroidery, Stitch and Hobbycrafts shows, but I just really wanted to, so I ordered a ticket and it's just here on the desk.=)

Done no stitching again, but I have sketched the design for a very interesting card that I will post next time as I've just realised that I totally forgot to photograph it! However, below are the 2 latest embroidery mags I bought: I got the French one in Hamburg railway station last month. It's quite simple as it's got 'learn to embroider with us' on the front, but the designs are mostly very pretty.

I also bought the other two in the Elizabethan Embroidery books series and these are they <-. There is another on the alphabet, but I'm not so into monograms, for all I bought the Country Bumpkin book on it recently etc.

The new teacher has been organised for next term and I'm to meet her next week to show her what we've been doing thus far in class. I also want to tell her what I had planned, what I'd 'promised' the students and also a few tips on making it easier for them. She's Chinese and will have all the 'instinctive ability' that I lack, not being a native Mandarin speaker, but she'll never have learned Chinese as a foreign language and her recent training in English language teaching will only have limited relevance for this post. Only 3 more weeks of teaching left - 6 classes, about 12 hours. I'm looking forward to putting it behind me immensely, but part of it, oddly enough, will be a tremendous wrench. There's n'owt so queer as folk, as we say here in Yorkshire. (Leeds, Sandra)

Have a look at this....

Remember two posts ago with the dining table looking like an office? Well, no need for that anymore! I finally had the good sense to realise what a profoundly negative impact my job was having on me, that I hated both teaching and lesson planning/materials creation and that I'd only done it as others had wanted me to, and resigned on Wednesday. Above is the dining table as it should look!

Not had chance to do much on the bluetits, but <- here's the current status. Pretty awful, over-red photo, but I need more time on Photoshop before I get this right!!!

More stitching soon.....=) Oh how nice it is to feel that I have my life back!

Bedding Bale!

Here it is at last, the bale of bedding for the now 5 weeks overdue wedding present.

We'll be giving it to the couple this afternoon, all being well and that'll be one more job off my mind!! I just love the ribbon it's tied up with - it's got cut-out hearts on it. I daresay the bride, who likes to make her own cards, will put that to good use later on.=)


Here too are the final parts of the stitching, the simple bits in the middle of the top edge of the sheet (above) and the 2 C monograms which are one at each corner.

I've actually been doing some cross stitching the last couple of evenings. I picked up the bluetits picture that I hadn't touched since July, last photo on this post. I'd done a tiny bit more since then, but have now almost finished the lower two leaves and hope to do the second bird over the next week or so, but that depends on how other stuff goes.

Work, work and more work

Well, here we are again after another gruelling week! To illustrate, this is what the dining area looks like much of the time, owing to my having to work at home!

I put Photoshop Elements on my laptop just now so I can deal with photos better and even create a good image banner for the top of my blog, so a re-vamp shouldn't be too far off now.

I finally finished the bedding monograms, but haven't yet got the sheet pressed up and photographed. That should come tomorrow or Sunday. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the card I did for friends who lost their mum last week:

Spend, spend, spend!

What about this for a haul of stash? I won't say how much it cost, as I really spent too much at the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch show this afternoon, but I'm not sorry I got any of it. There are some great things here. The books are crammed full of the most gorgeous designs with goldwork, some raised elements and what not. Of course, I fell for them as the shop whose stall I bought them from had wisely brought all their models of the pieces too...... Will get to make up some of those over the next couple of years, I hope! If the eternal course writing ever comes to an end.....

Anyway, so I got 2 books, 4 kits - 1 'regular' goldwork, although the pattern needs some adaptation as it's not an accurate stringed instrument at all, 1 metallic in different colours called 'Goldleaf Dragonfly', 1 cross stitch kit which I plan to make up to put on/above my desk when I get one at work (10 new workstations coming next summer, one for me too, I should say!) and 1 small Brazilian piece. One of the reasons I never did that glorious 'Ariel's Heart' design for the wedding in August was that I outfaced myself with it, so I thought that getting a smaller kit to have a go at first would be the best idea. What else? 3 things of ribbon, 6 sheets of stickers, (many of which I want to use mostly as designs to stitch from), 2 packs of 5 10"x10" pieces of silk dupion, plus one more 13"x11" piece. That's it, I think! Don't even ask when I'm starting on any of them as I couldn't begin to imagine!!

Decided to take the bed linen stitching to Germany with me next week after all. At first I thought it was too big, but then I realised that it doesn't matter at all and I can take what I like!! I'll also be taking the cushion for my baby sis' to sew it up there and hope that I can clear one more job and get back on with another all in the course of yet another trip to Hamburg!! After that, stitching plans are to finish that blue-tits piece that I started back in the summer and probably also do the goldfinch one that goes with it ready to have them all framed for bedroom re-decoration during the winter hols.=)

Ribbons!

<-Put in a retail therapy order with Crafty Ribbons when I was feeling peeved last w/e and here it is.

It came on Tuesday shortly before I legged it to work. I dread to think when I'm actually going to have time to work any of these rather nice little kits, but at least they're a quick stitch.=) More stash likely to hit tomorrow as I'm going to the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch show up in Harrogate, which has Hobbycrafts next door as well. As Sir and I are being paid at the mo, I daresay I shall not feel at all guilty about spending money I really shouldn't....... But more on that tomorrow.

Progress with the bedding set

Haven't done a lot of stitching of late, but <-here's the completed M:





And the transfers for the sheet.->

I'll post the quilt designs when I get to that bit!! The wedding is this Saturday and, had I nothing else to do, I could get it done in time, but given that the couple'll be away in Italy (how jealous am I???!) for a fortnight afterwards, they're hardly going to be wanting it straight away. So, I'll see them the day after they come back and hand it over then.

On the off-chance you come back again, Moira, thanks for your nice comments. The little cushion you were admiring is indeed a kit, made by the Royal School of Needlework here in the UK. If you Google search for their web-page, then look in the shopping section, you should find it, and the rest of the strawberry and rose collection there.

First monogram done.=)

<-Got the first pillowcase done of the bedding set I'm working on. As you can see, it's a very simple design and won't take long at all to complete the whole set. In fact, I hope that a total of 10 days should see the whole thing completed and ready to give.=) I plan to do the 'M' pillowcase tonight. I haven't re-pressed this one yet, so the finished thing will look smoother, although I doubt the pic will show up the minor creasing here. It took about 2 hours to do, including tracing and transferring the design from the sheet I did the previous night and the trial piece I did to test threads and stitches. The chain stitch letter is worked in #8 pearl cotton and the rest in stranded cottons. The green is one of DMC's Color Variations shades. The basic letter outline came from 'Embroidered Monograms' by Susan O'Connor, but I put the rest in myself.

Do I seem to work fast, Tannia? I suppose I do as, once I get into a piece, I just get on with it - often as I'm racing a deadline!! That waterlily was neglected for weeks on end though, so progress seemed horribly slow to me!

So does progress on my lesson planning. Oh, how I WISH it was all done and I could forget about it! Talk about something bugging you 24/7 and, as I work mostly at home on it, I'm in the office all the time too! I've taken to retreating to the bedroom for all rests!!!! I never work in there, but the living room is 'polluted' now! LOL! Well, at the rate I've planned, Semester 1 should be completed this month, then I'll give myself the next month or two to get Semester 2's work done. Then it's on with another long neglected project. Three biggies back-to-back. Yes, it's a real stress, but, as I was reading in a book on stress management and health yesterday, if you never get these tasks completed, the stress response cannot turn off. So, a gruelling few months ahead, but we'ew planning to have about 10 days away somewhere warm in early January, after the holiday season is over and the prices go back down. Thinking about Madeira, so hope I get chance to learn some Portuguese first!!=)

First Posting from my Laptop!

Yup, I've gone really techified and got a laptop. Actually, it's Sir's businesses laptop, but as he'll only need it for training future clients on the software they'll be renting through him, to all intents and purposes, it's mine - and legitmately tax-deductable too!

Thanks a lot for all the lovely compliments on my stumpwork finish. Dunno if the recipients liked it or not yet as it wasn't opened in my presence, but I can find out next week when they get back. Need to get on with designing and stitching the next gift, then I'll sew up the cushion cover I stitched in July. After that, it's only nice, relaxing cross stitch for the rest of the year! If I do anything other than that, it will be someone else's design with lots of instructions to follow!!

Not much needlecraft going on as I'm in the thick of serious lesson planning. I got a nice order through from SewandSo today with the #8 pearl cottons needed for the bedding, which will be our gift for the next wedding on 22nd. Mercifully, I'm keeping this one very simple. As you can see though, I bought one or two extra items....... I know some don't like these 'scrap bag' things, like I've got here from Kreinik or that Weeks Dye Works at least used to sell, but I think they're great and am looking forward to using this one.



On the musical side of things, I played a simple piece that I hadn't touched for about 3 months yesterday and I can honestly say that all the work on bowing is paying off! No problems catching strings on the crossings now and even the B, which always sounded strained, is clearing up. That's a 'too close to heel of bow strain and scratch' problem, so I need to think about where to bow that one in order to get it to sound good. The joy has come back to viola playing though and I break from uni work and play Violette for a few minutes a few times per day, so progress should be much faster for the next few months whilst I'm slaving over a hot laptop.

OK, let's see if I can get the photo to upload as I'm still quite uncertain about what's where on this new machine as it's software that's 7 years newer than the packages I'm used to!

Done - TA-DA!

Here's the finished piece:

The waterlily has been adapted slightly from one in Helen M Stevens' 'Embroidered Flowers' p72. That one was all flat work and the flower was white (except the yellow stamens, of course). This one has been done in two shades of pink with the nearer petals being raised slightly - stiched over felt. The water is done in Madiera stranded silk, which is much thicker than the Pipers Silk the flower and leaf are worked in. Wished I'd used only one strand of Madiera as I feel it's a bit too prominent for its role, although you can't see that here, of course.

This is a close-up of the stumpwork damselfly from the side:


Here's the whole piece again, mounted in the frame (by me, for a wonder! Yes, laced properly on the cardboard and so on), and in the postbox I specially covered with fancy wrapping paper!!!

Will give it to the happy couple tomorrow and hope that they like it.=) Have bought a card this time as I really didn't want to be fussed making one.

Oh, I got a lovely new dress and jacket for the wedding today. It was either that or wear one of my old, old-fashioned ones - again! They were most of them 2nd hand when I bought them too, so it'll be nice to have something swish to wear for a change. The groom's sisters were telling me how pretty my old dresses are and encouraging me to wear one of them, but I can't help thinking that, if a friend deserves so much time and trouble as to make him the above, then he deserves that I should get a decent outfit for his wedding!

Waterlily now done and on with the damselfly

Ooof, this one is taking some time and uuumph! Only I could change projects so as to simplify and end up doing something far harder! Other folk would have more sense.... Anyway, here's what the waterlily looks like now. The water is done with Madeira silk, which is much thicker and far less glossy as it's twisted. The pinks are a little less red in reality, but I took the picture under my daylight lamp rather than in real daylight!!!!

When I came in this evening, I was half amused at the state of the living room, esp. my working corner. Just look at how much stuff is on hand to do one little damselfly stumpwork!! Ridiculous!

The groom's sister has now got her/our present for the wedding and is delighted with it. I'm sure he'll be thrilled with it as well as baby sister did so much of it.=) As soon as he sees it, he'll know I helped her, but naturally he'll be more interested in her portion of it. Rats!!!!!!!LOL!

Waterlily still unfinished, but...

<-Here's the waterlily progress so far:

Horrid photo taken in totally unsuitable light, but it doesn't matter too much at this stage, I think.

Anyway, the reason I didn't get too much of this done is that I decided to get on with finishing up this other piece instead.->

This is a co-operation between my 11 year old chum, Ellie, and me as her gift to her brother on his wedding. (He's the groom of the 31 August wedding and who the waterlily and damselfly piece is to be for from me.) It's been about 50/50 really as it was my idea and I did 95% of the designing (well, taking various elements from other designs and adapting them, but isn't that really what all samplers are??), including making a large scale chart for her to work from. I supplied all the materials, oversaw about 85% of the stitching and started off each piece to show how it was done etc. I also did all the cutting out, put in the ribbon on row 3, the filling stitches on the big heart, the whole row of cross stitch near the bottom and did a lot of fixing up loose ends and stitches that were coming out etc as well as all the sewing up into the bell-pull you see here, which took hours on end yesterday afternoon. Anyway, I hope you all like it and that the happy couple will when they're presented with it next Friday!=)

Yesterday's stitching....

Here's what I managed to get done yesterday and I also included the metallic threads needed mostly for the damselflies, but also a little for the water effect:

The flower looks a bit lop-sided to me..... The far petals on the flower are done in one strand and doing it that way made me ready to list my Pipers Silks on E-bay! So, the leaf is being done in two and is much better so far. I do NOT like working with such fine threads in one strand. Yack! Anyway, I'm hoping to ge tthe waterlily done today and even the water effect put in, but I'm not holding my breath. You usually get done less than you want to, right? I also have a LOT of lesson prep to do this morning whilst Sir is at a meeting with a client and I can use the PC freely.=)

New buys and current project

Hellooooooooo! Here we are back from London and this is what I treated myself to from The Delicate Stitches/London Bead Company shop there:

The beads are for this project ->

I forget to put the metallics in the shot... Anyway, it'll be 2 damselflies above a pinky waterlily.

Final SS parcel arrives

My Secret Sister parcel from the cross stitch newsgroup I've been on for a while arrived yesterday and here it is:

Wow-some, isn't it? My SS lives in Malaysia and don't the colours she's selected in ribbons and threads just speak of the vibrant society she comes from? I'm delighted with it all and look forward to putting it to some use over the coming months and years. It's been SO nice to have a parcel to open as the last 5 SS gifts have all been on-line store vouchers. It's nice to pick your own stuff once in a while, but it's so much more fun to have someone else choose for you. They often buy the stuff you wouldn't really get for yourself, (although it's on the wishlist), whereas I always make myself be 'sensible' and try to complete thread collections etc.

Have still barely done any stitching of late, but then I suppose many don't do much over the summer months. I need to get on with a vengeance though as I have only 2 more weeks to finish one wedding gift and then the next wedding is just under 4 weeks after that 'deadline', (I want to give it to the groom a few days before). I've done very little on the first and haven't even done the design for the second! If anyone has seen my motivation, which is currently AWOL, please discipline it soundly and send it back express!

Sniff, sneeze and splutter

Got back from Germany on Mon after a very busy weekend in Hamburg. Brought back some unwanted souvenirs - Sir has brought back 2kg and I've brought back my friend's cold!!!!

Didn't get much stitching done! I did a little bit in each of the leaves and nothing more. I also didn't get the cushion sewn up before we went, but as we're actually going back in mid October, I can take it as my gift for that trip. I did get a bunch more discount Kreiniks at Hobbycraft yesterday and also some of the new DMC colour variation threads and some bugle beads through from SewandSo just before we left as well as some dark blue silk to do some drgonflies on. Bought the bedding for the one of the wedding pressies yesterday, so I need to get on now.

Had my first viola lesson with my new teacher on Tuesday morning and she is GREAT! She's going to be strict with me, which means that progress may be a little slower, but it will be more solid. I'm back on bowing open strings and am only allowed to use first finger with the bow (and maybe 3rd, but if I can't use 2nd, I don't see why 3rd???), but I can do scales etc to keep my left hand work up pizzicato. So, that to do for 2 weeks. Haven't done any prac yet as I've been snivelling and sneezing myself silly (sillier???) ever since, but as Teach is on her happy hols, I have chance to catch up.

Yes, Anne, you're quite right. There is a subtle difference between viola and sax!!!!!=) Ever thought of taking it up again? It's a bit far for us to duo, but it is a lovely instrument. Sigh! Better go and do some dull bowing prac. The sooner I get on with it, the sooner I'll be able to move on.

More leaves

<- Here's the current status on the bluetit picture. There are some advatages to being ill after all! It may not look like much progress from the day before, but, as most cross stitchers will know, these outlines can take time. Also, it's worked in one strand of regular DMC and one of stranded metallic. I think this one is meant to be the wintry one of the suite. The chaffinches was distinctly late spring/early summery with it's lovely pink blossoms.

Met my new viola teacher this morning and she's great! You can tell she was a young person in the sixties as there's something quite 'of that era' about her, but I liked her a lot and I know I can really work with her. She'd already prepared so much material for her teaching, esp. for violin. Why do I find that impressive? Well, she's a violist herself and has put that extra time into the more unfamiliar instrument and clef unlike my last teacher who didn't even sit down and look through my book properly. First proper lesson is next Tuesday (hurrah!) and she's given me some bow hand exercises to correct some slight problems there to be getting started with. We played a short piece together from one of the tutor books. I was only doing open strings, but it was great. SO much fun to play even something so simple with someone else.=)

Good progress on the birdies

As I've been ill either in bed or on the sofa since last Weds night, I've been able to really get on with my latest birds design.=) Here they are ->

The Stitchologist asked where the dog would end up hanging. Well, not at our place, sadly! He was meant to be for my Aunt and Uncle's ruby wedding gift, but I hang my head in shame to say, that was back on March '04! Still, better late than never and promises must be kept, so he'll soon get a new home on my dog loving aunt's wall. I'm sure she'll love him and I will quite miss him myself, although I cursed myself 40 times over for ever having started him. I characteristically bit off more than I could chew at that early stage in my embroidery career!!!

Can't wait to meet my new music teacher tomorrow, hurrah! We're having a new carpet put down in the hall at the same time, so that will be great too. Home is almost finished!=)

Started a new cross stitch

Made a start on the second birds picture for our bedroom back wall, which is totally blank - even the bed has no head!! Have just got a leaf done so far, but it promises to be an interesting/fiddly (!!) stitch with so many of the shades being blended. Also, this leaf is mostly stitching in 1 strand to give it that delicate look that many autumnal leaves have. The outer row is one strand of white and one of silver! So, this will go with the Chaffinches and Blossom design I completed way back in September, then I'll do the Goldfinches and Thistles to complete the trio. Will get a start on the wedding gifts once I have the bedding needed for one and the confirmation that, yes, they would like a ring cushion from the other! The bedding I'll buy on Tues, but the other I think I shall have to chase up as time is ticking away.

I also just took a shot of the framed dog portrait, which I collected on Tuesday. It's not the best photo, but it's hard to take pix of framed work unless it's small enough to go on the scanner. This one certainly isn't! I'll see if DH can get a better shot for me when he has time, but that's a rarity for him, poor man!=(

I'm meeting a new viola teacher on Monday - someone who is a viola specialist instead of a violinist who will teach viola on the side. The last one moved away and I don't think she'll be sorry to be shut of me!! This new one has LRAM in viola teaching and knows all the relevant repertoire. She also has a definite idea of what she wants to teach and using which books. Last time I had to pick my own and, well, I'd never expect my students to go and select their own Chinese learning materials! I prepare long and hard before my classes and I expect my teachers to do the same! So, I'm really looking forward to meeting this friendly Scots lady and getting re-started within the next couple of weeks, given that we're off to Happy Hamburg on Thursday.

Working HARD

Ugh, I'm pooped! I set myself 5 tasks, big ones, to accomplish within a week (last Weds-the coming Tues) and have done the 3 biggest already:

1) Mucking out the bedroom.

2) Getting all the typing up work done for my post-grad Chinese classes.

3)Finishing 'Child of Spring' in terms of the stitching. I'm not sure if I will make it up into a little cushion or just let her get it framed/made up herself. Depends on time, but I'm really ready to be totally through with this one as it was a deceptively fiddly and time-consuming design!

Left to do are:

4) The design for my young friend to stitch up. This needs fully and neatly charting as well as the fabric cutting and some contrasting thread guidelines putting in so that she can see where to put the various elements. I plan to get this done this afternoon/evening. And:

5) Mucking out the kitchen.

Have updated my Webshots 'Sale or Trade' album with recently finished kits and designs in case anyone's interested.=)

Some photos to share=)

<- Here's the latest on the VS piece:

Still don't feel like I'm getting much done on it. In fact, everything feels rather behind. Might have something to do with the fact that it is behind, huh??

Called in at Hobbycraft on Friday evening whilst DH was getting some more envelopes from Staples (next door). They seem to be discontinuing Kreiniks, so I got all these at 99p each as clearance price! There are 2 blending filaments, (the 2 'on top') and 5 cords. Some of the thicker guages are £2.99, but I managed to get a few here that I think will be useful, even though some look a bit bright. I've noticed that in Helen M Stevens' latest 2 books she uses multicoloured blending filament (or other fine thread of that type) to portray the iridescent look of insect wings, so I thought the vibrant looking varigated one in the middle might do the same trick. Might call back in there soon to see if there are any more of any interest as I was pushed for time as Sir was in a hurry.

A bit more done and a thread parcel

Got a little bit more on the COS done - just put in the missing beads on a row I thought I'd completed and did this ladder stitched row as well. I ended up having to make that longer than intended (8 rows instead of 6) as I accidentally cut threads 1-5, then 7!!! I couldn't hide it, so had to do 2 more whole rows. Looks OK though, I think.

Got my secret sister package through for June. I got a £10 SewandSo voucher and spent it on completing my Marlitt collection. Paid for the other 4 threads myself.

Latest Set of Photos etc

So, I took the dog in to be framed today - almost £60, if you please! Ouch! I didn't put the whiskers in in the end, as it would have been so great a contrast to the fabric that it would have looked tacky and I was in no mood to spoil 3½ years' of work!!! Will post a shot when the framed item is done. I've picked a light cream, circular mount with a light copper frame.

I've also made a start on the VS design. Haven't done much as yet, but here's the story so far, complete with the design and the rest of the colours etc that I'll be using. The recipient loves red, so I've redded it up for her.=)

<-This little load came in the post yesterday as part of my anniversary pressie from dh! Aren't they great? Can't wait to be able to start on some of the projects, but, as always, that'll be stuck in a line behind stitching for other people's events!!!

And finally, here's the picture of Bolton Castle as it really is, (see previous post for my sketch, ha-ha-ha!!)