I have resorted to adding reminders for all the new moons into my phone for the remainder of the year ~ and yet still I manage to be almost a week late!
Hopefully the picture says it all.
Kate
Hopefully the picture says it all.
Kate
27 April 2012
Late IHSW Report
Nothing new there then!
Last weekend was hermitting weekend ~ I had plenty of time to be stitching, around shopping for presents for the LM (Yes he's clocked up another year!) however I didn't acheive a tremendous amount really.
I did manage to complete the final part of the Spring mystery SAL ~ it looks a little wonky in the picture. This has been a lovely stitch and I think I will make a small pillow when I finally get into "finishing" mode. I replaced the called for white thread with DMC 543 so that the stonework on the house would show better on my fabric. I also stitched over the bird with this ~ yes sheer laziness on my part ~ I should have unpicked it but decided against that. There is a small autumn freebie also by Marie which I hope to stitch at some point ~ hopefully Summer & Winter will be available too.
Next was to find a snowflake design to complete my April ornament for the Christmas Ornaments All Year Round SAL. This is an extract from LHN Fresh Fallen Snow which was in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2011 special - there are two snowflakes in the design so I need to add the second one, stitch up and stuff. Next month is a gingerbread man theme.
And finally my progress to date on LHN's Simple Joys ~ it hasn't changed a great deal since you last saw it. So there you have it ~ the sum total of my hermitting weekend. It really doesn't amount to much however as ever I did enjoy the time. I was thinking about all the other hermitters around the world all stitching away in the different time zones ~ perhaps next month I should start on Australian time and finish in US time! That would make for some mammoth stitching spree ~ worth considering.
Last weekend was hermitting weekend ~ I had plenty of time to be stitching, around shopping for presents for the LM (Yes he's clocked up another year!) however I didn't acheive a tremendous amount really.
I did manage to complete the final part of the Spring mystery SAL ~ it looks a little wonky in the picture. This has been a lovely stitch and I think I will make a small pillow when I finally get into "finishing" mode. I replaced the called for white thread with DMC 543 so that the stonework on the house would show better on my fabric. I also stitched over the bird with this ~ yes sheer laziness on my part ~ I should have unpicked it but decided against that. There is a small autumn freebie also by Marie which I hope to stitch at some point ~ hopefully Summer & Winter will be available too.
Next was to find a snowflake design to complete my April ornament for the Christmas Ornaments All Year Round SAL. This is an extract from LHN Fresh Fallen Snow which was in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2011 special - there are two snowflakes in the design so I need to add the second one, stitch up and stuff. Next month is a gingerbread man theme.
And finally my progress to date on LHN's Simple Joys ~ it hasn't changed a great deal since you last saw it. So there you have it ~ the sum total of my hermitting weekend. It really doesn't amount to much however as ever I did enjoy the time. I was thinking about all the other hermitters around the world all stitching away in the different time zones ~ perhaps next month I should start on Australian time and finish in US time! That would make for some mammoth stitching spree ~ worth considering.
Kate
PS Blogger & I don't seem to be getting along right now ~ have no idea why the spacing goes all cooky when I publish!!
22 April 2012
Mother's Day
When I was young and growing up 22nd April was the only recognised Mother's Day at home.
Today would have been my Lovely Mum's 88th Birthday.
My Mother kept a garden.
A garden of the heart;
She planted all the good things,
That gave my life a start.
She turned me to the sunshine,
And encouraged me to dream:
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.
And when the winds and rains came,
She protected me enough;
But not too much, she knew I'd need
To stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example,
Always taught me right from wrong;
Markers for my pathway
To last my whole life long.
I am my Mother's garden,
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love,
Reflected back from me.
Anonymous
18 April 2012
April IHSW
Once again we are at that time of the month where we need to cement our derrieres to our stitching chairs and hermit the weekend away.
I'm not certain how much hermitting I will acheive ~ I'll give it my best shot though.
Kate
17 April 2012
Confessional
It's been ten days since my last post.....................
And during that time I have done some stitching, some stash sorting, a bit of stash buying, a bit of painting and a fair amount of procrastination.
Mystery SAL Part III
A quick stitch ~ there is a wee bird hiding on top of the lower case p, he's white and just a little bit hard to see ~ but he is there.
I gave up on finding my DMC 3752 and used 794 and as soon as I had it stitched ~ yes, you guessed it ~ I found 2 skeins of 3752.
No matter, I think the shade I used looks grand. Part IV is due tomorrow, or today depending on how long it takes me to complete this post.
Dawn of Spring SAL from Friendly Stitchers Yahoo Group
Finished Part I eventually ~ tried eyelets in the third band, however they didn't sit right on my fabric so out they came and I reverted to Smyrna stitch.
Band four is charted for three of the large motifs and space to add initials and year ~ I have an idea for how I might finish this piece so I will be stitching the two outer motifs and leaving initials etc until the end.
Band five is also started and hopefully I will be continuing with this at Tuesday Stitching Group ~ I'm hosting this week.
Simple Joys by LHN
Has grown some since you last saw it ~ I've quite surprised myself with how quickly this is stitching up, especially as it's one over one. I'm loving everything about this, the fabric, the colours and the sentiment of it.
I would have liked to be finished the stitching this week ~ as quick as it is I think this may be overly optimistic.
Last week our quilt group had a visit to The Quilters Cupboard ~ I came away with some fabric to add to my stash. I planned on using some of it at my monthly stitching day in Penrith on Saturday ~ unfortunately I had to cancel my trip due to lack of sleep Friday night. I was very disappointed but it was a good idea not to get behind the wheel of a car with insufficient zeds. After our shopping spree we headed back to a local Italian restaurant for a meal ~ the food was lovely.
Sunday was the latest meeting of The Diary Dames up at The Crafts House ~ the weather was deceiving, it looked beautiful but turned out to be extremely cold and while we were there we saw more of the white stuff, both hail & snow. I have nothing to share with you from our visit as my project is not yet finished ~ should be complete at the next visit.
Today I spent a few hours with Sis2 ~ her DH had business in the area so she had travelled with him. We had a nice meander around Durham and lunch in Vennels Cafe. The cakes looked gorgeous ~ we were good and didn't have any ~ the corned beef pie, three pepper quiche and salad were however delicious. If you're ever visiting Durham it's worth a visit, oh and the tables are all old treadle tables.
I'm off to attempt to sleep.
Kate
And during that time I have done some stitching, some stash sorting, a bit of stash buying, a bit of painting and a fair amount of procrastination.
Mystery SAL Part III
A quick stitch ~ there is a wee bird hiding on top of the lower case p, he's white and just a little bit hard to see ~ but he is there.
I gave up on finding my DMC 3752 and used 794 and as soon as I had it stitched ~ yes, you guessed it ~ I found 2 skeins of 3752.
No matter, I think the shade I used looks grand. Part IV is due tomorrow, or today depending on how long it takes me to complete this post.
Dawn of Spring SAL from Friendly Stitchers Yahoo Group
Finished Part I eventually ~ tried eyelets in the third band, however they didn't sit right on my fabric so out they came and I reverted to Smyrna stitch.
Band four is charted for three of the large motifs and space to add initials and year ~ I have an idea for how I might finish this piece so I will be stitching the two outer motifs and leaving initials etc until the end.
Band five is also started and hopefully I will be continuing with this at Tuesday Stitching Group ~ I'm hosting this week.
Simple Joys by LHN
Has grown some since you last saw it ~ I've quite surprised myself with how quickly this is stitching up, especially as it's one over one. I'm loving everything about this, the fabric, the colours and the sentiment of it.
I would have liked to be finished the stitching this week ~ as quick as it is I think this may be overly optimistic.
Last week our quilt group had a visit to The Quilters Cupboard ~ I came away with some fabric to add to my stash. I planned on using some of it at my monthly stitching day in Penrith on Saturday ~ unfortunately I had to cancel my trip due to lack of sleep Friday night. I was very disappointed but it was a good idea not to get behind the wheel of a car with insufficient zeds. After our shopping spree we headed back to a local Italian restaurant for a meal ~ the food was lovely.
Sunday was the latest meeting of The Diary Dames up at The Crafts House ~ the weather was deceiving, it looked beautiful but turned out to be extremely cold and while we were there we saw more of the white stuff, both hail & snow. I have nothing to share with you from our visit as my project is not yet finished ~ should be complete at the next visit.
Today I spent a few hours with Sis2 ~ her DH had business in the area so she had travelled with him. We had a nice meander around Durham and lunch in Vennels Cafe. The cakes looked gorgeous ~ we were good and didn't have any ~ the corned beef pie, three pepper quiche and salad were however delicious. If you're ever visiting Durham it's worth a visit, oh and the tables are all old treadle tables.
I'm off to attempt to sleep.
Kate
6 April 2012
Stitchy Update
I have been a little better at getting through some of my stitching this week so here are a few progress pictures.
First up is my (almost) finished part II of the SAL mystere du Printemps from Marie ~ it's missing the lake as I currently have no idea where my DMC 3752 has wandered off to! Don't you just love it when that happens? I'm sure it's in that most wonderful of "safe" places ~ shame that my memory will not unlock the key to where that is currently. So far this has been a lovely quick stitch and Part III is due out on Saturday ~ hopefully I will be able to get on with it fairly quickly and also locate the rogue & elusive 3752 by then too. I'm enjoying doing these few spring things of late as it makes a change from the Christmas things that I have committed to for the whole of this year.
Next is my New Year's Day start ~ Simple Joys from LHN ~ this was a gift from the very lovely Barb for my birthday last year. This is growing faster than I expected it to as I am stitching over 1. There was a blip at the end of last week due to an unwelcome visit from the dratted green croaking creatures ~ I managed to stitch 2 full and 1 partial flower using the wrong colour! All is well again now though as I managed to undo the mistakes and have completed two of the flowers again in the correct colour. I am working on adding some words of dedication to my Lovely Mum to this piece.
First up is my (almost) finished part II of the SAL mystere du Printemps from Marie ~ it's missing the lake as I currently have no idea where my DMC 3752 has wandered off to! Don't you just love it when that happens? I'm sure it's in that most wonderful of "safe" places ~ shame that my memory will not unlock the key to where that is currently. So far this has been a lovely quick stitch and Part III is due out on Saturday ~ hopefully I will be able to get on with it fairly quickly and also locate the rogue & elusive 3752 by then too. I'm enjoying doing these few spring things of late as it makes a change from the Christmas things that I have committed to for the whole of this year.
Next is my New Year's Day start ~ Simple Joys from LHN ~ this was a gift from the very lovely Barb for my birthday last year. This is growing faster than I expected it to as I am stitching over 1. There was a blip at the end of last week due to an unwelcome visit from the dratted green croaking creatures ~ I managed to stitch 2 full and 1 partial flower using the wrong colour! All is well again now though as I managed to undo the mistakes and have completed two of the flowers again in the correct colour. I am working on adding some words of dedication to my Lovely Mum to this piece.I have now finished my March ornament for the Christmas Ornaments All Year Round SAL ~ I just haven't remembered to take a photograph yet! More thought should have been put into my March stitch, Jolly from Miss Crescent Crowne, as for March we chose our own theme, if I'd looked at April's theme ~ snowflake ~ I probably would have chosen something else to stitch. Nevermind I think I have more designs with snowflakes I can use. Hopefully I can share a picture of my March ornament with you soon.
Till next time.
Kate
5 April 2012
Goodies Exchanged & Received
There are a couple of things I have received over the course of this last week ~ some expected and some not ~ all brilliant though.
First up is this wee pile of goodness ~ on Needlecraft Haven Clare is running a Four Seasons Exchange. Angie (no blog) sent me this beaded handbag mirror, some DMC and some Easter bunnies. Thanks so much Angie ~ I used to have an handbag mirror but lost it some time ago so now I have a gorgeous replacement. 
I stitched The Spring Scissor Keeper from The Drawn Thread Company for my partner Clare. This was a lovely stitch and has been in my to do pile forever, so I am pleased to have a tick in the box against it now and the best part is that Clare is so happy with it. I'm looking forward to participating in the other rounds of this exchange ~ hope nothing will get in the way of me completing all four seasons.
You remember that I visited the Pins & Needles Exhibitions last week? Well, I was lucky enough to be a winner from my raffle ticket ~ these were given upon making a purchase from the Just Quilting stall. Isn't that painted tag just gorgeous? These are the goodies that were within the cutest little hessian bag. Needles, thread, tin, fabric, trim and DMC together with a useful laminated card ~ I'm using that as a bookmark now.
I'm looking forward to four days at home with my family, we have nothing major planned, just some housey jobs ~ hopefully the weather will be kind for the holiday weekend.
Have a Happy Easter ~ and don't eat too much chocolate.
Kate
First up is this wee pile of goodness ~ on Needlecraft Haven Clare is running a Four Seasons Exchange. Angie (no blog) sent me this beaded handbag mirror, some DMC and some Easter bunnies. Thanks so much Angie ~ I used to have an handbag mirror but lost it some time ago so now I have a gorgeous replacement. 
I stitched The Spring Scissor Keeper from The Drawn Thread Company for my partner Clare. This was a lovely stitch and has been in my to do pile forever, so I am pleased to have a tick in the box against it now and the best part is that Clare is so happy with it. I'm looking forward to participating in the other rounds of this exchange ~ hope nothing will get in the way of me completing all four seasons. 
You remember that I visited the Pins & Needles Exhibitions last week? Well, I was lucky enough to be a winner from my raffle ticket ~ these were given upon making a purchase from the Just Quilting stall. Isn't that painted tag just gorgeous? These are the goodies that were within the cutest little hessian bag. Needles, thread, tin, fabric, trim and DMC together with a useful laminated card ~ I'm using that as a bookmark now.I'm looking forward to four days at home with my family, we have nothing major planned, just some housey jobs ~ hopefully the weather will be kind for the holiday weekend.
Have a Happy Easter ~ and don't eat too much chocolate.
Kate
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