Fabric Giveaway Winner!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner for my fabric giveaway!  My niece Charlotte helped me pick a winner for my last giveaway, and I had promised my nephew Ben that it would be his turn to help this time!  Yesterday was the first chance we had for Ben to draw the winner! 

Ben drew number 39!

CONGRATULATIONS JANE P! Yours was the 39th comment left for my fabric giveaway.  I will be emailing you soon for your mailing address, so that I can send your fabric to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway, and a BIG thank you to Ben for helping to pick the winner!  :o)

C is for Cure and a Fabric Giveaway

My pink stitching for this year is C is for Cure, a Lizzie Kate design from the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of Just Cross Stitch.  It's also free to download from the Just Cross Stitch website here.  This is my first flanged pillow - I've wanted to make one for ages and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.  I've used the listed Crescent Colour threads, except for the flower.  My Ripe Melon and Carrie Berry looked so similar so instead I used DMC 761.  The fabric is 28ct evenweave which has been in my stash for a few years, the colour is Nude and is from the Dye Pots of Jayne's Attic. The fabric for the pillow is by designer Karen Neuburger, which I eventually found after a long Google search!  It's the same fabric that was used for the banner, for the model pictured on the chart.  I was so excited when I managed to track it down because everything about it is just perfect for the design!  I've also been able to find the same print in pink, which I will put away to use another year.

After making my pillow I still have plenty of the fabric left over, so I thought I would hold a draw to give a FQ (18" x 22") of it away.  If you would like to be entered for a piece of this lovely awareness fabric please let me know in a comment to this post.  The giveaway is open to anyone and will close next Thursday, 4th November.  If you don't have a blog, or if your email address isn't with your blog profile then please leave it with your comment so that I can contact you if your name is drawn. 

Thank you for visiting!  :o)

Pink Beaded Scissors Fob

This time last year I had a blog giveaway with my first try at making a beaded scissors fob.  I was going to make another for myself last year too, but never did, so this one is for me!  It's delicate with a little bit of bling and I think it's just perfect for these gorgeous Wasa Scroll Embroidery Scissors that my sister Sarah bought me for my birthday last year!

It's very similar to the one I made last year, using Swarovski crystal, silver plated and Spiral Rose Murano Glass Beads. I've threaded it a little different this time using bicone Swarovski beads and Swarovski spacers. The breast cancer awareness ribbon charm is different too. I didn't use the tutorial I used last year either, this time I threaded the beads on to 49 stranded Beadalon silver plated beading wire and used crimp beads, which I attached with my Magical Crimp Tool which you can see in the picture below. I was really pleased with the result using the beading wire and will definitely use it again for any future beaded fobs I make.

Thank you for visiting my blog! :o)

Sew Blue

This is Sew Blue one of Carol R's (iStitch) lovely complimentary designs, which I requested with a purchase some time ago.  Like the pincushion in my last post this was also finished a couple of months or so ago, all except for making up the floss tag that is!

I've stitched it 1 over 2 on 40ct Flax Belfast Linen with Babbling Brook Belle Soie Silk.  The design has a border which I have left off so that the finished mattress pincushion wouldn't turn out too big and also because I was stitching a little bit of a border around the edge too.  I didn't have any ribbon/trim in my stash that I thought went well enough to use for attaching the hoop to the floss tag, so I decided I would make my own, finishing the edges with Nun's Stitch.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend.  Earlier today Colin and I video Skyped, which we do most days when he's away.  My brother also Skyped this afternoon, which was a lovely surprise, so I've had a little company, so to speak!.  

Thank you for popping by and commenting on my stitching, as always I really do appreciate it and enjoy reading each and every one of them!  :o)

I'm Still Here!

Hi Everyone,

It's been such a long time since my last blog entry!  Colin has been home for six weeks and I've not done a stitch!  He left this morning for work again and will be away now for six weeks - hopefully the time will pass quickly because I'm missing him already! :o(

We had a lovely time while he was home.  Matthew our youngest came home for a visit for a few days and we also had a brilliant time in London visiting our eldest Jason and his girlfriend Nic.  We did a lot of sightseeing - went on the London Eye, saw the Houses of Parliament, did a tour round St. Paul's Cathedral, visited the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum and much more!  We still have plenty more to do for when we go back again.  Matthew is studying at Brighton University, so after our trip to London we spent a couple of days in Brighton with Matthew.  It was so lovely spending some time with my boys because I haven't seen much of them this year.  They do ring me regularly though, especially when Colin is away.

Although I haven't been stitching I do have a little something to show which I finished a couple of months or so ago.  I love this little pincushion and have wanted to stitch it for ages!  It's by Theron Traditions from the chart Stray Pins & Mom's Scissors.  I've stitched it 1 over 2 on 38ct Natural Gander Linen so is a little smaller then charted.  Threads are the listed Gentle Art Sampler Threads and the twisted cord trim was made using DMC 221 and 3721.  The fabric for backing is one of Blackbird Designs Madeira prints.

I'm looking forward to getting some stitching and finishing done so hopefully it won't be too long before my next post, until then thank you so much for taking the time to visit. :o)

Two Little Angels

These two lovely little angels are from the book 'Anges: Motifs de broderie traditionnelle et au point de croix'.  I've stitched them on 32ct Raw Belfast Linen with DMC 712.  The fabric I've used for finishing is Rouenneries by French General for Moda which I was very excited about purchasing a while ago and mentioned in an early post.

I must say a big thank you to Dany for letting me know which book the charts for these little angels came from.  I've loved them both since I saw Dany's gorgeous finish of them on her blog!  Thank you Dany!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and thanks again for popping by!  :o) 

Espérance

A quickie post with a quickie finish!  This is one of Dany's lovely designs that I bought and stitched earlier in the year.  It was destined to end up in that box I have of finishes to be done if I didn't get to it soon!  Isn't it such a lovely feeling when you actually get something finish finished that's been waiting a while!  I'm now happy dancing as I have several other of Dany's designs I'm itching to get around to stitching!

I've stitched mine on 40ct Antique White Linen, 1 over 2 using Dany's choice of threads, DMC 610 and 926. 

As always thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog.  I really appreciate it and can't tell you how much I enjoy reading all the lovely comments that are left!  :o)

Sisters Are Special

For my sister Sarah who recently celebrated a special birthday! It was to be an extra little something for her on the day, but with Colin only being home for 9 days before having to leave again for another couple of months to work overseas, I didn't quite get to finish it in time!

The design is Wee Sister by Heart In Hand. I've stitched it 1 over 2 on 40ct Lakeside Lentil using the recommended Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Sampler Threads and finished it again as one of my favourite finishes - another little tasseled pillow! The tassels were made using DMC 3041. You can't really tell from the photo but it's not very big so turned out quite cute!

Thank you for stopping by again! :o)

Lizzie Kate - Strawberry

Another little drawstring bag - but not quite as little as the one in my previous post. This is Strawberry, a Lizzie Kate freebie which can be found in the files of the Lizzie Kate Yahoo Group. I stitched this one back in 2006 and had always planned to finish it as a lined treat bag the same way that I had finished another of Lizzie Kate's designs some years ago - piccie here. I hadn't planned the fabric border along the top though, until I came across this tutorial from The Floss Box. Julie has recently finished a couple of these lined drawstring bags with the border, which I thought looked really lovely, so I thought it was time to give it a go.

Strawberry is stitched on 28ct Star Sapphire Jobelan using the listed Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. Both fabrics for finishing are from Blackbird Designs Garden Party. I've lined it with the same print that I've used for the back. The strawberries tied to the ends of the drawstring ribbon came from Sayila and have been in my stash all this time, waiting for when I would eventually get round to the finishing!

Not a lot of stitching being done at the moment as I'm busy with housework, ironing etc., so that everything is up to date for when Colin gets home on Friday - WOO HOO I'm soooo excited!!

Thanks again for visiting. :o)

For Mum

Today is Mum's birthday and I like to try to stitch her a little something extra, especially when I'm at a loss to know what to buy for her! I gave her cash this year and thought stitching a little monogrammed drawstring pouch would be perfect to put it in, along with a Kelmscott Strawberry Thread Keep - another little extra which I'm hoping she hasn't already bought for herself!

The alphabet is a Sajou free alphabet, from album no. 107. Stitched 1 over 2 on 40ct Fawn Lakeside Linen with Crescent Colours Vanilla Pudding Belle Soie Silk. The twisted cord was made with DMC 712, Perle Cotton No. 12. What I thought would be a quick little project actually took me a lot longer to put together then I thought! Apart from the two long seams for the lining it was all stitched together by hand - even the opening was too small for me to machine stitch the casing for the cord drawstrings, so that also had to be done by hand! I love the Vanilla Pudding on the Fawn Linen and will be using them both together again for something for me...lol!

I hope to be back again soon with another finish I have from my finishing box! It will probably be the last one for a little while as Colin is due home on the 28th. He will have been away for a couple of months so I'm getting very excited and can't wait for him to be home! He will only be home for nine days though, before he's off again for what may be another couple of months! We video Skype most days, which is brilliant - it's free and I get to see him too!

Have a lovely weekend and as always thank you so much for visiting! :o)

Bee Hive Scissor Companion

Another finish which I stitched last year and have been meaning to make up for a while. It feels so good to be getting a few of my pieces finally completed!

This is Bee Hive Scissor Companion by Ewe & Eye & Friends. The fabric I've used is 40ct cream Newcastle linen. I've stitched it one over two with the recommended DMC threads and for the cord trim I used DMC Ecru.

I think it's really sweet, and as you can see from it pictured here with my Elizabeth I miniature scissors by Kelmscott Designs, it's just a little fob too! :o)

Another Finish - Laura's Embroideries

I have a little box where I safely keep my finished pieces until I eventually get around to making them up. This one (along with many others) has been waiting in my little box since last summer! As soon as I bought the chart I had to stitch it up immediately - I really don't know why I've left it this long to properly finish!

The design is Laura's Embroideries by Marie Suarez/Coeur de Lin. The fabric and threads are my own choice. The fabric is 40ct Creme Brulee R & R linen, stitched 1 over 2 with DMC 451, 779, 3041 and 3042. I've finished it as a little pillow with tassels - one of my favourite finishes!




Hope to be back again soon with another little something to show from my box of stitching that I MUST get finished! Have a lovely weekend everyone and thanks again for popping by! :o)

New Stash

Every now and then I like to pick up either a charm pack or layer cake to add to my stash of fabrics for finishing. I think these layer cakes are absolutely gorgeous and couldn't resist! Both are by designer Kaari Meng - French General for Moda. I've had Rouenneries for quite a while now - Rural Jardin has only recently become available here in the UK. As you can see in the photos I also had to buy a few FQ of some of my favourites of the prints.

Rouenneries - French General for Moda

Rural Jardin- French General for Moda

I have a new finish, so hope to be back again soon once I've taken some photos. Thanks for popping by again! :o)

Petit Lapin

I thought this was so sweet with the little bunny that I had to stitch it!




It's a freebie you can download from Windy Willows. I've stitched mine one over two on 40ct Newcastle Raw Linen with the recommended DMC 816 and Blanc. The linen trim was from my stash, which I had bought some time ago from Violarium. I was really pleased with how well it matched.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, the weather has been absolutely beautiful here in Plymouth.

Bless the Baby

It's been a while since I've stitched a Lizzie Kate - I've stitched Bless the Baby once before and have always loved it. As I type this one is in the air with Colin on it's way to Georgia off the Black Sea, for the doctor at the BP Supsa Oil Terminal (where Colin works), and his wife who have recently had their first baby. I've never met them so I do hope that they like it. I've stitched it on 28ct Cashel Flax linen using the listed Gentle Art Sampler Threads.



Colin left to go back overseas for work again this morning and will be away now for at least six weeks. I hope to busy myself passing the time away catching up on some finishing, as I still have pieces from two years ago that I really, really would like to get completed!

Thanks again for passing by and I hope you all have a very Happy Easter! :o)