Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Just a little late, but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

This is a picture of the newest addition to my collection of Momiji's - one of my Christmas pressies from my Mum.  Isn't she cute!  :o)

Remember Me!

It's been a while again hasn't it - I can't believe how fast the time is flying!  My eldest Jason is marrying his lovely fiancee Nicola on the 3rd of December, so I finally have a finish I can blog about!  I wanted to stitch something for them both, for their special day, and decided I would let them choose the design as I wanted it to be something that they both would be really happy with.  They chose 'Wedding Row' by Bent Creek, which was so lovely to stitch.  The majority of it was stitched last month, while I was away in Sharjah for three weeks visiting Colin.  I had to kit it up quickly before leaving, so kept to the recommended 32ct Belfast Summer Khaki Linen and The Gentle Art Sampler and Weeks Dye Works threads.  I'm really pleased with how it all came together with the framing, and hope that Jase and Nic will be too!

Not only am I getting excited about the wedding, but that Colin will also be home to spend some time with us for a few days - it's been a very long time since Colin, myself and the boys have spent some time together!  He travels home this time next week on the 29th, but will be off again on the following Monday.  

Hope to be back soon with wedding photos to share.  Until then, take care and thanks for stopping by!  :o)

Hexagon Pincushion

Another crochet pincushion!  I love this one!  I came across it on Rivalry last month where I saw it finished in red and beige.  I thought it looked so lovely that I had to make one just like it for myself!  I used DMC Petra No 5 for this one - the original uses 6 colours and I will definitely be making more of these so that I can use some of the lovely colours I have in DMC No 5 perle cotton.  The pattern is by One Loop Short.  A link to purchase the pattern can be found HERE.

I really should get on with some of my stitching again, and I'd love to crochet lots more pincushions too, but I don't think I shall be having a lot of time for either as I'm flying off to Dubai again soon, to stay with Colin in Sharjah.  I didn't mention in my last post that Colin had started his new job in Sharjah, and that I'd been away there with him for a couple of weeks at the beginning of August.  Although Colin had to work we still had a lovely time.  At the weekends (which are Fridays and Saturdays in the middle east) we hired a car and drove into Dubai to do some sightseeing and to visit the many enormous shopping malls they have there.  We also spent time looking around an expat community in Dubai, where we will eventually be moving to.

I'm looking forward to a lovely weekend and hoping to spend lots of pennies at the Creative Stitches & Hobbycraft show at Westpoint, Exeter.  I usually go every year with my Mum, but last year we didn't make it.  We're both very excited and sure to encourage each other to spend lots more then we should…lol!

Hope your weekend will be as fun as mine!  Thanks again for visiting.  :o)

More Pincushions!

I'm still here!  I've no stitchy finishes to show as I haven't done any stitching for weeks, but I have had my crochet hooks out!  It's been a while since I last did any crochet, but I've been itching to do a little for a while now, and because I love pincushions I thought I would crochet a couple to add to my pincushion collection.  The first just came about last week when I was flicking through a book I bought a couple of years ago - A Compendium of Crochet Techniques by Jan Eaton.  There's a section in the book about jacquard and intarsia patterns, with a picture of a checkered swatch.  I loved how neat the colours joined together, so thought I would have a go and in no time at all I finished up with a new pincushion - I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

This second pincushion is a lovely free pattern by Liselotte.  The original pattern is in Danish here, but has also been translated into English here.

Hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend and thank you for popping by!

A Little Finish

I've at last got around to stitching and finishing this pretty little freebie from Reflets de Soie.  The design is called Coeur Romantique.  It's been in my stash for five, maybe six years, and recently I decided that I thought it would look lovely finished as a heart shaped pinkeep, with a little pocket on the back to hold a pair of small scissors.

I've stitched it on 32ct Platinum Belfast Linen, 1 over 1 with The Gentle Art Sampler Threads, Antique Rose.  The twisted cord was made using DMC 712 and I've trimmed the pocket with some pretty lace I bought online from France.

I've had a busy couple of days cleaning through.  Colin arrives home tomorrow morning around 6ish - WOO HOO, I can't wait!  I don't blog that regular I know, but you definitely won't be hearing from me now for several weeks!!!  :o)

I Love Pincushions!

I bet you've guessed that already, with my last few posts having all been pincushions of one sort or another...lol!  This is a cute little quickie I made at the weekend.  The free tutorial can be found here, on the Very Berry Handmade blog.

I also have some big news to share!  Colin has had a promotion within the company he works for.  His new position is as Group Diving Manager, at Head Office, Sharjah, in the Middle East. The new position means that I can also accompany him, so we will get to see each other every day and won't be separated for long periods of 6 weeks at a time any more!  It's more then likely that by the end of the year I will have gone out to be with him, living in Dubai for several years.  In the meantime he's due home next week for hopefully about 10 days (not long since he's been away for 2 months).  I can't wait to see him, but as you can imagine we have lots to plan, organise etc, etc!  

I'm hoping to be back blogging again soon with a little freebie I stitched a few months ago, and should have finished by now!  

Thank you for visiting. :o)

Parfait Needle Pillow

A stitchy finish, the first for a while!  This is Parfait Needle Pillow from Catherine Strickler of Indigo Rose.  The chart took a bit of finding after seeing it finished on another blog (that long ago that I can't remember where now).  I eventually came across an article on The Caron Collection website with details that it was once a workshop piece at Annemiek's shop De Handwerk Boetiek in the Netherlands.  So I must say a big thank you to Annemiek for finding the chart for me, she was so helpful and spent a lot of time searching her shop and home for it, and had almost given up hope before it eventually turned up several months later!

It's only a little pillow, measuring approx 2¼" by 2¼".  I've placed a pair of Kelmscott Little Gem scissors beside it so that you can get an idea of the size.  I've stitched it on 28ct White Jobelan with the listed Caron Collection Waterlilies Parfait and Soie Cristale 7001.  The chart uses several speciality stitches, Jack in the Pulpit, Rhodes Diamond, Triple Rice Stitch and Eyelet Stitch.

Catherine Strickler is one of my favourite designers. I've only stitched a few of her designs but have several others in my stash I'm looking forward to stitching.  Mary's Pin Pillow is next on my list, I bought it back in 2006 and have had it kitted up ready for a few years.

Thank you for popping by again, and for all the lovely comments left on my previous post for my Pincushion Organiser.  :o)

Pincushion Organiser/Scrap Bag

This is a little project I did over the bank holiday weekend. It's been on my to do list for a couple of years and I absolutely love it, especially as the colours go so well with my lounge too! The red isn't quite true in the photos - it's a nicer red in real life.

The pattern is free from the Sew Mama Sew website HERE. The instructions are brilliant - nice and easy to follow and with plenty of pictures. The fabric I've used is Wiscasset by Polly Minick & Lauri Simpson for Moda.

Thanks for popping by - I hope to be back soon!  :o)

A Couple of Pincushions

I've been having a little fun with my Bernina, and it's about time too!

For my 50th birthday the year before last, Colin bought me my new sewing machine, a Bernina Aurora 440!  I absolutely love it, but I'm ashamed to have to admit that I've not played with it very much!  At the moment I don't have anywhere where I can keep it out permanently, so that whenever I have a few spare moments I can have a play and learn new things.  A lot of the time it's just not worth setting it up and pulling out all the other paraphernalia just to have to pack it all up and put away again!   

I'm not very experienced with machine sewing, only ever using one for taking up hems, and for finishing the little pillows and drawstring bags/pouches which I have pictures of here on my blog.  This is the first time I've followed patterns for sewing with a machine and I'm so happy I didn't have any disasters, because it's now given me the incentive to try some of the patterns I've been collecting.  I know they're only a little something, but I'm so pleased with how these two little pincushions have turned out.

The first is 'Petite Gateau' a pattern by Fig Tree Threads.  I used four different prints from At Water's Edge by Blackbird Designs.  The second is called 'Square Deal Pincushion", a free pattern by Heather Bailey which you can download from her blog here.

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely Easter weekend.  Colin is still away working but should hopefully be home next weekend for a few weeks...YIPPEE!! :o)

For My Pinkeep Collection

Bet you didn't expect to see me back again so soon...lol!

This is a little angel I stitched a couple of years ago for my Mum, and have been wanting to stitch it again for myself.  I've used Orchid Belle Soie Silk, 1 over 2 on 48ct cream Gander Linen, so she's turned out a lot smaller this time.  I'd thought of a few different ways I would like to finish her, but eventually decided on a quick pinkeep for my pinkeep collection.  I attached the pretty ivory ribbon down the side, with tiny pearls that I found while rummaging through my stash!  The pink ribbon trim is some gorgeous taffeta ribbon which I've recently started collecting from Stampin' Up.  It won't be long now before I have all the colours they do in the ⅛" width.

When I last stitched this angel I thought it was a freebie, but I'm not so sure it is now, as I know it can also be found in the book Rouge published by Marabout. If anyone out there has any other information about this little angel I would love to know.

Thanks for visiting again, I love to read your comments.  :o)

A Couple of Finishes!

It's been a while again, but at last I have a couple of finishes I can blog about!  I'm trying hard to get myself motivated and back stitching regularly again, and hopefully posting a couple of quick finishes will help, along with purchasing a couple of new additions to my stash...lol! I just couldn't resist the new A Stitcher's Journey and the Basket of Memories, Reward of Merit Pincushion from Blackbird Designs! 

First to show is Peek a Boo, a freebie from Wal D'Champs. Unfortunately the Wal D'Champs website has changed since I downloaded the chart a few years or so ago and I can't find the link to it any more!  I've finished it as a little lined pocket, a finish I've seen a couple of times and have wanted to do.  I've stitched it 1 over 2 on 40ct Newcastle Pearl Grey with DMC 3865.

Below is Miss Mary Mac's Pins and Needles Pincushion by M Designs.  I've used the listed Picture This Plus 40ct Legacy Linen and Crescent Colours Threads, and the fabric you can see in the picture is what I've used for backing the pincushion.

I hope to be back again soon with more to show, until then thank you for popping by.  :o)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  I'm a little late, but still wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2011!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!  Mine was more then a little different this year and very quiet with just myself and my youngest Matthew.  This was the first year that my eldest Jason wasn't home for Christmas.  At the beginning of December Jase and his lovely girlfriend Nic became engaged and spent Christmas on Holiday in India.  This was also the first time in nine years that Colin had to work away for Christmas too.  He had a flight booked to leave for work on the 20th, but due to snow and flight cancellations at Heathrow he didn't get away until the 23rd.  He was on standby for a seat on one of the next flights out and secretly I hoped he wouldn't get one, but sadly it wasn't to be! :o(  Matthew arrived home late that night on the 23rd and we did have 3 lovely days of Mum and Matthew time together!

I can't believe how long I've let it go again since my last post, I think my New Year's resolution should be to post more regularly don't you, as well as getting a lot more stitching and finishing done!  I've not done a stitch since October, when I started but didn't manage to finish a little something for Halloween.  Although it's not stitchy I do have something I can show, which was a beaded fob I made for Halloween.  It's pictured below with the Halloween stitching I didn't quite finish, a design by C Mon Monde.

Thank you for popping by!  :o)