First 2011 project

I have completed my first project for 2011. A x-stitch bookmark I received as a Christmas gift. It was "very me"!!! I love roses and pink with cream and green!!

Also end of last year I completed Kaaren's Huswif Needlecase, that she had as one of her First Friday Freebie patterns. The following is the stitchery completed,

Now sewn together with outer fabric, binding and button.

Inside the Huswif Needlecase. I altered Kaaren's last image changing it to a pineapple (from another of Kaaren's FFF's) and my own words "Heart given to hospitality." My home has been that in the last week and a half, with 14 guests either to a meal or staying with us.

Finally a picture of the lastest chickens my daughter is loving to death!!! This is a picture she took on the back verandah, where she plays with them for hours.

“Thank You, Sarah Tobias”

Blackbird Designs released a x-stitch book in 2008, titled “Thank you, Sarah Tobias”.

I found out about it from Kaaren, as she told me of the gorgeous needle case in it. So I was able to get my own copy, and indeed, it was just beautiful and I had to “have it”!! Kaaren completed hers last year.

I was able to obtain the Crescent Colour threads at Janine’s shop, Colours Downunder, that I spoke about here. Then commenced the x-stitching, enjoying any and every moment. I bought the most gorgeous “olde world” rose type fabric, done on a black background.

I also found in a second-hand shop a beautiful piece of rich gold heavy lace (for $1), and knew it would look just right with the rose fabric.

This is the completed x-stitch, folded to form pockets and bound. The felt is sewn on the bottom on the inside. The black and gold button, just made for it!!

My finished version of “Flowers for Sarah Needle Case”!!

52MMMC - Part 2

Two posts ago I mentioned this challenge.

I’ve made a few more slow-cooker dishes, back on July 7th. So here are some photo’s to tempt you!!

A Moroccan Beef with Kumara and Sultana’s. It had a cinnamon stick cooking in it also, which you can see on the top.

Plus for dessert Chocolate self-saucing pudding.

Three weeks ago I had family over for Sunday lunch. I prepared some of the meal on Saturday, but on Sunday had the dessert cooking in the slow-cooker, while we were all at church. The dessert was Blackberry cobbler….all very yummy, once again!!!

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While away a couple of weeks ago with my daughter, I visited Janine Smith's shop Colour Down Under. She has a cross-stitch class for newbies, and anyone else that wants to join in, on Wednesday mornings. I took a friends two eldest daughter’s along, while my daughter stayed with my friend and her other girls.

The group are working on a biscornu. A free pattern, Traditional Bulgarian Motif, which is quite simple and lovely in all sorts of colourways. Here is my version of it.

12. Make a biscornu. Completed July 26th.

13. Learning tatting.

Completed x-stitch samplers

I’ve completed the Mary Poppins SAL designed by Ralina. It is now framed and hiding in hubby’s study, as it will be my “home made” Christmas gift for my daughter this year. Read here and here about our family "homemade" Christmas gifts.




I’ve also completed the Ten Virgin’s x-stitch by Gigi. It was stitched one thread over one thread. It's very fine and a bit difficult to run the finishing thread through stitches on the back to snip off.

The first photo is of the back:

The second photo is of the front. I have the frame, my sister-in-law is cutting the cardboard mat for me, then the project will be ready to hang up.

Chicken Doll??!!
What’s a young chicken and a teenage chicken to do, when the daughter of the house treats you like a doll?

Just sit there looking pretty!!

Mary Poppins SAL progress

I've enjoyed stitching this x-stitch.

The patterns on the rooves remind me of the Cathedral in Vienna. I saw this when in Vienna in 1989. It stills comes to mind at different times when I see x-stitch patterns.

X-Stitch progress

The following is my progress on my Ten Virgins x-stitch pattern from Gigi. Since this photo I've completed this one. So I'll update my photo soon!!!

I've also started on a Mary Poppins SAL, from here. I found out about it and saw it on Heidi's blog. I'm using DMC variegated 99 for the tumbling umbrella's in the border. the dark thread is 902 and the light thread is 3727. I've already made more progess since this photo.

Some days are

"Some days are diamonds, some days are stone" goes the line in a song. My days haven't been completely stones, just not my days.

We had two weeks school holidays; then my son home very sick once again, for over a week. Poor kid, he wasn't a "happy chappy." He's been sick and home more time this year than nearly all his early school years combined. Hubby has commenced two months of an 8 day fortnight working at head office in Perth, as a Project Manager in records management.

So days I thought I'd have to work on blocks and things, haven't been as I wished.

However, I've been working on the "Ten Virgins" sampler, a free x-stitch pattern from Gigi. The photo's show my progress.

The second photo has been added because I now have glasses, just for close work. I began to notice I wasn't able to read the small print on jars and packages, when listing the contents, preservatives etc. When reading a book or doing fine hand sewing, I began to see things bit smeary and blurry. So I have to look like a "granny" as we often have described, when reading through glasses then looking over the top of them at everyone and everything else!!!

I'm adding extra to the "Ten Virgins" sampler. I put the Bible reference of the parable as spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll also add below the alphabets, the whole of the verse Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day not the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." A very serious message to take note of.

One of my passions

It's interesting to see how many of us have more than one "crafty passion"!

I was 8 years old when I learnt to embroider in my school class. I remember the "big year 7 girls" coming over to help us out. It involved threading wool and sewing patterns on hesian bags. This is in the late 1960's. Both my grandmothers sewed, knitted and embroidered. My mother embroidered a new cushion cover while in hospital having each of us children. She also made all our clothes on the "good ole" Singer treadle sewing machine. It is still going and she still uses it. I used it days before I left home to get married, making my "going away outfit" on it.

Birthday presents and end of year class honour gifts to me, were embroider sets. I learnt knitting, then learnt to crochet when I was 12 years old, by a lovely old lady who lived up the street from us. She was so tidy and particular that I had to sit around the corner from the kitchen door on the back verandah. Makes we smile when I think about it. I then went home and taught my mum how to crochet. From my teens, due to "Home Ec" in high school and into my twenties, I did my own dress making.

Mid twenties I discovered cross-stitch. The ladies that served me, in the shop I bought my first kit, book and threads from, kindly warned me "it was addictive"!! They were exactly right. I haven't stopped. In amongst that I got into bobbin lace making, then patchwork and quilting.

My most recent cross-stitch was a gift to Kaaren. I made one for myself, only personalizing it for me instead.

However, I have many large and small one's on the go all the time. Many getting completed and moving onto the next. The last two "large" ones, completed last year, were the Dear Jane Cross-stitch designs by Linda Myers. They are "Quilt Sampler VI: leaflet 79" and "Quilt Sampler XIV: leaflet 92"

So, um Sew....many crafty passions. I can never say I'm bored and don't know what to do with myself!!

GIVEAWAY

Here is a lovely giveaway for Lynn B’s one year blog anniversary. Another lady passionate about cross-stitch!!