A LOVELY SUPRISE

Getting back from work today I had a lovely suprise as I opened the door and saw a parcel on the mat. I had just got my wfb back. wfb or wee fat bird is the name we give the round robins (we being Terri, AnnT, AnnP and myself and those who know us will know why we have a daft name for it). This one was a chart ordered specially for me by Sew and So and is from Vermillion Designs, it is called Victorian Bell Pull. I did the outside and the wee pictures were done by AnnP top, Terri centre, and AnnT bottom.

I have a wee bit of the wording to finish and then it will be ready either to frame or to make into a bell pull, which will maybe depend on whether or not I can find a frame that will fit it.

Thank you ladies you have made a wonderful job of this and I am thrilled with the results.

Amongst other things I have been working on is The KissyCross Mystery Sampler. I have just about completed part 8 and have part 9 and the edging still to do. I am also working on something else at the moment but I cannot tell you about this as it is for a Christmas gift.

I didnt write anything yesterday as by the time I got back from Hobbycraft I was just about falling asleep on my feet. Work in the morning, shopping with my Mum in the afternoon, back for a quick cuppa (while I stuck a casserole in the oven, and then off to collect my daughter and a trip to Hobbycraft. As Shiona is also a stitcher I always enjoy my trips there with her even if we do not buy anything. Got some card making bits, some Mill Hill Beads I needed for a gift and some DMC thread which I was short of when I tried kitting up the HAED chart I am going to do for Shiona. She is stitching "Chess" and I have promised to do "Such is the way of Fairies", as we are both slow stitchers she may get them on her wall in 10 years time, but I am quite looking forward to the challenge.

I also wanted to share with you Just Nan - Primrose Path which I finished a few days ago. I have now done seventeen blocks towards my quilt. I have no idea how many I will need in all but think it is going to be a lot more than I have so far.

Another busy day and no stitching I'm afraid.

This morning I was up at the garden centre ordering some of the building materials for the hard landscaping on my front garden. After recently having the drive and paths done the garden looked such a mess. We did it about 5 years ago with stone chippings and grasses but the grasses have gone well past there best and the stone chippings look dirty and outdated. After a lot of thought we decided to change it. Hopefully when it is done it will not be so much work. Lol thinking of our old age nowdays.

This afternoon I have been playing at making hand made christmas cards. I just haven't had the time this year for stitching them and as its now nearly December I think its a bit late to start, so I am trying my hand at Card Making.

Tomorrow night I am going to Hobbycraft with my daughter so hopefully will get some bits there, and maybe some more ideas too.

I will also try and take some pictures of my cards tomorrow for you to see.

Vests and Things

This morning I was off to the hospital for my annual blood test. They are doing so much building at Derby City General that everything is changed everytime I go.

From there I went to my mums and we went into town to spend some of her vouchers. She celebrated her 80th birthday recently and quite a lot of people gave her M&S vouchers, which she was looking forward to spending.
We had a lovely wander round and she bought 2 blouses, a nighty, and 2 vests (lol I would call these very pretty silky garments camisoles but my Mum bless her still calls them vests). She also bought a game for my grandson (that one is off to Santa) and a couple of calenders for gifts. She wandered back to the bus whilst I followed laden with bags, but she did call in at Birds and bought me a lovely caramel cream doughnut to have with a drink back at her house. She also came back with a goodly number of vouchers still tucked away in her bag so the adventure can all be repeated again another day. I suggested she leave it till January when they would have different stock in - I am hoping the weather wont be fit to go into town then as I have thought since it will be "sale time" (ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

I took some stitching with me to Mums but it never came out of the bag so I am hoping tonight will be a nice relaxing stitching evening. Fingers crossed.

Welcome To My Blog

I thought it was time to catch up with the 21st century and start my own blog. I hope to share with friends the progress of my stitching and to include pictures of my work in progress.
I learnt very early on that I easily got bored with stitching the same thing and could easily make the Guiness Book of Records for the most UFOs, especially as I enjoy large projects. Then I read about rotations and so putting all my unfinished projects on a list I began. I started by setting myself a time limit, but I was always forgetting to time myself so soon learnt to do as much or as little as I wanted. Stitching is my hobby and I cannot see the point of a hobby you dont enjoy, so as soon as I feel I am no longer enjoying something it is put to the back of my WIP box and I take out the next project. When I reach the end of a rotation I get to add a new project before beginning all over again.
I try to vary things by having both large and small projects and a mixture of cross stitch, hardanger and samplers with speciality stitches so that each project is different.
This works well for me as even something I was getting bored with feels new when I have not worked on it for a while.

My lovely elephant WIP box was an inexpensive flat pack box from The Works and it was just what I needed as it holds everything well and is so easy to organise.