Another Finish

I finished Amelia's Birth Sampler on Sunday evening. Changes, well yes I did make a few. Although I stuck basically to the colours, I did choose my own choice of threads. The only one I changed completely was the ballarina at the bottom right hand side. She should have been in green but I am not fond of green for anything other than leaves and trees so I changed her to lavander. Also I could not be bothered messing about counting for the confetti spots so I just placed them as and where I thought. I also added some sparkle to the petticoats on the blue and lemon ballarinas.

The rest of Sunday evening and tonight I have been working on Water Tiger and although I have achieved quite a bit there is not enough of a difference to be bothered taking a picture of it. Tomorrow night I think I am going to go back to my village and finish the landscaping for house No 1 before starting on the next cottage. As none of these will be really suitable to take away at the weekend I also have to decide what I am going to take with me. I think it might be Jasmine as it would be nice to get a finish on at least one of my wips. I might also take the hardanger tissue box cover as thats also not got an awful lot left to do on it. Mainly the eyelets and the blanket stitch, then its cutting and weaving - no fancy work there just plain woven bars. Its the blanket stitch that will take the time on that one.

Mum is a lot better and I am hoping she will feel like a little trip out sometime this week, if only to do a little shopping.

Well its now just after 1am and I really must get to bed.

Thanks to those who visit and leave comments and thanks to those who just visit, I do hope you like what I do.

Hugs to you all,




may your frogs stay in their ponds

Have I Misled You....

It certainly was not intentional but I have to set the record straight. Neither of the two new babies I am stitching for are related to me in anything other than friendship. Jamie is the son of my DD's best friend and Amelia is the Grand-daughter of my dear friend Lesley. I would love one of them to have been a new grandchild for me but that seems highly unlikely so I will just have to make the most of our darling Ozzie.

I did not stitch a birth sampler for Jamie (my usual baby gift) because I knew my daughter was doing one, hence the towel and bib set.

Amelias birth sampler is now over half done so I thought I would share a progress pic.

I am using just normal DMC threads for this though I have added a little twinkly thread to the petticoat of the girl in blue.

Nothing much to tell at the moment. My mum has been poorly and I have been at her house everyday, but she is now well on the mend so I am hoping that next week I will get a little time to get my house clean and tidy and get everything ready for going down to Andover at the weekend.

may all your frogs stay in their ponds.

Things To Share

The first thing to share is my very first finish of the year. It is the gift I have done for baby Jamie.

Before Jamie arrived I had been working on I Still Do, and felt I really made good progress this time. I managed the small square motif, the no. 40 and made a good start on the heart motif that goes round the number.

After finishing Jamie's gift I made a start on The Water Tiger, this one just looks blob like at the moment though when I compare it with the picture I can see where it is going. Its very very confetti so I think its going to need a lot of going to get in done for January next year. It looks quite a lot on the picture but in actual fact it is less that half a page of a nine page chart.

Yesterday I had a lovely day with my friend Colly stitching, chatting and doing a lot of laughing. I had to choose something to take with me to stitch and of decisions, decisions. The Village was too big, I Still Do on 36 count was definitely out, Water Tiger with all its confetti needed too much concentration and though the stuff was all ready for the birth sampler for baby two she had still not put in an appearance. In the end I decided to take Jasmine. She had been started way back in July last year but I only had the top of her head done then. She isn't very big and is a nice simple stitch so ideal to do while chatting and I carried on yesterday evening and did a little more.

At 7.15 I got the long awaited message that baby Amelia had finally arrived at 6.15 pm and Mum and baby were fine. A later call from her Granny told me that she is a lovely dinky little 6lbs 10oz and her second name was to be Chloe so I am now working on the birth sampler for her and will carry on with that until its done and out of the way. I have not done enough of that to show a picture yet but its a very girly, girly type design.

Thanks to each and everyone of your for visiting and reading my blog. A big thanks to all who leave comments (yes even the cheeky ones lol), they all mean so much and though I enjoy composing my little posts it makes it so much more fun when I know that there are a few of you out there reading them. On the reading of blogs - I am slowly getting through and catching up but my time on the computer has had to be greatly curtailed for health reasons and so please bear with me.

Hugs to you all

may your frogs stay in their ponds

Bids Are Now Being Accepted

As you can see the builders are now all gone on this plot. The landscapers have moved in and have I think made a promising start. There is a ball on the lawn area (the turf is still being laid), but this gives me the feeling that a doggy lover will be the right person for this plot. I must stress that this cottage is on the plot that is furthest from the Village Main Street so whoever bids for this will also need to like walking. There may at some point be a bus in the Village but at this point I have been unable to find a bus company to take this on so I would also say that the owner needs to enjoy a walk to the shop. Also there is as far as I know only one plot that has a garage so this village is not really for car owners. Colly I have reserved the plot with a garage for you and Kathy I have reserved the plot next to some water for you. All other plots are up for auction but please note there could be a year or two or three before plots are completed.

- o - o - o - o - o - o - o -

I am slowly catching up on the blog front (please be patient with me but I am trying to read and reply to a few each day). For the rest of today I will carry on with the landscaping at plot one but tomorrow I am going to get I still do out for an airing. I feel really positive at the moment that with only three major projects on the go I will see some real progress. I am amazed at how much of the village I have done in less than a week (though holidays have meant more stitching time than normal). This in part is I am sure due to the fact that I have really tried to keep away from the computer to a great extent, as I am sure that is the main reason for not getting much done this year. I come here for 5 minutes and the next thing I know is two hours have past. I am sure you will all know that feeling. I am amazed by how much stitching you have all done over the holiday period and the pictures of all your new stash make things very tempting - I have enough charts now - I have enough charts now - I have enough charts now. Do you think if I say it often enough I will really begin to belief it lol. But talking of tempting - just peep at this http://www.victoriasampler.com/Catalogue/VS_Samplers/p0100HeirloomStitching.aspx
isn't it beautiful, and I am sure you would agree that I am going to need that one or my life will really be incomplete.

On that note I will end for today and get some work done before lunch so that I may sit and stitch this afternoon.

Hugs


may your frogs stay in their ponds

The Village of My Heart

My Neighbourhood has been started. I have the verse on two sides and the first cottage has walls, door and windows though no roof as yet.

The reason for the title is the verse that runs around the inner edge of the tablecloth.

I have so many special friends, but they live so far apart

So I've gathered them together in a Village of My Heart

They all live on a shady street in perfect harmony

And flit from porch to porch just like a robin or a bee.

I found this verse when I was searching the internet for cottages and fell in love with it.

Here are a couple of pics just showing the start, though since taking these I have started on the first cottage and it is about a third of the way to completion.

I have also started on The Water Tiger (pre New Year) but not done enough to show a pic yet.

The Christmas Day baby arrived in the early hours of this morning - a boy weighing a whopping 10lbs and as soon as I know what they are going to call him then I will stop stitching on The Village and stitch my gift for him. Once that is done I am going to spend some time on I Still Do before going back to the tiger and the village. Unless of course the other baby arrives and upsets my plans lol. The other thing I want to fit in between my major stitching is the Tissue Box cover which is well on the way to being finished but I do not feel any pressure with that one (maybe why it has been such a joy to stitch).

I am slowly trying to catch up with my blog reading though in some cases I think it will only be the latest one I read as there are some very prolific writers out there - gosh Rachael you have about 20 for me to read lol. Please forgive me if I am slow getting to you but I do always try to leave a comment. I love to read the comments left on my blog and feel that if I am in too much of a rush or cannot be bothered to leave a comment for others then it would be selfish of me to expect them to leave a comment for me. Having said that in recent weeks I have not been visiting at all and quite a number of you have still been kind enough to leave me comments so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.

Hugs

may your frogs stay in their ponds.