The Reds & Blues

I'm here again and great news as I am now more than half way down my bloglines list. If you have posted recently and I have not got to you yet then I apologise but I will get there.

I am enjoying being back and would have loved to leave more comments but one on each blog is what I have limited myself too, at least you will know that I am alive and kicking once more. The trouble is on many of the blogs you have been so busy and by the time I have caught up and gone to leave a message at the top I cannot remember all the charts, finishes and wips I have seen, the amount some of you can do in a couple of months is mind blowing - oh I wish I could stitch that fast.

I'm quite a slow stitcher I think but then I enjoy what I do and for me I think if I tried to speed up then the pleasure would go, so I shall just plod along in my own merry little way and come share with you when I get the chancel.

Firstly I would like to show you the card I made for my Mum for Mothers Day (14th March in the UK). I am quite proud of this as it was my very first dabble with Parchment Craft. I have always loved the delicate effect that parchment gives so when the chance came for me to have a play my resistance to starting anything new just crumbled away lol.

Next what this blog is supposed to be about and thats stitching. I got my secret stitching done and it will be in the post either today or tomorrow on its way to its next lodging place. I have also done some more work (or should I say blues) on The Quiltmaker, and actually it has not given me the blues on this occassion, maybe because I was just picking it up for a nice "needleful of thread run" between doing my secret one which was a lot of colour changes and fractional stitches. I am ashamed to say that the last time I worked on this was in August 2008. I have now also made another start of I Still Do and I think for the now I am going to stick to these two things, swapping them as and when I feel like it. The last time I worked on this was in May 2009. It has been over a year since either of these have seen the light of day and I would love to get them finished. Especially ISD as it was for our 40th anniversary last year and it would be nice to finish it before the next one appears.

I have got one new start to go into the mix soon, though I need to sort out fabric and threads first. I have had the chart for Victoria Sampler "Jingle Bells Xmas Tree Farm" for a long time and I am going to stitch this as a SAL with two other friends from the A Crafty Natter Group.

When I found my last post about Quiltmaker I had a quick read through and realised that it also described my first meeting with my friend Colly. I cannot explain why, I have lots of friends some dating back from my childhood, but though Colly and I have been friends for such a short time there is something very special about our relationship. We seem to have a deep understanding of each other and it does not matter if we are chattering 19 to the dozen or just sitting together silently stitching we are content in each others company. I feel that she is more like a sister than a friend and I miss her when I dont see her for a while. I wonder what it is that makes things like that, I feel like I have known her all my life and cannot imagine life without her in it, and yet there are people on the fringes of my life who seem to have so much in common with me and yet, though aquaintances of many years, I will never feel the need to call them friend. I am not sure if all that makes sense but maybe some of you will understand what I mean.

Thank you all so much for the welcome back to blogland, for the lovely comments you were kind enough to share on my Water Tiger and my Friends Sampler, and most of all for bearing with my ramblings. Bless you all,

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Hello There

I am back, or too be correct I have been back almost three weeks, and this is the first opportunity I have had to visit blog land. I always seem to be so busy these days. Now don't ask me why I am so busy, the only explanation I have is that since my dear hubby retired someone has shortened the days because I am sure I used to get far more done in a day than I do now. Maybe the old addage that "life is like a toilet roll, the closer to the end the faster it goes" is true as its certainly running away from me.

We had a lovely relaxing holiday and I came home with two Almost Finishes. My blackwork house was technically finished but I just felt that it needed some chimneys to finish it off, and its still waiting for them lol. An evenings work if that but it keeps getting pushed to one side. The other I have finished and will share with you some pictures.

This is "Come and Share" by Lorri Birmingham (with a couple of slight changes by me).

The first change was the colour of the writing which I changed to pink (it was blue). The next was the word Tea was changed to Coffee as I dont drink tea. I really enjoyed stitching this and am thrilled with the finish. I had intended finishing this as a bell put but now its done I think I would rather have it framed, so it will be a while yet.

I also wanted to share a picture of Water Tiger now he has come back from the framers, and I am happy to report that my brother was thrilled with him.
I am hoping to get on here a little more often now - though I am afraid life does seem to get in the way of all my good intentions so we shall see. I have also made a pledge to myself to try and start reading the blogs again. It feels like there are so many friends out there and I have lost touch with what is going on in their lifes, so I am going to try to make amends.

Thank you to everyone who comes to visit my little world you are all very welcome and I guess if you got this far I had something of interest to say or show, at least I hope that is the reason lol.

Look forward to keeping in touch, sending hugs to those that need them, and warm wishes to you all as I finish with my little saying below my signature,

May your frogs stay in their ponds.