HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween to everyone. I'm sorry that I've not been around for a few days, but my pc died at the end of last week. I have lost the contents of the hard drive, and this includes all my favourite blogs, websites and email address book. So please leave me a message, so that I can visit your blog again, and tell me of any websites I need to know about. I have new pc parts on order so hope to be back soon. For now, I am struggling with an old hard drive, which is on it's last legs. Surfing is not a pleasure with this thing, but I can just about manage to get my emails. Anyway the above is stitched from a free chart, to be found on a French blog-unfortunately I no longer have the link, but it you can let me have it - please do.

Grateful Hearts exchanged received

Look at the gorgeous exchange piece I received from Julianne. I'm not sure of her blog address, I'll have to find it. Isn't this design pretty, and in a lovely thread too, and I love the fabby, and then look at the picture below to see what wonderful gifts Julianne sent me. I love them all, and she even sent me a Just Nan chart, I don't know how she knew that I didn't have that one. I'm thinking the design would be great as needleroll.



And here we have Week 5 of the JN SAL, you may have noticed there was no Week 4, well that's because my weekends have been taken up, and there's been not stitching happening here. See below if you want to know what I've been doing. I've not yet stitched the rabbit, if you wonder about the space at either side of the verse. That's because it's done in a Caron thread, which I don't have and Rene has kindly offered to send me enough to stitch it with. Aren't stitchers the kindest people.

And here is MOP from the last post, when blogger wouldn't accept her.

Now then, I'll just tell you what I've been up to. About 3 weeks ago we received a letter from ds17 college regarding University admissions for 2008, and it stated that he had to have his application in by 19th October 2007. This was also news to ds, so I had him sign up for some Uni Open Days. And this has kept me busy. I had to do the driving, and each trip was 2-3 hours driving each way. So in the last 3 weekends we've been to Hull University, Teesside University, Staffordshire University and Nottingham Trent University. All this driving made me tired, and my eyes sore, so that meant I didn't stitch. I've also been busy at work, and done a couple of nearly 10 hour days, and even went to work on Friday, which is normally my day off. Although I did have the Monday off, but that was spent doing Housework, washing, ironing etc. Now I have a week off, and took dd to get her haircut today, and then she has to go to the dentist on Wednesday for a couple of fillings. Which reminds me, I need to find myself a NHS dentist if I can.

Day 25

Of what?

Well, Blogger currently has problems, and it will not publish my photo. So just to say, I've done more on Mermaid of the Pearls. I've added yet more beads, and some stitches too. I think it's safe to say that I will definitely not have enough of the green beads, and will have to buy another pack. I'm surprised at this as the pattern clearly does not state more than one, as it does for the others. I'll have to order these online, as I'm sure I won't have the right colour, and I'm sure my LNS won't have any in stock. My LNS would be willing to order them in for me, but the last time they ordered some Kreinik for me, I had to go in many times, and it took over 6 months.

If you're wondering where I am, well I'm really busy with home/family at the moment, so not much stitching time. I last stitched on Friday night, which is when this photo (which you can't see) is from, although it was too dark to take when I was home on Saturday and Sunday. (Yes, I was out both days during daylight hours. So there was no Sunday SAL from me either, and I'm not sure that anyone else did any either. LOL

Just Nan SAL - Week 3 and More beads

Well, Sunday was Week 3 of the SAL, can't believe it's week 3 already. And for those who wanted to know what it is, it's Lady Scarlet's Journey. I had to frog the band above the robin and flowers, as I'd stitched it with two strands. Now it didn't look right when I stitched it, and no matter how many times I read the pattern it said to stitch with two strands. This week, I still wasn't happy, and this week the pattern said stitch it with one strand. Now, which one of you people out there sneaked in my house and changed the instructions?
Last night, saw me stitching on more beads, I apologise for the poor picture, but I didn't realise how bad it was until I uploaded, and now daylight has nearly gone, I won't take another, but you should still be able to see the difference in this pic and the last one.
At the moment the little time I had for the PC has been drastically cut, as I'm having to share the Internet connection, so if you know me from any groups and there's anything going on that I need to know about, please email me. Thanks for reading, and hope you're all well.

Grateful Hearts

Well, I heard from Sandra, yesterday, that she received my Grateful Hearts exchange on SBEBB. I made a flanged cushion, and was really pleased with how it turned out. I made it as a cushion cover, and made a separate cushion pad for the inside. I then just attached the cross stitch to it, using covered buttons. I'd not done this type of finish before, but definitely have more planned. Sandra has asked me to send her the finishing instructions, so I'm going to have to write them down.
I used a design from The Gift of Stitching, and used some hand dyed thread. Then I found this fat quarter, which was just the right colours. As you can see I included some other goodies.
I'm having trouble with my photo's on blogger today, but at least they're here.

Sunday SAL - Week 2

Here's my progress after Week 2 of the SAL. Now I'm not sure about the snowflakes on this fabric, although they seem to show up a little on the photo, I don't feel that they show at all in real life. I have used Flax cashel linen, and the white stitches in one strand just don't really show. So, I shall have a think about these, and may change the thread.

There's no progress pic on the beading yet, as I didn't stitch last night, as I was too tired. Tonight, was my stitch club meeting, so I decided on a new start. I have joined several Christmas exchanges, and I would like to get them stitched asap, I don't really want to leave them until the last minute. So tonight I started on a Christmas tuffet, obviously I can't show it for a long time. I'm hoping to get back to the beading tomorrow night.