Think Pink exchange received.

I joined the Think Pink exchange on SBEBB, and today I received this wonderful package from Goldie today. The flatfold is stunning it's not blurred in real life, and the extras. I cannot tell you how long I have wanted some of that check linen. Thank you Goldie.

JN Sunday

It's Just Nan Sunday, and this is last weeks progress which I didn't get around to posting. As you can see there was not much to show. That illuminated letter gave me some grief, and frogging took place, I got so cross with it, that I made the decision to put it away, rather than carry on. I hope to at least finish that letter and row of words, and the next band too. Maybe even a start on the final band. I'm thinking this will be finished soon, and depending on today's progress maybe I won't be able to wait until next week. But I do have to go back and finish bands off from when I didn't have the correct threads, so I'm not as near the finish as you might think, and the beading will be the final finish.






This is my progress on My Treasures, these two pieces are Month 5, so I just have the final month to stitch on now, and to add the personalisation to the parts that need it.




I don't feel that I've done a real lot of stitching this week, but I did also decide and stitch my Pumpkin Patch exchange piece, but obviously I can't show that.

This week has been a really fed up week for me, and Monday night I was bedridden with a migraine. So if you're waiting on email from me, then that's why. I hope to get back to emailing soon. Tomorrow DS starts at University, so that's a big day for him, and I know it will be hard for him all week, he'll have to get up before lunch time. LOL

My treasures workstation

This is month 3 and month 4, only two more to go - hopefully this week. I'm enjoying stitching on this more than I thought. The finishing of this is now planned for the end of October, so I can't see any reason why I won't be finished stitching by then.

We've had great weather the last few days, so if you look carefully at these photos, they might look mottled due to the sun streaming in the window. Today is JN Sunday, so hope to get a little more stitched on that.

It's home, it's finished

The wonderful Nicki kindly volunteered to stitch the final round on my RR, when the last stitcher was unable to do so. Thank you Nicki, I don't know how I can repay you for your kindness. Now to find the time to make it up.
I am really pleased with how this turned out and so pleased that I now have 5 sets of initials on it.

JN Sunday

I didn't get as much done as I'd have liked last night, but I did complete that band that gave me all the grief last week. Apologies for the blurred picture, I'll try and do better next time.

I am way behind on emails, and blog reading, so if I've not left you a comment for awhile, I hope to soon.

My new start

Here's the photos I promised. This is month 1 and month 2, which I have just stitched, and I have just started month 3. This started in April, but I was undecided on fabric and colours, and this is nothing like my original ideas. LOL. I think the colours I have finally decided on must have been influenced by my recent Christmas stitching. These pictures seem a lot brighter here than the real thing, so it may be my monitor - who knows!
This is My Treasure Workstation by Judy Odell, and you can see how it will look when finished - here. This month is part 6, being the final chart, and the making up is next month.

Jolly Old Elf

Jolly Old Elf
a Shepherds Bush kit
Stitched with DMC and WDW
on 10ct Tula

This was another quick stitch, and I plan on making it into a cushion for Christmas. I visited the local fabric shop and the fabric I liked was £9.99 per metre, so hoping to find it cheaper online.

I have a new start too, so will share pics when I have a little more done.

And for the curious the Beetroot Cake does not come out pink, although the mixture is pink before cooking. Next time I make one I'll take a picture of a slice. It looks like a light fruit cake with red flecks in it, very pretty.

Cake anyone?

Here's the cakes I made on Sunday, which all went down very well. The chocolate cake (large cake) was yummy, a bit like 'death by chocolate', the fudge topping was very strong, and the cake was sandwiched with chocolate and hazelnut filling. I also made Beetroot cake (a bit too brown on the top-oops), Semi-rich fruit cake, Victoria sponge, Rock buns and Rice buns. Thankfully dh decided not everyone would be in work on Monday, and as it happened he brought some home. Dh has decided he doesn't want to be reminded that he's getting older, so I've told him we'll forget about his birthday from now on. LOL

With all this baking, and a visit from sis and bil, I didn't pick up JN. Back to stitching last night though, and I have another Christmas finish to share, but it's very dark tonight, so may be I'll get a photo of it tomorrow night.

A mattress finish

I made a mattress finish for Su on the Make A Wish board. This was my first time at making a mattress, and I enjoyed it, but would do it differently next time. I chose a design from Gift Of Stitching, but didn't realise until I'd stitched it that the chart is actually different to the model. The chart says 'I love cross stitch' and the model says 'I love to stitch'. The design is by Maryse, and if you check out her blog she does have a correction on there. I forgot to take photo's before I posted, so Su was kind enough to send me one. On the other side of the mattress I stitched the vase of flowers and Su, this is the side I prefer, you can see this on Su's blog. I also stitched the sides of the mattress with the green wavy line, and the pink crosses between. In the making up I added lavender, as I know that Su likes lavender, and I thought it would smell nice. I used three thick pieces of wadding inside the mattress, but on the middle one I cut a square out. I then got two pieces of voile and machined them together and stuffed full with lavender, this was then place in the middle of the wadding. I want to make another one of these for me. LOL

This week I finished stitching my 'Think Pink' exchange piece, I have also stitched my 'Halloween Exchange' piece. I did have a new start too, just a small Christmas piece. Today is JN Sunday, I now have the perle threads that I needed for this, so I will be going back to Band 1, and starting to fill in the bits I have had to miss. I'm not sure I'll get much stitching done today though, as I have to have a big baking session, it's dh's birthday tomorrow, and he needs cakes for 75 people, and they prefer my home made, so I think I'll be spending a bit of time in the kitchen, and as I may run out of ingredients, I may need to make a trip to the shop too.

JN Sunday

Here's my progress from Sunday. A lot was done, and redone, and redone, and done again. Yep, I had a bad case of the frogs, hence this was abandoned with thread left loose. I was getting nowhere, and now cannot remember if I still have to pull more out. Oh well, I'll find out on Sunday.

It's been a busy week here. So not had chance to post since Sunday. I just heard that Su has received the Make A Wish I made for her - my first mattress finish, but I forgot to take any photo's. Doh!

Christmas is Love

Christmas is Love
by Shepherds Bush
Stitched on 10ct sparkle Tula
with DMC and WDW

This was really quick to stitch, and I shall be making it into a Christmas pillow. The fabric is so glittery, but of course you can never capture that in a photo. (well I can't!) I also think I stitched this on the wrong side of the fabric. It has a mottled effect, and I realised later that it's more mottled on the other side-oh well.

A Big Thank You

Stitchers are wonderful. I want to thank Nicki.

Do you remember my round robin with finally arrived back with me a couple of weeks ago. Well, it's on it's travels again. Nicki was kind enough to offer to stitch the last two pages on my RR. I was delighted and accepted her offer. I finally posted it to her on Saturday, and it arrived yesterday.

I also say thanks to Sally, and Lisa who also offered to stitch another page each, but it didn't seem right that they would then have done 3 pages each. Something about keeping the balance right, I don't know what it was really, I would have stitched them myself, but I jumped at the chance to have another stitcher on board.

So THANKS again Nicki.

There's no further progress on With My Needle, I did order the two perle threads I needed for it, they cost me over £30! Well, you can't just order threads, can you?

With My Needle

With my needle
I did sew
stitches and more stitches
to make this grow

A new start

Well, I decided on a new start. I was looking through my JN charts, and decided on this one. I have some threads on order for some new starts, but this one called to me the loudest. I am going to have to get a couple of Perle threads in order to completed it. It's stitching up really quickly, and I may not be able to keep it for JN Sunday, I just love the colours in the one, but then that's no real surprise is it.

I wished for a needlecase

I wished for a needle case, to go in my sewing box, for general purpose needles. I made my wish on the Make A Wish group, and my wish was granted by Cathy. This morning I received a wonderful needlecase. The design is just perfect. As you can see from my sewing box, I only had needles in a scrap of fabric! How bad is that. I do have needlecases but I use them for my stitching and beading needles. So a big Thank you to Cathy, I love it.

Needleroll finish

I finally made this up. I stitched this last year, but didn't sew the charms on. When I came to make it up, the charms had disappeared. I searched everywhere to they were nowhere to be found. Earlier this year I had another big hunt for them, but still nothing. Then one day, just out of the blue this thought came into my head to look down the side of the armchair, and sure enough there they were. So now it's finally finished. The design is by Lorri Birmingham, and came as a kit with the linen banding. And that banding really frays, so if you have some to stitch on, it would be a good idea to overlock the edges.

Today is GCSE results day, and DD16 has just gone to get hers, hoping for good things. We had a call from the school at 9.15am to say they were expecting good results and would like to invite her and a parent to a civic lunch at the Guildhall today. The school had invites for 6 pupils with a parent, so she's feeling privileged. The lunch will be held by the Lord Mayor, and there will be other schools present, and many dignitaries there. I'm lucky that I'm not at work this week, so I can go with her.

Last week was A level results, and DS18 got his results, he did well, and will now be going to University next month. He has a place in his first choice University, and it is local, so he will remain living at home. DD will move on to 6th form college, and has to enrol for that next week.

Edited to add: DD got one A*, 9 x A's and 4 x B's, from the proud mum.

Alyssum Scissor Pocket

A picture of the inside and the outside.

I just heard that the Make a Wish I made for Gaby has arrived. Gaby asked for a scissor pocket, and I stitched this one by The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio. I used 32ct linen and stitched it with Dragon Floss, which has subtle changes of pink and lilac.

I had another couple of finishes yesterday, so stay tuned for more pics, but I've been out all day today, and the light is not good enough now. I'm really enjoying being in this finishing mood.





A picture of the scissor pocket closed. As I used a full skein of thread, I was unable to make a cord for the fastening, so used this pretty ribbon instead.

I'm glad that Gaby like it.

JN Flower Girls

Another JN finish. Actually I stitched most of this a while back, but just needed to add the backstitching and the beads. I've made it into a Lavender sachet, with a ribbon hanger to hang it in my wardrobe. It's stuffed full of lavender, and smells gorgeous. I used some 32ct opalescent fabric, and stitched a small heart, my initials and the date on the back.

I received this chart as a give away from Cathy (I can't find your blog, so if anyone can give me a link - please leave me a comment - thanks). Originally this would have had a small flower treasure stitched in the centre, but I just added some left over beads.

I seem to be in a finishing off mood, so keep watching. I hope the mood lasts. LOL

Barnabee's Quest

Finished at last, here is Part 1, 2 and 3, all pictured separately. I am unable to place the pictures as I want them, so please forgive me. If you can spot anything missing, please shout up. Now, which JN shall I choose next? I have a lot to choose from! It's so hard to just choose one.

JN Sunday

Now I know it's not Sunday yet, but I picked this up again last night, so here is a progress pic. I did a bit of frogging of the orb, and will restitch that, I just didn't like the look of it. I hope to get this finished this weekend.

I've not done a lot of stitching this week, but I did work on a Make A Wish for Su, but for now I'm keeping that a secret.