Samplers & Buttons

BOF - BOM and more

2012-01-22T16:24:00.001Z

I finally finished my Birds of a Feather, stitched with 1 thread over 2 on 35 count WDW Confederate Grey.

Unfortunately the sheep ate the flowers, it's winter you know! they need fattening up!

I don't know what will be next, but I have ordered Margaret Cottam........

General Wives BOM 3 arrived, I have to make 12 of these. A complicated block was included, but am still thinking about that one and show you next time! I am a bit slow in that department.

I do love blue, somehow red took over with a lot of my needlework, am going back to my roots now.

Just an excuse to buy this? no I do really love blue (and red too)!

Last month rummaging through my stash I found the beginnings of a sampler, started it ~~ages~~ years ago on 28 count. Looked at it and began to think that it might look good as an ornament. The alphabet was there so I just added some motifs from the bottom chart of the sampler.

Made it into this

Yes I do know what you think, why couldn't she keep it as it was! Well it was huge, a dye with coffee and hot water made it shrink a lot :) My spouse thought it was old, so it worked!

( Pattern is from an OOP Dutch Ariadne magazine April 1992)

Just a little starter ;

That is all for now, thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last post! Made me have a dance through the house (my keep fit regime)!

Until later ;)

BBD start - General Wives

2012-01-09T14:50:00.001Z

Hello dear Blog friends, trust your new year’s resolutions are up and running because mine are not!! One week into the New Year and I have so many projects in my basket which need finishing, building houses, BOM’s, cross stitch, and "Josephine" by Petra Prins, thanks Bep!

Last year the start of Summer by BBD, I love it and will finish that this year. I also bought the Christmas Garden, so nice but no no no, first the WIP’s And a book of days 2012 to record them all -)

General Wives is a big project and already I’m in trouble, this “scant” seam was a bit of a mystery to me, but have learned when hand stitching you need to keep that in mind. My first block went a bit wrong there! I will persevere!

As you can see the seams are out of sync and I will make it again because it doesn't look good!

Building houses from scrap, I will make a start but I don’t think there will be 365, I leave that up to the professionals! Jeanneke mentioned on her blog that she will make them from charm squares, I fished mine out by 3 sisters, Portobello Market. The templates are made, a start at least! Your will find the PDF files on her blog. Jeanneke has gorgeous patterns too on Etsy!

A few presents because I was good, well sometimes LOL. A lovely Sajou booklet from France, Thank you Paulette!!

My first old Sajou book!!

Fabric covered boxes bought by my spouse:) The scissors were made in 1953 commemorating the Queens Coronation.

Thank you followers and non- followers so much over the past year for your lovely comments, they have made and make my day always!! Wishing you a year of good health, stitching and general optimism in these austere times:))

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2011-12-20T15:42:00.004Z

Early Christmas Presents

2011-12-14T01:47:00.007Z

Last Saturday we had another meeting with Sampler Guild members at Janet, Heather and Mum’s house in London for Christmas. It was lovely, good company and good food. I got some lovely presents!!!

First I have to show you my Chocolate Letter from St. Nicolas, who visited Holland this month, yummy, thanks Atie :)) it's nearly gone :(

A couple of weeks ago I bought a Christmas tree which does not sting, I know I am cheating :( When it fell out of the box my heart sank, but I got him up in no time really! It's much fuller since this pic was taken.

Early Christmas presents from Holland, a lovely Stable, Flow magazines, a notebook and mini notebooks, Thanks Girl & Guys :)

Linen and Ribbon from France, Thank you Paulette, I love it!!

A Primitive Hare pillow from Britta, it’s gorgeous, look at the back too! And a lovely silver bird ornament, red stone heart and very tiny buttons, love them!

Snowman pillow from Sandra S, on beautiful linen and silk ribbon and an Acorn thread winder:) Beautifully stitched Sandra:)

A Huswif from Laura made from fabrics she bought in Sturbridge Village, fabulous colours, love it a lot:)

Presents from; Linda, Janet & Heather,Marjan & Caroline, thank you girls!! they are gorgeous :o))

It was Sandra’s birthday on Sunday; I made a little BBD Pillow with buttons on the back, you have to imagine them :o)

A big thank you to my wonderful family and my lovely friends, you have spoiled me and I love it !!

Thank you all for being my followers and leaving me such great comments in the past year, it makes me want to pick up that needle now!!

Daisy and I wish you a Peaceful Christmas and a Happy (stitching) 2012 :))

Is it really December??

2011-12-05T18:03:00.002Z

Hello my friends, just a small update for December (St Nicolas is in Holland and left me a Chocolate Letter!! because I am a good girl).

Last week we had a TSG meeting in Maidenhead, the venue was perfect and we all enjoyed the stitching and lovely food everyone brought to nibble on. It was good to meet up girls!! and presents too:))

Carol (no blog) gave me a lovely (belated) birthday present, it's gorgeous don’t you agree!! My initials are on the back, you are so good Carol!! I do ignore the back a lot when making ornaments.

And a present from Caroline (no blog) who brought these goodies back from Hand-dyed-Fibers, she visited Vicky a while ago, lucky girl! The Barn Star is lovely too and has a wonderful history :)

Stitching has gone out of the window for now! I have been working on my BOM II for General Wives, a lovely project and am learning fast. I have also signed up for a House a day, click here or the button in the sidebar, you might be tempted too!! I could not resist it.

My backing arrived for the 9 patch quilt (see previous post) it should really have been a Japanese fabric, but I love this Williamsburg Sampler by Windham so much and thought it looked great (my opinion of course) you might beg to differ!

I like to show you what I did many years ago, making a quilt from scraps and skirts. It never occurred to me that it needed a binding, but hé one learns and the back is ~~atrocious~~ bad stitching :(

Apologies for the bad background on the pictures!

That’s it for now, thanks to all of you who left wonderful comments and inspired me even more so:)))) 200 Followers!! Thank you so much!

The Patchwork Bug!

2011-11-07T12:47:00.001Z

Yes the Patchwork bug has hit me, it is as Siobhan says addictive, but relaxing too:)
Remember these little patches.....

Have turned out into a quilt, all done by hand, mainly because my machine skills are not sufficient on these small patches. One more band to go ~~

For the professionals look away now!! Not all of them were ironed yet and my technique is not up to scratch, but I am learning, I always listen to constructive advice too:))

The end product for the front, the difficult bit is yet to come, bias band and the backing, hopefully it will be better than my first one, many years ago:))

Thank you lovely people for your great comments!! they always make my day:))

Next time some more stitching and hopefully the next BOM General Wives ~~~
Have a great week wherever you may be:)

Patchwork and A special Needlework Box

2011-10-24T15:00:00.001+01:00

This autumn I decided on a new pastime, a couple of months ago I signed up for The General Wives with the Fat Quarter Shop and the first block came in last week. Some years ago I attended a patchwork course and learned some technique's.

Surprisingly it all came back to me after staring at the pattern for an hour!! I hardly dared cut into it, It’s a bit under 12 ½” which it should be, but no doubt I will learn to be more precise on the other blocks, it’s whopper of a quilt 102” square and am glad it will take a year to stitch it all! The whole quilt will be stitched by hand, it looked easier that way, well for me that is! The button in the centre was given to me by my neighbour who told me that it's quite old:)

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I have got the patchwork bug now! I bought these fabric scraps at the Birmingham Quilt show, and started the stitch some nine patches, there are a lot more to come.

The “Taupe Tumbling Blocks Pin Cushion” is a kit by Kylie Irvine and I made it by hand. Blue bird was a kit bought by Cupcake &Cottons UK, I have not stitched it's wings on yet. Some years back I made Mathilda which was a freebie by Mary Beale.

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Finally I like to show you my mother’s needlework box, it’s very old and my elder sister handed it recently to my niece who has already made it her own, so nice to see it treasured in the family and used! You can guess where my stuff will end up :))

Thank you very much for leaving your comments on my last post; they as always make my day :)) Hope your autumn is as wonderful as ours!!

Update for October

2011-10-12T13:59:00.002+01:00

It has been such a long time since my last post and apologies for not always leaving a comment on your blog but I have been reading them all. I seem to have lost my blogging Mojo since much has happened in the last couple of months, I walked with my friends in Holland and a lot of work at home was done.
Here are some pictures of what I have been up to stitching wise:

Blackbird Designs Casting your Spell ornaments, they were quick to stitch and all I need now is that box from Hobby Lobby LOL.

A present for my niece who has not got the time to stitch!! have you made that hanger on it yet Sandra???? (which I forgot, apologies).

BBD Woodland Berries, I used the recommended threads & send this to my dear friend Erica in Belgium for her Birthday last month:)

We’ve had an enormous crop of apples this year which were send off to the juice farm. I believe about 250 bottles were produced which will be sold and the proceeds go to charity, although we might have some too to enjoy:))

Daisy loves apples, she is a regular feature in our garden. See her Boyfriend in the rh top corner, they have now changed their summer coat for winter & I think they are in love since they chase each other a lot!!

I received a stitched present last month from my friend Paulette in France, (who finds the best old buttons for me!!) she designed it herself, inside is a lavender pocket. Thank you Paulette, (the smell is also wonderful) .

Birds of a Feather is still in progress, I nearly finished part II.

Well that’s about it for now, thank you all for leaving your encouraging comments on my last post, you are the best!!

Baskets - Presents - Birmingham Quilt Show 2011

2011-08-15T21:06:00.004+01:00

Good Evening, Morning or Afternoon wherever you may be....

A couple of weeks ago these Weed Baskets and Wax ornaments from Basket ‘n Prims arrived, thank you Pam they are wonderful and glad you ship to the UK now:))

Weedbaskets, so original Pam!

Wax ornaments for Britta :)

No stitching to show you today, too busy acquiring “STASH” at the Birmingham Quilt Show. We travelled to Birmingham New Street last week which was overrun by police (Thank you police!! they did a marvellous job).You probably heard about the riots and looters, for those of you oversees, there are no words for what happened, horrifying!! I did travel with trepidation though and was glad it had all quietened down.

But firstly, my friend Britta gave me my birthday present(s)! when we met up last Wednesday. We had not seen each other for a long time and it was lovely to meet up again, we visited the show for 2 full days, and we still did not see it all!!

Thank you so much Bollers, love it all:))

The following pictures give you an idea of what I acquired, needed or not! Books, Fabrics; Petra Prins & Haan & Wagemakers were my favourite's!! Also Mary Jenkins new book on CD, very informative.

Fabulous Books

Fabulous Fabrics

Britta is in the process of making blocks in a class at Cupcake Cottons, they are gorgeous, made by hand, it’s her first patchwork class and it looks very professional !! I have signed up for the General Wives BOM’s so watch this space.....

Fabulous Block's

Thank you all for your lovely comments and hello to many new followers, appreciate your company!! Hopefully next time there will be some stitching.... Ta for now :)

Part 1 BOF – Birthday gifts - Smalls – Escaped Pigs

2011-08-05T14:09:00.006+01:00

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post, truly magnificent to see such interest in my work:)

A lot happened in the past few weeks, despite having a bad cold and other matters which I will not reveal...... (way too boring) I managed to do some stitching.

Part one of the Mystery Sampler is finished, part 2 did arrive last week but by then I digressed to other matters....

Yes this is what took my fancy, Blackbird Designs Bird in Hand and Remember me, you might like to see how I finished the sides for ~~Blue~~ Redbird, backstitched around it and use a bead every other stitch (for those who are not familiar with finishing) It’s the best method so far (I think) even if you do not use beads.... And BBD Summer arrived, so I might digress even more so.....

A present arrived from my friend Michele who lives in the USA, you have spoiled me rotten!! A painted box with gorgeous motifs, silk, rose pins (bad photography, sorry) and a hand crocheted thimble holder, now who can crochet that small!!

Another present, Holland’s Bont tea towels and serviette’s, love it Sandra B, looks fabulous in the kitchen as you can see.....

Just showing you some visitors who escaped yet again, but after eating the apples they followed me back to their home. They have doubled in size !! so how they got out, there must have been a hole somewhere...........

Have a great summer:))

SUMMER UPDATE

2011-07-18T12:38:00.004+01:00

I must admit that my mind is far from blogging at the moment but here is a little update, I am sure after this post my energy will be back!

The Mystery sampler part 1 is nearly finished I am waiting for part 2 to arrive which should be this week. (some have finished part 2!!!)

We have been on holiday with the old motorbikes, the weather was fabulous for the first half, the other half horrendous, lots of rain, a bit like now! We drove 100 miles around the Cotswolds to set out this rally and we were so lucky with the weather on the day of the competition.

Whilst on holiday it was time to get my Elizabeth Bradley out of the mothballs and give it some attention, I cannot work with wool in the house, the fibres get up my nose & so does this project lol . It will be a pillow when finished, but looking at it, the flowers might not be out again until the next holiday. I am sure it will be very pretty once finished.

A little visitor who escaped from our neighbours made a visit to our dwelling, having brought Harrison back several times, the apple tree was too tempting, so I let him have a go at the fallen ones, he is so sweet but very determent and no way can I catch him, believe me I tried. His sister is too big to get through the gate and got stuck in it, so we had to rescue her, I have never heard a pig scream so loud! We never have a dull moment here!!

A ~~Grass snake~~ (I thought!!) Slow Worm found yesterday and nearly ended up on the bonfire, rescued just in time. The first time we have actually seen slow worm here, she/he was in no hurry to get away when released:)

I thought you might like to see a few cheery garden pictures, the flowers were so early this year, I took these pictures at the end of May!!

Found her this morning just outside our window!

Thank you all for your lovely and encouraging comments, much appreciated:)) Apologies for not always leaving a comment on your blog, but I do read & enjoy all of them:))

Birds of a Feather & Sudeley Castle

2011-06-10T18:22:00.003+01:00

Last month I visited Sudeley Castle with friends who visited the UK from New Zealand. A worthwhile visit, here a little taste of what you can expect at Sudeley. There were a dozen samplers, antique lace, an exhibition of Henry VIII and a wonderful exhibit of textiles.

Have a look at Jacqueline’s blog for more information.

Well I could not refrain myself from starting another SAL!!, it’s the famous Birds of a Feather by WMN&T. I started this last week, the linen is Weeks 35ct Confederate Grey, I am using the recommended threads of WDW, and am stitching the sampler with 1 thread only, it's a truly gorgeous sampler and the linen is fabulous :))

Presents from Holland, a lovely set of tea-and-hand towels and beakers made by Hollandsche Waaren, It looks fabulous in our kitchen. Thanks SB :)) Have a look at this Teatowel from Jeanny too, it's a piece of art and not for drying! Who would not want that in their kitchen:))

My friend send me a thank you note but could not stop herself sending me a present!! It’s a lovely little heart card & ceramic bird heart, thank you Bollers!

This BBD kit is a present from a dear friend, thank you J, I love it, I will make this sometime soon :))

Thank you for your comments on my last post, truly inspiring and so appreciated :o) It's always a pleasure to hear from you!

Amsterdam - A new Quilt book - Open Air Museum Arnhem & Mary GLover Fini:))

2011-05-31T18:34:00.001+01:00

Time moves too fast in my world, infact to fast! Last month I visited The Netherlands. We celebrated Queens day at the Open air Museum in Arnhem, a worthwhile visit and glorious weather too, nothing like in the UK and nearly got myself a pad in Amsterdam:)) It's still cold here.

There was much to be admired in this museum, but for me, the needlework and painted boxes were the best, the picture is large so you can have a better look.

And don't forget the Frisian, no not a sampler!

xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoox

I finished Mary Glover, only yesterday though, my stitching mojo was not there for a while. Am very pleased now it's finished and must find a special frame:)

Thank you Emmanuelle for your splendid SAL, there must have been such a lot of work in charting this design and it's much appreciated, your sampler was a pleasure to stitch.

The linen is uneven 32/35 count and I used 1 thread throughout except for the satin stitch, all in DMC. The little Chicken and "Frogger" (not used in MG!!) were a gift from Erica, whom I met in Maastricht one evening in Holland, we had a wonderful time. Erica was invited at the home of Mr and Mrs Feller and she showed me pictures of some of their sampler collection ( a delight), whilst we were having a meal in one of Maastricht's splendid restaurants. The book will be out in June ! see Needleprint.

xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo

On the 6th of May we visited Amsterdam, and could not resist this famous Quilt shop . De Haan en Wagemakers is owned by Nel Kooiman & Petra Prins who travel far and wide to show their magnificent quilts and famous Dutch fabrics at Quiltshows. They will be at the NEC in Birmingham UK, in August.

Can you see the "for sale" sign on this wonderful apartment, well I was tempted:))

Treasures from Holland is a new book by Petra Prins and is in English and French. My niece could not resist it and it is to die for when reading it, the fabrics are just gorgeous too:) Will have to buy the book when we visit Birmingham in August.

My nephew taught me a workout ((eating kroketten, like everyday;)) a Dutch delish!! but lethal-) and don't forget; drop,appelstroop, hagelslag etc etc, just google it!

Go on Justus get those legs up!!

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post:)) You are the Best!
Will post some of my "hard work in the garden pictures" next time, xoxo

A Gift & A Win

2011-04-27T12:48:00.001+01:00

Last week I got a wonderful surprise in the post, a gift from Merumo the Talented!! (The flue got to me last week, hence the late post) She made a gorgeous bag for me and on the band she embroidered the birds which you can see on one of my very first post, (I had a one day fling in design) and not stitched it myself at all. I don't know how Merumo could see it on that graph, it is so tiny:)) Thank you so much Merumo, a real treasure. On her blog you will see a link how to make it.

The pins are so lovely, I am told they are used for keeping the binding in place with patchwork, of course ignorant me I thought they were hairpins !! but Merumo put that soon right:)) The buttons are beautifully covered:) Your a star Merumo!

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Last week Carol, who is a very talented designer, send me an email that I had won her giveaway on her blog, 2 surprises in one week!! lucky me, I could choose one of her wonderful charts, so I chose Sew Animalistic :)) Thank you so much Carol! Will definitely stitch that soon!

No Mary Glover this week, I am of to Holland and will take her with me, I am sure there will be some time to stitch when watching the Great Wedding on Friday, hope you all enjoy it, who doesn't love a Love story!! Just KEEP CALM lol.

Thank you so much for all your great comments, it is a great pleasure to read them:))

Stacy Nash Sampler Love Bag & Mary Glover Update

2011-04-18T12:57:00.000+01:00

Last week I met up with my friends to celebrate Britta’s birthday, we had a lovely time in London on the Kings Road were we had lunch in Le Pain Quotidien, it’s our favourite hangout, especially for the deserts (they sell their cookbook!!). But first we had a look into Antropologie, a gorgeous shop with unusual wares. After lunch off to Carnaby street where we had tea in Camellia’s Tea House (they sell their tea’s on-line!), we were to full up to try their cakes, but it was tempting, Earl Gray with Orange blossom tea, splendid. Then a little look in Liberty’s, the shop had a different look and lots of changes and was definitely worth a visit. We chatted so much I forgot to take pictures!!

I made this Sampler bag for Britta’s birthday, a lovely project to stitch, did the finishing on the machine, also quite easy. You cannot see the pincushion which I also made; (senior moment here) but filled that with lavender so the moth stays out of the woolly bits. You can see it on SN's website:))

A Sajou Thimble box, Mother of Pearl button and a few mini Acorns.

The 6^th Etape of Mary Glover, a pleasure to stitch this motif & the colours do come out quite strong, such an unusual pattern. Somehow stitching this sampler with the deadline of specific part every 2 weeks seems to work for me:) That wine was fabulous Emmanuelle:)

A close up of the Rice stitch.

Finally it is spring and my wild life loves it, Mr P wanders around the garden with his little wife/girls, what a life!!

Your encouraging comments made my week, thank you so much, may the sun shine where you are too :))

Mary Glover Etape 5

2011-04-05T17:53:00.001+01:00

Spend yesterday working on Mary on the "over 1" alphabet and finished the 5^th Etape. Must keep up with this sampler, in fact doing a SAL is very infectious, so Sarah Harris you will not be neglected from now on:))

Today I started the rice stitch but I am not quite sure if I keep the ecru in this pattern, it looks insignificant so far, the linen is so light.

Because it has been quite cold here today I thought it a good excuse for stitching and getting a "keister" (A Siobhan'ism) I scrunched the linen up a bit and was to lazy to get up to get the iron out :o)

My blog implies buttons, but so far I have never shown you very much of those so here are a few.

Mother of Pearl and Glass & others, in fact it looks a bit of a mess!!

Thanks for your comments on my last post, it's lovely to hear from you:))

The Garden, Janet Bolton class and the start of Mary Glover SAL 5

2011-04-01T23:05:00.002+01:00

Are you all enjoying the spring after this long and hard winter. Have not done a lot of stitching this month because the weather made me go out and get my hands dirty, the garden needed it badly so a few spring pictures here.

The blossom has now gone, but managed to capture some of it.

The daf's are nearly out now, spring has truly sprung :))

Janet Bolton Workshop

On Saturday 19^th March we enjoyed a workshop with Janet Bolton in Maidenhead. The workshop was held in the Soltau Centre in Maidenhead. Janet made us think about a design, shock horror !! because I am used to stitch from designer patterns, but in the end I did come up with a little prim design, I cannot draw to save my life, but managed to cut out some pieces and after pinning the design on cloth it has turned out this way. I have been thinking of putting a wash line on it with a small quilt but that idea was far too grand for me, so that went out of the window I'm afraid.

We had a lot of fun and managed to create something too:))

The beginnings of my Dutch Barn

And then there was lunch!! Thanks Linda:))

Since I did not have an example of a Barn, when home it turned out to be not a Dutch Barn at all!!

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In the meantime the 5^th Etape of Mary Glover has been started, I love stitching this sampler, the colours are chosen as I go along now. What annoyed me most is that I should have turned the linen around, it’s a 32/35 count and it looks a bit long, but hé one learns. Also tried to see which colour should be used for the alphabet over 1, but think I will stick with the brown.

Hopefully the alphabet over 1 (ouch) will be finished this weekend.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments and stopping by:))

MARY GLOVER 3 & 4

2011-03-12T17:22:00.006Z

3^rd Etape

4^th Etape

Thank you so much for your encouraging comments!!

Williamsburg Lady and Mary GLover SAL

2011-02-24T13:07:00.002Z

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my Merry Cox Projects. For those of you who asked me where to purchase her charts, you cannot I'm afraid, Merry teaches in the USA and on this website http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SNS_Home_Room/?yguid=347880962, you have to become a member for free to get updates who is teaching, Jackie du Plessis is on this site too, good luck.

Well, I could not resist the Mary Glover SAL when I saw this lovely deer on it, having seen it on Merumo’s and Siobhan’s site’s and many others too, it did not look to daunting. I have decided to change colours, and am stitching it in different colours as I go along. Fabulous to see so many SAL-lers making this sampler in their own colour scheme. The linen is uneven 32/35 count and quite dense, the reason for this is that the over one’s will be easy to stitch since over one is not my favourite, but should make it easier than a thinner linen. I started this yesterday, and have to catch up a bit.

I would like to thank Emmanuelle at http://lemarquoirdelise.over-blog.com/categorie-11760018.html for this opportunity to stitch her beautiful heirloom.

The Williamsburg Lady finished, a lovely little project, I tried to find more of these kits, but they are hard to come by.

Do not like her mouth very much, but faffed about with it so much I got fed up and left it as it is.

Remember the Ladies, Williamsburg Lady

Just thought I show you a little more of my 1758 Scottish Sampler stitched by Barbara Hill, aged 12, incredible to be able to do that at such a young age on very fine linen. Joy from Whitney Antiques told me (after I bought it!) that she acquired it from a couple who found it in a skip, the skip was contaminated with oil and not a spot on the sampler itself. I have to find out myself where it really came from:))

Barbara Hill 1758

I am terribly fond of Scottish Samplers, they remind me of the Dutch Frisian ones, especially the Alphabets.

Gorgeous band on this sampler, one day I might reproduce this, but this is not a promise.

Next week I am in London to finish more of my projects at a Sampler Guild member's house and will post ASAP.

Another Finish

2011-02-14T00:10:00.001Z

On Saturday the weather was so good I had to work in the garden. The snowdrops are scattered in our garden, and the daffodils are dying to get out.

A few cheery pictures on this sunny day, did not last long.

Boy did I ache on Sunday, so when it bucketed down, I was quite happy to sit and finish my SSNC, stitching was all done in 2005-06, but the finishing was too daunting then. Because I made a mistake by not stitching the pincushion area in the middle, I figured that sewing a band around it to make it look like a mattress would do the trick, it did work out quite well but a lot of backstitching had to be done. I certainly would not have thought of it 6 years ago!

Otherwise the rest was easy to assemble and just in time for Valentine ’s Day, the verse is so appropriate. May your Valentine wish come true today and have a good one :))

For you PB

Merry Cox's Strawberry Sampler Needle Case

The Front

A better view for the mattress.

My friend Michele who lives between the USA and Doha send me these gorgeous scissors, the leather falcon hood she found on a Falconry market in Doha and the Lovely Milkmaid in PA, love it!, Thank you Michele, hope your Paris l'Aguille en fete trip was very good!! Looking at Cote Passion’s blog is was fabulous:) and now regret that I did not go, but we cannot have our cake and eat it too:)) who on earth thought that one up, it's not in my dictionary .)

In the meantime I did start a very tiny sampler with gorgeous silks. I am not a big fan of silk, it always seems to hang on my fingers, unless I sit down for a manicure.

It’s from the Remember Me series designed by Historic Stitches, Williamsburg Lady, Williamsburg a city which I would love to visit one day.

Thank you for your wonderful comments, you guy’s make my day:)) Also a big Hello to my Followers, I do know you’re there and appreciate it very much!! Doing this blogging nearly 2 years now it never ceases to amaze me how interested you are in my stitching world, a big thank you:))

Merry's Little Darling Basket

2011-02-01T17:02:00.001Z

As promised (to myself mostly) I finished this little darling this morning. Whist stitching the bottom lining on, quite a task, I put up the flaps and the fabric sagged, shock horror!! So I sprayed water on the inside pieces and left it on the stove to dry in the hope it would shrink, It did!! This morning the steam iron went on it like a steamroller and it all fell into place.

The flowers and vine are tent stitched over 1 which I loved doing in 2005, I remember stitching it in no time -) but is now my least favourite stitch.
The sampler in the background is Scottish 1758 and a prize possession.

So happy it's finished, now for the other 4!! and hopefully soon.

Thank you for your encouraging comments!!

A Dutch Bell Pull and Merry Cox projects

2011-01-24T13:37:00.002Z

Not much stitching in January I’m afraid. I had to empty my fabric chest, it had to make way for our new fridge-freezer (enormous) in the kitchen, as it is not a good idea to put a fabric chest in the kitchen. So it had to be logged to the upstairs (thanks to a friend who is very strong). In the process I had to rearrange my complete work area and found a finished stitched bell pull (2007), very Dutch and time to put it together now or sometime soon.

And about time to get my Merry Cox stash out, most of it is stitched, but assembling it is another story. We did this in 2006. Although I have progressed in assembly, I better start reading the instructions again, the last time I had a look at it was 2006 yes shame on me, but feel more confident now to finish it together with Carried Away by JduPlessis.

The Stitch Little Darling Sewing Basket is not such a darling to assemble!! You might be able to see it on the picture (or not I hope), but I have stripped the backing off and will have do that again.

On the Strawberry case I did not stitch the mattress pincushion in the middle and am trying to salvage what I can otherwise a new piece has to be made up.

The Swan Lake Mending Bag is so beautiful and I will have to ask Britta if I can borrow her finished one as an example otherwise I might bungle it. The smalls were such fun to stitch and there are a couple which have still to be finished.The toile fabric is very fine and reminds me of Liberty fabric.

Luckily I did all the correct stitching on my Williamsburg Sewing Case (for a change-)

Thank you so much again for your comments on my last post, you are the best!!. Hopefully my next post will be a bit sooner (ones I stop looking at your blogs -)

Pictures of the charts are copyright by Merry Cox.

It's a new Dawn, It's a new Day, It's a NEW YEAR!!

2011-01-02T14:43:00.003Z

And I'm feeeeelin GOOD!!!, well I guess Nina Simone and Michael Buble can sing it much better than me:)) but this song sprang to mind when 2011 started-) and we did have a twirl around the wood stove with champagne in hand (did miss the "appleflappen" a Dutch tradition).
I hope all your wishes may come through this year and cannot wait to see the finishes of WIP'S, UFO'S and the like (I am speaking for myself now). But having looked at some or your work, it dawned on me that this must be the year of FINISHING:))

Like these:
Merry Cox; Swan Lake Mending Bag, finished the stitching in 2005-2006! not to lazy to finish but at that time it was one of my first 5! classes with Merry and the finishing looked to daunting. I did have a wonderful time in Delaware, unfortunately we did not see the town and stayed in the hotel for most of the time, it was very cold in March. The only museum we saw was Winterhur, stunning and want to go back one day to explore it further.

Strawberry Sampler Sewing Case; also stitched but made a mistake by not stitching the pincushion mattress in the centre of the linen and will make another and hope to assemble that too.

Williamsburg & Little Darling Basket, blogger seems to have problems with my pics and won't upload, so more of those later.

House on the Hill is gorgeous, have stitched all but 1 panel and will show that soon.

Thank you all for leaving me inspiring comment's in 2010, it's as if I know some of you quite well by now:)) and it gives me enormous pleasure to look at all your fantastic work, "maybe I should do more stitching than blog-looking" -)) but can never resist it, it's an addiction!! a good one .)

Early Christmas Presents

2010-12-12T17:04:00.009Z

Many many thanks for all your lovely comments on my Autumn post.
In the meantime I have been in Holland (more of that later) & on my return Winter really set in. We were just in time to do some groceries shopping before the snow descended on us (we have to get up a hill without four wheel drive, nightmare).

Yesterday the TSG members came together at Marjan's house in Berkshire. Thank you Marjan for being such a wonderful host, have a Happy Christmas in Spain with lots of sun :)
It was quite a celebration and exchanging of Christmas Presents, boy did I get spoiled!!

Britta made me this wonderful Christmas present, with some rusty pins, a star & bell, just gorgeous!! The acorns came in the box too and are made partly with felt.

The back, I am still overwhelmed, stitched on 40 count linen, I am so lucky!!

A rustic cabinet from Carol, and I will fill those pretty soon with buttons and ribbons. The pincushion next to it made by Sandra, felted and gorgeous pins, treasures :)

Britta also managed to be one step ahead of me and gave me the Needle Nut Case kit (retired) by Jackie du Plessis, very naughty, we had promised to keep it small, cannot trust her really LOL. Now we can soon make it together when the other WIP's are finished .) look so forward to that Britta!

Of course I made some ornaments too for the girls, not really Christmastide, more the alternative kind.

Ornaments from CHS & Goode Huswif, Charity for Carol, Faith for Sandra & Love for Britta. Stitched on 35 ct linen and kept mostly to the dmc colours.

The back, for each girl an appropriate charm.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

Autumn Colours

2010-11-09T17:55:00.002Z

The autumn colours are so beautiful, last week I took some pictures before the storm takes the leaves away. There are a lot of Berry’s for the birds who will arrive when it gets really cold and will disappear in a day!

Now I look at it , I should really prune it a bit, but after the berry's are eaten!.

Only the second time I see these colours so bright in the past years when the summer has been good.

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A few of my Acorns, real ones, silver, gold and stitched, just because it’s autumn -)

I bought the Artifacts oak leaves & acorns (1981) on Ebay.

The real acorns are from an American Oak tree, found on my walks in Germany.

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My thumb has healed so I have managed to stitch a bit on my “Carried Away” by Jackie du Plessis.

It is a lovely project, I did get to tackle the Loop stitch Sandra! , took me a while to get it!! The rest of the stitching is quite easy I think, well will see when I start the needle case.

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This week I received the Pinkeep Story by SOF & Gigi for Unicef, it is wonderful, you can also buy it on PDF!!

and today the Blackbird Design “Garden Club”, such wonderful projects, for stitcher’s too :) a must, but I am probably preaching to the converted LOL. Included is the needleroll by BBD, and some fabulous appliqué quilts.

The Goode Huswif "Love"

a small ornament in the making.

Next week I will fly to The Netherlands, do a little walking & retail shopping with my friends in the east and to see my family in the west. I do look forward to that and fingers xx for good weather.

Thank you all so much for the comments on my “Darning & Sampler” post, I have learned something more on the history of my samplers :) Have a great weekend.

Antique Samplers

2010-10-24T15:07:00.002+01:00

Nothing to show yet on my stitching, last week my thumb had an argument with one of my sharp knives, not too bad a cut, but cannot stitch : (
A darning sampler from The Netherlands. A lady living near my sister found out that I love these pieces of fabric!! to my surprise it was this example. I did show this sampler in the very beginning of my blog but did not give you any information, (blogfright).

Unfortunately the date is unknown and who it belonged to is also a mystery. The sampler has got some rust and dirt patches, I did not dare to clean the sampler and is not advised by the experts.

The back colours do not differ a lot from the front a sign that it has not been displayed a lot. I did receive it without a frame and rolled up, it had been in the attic of her aunts house.

I do love the crown and de darning patterns surrounding it. If any of you have any idea how old it might be I would love to hear from you. You do see a lot of samplers in The Netherlands with only the initials of the maker.

The whole sampler is stitched with silk threads on an uneven linen with different darning patterns.

This exemplar was bought in Burford, Oxfordshire by my DH, we often visited the UK when we lived in Holland and I did find some lovely "fabrics" on our travels in Great Britain.

I do not know what "Braved a Thousand years", means, but am open to suggestions. (17.42 hours today Katherine wrote):

Ye mariners of England!
That guard our native seas;
Whose flag has braved a thousand years,
The battle and the breeze!
- Thomas Campbell, Ye Mariners of England
Thank you Katherine!!

It did occur to me that the whole sampler should have been filled in, the sampler is made with wool threads and the material looks like cotton canvas, but that is only my interpretation.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my Hillside Samplings thread keep, your comments always make my day:))) and hope to display some stitching soon.

2010-10-13T19:41:00.009+01:00

Hillside Samplings

Finally finished my Hillside Samplings Folk Art Threadkeep which I stitched in 2005, I will dedicate this to my Mother who passed away in 2005, she just sewed everything she could lay her hands on. Yesterday I sewed the lining which was very fiddly at the corners near the deer but today managed to finish it.

The folk art boxes were bought by Born to Quilt at the Quilt Show in Birmingham, her stand was fabulous.

Threadkeeps by Liberty Hill

The inside pocket

The back with a lovely verse.

Some (many) years ago I made this small quilt in a class in Haarlem, "Irma’s Sampler" when I lived in Holland. A lovely quilt shop and did learn quite a bit about patchwork and quilting but have forgotten a lot. The quilting on this piece looks more like basting! I did do another class in the Quiltroom in Dorking last year and pinned it together for sewing. I do hope to finish this sometime, but have to work on Needleprint Sarah Harris soon.

I do not know why on earth I cut 4 squares in the middle instead of just one. It must have been my inexperience, or the teacher made me do it :)) I used a Liberty print and Liberty basic, the stripe it ticking!! why?? but I am learning fast.

The Next One, keeping my fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last post, soon more on my Jackie du Plessis adventure.

An Autumn update

2010-09-21T23:00:00.002+01:00

We have been to The Netherlands and Germany to see family, friends and did some walking in Teutoburger Wald near Bad Iburg in Germany with my friends for 3 days. On Friday the rain was torrential and even my friend's dog "Peer" was fed up, we did manage 16 km. On Saturday we walked 23 km and that was the end of me and Peer!!, so Sunday only a 12 km stroll to Tecklenburg (gorgeous town) and when we arrived home after a wonderful German feed, Dingle managed to invade Peer's basket :)) but they do love each other!

We stopped for lunch at some lovely places in Teutoburger Wald, Elly (asleep!!) & Gerry dipped into some wine, I still don't know how they could walk after that!! The same for the men in Lederhosen LOL. It's all the rage in there, wine, beer & lederhosen !!.

Tineke and myself kept to Coffee & Earl Grey tea, boring but it kept me from falling of the hill.

Actually they had a Litre glass filled with Beer! and then the started to slap their legs and so on..... say no more..

In Holland my sister,niece and myself went to The Haque, we found this lovely Quilt shop "The Stitch Cottage" where we drooled for a couple of hours over all the fabrics and accessories. The owner "Sandra" made us feel so welcome, tea was ready for us!

Toile, one of my favorite fabrics. A couple of these fabrics were bought at the Quilt show at the NEC in Birmingham, we did the Saturday, it was wonderful, it's a must for next year! and probably 2 days :))

Autumn colours and the background fabric with the acorns is Japanese.

When I mentioned to my niece I would like some red materials she gave me these, thank you SB!!

So this winter I will have to do some patchwork & quilting, watch this space.......

BBD Loose Feathers

My BBD finish from last year, I did the hemming last week, another finish for 2010.

A lovely present arrived when we returned from our holiday, gorgeous "Scissoroo" Scissors in a tin, a lovely surprise from my friend Lyn in Australia.

Thank you Lyn!!

Thank you all so very much for your lovely comments, they make my day :))

Bunnies in the Garden, Ocean Huswif & A Colonial Coverlet

2010-08-10T16:14:00.000+01:00

It's been a while, have been very busy stitching, gardening and meeting friends.
This year has been my aim to finish some of the UFO's I had in my stash, and now their finished I wonder why on earth it took me so long!!

Bunny's in the Garden, this lovely pattern is produced by Ellen Chester; With My Needle for those of you who do not know her yet, click!! Started in 2008 and finished 2010.

The bunny above is handmade and found it in London, although somehow I think it could be a cat :) The pinkeep is surrounded by silk ribbon which took me quite a while to do, very fiddly but I persevered.

I have not used all of the recommended threads, with so many colours in my stash so used, DMC, Gentle Art and Crescent Colours. The scissors are from the scissor man at the l'aguille en fete.

The scrimshaws are made by Marcy for this project, they are just gorgeous.

In 2005 the Ocean Huswif was stitched and only last month I finished the lining (yes it is shocking!!) but it now has pockets.

The patterns were designed by various TSG members. It was my first SAL, and did enjoy it very much, except for the deadline -) we all used our own colours which made it quite special.

Found some lovely Mermaid scrimshaws, am a scrimshaw collector (obsession!!) The brass ship at the top comes from VV Rouleaux in London which we ( Britta & Sandra & me) visited last week, fantastic shop and the Lunch was great too (4hours!!)

A Colonial Coverlet

My latest finish is this Colonial Coverlet by The Heart's Content "Splendor VI" stitched over 1 on 30ct Creek Red Brown with Soie d'Alger Eggplant. A lovely project to stitch. 2008 is when I started this, but I was not prepared to frog it for 2010, so it's recorded here!

I might frame it in this one, but am not 100% sure and will keep looking, otherwise it might become a pinkeep. Of course I am still looking for the one Maureen used! where do designers find them :-))

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, always a joy to read and have now over 100 followers! Thank you all, it makes me very happy to receive your approval -))

Have a wonderful August, raining for now :( (but the grass needs it).

Holiday Pictures and a Finish

2010-07-12T13:54:00.002+01:00

We spend our holiday in The Cotswolds this year (near home), it was so hot we decided to give the old vintage motorbikes a ride. Paul organised a vintage rally in the weekend of the 2nd at the Cotswold Farm Park, and the rest of the week became our touring holiday.
I did not go with the riders some days so I visited Snowshill Manor near Stow on the Wold and can recommend it! Absolutely gorgeous garden and the house is crammed full of quirky antiqes.

The Stumpwork Casket is quite small and behind glass but managed to capture it well. The sampler is just gorgeous, there were only about 7 samplers.

On Thursday Jenny took me in her BSA 1930 "Basil" to Highnam Court Gardens, the gardens are not open to the public and by appointment only, all proceeds go to Charity.

We had such wonderful weather, 28 degrees Celsius (hot for the UK!) so time to assemble my Folk Art Sewing Roll and finished it on the 6th July.

Her Needful Things by Hillside Samplings

Hand painted by Liberty Hill and Folk Art Sewing Roll.

My collection of Liberty Hill

Thank you Linda for the lovely bag, it is so tiny and cute with a cottage button inside.

Thank you all so much for the b'day wishes, cards and your wonderful comments :-))) May the sun shine where you are too!!

Presents and an Update

2010-06-29T13:03:00.000+01:00

It has been a while and I have something to show you. Saturday we got together at Marjan's house with the Sampler Guild. The weather was glorious and we managed to sit in the garden and stitch.

It is not my birthday until next Sunday but Britta and Carol surprised me with lovely gifts.

Britta made me a Stacy Nash roll, it is an on-line class and just adorable and all stitched over one! my favorite if someone else stitches it LOL. Isn't it lovely when your friends stitch you a treasure!!

The Cherub's back, and the SN needleroll rolled up.

The Stacy Nash Needle roll, it is only 6" x 2.5"!!

The back,when it is rolled up is 2", gorgeous fabric too and primitive stitches all around, the string has got 2 rusty bells at the end.

Here you can see how small it is, compared to the original one which is Britta's which is also over one!

Carol's cherub, stitched on pink over-dyed linen, I was so excited, forgot to ask Carol which linen she used.
It has got a little bell on the side, cute!

Have you seen Sarah Harris SAL on Needleprint's website? well I could not resist doing this one, I have got so many Quaker patterns in my stash but never stitched one. It's a good idea to finally get rid of a lot of DMC threads which I hardly use now. I will update here as well as the Sarah Harris SAL blog, you can click on the sampler in the sidebar to see everyone's progress as well.

This is the beginning and I will not be using the very bright colours, but substitute them as I go along.

An update also on my Hillside Samplings Folk art sewing roll which I started last year, it's nearly finished apart from the sheep, and will do that on my holiday which starts Thursday for about 10 days.

Thank you so much for leaving your comments on my last post, it might be the way I write English!!, but I did not stitch the mini sampler!! So sorry if I mislead you and it was not my intention to do so.

A little bit of Needlework & Wildlife

2010-06-09T21:09:00.006+01:00

This is a pattern from Threads Through Time, it is embroidered over 1 on 50 count?? I don't know really, but this material is quite thin and used for covering mount board. I bought this sampler a couple of years ago from Kunst & Vliegwerk, you don't think I did this do you!!, 50 count over 1 :)LOL It would not be kind to my eyes.
I made one for my friend Britta though on 32/35 count linen in January.

It fitted perfectly in this frame which I had in my stash.

Have a look at Siobhan's blog, she has made the above BBD stunning!!

I just had to show you this cub, he/she has 4 siblings but I did not manage to capture them together. but they played for quite some time in my very wild garden which has now been attended too.

the brothers/sisters

These Gloucester Old (young for now) Spot's are my neighbours, and could not resist showing them off, I am sure they are up to no good, Girls you see :-))

A Bluebird for my niece in The Netherlands, another birthday Sandra!! but don't worry yet you are still a spring chicken :-))) Enjoy the Ruskin Lace book & CD, (no not Russian!!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANDRA B

Last month I ordered this book & CD from Elizabeth Prickett about her works on Ruskin Lace. Unfortunately Elizabeth passed away a couple of days later, so very sad. The book and CD are a wonderful legacy she has left to us needleworkers. I can recommend it and is also for beginners with the step by step instructions.

Enjoy the Ruskin Lace book & CD Sandra, (no not Russian!! LOL)

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments, makes me Smile always!!

14 Fluffballs, Present, and a Book of Days

2010-05-29T15:59:00.001+01:00

Thank you all so very much for the lovely comments on my last post, yes Carol your Stitch & Bitch group are great girls and we did have a good time. My first workshop on a sampler in the late 90's was with Lyn, and I had the pleasure meeting her again. Thanks also for the idea of shipping these walnut shell's from the USA, have to put that in our group.

Yesterday my pheasant showed us her 14 fluffy chicks, and she is now roaming our garden which is quite overgrown here and there, an absolute delight to witness this.

They must have hatched a short while ago yesterday, I could pick some of them up to help them along on our steps and walls because they were very wobbly on their little feet, today they run around like professionals.

A couple of weeks ago Michele from USA send me this tiny beekeep pin, it is so tiny and cute, thank you so much Michele xoxo.

Some years ago I attended a retreat with the Sampler Guild, and we made this Book of Days designed by Katie Trendell, It was a pleasure to stitch but quite complicated to finish it. Katie gave us a special day for finishing this at a member's house.

Tom Fool's tree is situated in the Muncaster Castle grounds, where the retreat was held, and Katie based her design on the tree.

I keep my treasures from friends in here, it has quite a few pages.

The back which has a pocket under the flap for a notebook or secrets!.

Stacy Nash for Lin, a belated birthday present.

Stitching In The Barn with Jackie du Plessis

2010-05-17T13:52:00.003+01:00

Apologies for not always leaving comments on your blog's but have been very busy with visitors, a very big thank you for leaving inspiring comments on my last post.

Finally Finished, that is what I have been stitching in the past few weeks (and no time to post).
Last Thursday I went to Deddington in Oxfordshire to meet up with my fellow stitching friends to do the workshops at "Stitching in the Barn".
We all had dinner in the hotel that evening (fantastic food), it was lovely to meet old & new friends. My jaw still hurts!! we laughed so much. Jackie joined us for dinner and it was great to meet her. She is an outstanding teacher and a lovely person.
Thank you Jackie for making us welcome in your workshops, which I did understand, even though they are quite complicated!! and look forward to the next time :-))

Jackie teaching the Queen's Crown

On Friday morning Jackie presented a surprise workshop which we signed up for, a Queen's Crown needle case, just gorgeous and has scrimshaws inside. The instructions were very well presented because I understood it all, which is a first for me!!
Because we did get this kit in class on the day, there was no pre-stitching.

Queen's Crown Class

We had the opportunity to buy the little accessories kit which accompanies the project. When I saw it finished, well we just have to have it :--))

In the afternoon we proceeded to learn how to assemble the Treasures of Comfort needle book, and I did finish the stitching apart from the personalisation. The instructions were very clear and in the finishing kit there are plenty of photo's to finish it.

The basket is stunning and accompanies the needle book, it is a separate item and have to figure out how to do this by myself, help help!! Does not look to difficult though, and must make time for that and leave the housework for another day.

Sandra, Grace and Linda presented us with a wonderful goodie bag on Friday;

A threadwinder from Jackie, a lovely needle book which was made by Janet and Heather, and a pad for making notes.

Thank you so much Grace and Sandra for all the hard work, the lunches were superb, we were impressed with the organisation and perfect setting at "Stitching in the Barn".

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Friday evening was spend in a Pie Pub, and we all ate these lovely pies and a glass of Pinot Griggio (I will speak only for myself) which was splendid and good company, Mary you should be an actress really! and lots of giggles in our room later with treasured friends, have you recovered Carol!!! :-))

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Saturday the Briar Rose workshop, we had a whole day for that, but you know how it goes, need many more days for that to finish it. Yesterday I stitched the silk ribbon on the rim. I did managed to do a bit of stitching by machine and finished the silk lining in class.

I did get all the scrimshaws which will be put on the pieces and under the ribbon. In the middle is a scrimshaw which Jackie included in this project. The loose pieces will have to be machine stitched and have to get the thread before I can finish those.

We met lovely ladies from the USA, Mary Sharon & Connie (nice to meet up again Connie) thank you so much for the lovely presents you gave us.

A silk strawberry, wooden gauge and a quarter dime, they will always remind me of you. You have been so wonderful and made me laugh a lot, hope to see you again soon.

Wishing you all a great week in London and Paris, I am sure it will be a good holiday.

Finishes and Nearly Finishes

2010-04-22T13:08:00.002+01:00

Thanks for the lovely comments on Bluebird, it is so appreciated, gives me always a push to stitch.When I saw the tutorial on Mylene's blog (thank you!!), the urge was there to finish the Thread Keep (BBD loose feathers 38) as an Ornament with beads and filled with Lavender. I was certainly not making a hole in my work which , knowing myself, I would just spoil it and there be holes all over it. I can recommend the Honeysuckle Manor book, it is full of wonderful stitchings.

Souvenir stitched in February and finished last weekend. I shelled all the walnuts we had in the house and then the problem arrised, how on earth could I make these shells small. I put them in a plastic bag and run it over with the garden roller which was hidden in the stable, and is now a feature in my backyard. If anyone knows where you can buy walnut shells I would love to know, in the UK the petshops do not sell it.
Anyway it does the trick and I filled it half with shells and half lavender and there is some weight to it.

The Threads of Time diary is just gorgeous, go get it!!

Garden Roller, Walnut Shell Killer.

Have also finished Briar Rose by JduPlessis project for the class in May, actually it was not too bad stitching this over one, once I got going there was no stopping (and pigs might fly).

The Treasures of Comfort is a lovely project but to my horror also over 1, the thread is the same colour as the linen, but have done 5 blocks and do this during the day with a magnifier, am sure once it is finished it will be lovely. Hope to show you the outcome in May.

Bluebird

2010-04-14T21:09:00.005+01:00

Have not been blogging for a while, but have read all yours LOL. The garden needed long overdue attention & care. The birds are making nests under our roof and thought I make Britta a Bluebird ornament for her April birthday. The sampler ornament with thread ring is by The Sampler House. The linen "Selkie" is hand dyed and available from TSG by Katie Trendell.

I also knew for a long time that she wanted an 'aide-mémoire'., and guess what, I found one with angels, just up her street, Britta is a vivid angel collector. It's from around 1910 and Art Nouveau, the back is stunning too. It was used on a chatelaine for writing notes.

The background material is from Moda Blackbird Designs "Garden Party"

The back of Bluebird

Stacy Nash Trio for Lynette's Big Birthday in Australia

2010-03-21T12:50:00.000Z

Last year Britta, Catherine and myself made a pact to each stitch a Stacy Nash project for Lynette's birthday, and today she send me an email that she received her parcel. Glad you love it Lyn, we loved making it for you (and you nearly did not get it!!) LOL.

The heart was made by me on 32/35 count uneven linen.

The needleroll was made by Britta who gave her permission to show it here, now start that blog soon girl!!

Britta's needleroll is exquisite, 40 count linen and absolutely gorgeous. It is very small and she put string on the top so it can be rolled up.

I will only show you the back of Catherine's bag, it will be seen on her picturetrail soon, it would be very unfair if I show her beautiful work on my blog, don't you just love the fabric! and you will love the front even more!!

We had such a lovely time making these smalls and a great idea for a stitchalong.

Have a fantastic day next week Lynette and we will raise a glass to your health, Big Hugs for you and Ron.

Thank you all so much for leaving the wonderful comment's, it is so inspiring. My blog is one year old this month and I never realised that it would give me so much pleasure to show my needlework and look at yours, it's a very pleasant pass time when I am not stitching :-))

Souvenir from a Friend in Paris

2010-03-13T14:47:00.002Z

A lovely present fell in my postbox today made by Catherine , it is gorgeous mon amie, I treasure your wonderfully stitched wallet, it is stitched over one with old rose colour thread, the black cartouche is printed on the linen, so original.

The linen where the wallet is lying on is Gander linen and 50 count or thereabouts, I will have to get my magnifier out!! it is so fine, but feels gorgeous. She also send me natural Gander linen too, I feel so terribly spoiled, Thank you Catherine.

Workshop Project

2010-03-10T13:39:00.005Z

Firstly I would like to thank you all who have left such lovely comments on my blog, very much appreciated and always love it that you like it.
In May we are of to Oxfordshire for a workshop with Jackie du Plessis, and I am looking forward to that. The only drawback for me is that this wonderful Briar Rose Etui is stitched completely over one and 9 flowers to go!! It's not my favourite stitch, but I am sure it will be gorgeous when finished. I have also chosen to do the Treasures of Comfort needle book, have a look on Jackie's website for this exquisite project and others, drool drool.

Since I started stitching over one, I looked at my Coverlet wip which I started last year, and now my eyes are beginning to get used to it, it's a good time to finish this over one too. It will have to be a finishing year, there are a lot of unfinished projects in my basket and when I looked at them this week I felt so ashamed of myself, no disgusted really!!!

Have been ironing and rolling my linen's last week, sorted them all by threadcount, made labels of the size too, it was a lovely day's work really (while watching David Dimbleby's Seven ages of Britain) , the creases hopefully come out over time, although I read that if a crease is persistent it might be damaged and you have to live with it. I have not tried yet to put linen in the freezer which should be a solution for gettting the creases out, so I am told.

This is a selection of my linen, I did not dare to show you all the linen I have collected over the years, but hopefully there are some Kindred Spirits out there with the same problem LOL.

When will Spring arrive!! It has been so miserable in February and the start of March is much the same, but the Snowdrops seem to love it.

Visiting Sajou in Versailles

2010-02-24T18:42:00.006Z

We got a fantastic welcome from Carolyn and Frederique (owner of Sajou), and our eyes did not know where to look first. A big thank you for the warm welcome, you all made our day.

The Sajou booklets are lovely and here you can see how to embroider them yourself.

Everything was displayed so lovely, the cataloque is a must and collectable too.

We did some shopping as well, no surprise there, I purchased a 6 drawer cabinet and some haberdashery to fill the drawers.

Threads, thread winders, ribbons, I have got my own little shop now LOL. (please note : not all the stash was bought on 1 day!!)

Linen teatowel, the New Red books and a Boite A Couture which I bought last year. The Sajou knife is just gorgeous, a cornflower motif.

After all the shopping I needed a nap, so Chris & Sandra dropped me of at my booth which was well equipped LOL.

Belated Christmas Present

2010-02-21T18:26:00.000Z

Gorgeous Angel ornament, Wooden Acorn and Cinnamon candle, a lovely surprise before we set out to Paris from my friend Britta. Love it!!!

Of course beautifully stitched, the beads stitched on the outside are just gorgeous. One day I hope she will start her own Blog and shows all her wonderful stitched needlework.

Paris Stash

2010-02-19T19:08:00.004Z

Thank you so much for the previous comments, and blogger is still hit & miss so will have to be very quick LOL.
Here is part of what I bought in the show, there are also some Flea market finds and I just wish how to put names on the pictures itself to point them out. Have to do a course on that :-))) You must have seen Tempus Fugit's photo's? cannot do a link at the moment but who is not familiar with TF :-))

The long thread holders are old, a used and unused one, and when you unscrew them and there is a lethal bit of iron on the wood with a very sharp point to put holes in your work.

The red check fabric is linen and will be lovely to stitch on.

Atalie Threads, some flannel for the Stacy Nash projects, Cotton fat Q's with cherubs and stripes, I saw so many lovely ideas on this show forthese materials, you really need a couple of days to see it all.

The scissor man was there as well, I never saw the company name, and will have to find out who it is because they are fantastic so I can tell you. These scissors are made from old examples and very sharp.
The red & cream fabric is made from linen and was used for old teatowels, Britta and me halved the bale and got 4 meter's each, we got the price right down by hard bargaining a must on the Vanves market LOL.

A fabric covered box which Britta pointed out to me, I collect them (if I can find them that is) and this one comes from Gallery Lafayette, would have loved to know what was in this box, maybe many chocolates !!! The picture on the top is made from paper. A great find.

The small box is covered in silk and in splendid condition, small and inside there is an inscripton "Parfumerie Molinard Jeune Grasse", but when?? would love to know the date of these boxes.

Very small photoframe's, and I did bargain hard for these little treasures.

The Flea market is called Vanves and the Metro Porte de Vanves no: 13, it is my lucky number!!!

Souvenir de Paris

2010-02-18T21:01:00.000Z

We had a wonderful time in Paris, and I made my friends a little souvenir de France, the Eiffel taken from BBD Souvenir de France. The labels were a wonderful find and I glued the Eiffel on the back.

Will show some more pictures of the Stash and Flea market finds when Blogger or my PC behave.

At the moment I have a lot of problems with Blogger, and it is pot luck I could do this upload, any others having the same problem??

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-07T16:09:00.003Z

This A&E is part of a sampler from the Celle Museum, this pattern was in one of there yearly dairy's, but the good news is that Permin has charted this sampler.

The sampler was quite large, I got cold feet and stopped when this section was done.

Started in 2000 and finished in 2007, (I did a lot of gardening in between)!!

The peacock heart was made by my friend Lyn in AU.

The heart buttons are ceramic and I found them in the V&A.

Don't you just love Hearts, I do and got all mine together in a little display to remind my loved one of Valentine's day :-)) but I know that he will not forget......

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, whilst I shall celebrate the day with my stitching friends in Paris at the l'Aiguille en Fete or some wonderful Fleamarket.

Now how romantic is that Paul said......

Gathering Acorns

2010-01-20T12:43:00.002Z

Last night Britta spurred me on (she gave me the kit in 2008!!) to finish this Acorn by "With Thy Needle & Thread". I finished the stitching last autumn 2009 and only the finishing needed to be done, I admit to being a bit slow in finishing, but here it is. Stitched on 22 ct Fine?? Ariosa over 1.
It is quite large and after spraying it with Extremely Distressed it looked so much nicer than white (my dh thought it was scorched on the range when it lay there to dry LOL)

The card is by Textile Heritage and made that a long time ago, the silver acorns & squirrel were gathered by me.
The background sampler fabric is by Windham Fabrics: "Williamsburg presents the Sampler Collection".

Backing fabric is Civil War c 1860 by Nancy Gere

l'Aiguille-en-fete, Paris 11th - 14th February 2010

2010-01-19T15:59:00.003Z

Joke Visser will be exhibiting her collection of "Souvenirs de ma Jeunesse" at the l'Aiguille en Fete in Paris. Joke is renowned in The Netherlands for her collection of Samplers and her book "Merklappen uit de lage landen"
This "Souvenir" is from Joke's collection, and was made by Anna van Vollenhoven in the first quarter of the 19th Century. A member of Anna's family is married to Prinses Margriet, a sister of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.

If you are at the l'Aiguille-en-fete in Paris, Joke would be delighted to meet you and explain the history of these beautiful Souvenirs.
Another one is here

The Prairie Sampler "Hornbook"

2010-01-11T17:16:00.001Z

Stitched on 30 count over 1 on Belle Soie Silk colour Noir. A lovely project which my friend gave me as a birthday present in 2007, and only now finished it, slap slap.
The finishing on the Hornbook itself was quite easy, just glue it on the wood, the sides are finished with nunstitch and I ironed a piece of interfacing on the back of the linen.
Even you can do it Siobhan & Terri :-))) finishing is easy peasy.

Would love to extend my collection of Hornbooks now and have to see what I stitch on the empty one, I did look in this little booklet, but that means that I have to design it myself, yes I am lazy, but might give it a try.
The linen in the background is Selkie 36 count by An Elne of Lynnyn.

Hornbook update and a Beauty in the snow

2010-01-08T12:31:00.003Z

Slow progress, it is over 1 and must do this during the daytime.

This morning my "Boy" visited our garden, I am glad that the penstemon's gave hime some pleasure, I can always buy new ones and there can't be much to eat at the moment. I do leave carrots out as well for the deer, but saw a beautiful fox eating them, well that is ok too :-)))

A Big snowman in our village

Here come the giiiiirls in the snow & a WIP

2010-01-06T14:43:00.002Z

The Prairie Sampler Hornbook

I started this last year and lost the thread, but found it and hope to finish it this week.
I am stitching this with Belle Soie silk Noir & white for the flowerpots (saw this on Vero's Blog),

Lovely all this snow but not for my girl pheasants, and I just have to look after them.

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T16:20:00.005Z

And see the deer hiding behind the tree :-)))

They do make me smile, and I just wonder if he will eat the carrots...

Just taken this picture, and we got home in time before the snow really started, also had to leave the car on the top of the hill and we had to carry our shopping sliding of the hill LOL. We will now be snowed in again for a while, but the freezer is full and the fire is roaring, so we are ok. Must get a sledge soon :-)))

Managed to finish this ornament on New Years Eve, and found a stand last Saturday in the Sale to show it off.

A present from Lyn in Australia, a lovely "Beach House" needle holder, chocolates (nearly gone!!) and a desk dairy, Thank you so very much Lyn.

Ending 2009 with Stacy Nash

2009-12-28T13:15:00.002Z

Seek Joy and the Peacock cushion by Stacy Nash were made over Christmas, we had a very quite one and with a mince pie, hot chocolate, woodfire burning, I just had to finish these since the weather was not on our side, icy roads and our hill is lethal to drive, we had frost every night on top of the snow.
The little squirrel was made in 2006 by Katie of an Elne of Lynnyn.
The Perpetual Diary by Needleprint was a must for me, such lovely pictures and will be used by me next year to record my stitching projects, I might need 2!! LOL. Jacqueline has started something big in the Needleworld with her Blog, and may that last a long time J!!

My sincere thanks go out to my Followers, Friends and You who left wonderful comments on my blog, I was completely bowled over by that, Thank You Very Much Fellow Stitcher's :-))).
Wishing you all a Healthy, Prosperous and Stitching 2010 and look forward to looking at your Blog's too.

Happy Boxing Day

2009-12-26T11:56:00.004Z

Isn't this a lovely Christmas Present!! I do love Sajou, and will probably visit the shop in Versailles in February when the l'Aguille-en-fete exhibition is on. Love to Stitch got them too!!

The pheasant girls (pluckette's) finally found us again, had not seen them for a month but the weather has been so good up to now and did not need us at all, except for Christmas time of course.

The post did arrive this week, she braved the ice on our single track road which is quite steep, A big thank you to Nikki.

Christmas Pillow

2009-12-24T15:11:00.000Z

This is a design by Thread Through Time, I just used an overdyed colour instead, and used "Distress It Extreme" but doesn't look very dark though. The linen is 32/35 count.

A few ornaments from the present & past

2009-12-20T14:58:00.005Z

Stacy Nash ornament(Goode Tidings), I put a rust colour wool on the back and the finishing was (to my surprise) very easy to stitch. Am stitching a cushion Seek Joy in all Things at the moment and hope to finish it before Christmas, so watch this space.

Found these frames for my hearts last week, a perfect fit.

The Biscornu was made by Britta, A little Ackworth gift 2006 was this trinket in the middle made by Margaret (exquisite), A British cushion, made by myself (a long time ago on aida and seems to be all the rage at the moment(not aida!!), so glad I kept it) LOL, the Journal was beautifully made by Liliane, a mermaid pocket I did in a CA Wells class in 2005 and a little angel by Sandra.

Early Christmas Angels and First Colony Tombstone Cupboard

2009-12-15T14:13:00.003Z

Last Saturday I got some early Christmas Presents and I am over the moon -)) My friend Britta spoiled me with this Liberty Hill Cupboard, I never took much notice of this one, because I am not a fan of Haloween, but when I saw this, it took my breath away, Britta had to pick me up from the floor LOL.Thanks Mate :-))

Carol surprised me with the wax angel which she managed to get from the USA, although she told me that the lady was at first not prepared to send this to the UK, but she persevered, Thank you Carol -)))

The embroidered Angel was made by my niece, Thank you Sandra!! We found a couple of angels at Islington Antique Market in London last October and I could not resist them, they are old Christmas decorations.

Present for a Friend in France

2009-12-09T19:03:00.001Z

Have not Blog'd for a while, have been very busy making some ornaments for Chrismas to give to friends and will show them soon.
I have also been in Holland to see my friends and family, have visited some lovely needlework & patchwork shops in Amsterdam more on that later:-))
We (my friends) went to the Munster & Osnabruck christmas markets, but no needlework, only gluhwein LOL. But I managed to walk 20 km, the antibiotics spurred me on with annoying cold.

I made this pinkeep for Catherine's birthday and included the wonderfully made accessories by Tanya.

Catherine is an accomplished needleworker, you might like to have a look at her pictures.

A Scottish Sampler anno 1758

2009-11-05T12:03:00.001Z

Yesterday I went to the Witney Sampler Exhibition with my stitching friends, the exhibition is wonderful and I could not resist this little Scottish Sampler made by Barbara Hill in 1758.

The letters are just gorgeous and remind me of Dutch letters on Frisian samplers. It is my oldest sampler to date now.

We had a lovely day out and Joy made us very welcome, the samplers in her shop are breathtaking, worth a visit if you are in the area.

Toile Box & Hillside Samplings Hornbook

2009-10-24T15:37:00.005+01:00

Finished this hornbook in 2007, found it today in my not so organised stash and attached it on the Liberty Hill Hornbook

The Toile box was made for me by Boxes & Books, covered with toile fabric and the inside is paper covered, I adore it and will be filled soon with my needlework stash.

Hunting Scene Buttons

2009-10-23T11:38:00.006+01:00

The Stag is my favorite

The Hunter

Earlier this year I was in Paris for the l'aguille en fete and found these buttons on a fleamarket, they depict a hunting scene, the man who sold them to me thought they were made in the 18th C, but if anyone knows otherwise......

Angel Pinkeep

2009-10-19T17:12:00.004+01:00

A lovely pinkeep made by Britta and a large wooden? angel head with candle on top, hope I don't burn it :-o))) Thank you my friend.

Souvenir de ma Jeunesse by P v S Anno 1887

2009-10-16T13:49:00.012+01:00

A Pattern book on how to make a Souvenir de ma Jeunesse, given to me by Erica Uten who wrote Tokens of Love, how to knit Quaker Pinballs. Another wonderful project, I have to show you on my blog in the near future.
The Souvenir book was produced in 1976 in Holland by Ariadne and now out of print, I was very grateful to Erica when she send me this out of the blue :-))) having searched for it over the last 20 years.

Detail of Darning

This exemplar comes from the Netherlands, I bought it in the early 90's on a Dutch antique market in The Hague.
Not narrow as they normally are, but 2 pieces attached with a beautiful band of lace, also on all sides lace in different patterns.

Forget me not in stitches ornament

2009-10-01T22:06:00.011+01:00

A better view of the ornament

Ornament made for Kirsten's birthday, my neighbour who moved to the nearby town a year ago.

It is based on a scissors fob designed by Lauren Sauer of Forget me not in Stitches with whom I have done a few workshops "The Album" which is featured in Sampler & Antique needlework and A Book of Beries.

Tagged by Nataliejo

2009-09-24T18:45:00.007+01:00

I have been tagged by in JULY, by Nataliejo I must have had a "senior moment" and my sincere apologies for this late reply, so here are my 6 (some bad) habits and things I like.

1. Looking at Blogs a lot, including yours, whilst I have other pressing matters to attend to.

2. Stitching and looking at how much I still have to do in the next 100 years.

3. Yes lip balm is also my favorite , Eve's Kiss by Rituals very greasy and does the job.

4. Have finished the downstairs painting, but when you start it never seems to stop.

5. Observing my wildlife, they make me smile everyday.

6. Tackling the Infinity patterns from Needleprint Blog on the JG software.

Have a look at Nataliejo's blog, the latest on the Alsace Quilt show is shown.

Shopping in The Netherlands

2009-09-17T12:50:00.006+01:00

These books are newly published by Museum voor de Naaldkunst en are beautiful, although it is entirely in Dutch, you might like this book just to view these "Souvenir de ma Jeunesse" needlerolls. The redwork sampler book is also lovely, only short captions in Dutch under each picture, and there are many to look at. Email the museum for more information.
The mugs are from Kunst & Vliegwerk and a free chart is included, which Lonneke designed herself, they are lovely.

Made for a special Friend

Last year's boy, his brother is nowhere to be seen, such a shame

This year another twin was born, looks like a girl & boy so far

BBD made into lavender pillows

2009-09-09T20:21:00.008+01:00

For Atie

For Sandra (my niece)

For Mech

The BBD pins & needles made into a lavender ornaments, and stitched with Gloriana.

Coverlet Fabric covered Journal

2009-08-23T23:49:00.006+01:00

A lovely present from Lili, beautifully presented with a lace ribbon, thank you friend.

For Pins & Needles

2009-08-12T18:18:00.005+01:00

A few ornaments for friends, whom I met up with in London last weekend, it was wonderful to see everyone again.

More Presents

2009-07-21T10:42:00.014+01:00

Flea Market Souvenir stitched from l-r by Catherine, Britta and Lyn in AU.
Thank you so much my friends for stitching this for me, it will be treasured always :-))

The Back

Cyril the diamond squirrel

A beautiful Squirrel from Catherine, je t'adore mon amie, merci beaucoup.
Such lovely memories when we were at Agatha's in Paris and hope to do this in 2010.

Handpainted set, just gorgeous Britta :-)) I do love it.
Made by The Scarlett House

To hang my ornaments on, look at the lovely vintage heart, you do spoil me Britta, thank you.

Gorgeous Scissors Fob

2009-07-20T18:17:00.004+01:00

Received this from Carol last Saturday, don't you think it is just gorgeous. I had to put my Gingher scissors on this straight away. Thank you so much Carol.
It is made by Lesa Steele designs from the Happy Birthday collection.

Presents from my Friends

2009-07-19T09:06:00.007+01:00

Yesterday I received my birthday presents from Britta, Catherine and Lyn and I was very touched, they made a gorgeous pillow for me which will be treasured forever. The design is by BBD, Fleamarket souvenir. Britta put it with the rest of my presents from the girls in a large box with baloons and I felt like a little girl in a candy shop. Thank you my dear Friends for this lovely surprise :-))
I will make separate pictures of them later.

Button Bag and Reproduction Sampler

2009-07-14T13:29:00.006+01:00

Just loved making this little sampler, from an old pattern published in 1971 by Ariadne (Dutch Magazine now OOP) anno 1788 and reproduced in 1993.

Have started the Button Bag by Erica Michaels , a present from Liliane & Erica and found the perfect match for lining it with Dandelion Girl (Fig Tree quilts by Moda). I also found a MOP heart in the same colour (the heart is a bit lighter in this picture).

Sew & Sew

2009-07-08T14:13:00.007+01:00

A present arrived in the post this morning from Lynette in Australia. A gorgeous box with over dyed Silk by Gumnut yans, Clover needlework tools, Silk ribbon and MOP trimming. Thank you dear Friend, it was so nice to have a chat again.

A Wonderful 4th July

2009-07-05T11:39:00.019+01:00

A lovely present from Linda (see BBD book My heart is true) beautifully stitched with lavender inside which smells wonderful. Thanks Lin xx

the back

A pinkeep from Linda, how did you know I like these??

The garden Menagarie box from Sandra as well, you have spoiled me, it is so unusual this box and on the back of the charts are lovely pictures too.

A beautiful felted bag from Sandra, truly gorgeous and will hang in my house to admire for all, Thank you Sandra xxx

Acorns from Laura, a lovely Thimble case and needle bowl (well that is what I will use it for) it is beautifully made. Thank you Laura xxx Shall we start a KF project soon LOL.

The secrets......are inside :-))

Gorgeous don't you think, Thank you Sandra B xxx

This Chinese folder was made by my niece for me, it is exquisite and has 15 compartments. Sandra made this in a workshop (scroll down a bit) in The Netherlands, it's a Chinese Garenboekje (Chinese Threadbook). It is measured, folded and pasted, most unusual. I have also found out that this project is available at The Pilgrim Stitcher's in Winchester as a class and is called a Dong Folded Book in English.

My niece Sandra B has send me this for my birthday yesterday, Kaffe Fasstett's Country Garden Quilts, it's a wonderful book, with 20 projects all very colourful and cannot wait to make one soon. Thank you xxx.

Jacqueline of Needleprint met KF yesterday at the Macclesfield museum, lucky girl!! Thank you for your kind wishes J.

Hillside Samplings

2009-06-28T12:14:00.007+01:00

This project has been in my stash for 3 years now and time to make a start, it is very easy to stitch and of course in the garden now summer has descended upon us.
The thread board's and Wall hanging "for needful things" are by Liberty Hill.

Vintage Collarboxes & Basket

2009-06-16T15:14:00.004+01:00

Found 2 of the collar boxes (for my buttons) in a vintage shop, such a lucky find and the Longaberger basket in a charity shop in Cheltenham.

All about Angels & Pinkeeps

2009-06-16T14:30:00.011+01:00

The brown angel is made of wax and smells of cinnamon.

Angel Presents

My ML made by "TB" and presented at Ackworth 2008, love your dogs B.

Angel pinkeep from my friend "TB" for last year's birthday, and beautifully made, when do you start your own blog and show of your work B, lol.

Gutermann's Nahseide cabinet

2009-06-16T14:26:00.003+01:00

My Gutermann's, a present from my DH 20 years ago in Amsterdam, the top draw is filled with ribbons and the bottom with MOP threadwinders and buttons. I cannot show you the threads because it is chaos in there and I am ashamed!!

Mary Little for "the bollers"

2009-06-12T12:31:00.004+01:00

Made this one for my friend, who made this little ornament 4 times for us, so it is her turn now.
I filled it with lavender. Could not find my MOP buttons, so these had to do I'm afraid.

My Treasures

2009-06-11T23:15:00.003+01:00

And here it is filled with my collectables.

Have been painting walls and doors so everything was in boxes and still is, but could not wait to fill this display unit, even though it is not completely restored. I believe it is the top of a much larger cabinet and I was very lucky to find it in someone's garage.

Active Rider's Section

2009-06-11T23:00:00.005+01:00

We have been away on a motorcycle event, and this weekend my dh is hosting a navigational rally in the Cotswolds for vintage motorcycles and hope that the weather is fantastic because I am helping him with I don't know what yet.
I embroidered this design 14 times for these very active members, they were delighted and so was I when they were finished.

A Lavender Pillow

2009-05-22T16:18:00.003+01:00

Made for Sue at the Muncaster Retreat in March, the design is from TGOS, I have used different colours and put tiny buttons on the flowers in the tree.

Schoolsampler?

2009-05-12T22:56:00.004+01:00

Made by "Sellna Heward 1857". I found this sampler at our local antique market some years ago, am still pondering how to get the nails out the sides without damaging the sampler. Is her first name English or did she make a mistake? I do not regognise the name at all, do you?

Toile de Jouy Handmade Boxes

2009-05-10T13:08:00.020+01:00

Made for me by Boxes & Books
Wonderful examplar's don't you think, very pink and I do have a few friends who did like'd these as presents. The finish is exquisite and very professional.

Deer & Co

2009-05-08T17:37:00.002+01:00

Blackbird Designs

2009-05-04T14:07:00.002+01:00

Well this hemstitching took me a while, longer in fact than stitching the sampler.

Marken Sampler 1988

2009-05-01T22:50:00.003+01:00

A Dutch Marken sampler designed by Joke Visser, who is an expert in Dutch samplers. Joke wrote a book on samplers in 1994 " Merklappen uit de lage landen ".

Button Button

2009-05-01T21:06:00.006+01:00

Thank you Erica & Liliane. This lovely present arrived in my postbox today from Belgium. I found some pear green linen I just might stitch this on, what do you think?
Did you know I am a "basket case" just love them and will now have to find one like this one too....

A present for Lyn

2009-05-01T20:39:00.007+01:00

Happy Birthday Lyn, and glad you got some rain at last "Down Under"

Thank you Katie

2009-04-29T15:44:00.010+01:00

Made by Katie Trendell of "an Elne of Lynnyn", it is so tiny, stitched on 50 count linen, I will treasure it always.