WHERE DID THE TIME GO ?

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.
Thomas Aquinas

 So much to catch up on, its almost a month since my last post. With the cooler days I must admit to spending more time by the fire than here at the computer, and that has meant more stitching!

 Ann and Colleen two very good friends, made the long trek down to here and spent four days with me, the weather was wet and cold but who cares when you can sit and chat and stitch with friends. Ann and I worked on a special project still in the designing stages... little mouse travels. and as Ann had been the tutor for a Latvian workshop I had attended two years ago and my piece was still unfinished I asked her for a refresher course and here is the results I stitch this small coaster as a practise piece. 

 

 I have used it on my May Journal page for the Needlework Masters Monthly challenge. On each page I am trying to use a piece from the past, a newly stitch piece and of course another beetle, this time my piece from the past, is the mushroom was from a workshop many years ago and for my beetle I have used cord not metal threads.

 

 Next finished piece has been  a small white work cushion filled with Lavender for Stitching friends Challenge, this design was copies from an old piece of Italian Embroidery, a set of table mats the original was stitched in blue.

 

 

 Lastly IHSW has just been and yes I have been stitching firstly finishing my challenge piece for tonight's Guild challenge not photographed yet so will have to share that later, and more beetles, these are fun to stitch and I thought it could be fun to share some too. One is earmarked for a friend but the rest are give a ways, so please comment on which one you like best you never know it might just find its way to your home.

 

need a closer look ???

 

 

Look forward to reading your comments.

IN SEARCH OF AUTUMN





“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.”
Lee Maynard     

Oh,  there is that Autumn feel here in Stratford, the days are cooler and I am enjoying a fire in the evening but as yet there is not much show of the richness of Autumn, however last week I went across to Napier to visit my sister Joan and Denis and we went in search of Autumn's lovely glow.

We left Napier and drove north to Gisborne, the first day was quite damp but on the way up we managed to dodge the showers and stop for a walk in Holts Forrest. I had not known that the forest was there and we had a delightful walk  through the tall trees.

By the time we reached Gisborne the showers had cleared and although it was late in the day I could not resist a photo of Captain Cook's statue,  the light was all wrong  (and I knew I would not get back again)  however he makes a great silhouette

 

The second day we were blessed with fine mild weather and most of the day was spent at Eastwood Hills the National Arboretum which was the reason for our trip-    to visit there in search of autumn colours. As we walked round the paths there was truly the feel of Autumn

 

And although everyone told us the colours would peak in about a week we found plenty to enjoy as these photos can testify .

and I really did enjoy finding the little cyclamen growing in the grass under the trees. I have two large groups of these in my garden, they hold special memories for me of visits to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens with my mother and finding them growing in the rock gardens there. A holiday in Christchurch always meant a visit together to this part of the gardens. They are such tiny blooms compared with the larger house cyclamen we had in the florist shop where I worked. At Home here they are still in bloom.

 

 

The sun is shining this morning and I am off to enjoy its warmth. Have a happy Day

 

 

BEETLES

I found a little beetle; so that Beetle was his name,
And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same.
I put him in a match-box, and I kept him all the day ...

 

from 'Forgiven' by A.A. Milne.

 

 

Thinking of beetles I remembered A.A. Milne had written a poem about a beetle it was fun looking for it and reading it again brought back many memories.   It is in the book  Now we are six Do you know it? It goes on to say that nanny let the beetle out! Well I am sure my beetles are not going to run away. And in answer to emails about stitching the beetles, they can be found in a book too, Jane Nicholas' book of Beetles. Jane is an Australian tutor who frequently teaches in New Zealand and I have been fortunate some years ago to do some workshops with her, here is a link to Jane's web site she sells kits  for the beetles but you need the book for the instructions. The book is still in print.






.

As you can see I love stitching beetles, they really do not take very long and I can come up with a variety depending on the metal threads I have on hand, The coloured metal thread I frequently use is Cadi thread check by Colour Streams, I hope  to add to my collection of threads when I go to Napier next week as J J's stock it in small  packs a short length for $3.00 which allows me to buy several colours at a time.

 

 

The beetle heads are leather, and the lovely raised look is because the bodies are padded with felt first. For silver beetle below, the elytra (covering for the wings)  I have used passing thread to outline, Annette has sent me some of the new DMC memory thread and I am looking forward to using it for this part of the beetle. here I have filled with bright check chips.
 

 

  This beetle has detached wings  the wings and head have been made with layer fabric. Wings like these are another place where I think in future I will be able to use the memory thread and yes it comes in silver and gold as well as a wide range of colours, and these each match a DMC floss which is great for couching.

 

 

,......... and here is my favourite beetle. 

 

APRIL IS HERE

Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way.  Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be.

Marsha Petrie Sue

Yes here we are at the start of a new month, and it too is a new beginning.  Here is my journal page for April. I have used the  Deerfield Embroidery piece which I had shown earlier on my blog when I completed it,  I had chosen to stitch it because it went with the colouring of the canvas work piece I wanted to use. The canvas work is a piece from the past. I am trying to use one piece from the collection of sample pieces I have and stitching a new piece to go with it and also a different coloured beetle each time.

 

 

 

 

This time it is a little silver beetle 

 

 

 

I am stitching the pages for my Journal for the Needlework Masters Monthly SAL Challenge

Having made a Journal cover each month the challenge is to add a page showing two different embroidery techniques. It is great seeing what everyone who is taking part has done each month.

 If you have missed seeing everyone's pages to date the link is here Then click on the month at the top to take you to the pages. Now to decide what I will do on the next page.

 

 

EASTER GREETINGS

May this Easter be for all, a time to enjoy family

 and to know God's Blessings.

Happy Easter everyone

 



EASTER EGG DELIGHTS

A smile takes but a moment,

but it's effects somehow last forever.

J E Smith

 

 



I want to share with you some embroidery inspired by Faberge Eggs, our stitching friends latest challenge was to stitch an Easter Egg pocket in any method of stitching we wished and with the suggestion that inspiration could the lovely designs of  Faberge Easter Eggs.

 

 This lovely Egg shown here was the inspiration for the piece I made,  my design was a little simpler, using some lovely scraps of deep blue sari silk  with gold braid, gold cord  and gold rose beads I stitched  pink bullion stitch roses  with small sequin leaves to complete the design. I lined the pocket with gold tissue fabric and the finished pocket was  about 12cm in size. It has now been received by Joan.

 And the pocket I received in the exchange was made by Ann,  What a thrill to open her parcel and see the beautiful pocket she had made. My photograph does not do justice to the lovely deep colour of the fabric she has used. Ann made her pocket quite stiff which has made it  perfect for my slightly larger pair of embroidery scissors. I will now need to make  a new fob to go on my scissors, maybe a gold pansy to match the ltlle gold charm on the egg pocket.

 

And our next challenge is ? well nobody knows yet, but it will be something quite different.

Happy Stitching everyone.

 



WELCOME FRIENDS

Life's completeness and riches depend on the things we share with our loved ones and friends.

Helen Steiner Rice.

Welcome to new followers I notice there are several more since I celebrated 150 followers, welcome, I hope you find something in what I share on my blog to enjoy and use.

 I did not get to post for IHSW as there was almost a week with Internet problems, it was worse than snails pace and kept cutting out. I did manage a little stitching on the guild challenge this is to be ready by May so sorry there will be a wait till I can show this piece to you and in between times I have been stitching more little bunnies and also this little squirrel. I have put him on the front of a covered retractable tape measure.

Yesterdays stitching was a small piece of Deerfield embroidery, for  the next page of my journal. Some years ago I did research into this type of embroider.  This is truly an  American Embroidery, 

 

The early  British Colonists to Colonial America took with them their knowledge of Jacobean embroidery ( crewel work) Faced with a shortage of coloured threads one group in New England  adapted their work to stitch in 3 shades of blue. Blue was an easily attainable   using indigo dye. Depending on the number of repeated dips  would be how deep the colour would be. Later other colours were added. A revival of interest in the 1890’s saw this Blue and White  Embroidery  become better known and it is now stitched world wide. The story of this embroidery, of the dying of thread  and how long lost patterns were found is well worth reading and if you get the chance to read this book I highly recommend it.

Here is my small piece of  Deerfield embroidery, the stitches used were stem stitch,  herringbone stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch  Spike stitch (buttonhole Edge) and New England laid stitch. new England laid stitch ( also called Deerfield stitch) is a form of Romanian stitch and is one of the characteristics of Deerfield embroidery where the thrifty New England ladies devised a method of stitching Romanian stitch that was more economical in the use of their very precious threads.

Today is a new day and I will need to find a new project to stitch

Happy stitching everyone..