WEEK ENDS WORK

 Yes, the weekend was the third in the month and that means IHSW and I had a free weekend and able to stitch, last week I had started a new project this is how far I had stitched before friday.           The kit came with 14 count aida but I have chosen to stitch it on 40 count linen with one thread of floss. Pleased with the progress,  although not a lot to show for all the time spent stitching.

 

LOOK WHATS UNDER MY CHRISTMAS TREE

 

 Tabitha seems to think the tree was put up for her, she sleeps here at night and is often found there during the day specially when its wet and windy outside However under my small tree waiting for Christmas day is a lovely collection of parcels all from Annette of California Stitcher. Thank you Annette I have been spoilt.

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and Best Wishes to all for the holiday Season

TREES

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories 
and love of kindred, 

 and we are better throughout the year for having,  

in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. 

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

My trees are up, the first to be unpacked is this lovely one we have had for many years it needs no decorations and I think of its colours as being the night sky over Bethlehem.

 
My big tree is up with much the same decorations as in the past few years,  the touch of pink to blend it in with the room colours and the main decorations white birds reminding the  Christmas promise of peace.

 Some years ago we gave up having a Christmas tree as we had a cat who thought it had been put up for him to climb and the decorations were just toys.  Tabitha thinks differently about the tree when I get up in the morning I find her sleeping under the tree. ( waiting for her Christmas gift?)

 

  This year I added a new tree a table top tree which I plan to leave up all year and change the decorations form time to time. Caitlin and I took a visit to Santa's  choice Christmas shop last month, it was just wonderful and so much to see. and we came home with this small tree that I immediately  made it a bird tree, I will during the next year add more decorations.

the new ones we bought include a fantail and some tiny tom-tits along with another nest to add to my collection I also have Caitlin's choice of decoration tucked away for her Christmas gift.

  

 My small Table tree took a change of design today when I put my small angels on thr tree along with the glass birds I have had  for about 25 years and added a few other items to complete the display.

Yes I am already for Christmas just the family gifts to wrap. At the weekend we had a family gathering with Barryn  and Jackie came up from wellington and we had Family dinner at Jan's Saturday night. Sunday was the 2nd anniversary of Paul's funeral and would have been our 51st wedding anniversary, so I appreciated having all the family with me.

To all my blogging friends make you all enjoy the coming Christmas season with your families.

THOUGHTS FOR TODAY

Little things that help one to be strong

THIS ONE WILL BE MINE

Yes I am still  stitching decorations, Jan has requested three more and has brought me Christmas Cup cakes, reindeer and Teddy bears buttons., and this one I am stitching for myself.
however the reason for this quick posting is to let you know that in answered to requests I have posted how to make these decorations on my other blog    other side of the mountain-

IT SNOWBALLED !

How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. 

December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time

has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” 

 ― Dr. Seuss

It started with making two decorations for Annette's Candy and Gingerbread tree see her posting here (November 23rd. ) I had planned to make a decoration to put in her Christmas gift like the one I have made for the guild Christmas party exchange put when she told me about having a Candy and Gingerbread theme for her tree, my brain went into overdrive. Earlier in the year I had received from her some cute gingerbread buttons and also some snowmen ones. What fun I had.......... and I have just had mail to say she has received  the parcel with the decorations so I can now share the photos.

  And the fun snowballed yes I did get carried away but it was fun.! Now I need to look at the project awaiting attention but first....
......

Lets have a giveaway. it will have to be a quick one to catch the Christmas mail, one of these five decorations is up for grabs, leave a comment and tell me your favourite and the first person to chose the one I have earmarked will be the lucky winner.  My family have already made their choices and have claimed four of them.

 Good Luck

 

Wow! that was quick first comment picked the correct one Congratulations Thoeria. It will be on the way to you this week

CATCH UP TIME

Not what we give, But what we share, 
For the gift without the giver Is bare.
– James Russell Lowell

I am please to share that this little piece has safely arrived. it was started with plenty of time to be ready for Annette of California Stitcher's birthday which was early October, and was almost completed when I received the call telling me my eye surgery date had been brought forward and so was not finished till I had my new glasses. The work is Pulled Thread Embroidery 

 Another piece that had to be put aside at that time was my Stitching friend's Challenge piece That was going to Joan in October !!! fortunately Joan understood as she had had eye surgery the year before  and knew that for a time stitching would be impossible. Thank you Joan for your patience.

the Challenge was a needleroll  having found a delightful free pattern on Krienik Threads I set out to stitch the Victorian silk needleroll only to find I had misread the chart and stitching on 40 count did not feel like a mass of unpicking, so created a new design with what I had stitched.  This is my finally completed piece, these little roses buds have been stitched so many times over the years and in some many different ways and colours.

The needle roll I received in the exchange came from Ann, who has stitched another Cardinal design to add to the ornament she had stitched for me previously. we don't have these colourful birds in new Zealand however I think I would like to collect more small designs like these and have a cardinal tree sometime. I have just bought myself a small tree which I plan to keep up and decorate with different themes during the year.

 Thanks to everyone for all your comments on the last postings and not giving up on me when I had been away for so long, I am trying to answer everyone but computer changes where my emails list all the comments one after the other and not as separate mail leaves me wondering if some folk are getting two replies and others none, then I find everything put into the drafts box.!!! and I am left not knowing which ones have been sent. I do like hearing from everyone and have been trying to be better at replying so if you don't hear back I hope you will understand.

MY EMBROIDERED PEARS

I had a little nut tree nothing would it bear but a silver nutmeg and a golden pear
 

Stitching friends Challenge for October/November was to stitch a golden pear  and I had an idea to create something different from the one I had stitched some years ago from a magazine. I did my trial one using apricot silk fabric with a sheer on top and stitched in autumn colours, I managed this with out my glasses as the placement did not need to be as precise as count thread work. This pear went over to America to Annette of California Stitcher who had decorated her house for Autumn 

Happy with they way my idea had turned out I then set about stitching my Golden Pear for the challenge. Fabric is gold tissue fabric with a sheer overlay The leaf is green silk and the stem a piece of dried wisteria branch painted gold.  As this was to go to Ann I had the pleasure of taking it to her instead of posting it.

 

 Now I would like to make one for myself!

CHRISTMAS EXCHANGE

Last night was our Embroiderers Guild Christmas dinner and of course we have a parcel exchange you can make or buy your gift but it should be about $5, I decided to make a hanging decoration. When I found out Maree had recieved it I was sure she must have seen it in progress on one of her visits to see me but luckily no.... must have been burried somewhere under the large pile of bits on my coffee table that serves as my work area. I received a delightful glass angel in my gift.
 here is the piece i stitched.......

It was a fun piece to stitch. back soon with another exchange although my piece has gone out the official posting date is the 20th of November so will wait a few more days and then share it with you.

Happy stitching

OH SO LONG

Well I did not realize it would be so very long before I could get back to blogging again.

 Firstly the Good news that has kept me away.... I have had my eye surgery, and how colourful the world is again, however on the down side its been two months wait to get my new glasses............   two month and almost no stitching, also unable to read anything on the computer how I have missed keeping up to date with everyone's news in the past, I have sat at the computer each morning with my breakfast and read everyone's news ...look forward to doing that again now.

 From Annette  of California Stitcher, I have received two parcels . the first was a collection of really interesting bits and pieces, my photo is not a good one  not seeing clearly at the time it was a case of aim the camera and hope for the best.Included in the parcel was a snooty parrot  charm that I need to find a special piece to attach it too.

and then this parcel came from Annette for my birthday I love the box she made for me with the BBD design on top and the inside is beautifully finished with interesting pieces tucked in there.....  and the blue silk is just perfect for a special project I have planned

My sister Joan and her husband Denis came to visit for a few days and we took the opportunity to have some photos taken together ready for their visit to Australia and they will be visiting our brother in Queensland.( did you notice my new look I have my hair short for the first time in 50 years)  we also did some clothing shopping, I am not  very good at shopping so having company helped me make the effort and several new tops were added to my wardrobe ready for my trip north and the summer.

 

 At the end of October I  went north to stay with my friend Ann and to attend the 25th Anniversary of the Coromandel Embroiderers guild. that day was a lovely reunion with many old friends. As I have done before on special occasions for the guild I made an embroidered piece that was a lucky draw on the day,  it was decided it should be for present members and the draw was done at the AGM that started the day, before we went on the the exhibition opening and Birthday lunch at the Pepper Tree restaurant. I had been working on the background for this piece and when the date for my eye surgery was brought forward it was a  rush finish to the blackwork. background.   After the surgery I managed to finish the rest of the stitching mostly working using one eye  I now have one new long sighted eye and one very very short sighted eye. After I mounted it Maree came in and looked it over for me to make sure it was all finished off properly which I was very grateful for.

 Do you remember seeing the blackwork on previous postings ?

well here is the finished piece

The first thing I did when I got my new glasses was to come home and check that I could see to stitch on 40 count fabric yes there was a loud cheer to say I could... am not quite ready to stitch on sacking yet.! Then I went out and drove the car good to have my independence back  Life is good.

JUST TO SAY...............

Just to say I am still here and all is well  not able to share my stitch at present - one piece is  stitching friend's challenge,  another is a birthday gift and there is also RAK along with the blackwork piece that needs to be finished next month

will be back soon and hopefully with good news to share

REPORTING BACK

Where have I been and what have I been stitching ? first up I did achieve some planned  stitching for IHSW, as shown here-

I like the way it is coming along although I do not enjoy stitching on such coarse linen however  I will hopefully not have to wait to long till I can enjoy stitching with no sight problems. I have a date all going well for Cataract surgery later in September. The blackwork pattern here will form the background with more stitching on top. will share the progress of this as I get on.

 Following Hermits weekend I worked on a hussif for Caitlin's birthday, her choice of colour would always be purple and I found the lovely rich cotton I used for the outside on my trip to Napier earlier in the year, The lining is a soft mauve silk, almost a grey mauve Annette had sent this to me and there was just enough, some help from Maree who did the quilting and then a very enjoyable time stitching lots of bullion stitch roses. Pink Roses and gold butterflies was the theme. look closely and you will see lots of tiny gold butterfly charms, Ann found these for me at the Trader's mall at conference.

The bottom pocket has an extra small pocket on the front to hold a small ruler and inside that pocket I out the pin keep and the covered tape measure.  the middle pocket has the scissor case and needle book on the outside of it. and the top one is a flap  that open with the thread holders there.

It was here birthday on Friday, how the years have gone by she is now 17 and the hussif was delivered to her in person so I could see her reaction when she opened her parcel  

A new month starts tomorrow and first up will be finished some more Gold butterflies to send away, the blackwork Heart and Stitcher's challenge this time is a needleroll ( the type that looks like a cracker) I have found a chart I like now to sort out fabric and threads so I can get started.

 Thank you for visiting I will try and not leave it so long before I post again. 

PS for new followers of my blog below is the hussif made about 3 years ago for Rachel the oldest of my granddaughters. The theme for this one was  Roses for Rachel