SAL FRIENDSHIP HEARTS PART 2

Do you know Honeycomb stitch ? This is the stitch I have used for this little heart. Any pulled thread stitches can be used and I will show you some others as well. I have worked the top row shown first  after carefully counting out the spaces of threads (groups of 4) to make sure I have the stitching nicely centred.  This stitch is pulled slightly and I have stitched it with a perle 12 thread, I enjoy using perle 12, tencil, wildflowers and other threads I can use singly.

Don't start the stitching too high up on your heart leave room at the top to add to your design , sometimes I add petite beads to this stitching as shown here.. Mostly I leave the back plain  but if you decide to fill it in with stitches dont add beads as well as it makes it too heavy

To finish I have added chain stitches, a few straight stitches and some beads across the top.

In Part 3 we will look at the construction of the little hearts meanwhile if you have time to fill you might like to try out some other ideas.

This one is worked on the diagonal, satin stitch closter blocks ( that is 5 stitches  over 2 threads, for each block.) Dont pull this stitch have your threads lying nice and flat. Work the first full row  starting at the bottom, then fill the rest in To finish  petite beads have been  added in the squares.

Here I have stitch in the bottom section only, the stitch used was double cross stitch and small beads hadve been stitch in between the crosses. this stitch always looks good and I have used it on several different things.

I do hope you enjoy stitching your little hearts. I will post the final part at the weekend to give you time to stitch some ready

Have fun stitching.

Friends fill your life with joy,

Your soul with sunshine and

Your heart with Love.

SAL... FRIENDSHIP HEARTS PART 1

Here is a collection of my small friendship hearts, I enjoy making these little hearts for friends, and they are quick and easy to make. For these ones I used pale pink linen which I have dyed using fruit tea bags. These were Twinings Cranberry, Raspberry and Elderflower ones. It is wise to test a little fabric first, as it depends on the strength and the length of time the linen is immersed . 3-4 teabags and 1/2 tsp salt with very hot water. Then I iron the fabric dry (placing it on an old towel as some of the colour will come out )and have your iron set for linen. I have tried other fabrics but they did not come up as well.'

Make yourself a paper template of a heart shape, my small one is approx 2 inches across at the widest point. I am not sure what size the one I have posted will come out as. So please decide for yourself what size you would like.
You need enough linen to transfer the template onto twice, with generous seam allowance, one can always cut of any extra but to little and you will have spoilt your piece.

Cut out your paper template and pin to your fabric. I never transfer the design using a pencil as it is to hard to cover all the marks. I simply backstitch round the outline and this stitching becomes part of the design. Use a perle 8 or 12 thread for this a single thread is easier to work with in the final stage of the construction and it needs to be strong when the edges are whipped together.  Here I have two different size hearts making the most of my piece of material, however in this SAL I am just giving instructions for the smaller one                      I will leave you with a couple of days to gather up fabric, threads, some small matching beads and narrow ribbon, white or matching felt is needed for finishing.  The SAL will be in three parts, I will post how to do the stitching next.       .

AND THE WINNERS ARE.......

Well its the 6th of February and I promised I would announce today who would receive the Shepherds Bush Chart that I receive from Rowyn. I must add it is a delight to stitch and takes no time at all. I will include the last of the silk thread but sadly there is not enough to stitch it again in the silk but I have matched the colours as closely as I could to DMC shades.

 Have you noticed I have headed this the Winners are?  I have taken Annettte up on her suggestion and will send it to her first and then she has promised to pass it on.... and the name drawn out is

 Gracie of Needles, Pins and Dragonflies blog.

Gracie please email me your postal address so I can include it when I send the chart on. I have resently read about a travelling chart and I think I will make the next one I share like that as I wouls have loved to have sent it to you all

 I have been asked how I store my WIP,  I use a fabric roll, infact I have several of them now, all different sizes. We have even taught the Junior embroiderers not to leave their work in a ring frame, but to store it in a fabric roll when not stitching and Maree who helps with Juniors has made each one a roll. My photos are not very good I photographed a small one so I could get it all in the picture. They are made up of two layers of fabric, the inner one plain light colour suitable to go against your work, at one end a sleeve has been stitched and with  a strong cardboard roll inserted. I have seen some where the ends are also covered in but I have left mine open so I can replace the roll when it gets bent!

I am not sure where the idea came from , it could have been a Patchwork and quilting idea, I was given a large one years ago and would not be with out them now. easy to store and also easy to take your work to a class  The important thing to remember is to lay your work face down, then when you roll it up the stitches will  will have the correct tension on them.

We have had a lovely few days away and I will share our travels with you soon and also have a small SAL which I will post shortly.

Till then

Happy Stitching.

ARE YOU A SHEPHE'RD'S BUSH FAN?

Rowyn from Stitching under the Southern Cross Blog here recently shared one of her Shepherd's Bush Charts ( along with the left over thread) and I was the lucky one to be selected in the draw.

It arrive late last week and I must admit other things were put aside so I could stitch it straight away, I really enjoyed stitching this little design and would now like to offer the chart to another embroiderer.

For my piece I stitch on 35 count Lambswool permin , not the 32 as suggested and kept a note of how much thread I used of each colour. The threads were silk and the number given apply to

Kreinik    Soie D'alger there is not enough of all colours to stitch another one however I have checked the colours against my DMC chart and made a list so if anyone else would like this chart I am happy to pass it on. Please leave a comment and in a weeks time  on February 6th I will do a draw and pass the chart on to another embroiderer,

I plan to make this into a Needle book and havin looking at some of my Shepherd's Bush designs for small motif to finish it.

Simple threrads which to the work belong

Remember in your silence - my hearts song.

quote from a Shepherd's Bush Sampler.

HELLO FROM LEE

 

Happiness depends on the power to see and enjoy beauty.

I really love this photo by my nephew,  David Poole of the little Australian blue wren.   I have as the wallpaper on my computor where I can enjoy it every day . I decided to update my signature for this blog and after much playing around on the scanner/computor this is the end result.  I have reversed the bird, and am happy about the way he is sitting  but  possibly have his colour a little bright ? what do you think?

On my other blog 'other side of the mountain'  link here I have posted about my dolls' house  to share with a friend who has not seen it yet , Today I have only shown the outside of the house and the folk who live there, further postings will explore the house. Do come and visit.

 

JANUARY IHSW RESULTS

Had a great start to my taking part in the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, with a good effort on Saturday and very pleasing progress. I decided to work on the bands of running stitches in the centre and at that stage was going so well I thought I would get it that part all finished by the end of the weekend.

However pride comes before fall and Sunday was a different story, my body was telling me I had sat too long the day before and so little stitching was achieved, even so I am now back working on this piece that has sat untouched for so long. during the month I will try and finish this section so that at next months IHSW I can start on the outer rows.

Hope everyone else made good progress with their stitching will try and visit later.

INTERNATIONAL HERMIT AND STITCH WEEKEND

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. 

I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. 

~Mother Teresa

Life has been very quiet here as we adjust to changes in our lifestyle to cope with Paul's on going health problems. We now know that they will not go away, there is no cure, so it just make some changes and  get on with life. I have managed a little stitching but can't show anything yet as they are all for posting out later in the month but all will be revealed in time.

 To give myself  some extra incentive to stitch I have signed  signed  for the International Hermit and Stitch Weekends. The first one - January is this weekend.  If you want to know more about this weekend where you stitch at home having set your self a project visit Random Ramblings Blog.
 the details can be found here.-

I have decided to work on the Latvian Mat from Ann's workshop last year, it would be good to get it finished. Here is what it looks like at this point of time
I will post again at the end of the weekend so you can see my progress. My colour choice is not really tradition colours for this work but as I was having troubles accepting the brighter colours I changes to what i feel i could live with 
.

 See you again on monday with my progress.

ITS A GOOD DAY

I'm having a good day and its great to be catching up with everything , so this posting will cover several things.......................
Firstly to Anntte who contacted me re the junior embroiderers group here and offered to send some threads for their use. A BIG THANK YOU to Annette for the parcel that arrived, as you can see it much more than threads.

When the family gathered before Christmas, I let Caitlin as the oldest in the group to open the parcel 

( I had had a peep before hand) we have put it all back and will take it to the first stitching afternoon when school goes back in February, so all the group can see what came. There was also something for me in the parcel as well.

Thank you Annette we specially enjoyed the small Christmas scrapbook you made for me. Annette also asked do we decorate the doll's house for Christmas, the answer is yes, here is Sarah and Henry Barker admiring the Christmas tree which has tiny light that work( by power but not turned on for the photo.) Gifts for the Children are put under the tree, there are tiny Christmas cards on the mantlepiece and a holy wreath on the front door.

.....meet their daughters... Emma with her Rocking horse( Scotish pewter) and Caroline with her teddy bear.( English) Ihave a note book in which I have recorded each room of the house and what is in it and where it came from.....BUT as it was in the wet, wet room I can't  find where we put it when we rescued everything.

My Stitching Friends December Challenge was to stitch a quadrielle using the outline I had given in my SAL on this blog but with their own choice of designs.  I used the one I had stitched for the blog SAL as my challenge and in the end stitched  a second one  with colour variations.

And here is Lyn's one. I love the ribbons on hers.
 

And below is Naomi's quadrielle, I was the lucky person to receive this one, she had chosen purple and gold as she kinows I dont like red against my pink walls, not the best photos but I wanted to show the designs she had chosen.   I hope to be able to share more of these  with you soon

I have just read Mouse's blog and she is stitching on some lovely peachy shade linen... well it just happens my present piece is on  a soft peachy- apricot Belfast linen and quess who I am stitching it for?
I leave you with this quote, source unknown.

Today there is a smile floating on the breeze

smile with it because you know it comes from me..........



NEW YEARS DAY 2012.

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The New Year has arrive here... an overcast day with out the heavy rain of yesterday...and we have enjoyed a quiet day by the fire.

To all my blogging friends and followers I send you greetings for 2012 may you  enjoy each day to the fullest and be blessed in  the year ahead

THINGS TO CELEBRATE

I think if I made a list of all the things I could truly celebrate it would be a long one, and it is good to stop and count ones blessings. At the very top of the list would be 48 years  of marriage. Paul and I celebrated our wedding anniversary of December 14th  after all the ups and downs of the past few months this Anniversary became very important to us.

As we were 48yrs ago.

 We decided to go away for a couple of days.... forget the house, the insurance assessor had been and  we know sometime the front room will be pulled apart and new flooring etc will go down meanwhile we have the contents of the room scattered around us, quite depressing at times so we turned our back on it all and took off.
This is what the living room looks like with the dolls house which is taking quite a bit of the space., and this is a tidy room!  others have things from the front of the house scattered through them.

Our destination was Wanganui, not too far, just an hour and a half's drive south from here. We had two nights down there and mostly had a relaxing time, although the weather was damp we did enjoy a trip up the river on PS Waimarie, New Zealand last paddle steamer.












Two nights out to dinner were also treats. we chose a motel with a restaurant so it was only a short walk to dinner. An excellent Chef, the meals both nights were outstanding. we need an excuse to go back again.

I am very grateful for all the messages I have received both through the blog and by email, I have yet to answer them all, as sitting at the computor does not agree with my back so I only do short spells at a time, I share with you one message I received......

Life can and will test us with every breath,

beauty can be enjoyed in the moment which we give thanks for.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas Day here has been a bright sunny day and we (Paul and I) have made the most of it having a quiet restful day enjoying the warmth of the sun and knowing we have God's Blessings..

 To all my blogging friends I send you Greeting and Blessing for Christmas may you have just the most perfect day possible with family and friends. Thank you for all the messages received it has helped to know we have had the thoughts and prayers of friends.

Our family phoned to exchange greetings and share news of their travels they are away in their motor home for several weeks. it is the Summer holidays here and school it out till the end of January.

With all the upheaval of the flood and everything moved round the house I have not put up the big tree this year, only this little one has come out and found a corner in the dinning room, In the half light with the lights turned down it glistens and the blue shades look deeper. To me this tree is the Night sky over Bethlehem  It just need a star above it.

I wanted something special to share for Christmas and found this in my collection I don't know where I got it from however  it is written by Desmond Gilliland........
God made a star and said to all wise men and children wise and all wise women too.  Follow the Star throughout another year. Follow with love and hope and faith - how has the journey been for you?
God left a star. Where is the star now at the dark year's turning, with mists of doubt and clouds across the moon?
Yet we move on, from habit and from yearning, glimpsing the star again, and limping on, until, ahead, a huddled shack, a dim light burning, and the clouds part, and we are running, running towards a great Star. Towards the great Star and the starlit stable, Kneeling, we know that life is love. And love is God, and God has come among us!
Outside the star has gone. The sky  is dark above.    But out of our faith and from the stable's treasure God makes a Star and says to  all wise men, and women wise and all wise children too..........
'Follow the Star throughout another year. Follow its light with a step and true. Follow and it will guide you home again'
God makes- Oh Look! A Star.

And in the words we sang this morning... Love came down at Chritmas.

 

Happy Christmas everyone.

WATER, WATER EVERY WHERE.......................

You got to look on the bright side, even if there ain't one.

I realise it is a while since my last post however most of what has been happening here does not make a happy post so I will briefly bring everyone up to date then look to the future. We had a lovely few days in Napier with Joan and Denis, very relaxing and what we both needed, as well as my back problems, Paul's health has taken a downward turn. Arrived home and as we retired for the night I was sure I could hear water running....! we found it..... the front room of the cottage was flooded! There is a small hand basin in the room which we have never used in our 11 years here, somehow one tap had come apart and not only was the hand basin full, the water was now coming out like a fountain and I truly I was wading in water. SOS to the family and it took us 2 hours to get everything out

 We were not using the room as a bed room, the dolls house was there (no damage thankfully) my second computor (Jan checked it the next day it still works) however fabric stored in cane hampers, papers etc stored in cardboard storage boxes did not fear as well. It took days to sort out and salvage what I could and dry out photos, fabric etc.

 The biggest loss was all my research notes specially the Wessex notes, 25 years  research and designs and all I managed to salvage was 5 pages. Although  I tell myself I am no longer teaching and so dont have such a great need for them, I still felt the loss.  My Turkish research was fine and I promise I will share that sometime soon. and the other Workshop designs and notes , and all my genealopg research is out here in a bookcase so safe.

Insurance inspection has declare the floor has to come up and be replaced along with skirting boards etc. so we will be living with the dolls house in the centre of the living room for quite a while yet. With Christmas only a few days now I imagine it will be into January before we see anything done.

 I have yet to face sorting out everything that is spread out in our other room and certainly nothing will get stored in cardboard boxes in future they are like blotting paper when it comes to them sitting in water and not all plastic bags and plastic boxes are water tight too,
On the bright side... I have been saying it was time for a good sort out of everything, well now I have no excuses it must be done !!!

 Back soon on a brighter note.