HEARTS AND EGGS

March is going fast and I have not kept you up to date with what is happening here,  First to share with you these beautiful tatted hearts a gift from Carollyn of Carollyn's tatting blog here is a link to her blog the photo does not do justice to the perfect and so even little knots, how I admire this work my own attempts some years ago were a disaster. Thank you Carollyn  I do love my little hearts.

I have made some more Easter eggs for my tree  seen here as work in progress, I will share my main stitching effort in my next post as I have yet to sort out the photos.

Meanwhile this is my tree this year, think it needs a few more eggs and that will be my effort for next year.
 

CHALLENGE FOB FOR MARCH

 A new month and another challenge piece, my scissor fob for this month has a tiny grey rabbit on it, I can not give any credit for the design source as I first stitched this design many years ago and no longer have the chart, stitching it this time I copier from the piece I had previously stitched.

Again this time I have mounted it using part of a zip round the edge, more silver jewellery findings make up the decoration, I really must go back to the bead shop and explore what else in available to use in this way.

With Easter being at the end of this month I am planning to add a few more Easter egg decorations to what I made last year for my small tree. Here is the first one another chart I have had in my collection for a long time and was reminded of it when I saw it on Pinterest recently .

Thank you to all who visited my blog postings recently and left comments sorry no replies still trying to catch up after being away. specially the battle with the weeds in the garden

Back in a few days to share what I am stitching and I hope more eggs.

MORE DRESSING UP

  Enjoying a few days of dressing up of a different kind I am in Napier with my sister Joan and Denis her husband to enjoy some of the events during Napier 's Art Deco Festival. So far on the first day we went to the movies , to see "Flying Down to Rio" with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Then out to dinner with friends in the evening.

Next day we took the rail car shuttle to the neighbouring city of Hastings, turning back the clock again the rail car we travelled on was 73 years old. At Hastings we did a guided walk of historical buildings before travelling back again

Here is the three of us in our finery.

The fun is that everyone dresses up and so you see a great number of 1930'S outfits where ever you go. Evening we went into town to picnic and see the show at the sound shell

Yesterday following a quiet day at home and yes I did do some stitching, we went out for dinner .... The Alfresco Munch at the Hawkes Bay Club where we dinned at tables under umbrellas on the lawn, my outfit was one Maree had created specially for me for this event.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

 Annie's recent comment that I should be called "The Queen of Hearts" after all the hearts I had stitched over the years... well turn back the clock to 1941 and here is the Queen of Hearts

My special dance in the Ballet Recital that year was in the Nursery Rhyme sequence. I remember we came through a large book at the back of the stage and yes I was the queen of hearts. Mother had baked Jam tarts and then glued them into a patty tray so they would not move when I danced. After my dance the policeman back stage asked if he could have one of my tarts. I told him they were stuck in but he took out his pen knife and removed one and ate it...... later I panicked that because of the glue I had poisoned a policeman, however he must have lived on as I was never had up for murder.

The rather sad heart in the top corner is from my dress the only one left.

Happy Valentine Day to you all

From the Queen of Hearts.

THE HEARTS

I wanted  this years hearts to be filled with lavender I had the idea of a butterfly with his wings not stitched down and some flowers, shopping in town I found this butterfly it was perfect but there was only one. The heart is blue felt covered with net and net on the back enclosing the lavender.  This one has gone to  friend as a t"hank you" for all the encouragement she gives to me.

There are five of us in Stitching friends group  so I needed four hearts, These were also lavender filled and as three of the four have now arrived ( the last person must be away at the moment) I feel I can show them to you. and as this posting will be a little photo heavy I will let the photos speak for themselves. Wish I had time to make more and share them with you all

Hearts

Over the years I have created and stitch  many small hearts...... these ones were stitched one year to share with Stitching Friends Group, in this case the linen was dyed with Raspberry tea to give it the pretty pink shade and the stitching was pulled thread work. Looking on Pinterest for inspiration before Christmas I found the lovely work of Paulette on her  Beedeebabee's  Blog  see here  a visit to the Bead Hold Shop, yes we now have a bead shop here in Stratford which is just great when collecting bits and pieces to add to designs. This time I came away with a selection of silver findings that looked like small flowers, and of course more beads. The hearts were made on white felt covered with lace and edged with pearls, having been given a large amount of pearls on thread left over from wedding decorations using these was quicker than sewing each bead on round the edge. Have enlarged the photo so you can see the details.

These were petite hearts  about and inch and a half across. For my next effort a larger heart was the project and I wanted the heart to be something useful,  I posted out five last week, four  to Stitching Friends members and one to another friend, now I wait till they arrive so I can share them with you.
We have had a long weekend holiday here in New Zealand so I guess mail is slower this week. One has arrived but it would spoil the fun to share  that with you before the rest....... so all I can say is watch this space.

A NEW MONTH BEGINS.....

First up is my challenge piece for February, I had not thought of including a fox in my woodland theme till this little chap caught my attention on Pinterest, I also found the chart and all the different ways other people had used this design, he certainly was popular. Quick to stitch I have now stitched him a couple of times and made them up as scissor fobs, the other
one has already gone to a new home and this one................ well I will possible share him with someone later meanwhile I am enjoying his company.

Yes I have given in and started stitching Snow flower diaries SAL and the first one is a fox...expect to see it posted soon, was inspired on when I have saw the finished piece stitched by several blogging friends.  My start was delayed till I had finished some special pieces I was working on last month, they will now go in the mail and I will be able to share them with you later in the month.

Yesterday I packed away all the sewing bits from the last projects that had cluttered round my chair and on the coffee table, now with a clear working space, new month am off to make new stitching plans,

Time flies, but memories collected along the way can never be replaced.

Ashley Tisdale

NEW CHALLENGES.........

I have set myself a new challenge for 2016. My stitching list is as usual quite long so I wanted something that I could stitch to take a break and would be completed quickly, a couple of nights at the most, so fun without encroaching on my main stitching time. I have set myself the challenge of stitching one scissor fob  a month , for these I have chosen the theme woodland creatures,  and my first one is the fantail and no  walk in the bush is ever complete with   out the company of a  friendly little  Piwakawaka the fantail . this tiny Fantail design comes from my friend Ann's needle roll she designed for a workshop at the Coromandel Guild Retreat in 2011 I did not do her workshop as I was teaching the other workshop at the same time but did stitch it later as a birthday gift for Annette of California Stitcher's blog.

My visit to the Christmas Shop last year added two little fantail birds to my bird collection for my little tree, and the Christmas decorations have been packed away and the birds are now on the tree, think I need a few more to improve the display, here are the new additions, the fantails.

Another challenge came from Caitlin, she has just been staying with me for two weeks having  chosen to be here rather than going off to the South Island with the family in the motor home. the past year study has not left her much stitching time so we agreed on a stitching project that was her choice and with a deadline of January guild meeting.  No surprise that her choice of technique was black work, the project a 15 piece biscornu.  Caitlin will not make the deadline so for her it has now been extended to the end of the month, I have finished mine and here it is stitched on 35 count Permin linen stitching over three threads with one strand of D M C 904.

What next.... well there are always the larger projects that must get done however I like Snowflower Diaries SAL  and may give in to temptation! Is anyone else stitching it?Check it out here

Thank you for all your encouraging comments, yes I do visit your blogs too and this year I will try and be better at leaving comments and replying to comments on my blog and oh as well blogging more often........... not new year resolutions just hopefully good intentions. Ileave you with this thought.

Do more of what makes your heart sing, your eyes sparkle and your soul soar’ Rebecca Fox.

FOUR SEASONS

Now that Christmas is over, parcels opened I can share with you what I stitched for a Christmas gift for Annette of California Stitcher's blog   This cube pincushion has a floral wreath for each of the four seasons going round its sides,  lots of enjoyment in both the planning and the stitching would like to make another one when time permits.

Caitlin is staying with me at present for a couple of weeks and we have set ourselves a stitching challenge, I hope to be back next week reporting our progress, next tuesday is guild meeting and we need to have our challenge finished to go on the show and tell table that evening.

 Happy stitching everyone.

GOODBYE 2015- HALLO 2016

Now home again from my trip to Queensland, Australia, I am finding it hard to settle back into a routine again,  and as a result am rather late in writing a post for my blog. the trip was a gift from my sister Joan and her husband, Joan was determine that we three siblings would be together to celebrate Donald's 70th birthday, the last time we were all together would have been in 1978, although over the years that followed we had both seen Donald on several occasions.

 The three of us taken in about 1950 Lee Donald and Joan

and here again as we are now ( in reverse order this time 

Joan on the left, then Donald and myself.)

  Donald's home in now with friends in Queensland Australia, we flew from Wellington to the Gold Coast and then drove the long trip north, to Gin Gin. Joan had carefully planned the trip with stops at points of interest on the way, one of these was to visit Portside Maryborough and see Mary Poppin's statue unfortunately at this time it rained so it was just a quick photo taken sharing the umbrella with Mary Poppins, outside the building where Mary Poppins author P L  Travers was born, next door was a cafe called A spoonful of sugar but we did not have the chance of a coffee with a spoonful of sugar as they were closing up for the day..

 

 This was our only wet day, the weather was very warm but not quite as warm as I expected, in fact dreaded, so we're very lucky, we were able to spend five days up in the north, country was very different and I enjoyed seeing all the bird life, many were very colourful like these Lorikeets.

Following our time up North we had three days on the Gold Coast and there I saw pelicans for the first time much larger birds than I expected.

Returning home a few days before Christmas  the year has now  raced to its end,  in fact the whole of 2015 seems to have just flown by! Thank you to all my blogging friends who have shared the past year with me I look forward to visiting your blogs to read your news and to know what delights you are stitching, and to have your comments when you visit my blog in the year ahead.

 Its January 1st here and for the coming year  I am..........................

THE ROBINS HAVE ARRIVED

An email message this morning from Smily let me know that the robins had finally arrived after much delay on my part.  I am glad that they have safely arrived  and she has several photos up on her blog.  here is a link to her blog  

 My bus leaves this afternoon taking me to Wellington to meet with my sister and her husband then we fly to Australia   will post again on my return.

AN UPDATE.........

all good intentions to post in November flew away about as fast as the month did for me...so before December does the same here is all my news.

 Firstly thank you to Cindy who despite all that the year has thrown at her came through with the planned Christmas exchange... it arrived very early accompanied  with some treats for my birthday.    I have hung it by my computer  so I can enjoy it, the big tree is not going up this year for reasons that will be shared later.

for my Christmas Decoration I sent to Cindy I did a cube, this was a very enjoyable piece to stitch.

 

I also received my exchange piece from Stitching friends challenge a scissor fob, truly this piece stitched by Heather is far to lovely to be on a pair of scissors and I have put it on one of my sewing bags where I can enjoy it without  it being handled as much as when attached to scissors. The tiny fob on the bottom is less than an inch across, such perfect tiny stitches. 

and there is more........ Annette from California Stitcher sent me  this lovely needle
book..the design is Ann Hathaway's cottage. It's too lovely to use and don't you love all the silk ribbons so in keeping with the age in time that it represents and what a lot of stitching I am in awe. Thank you Annette for for all the work and love that went into stitching this for me.

 

 

Ann came down from Whitianga for my birthday weekend and we went to the Embroidery Exhibition caught up with several of old friends there and on the Saturday when other friends dropped in to say Hi, .............. had a picnic  by the lake ..........went to the Christmas shop ...........visited Maree and heard all about her trip she went on the Casket tour in Scotland and England...........and of course we talked and stitched together.  And this month it will be my turn to go away overseas.
With my sister and her husband we fly out to Queensland Australia next Wednesday for a short trip specially to celebrate with our brother his 70th birthday,it is close to twenty five years since I last saw Donald so it will be some reunion.   Will return just before Christmas, and hopefully a December posting will follow to share the latest news.....................

.....................meanwhile happy Stitching  everyone.