IT WAS TEMPTING

EMS Cross Stitch forum exchange for this month is óne over one'and I was tempted to take part I love the fine work of stitching one over one and could even think what I would stitch, only problem posting out date was the day we get home.
So I have decided still to stitch a piece, it will be a stitchers toy of some kind
 and have it as a give away for you all the followers of my blog...
here is what you need to do to go in the draw ...
be a follower of this blog.
post a comment during the month I am away telling what part of the world you live in.

Look forward to to reading your comments on return
See you in a monthy
                                     Lee

HOLIDAY STITCHING PROJECT.

We are preparing to go on holiday,  leave at the beginning of next week and will be away for three weeks traveling in the South Island, visiting some favourite places, some with childhood memories for me and some new areas. It is 15 years since we last had a holiday in the south.

I have been sorting out some embroidery to take, what needlewoman every goes somewhere with out her stitching. I have decided to take a Mon Ami Perre design '' Le Temps Qui Passe" will stitch the little pocket on 40 count permin linen with Chameleon Stranded thread ( floss) in THATCH which is a lovely slate blue shade. Promise to post the progress when I return.

 I have made myself a new Floss Ring Tag, the linen here again is 40 count 'Lambs wool"permin and I have stitched using one of The Gentle Art Simply Shaker Sampler Threads, this one is Briar Rose.

Welcome to, to some new followers to my blog, one of the lovely things about blogging is that you make friends in many different parts of the world, and are able to share an interest together.

See you all at the beginning of March.

Meanwhile Happy Stitching.

                                           Lee

VALENTINE EXCHANGE

This lovely Pin keep arrived in this mornings mail, it is from Celine in France, my exchange partner in EMS cross stitch forum Valentine exchange. It is an Atalie design "Louise" and I am so thrilled to recieve it. I often visit the blog http://ataliestitchers.blogspot.com/ to admire and enjoy the lovely work there. I have not yet found anyone in NZ stocking these designs.

Celine and I have exchanged pieces several time over the past year, its always a thrill to send something to someone you have come to know through exchanges. And this lovely piece is very special because these are her first atempts at French knots.

This exchange was for a needlebook or pin keep or scissor fob on Valentine theme.... I cant show you what I stitch till I know it has arrived, it is one of those piece I have mentioned as being under wraps for a while.

Thanks to Lynn B's blog http://happinessiscrossstitching.blogspot.com/ and information she share on Picasa 3 web albumns I am now able to make collage pictures for my blog. I can see I will have a lot of fun in future.
Still a couple of things I want to find out how to do.
More to share with you shortly, meanwhile Happy stitching

LITTLE BLUE WREN

I fell in love with this photo as soon as I saw it, my sister, Joan had posted it on her Face book page with other photos from their West Australia holiday, her son David took the photo and it is a great shot as they are quite tiny birds and I have put it on the desktop of my computer so I can enjoy it..

 I could get inspired to stitch it, and if you have looked at my bird album, you have seen a few of the birds I have stitched over the years. I think it would have been about 8 years ago I had a commission to stitch a pair of blue wrens, sadly with changes of computers I don't seem to have the photo of the piece any more.

Here are two more photo's David took of these tiny birds. the drab coloured one is the hen.

P.S. I am stitching but at present but can't share the pieces till they have reached their destinations.

AS THE NEW YEAR BEGINS........

As the year begins, I too, have been planing what I will stitch in 2011, I have read of a challenge to start ... and finish 15 pieces from ones stash however I don't think I will commit my self to so many projects.'
At present I have a short list which no doubt will be added to-
1. An embroidered Hussif for daughter Jan, she has requested it to have all the tiny flower designs I have used so many time. This project I will keep you posted with the progress
2.To work with Caitlin on the VS. 12 Days of Christmas Sampler we just got started last year and then the year caught up with us.. so now the aim is to stitch it  1 part per month and have it.ready for next Christmas. I am to stitch the cross stitch sections as Caitlin dislikes cross stitch and she will stitch the specialty stitch which will extend her stitch knowledge
3. Make a cover for my bible before it falls apart... I designed this a couple of years ago but really must start stitching it now.

I guess you can add a few exchanges to the list and there are always gifts to stitch for friends. however I would like to find one really exciting project... let you know when I decide what it will be.

Happy Stitching in 2011.

TO ALL............

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas give you hope,

The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

~Author Unknown

To all who visit my blog may you truly enjoy the love

that Christmas brings.

CHRISTMAS RUSH.

I have done it again.... so please with what I stitched for my friend Ann that I rushed it off to the post before I took a photo. It was for our Stitching friends exchange... and I thought I had found the perfect design to stitch for Ann, when in a conversation I learnt that she had found the same design and was stitching it not only for her exchange partner but also for herself. The challenge for this exchange was a flatfold with a Christmas tree design on it and I had chosen JBW Designs "Christmas Motif Sampler".... the search was then on for another design to stitch and it was quite a while before I found just the right one. I decided on "Joyeux Noel" found on http://www.mingiustitch.com/.  and by then I was running late hence the rush to the post. ( Ann has promised to send me a photo after the Christmas rush.

This is not the first time I have done this with a gift for Ann, I did the same thing when I sent her a birthday gift this year, however I did get the opportunity  to take some photos later and will share them with you now.
The construction idea for the needle book was inspired by one seen on.Danybrod's blog and I used the peacock cross stitch pattern from a bag I did in a CA Wells workshop some years ago. The lovely Peacock pin is from the Just Nan's collection.         I have plans to use this idea again.

Back veiw.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

And I have received some delightful gifts and surprises. Firstly from Joan, my exchange partner in our "Stitching Friends"  flat fold exchange. The challenge was a flat fold showing a stitched Christmas tree.
Joan had stitched one of JBW Designs Sampler Trees, and what I love along with her very neat stitching is the very tiny stars decorating the tree, the finish is just perfect.

Next to arrive was a  packet  from America. Thank you  Annie (of Annie Bebop's Coloring Book Blog)

for such a lovely surprise, although its summer here snowmen are always welcome and if I look outside there is still a little snow on the mountain but with warm weather is could disappear soon.

Here are close ups of the decoration and the card. don't you just love the teddy bear, I do

Last night Naomi from "Stitching Friends Group" popped in with a surprise gift and when opened  it was this tiny angel, she is so tiny and has such a lovely stitch hair do ...the photo does not truly show her off.

I can see me making some of these next year. Thank you Naomi for this tiny treasure..

This mornings mail brought a parcel from Argentina and my EMS Forum  exchange partner.along with the card letter and the Jolly Santa was a small bag of sweets....  I wondered when the parcel arrived why It had be opened by the MAF inspectors, they must have gotten a smile when the saw what was inside.... it passed inspection  and made it to me. thank you Laurita.

And now its my turn to give away a Christmas gift. We had a fun draw here with my writing down the names of the friends who left comments to my last post and folding them up and tossing them on the floor and asking Paul to pick one up.................................................the lucky person is Laurie who is also the newest member of my Followers on my blog. Laurie please contact me with name and address so I can pop your parcel in the post.

THREADS and TEDDIES

This is the lovely collection of threads from my shopping in Auckland, they are hand dyed Chameleon Threads  from South Africa. I bought mostly Perle 12 with a few stranded cotton and some Perle 8. The photo does not show the lovely subtle shading in the skeins.

I have been using them for my Christmas project, this year I designed  a project for the younger girls (8 & 9 yr olds) in our Junior Embroiderers Group,  a simple Christmas stocking (7cm high) using back stitch and chain stitches with beads, ribbon and braid. Here on the left is Darrian's stocking, when their stocking is finished I  add the tiny Teddy Bear for them. It worked out so well I made some using the Perle 12 threads and a slight variation in the stitch size.

Don't you like this line up....most  will be posted out tomorrow however one will go in a draw for my blog friends, so leave a comment between now and December 8th and it could be on its way to you. 

NOVEMBER HAS COME AND GONE

November has come and gone,

The month started out so busy and I am not sure where the days went, in the middle of all this Paul gave me a new computor... its wonderful with wide screen and does not chug along like my old one. I must not complain it had served me well for 7 years but was getting slower and slower.

The change over however has not been smooth I am having it get use to a different programme and at present all my files are still on the old one and I am slowly changing them over. Barryn  came home for a weekend and spent most of his time getting me conected again to the internet and trying to get my scanner to work on the new computor, sadly that does not seem possible. I wont bore you with all my frustrations!

 Today I moved some of the photos onto this computor. The roses I am sharing with you were here in the garden and I have no idea of the name, it has a most heavenly perfume. I took these photos this morning to check on transfering them to a new programme, that at least went smoothly.

We have had a few days away in Auckland  and yes I managed a visit to an embroidery shop I wanted to stock up on some special threads. I will share them with you soon and tell you of what I have been stitching.
 Good to be back again.

SARA LEE'S LITTLE HOUSE

I just had to share with you Sarah Lee's Little House, she is the youngest of the group of young embroiderers I teach every week in an after school group out at a country school and she is the first in the group to finish this project.

The door  was stitched first as a practise in running stitches, and it can be opened to see who is living there, (there is a princess)

Then the door frame and windows which were counted satin stitch . After that came the fun of adding all the extra bits  including a tree at the back to cover the join of the canvas and finally the base was glued on, and the roof made with fabric glued to card, that can be lifted off so things can be stored inside.

 We were thrilled when Sarah Lee won both the Judges choice and Viewers choice for the crafts at the school resent Calf and Pet Day

AUTUMN EXCHANGES

Autumn was the theme for a bookmark exchange on EMS Forum. and I received this lovely one from Terri in USA. It is almosr too nice to use, meanwhile it sits by my computor so I can enjoy it.

I send my bookmark to England and had a lot of fun stitching a design that I adapted from http://www.leschroniquesdefrimousse.com/ I think her little elf designs are really cute and it was quite simple to change this one into a bookmark. The design is called  "L'automne arrive..." and can be found on the web site, on  the left side under the heading Les Lutins.