A New Chart and Some Old Embroidery!

Hello dear stitching friends!  We have been enjoying the last few days of summer and finally there is a bit of a chill in the air in the evenings.  Autumn should be arriving soon and with it perfect stitching weather :)

I am happy to share with  you a new cross stitch chart by Lady Lexi Designs!  This design is called 'Primitive Abundance' and is available as an instant download in my Etsy Store.  I have been admiring the primitive style for a long time and decided to add some of my favourite element to the design, including some stags, birds and sampler elements.

The model is stitched on a light mocha 28ct evenweave in DMC threads and is finished as a pillow.  The pillow is trimmed with some vintage lace and buttons.  I had such fun with this - here are a few more close ups:

I don't have much other stitching to show, but I did find this lovely brooch in a basket of other crafting goodies.  My mom made some of these ribbon embroidery brooches a few years ago (about fifteen years ago!) - they were all the rage back then!  This must be the last one we still have and I was so happy to find it!

It is stitched on blue satin and features woven ribbon roses, accented with french knots.  The only pity is that the roses are flattened from being stored under craft 'stuff' for so long - not a good way to preserve ribbon embroidery!  

I just love the brooch setting - it is so antique looking, yet not too bold.  This little find has inspired me to take up some ribbon embroidery again - if I can ever find the time :)

On a different note - I would like to thank dear Annie for thinking of me and sending me a package a few months ago.  Sadly the package never arrived, but you can have a look at the beautiful gift on her blog - it is personalized for Lady Lexi Designs!  Thank you Annie, I appreciate it so much and I am so sad that my lovely gift didn't make it safely home. 

That's about it for now!

Happy Stitching
Michelle

An Update for March!

Hello blogging friends!  Has it really been a month since my last post?  I have been SO busy these past few weeks, but I do have a small update for March :)  

I started this beautiful 'medium size' project by Jardin Prive a few weeks ago - it is called 'Patchwork Printems' and I am stitching it on antique white 28ct evenweave in DMC stranded cotton.  I just love working on this lovely, bright Spring piece, even though our Autumn should be arriving soon - today we had one of our first really cool days of the season :)

It is such fun stitching these small motifs!  Look at those adorable little pink sheep!

I have also managed to do some finishing on pieces that I stitched last year.  This little cutie is also by Jardin Prive (yes, I do love Jardin Prive designs), and is called 'Trop chouette'.  

It is stitched on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in DMC stranded cotton and finished as a little pillow ornament.  I just love this design - this little owl at the end is my favourite!

This beautiful piece by LHN is called 'Summer Splendor' and is stitched on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in DMC stranded cotton and is finished as a 'framed' pillow.  I found this patchwork fabric for finishing the pillow recently and it was just the perfect colour.  I love how this piece turned out - the colours are so gorgeous in person!

Here are some close ups of the lovely motifs:

I was also so delighted to receive feedback on my little Valentine Freebie!  Joan (from Stitching Squad) and Adri (from Crossroads) sent me pictures of their lovely finishes.

Here is Joan's finish - I just love it on the check fabric!

Here is Adri's finish - the button in the middle gives such a beautiful effect!

Thank you Joan and Adri for sharing your finishes - I am so happy to see your lovely work!

On a not so nice note - I am considering turning the word verification back on for the comment section of my blog - I have been getting a lot of spam and that takes away from the enjoyment of blogging.  Have you had similar problems?  I have been going without word verification for a while and never had problems, but now it suddenly got quite bad.  I know it is not so pleasant to leave comments on a word verification blog, but it does seem like one of the only ways to keep our blogs 'clean' - I will see what happens on this post and then decide.  

On to a more pleasant topic - I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Peaceful Easter spent with loved ones!  Have you stocked up on your hot cross buns and pickled fish for your Good Friday meals and exchanged some chocolate Easter eggs or bunnies?

I hope to be back with a stitchy update a little bit sooner next time :)

Happy Stitching!

Michelle

                                                     

Michelle meets Michelle!

Hello dear blogging friends!  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting up with Michelle from the UK! Michelle and her husband and son were visiting family right here in Cape Town!  Hubby and I met up with Michelle and her hubby for coffee and we had such a great time.  We have so much in common, it is actually quite weird :)

As you can imagine, when stitchers meet, stitchy gifts are exchanged!  Here is the gift I put together for Michelle - since I know she is a huge Cath Kidston fan I gave my gift in a beautiful Cath Kidston style box and I decided to stick with a pink and blue theme.

Here is a close up of some of the items - some pretty fabric, ric-rac and beads. 

I was so lucky to find a pack of Cath Kidston tissues to include with the gift :)  I also included some ribbon, overdyed thread and a little note book.

I made these counting/marking pins and scissors fob to match the sweet floral scissors.

Here are some more handmade goodies - a lavender pillow and a cute little hanging ornament - I love this sweet little design - it is a freebie by Le Chalet des Perelles!  Also included are some 'made with love' charms.

Michelle also spoilt me with a lovely red, white and blue UK themed gift, which came in a great 'London Bus' bag.  The gift included two very useful size wooden hoops (great for needle painting, etc), a book of flower motifs by Jane Greenoff (signed by the author, I might add!), a tin full of goodies and the sweetest 'sew glad we're friends' pillow!

Here is a closeup of the pillow - I love the beaded edging and look at that beautiful lace trim!

The tin was packed with stitchy goodies, including a covered tape measure, fabric, thread, ribbon and another tin.

The sweet little tin was filled with buttons - such a great idea!  Thank you Michelle for my lovely gift!

Here is a pic of the two of us - UK Michelle in the black and white and me in the blue.

It was so great meeting a fellow blogger - I do hope they come to Cape Town for another holiday in the not too distant future!  You can click on over to Michelle's blog to see her holiday pics.

That's it for now - I have a lot of catching up to do on your lovely blogs over the weekend!  I also have a new start - a lovely design by Jardin Prive - which I will share soon.

Have a great weekend and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Ribbon Embroidery and LOVE stitches!

Hello dear stitching friends and a warm welcome to my new followers - it is wonderful to have you here!  I don't have too much new stitching to share so I thought I would show you a piece of ribbon embroidery I did a few years ago.  This beautiful piece was featured in an Embroidery & Cross Stitch magazine and is designed by Helen Dafter (if I recall correctly!)

It is stitched on Dupion silk, which I coloured a very pale shade of green.  The broad pink silk ribbon is variegated - so beautiful!

Look at this cute little spider - I think he is my favourite part of the design :)

The colours in this piece are truly beautiful, a perfect Spring/Summer piece - and believe me - it has been hot here!  

I also love the clean lines of this design - definitely one of my favourite stitched pieces!  Here is the 'full picture':

On the cross stitching front, I have been working on a little gift for a friend, so I can't show that yet and I have also designed another chart with a 'Love' theme.  This piece is called 'Hanging LOVE' and the ePattern is available in my Etsy store.

I had a lot of fun with this one and really love the bright pink colours, it is now proudly on display for Valentine's day!

In other stitchy news - I am very excited to be meeting up with Michelle (StitchCraft Place) from the UK next week!  She is here in Cape Town visiting family and I just can't wait to meet her!  See you next week Michelle :)

That's it for now - have a wonderful weekend and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Valentine Stitching and a Freebie!

Hello dear stitching friends!  Can you believe that there are only a few days remaining of the first month of the new year?  And what have I been up to these past few weeks?  Well, I have a big announcement to make - after years of 'playing' around with designing, making sketches and dreaming of creating more of my own designs I am finally doing it!  

I am happy to announce the launch of Lady Lexi Designs with this 'Be My Valentine' design!  The ePattern is available in my new little Etsy Shop in pdf format!

But how can I launch a shop without a little gift to my friends?  Here is a 'True Love' freebie for Valentine's day - I finished it as a long pillow with red check fabric and it is trimmed with cotton lace, a red ribbon and a cute little heart charm.

I used DMC 321 for this piece, but you can choose which ever fibers you like :)  If you have any trouble saving the chart, or if you would like me to send it to you directly, please email me.

If you do stitch one of my designs, please feel free to email me some pictures - I would love to see your finishes!  You might also be wondering where the name 'Lady Lexi Designs' comes from?  For regular readers of my blog - you are right - it is named after my dog Lexi, who at almost two years old, is a real lady and also my sweet 'baby'!

Well, that's it for now - I hope you enjoy my designs :)

Enjoy the remainder of the week and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Last Gifts to Arrive!

Hello my dear stitching friends and a warm welcome to my new followers!  The last of my Christmas packages finally arrived in the new year!  This gift was sent to Lee in Brazil and included quite a few handmade gifts, as well as some Christmas labels, Christmas themed mini pegs, a souvenir teaspoon of South Africa and a Christmas card: 

 

I stitched this Christmas tree for Lee - it is a segment from 'Vintage Christmas' by Country Cottage Needleworks and finished as a hanging pillow ornament (also shown in a previous post):

The design for this needle painted pinkeep is from Trish Burr's book Needle Painting Embroidery: Fresh Ideas for Beginners and is backed with the pictured fabric (also shown in a previous post):

This gorgeous beaded doily was made by my mom especially for Lee!  The work is so delicate and I just love the 'pink-gold' colour of the beads!  Thank you mom for making this gift for my friend!

Here is a pic of all the handmade gifts:

I also included a little gift for Larissa.  She is a student at Lee's embroidery school and was kind enough to send me a gift last year.  Larissa also received some handmade gifts, Christmas labels, Christmas themed mini pegs and a Christmas card:

This sweet little 'Prancer' is by JBW designs and is stitched on 28ct blue linen and finished as a hanging pillow ornament - such a cutie!

I also made these counting/marking pins and matching scissors fob for Larissa - I hope she likes them!

Well, that 'wraps up' the Christmas gifts for last year - I am always so relieved when all the packages arrive safely at their new homes :)

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

 Michelle

The Last Stitches of 2012 and the First Stitches of 2013!

Hello dear stitching friends - I hope you have been enjoying the first few days of 2013!  I would like to share the last stitchy finishes of 2012 with you.  My mom and I finished our stitching on The Fairytale Advent Calender by The Little Stitcher before the end of the year!  This was such a fun stitch - here are some pics:

The backstitching is also complete and they are now ready to be finished into little hanging pillow ornaments.

They are stitched on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in the recommended DMC threads.

Such a lovely quick stitch - I have been trying to decide which one is my favourite - I do love the reindeer and sleigh motif (23)!

I have really been enjoying the Christmas stitching (I have a few stitched ornaments from last year that still need finishing!) and decided to kick the year off with an 'Ornament for January'.  Here is a pic of my first few stitches of 2013 - hopefully I will be able to share the finish soon :)

That's my update for today - enjoy the weekend and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Christmas Gifts Sent and Received

Hello dear stitching friends!  I hope you all had a lovely Christmas - we spent a wonderful day with family!

Dear Edit and I have been exchanging Christmas gifts for the past few years and this years both of us received our gifts before Christmas!  Here is the package I sent to Edit:

Here are the stitching and Christmas related items, including an ornament, counting/marking pins, fabric, cute Christmas themed mini pegs, labels and a card:

Here is a closeup of the ornament that I stitched for Edit - this sweet Owl is a design by The Floss Box and is stitched on 28ct self-dyed fabric and finished as a hanging pillow ornament:

This lovely bear and the hanging heart ornament was a gift for Edit's little baby girl, Sara - I hope she will like it!

I was lucky enough to receive this wonderful gift from Edit this year!  Look at that gorgeous draw string bag - it is so lovely, I wish I could use it all year round!  And that piece of Santa and reindeer fabric - so cute!  Also included was a chart for JBW Christmas ornaments and those cute gingerbread magnets and a little reindeer ornament!  Thank you so much Edit - I love everything!

That's it for now!  Have a great weekend and a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year!

Happy Stitching,

Michelle