Heart in Stitches

Stitching Goals and Gifts Sent and Received

2012-01-10T16:35:00.001+02:00

Can you believe that we are already ten days into the new year? This year, for the first time I have decided to set some (hopefully obtainable!) stitching goals for myself. The first goal being to stitch more Christmas ornaments - at least one a month. Here is my ornament for January:

It is a 'Treasure Christmas Pincushion' by MTV Designs and was featured in the November 2008 issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine.

It is stitched on 28 count evenweave fabric in DMC stranded cotton and House of Embroidery threads and trimmed with gold seed beads. What a fun stitch!

Some of my other stitching goals include finishing at least a few blocks on my Shores of Hawk Run Hollow start and to completely finish the huge Historic Countries Sampler from The Gift of Stitching Magazine. I am also going to try to restrict my amount of new starts until a few WIPs are done. That being said - there are some new starts in the pipeline, but I will tell you more next time!

I sent out a few gifts to some blogging friends over the Holiday season and am happy to report that all gifts were received in good order. This little package went to Edit - I love the little Winter Wonderland cushion and might even make one for myself this year!

This package went to Annie - I am definitely enjoying pincushion finishes at the moment!

This gift went to Babs, along with an extra scissors fob for her mom. I was lucky enough to receive some of the lovely Belgian Lace that her mom makes in a giveaway some time ago.

Here is a close up of the hand made gift goodies:

I also sent a gift to Lee in Brazil:

Here is a closeup of some of the contents of the package. Lee collects thimbles and I found this cute little fellow in a local antique store - perfect for a Christmas package! I made the fob, biscornu and scissors/needle book for her - all in pink!

I was also lucky enough to receive a lovely Christmas package from Edit. I absolutely love the fabrics and can't wait to use them for some finishings! I also love the ornament - it was on my 'to do' list and now I have one. Thank you for the great gift Edit!

That is it for now!

Until next time - Happy Stitching!

Michelle

More Christmas Ornament Stitching!

2011-12-28T15:37:00.001+02:00

I know it is very soon after Christmas, but I felt inspired to do more Christmas ornament stitching after seeing all the lovely pieces and ornament trees on so many blogs! I purchased a few designs from Atelier Soed Idee earlier this year and Simone was kind enough to send me this chart of 'Christmas Robin' as a Christmas card. When I saw the picture I just knew I had to stitch it - here is the stitched (and finished) piece:

It is stitched on self-dyed evenweave fabric in DMC threads and finished as a hanging pillow ornament. It was such a fun stitch - thank you Simone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and spent a lot of time with their families. A little bit early, but I would like to wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog in 2011 - I hope to be a more frequent blogger in 2012 :)

Until next time - Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T21:58:00.002+02:00

Can you believe that it is almost Christmas? All my Christmas stitching (and finishing) is done for the year and on display. Here is an update:

I stitched 'Scandinavian Christmas' by Atelier Soed Idee on self dyed 28ct evenweave in the recommended DMC stranded cotton. I finished it as a long pillow and I love how it turned out. I must say - I really love this design!

This little cutie is a freebie that can be found at Matrioshka Biscornu and was a lovely quick stitch. I also added some beads to trim the tree and finished it as a little pocket pillow.

This winter sheep was already stitched and has been finished as a hanging ornament.

Here is the reverse - I love this sweet Christmas fabric.

Here is another stitched piece that needed finishing:

'Red House in Winter' is also finished as a hanging ornament and backed with poinsettia Christmas fabric.

I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Festive Season! May it be a joyful, peaceful time filled with family and maybe even some stitching!

Merry Christmas!

Some Christmas Finishes!

2011-12-01T22:43:00.001+02:00

It is finally December and the weather and the Christmas spirit is heating up here in Cape Town! I have some Christmas stitching and finishing to share.

I really enjoyed stitching this LHN ornament from this year's Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. It is called 'Fresh Fallen Snow' and is stitched on self-dyed fabric in DMC threads and finished as a hanging ornament, backed with red fabric.

I stitched this cute little Tra la la piece earlier this year and finally did the finishing. It is stitched on self-dyed fabric in DMC and House of Embroidery stranded cotton. It is also finished as a hanging ornament and is backed with green marble fabric.

I'm working on a lovely piece by Atelier Soed Idee - it is called 'Scandinavian Christmas' and I'm stitching it on self-dyed fabric in the recommended DMC colours. The suggested finish is a Christmas card holder, but I think I might finish it as a pillow.

That is all for now - I'm off to visit some blogs :)

Until next time - Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Christmas Ornament Finish

2011-11-21T22:17:00.001+02:00

Here it is - my first Christmas ornament finish for this year! It is a freebie and can be found at Gazette94. The moment I saw this chart I just new I had to stitch it :) It is stitched on 20 count Pewter Lugana in DMC and House of Embroidery Threads and finished off with a few crystals.

Here it is pictured on the fabric I used on the reverse side of the ornament - I just love the 'old world' snowmen.

I have already started stitching my next ornament and hope to have it finished very soon - it is one of the very popular designs from this year's Just Cross Stitch Ornament Edition.

Lexi, our puppy was kind enough to 'pose' for a photo today. I can't believe she will be eight months old next week!

That's it for today - have a great week and Happy Stitching!
Michelle

I'm Back - With Some Finishes!

2011-11-13T22:28:00.003+02:00

Hallo dear stitching friends! After a long absence I'm back in blogland again - I even have some finishes to share! I have been stitching some of Thea Dueck of The Victoria Sampler's beautiful Christmas pieces. This is called 'Heirloom Christmas Sampler' and contains cross stitching, specialty stitches, beading and hemstitching. I had the chart in my stash for years (and even started the backstitching on the tree a few years ago) and the time finally came to stitch it!

I really enjoyed stitching this piece and just love all the detail. It is stitched on 28ct cream Quaker Cloth in DMC stranded cotton and Perles, as well as some overdyed floss.

Here is a pic of the entire piece - it is a bit difficult to photograph, since it is so long.

Some close ups - I loved 'decorating' the tree :)

This finish is called 'White Christmas' and is also by Thea Dueck. This chart was also in my stash for years! It is stitched on white 28ct Quaker Cloth in DMC stranded cotton, Perles and silver petite treasure braid by the Rainbow Gallery. This piece also has cross stitching, specialty stitches,hemstitching and beading.

Stitching these samplers inspired me to start a new Hardanger piece. It is a runner and is designed by Mamen of Hardanger Carpacar and is called 'Harmony'. It is stitched white on white with DMC Perles on 28ct white Quaker cloth. This piece is going to be absolutely stunning when it is - eventually - finished. I plan to start stitching some Christmas ornament soon, so it will have to step aside for a few weeks.

And finally, I don't think I ever mentioned it, but we had to have our six year old Bullmastiff, Jenna put down, due to cancer. We miss her every day, but on the upside - we have a new Bullmastiff puppy! Her name is Lexi and she is a handful :) Here is a picture of her (on our bed, if you don't mind!) - she is about seven months old now.

That's about it for now - I hope to be visiting all your lovely blogs soon. Have a great week!

Happy Stitching,

Michelle

Blog on Vacation

2011-06-27T20:41:00.002+02:00

Hi stitching friends! You might have noticed that, yet again, it has been a long time between posts for me. I just don't seem to have the time for blogging/commenting anymore.

To top off my distress, a package I ordered from Anita's Little Stitches in April has not arrived yet. I emailed Anita to find out which mail method she used and she sent me such a rude email in reply! She claims that 50% of her business is overseas and a package has never gotten lost (and if you believe that you'll believe anything). I have been ordering stitching supplies from overseas for years and this is the first package I have not received. Needless to say, I was shocked by her response - I was planning to re-order, but obviously she has now lost a customer.

Anyway, enough complaining and on to some stitching. Here is what I have been up to:

I have made great progress on Historic Countries Sampler (from the Gift of Stitching Magazine) and hope to finish it soon:

The Heaven and Earth Designs bug has bitten me again. I started Train of Dreams by Randal Spangler last year and took it out again this year. Here is my progress, not much done, but I already love the way it is turning out:

Here is what the full picture looks like:

I also bought a Quick Stitch from Heaven and Earth Designs a few weeks ago and could not resist starting it. Her name is Ruby and she is a design by Meredith Dillman. Here is the bottom of her dress.

This is what she will look like eventually:

So, to conclude, I have decided to put my blog on vacation. I guarantee I will still be stitching and, who knows, maybe I will be returning to blogging soon! Thank you to everyone who shared this virtual stitching experience with me - I am so lucky to have made such wonderful friends over the past two years. I will still be visiting all your lovely blogs as often as I can.

Happy Stitching!

Lots of Love,
Michelle

Mary Glover Finish and Half a Finish

2011-05-02T14:27:00.006+02:00

I have not been blogging, but I have been doing a lot of stitching! I finished the Mary Glover SAL, hosted by Emmanuelle, this weekend. This is such a lovely piece, I can't wait to have it framed!

Here are a few close ups:
The colours are so pretty and I love the Rice Stitch band, even though it was time consuming.

I have also made some great progress on Historic Countries Sampler, with half of the countries completed (Spain, Scandinavia, Holland, Ireland, England after the 1700s and Germany).
Here is a close up of Holland:
Close up of Ireland - I really loved stitching this section:
England after the 1700s:
Germany:
Germany also had some specialty stitches, including Queen stitch, Algerian Eyelets, Blackwork, Rice stitch and Zig Zag running stitch:

It is Mother's Day next Sunday, but I could not resist getting these lovely roses for my mom a week early :) Aren't they stunning - I love the pink with the hint of green of the flowers.
Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Mary Glover SAL and a huge WIP

2011-03-30T21:25:00.003+02:00

Believe it or not - I actually have some stitching to show! I have joined in the wonderful Mary Glover SAL hosted by Emmanuelle after seeing it on Siobhan's blog. It is stitched on a light, natural colour 28ct evenweave in DMC thread. Some of the threads are in the recommended colours and others I had to change to match the fabric.

Here are a few closeups of the details - I just love the soft colours.
I have also resumed work on a piece I started about two years ago. It is Historic Countries Sampler and was given as a mystery sampler over twelve issues of The Gift of Stitching Magazine a few years ago. I am stitching it on antique white Jubilee in DMC thread. It is a HUGE piece and is made up of twelve 'samplers' summarizing the historical aspects of each country's samplers. The piece in the bottom left is Spain and the piece to the right hand side of that represents the Scandinavian countries. The small band sampler is the first part of Holland. The Holland sampler is quite big, but I am looking forward to it. I am also looking forward to Ireland, which will go at the top of Holland.
In addition to cross stitch this piece contains a lot of specialty stitches that make it even more interesting:

That is enough stitching for me for one post! I also have another 'semi finish' to show, but I will share that in my next post.

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Some Stitching and a Gift

2011-02-03T19:42:00.004+02:00

I have some stitching (but no finishing!) to show! I'm going to try to stitch more Christmas ornaments this year - my first one for the year is 'Winter Sheep' by Little House Needleworks. He is stitched on 28ct straw evenweave in DMC threads and topped off with a little Christmas tree charm. He is pictured on the fabric I'll be using for the finishing:

This piece I stitched towards the end of last year, but never finished it for Christmas. It is such a cute design by Tra-la-la and is stitched on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in DMC stranded cotton and DMC colour variations. It is also pictured on the fabric that I will, eventually, be using for finishing:
I stitched this piece, 'Beneath Sunlit Skies' by Black Bird Designs, also towards the end of last year. It is stitched on a Natural 28ct evenweave in a variety of variegated cottons. I did not follow the recommended colours for this chart, but instead had a look at the pic, grabbed my floss box with variegated threads, and pulled whatever I liked and seemed would work. It was really fun to do and also a great way to use some stashed threads! (Some of the colours are very soft and don't show up too well in the photo.)
Here are a few closeups:
Last, but certainly not least - I would like to thank dear Edit for the lovely Christmas present she sent me at the end of last year. Look at all the lovely goodies - fabric, ribbon, beads and a beautiful snowman ornament. (The ornament took pride of place on our Christmas tree and looked great!) Thank you again Edit, it was an unexpected and wonderful gift!
That is it from me for now. Hope to have some stitching updates again soon.

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments on my previous post - it is appreciated.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

I'm Back!

2011-01-26T16:03:00.003+02:00

I can't believe it has been more than four months since my last post! A lot has happened in the past few months, though. Firstly - I got married! I don't think I even told you that I got engaged :)

Here are a few pics of my husband and I on our wedding day:

Remember the Hardanger and cross stitch piece by Lee Albrecht that I was stitching? My mom finished it into a ring pillow for me and it worked perfectly and looked beautiful:
In other news, I obtained my Masters degree in medical biochemistry last year and have now started my PhD study, also in medical biochemistry.

Unfortunately, we also had some losses over the past month - my grandmother died two days before Christmas and my grandfather died on the tenth of January. They were married for sixty years (I made an anniversary sampler for them - ironically, my previous post) and they will be greatly missed.

As you can imagine, not a lot of stitching has happened, but I will post about the little that I have done soon.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

I am still here!

2010-09-11T10:24:00.009+02:00

Wow - I didn't mean for it to be more than two months between posts, but things have been really hectic on this side! Thank you so much for all the emails and comments throughout the past few months - I really appreciate it! Stitchers and bloggers are really nice people, so all you stitchy/crafty bloggers are super nice :)

I do have some stitching to show. I stitched an anniversary sampler for my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary in August. It is adapted from a piece in a Cross Stitch Gold Magazine and is stitched on Bone Lugana in Chameleon threads in a Mushroom colour. The details in the heart are stitched in a House of Embroidery thread called "Ajuga". (It is such a lovely shade - I'm looking for an excuse to use it again!)

This sampler has cross stitching on it and also some basic Hardanger - now all it needs is a frame!
I have also received this "one lovely blog" award from Chrizette. Baie dankie Chrizette - ek waardeer dit!
I am supposed to pass the award on to 15 people, but I don't have the time to do it now, so I would like to award it to all of you! Feel free to take it if you want to :) (The rules are on Chrizette's blog)

Well, I hope to post again soon and even hope to have some more stitching to show. I still have a lot of catching up to do on all your lovely blogs, but will do so in time!

Enjoy the week and Happy Stitching!

Giveaway Winners!

2010-07-05T16:03:00.004+02:00

Here are the results of my one year Blogeversary Giveaway! I did the draw the old fashioned way - I printed all the names and cut them into strips of the same size, folded them twice and put them in the rose bowl of destiny!

The first name to come out...
Congratulations Edit - you are the first prize winner!

And the runner up prize.....
Congratulations Zsuzsanna - you have won one of the runner up prizes!

And the third prize....
Congratulations Cath - you have won the other runner up prize!

Could the three winners please email me with their postal details - my email address is in my profile.

Thank you to everyone who entered - I wish I could send everyone a prize :)

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Shores Block 10 Completed!

2010-06-27T12:31:00.006+02:00

Can you believe it - the start of another week! I'm trying to concentrate on typing this post while the Netherlands/Slovakia Round of 16 World Cup match is on - very difficult to concentrate indeed! Hope you are all still enjoying the soccer, coming to you from SA - it has certainly produced a lot of interesting results so far - South Africa, Italy, France, America, Australia, New Zealand and England have all been eliminated already!

Wow -The Netherlands just scored another beautiful goal - they are up 2-0 in the 84th minute! Apologies for the running commentary, but soccer fever has taken over the entire country. The Netherlands is also a very popular team here, since many of us have a Dutch heritage, especially in the Western Cape.

I actually have a little bit of stitching to show - I finished block 10 of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow:

I am really enjoying this piece and can't wait to move on to the next block. I am also working on some small stitchy gifts for the winners of my Blogeversary Giveaway. You can still enter the draw by leaving a comment on my previous post. You must also be a follower of my blog and remember - I will post to any where in the world!

Another soccer update - The Netherlands have just beaten Slovakia 2-1 and are through to the quarter-finals - Yeaaahh! Prepare for some more of the Orange invasion!

OK, I'll try to focus now - entries into my draw are open until the end of the month. I will draw the names on the 1st or the 2nd of the month.

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Blogeversary Giveaway Announcement! (Edited)

2010-06-14T16:40:00.005+02:00

Hi from a cold, wet and soccer world cup crazy Cape Town! As I mentioned in my previous post my one year blog anniversary is drawing near and I am doing a giveaway to celebrate.

I am going to be giving one grand prize and two runner up prizes. Here is an approximation of the grand prize:

I will be including some hand-dyed fabric, threads, beads, ribbons, lace, buttons, needles, hand lotion and a hand made scissors fob. If I have time I also hope to add a small stitched gift. The runner up prizes will contain similar stitch related goodies, but on a smaller scale.

So here are the rules - to enter in the lucky draw for the giveaway all you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment on this post only. It does not matter if it is the first time you leave a comment on my blog - everybody is welcome to enter :) Please leave an email address where you can be reached if it is not on your profile. Entries will be open until the 30th of June.

Edit: Please note that the giveaway is open to everyone in all countries - I will post to anywhere in the world!

That's it for now! Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Small Finish and a Big Start

2010-06-07T14:09:00.004+02:00

Yes, I actually have a small finish to show! I stitched 'Small Token' by Blackbird Designs on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in DMC threads and finished it as a pincushion. I absolutely loved stitching this piece - the colours are so lovely and look really good on the fabric. The fabric is coffee/tea dyed and was the perfect size for the stitching and the finishing :)

On to my new start - Shores of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings - I have been admiring this piece on many blogs for quite some time and finally decided to also give it a go! This is my favourite piece from the Hawk Run Hollow range.
Here is my start - I'm stitching it on 32ct Harvest Beige Minster Linen in DMC threads. The fabric is a lovely rich colour and seems to be reasonably close to the recommended shade. You can't see the colour accurately on my pic - it has been grey skies and storming - not great for taking accurate photos. That being said, I am extremely happy about the winter weather, especially after the extremely hot weather we had this summer!
I also noticed that I have been blogging for almost one year! When did that happen? I think this calls for a celebration, so watch this space for an announcement about a giveaway!

That's it for now! Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A huge prize received!

2010-05-30T12:29:00.005+02:00

Hi everyone! I was lucky enough to win the first prize in Babs' wonderful giveaway. The package arrived this week, and wow, what a great prize it is! Thank you so much Babs!

Here is a pic of all the goodies:

Here are some close up pics:

Babs included a lovely edition of Cross Stitch Gold and two Dutch magazines.
A DMC chart with charms, a chart by Diane Williams and some beautiful 3D stitching books for card making.
I was so thrilled with this - hand dyed threads by Nina, as well as some DMC threads and a spool of Kreinik. I have been admiring Nina's threads for a long time and I am so happy to finally have my hands on some of them! (Babs, the colours you selected are so lovely.)
Look at all these lovely goodies, some charms, ric-rac, very luxurious hand cream and a hand made fob!
Lastly (and this could really be a prize on its own) not one, but two pieces of hand made Belgian lace. This lace is designed by Babs and made by her mother. You can have a look at her other beautiful creations on her blog: Madammeke Ongeduld.

This first piece is the Princess lace:
Here is a close up:
This piece is the Brussels lace:
Here is a close up:
Thank you so much Babs - I really appreciate this stunning gift. Thank you also to your mom for all her beautiful work!

Well, that's it for now. Hope to have pics of a small finish and my new start in the week.

Have a great week and Happy Stitching!

A few stitching and craft related pics

2010-05-24T17:04:00.003+02:00

Another two weeks have gone by since my last post - I can hardly believe it! I haven't been doing a lot of stitching these past few weeks, but here are some stitchy, crafty pics to share.

Aren't these cupcake chocolates too cute? They were the craze around here this Mother's day - I gave some to my mom, but insisted on taking some pics before they could be eaten :) They had a soft chocolate centre.

These cuties where purchased at a different store - can you see the theme here? They had a strawberry filling! I think I should try to reproduce these in Fimo at some stage :)
A few weeks ago Annie showed an Altoid tin that she covered with some of her lovely stitching and I mentioned that we don't get Altoids over here. So, what did Annie do? She sent me two tins of these 'curiously strong mints'. Thank you so much Annie - I'll be on the lookout for something to stitch to cover them! At the moment I'm enjoying the mints, especially the Wintergreen flavour.

I coloured some fabrics a few weeks ago - pink, green, blue and some blue-green. I'm not sure what they will be used for yet :) The colours don't show up so well in the photo - the colours are actually a bit deeper that in the pic.

I also tried to 'variegate' some of the fabrics - this one is green and pink - it should be fun to stitch on. (Once again, the colours are more intense in person than on the photo)
I also coloured some of this dark natural colour - I absolutely love this shade - I am currently using a similar piece for Feather Fairy.
Lastly, a little bit of stitching! I stitched this little Celtic knot design a few weeks ago and still need to finish it into a pinkeep. I will probably use the fabric in the background to finish it - it matches very well with the yellow-golds in the stitched piece.
I am working on another small design at the moment and hope to share it soon.

As you might have noticed, all my stitching plans and goals are deteriorating, so I am contemplating an evil plan. You know the kind - when your stitching mojo/momentum is lost - there is only one thing to do. A new start! I am seriously contemplating a new (big) start of a piece that I have been admiring on a few blogs over the last couple of months. Maybe now is the time to get it started - will keep you posted:)

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

I am still here!

2010-05-10T19:43:00.004+02:00

Hi Everyone! I have been missing in action for a few weeks - my Grandfather has been ill in hospital. He is 84 years old, but very healthy, so it was a bit of a shock. The good news is that he is home now and doing much better. We also have family visiting at the moment.

I have hardly stitched in three weeks and have not had time to visit all your lovely blogs :( Things are slowly returning to normal, so I'll be back to checking blogs, commenting and stitching soon!

Here are some pics of the last piece I worked on. It is the Hardanger pillow kit that Lee sent me.

I have done the pulled thread work, so now it comes to the cutting and weaving. I have decided to put the piece on hold for a while - I like to do all the cutting and weaving at one time for the tension to be the same, so it will have to wait for a while.

Here is a close up of one of the corners:
That's it for now - hope to have some more stitching to show soon. Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Mini Pincushion Finish

2010-04-20T17:39:00.005+02:00

Hi from a somewhat cooler Cape Town! Yes, our temperatures have finally started to drop - great news for heat-hating me!

To top that, I actually have a small finish to share. This design is part of the "Stitching Treasures Needlework Set" by Deborah Thorpe in The Gift of Stitching Magazine.

It is supposed to be a scissors fob, but it is a bit to big (it is stitched on 28ct evenweave and they recommend a 32ct), so I finished it as a little pincushion instead. The set also has a needle book and a sweet bag, which I would love to make in the near future. I'll also use one of the small motifs to make a matching scissors fob.

Here is my progress on the Hardanger pillow by Lee Albrecht:

I have finished the cross stitching on it, now it is on to the pulled thread work.

I have another small lined up - the quick finishes are such fun!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Ink Circles Progress and Hardanger SAL

2010-04-12T18:13:00.004+02:00

The start of a new week...again! I stitched one of the big "fishtail" corners of Book of Ink Circles by Ink Circles this week. It is my favourite block on this piece so far and was divine to stitch. I am hoping to do another small block or part of the border this month in order to keep up with my goal of finishing this piece this year.

Here is the third part of the Hardanger SAL by Mamen:
The fourth part of the SAL is already due again by the end of the week!

I think I should try to stitch and finish a small before then, so that I can at least have a finish to show. (I often find it "depressing" when you only stitch on big pieces that are nowhere near finished. A small finish always helps to boost morale and makes you eager to get back to those big pieces!)

I have my eye on a pretty little scissors fob, but I will keep you posted!

Hope you have a great week with lots of stitching time!

A Lot of Hardanger

2010-04-02T18:27:00.006+02:00

Oh my, I am such a bad blogger - I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since my last posting!

I have been (mostly) working on Hardanger the past two weeks. Here is part two of Mamen's SAL, stitched in ecru and blue-grey.

When this SAL is done it will be finished into a lovely bag like this:
I have also started on the Hardanger Pillow kit that Lee sent me. I have done all the Kloster blocks and started on the cross stitching.

Here is a closer view of the centre design:

Since I have not been doing such a lot of stitching I thought I would share some stitching that I did at school. I made this Candlewick pillow when I was twelve years old. We had to do it as a project for needlework class and it was supposed to be our project for the semester.

Of course, already loving to stitch at that age, I finished it within a week! My teacher didn't know what to do with me for the rest of the semester, so my mom had the idea of making an entire bedspread out of various blocks like these. The bedspread is packed away at the moment, so I will share some pics of that at a later stage.
Here is a close up of one of the hundreds (really something like five hundred!) Bullion roses on the project.
Here is a close up of the cotton lace and satin ribbon on the edges of the pillow. The lace and ribbon are repeated on the bedspread.
Well, it's a four day weekend here - I have a lot to do at home and hope to get some serious stitching done!

I hope you all have a good weekend and a Happy Easter!

Two Blog Awards!

2010-03-20T23:23:00.006+02:00

What an amazing way to start a long weekend - I have received two blog awards!

The first one is this Beautiful Blogger Award, given to me by Cath (Stitching Chicken) and Vinniey (Sometimes I Stitch).
Thank you so much Cath and Vinniey!

Here are the rules of this award:

1) Thank the person who gave it to you

2) Paste the award on your blog

3) Link to the person who gave you the award

4) List 10 interesting things about yourself

5) Pass the award on to 10 blogs and link to them

Here are the 10 things about me:

1) I'm left handed

2) My boyfriend and I have been together for 10 years - we were in the same science class in high school. He is Dutch.

3) I am currently working on my third degree in Medical Science and plan to start work on my PhD next year.

4) I'm of Dutch, German and Italian descent and my home language is Afrikaans, which is derived from Dutch.

5) I am a huge Sci-fi and Fantasy fan. I'm a Star Trek nut job and I enjoy many other sci-fi series. (Stargate Universe starts again next month - yeah!)

6) I have lived in the same house all my life.

7) I did Ballet for 14 years.

8) At work I am privileged enough to work with people from many countries, including South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Australia, The Gambia and Cameroon. We also have collaborations with laboratories in the US, The Netherlands, Norway and France.

9) I enjoy a variety of music, including classical, Gregorian chants, pop, hip hop and lots more. My favourite band is the Black Eyed Peas.

10) I have visited New York twice to visit family and spent a lovely white Christmas there once. They have since moved to California.

Here are the Blogs that I nominate for this award:

1) Edit (Fuggosegeim)

2) Manka (Little Rose Cottage)

3) Lee (Flores no Jardim)

4) Karen (Karen's Handiwork)

5) Olga (Olenka's Stitches Blog)

6) Jackie (Scattered Threads)

7) Ulla (Stickzeit)

8) Margit (Margit's kleines SchokiStubchen in der Blogwelt)

9) The Shabby Stitcher

10) Lonneke (Life with Skipper)

The other award I received is the Sunshine Award and was given to me by Jackie (Scattered Threads).

Thank you so much Jackie - I really appreciate it!

Here are the rules for this award:

1) Put the logo on your blog or within your post

2) Pass the award to 12 bloggers

3) Link the nominees within your post

4) Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog

5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award

Here are the 12 blogs that I nominate for this award:

1) Cath (The Stitchin' Chicken)

2) Vinniey (Sometimes I Stitch)

3) Babs (Borduurmeisje)

4) Carol (Stitching Dreams)

5) Dani (Black Belt Stitching Wizard)

6) Annie (Annie Bebop's Coloring Book)

7) Barbi (Blissfully Stitching)

8) Sharon (It's DaffyCat)

9) Michelle (Michelle's StitchCraft Place)

10) MBroider

11) Blu (Therapy by Thread)

12) Tatkis (Mouse House)

That's it for now! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and Happy Stitching!

A Lot to Share!

2010-03-17T19:10:00.005+02:00

For a change I have a lot to share! Firstly, here is one of my new starts: It is Feather Fairy by Nora Corbett. I know - it looks really weird with the leg sticking out like that, but I always start at the bottom and the foot was the best starting point for me. (Had I known she would look so dismembered and unbalanced I would have started with the skirt!)
I just love Mirabilia designs - actually I have a little, OK a big problem! I have started a few Mirabilia's before, but I have never finished one! Here is an example:

It is The Kiss and is absolutely gorgeous! I started this about 10 years ago, but never managed to make good progress on it - I hope I will do better with Feather Fairy!

Here is a close up of some of the metallic on The Kiss:

My other start is a Hardanger SAL by Mamen. The end product will be a beautiful bag.

Here is my start on it - I am making two, the Ecru one is for myself and the blue/grey one is for my mom. The pieces for the SAL only come out every second week, so there is enough time to work on other projects.

Since I have two new starts, I decided to make up for my wicked ways by also working on one of my WIPs. This is Book of Ink Circles by Tracey Horner from Ink Circles.

The plan is to finish one block/section each month. My goal is to finish the piece by the end of the year. For this month I have already completed the top, middle block - I still need to fill in the green knot design.

Last, but certainly not least - I received this lovely postcard from Edit. It is detail from the Lion Courtyard at the Alhambra - she sent it to me because I stitched Girl from Alhambra by The Solaria Gallery recently.

Thank you Edit - it is a beautiful postcard and interesting!

Well, that is enough from me for one post. Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Finish and a Few Fobs

2010-03-08T14:51:00.006+02:00

Hi from a still sweltering Cape Town! Yes, I am still complaining about the heat - it is over 40 degrees Celsius today and has been like that the entire weekend - hopefully it will 'break' soon - there is a massive thunderstorm predicted for this evening.

Here is a small finish I had recently - it is a Primitive Emery by Nicoletta Farruato of Niky's Creations and was featured in the February edition of The Gift of Stitching Magazine. I stitched it on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in the recommended DMC thread. The leaves are made from patchwork fabric and attached with blanket stitch. The blanket stitch is worked 'unevenly' to give a more rustic look. I just love this little piece!
I have been looking for a scissors fob, but there is not much available locally and I couldn't find the colours or combinations of beads that I was looking for online, so what to do? Of course I made some of my own! Here is the first one I made - I love the Jade/Blue tones.

I also made a few other combinations. The round beads on the Rose colour fobs are exquisite hand crafted glass beads with a foil effect and embossed pattern - they are so gorgeous - they each have a unique pattern!

If you are interested in any of these fobs please pop over to my sales blog - there is also a link in the right-hand panel of this blog or send me an email.

I also have a new start, actually two :) I will post about them soon - in my defense - the one is a SAL that only comes out every second week. Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Beautiful Gift from Brazil!

2010-03-03T09:19:00.006+02:00

I have been so lucky lately - I have received another wonderful stitching gift! Lee Albrecht from Flores no Jardim sent me a package containing two of her beautiful kits. Lee has an embroidery school in Brazil and specializes in Hardanger embroidery and also combines cross stitching with some of her Hardanger designs.

I regularly visit her blog to admire the lovely work of her and her students (wishing I had more time to do some Hardanger embroidery again!) - this year she decided to send a kit to a different country every month and I was chosen for February!
This is the kit I selected, it combines cross stitch and Hardanger to create a stunning rose accented pillow. The kit contains chart, fabric and all the threads.

She also included this Hardanger kit - it is her basic course in Hardanger and contains a full set of instructions, fabric and threads.

You can have a look on her blog for more of her beautiful designs. Thanks again Lee - I will definitely enjoy stitching these lovely pieces!

Furthermore, it is still sweltering here - temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius predicted for the next two weeks and they are already saying it will probably persist for the next month! To top it all off, I woke up with a sore throat today!

Enjoy the rest of the week - I have a small finish that I will share soon :)

Happy Stitching!

A Big Finish!

2010-02-23T18:03:00.004+02:00

I finished Girl from Alhambra by the Solaria Gallery this weekend! I really enjoyed stitching this piece - it is so well charted and the colours are so beautiful.
Now, what to do next? I know I should take out one of my WIPs, but I don't think I'll be able to resist a new start! There are so many things in my stash that want attention :)

It has been absolutely sweltering here over the past week - temperatures are over 30 degrees Celsius, actually closer to 40 degrees Celsius some days (it was 42 degrees Celsius/ 108 Fahrenheit on Saturday afternoon)! The night temperatures also stay well in the twenties, so guess who is hardly sleeping at the moment! Autumn (and Winter) can't come soon enough for me.

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Prize Arrives!

2010-02-10T18:10:00.005+02:00

Yes, I actually won something! I was lucky enough to be a winner in one of Jolene's lucky draws. The prize was one of ten grab bags, containing ten charts each. This is my first win and the prize arrived yesterday :)

Here is the entire content of the package:
Here are some of the charts that you can't see in the other pic...

And a few more that you can't see in the first pic...

Jolene was also generous enough to include a chocolate and a card - that card is so beautiful, it looks good enough to eat! Thanks Jolene!

I hope to have a progress pic for "Girl from Alhambra" soon. My progress on her has not been as fast as I had hoped, but she is getting there - I should have a big finish in the not too distant future!

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Valentine Finish

2010-02-02T18:48:00.004+02:00

I stitched this Valentine Freebie by Primitivebettys this week and finished it into a pincushion. I first saw this design on Mylene's blog and thought - "now there's a must stitch".

It is stitched in DMC 777 and 3799 on self-dyed fabric.
The red border around the design is worked in chain stitch - I wanted some more red around it to "frame" the design. I am so happy with the way it turned out :)

Now it is back to Girl from Alhambra - I can't wait for that big finish!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Girl from Alhambra Update

2010-01-25T18:32:00.002+02:00

Oh my! Can you believe it - two weeks since my last post! In between work and the computer being upgraded and reinstalled and all that 'stuff' I haven't had a lot of stitching and blogging time. Hopefully I will be getting more done in the future :)

Here is an update pic of my Girl from Alhambra by the Solaria Gallery:
She has all her 'features' now - she looked really strange when she had only one eye ;) I am still loving this project and hope to finish it within the next few weeks.

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Girl from Alhambra and some Fabric!

2010-01-12T15:09:00.005+02:00

Here we are in the second week of January and here is my progress on Girl from Alhambra! She now has a mouth and you can see her nose forming - it is really so exciting to see a face emerging as you work!

I am enjoying this piece so much, I haven't even thought of what I am going to stitch next - I suppose it should be one of my WIPs and I should try to finish it (lol).
I coloured some fabric during my holiday - I don't have a specific use for it yet, but you never know!

I love the blue and the darker natural - maybe I'll find something to stitch on it soon.

I have just heard that it is going to be 36 degrees Celsius tomorrow! Our summer is really here now! (Please wish me luck - I don't like the heat.)

Have a great week and Happy Stitching!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T13:46:00.005+02:00

Happy New Year Everyone - I hope it will be a healthy and prosperous year filled with lots of stitching!

I had a new start over the holidays - it is 'Girl from Alhambra' by Stoyanka Ivanova of the Solaria Gallery. I absolutely love this piece and it is really fun now that I have started work on her face!
Here is what the end product should look like - isn't she beautiful?

I still have this week off before I go back to work - lucky me!

Have a great week and Happy Stitching!

Merry Christmas and another Beautiful Finish

2009-12-23T11:32:00.003+02:00

It's almost Christmas! I hope everyone is enjoying the Festive Season and that your preparations are going well! Here are a few pics of our Christmas Tree, featuring some handmade ornaments:
Here it is with the lights on:

I had another wonderful email this week of Vinniey's finish of my Merry Christmas Freebie! She finished it as a cute mini pillow - I absolutely love it! I think it's a finish I should try in the future :) It is stitched one over one on a 32ct Platinum Belfast Linen in Anchor threads, similar to the recommended DMC shades. Thank you for the photo Vinniey!

A very Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope it is a time of peace and joy, spent with family!

Ornament Freebie and a Finish

2009-12-20T16:27:00.004+02:00

Can you believe it's only a few days until Christmas? Here is a little heart with candles that I designed for a last minute Christmas stitch.
Click on the image below for the free chart:

I also have a finish just in time for Christmas! I finished Winter Winds by the Prairie Schooler a few days ago. It is not going to be framed/finished in time for Christmas, but at least the stitching is done!

I really enjoyed this piece and the subtle colours used.

I will post about my new start soon - I know I should have picked up a WIP, but I just could not resist :)

Enjoy the run up to Christmas!

Beautiful finishes by Joan and Brigitte!

2009-12-16T19:36:00.005+02:00

It has been such a treat to open my inbox this week! I have had photos from both Joan and Brigitte of their Merry Christmas ornaments!

Joan stitched it on a 36ct fabric and used 1 thread DMC. She added beads to the Christmas tree and the Holly. I just love the red braid she finished it with :) Thank you so much Joan - it looks great!

Here is Brigitte's cute pillow finish. I love the styling on the patchwork star with the snowy village in the background. Thank you Brigitte - it is lovely!

I hope everyone is enjoying their preparations for Christmas and getting a few stitches in along the way! Until next time, Happy Stitching!

My Christmas Stitching

2009-12-12T14:57:00.008+02:00

With Christmas rapidly approaching I thought it would be a good time to show you all my handmade Christmas ornaments. Some are very recent and some have been around for years. I absolutely LOVE Christmas stitching, I have been making ornaments for years and I still have so many Christmas pieces that I want to stitch!

Here is my 'collection':
All the ornaments are displayed on a Christmas Tree Skirt that my mom stitched a few years ago. It is a Dimensions chart by Barbara Mock, called 'Old Tyme Holiday'. I just love the snowy Christmas village - it has such a lovely atmosphere to it! (As you can see, it has not been finished into a tree skirt yet - can you imagine putting that on the floor to actually use it as a tree skirt! I don't know what we are going to do with it yet, but hopefully it will be out on display in coming years!)

Here is a break down of the ornaments:

These ornaments are mostly very recent, but a few of them have been around for a few years.

I made these emeries last year - they are so much fun to stitch and finish and look beautiful on the tree. They are all from Anita's Little Stitches. I hope to make a few more next year.

This little Hardanger angel is designed by Emie Bishop. I stitched it a few years ago on 32 ct cream Belfast linen and 'dressed' this little porcelain doll to turn her into a Christmas Angel. (I won't mention that a have the charts and fabric for a few more, but guess what - I can't find matching porcelain dolls anywhere!)

These are Mill Hill kits. I absolutely loved stitching them and I love Mill Hill kits - they are such a treat - I love unpacking all the little treasures that come with each kit, like the little Teddy button on the bell pull :)

For the past few years I have stitched a plastic canvas ornament each year. The finishing is so easy - just cut them out and add a tag! The designs are taken from various cross stitching magazines.

I stitched this 'Joy' Christmas sampler when I was sixteen. It is an Emie Bishop design (guess who likes her Christmas designs!) and has cross stitching and Hardanger bands. This is one of my favourite pieces of all time and is on display in our home year round!

Here are a few 'non-stitched' hand made Christmas ornaments. The little beaded stars look great on the tree!

That's it for now! I will post a picture of the decorated Christmas tree and a few other Christmassy things soon.

My little free "Merry Christmas" chart is still available - Please remember to leave me your email address in a comment if you want it! (Barbara C - I would like your email address please - I would love to get the chart to you as soon as possible)

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

A Beautiful Finish by Mylene!

2009-12-07T17:36:00.004+02:00

I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in my inbox this weekend! Mylene stitched my free Christmas design and was kind enough to let me have a pic to show you. It is so beautifully stitched and finished - I think that red ribbon finishes it off perfectly :)

For more photos of this ornament and her other ornament finishes for the year visit Mylene's blog!
This design is still available for free, all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on the original post or send me an email - my email address is on my profile. (If you leave a comment - please remember to leave your email address if it is not on your profile, so that I can get the chart to you as soon as possible!)

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Team Effort Christmas Ornament Finish

2009-12-02T18:27:00.005+02:00

I have been up to some Christmas stitching and finishing since my last post. My mom and I both wanted to stitch Carol R's Sew Noel, so I stitched it in green and she stitched it in red!
It is stitched in DMC stranded cotton, 1 over 1 on a white 22 count Oslo Hardanger fabric.

It is finished as a "double sided" flatfold, so that, when appropriately displayed, both sides can be appreciated. Here I tried to "capture" both sides in one photo:

We also added charms to finish it off - a star charm on the green one and a snowflake charm on the red one.

I stitched Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread earlier this year and it is now finished as a little pillow and ready to be displayed for Christmas.

I hope to have some more Christmas ornament finishes to show you soon. We will be putting our Christmas tree up this weekend - it is something I always look forward to - I absolutely love Christmas!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Free Christmas Chart

2009-11-22T11:02:00.003+02:00

Here it is! My free "Merry Christmas" chart is available as a pdf to you. If you would like a copy of the chart, please leave me a comment with your email address or send me an email (my email address is on my profile).
I finished the piece as a flatfold - I just love this type of finish - it makes it so easy to display seasonal smalls.

The backing fabric is a beautiful Moda red swirl - perfect for Christmas finishing! Unfortunately you can't see the colour accurately on this pic - it is actually a very deep red - not a dark orange as it appears here!

Hope you have a good week and Happy Stitching!

Christmas Ornament Finish and a RAK

2009-11-16T18:25:00.006+02:00

Long time no blogging! I have not had much stitching time these past two weeks, but at least I have a small finish to show you. It is the "Russian Christmas Doll" by Sofia of GPA.

I replaced the recommended threads with DMC stranded cotton and Madeira Metallic Gold. This was such a fun stitch - I have always wanted to stitch a Russian Doll , so a Russian Doll Christmas Ornament was a real treat!
I have made a little progress on Prairie Schooler's "Winter Winds" and still hope to finish it in time for Christmas - it is also a fun stitch!

I was lucky enough to receive this RAK from a friend. It is 32 ct Harvest Beige Minster Linen. It is so beautiful - I need to find something to stitch on it!

I hope to have another free chart available later in the week. It is a small Christmas design that can be finished as an ornament or flatfold. Here is a sneak peek....

That's it for now - have a great week and Happy Stitching!

A New Start!

2009-11-02T18:53:00.006+02:00

The start of a new week and a new month! Firstly, thank you to everyone for the kind birthday wishes - I had a lovely day!

Now, it's confession time - I stopped working on the Linda Gillum Christmas Stocking. I was very eager to finish it for Christmas, but as soon as I started stitching, I remembered why I stopped working on it the previous time! Beautiful as it may be, it is extremely tedious stitching with many fractional stitches, so the picture takes a long time to 'develop'.

So, there was only one way to get my stitching mojo back - a new start! It is 'Winter Wind' by The Prairie Schooler. It is not really a Christmas sampler, but with the theme and colours it is close enough! It should be a quick stitch - I hope :)
Here you can see how little progress I made on the Christmas Stocking - I didn't even feel like finishing the bear and he's such a cute fellow. I still love the design, so I'll probably work on it again - maybe during the year when it's not so close to Christmas.

That's it for now - hope to have more to show you next time :)

Enjoy the week and Happy Stitching!

Free Birthday Chart

2009-10-25T14:41:00.004+02:00

Hi! As promised, here is a picture of the piece I designed for my birthday (today). If you want the free chart, all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post with your email address and I will send you a pdf of the chart. It does not matter if you have never left a comment on this blog before and you don't have to be a follower either. You can also leave a comment as long as this post remains available, so it doesn't have to be on the exact date.

I hope you like it! If you stitch it - feel free to email a photo to me - I would love to put it on my blog! I stitched it in DMC threads on a 28ct white evenweave, but you can change it as much as you like :)
Here is a pic of some of the sweet treats we had for dessert - chocolate and strawberries - what's not to love!

Some of the beautiful flowers I received.

Isn't this little posy too cute?

That's it for now, have a good week with lots of stitching!

Free Sampler Sneak Preview

2009-10-22T16:48:00.004+02:00

Hello from a hot and humid Cape Town! As promised, here is a sneak preview of the little Alphabet Sampler I designed as a free chart for my birthday this coming Sunday. As you can see, I had a lot of fun playing with ribbons to style this piece :)
The model stitching is done and the chart needs a bit of tweaking, so it will be ready in time. If you are interested in the chart, just stop by again and leave a comment on Sunday's post.

Enjoy the rest of the week and remember the most important thing - tomorrow is Friday!

Train Birth Sampler

2009-10-19T17:57:00.009+02:00

Finally I can share this! I stitched this train as a birth sampler for my boyfriend's sister's son (I guess that would make him his nephew), Michael, earlier this year. I didn't know when the Christening would be, so I finished it soon after his birth in April and guess what - the Christening was yesterday! The poor sampler was 'hiding' in the cupboard for five months!

Here you can see it laced over board - it is up to his parents to choose a frame. I made a Noah's Ark birth sampler for Michael's older sister, Emma, two years ago, but unfortunately I don't have a photo of it.
I stitched it on antique white Jubilee from a chart in a magazine (I think it was a Cross Stitcher).

There is such a lot of detail in this piece, here are a few close up pics:

The elephant is probably my favourite. There was also a lot of backstitch!

Look at this cute fellow! Did I mention all the backstitching and that I hate backstitching? (Don't worry - the fractional stitches were not far behind!)

Here is another friendly guy. All that backstitch (which I hate) really finishes it off!

And one more in the last carriage! What a difference all the fractional stitches and backstitches make!

You might notice that I did not precisely enjoy stitching this piece, but the end product is well worth it. (Did I mention all the backstitch?)

Well, it is my birthday in less than a week - next Sunday to be precise. I have been 'playing' with charting for years now, but have only shared it with friends and family up to now. I have also done lots of photo charting as a service and have stitched some of my own - unfortunately given as gifts, so no photos!

I have finally decided to share some of my own charting with others. I will have a free chart giveaway on my birthday for everyone who leaves a comment on that post - Sunday 25 October, so watch this space! (It is an alphabet sampler - I will try to post a sneak preview later in the week.)

Enjoy the rest of the week and happy stitching!

Christmas Stocking WIP

2009-10-12T15:52:00.004+02:00

Hi from a cold and wet Cape Town! It is storming here today - very unusual for this time of year!

Since my Mary Wigham is having a 'rest' again, I decided to resume work on a Christmas WIP. I started it last year, but didn't get too far :) It is a stocking out of the book 'Donna Kooler's Ultimate Stocking Collection'. It is a lovely book and contains 15 beautiful stockings by various designers.

This one is called 'Teddy the Bear & Friends' and is designed by Linda Gillum.

This is just a photo to show you how much I still have to do on it! I hope to finish it this time and have it ready for Christmas.

The animals have a lot of detail and, yes, a lot of backstitch! I backstitched this bird when I was working on it last year - the backstitching really brings it to life. (You will notice that backstitch is my enemy - I have loads of finished projects just waiting for their backstitch - I certainly hope this piece won't fall into that category when I get the cross stitching done!)

I am also still working on Scheherazade, but I'm still not on her dress! I am trying to build a solid base for the dress before I work towards the top again, but it takes a lot of stitching without seeing a picture :( That is the problem with starting at the bottom! At least I'm still enjoying it very much :)

That's it for now - have a great week!

October Pinkeep Finish

2009-10-05T17:26:00.004+02:00

Spring is in the air! Despite today being cooler, we are definitely going into spring here - days are getting longer, flowers are blooming and temperatures are rising.

I stitched this sweet little pinkeep, which is another Freebie on Maryse's blog. It is her October pinkeep and she has it in Autumn shades, so I changed the colours to suit our season. It is finished as a pinkeep and trimmed with dark pink and green braid.
The backing fabric is a pink floral patchwork material, which was in my Mom's stash for about 25 years! Must be one of the first needlework related things she bought after I was born :) She is very glad that I could use it so many years later - it proves stash will never be wasted!

I finished the border of Mary Wigham, so she is having a bit of a rest again while I resume work on Scheherazade (Heaven and Earth Designs).

For those who are wondering what 'Mary Wigham' is all about:

The Mary Wigham chart is still available for download on the Needleprint blog. The chart was originally made available as a 'free' download for a SAL - the aim was to raise funds to preserve the original embroidery. The idea was to donate a dollar per download (there are 9 downloads), or whatever donation, if any, you wish to make. Read more about it on the blog - you have to scroll down a bit to get the link to the download page.

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Halloween Finish

2009-09-28T17:54:00.006+02:00

Firstly I have a confession to make - we do not celebrate Halloween in South Africa! But I do love it! This is my first Halloween piece and I absolutely loved stitching it! The chart is available as a free download on Maryse's blog.

I stitched it on Floba using some of the recommended DMC threads. I used Chameleon Threads Baked Earth for the brickwork on the mansion - I love how it turned out! The roof is House of Embroidery's Winter. The lettering is done in Weeks Dye Works Trick or Treat - very appropriate!
I finished it as a flatfold so that it can be displayed for the next couple of weeks. There is a great flatfold tutorial on Vonna's tutorial blog. Thanks for the great tutorial Vonna!

I was fortunate enough to have some fabric for the backing - it is a Timeless Treasures Fabric and tones in perfectly.

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Start of a long weekend!

2009-09-23T17:04:00.004+02:00

It sure has been a short week! Tomorrow is a public holiday and, like many, many other people, I'm taking Friday off! That means a four day weekend - how lucky can you get :) I hope it is going to provide lots of stitching and relaxing time.

I have been working on Mary Wigham again - I'm really enjoying it again after a few weeks break!
My aim for now is to complete all the sides - only one to go :) After that I will decide if I want to try to complete the piece, or if it needs another 'rest'.

I am also still working on Scheherazade, but being a Heaven and Earth design, there isn't much progress to show yet. The curious thing is that I am enjoying it so much, even though it is still just a big patch of colour!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Christmas Ornament Finish

2009-09-13T13:57:00.004+02:00

Another weekend almost gone! At least I have a small finish to show. This is Country Cottage Needleworks Winter's Eve Christmas ornament from the 2006 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue.
I stitched it in DMC stranded cotton on self-dyed 28ct fabric. The moon is stitched in DMC Precious metal Effects E677 - I love this colour - it is a blend of gold and silver.
I stitched the little sheep in Rainbow Gallery White Wisper thread to give him a fluffy look :)

I worked a little bit on Scheherazade - not that you can see much difference yet! I am still enjoying it very much, even though I can't see a picture developing at this stage.

We had a lovely Spring day here yesterday, but today it is back to Winter! It is as wet as can be with persistent rain.

Only grey skies to be seen!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and Happy Stitching!

A New Start!

2009-09-07T16:28:00.004+02:00

Hello from a cold and wet Cape Town - it is back to Winter here! Low temperatures and rain predicted for the rest of the week - like I always say - great stitching weather!

I couldn't resist any longer and started Scheherazade from Heaven and Earth Designs a few days ago. It certainly doesn't look like much now and probably won't for a long time :) I started at the bottom in the middle, so I'm making my way up to her gorgeous dress.
I am stitching it 2 over 2 on a 28ct evenweave, which it much easier for me to see and should make it a more enjoyable stitch. My boyfriend was so fascinated with the size of the fabric that he took a picture of me holding it! To my defence - I left very large borders and I'm not very tall, so it's really not THAT bad :) (I'm thinking of it like stitching a portrait, so it is allowed to be big.)

I am enjoying working on it very much, even though it is just random stitching at this stage. I will definitely alternate this project with WIPs and ornaments so that I can see progress on something!

Until next time, happy stitching!

A Finish and a RAK

2009-09-01T16:24:00.005+02:00

I finished Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread this weekend - it was such a fun stitch! I always feel like doing some Christmas stitching at this time of year and with it's snowman, robins and trees it's Christmassy enough for me! I still have to make it into a little cushion - I have the same frosty blue linen for the backing. I will probably stitch a few more Christmas ornaments over the next few months.

I was lucky enough to receive a RAK from Daniela last week! She knows that I love the Hummel designs, so she sent me this lovely chart for my "collection". I think it is out of print - I have never seen it before. Thank you Daniela!

I am seriously considering a new start! I have a few Heaven and Earth Designs charts in my stash. I purchased this one earlier this year - her name is Scheherazade by Jonathon Earl Bowser and she is absolutely GORGEOUS! I have another one of this artists "goddess" charts which I purchased a few years ago and I think the time has come to start one of them :)

I don't know when I will ever finish Mary Wigham - she took priority over all other stitching (and starts) earlier this year, but now the stash is calling!

Enjoy the rest of the week and happy stitching!

Starr of Mine Finish

2009-08-23T14:17:00.003+02:00

I finished my Starr of Mine this weekend - here is the end result:
This was such a fun stitch - I would love to get it in a frame soon! I only used DMC threads and used DMC Precious Metal Effects for the moon and all the stars.

I also started Spot of Winter - I think it should be a quick, fun stitch :) I don't know what I'll stitch after that - I have so many WIPs, but I'm already contemplating a new start!

Not a lot of progress

2009-08-19T17:04:00.005+02:00

This has been such a slow stitching week for me! At least I can show this pinkeep that I have just finished for my mom. I stitched this piece for her from the Elizabethan Cross Stitch book by Barbara Hammet a few months ago. It is finished as a pincushion in the book, but the pinkeep finishing appealed to me more for this piece.
I finished the other side to be a pocket for a scissors or needles - or whatever needs a home at the time :)

My progress on Starr of Mine by LHN has been so slow, but I don't think the rest of the piece will take too long - mostly words, border and stars remaining. Who knows - I could have a finish soon!

I have already selected my next project - Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread. It will be my first Christmas ornament for the year - I always get itching for some Christmas projects at this time of the year. I have a suitable pale blue linen for this project. This should be a quick stitch!

Melissa is having a HUGE giveaway for her 8th year Blogiversary/ 1000th post! What a milestone! The prize is also great - eight charts, fabric, threads, a scissors and more! You can check it out on her blog.

That's it for now - it's downhill to the weekend from here! Happy Stitching!

"Starr of Mine" progress

2009-08-11T18:34:00.003+02:00

Here is my progress on "Starr of Mine" from this month's Gift of Stitching Magazine. I am really enjoying this project - LHN pieces are such fun to stitch!
I changed the recommended Crescent Colours threads to DMC, since it's not easy to obtain them over here. I am also stitching it on white evenweave instead of the recommended blue fabric. When I placed all the colours on the blue fabric that I have it just didn't look as good as on the photo in the magazine, so I decided to go with the white. I love the clean, crisp look on the white:)

Lori is having a great giveaway to celebrate her blogiversary. Go onto her blog for more details - some great charts up for grabs!

A new start!

2009-08-06T16:31:00.004+02:00

I was losing serious momentum with my Mary Wigham SAL - I was stitching on it for nine weeks and that's about as long as I can last on one project! My original plan was to continue on one of my WIPs, maybe Book of Ink Circles, but then the August issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine came out! It has a lovely design by Little House Needleworks on the cover and I could not resist. I started it Saturday night and it is such a fun stitch.
I hope to make good progress on it this weekend, since Monday is a public holiday. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring Tree Fairy WIP

2009-08-01T13:36:00.005+02:00

Weekend again! I've done very little on Mary Wigham this past week, so I decided to share another WIP with you. This is Spring Tree Fairy by Mary Baxter St. Clair and is a full colour printed design by Candamar Designs Inc.
It is an embellished cross stitch piece, so it should go quickly, but it is printed on Aida and as soon as I start work on it again I'm reminded why I packed it away in the first place! I just can't get used to working on the harder fabric again and yet it is such a beautiful design. The thread colours are also absolutely gorgeous.

On this pic you can see how little stitching actually needs to be done. They also make use of full stitches and half stitches in both 1 and 2 ply.

As you can see, she has such a beautiful face! I must really finish this piece :)

Thank you for all the kind words about the little towel I stitched as well as the Fimo roses. I have made some other Fimo pieces - as you can see I only had a few colours to work with! This is my first attempt at the little teapot. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, since I'm not into miniatures, but it is fun to make!

I also made this little pig for no apparent reason! Maybe he can be my stitching mascot ;-)

The good news is that I went to the craft shop and now have a few more colours of the Fimo. Now I can add leaves to my roses and bake them. Other good news - while snooping around in the craft shop I found this delightful little bucket of beads! It's like having a new toy :)

Here is a close up of all the lovely shades and shapes of beads. I hope I can put some of them to use soon.

Have a great weekend - I hope to get some hours in on Mary Wigham - can you believe that the final part was released earlier this week!

A Gift for Grandma

2009-07-26T17:34:00.004+02:00

It is my boyfriend's grandmother's 91st birthday tomorrow and I made this little stitched hand towel for the occasion. She loves a handmade gift and she loves pink, so this seemed like a good choice!
I have been experimenting with Fimo clay a little bit after seeing so many lovely pins and buttons on other blogs. These are my first roses and they happened to match the roses on the towel :) They still need to get leaves before they can be baked, but I still have to buy green clay!

Again, there are a few giveaways! Jan is having a giveaway in celebration of the birth of her granddaughter. You can get the details on her blog, as well as some pics of the baby!

Marie is having a giveaway for her birthday. Check her blog (here) for more details.

Hope everyone has a great week, until next time, happy stitching!

Almost Weekend!

2009-07-23T16:50:00.002+02:00

Can you believe page 8 of the Mary Wigham SAL is available already! Only one week to go, but still a lot of stitching to be done. I am making slow progress, but it is better than no progress at all! Since there are so many pages available, I decided to stitch the entire border first and will then fill the rest in. I also prefer to stitch from the bottom to the top, so I will now be able to do that with the rest of the design - I sure hope everything will line up in the end!
I have been seeing a lot about 'Christmas in July' on blogs, so before the month is over, I want to share this piece. I finished the stitching in time for last Christmas, but I never made it into a bell pull! I guess I'll end up having to ask my mom to do the finishing for me :) I stitched it on Millennium Blue linen by Zweigart and the chart is in the gorgeous Mill Hill book, Santa's Holiday.

Hope everyone has a great stitching weekend!

Renae's Christmas in July Giveaway

2009-07-23T14:43:00.002+02:00

Just a short post to let everyone know about Renae's Christmas in July Giveaway. Go to her blog to enter and stand a chance to win a box of Christmas goodies! The details are on her July 5th posting and you can enter until the end of the month.

Hummel Work in Progress

2009-07-20T16:33:00.003+02:00

It was a slow stitching weekend for me, so I decided to share another WIP with you. This is a Hummel chart called Meeting on the Mountain and is from the Carefree Days booklet.
I stitched this one - Umbrella Girl from the Ready for Rain chart booklet a few years ago - it is one of my favourite stitched pieces to date!

To tell the truth, I have a bit of a problem with Hummel charts! I don't usually go for 'cute' designs, but I absolutely love these! As you can see I have many, many Hummel charts :) I suppose you could call it a collection - that somehow warrants having so many. The worst part is that I have the fabric for all of them too - I'm stitching them on 27ct cream Linda. The fabric is even prepared and labelled and ready to go!

This is probably my favourite chart of the lot with the Apple Tree Girl and the Apple Tree Boy.

I hope to have some Mary Wigham progress pics later in the week. Have a great week!

Jolene's La-D-Da Giveaway

2009-07-16T20:07:00.004+02:00

Wow - another giveaway! Jolene is having a giveaway of this lovely Live Laugh Love design by La-D-Da. She is also including threads, linen and needles. There is also going to be a mystery gift for a second winner! You can get all the details on her blog.

Meanwhile it is still very cold here, but the rain has stopped for now. I have started work on page 4 of Mary Wigham, but have not made enough progress to warrant a photo. Until next time, happy stitching!

Mary Wigham Page 7 Available

2009-07-15T16:00:00.002+02:00

Page 7 of the Mary Wigham SAL is available for download - only two more pages left! I have made some good progress on page 3 and will now go on to page 4.
I love the colour of this motif, it is a bit tricky to get the colour accurate on the photo, but it actually has a hint of Plum in it and isn't as red as it seems. The DMC color variations give very subtle colour changes, which I love. I predict that I will be using them again in the future :)

Mary made some spectacular mistakes - I have decided not to freak out about them and to enjoy the 'reproduction' part, but it took some constraint to not start fixing some of the mistakes!

From an absolutely freezing Cape Town, happy stitching!

Raining Again!

2009-07-12T16:54:00.006+02:00

It is pouring with rain in Cape Town at the moment - perfect winter (and stitching) weather. I thought I would introduce another of my WIPs today.

This is Olde World Map from the Janlynn Platinum Collection. I received the kit as a birthday present a few years ago.

I substituted the Aida included in the kit with evenweave - 28ct Jubilee in antique white. I love 100% cotton evenweaves! This one has a lot of stitching on it and also some quarter stitches, not to mention that big border. I will definitely not be able to stitch it all in one go, even though it is one of my favourite projects - the progress is just too slow.

Here is a close up of the ship at the bottom of the design - you will notice that this design is going to require a lot of backstitching - and I really don't like backstitching! I'm not even going to mention all the finished projects I have that only require backstitching :)

I will try to add some photos of Mary Wigham later in the week. Have a great week!

Patti's BIG Giveaway

2009-07-09T16:49:00.002+02:00

Wow! Another giveaway - stitching people are very generous! This giveaway is by Patti of Tapestry of Dreams to celebrate having had over 2000 visitors. She says it is going to be really big, so I'm sure it is going to be wonderful.

I am making slow progress on my Mary Wigham (as usual), but hope to have a progress pic soon.

Violarium Contest

2009-07-08T18:01:00.003+02:00

Just a short post to tell you about the contest Violarium are running at the moment. You can go onto their blog and enter into a draw to win this wonderful Cross Stitch Letters Bible - looks like a good one! Have a nice day and happy stitching.

Some Progress on Mary Wigham

2009-07-06T17:10:00.003+02:00

Monday again! I have made some progress on Mary Wigham SAL - I have finally completed page two! I always think I'm going to get a lot more done in a certain time frame, but I'm just too slow a stitcher :) I am still really enjoying this project, but I can hear some of my other pieces starting to call for attention.

I am very pleased with how the squirrel turned out - I changed the colouring quite a lot from the original. Page 3 doesn't seem to be too big, I hope to finish it in good time. I still have some of my colours to incorporate, so that is something to look forward to!

I think it is time to start introducing you to some of my WIPs. Be ware - there are very, very many! This project I started this year. It is a free chart by Tracy of Ink Circles and it's called the Book of Ink Circles. I saw it on Margie's blog for the first time and I absolutely loved it! I love celtic designs and I am stitching it in jewel tones - I can't wait to get back to this one - I think it is calling the loudest of all my WIPs!

Almost supper time and then (hopefully) some stitching.

Sunny Monday

2009-06-29T18:26:00.004+02:00

Hi all! What a lovely day we had today - sunny and slightly warm - a pleasant change from the past week of storms! I am making (slow) progress on Mary Wigham. I am introducing more of my colours now and I still love it. I don't know how this piece is going to turn out, since I picked my own colours and I'm using it where it appeals to me. This should at least keep me interested in the piece, which is good - I have a chronic disease when it comes to starting new projects!

I plan to add a slide show to my blog to showcase some of my completed projects from my "stitching career". The photos will be added slowly but surely:) I have quite a few to take, since I have been stitching since I was four years old - thanks to my mom!

Mary Wigham Update

2009-06-24T15:11:00.008+02:00

I have made some progress on my Mary Wigham SAL - I love the way the colours are coming together. Part 4 of the SAL is available for free download on the Needleprint blog.

I am stitching the initials in white DMC Satin Thread - I don't want the initials to be too obvious, but I still want them to be there. I hope to make good progress on this piece over the next couple of days, since it is still very cold and raining most of the time - and they say we have another cold front on the way for tomorrow!

I completed this Jane Austen sampler recently. It is in the March 2007 issue of The Gift Of Stitching online magazine. I love this magazine, since it can be downloaded so easily and contains a great selection of samplers - it is difficult to find stitching magazines over here. I stitched it on cream Linda in DMC cotton. The original design had a different motif on the right hand side of the house, but I found it too 'heavy', so I changed it to a small crown. That's it for now - time for a hot cup of tea!

Cold and Wet

2009-06-21T14:26:00.004+02:00

It is cold and wet here today - ideal stitching weather!

I have been making slow progress on my Mary Wigham SAL, but have completed a small freebie by Dany. This lovely design can be found here. I stitched it in DMC stranded cotton - I just love the subtle colours.

I sure hope to complete page 1 of Mary Wigham soon - I have a lot of catching up to do! Happy stitching until next time!

Mary Wigham SAL

2009-06-19T13:17:00.001+02:00

Welcome to my first blog entry! I recently started the Mary Wigham SAL. This wonderful reproduction chart is available as a free download from http://needleprint.blogspot.com/. The aim is to preserve the original 1790 sampler, therefore a donation of $1 per download would be appreciated. The chart will be available over nine weeks. I am stitching mine on a 28 count white evenweave in DMC colour variations and DMC stranded cotton. I am only on page one now and page three is already available!